Landry picks leaders for health department, child welfare services, wildlife and fisheries
2nd January 2024 · 0 Comments
By Julie O’Donoghue
Contributing Writer
(lailluminator.com) — Gov.-elect Jeff Landry on Wednesday announced three more members of his incoming cabinet, including the person who will run the state’s largest, most complex agency.
Former Congressman Ralph Abraham will become Louisiana Department of Health secretary.
Abraham, a Republican from Alto in Richland Parish, is a primary care doctor who practiced medicine in rural, northeast Louisiana. Also a former veterinarian, he served as congressman for Louisiana’s 5th District from 2015 to 2021.
Abraham also ran for governor in 2019 against incumbent Democratic John Bel Edwards and Republican businessman Eddie Rispone.
The state health department Abraham will run eats up nearly half of the state’s $40-billion-plus budget and has more than 1,100 employees. The agency’s responsibilities include overseeing the state’s Medicaid program, drinking water testing, restaurant inspections and infectious disease monitoring.
Landry said he chose Abraham, in part to emphasize the importance of rural health care access in his administration. The incoming governor also wants to focus on mental health services.
The governor-elect also signaled that an abrupt change in vaccine policy may be coming. Gov. John Bel Edwards leveraged the health department to oversee the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in 2021. Landry has questioned whether vaccines are safe or should be promoted by the state government at all.
Madison Sheahan, who most recently was executive director of the Republican Party in South Dakota, was named secretary for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
The 26-year-old is a native of Ohio and was the captain of the women’s rowing team while attending Ohio State University where, Landry said, she worked for former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer.
Sheahan also worked “directly and indirectly” for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a close friend of Landry’s and supporter of former President Donald Trump. The governor-elect gave her credit for helping to draft a South Dakota law banning transgender people from participating on women’s sports teams.
Sheahan does not appear to have a background in conservation or public safety, two focuses of the agency she will run. The department includes hundreds of wildlife law enforcement agents responsible for protecting animals and habitats across the state.
David Matlock will take over the state Department of Children and Family Services. He retired this year as chief judge for Caddo Parish’s juvenile court, where he had worked since 1999.
According to a legislative resolution honoring his retirement, the Caddo Juvenile Court launched the state’s first juvenile drug court, family drug court, juvenile mental health court and truancy court during Matlock’s tenure. He also oversaw the development of the state’s first sex trafficking community response team.
Matlock is a graduate of Louisiana State University in Shreveport and Baylor University law school. He was also a member of the Caddo Parish School Board from 1990 to 1994.
Landry still has more vacancies to fill in his cabinet but isn’t expected to announce any additional choices until after the holidays. Agencies with leaderships posts that remain to be filled include the Department of Corrections and Public Safety, the Louisiana Workforce Commission, the Department of Transportation and Development, Louisiana Economic Development, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority.
This article originally published in the January 1, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
