Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH
Secretary, PA Department of Human Services
Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, was appointed to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services by Governor Josh Shapiro on January 17, 2023.
Prior to this role, Acting Secretary Arkoosh served on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners since January 2015, when she was appointed to fill a 
vacancy on the Commission. Arkoosh won election to a full four-year term in November 2015 and served as Commission Vice Chair until her election as Commission Chair in November 2016. She was the first woman ever to serve in this role. Arkoosh was re-elected in November 2019 and unanimously chosen by her colleagues to again serve as Chair in January 2020. Montgomery County is the third most populous county in Pennsylvania with over 856,000 residents. The three-member Board of Commissioners oversees a budget of more than $500 million and directs more than 2,800 employees charged with administering and overseeing county functions, including human services.
As Commission Chair, Acting Secretary Arkoosh was committed to strengthening services for children, veterans, and seniors. She led the efforts to eliminate street homelessness of veterans and streamline delivery of human services. Recognizing the need for a strong, supported workforce in executing these goals, she instituted a $15 minimum wage and gender-neutral paid parental leave for Montgomery County employees. Drawing on her background as a physician, she oversaw a multi-pronged, integrated response to the opioid overdose epidemic, including issuing a standing order in 2015 to enable participating pharmacies in Montgomery County to dispense the overdose antidote naloxone at the request of any member of the public.
As a physician and public health professional, Acting Secretary Arkoosh was at the center of Montgomery County’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, leading a data- and science-driven approach to the unprecedented challenge. Arkoosh’s leadership was praised during the county’s response, especially her transparency and public communication throughout the pandemic. Acting Secretary Arkoosh is also a staunch advocate for maternal health and reproductive rights, and she serves on the Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee.
Upon obtaining her Master of Public Health in 2007, Arkoosh became deeply engaged in the national effort to achieve comprehensive health care reform. She led the National Physicians Alliance, a national non-profit organization of physicians, who, putting their patients before profits, joined a broad-based nation-wide coalition for reform. During this time, she developed policy and legislative strategy, and promoted public engagement in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and throughout the country. Dr. Arkoosh maintains comprehensive knowledge of the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its impact on individuals and the health care system.
Prior to stepping into public service, Acting Secretary Arkoosh was Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology and Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. Arkoosh is a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and received a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She performed her residency at Jefferson Medical College in Anesthesiology with a special focus in Obstetrics. She has an undergraduate degree in economics from Northwestern University.
Acting Secretary Arkoosh lives in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, with her husband and their three children.
enrich civic life in Pennsylvania by connecting WITF’s worthwhile information, entertainment and educational services to the region and ensuring that WITF’s content remains accessible and relevant to the community it serves. From 2000 to 2019, Hetrick served in increasingly critical roles in WITF, with a key responsibility to strategically align WITF services and activities with the organization’s vision and mission. As Senior VP of Finance and Administration from 2015 onward, Ron supervised finance, philanthropy, corporate sponsorship and human resources, serving as a member of the senior team tasked with content development, operations, business strategy and information technology. A Pennsylvania native, Ron grew up in Harrisburg and helped to run a family-owned technology business, ultimately preparing the company for acquisition. Prior to coming to WITF, Ron worked for Flight Systems, a Daimler-Chrysler electronics manufacturer, in an information technology management role. Ron earned a Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University, an MBA from Villanova University, a BS in Computer Science and an AS in Electrical Engineering Technology from the Pennsylvania State University. Ron’s doctoral research explored the effects of corporate governance practices on nonprofit financial performance in institutions with accumulated wealth. Recently elected to the board of the Community Development Partnership (CDP), Ron is also co-founder and board member of the Information Equity Initiative and previously served as board chair of the Public Media Business Association and board member and finance chair for Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, then engaged in a major capital campaign and construction project.
years. Initially a print newspaper, the organization has been at the cutting edge of radio, television, cable and state-of-theart commercial printing. Today, its holdings include LNP | LancasterOnline, Lancaster County’s daily newspaper; Lancaster Farming, the preeminent agricultural publication in the mid-Atlantic; Susquehanna Printing of Lancaster, LLC, a commercial printing and mailing operation; The Caucus, the award-winning watchdog publication serving the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; several hyperlocal newspapers serving communities in Lancaster County; and an array of real estate assets. Bob is also the co-chair of The Steinman Foundation, among the largest private charitable foundations in Lancaster County. Bob initiated creation of the Lancaster County STEM Alliance, a nationally recognized STEM ecosystem. The Alliance engages business and education to work together on workforce development-related issues. Bob is active in various nonprofit or civic arenas. He currently serves as a commissioner on Pennsylvania’s Early Learning Investment Commission and is a member of the Lancaster City Alliance’s Advocacy Executive Leadership Team. Bob previously served on the Board of the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County and its Foundation Board. He was a member of the Governor of Pennsylvania’s Advisory Board on Education & Workforce Development, a councilor of The Pennsylvania Society, and served on the steering committee for Lancaster Farmland Trust’s capital campaign. Bob was also a member of the board of the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design and a trustee of Lancaster Farmland Trust. Before assuming leadership of the Steinman enterprises in 2012, Bob spent ten years as principal in The Krasne Group, Inc., a strategic business-consulting firm in Washington, D.C. He was also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business where he taught corporate governance to MBA candidates. Previously, Bob was a partner in the Washington, D.C.lawfirm of Williams & Connolly, L.L.P., where he represented clients in complex legal matters. His clients included business leaders, government officials, corporations, law firms and others facing criminal, civil and/or administrative legal issues in various jurisdictions around the globe. Bob joined Williams & Connolly from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency where he served as a lawyer in their Enforcement & Compliance and Legal Advisory Services divisions. While at the OCC, Bob was appointed Special Assistant United States Attorney for Western District of Louisiana to assist with the investigation and prosecution of bank fraud cases. Bob had previously worked at the OCC as a national bank examiner. Bob earned an A.B. in Economics from Georgetown University and a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. He also received an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service from Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. Bob is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and has been admitted to practice before a variety of federal courts including the United States Supreme Court.