By Skylar Laird
SCDailyGazette.com
COLUMBIA — The state Medicaid agency’s chief of staff is set to become the new director, Gov. Henry McMaster announced Wednesday, Nov. 7.
Eunice Medina will take over after former director Robby Kerr retired Nov. 1. The state Senate must officially confirm her appointment.
The 43-year-old has spent three years managing staff and programs for the agency. Previously, she worked as a bureau chief for the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, where she oversaw the state’s Medicaid care plans, according to her resume.
“With her expertise in Medicaid and proven leadership at the executive level of the agency, she will help lead a seamless transition,” McMaster said in a statement. “I am grateful for her willingness to serve in this critical role.”
State legislators helped advise McMaster on his decision, including Senate President Thomas Alexander, according to a Wednesday news release. Medina will helm the agency that provides health insurance for more than 1 million poor and disabled South Carolinians.
With more than 1,300 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is one of the state’s largest agencies. Its budget accounts for 15% of the state’s total $14.5 billion spending plan for state tax dollars, not including federal aid.
“She has a heart of service, of putting those citizens that need service first, while at the same time being a protector of taxpayer dollars here in South Carolina,” the Walhalla Republican said in a statement.
Kerr has twice served as director for the agency, once from 2003 to 2007 during Gov. Mark Sanford’s tenure and again from 2020 until this year.
“The agency has developed a culture of commitment and purpose while cultivating a leadership team that I believe is unparalleled in South Carolina,” Kerr said in a statement. “There is no one more prepared than Eunice Medina to lead that team. Her extraordinary knowledge, her dedication to service, and her values will serve South Carolina well.”
Skylar Laird covers the South Carolina Legislature and criminal justice issues. Originally from Missouri, she previously worked for The Post and Courier’s Columbia bureau. S.C. Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
