Nov 29, 2021

Gov. names replacement for Dr. Lee Norman to lead KDHE

Posted Nov 29, 2021 4:30 PM
Janet Stanek photo courtesy Kansas Health Institute Board of Directors
Janet Stanek photo courtesy Kansas Health Institute Board of Directors

TOPEKA â€“ Governor Laura Kelly announced Janet Stanek as the new Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Stanek will serve in an acting capacity until the Kansas Senate confirms her as the new head of the agency. She had previously served as the Director of the State Employee Health Benefits Program (SEHBP), according to a media release from her office.

“As we move to this next phase of the pandemic, from emergency response to steady state, it was important that we find a Secretary to oversee both the state’s COVID response and the many other services performed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment,” Governor Kelly said. â€śWith Janet’s decades of experience as well as the relationships she has built across the medical community in Kansas, I have no doubt that she will be able to step into this role immediately and continue the agency’s critical work.”

Dr. Lee Norman stepped down as the top administrator at the state Department and Health and Environment and as state health officer November 19. 
Dr. Lee Norman stepped down as the top administrator at the state Department and Health and Environment and as state health officer November 19. 

Prior to her role at SEHBP, Stanek spent more than 35 years in various healthcare leadership positions in Pennsylvania, western New York and Kansas, including 21 years of her career at Stormont Vail Health Topeka where she last served as chief operating officer and senior vice president. While with Stormont Vail, she oversaw a wide array of clinical and non-clinical functions and departments, as well as the strategic selection and rollout of a sophisticated electronic health record system across the region. Her most recent work involved focusing on population health, accountable care organization development and the transition to value-based care delivery.

“I’m honored to be selected by Governor Kelly to serve as the next Secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment,” Stanek said. â€śSince the start of the pandemic, the agency has done a remarkable job helping lead the state’s response to this once-in-a-century crisis. I look forward to working with the entire KDHE team to build on their outstanding work.”

Stanek holds a graduate certificate in population health from Thomas Jefferson University, an MBA from Alfred University (NY) and a Bachelor of Science degree in health information management from the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, Utica, New York. She is also a Fellow of  the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, and is a Registered Health Information Administrator. Additionally, Stanek currently serves as the Chair of the Kansas Health Institute Board of Directors.