Governor-elect Youngkin announces selection of Health & Human Resources Secretary

RICHMOND, VA – On January 10, 2022, Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced John Littel as the next Secretary of Health & Human Resources of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on Virginians across the Commonwealth, and John will play a pivotal role in overseeing our efforts in protecting Virginians’ lives and livelihoods. Starting on Day One, John’s experience will be an asset as we fix our broken mental and behavioral health system, ensure Virginians have access to affordable, free-market healthcare options, and reform our healthcare safety net to save taxpayer dollars and improve healthcare outcomes,” said Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin.

John Littel, Secretary of Health & Human Resources
John Littel brings 30 years of public policy experience to the administration. John is a graduate of the University of Scranton and of Catholic University, School of Law. He has served as the President of Magellan of Virginia and Chief External Affairs Officer for Magellan Health.

Prior to joining Magellan, he served as Executive Vice President for External Affairs at Amerigroup Corporation, until that company was acquired by Anthem. While there, he launched the National Advisory Board for People with Disabilities. He then served as an Interim Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Anthem. Previously, he has served at the federal and state government levels, including as the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia and as the Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. He serves as chair of the Virginia Health Care Foundation and on the board of The Gloucester Institute, a leadership initiative for young African-Americans.

In 2012, he was appointed to the Board of Visitors of the College of William & Mary and has served as rector and chair of the Executive Committee since 2018. John previously served on the boards of the Family and Children’s Trust Fund, Virginia’s family violence prevention agency, and ForKids, a program for homeless families in Hampton Roads. A former rower, John is active as a licensed referee for US Rowing. He lives in Virginia Beach with his wife Marianne and three adult children.