Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell (HHS) Sylvia Mathews Burwell was sworn in as the 22nd Secretary of Health & Human Services on June 9, 2014.
Secretary Burwell is committed to the mission of ensuring that every American has access to the building blocks of healthy and productive lives.
A results-driven manager, Secretary Burwell has led large and complex organizations across the public and private sectors. Most recently, Burwell served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Prior to serving in the Administration, Burwell served as President of the Walmart Foundation, and President of the Global Development Program and Chief Operating Officer of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
During the Clinton Administration, Burwell served as Deputy Director of OMB, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Treasury and Staff Director of the National Economic Council. Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Burwell worked for McKinsey & Company. She has served on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations, MetLife, and the University of Washington Medical Center, among other organizations.
Secretary Burwell received an A.B. from Harvard University and a B.A. from Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes Scholar. A second-generation Greek-American, Burwell hails from Hinton, West Virginia. She and her husband Stephen live in Washington, D.C. with their two young children.
Read the Secretary’s full biography