Kathleen Sebelius, former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services and the 44th Governor of the State of Kansas, spoke with Lawrence Central Rotarians on February 3, 2021.
Sebelius is well known for her instrumental role in overseeing the development and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She is also remembered by Kansans as a popular and productive two term governor. Sebelius is a Kansas University graduate and presently resides in Lawrence. Upon leaving government service she founded Sebelius Resources, a company that provides strategic advice to businesses, nonprofits and higher education. The Secretary serves on numerous boards including the Dole Institute, Common Cause and the Kaiser Foundation. She is considered to be an expert on global health issues.
Sebelius is a long-time friend of Governor Laura Kelly and shared the challenge with her of working with a divided government. She spoke about the particular difficulties of advancing the Affordable Care Act. She commented on funding Kansas education, both for K-12 schools and for post-secondary institutions. Sebelius answered questions ranging from child health care legislation to the fate of the state-owned Docking Building in Topeka. The former Secretary demonstrated an impressive range of knowledge and experience in state and national politics.
