The University of Texas at Austin

Event: From Austin to Pretoria: Lessons from a Public Service Career in Health and Human Services

Speaker(s): DeAnn Friedholm, Partner, Health Management Associates

Date: October 15, 2007

Length: 65 minutes

Event Series: LBJ School Alumni Association Speaker Series

Description: DeAnn Friedholm has spent her 28 years since graduating from the LBJ School working to improve health and social services for disadvantaged people. Her desire to help realize President Johnson’s vision has led her to Washington, back to Austin, to South Africa and back again to Austin. She has worked for the US Department of Health and Human Services, the US Senate Budget Committee, the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations, Governors Mark White and Ann Richards, and Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock. Ms. Friedholm was Texas Medicaid Director for three years under Governor Richards and Governor Bush. Governor Richards also appointed DeAnn as her representative on the 1993-94 Clinton Health Reform Task Force and as Commissioner of Health and Human Services in August 1994.

When not in government, she has worked on political campaigns, built non-profit research and advocacy organizations, developed statewide coalitions supporting Medicaid and CHIP and consulted with public and private entities working with all levels of government. Ms. Friedholm has leadership experience in creating strategies for successfully accomplishing program improvements as well as implementing reforms. Examples include the Texas Indigent Health Care system, numerous Medicaid expansions and financing improvements, the creation of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and reforms of the Texas CHIP program.

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