<p>Mike Leavitt is the founder of Leavitt Partners where he helps clients navigate the future as they transition to new and better models of care.</p>
<p>In previous roles, Mike served in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush (as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Secretary of Health and Human Services) and as a three-time elected governor of Utah.</p>
<p>Mike grew up in Cedar City, Utah, where his upbringing was rooted in the values of the American West, with its emphasis on hard work and common sense. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business while working in the insurance industry. In 1984, he became chief executive of The Leavitt Group, a family business that is now the nation’s second largest, privately held insurance brokerage.</p>
<p>In 1993, Mike was elected governor of Utah. He served three terms (1993-2003). In 2003, he joined the Cabinet of President George W. Bush, serving in two positions: first as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2003-2005) and then as secretary of Health and Human Services (2005-2009). At HHS, he administered a $750 billion budget — nearly 25 percent of the entire federal budget — and 67,000 employees.</p>
<p>Mike is, at heart, an entrepreneur. As governor, he organized a group of his colleagues to form Western Governors University. At WGU, degrees are earned based on competency rather than credit hours. WGU now has more than 60,000 students who reside in each of the 50 states and several foreign countries. Enrollment is growing at 35 percent a year. In November 2008, <i>TIME</i> magazine named WGU “the best relatively cheap university you’ve never heard of.”</p>
<p>Collaborator is a word that comes up repeatedly when one examines Mike’s background. His skill led his colleague governors to elect him as chairman of the National Governors Association, the Republican Governors Association and Western Governors’ Association. His book—<i>Finding Allies, Building Alliances</i>—was released in September 2013 by Jossey-Bass Publishers and chronicles his expertise and passion for collaboration.</p>
Former Governor of Utah and Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush Administration
<ul><li><strong>Health Care Reform in the 21st Century</strong></li><li>Healthcare policy is no longer just an exercise in reform; it has become a question of economic policy. One of the greatest lessons Michael Leavitt learned during his time as Secretary of Health and Human Services is that if you are going to reform the healthcare system, you have to change Medicare -- the only system that pervades the entire healthcare environment. Using the lessons of Part D's Medicare drug benefit, Leavitt shares how to improve the country's health care system so that it delivers scorable savings, higher quality, and better value to all Americans.</li></ul>