Governor Michael O. Leavitt
Former Secretary of Health and Human Services
After gaining a university degree in business, he spent a decade and a half in the insurance industry, becoming CEO of a company that is now one of the nation’s largest insurance brokerages. He turned to public service, was elected three times as Governor of Utah (1993-2003) and was, then, appointed a member of the President George W. Bush’s cabinet. He was the 10th head of the Environmental Protection Agency (2003-2005) and the 20th secretary of health and human services (2005-2009).
The people of Utah remember Leavitt’s gubernatorial service for its tenacious pursuit of improved health care, highways and education. He led Utah through preparation and conclusion of the widely acclaimed 2002 Winter Olympic Games. As governor he was lauded for his effective management during a decade that saw both economic prosperity and hardship. In fact during his eleven years as governor, independent public policy analysts named Utah six times, as America’s best-managed state.
While governor, Leavitt became a national figure, earning a reputation as a person who reaches across partisan lines to solve problems. His colleagues elected him as chairman of the National Governors Association, the Republican Governors and Western Governors putting him squarely into the middle of important Congressional debates on health care, welfare reform and the environment.
While he served in two positions on the Bush Cabinet, Leavitt views his primary task in both jobs as improving the nation’s health. At the Environmental Protection Agency he implemented higher standards for ozone, diesel fuels and other air pollutants. He organized and managed a collaboration to develop our nation’s plan to clean up the Great Lakes.
In four years as secretary of health and human services, Leavitt is credited for successfully implementing the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit. He also created national strategies and implemented plans for several major components of the health care system including: health information systems, personalized medicine, pandemic preparedness and medical emergency response.
As secretary he led a government-wide effort to devise and implement a new strategy on the safety of imported products, opened FDA offices globally and negotiated historic agreements in China, India, Latin America and Europe.
Leavitt advocated health diplomacy as a way to significantly impact American foreign policy. He traveled to 38 countries overseeing American interests in HIV AIDS, Malaria, pandemic preparedness and product safety. At the conclusion of his service the Chinese government made him the first government official to ever be awarded the China Public Health Award.
Mike Leavitt’s ancestors settled the desert of southern Nevada and the high mountain valleys of Utah. His hometown of Cedar City is a small community in the southwest corner of Utah.
Leavitt has described his childhood as a picturesque combination of popular 1960s shows such as, “Leave it Beaver” and “Bonanza.” The scene is decidedly small town America with Leavitt spending summers working on his family’s cattle ranch.