Gov. Thompson assists the company in mobilizing employers, government entities and health care providers to focus on prevention, early detection and chronic condition management as the solution to the health crisis facing the nation.  Gov. Thompson was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 19th Secretary of Health and Human Services in 2001 and served until 2005. As the nation's top advocate for the health and welfare of all Americans, Gov. Thompson led the department, which employed more than 60,000 personnel and had a fiscal year 2004 budget in excess of $500 billion, representing more than a quarter of all federal expenditures. He has dedicated his professional life to public service, most recently serving as governor of Wisconsin since 1987. He made state history when he was re-elected to office for a third term in 1994 and a fourth term in 1998.

As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Gov. Thompson launched major health initiatives to:
  • strengthen the nation's preparedness for a bioterrorism attack;
  • substantially increase funding for the National Institutes of Health;
  • reorganize the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to encourage greater responsiveness and efficiency;
  • clear the backlog of waivers and state plan amendments, approving 1,400 and thereby provide health insurance to 1.8 million lower-income Americans throughout the nation;
  • urge all Americans to prevent disease by focusing on critical health areas, such as obesity, diabetes and health disparities.
In 1996, Gov. Thompson enacted Wisconsin Works, or "W-2," the state's landmark welfare-to-work legislation, which served as a national model for welfare reform. The program required participants to work, while at the same time providing the services and support to make the transition to work feasible and permanent. W-2 provided a safety net through child care, health care, transportation and training assistance.

More recently, Gov. Thompson worked to extend health insurance to many low-income children and families. As of November 2000, The BadgerCare program - Wisconsin's Medicaid/State Children's Health Insurance Program for uninsured families - had enrolled more than 77,000 individuals. In addition, Wisconsin's Pathways to Independence was the nation's first program to allow the disabled to enter the workforce without the fear of losing health benefits. The program provides ready access to a coordinated system of services and benefits counseling. As governor, Thompson also created FamilyCare, designed to help elderly and disabled citizens, and allow them to receive care in their homes for as long as possible.

Thompson began his career in public service in 1966 as a representative in Wisconsin's State Assembly. He was elected assistant Assembly minority leader in 1973 and Assembly minority leader in 1981. He has received numerous awards for his public service, including the Anti-Defamation League's Distinguished Public Service Award. In 1997, Thompson received Governing Magazine's Public Official of the Year Award, and the Horatio Alger Award in 1998. He has also served as chairman of the National Governors' Association, the Education Commission of the States and the Midwestern Governors' Conference. He also served in the Wisconsin National Guard and the Army Reserve.

Former Gov. Thompson, a U.S. presidential candidate until August 2007, is the president of Logistics Health Incorporated. He also is senior partner at Akin Gump, a Washington, D.C., law firm, and is the independent chairman of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Thompson taught a class in the fall of 2005 at the Kennedy School of Government on medical diplomacy.