Governor Nikki Haley Announces New Department Of Health and Human Services Director
November 10, 2014
COLUMBIA, SC – Governor Nikki Haley today named Christian Soura as the acting director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), effective November 20, 2014. Soura has been Governor Haley’s Deputy Chief of Staff of Budget and Policy since January of 2011. Current director, Tony Keck, simultaneously announced his resignation and will be taking a position in the private sector.
“Tony Keck did a remarkable job at the Department of Health and Human Services, and South Carolina will be forever grateful for his service,” said Gov. Nikki Haley. “When it was time to look for his replacement, I knew I had to find someone who was brilliant, trustworthy and capable of building on what Tony was able to do. I can think of no person better than Christian Soura to go into the agency and do exactly that.”
As Governor Haley’s Deputy Chief of Staff of Budget and Policy, Soura was the lead author of the governor’s Executive Budget and was instrumental in developing many of the administration’s key policy initiatives.
Prior to joining Governor Haley’s staff, Soura served as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Administration from 2008-2011. While in Pennsylvania, he also served as the Deputy Director for the Governor’s Office of Management and Productivity, the Chief of Performance Measures, and the Senior Advisor of Recovery Implementation. Soura holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Politics and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Pennsylvania State University, along with a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
“Tony Keck’s leadership and bold ideas transformed and strengthened the Department of Health and Human Services, including the Healthy Connections Medicaid program,” said Christian Soura, Interim Director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. “I look forward to building upon the success of his efforts to meet our commitments and improve the health of all South Carolinians.”
“I’ve been so inspired and impressed by the efforts of people state-wide to improve the health of South Carolina,” said Tony Keck, former Director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. “I will miss South Carolina and the people at DHHS and know that under the direction of Christian Soura the department will continue to produce strong results for taxpayers and Medicaid members.”
“The governor’s appointment of Christian Soura is a great thing for the state and people of South Carolina,” said Chairman Thomas Alexander. “The Department of Health and Human Services needs a leader who is capable of picking up where Director Keck left off, and I believe Christian is the right man for the job. His experience leading the Office of Administration in Pennsylvania and his time in Governor Haley’s office will serve the state well in his new role.”
“Christian is an excellent choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services,” said Senator Shane Massey. “During his time in the governor’s office, he built a reputation as an extremely capable leader and innovative policy advisor. I have no doubt that he will continue the great work and positive direction the department has experienced under Director Keck.”
