Sanders Picks Kristi Putnam to Lead DHS

Gov.-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that she intends to nominate Kristi Putnam as secretary of the Department of Human Services.

Putnam, a central Florida native, formerly worked in the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, overseeing the child welfare and family assistance office and later leading changes to the state’s Medicaid program. She was appointed in May 2018 to serve as deputy secretary of the agency, a role she held until December 2019.

After leaving the agency, Putnam founded the consulting firm Connecting the Dots Policy Solutions. Most recently, Putnam served as the chief people officer for AppHarvest, a publicly traded agriculture tech startup in Kentucky.

Putnam holds a bachelor’s in English and social work from Florida State University and a master’s in psychology in industrial and organizational change from Southern New Hampshire University. 

“Kristi and I share a vision for bold reforms that support our neighbors in need, care for our most vulnerable, protect children in foster care, and ensure Arkansans are not trapped in a lifetime of poverty,” Sanders said in a statement.

Sanders also announced three other picks to fill leadership roles in DHS:

• Mischa Martin, deputy director for youth and families. Martin currently serves as the director of the Division of Children and Family Services, where she’s responsible for the safety of children and youth in Arkansas, child abuse and neglect prevention, foster care, and adoption programs.
• Janet Mann, deputy director of health and state Medicaid director. Mann has over 20 years of experience in health care and health care finance, including service as the division director for DHS’s Division of Medical Services overseeing Medicaid operations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. She also served as the agency’s CFO for a year in 2017. In addition, Dunn was a deputy administrator for Medicaid in Mississippi from 2006 to 2010.
• Mark White, chief of staff. White became the secretary of DHS in October 2022. Since he first joined DHS in 2013, he has served in a variety of capacities including work in the secretary’s office, the office of chief counsel and Behavioral Health Services. Prior to becoming secretary, White was chief of staff and chief legislative and intergovernmental affairs officer, where he represented DHS before the Arkansas Legislature and serves as a primary point of contact for elected officials, lobbyists and other state agencies.

“With thousands of employees working in every county of Arkansas, I wanted strong leaders with big hearts and records of innovative initiatives to tackle the challenging issues this department faces, which is why I am thrilled to have Mischa, Janet, and Mark joining our new Secretary,” Sanders said.