Governor Sanders Announces Janet Mann as Secretary of the Department of Human Services

Sanders thanks Secretary Putnam for her service.

LITTLE ROCK, AR - Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced that Arkansas Department of Human Services Deputy Secretary of Programs and State Medicaid Director Janet Mann will serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Human Services. After two-and-a-half years of service to the State of Arkansas, Secretary Kristi Putnam is returning to Kentucky and will depart her role on July 25^th.

“Over the past two-and-a-half years, Kristi has overhauled the Department of Human Services and brought much-needed reforms to the programs her agency oversees, including foster care, Medicaid, maternal health, food stamps, and more. My administration was extraordinarily lucky to have someone with her skillset and leadership in charge of one of the most critical agencies in state government,” said Governor Sanders. “I am grateful that we have someone as qualified as Janet to take over for Kristi and seamlessly continue to make positive changes at DHS. Janet has an encyclopedic knowledge of her agency and I know she is the exact right person to lead DHS into the future.”

“I am honored by Governor Sanders’ decision to select me for this role and am excited to continue the great work Kristi and I have been able to accomplish in this administration. We have made enormous progress in providing support to Arkansans who need it and also in working with other agencies for all Arkansans who want a path to economic independence. Under Governor Sanders’ leadership, DHS will continue to deliver for the people of Arkansas,” said Janet Mann.

“Serving in Governor Sanders’ Administration has been the honor of a lifetime for me, and I am grateful and proud of team DHS and all we have accomplished so far under this Governor’s bold leadership. My whole career has focused on serving families, and this move back to Kentucky is so I can serve my own family in a bigger way. Janet is the absolute right person to step up as Secretary, is one of the most creative policy experts I have ever known, and will take DHS to new levels of success,” said Kristi Putnam.

Governor Sanders, Secretary Putnam, and Deputy Secretary Mann have collaborated closely over the past two-and-a-half years to deliver transformational change to the people of Arkansas. Those accomplishments include Arkansas’ welfare to work requirement, assuring that healthy, young adults who get government assistance work, go to school or volunteer, the Governor’s Maternal Health Strategic Committee that initiated reforms to support pregnant moms, and the Governor’s Foster Care and Adoption initiative, which has reduced the number of Arkansas kids in foster care to record lows and is ensuring that families, not government, are caring for our most vulnerable. Governor Sanders and her team also passed first in the nation regulatory reforms to prevent pharmacy benefit managers from abusing customers and inflating drug prices, passed laws to hold insurance companies, hospitals, and Big Pharma accountable to protect Arkansans from out-of-control medical billing, and spearheaded an effort to remove taxpayer-funded candy and soft drinks from food stamps to improve the health of Arkansans.

Janet Mann Bio:

Janet Mann serves as the Deputy Secretary of Programs and State Medicaid Director for the Arkansas Department of Human Services.  The Program includes Medicaid, Aging, Substance Abuse & Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Provider Services & Quality Assurance, Eligibility, Child Welfare and Youth Services.  The programs serve approximately 1 in 3 Arkansans annually with a total budget of an estimated $11 billion dollars.

Prior to this role, Janet has over twenty years of experience in healthcare and healthcare finance in state government and the corporate sector.  This includes several roles at Arkansas DHS as Chief Financial Officer and Division Director of Medical Services as well as the Deputy Administrator for Mississippi Medicaid.  In addition, she has worked in the private sector consulting with multiple states’ Medicaid agencies on finance, reporting, managed care, program integrity, organizational assessments and eligibility.  Janet holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Alabama and is a Certified Public Accountant.