Elizabeth Matney brings nearly two decades of senior leadership experience in public-sector health and human services, with deep expertise in Medicaid policy, program operations, and large-scale system transformation. Her career with the State of Iowa provided hands-on experience working with governors’ offices, state agencies, providers, legislators, and national partners to design and implement complex healthcare initiatives in dynamic and high-pressure environments.
Elizabeth has held a range of leadership roles spanning data analytics and reporting, executive operations, and enterprise-wide management. She served as Iowa’s Medicaid Director beginning in 2021, overseeing an $8+ billion program serving nearly 900,000 Iowans. In this role, she set strategic direction and led major reforms, including significant Home and Community-Based Services transformation, post-partum coverage expansion, implementation of a comprehensive provider rate review process, and development of a directed payment program investing more than $900 million annually in Iowa hospitals.
Prior to her appointment as Medicaid Director, Elizabeth served as Senior Health Policy Advisor to Kim Reynolds, where she led health and human services policy and supported statewide response efforts during the COVID-19 public health emergency. In 2023, she was additionally appointed Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer for the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, with responsibility for agency-wide budget and accounting functions, performance management, enterprise transformation initiatives, and information technology services.
Elizabeth’s work is characterized by a strong systems-thinking orientation and a focus on translating policy goals into practical, operationally viable solutions. She brings particular strength in Medicaid financing, provider payment policy, federal funding implementation, performance measurement, and cross-agency coordination. Her experience spans close collaboration with state leadership, federal partners, providers, and stakeholders to deliver compliant, sustainable, and measurable outcomes.
Elizabeth remains actively engaged with national health and human services networks and is committed to continuing to support public-sector healthcare systems at both the state and national level through advisory, strategy, and transformation work.
