Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders Appoints New Head for Department of Human Services

State Department of Human Services’ chief leaving next month, will be replaced by Medicaid director | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Kristi Putnam, secretary of the state Department of Human Services, will depart late next month to return to Kentucky after 2½ years at the helm of the department, and Janet Mann, the department's deputy secretary of programs and state Medicaid director, will become the department's secretary upon Putnam's departure, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday.

Arkansas DHS secretary Kristi Putnam to depart agency next month

Putnam’s replacement will be Janet Mann, one of her top deputies at DHS and currently the director of Arkansas’s Medicaid program.

Kristi Putnam steps down as Arkansas Human Services secretary

Arkansas Department of Human Services Sec. Kristi Putnam discusses the state's waiver request for Medicaid work requirements on Jan. 28, 2025 as State Medicaid Director Janet Mann (left) and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders listen. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)Arkansas State Medicaid Director Janet Mann will become secretary of the Department of Human Services next month as Secretary Kristi Putnam returns to Kentucky, the governor’s office a…

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appoints new head for Department of Human Services

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – An announcement from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday afternoon marked a change in leadership at the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS). The governor announced that Deputy Secretary Janet Mann will serve as the next DHS Secretary. Current DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam is returning to Kentucky and will depart her role on July 25, having served for two and a half years. Arkansas expands Child Care Assistance…

Kristi Putnam Resigns as Arkansas DHS Secretary; Governor Picks Janet Mann to Lead Agency

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday named Janet Mann as the next secretary of the Arkansas Department of Human Services. Mann is the department’s deputy secretary of programs and state Medicaid director. She has more than 20 years of experience in health care and health care finance in state government and in the corporate sector. Kristi Putnam, the current DHS secretary, is leaving the role on July 25 after more than two years. She’s retur…