Obama taps anti-tobacco activist
President-elect Barack Obama today named a prominent anti-tobacco activist to a top health job in his administration.
William Corr, currently executive director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, was nominated as deputy secretary of health and human services. He is also a former top aide to Tom Daschle, the former US senator nominated by Obama as health and human services secretary.
“The time has come to bring about real health care reform in this country, and that means modernizing our health care system, reducing costs to families and business and providing affordable health care for every American. This will be no small task, but reforming our health care system will be a top priority of my administration and key to putting our economy back on track. Bill Corr has the depth of experience and commitment to this issue necessary to take on this challenge. Under the leadership of Tom Daschle and Bill Corr, I am confident that my Department of Health and Human Services will bring people together to reach consensus on how to move forward with health care reform, and I look forward to working with them in the days ahead,” Obama said in a statement.
Corr's resume, as provided by Obama's transition team, is below.
William Corr, Nominee for Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services
Corr is currently Executive Director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a privately funded organization established to focus the nation's attention and action on reducing tobacco use and its many harms among both kids and adults. Corr has extensive management and health care policy experience both in Congress and at the Department of Health and Human Services. Corr’s executive branch experience includes serving as the Chief of Staff for the Department of Health and Human Services during the Clinton Administration, where he was principal advisor to Secretary Donna E. Shalala on all major policy and management issues and initiatives. He also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Counselor to the Secretary.
In the Congress, Corr worked as Chief Counsel and Policy Director for U.S. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle from 1998 through 2000. He also served as Chief Counsel and Staff Director for the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Monopolies and Business Rights of the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary under Chairman Howard M. Metzenbaum and assisted Senator Metzenbaum as a member of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee. Corr also served as Counsel to the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce under Chairman Paul Rogers and Chairman Henry Waxman.
Before his career on Capitol Hill, Corr worked in the Appalachian Mountain area of Tennessee and Kentucky from 1974-1977. During that time, he directed four private, non-profit, community-run primary health care centers and assisted other communities in establishing and operating similar centers. Corr holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law.
About Political Intelligence
Glen Johnson is Politics Editor at boston.com and lead blogger for "Political Intelligence." He moved to Massachusetts in the fourth grade, and has covered local, state, and national politics for over 25 years. E-mail him at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen. |
