Clyde Reese
Governor – elect Nathan Deal has nominated Clyde Reese to run the Department of Human Services. The announcement came Friday afternoon, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Clyde Reese is an attorney and currently serves as Commissioner of Community Health, which administers Medicaid, Peachcare and the State Health Benefit Plan. He was appointed to the post last April by Governor Sonny Perdue. The DCH website describes Reese as a health care regulatory and administrative law specialist. He’s also been General Counsel for the State Health Planning Agency, and an Assistant Attorney General. Reese has a Juris Doctor degree from Mercer University in Macon, and a degree in World History from Georgia State.
B.J. Walker
Assuming his appointment is approved by the DHS board, Reese will succeed B.J. Walker as commissioner. Walker came to Georgia as Commissioner of Human Resources in 2004. The agency was restructured and renamed in 2009.
As Commissioner of Human Services, Reese will inherit 9,000 employees, a budget of $1.7 billion and will run public assistance programs including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, food stamps and Medicaid eligibility.