CAP - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Chief Financial Officer for NCDHHS
Adam Levinson serves as the Chief Financial Officer for NCDHHS. He previously served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Division of Health Benefits, or NC Medicaid, since 2019.
During that time, he oversaw fiscal planning and operations for the NC Medicaid program, which has evolved to include managed care, Medicaid Expansion, the Healthy Opportunities Pilots, and several innovative payment streams, resulting in a total budget of just under $34 billion.
Before joining NCDHHS, Levinson spent 11 years at the NC Department of Public Instruction, where he led several financial and operational functions through roles including Chief Financial Officer, Chief of Staff, Director of the Race to the Top Program, and Director of Policy & Strategic Planning.
Levinson previously led the Education team at the Fiscal Research Division of the NC General Assembly's non-partisan Legislative Services Office, where he served as a fiscal analyst covering the state budgets for public K-12 schools for four years and natural and economic resources for three years. Early in his career, he worked for Orange-Person-Chatham Mental Health Center, providing early intervention and family support services to preschoolers and their families.
Levinson holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University, where he double-majored in Government and Psychology, a master's of Education in Early Intervention and Family Support from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a master's in Public Affairs and Urban & Regional Planning (MPA-URP) from Princeton University.
Job Titles:
- Child Development and Early Education
Job Titles:
- Procurement and Contract Services
Job Titles:
- Assistant Secretary for Employment
- Employment Services
Chris Egan is the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Community Access for the NC Department of Health and Human Services, where he oversees a portfolio of programs that help people with disabilities and other historically underserved populations achieve their goals for employment, more independent living, increased financial self-sufficiency and community access. Egan believes that our communities are stronger when all North Carolinians have opportunities to work, live and play together.
Employment is a key factor driving overall health and wellbeing and is an essential conduit for people with disabilities to develop natural support networks, fully participate in home and community life, and increase their independence and economic self-sufficiency. In his role as Assistant Secretary for Employment and Community Access, Egan is focused on expanding access to competitive integrated employment services for North Carolinians with disabilities. He champions the Department's Employment First state as model employer and systems change efforts and other key priorities, including the State Olmstead Plan, Transitions to Community Living, and Medicaid Transformation.
Egan graduated with a Master of Social Work from East Carolina University and got his start as a Clinical Social Worker at Dorothea Dix Hospital in 1989, supporting community transitions for adults with severe and persistent mental health issues. Egan also directed the Developmental Disabilities Training Institute at UNC-Chapel Hill and served as Executive Director of the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities, leading systems change efforts designed to elevate awareness, expand options, and increase access to education, employment and community living for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities.
Egan provides oversight of six DHHS divisions, including Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities, Services for the Blind, Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Disability Determination Services, the Office of Economic Opportunity, and the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities. On behalf of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Egan also serves on the NCWorks Commission, advising on policies and strategies that enable the state's workforce and businesses to compete in the global economy.
Job Titles:
- State Center for Health Statistics
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Deputy Secretary for Health
- NCDHHS' Deputy Secretary for Health
Debra Farrington is NCDHHS' Deputy Secretary for Health, overseeing the Division of Public Health, the offices of Rural Health, Minority Health, and Olmstead/TCL, as well as the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services.
Before promotion to the Deputy Secretary role in May 2022, Debra was the Chief of Staff for NC Medicaid. In that role, Debra provided support to the Deputy Secretary on overall program vision, leadership and strategic direction for NC Medicaid, including planning, implementing, coordinating and evaluating operations and policies to promote health equity, effective program administration and service delivery.
Debra joined the Medicaid program in October 2016 after working for several decades in the Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization (LME-MCO) and area authority systems.
Debra is a native North Carolinian reared and educated in rural Columbus County where she learned the value of family, hard work and perseverance. Debra received a BA in Psychology and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of experience in community-based services for children and adults with behavioral health needs.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Chief Psychiatrist and Chief Medical Officer for Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities
Job Titles:
- Member of the Leadership Team
- Secretary
- New Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Health
- Secretary of Health and Human Services
Dr. Devdutta "Dev" Sangvai was sworn in as the new Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. Gov. Josh Stein selected Dr. Sangvai to lead the department as the state's 19th Secretary for Health and Human Services.
Secretary Sangvai is a family medicine physician and a professor at Duke University. He is also a member of the North Carolina Medical Board. Prior to his role with NCDHHS, he served as President of Duke Regional Hospital and President of the North Carolina Medical Society. His work has focused on improving access, developing the healthcare workforce, and making care more efficient. Dr. Sangvai is the first Indian American cabinet member to serve under a North Carolina governor.
Job Titles:
- State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Lawrence Greenblatt is NCDHHS' State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer. He is a distinguished physician, professor and public health champion, and is widely recognized for his commitment to high-quality care for medically and socially complex patients, his leadership in medical education and his pioneering work to improve mental health and addiction services.
Dr. Greenblatt served for three decades as a general internist, educator and leader in Medicaid policy with Duke University Health System, earning recognition for his work to integrate behavioral health and addiction services into primary care.
Since 2008, Dr. Greenblatt has led Duke's Medicaid Network, first as Northern Piedmont Community Care, which was part of the statewide Community Care of North Carolina network. He continued as Medical Director of Duke's Clinically Integrated Network under Medicaid transformation in 2021. This well-run network serves 100,000 Medicaid enrollees and supports dozens of practices.
In 2012, he launched one of the nation's first academic initiatives to promote safe opioid prescribing and expand treatment for opioid use disorder. He also served as Chair of the NC Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Secretary of the NC Medicaid Physician Advisory Group. As a long-time advocate for improved mental health care, Dr. Greenblatt has co-led the Durham Crisis Collaborative and actively contributed to local substance use and mental health planning efforts.
Job Titles:
- Office of Government Affairs
Job Titles:
- Deputy Secretary for NC Medicaid
Jay Ludlam is the Deputy Secretary for NC Medicaid and leads the $21 billion North Carolina Medicaid program through Medicaid expansion, the end of the Public Health Emergency & continuous coverage unwinding and the transformation of the fee-for-service to a managed care delivery system for DHHS. He is committed to transforming Medicaid through a person-centered, integrated approach aimed to enhance what is already successful in North Carolina, ensuring the program's sustainability and financial stability.
In his role as Assistant Secretary, Ludlam led the implementation of critical healthcare initiatives, such as the Healthy Opportunities Pilot, the nation's first comprehensive program to test and evaluate the impact of providing select evidence-based, non-medical interventions related to housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety and toxic stress to high-needs Medicaid enrollees. The federal government authorized up to $650 million in Medicaid funding for the Pilots over five years. In 2021, NC Medicaid also helped launch the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian (EBCI) Tribal Option a first-in-the-nation Indian Managed Care Entity that provides care coordination for Medicaid-eligible Tribal members to improve their healthcare outcomes.
Before Ludlam joined DHHS in August 2017, he was the Acting Director of the Missouri HealthNet (Medicaid) Division where he led budget and fiscal operations, information services, provider and participant support and Medicaid program administration. Before this role, Ludlam was the Missouri HealthNet Deputy Division Director, acting as the executive lead for implementing a statewide Medicaid Managed Care program expansion that affected over 750,000 participants.
Ludlam has managed claims operations for Aetna and WellCare and oversaw Aetna's compliance function. He served as the Assistant Attorney General for the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Unit, recovering more than $3 million through negotiated plea agreements, civil settlements and summary judgments.
Ludlam received his law degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and his Bachelor of Science degree in social psychology from Grinnell College.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Secretary for External Affairs and Chief of Staff at the North Carolina Department of Health
Jonathan Kappler is the Deputy Secretary for External Affairs and Chief of Staff at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, he advises the Secretary on key issues, leads special initiatives, and helps coordinate strategic efforts to improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians. He joined the Department as Chief of Staff to then-Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health and IDD, Kody Kinsley. Jonathan previously served as Executive Director of the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation (NCFREE), a nonprofit organization that provides the state's business community nonpartisan political research and analysis.
Prior to his role at NCFREE, Kappler served as Interim Vice President of Federal Relations and Director of State Government Relations for the University of North Carolina System, where he represented the 17 institutions that comprise the University of North Carolina in business before the NC General Assembly, state agencies, the US Congress, and Federal agencies. Jonathan earned his undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Spanish, and holds a Master of Public Policy from American University's School of Public Affairs. Jonathan serves as the Co-Chair of the 2023 State Employees Combined Campaign, is a Past President of the Appalachian Alumni Association, a recipient of the Young Alumni Award from Appalachian State University, a Fall 2010 Fellow of the North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership, and a member of Leadership North Carolina's Class XXIII.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Secretary for Facilities and Licensure
- State Operated Healthcare Facilities
Job Titles:
- Employment and Independence for People With Disabilities
Job Titles:
- Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services
Job Titles:
- Property and Construction
Job Titles:
- Health Service Regulation
Job Titles:
- Deputy Secretary for Opportunity and Well - Being
- Social Services
Michael Leighs has more than 20 years of experience working in health and human services with a focus on public policy, program management, and stakeholder engagement. As Deputy Secretary for Opportunity and Well-Being at NCDHHS, Michael oversees multiple divisions that support North Carolinians across all stages of life. The portfolio includes Child and Family Well-Being, Social Services, Child Development and Early Education, Aging Services, Employment and Independence for People with Disabilities, Services for the Blind, and Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Together, they operate with a combined budget of approximately $4.4 billion and are supported by roughly 3,000 full-time staff.
During his previous six years with NCDHHS, Michael held senior roles in the Office of Government Affairs and NC Medicaid, where he led communications and external engagement during the state's transition to Medicaid managed care. This included the successful launch of the state's first-ever Medicaid Ombudsman program. Michael also worked closely on the development and rollout of Medicaid expansion across the state, which now serves more than 650,000 North Carolinians.
Before returning to North Carolina in 2015, Michael worked in Los Angeles for more than 10 years in the government and nonprofit sectors, including serving in senior roles at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
Michael's career in public policy began as a staff member in the U.S. Senate. He has an undergraduate degree in business administration from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Public Policy degree from UCLA.
Job Titles:
- Privacy and Security Office
Job Titles:
- Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Job Titles:
- Child and Family Well - Being