Jerry Regier is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy in the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

. He provides leadership on policy analysis and development in human services and on research under the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) for Secretary

Mike Leavitt Michael Okerlund Leavitt (born February 11, 1951) is an American politician who served as the 14th Governor of Utah from 1993 to 2003 in the Republican Party, as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2003 to 2005 and ...

Education

Jerry Regier graduated from

Grace University Grace University was a private Christian university in Omaha, Nebraska. The university included undergraduate programs and the Grace University College of Professional and Graduate Studies. The university ceased all academic operations in May 20 ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

. He then graduated from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

with a B.A. degree in history. His post-graduate work includes a master's degree in Biblical Studies from the International School of Theology, Master's of Public Administration from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, and an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Grace University.

Career

Family Research Council

In 1981, he established the

Family Research Council The Family Research Council (FRC) is an American evangelical activist group and think-tank with an affiliated lobbying organization. FRC promotes what it considers to be family values. It opposes and lobbies against: access to pornography, emb ...

, an independent public policy research and educational organization and served as President and CEO for four years.

Federal government appointments

He served in a variety of positions in federal government. He was the Acting Administrator of the National Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) in the U.S. Department of Justice. President Bush nominated him to this Senate confirmation position. Prior to that position, he served in the Bush Administration as Acting Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) for three years. He was instrumental in assisting the United States Attorney General to design and implement the "Weed & Seed" Initiative which is now in over 300 communities throughout the United States. He also was an appointee in the Reagan administration as Associate Commissioner for the Administration of Children, Youth and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The President of the United States also appointed him to the National Commission on Children (1988–93).

State government appointments

He served for five years as Secretary of Health & Human Services for Oklahoma Governor

Frank Keating Francis Anthony Keating II (initially born as David Rowland Keating) (born February 10, 1944) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 25th governor of Oklahoma from 1995 to 2003. , Keating is one of only five governors in Okl ...

until he resigned on January 15, 2002 to run for Governor of Oklahoma. As Secretary, he provided policy oversight to 13 Agencies. Concurrently, he served as Deputy Director of the Office for Juvenile Affairs. He also served as Acting Director of the State Health Department during a crisis in that agency. Mr. Regier served as Secretary of the Florida Department of Children & Families (DCF), appointed by Governor

Jeb Bush John Ellis "Jeb" Bush (born February 11, 1953) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. Bush, who grew up in Houston, was the second son of former President George H. W. Bush ...

in August, 2002. As Secretary he oversaw a Department of over 25,000 employees and the programs of Child Welfare, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Economic Self Sufficiency, Child Care, and Refugee Services.

Recognition

In 2001 he was named the Administrator of the Year in Oklahoma by the

American Society of Public Administration American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) is a membership association of almost 10,000 professionals in the United States sponsoring conferences and providing professional services primarily to those who study the implementation of gover ...

(Oklahoma Chapter).

Personal life

Jerry and his wife Sharyn have four children and five grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Regier, Jerry Living people State cabinet secretaries of Oklahoma State cabinet secretaries of Florida 1945 births Oklahoma Republicans Leaders of Christian parachurch organizations Reagan administration personnel George H. W. Bush administration personnel Heads of Oklahoma state agencies Harvard Kennedy School alumni Michigan State University alumni Florida Republicans