Sullivan Leaving FSSA, Rusyniak Named New Secretary

Indiana will have a new head of its Family and Social Services Administration come August. Current Secretary Dr. Jennifer Sullivan announced Wednesday she is leaving the agency.

Sullivan served as FSSA chief for four and a half years, with about two years as deputy health commissioner before that. Her tenure as FSSA secretary is the longest of any person since that agency was created three decades ago.

In a statement, Gov. Eric Holcomb said Sullivan “tackled some of the most complex issues the state has ever dealt with.” He said she “dedicated herself” to improving Hoosiers’ lives and that he’ll “never be able to say thank you enough.”

Holcomb also named Dr. Dan Rusyniak as Sullivan’s replacement. Rusyniak is currently the chief medical officer at FSSA. He became a somewhat familiar face to many Hoosiers over the last year, serving as the state’s point person for nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sullivan is leaving state government – and the state itself – to become senior vice president at Atrium Health, a health care system in North Carolina.

Contact reporter Brandon at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.