October 29,2007
Dear Fellow Nebraskans:
Several months ago, I shared with you the changes being implemented in Nebraska’s Department of Health and Human Services. This week I want to share with you the initial progress that’s been made updating this department to better serve Nebraskans.
I’ve challenged the department to become more efficient, more effective, more accountable and more accessible to Nebraskans. A key priority was to put a highly professional, highly accomplished leadership team in place to meet our goals.
In designing a new management structure for the department, it was important that we establish a clear chain of command from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to the six division directors to supervisors and frontline workers. We’ve now assembled a leadership team that is committed to serving the citizens of this state.
Chris Peterson, our new CEO, has exceptional leadership experience, both within Health and Human Services and as a former Nebraska State Senator.
Chris is joined by Dr. Joann Schaefer who heads up our public health team and serves as Nebraska’s Chief Medical Officer. For several years now, she has been an integral part of our public health outreach efforts and she is the first female Chief Medical Officer for our state. Dr. Schaefer was physician of the year in 2004.
Scot Adams, director of behavioral health programs, has a valuable understanding of the services already available for consumers of mental health services in our state. Scot was trained as a social worker and served for more than a decade as the executive director of Catholic Charities in Omaha.
Todd Landry is the new director of the Children and Family Services Division. He is the former president and CEO of the Nebraska Child Savings Institute. Todd approaches his new responsibilities with the fresh perspective and ideas gained from years in the private sector. This will be an outstanding asset in accomplishing the complex reforms needed in our child welfare system.
In the area of Medicaid and long-term care, we were successful in finding someone with a vast understanding of how policies impact individuals and families. Vivianne Chaumont brings more than 20 years of experience from the Colorado Medicaid department in developing and implementing policies that affect the daily lives of children, the elderly and others in need.
John Wyvill has spent most of his career working to provide better opportunities for people with disabilities, especially those who lack a strong support system. I am very pleased to have had him join this team recently as the director of the Developmental Disabilities Division.
The final member of our new leadership team is John Hilgert. He serves as director of Nebraska’s four veterans’ homes and as director of Nebraska’s Department of Veterans Affairs. John is a veteran with a distinguished service record and a former State Senator.
This leadership team has the expertise and experience to make the Department of Health and Human Services more customer-responsive to the citizens of Nebraska. If you have ideas on how to make the department more efficient and more effective, please let me know
