News Release

HHS Secretary Names Additions to Senior Staff

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the addition of five people to the Department�s senior staff.

�Each of these individuals brings an extraordinary depth of knowledge and experience that will enhance the work of this department,� Secretary Leavitt said. �With their proven records and professionalism, they will be invaluable assets as we work together to fulfill the President�s health and human service agenda.�

Vince Ventimiglia was sworn in last week as assistant secretary for legislation. He serves as senior advisor to the Secretary on congressional legislation and legal considerations and will act as chief liaison between the department and the Congress. Mr. Ventimiglia has extensive experience working with Congress, most recently as the policy director for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, where he directed the chairman�s domestic policy operation. Prior to that time, he served as the health policy director for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions where he led the 10-person health policy team responsible for developing health care policy priorities for the chairman. Previously, he was the director of government affairs for Medtronic, Inc., after serving four years as counsel for the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources Subcommittee on Children and Families.

Thomas R. Barker will serve as counselor for health policy. Mr. Barker will advise the Secretary on a variety of issues including Medicaid, Medicare, public health and other health care matters, as well as legislative strategy. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Barker served as deputy general counsel in the Office of the General Counsel at HHS. He was responsible for overseeing the 60 career attorneys in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) division of the General Counsel�s office, and directing legal review of all regulations and the conduct of all litigation affecting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Before joining the Office of the General Counsel, Mr. Barker was senior health policy counselor to the CMS administrator.

Richard M. Campanelli will be counselor for human services policy, a position he has been acting in since early 2005. In this role, he functions as the senior policy advisor to the Secretary on issues relating to children, families, seniors, people with disabilities, life issues, civil rights, privacy, faith and community-based activities and other human service matters. Since 2002, Mr. Campanelli had served as director for the HHS Office for Civil Rights, where he oversaw the implementation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule and the Department�s nationwide effort to ensure equal access to federal health and human service programs. Prior to his time at HHS, Mr. Campanelli spent nearly 20 years in public and private work, including service in private law practice, as senior special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General, as legal counsel to the U.S. Department of State South Africa Working Group and as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.

Sheila Dearybury Walcoff will serve as counselor for science and public health. In this position, she will be the Secretary's senior advisor providing policy counsel and program leadership on issues relating to four operating divisions of HHS: the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most recently, Ms. Walcoff was associate commissioner for external relations at FDA where she provided policy counsel to the Commissioner, managed the Office of External Affairs and directed the agency's interactions with its stakeholders, including industry, patient groups and the media. Previously she was an attorney with Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP, prior to which she was majority counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee.

Winston Wilkinson recently joined HHS as the director for the Office for Civil Rights (OCR). In this capacity, Mr. Wilkinson will ensure that people have equal access to all HHS programs without facing unlawful discrimination. This marks a return to HHS for Mr. Wilkinson, having served as OCR deputy director from 1988-1990. Most recently, Mr. Wilkinson ran his own business as chief executive officer of Winston Wilkinson & Associates, a firm providing strategic consulting services to clients primarily focused on local, state and federal business. Prior to that, he held senior positions at the U.S. Department of Education and served as an elected member of the Salt Lake (Utah) County Council.

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Last revised: January 11, 2006