Mike Leavitt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| In office January 26, 2005 – January 20, 2009 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Tommy Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Kathleen Sebelius |
| 10th Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | |
| In office November 6, 2003 – January 26, 2005 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Christine Todd Whitman |
| Succeeded by | Stephen L. Johnson |
| Chair of the National Governors Association | |
| In office August 10, 1999 – July 11, 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Carper |
| Succeeded by | Parris Glendening |
| 14th Governor of Utah | |
| In office January 4, 1993 – November 5, 2003 | |
| Lieutenant | Olene Walker |
| Preceded by | Norman Bangerter |
| Succeeded by | Olene Walker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Okerlund Leavitt February 11, 1951 Cedar City, Utah, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Jacalyn Smith |
| Children | 5 |
| Education | Southern Utah University (BA) |
Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951) is an American Republican Party politician who served as the 14th governor of Utah from 1993 to 2003, and in the George W. Bush administration as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2003 to 2005 and as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2005 to 2009.
Leavitt started his career in 1972 and worked in the insurance and risk management industry until 1992. From 1984 until his election as Governor of Utah in 1992, he was the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of The Leavitt Group. As governor, Leavitt worked to establish Western Governors University and the first charter schools in Utah, led the state's preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah, was a leader in the implementation of a modernized system of sales tax on e-commerce throughout the United States, negotiated the largest land exchanges between a state and the federal government, initiated an engineering education initiative, worked on the devolution of welfare to the states, and established the Utah Centennial Highway Fund which featured design build highway construction.[1][2]
Leavitt resigned as governor in 2003 after he was successfully nominated by President George W. Bush to lead the EPA; he was succeeded as governor by Olene Walker, his lieutenant governor.[3] Leavitt was promoted to Secretary of Health and Human Services at the start of Bush's second term, serving until the conclusion of the Bush administration. As HHS Secretary, he oversaw the implementation of Medicare Part D, developed the National Pandemic Plan, promoted value-based health care, mitigated the effects of Hurricane Katrina, opened FDA offices in China, India, South America, and reauthorized SCHIP and TANF.[4]
Leavitt now works as a health care advisor, investor, and independent corporate director.[5] In August 2021, he became president of The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.[6]
- ^ "Tax Freedom for E-Commerce?". Retrieved 6 April 2024.
- ^ "Highway fund may need refueling". 30 January 1999.
- ^ "Olene Walker, Utah's First Female Governor, Dies at 85". The New York Times. 2015-11-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
- ^ "Leavitt: Follow Part D model for Medicare". 23 May 2011.
- ^ "Policy Topic: Health | Bipartisan Policy Center". Bipartisanpolicy.org. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
- ^ "Former Utah Governor is New Tabernacle Choir President". 6 August 2021.