Marylou Sudders
Official portrait, 2015
Secretary of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts
In office
January 8, 2015 – January 5, 2023
Preceded byJohn Polanowicz
Succeeded byKathleen E. Walsh
Personal details
Born1957/1958 (Age 64/65)[1]
Spouse
Bradley Richardson
​
(m. 2003)​
EducationBoston University (BA, MSW)
WebsiteGovernment website

Marylou Sudders is an American government official who served as Secretary of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts from January 8, 2015 to January 5, 2023.[2]

Career

On November 21, 2014, it was announced that Sudders would be appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts, when Charlie Baker took office as Governor.[3] succeeding John Polanowicz.[4] She previously served as Massachusetts Commissioner of Mental Health, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and New Hampshire's Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services.[5]

On September 21, 2021 Sudders was added as a defendant to a lawsuit relating to the deaths of 83 people at the Holyoke Soldiers Home that died from incompetence at the facility that Sudders oversaw. The lawsuit stated that Sudders and her subordinates "turned a blind eye to what was happening at the home and acting with deliberate indifference to the risk posed by the pandemic, which led to the deaths of dozens of veterans."[6] On Friday, May 13, 2022 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts settled the case for fifty-six million dollars.[7] The United States Department of Justice had announced on April 10, 2020 they were also opening an investigation into the failures at the home.[8]

Sudders left office at the end of the Baker–Polito administration.[9]

Sudders holds a bachelor’s degree with honors and a master’s degree in social work from Boston University, and honorary doctorates from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and Bridgewater State University.[10][11]

References

  1. ↑ "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Marylou Sudders, Bradley Richardson (Published 2003)". The New York Times. August 31, 2003.
  2. ↑ "For Secretary Marylou Sudders combating sepsis is personal, too". Betsy Lehman Center.
  3. ↑ "Baker names Sudders as health and human services chief - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  4. ↑ "John Polanowicz Sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services". Northborough, MA Patch. January 23, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Marylou Sudders". School of Social Work. Boston College. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  6. ↑ "HHS Secretary Sudders added to Holyoke Soldiers' Home lawsuit". September 21, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Massachusetts reaches a $56 million settlement for a deadly veteran's home Covid-19 outbreak". CNN. May 13, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Federal Investigation of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke". April 10, 2020.
  9. ↑ Kuznitz, Alison (December 19, 2022). "Mass. HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders will retire next month". MassLive. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Governor's Cabinet | Mass.gov". www.mass.gov.
  11. ↑ "Marylou Sudders - School of Social Work - Boston College". www.bc.edu.


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