Youngkin names secretary of health and human resources

Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin announced Monday former Magellan of Virginia President John Littel as his state secretary of health and human resources.

“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,” Youngkin said in a statement. “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 health care options and reform our health care safety net to save taxpayer dollars and improve health care outcomes.”

Littel most recently served as chief external affairs officer for Magellan Health. Beforehand, he served as president of Magellan of Virginia, a behavioral health care services provider that serves Virginians enrolled in Medicaid and the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan (FAMIS).

Before joining Magellan, Littel served as executive vice president for external affairs at Amerigroup Corp. until Anthem Inc. acquired it. While there, he launched the National Advisory Board for People with Disabilities. Littel was then Anthem’s interim senior vice president of government affairs.

Littel has served as a Virginia deputy secretary of health and human resources and as the director of intergovernmental affairs at the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.

He chairs the Virginia Health Care Foundation and is on the board of The Gloucester Institute, a leadership initiative for young African Americans. Since 2018, Littel has served as rector of William & Mary and chairs the executive committee of its board of visitors, on which he has served since 2012. Littel has previously served on the boards of the Family and Children’s Trust Fund of Virginia and ForKids, a program for homeless families in Hampton Roads.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and a law degree from The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law.