Senior Medicaid officials are essential to maintaining continuity within their agencies and serve as a key talent pool for future Medicaid directors. Yet, few opportunities exist to support their leadership development. Increased investment in Medicaid leaders can strengthen organizational capacity and build a pipeline of leaders who understand the strengths, needs, and challenges of Medicaid members.

The Medicaid Pathways Program addresses this gap by supporting the leadership development of senior Medicaid staff and cultivating future leaders committed to improving outcomes for Medicaid members. The program is led by the Center for Health Care Strategies with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Pathways Program participants are competitively selected to join a nine-month leadership training program designed for individuals who are new to Medicaid leadership roles or aspire to advance into more senior positions. The program is open to deputy- and executive-level leaders (e.g., deputy directors, chief financial officers, chief medical officers) and senior managers (e.g., bureau, section, or unit chiefs; policy directors). It is designed to:

1. Strengthen participants’ skills so they can more effectively thrive in complex leadership roles;
2. Facilitate the advancement of senior Medicaid leaders, including creating opportunities for staff to better understand and support the communities served by Medicaid; and
3. Build peer relationships and foster a network of Medicaid leaders for idea-sharing, problem-solving, and support.

Selected participants have the opportunity to:

• Practice field-tested leadership strategies. Participants receive expert training that follows a competency-based leadership framework that has been tested by Medicaid leaders and designed for senior executives working in the public sector.
• Engage in individualized leadership coaching. Participants work with coaches to craft an individualized plan that includes personal development goals, activities to practice skills, and opportunities to apply new skills to the participants’ daily work.
• Build a national network of peers. Participants develop peer relationships with Medicaid leaders from across the country. These relationships create ongoing support networks that participants can draw on throughout the program and beyond.

Now in its fifth year, 100 senior Medicaid agency leaders — representing 35 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico — have participated in this leadership training program since the program launched in 2021. Learn more about the participants.