We are pleased to announce that Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius will be the Keynote Speaker for NAIMUN XLVII!
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius was sworn in as the 21st Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on April 28, 2009. As Secretary, she leads the principal agency charged with keeping Americans healthy, ensuring they get the health care they need, and providing children, families, and seniors with the essential human services they depend on. She also oversees one of the largest civilian departments in the federal government, with nearly 80,000 employees.
Since taking office, Secretary Sebelius has been a leader on some of the Obama administration’s top priorities. As the country’s highest-ranking health official, she has been a powerful voice for reforming our health insurance system. She has also been charged by the President with coordinating the response to the 2009 H1N1 flu virus. And under her leadership, HHS has provided a wide range of services from health care to child care to energy assistance to help families weather the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
Secretary Sebelius has answered President Obama’s call to form partnerships across government to improve the lives of Americans. She is the Co-Chair, with Secretary Vilsack, of the President’s Food Safety Working Group. With Attorney General Holder, she chairs the new Health Care Fraud Prevention and Action Team (HEAT). She has teamed up with Secretary Duncan improve early childhood education. And as part of President Obama’s “Year of Community Living,” she is working with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Donovan to improve the lives of seniors and people with disabilities who wish to live at home.
Secretary Sebelius has been a leader on health care, family, and senior issues for over 20 years. As Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, she fought to create jobs, improve access to affordable health care, and give every Kansas child a quality education. In 2005, Time Magazine recognized her achievements by naming her one of America’s Top Five Governors.
Before being elected Governor, she served from 1995 to 2003 as the first Democrat to be elected Kansas Insurance Commissioner. In that role, she was recognized as a strong advocate for consumers while streamlining the Department’s budget. For her efforts, Governing Magazine selected her as their Public Official of the Year for 2000. Prior to her service as Insurance Commissioner, she was a member of the Kansas House of Representatives from 1987 to 1995.
Secretary Sebelius is the first daughter of a governor to be elected governor in American history. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity Washington University. She is married to Gary Sebelius, a federal magistrate judge. They have two sons, Ned and John.
Previous Notable Keynote Speakers
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon - At the time of his election as Secretary-General, Mr. Ban was his country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. His long tenure with the Ministry included postings in New Delhi, Washington D.C. and Vienna, and responsibility for a variety of portfolios, including Foreign Policy Adviser to the President, Chief National Security Adviser to the President, Deputy Minister for Policy Planning and Director-General of American Affairs.
Official publication of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's address to NAIMUN
Dr. Anthony Clark Arend - Professor of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the Director of the Master of Science in Foreign Service in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Co-founder of the Institute for International Law and Politics at Georgetown.
Robert L. Gallucci - Leading expert in international efforts to stop weapons of mass destruction programs and U.S. foreign policy with his service on the first post-Gulf War arms inspection effort, the UN Special Commission on Iraq, and the lead Ambassador responsible for the negotiation of the 1994 Agreed Framework with North Korea. Former Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
George Tenet – Former Director of Central Intelligence for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (July 1997 to July 2004) and the second-longest serving director in the agency's history. Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University.
Andrew S. Natsios - Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Former Director of the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Food and Humanitarian Assistance. Current Special Coordinator for International Disaster Assistance and Special Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sudan. Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University.
Dr. Chester Crocker - Previous U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. Principal diplomatic architect and mediator in negotiations among Angola, Cuba, and South Africa that led to Namibia’s transition to independence and to the withdrawal of Cuban forces from Angola. Former Chairman of the Board of the United States Institute of Peace.
Dr. Jose Teruel - Former Senior Advisor in International Health and Special Advisor for the Director of the Pan American Health Organization, where he also served as Chief of Analysis and Strategic Planning. Director of the Division of Health and Development, and Director of the Area of Infrastructure of Health Services.
Dr. Sergio Negrete Cardenas - Executive Board Operations Officer for the Secretariat of the International Monetary Fund. Principal Author & Contributor to the Economist Intelligence Unit and Oxford Analytica.
Ira Neal Goldman - Works in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Materials Section Division on Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology Department of Nuclear Energy at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Dr. Raymond Tanter – Experience on the National Security Council, and representative of the Secretary of Defense to arms control talks during the Reagan-Bush administration. Founder and Co-Chair of the Iran Policy Committee.
Will Davis - Director of the United Nations Information Centre as the UN's Senior Representative in Washington. Former Director for Global and Functional Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Experience in the Public Affairs Division for the OECD.
