Department of Health and Human (HHS) Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell today announced the appointment of Rachel Kaprielian as Region I Director of HHS. The HHS Region I office is based in Boston and works with officials in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
“I am pleased to announce that Rachel Kaprielian has been appointed the new Region I Regional Director for the Department of Health and Human Services,” Secretary Burwell said. “Rachel’s work in state and local policy will surely be an asset to our Region I office. We look forward to Rachel joining her fellow Regional Directors as they continue their work delivering impact in communities around the country.” As a regional director, Kaprielian will serve as a key representative of HHS in working with federal, state, local and tribal officials on health and social service issues, like implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Biography: Kaprielian has spent a significant part of her professional life as a senior level public official from Massachusetts. Most recently, she was a member of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s Administration Cabinet as the Secretary of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development where her accomplishments included streamlining an online public platform for unemployment insurance claimants. Prior to that, she served as Registrar of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Before serving in executive roles, Kaprielian was a six-term member of the Massachusetts legislature where she was a leader in health care policy throughout her tenure including Massachusetts’ health care reform. Her leadership in health policy has been recognized in multiple disciplines, notably in prevention measures such as tobacco cessation and education, early intervention and care for children, electronic health care records management and numerous human services initiatives, as well as job training and services for the disabled, home and rehabilitative care, and wellness measures.