Leesa Allen

Managing Director, Consulting

Before joining Sellers Dorsey, Leesa served as both the Executive Deputy Secretary for the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Commonwealth’s Medicaid Director, and prior to that as the Deputy Secretary for Medical Assistance Programs and the former Executive Medicaid Director for the Commonwealth. In this most recent role, Leesa was responsible for providing direction and oversight for the Department’s 16,000 employees and $30 billion budget, including eligibility and enrollment services, child welfare services, long-term care services for the elderly and intellectually disabled populations, behavioral health services, program integrity, and the statewide administration and oversight of the $30 billion Medicaid program. Leesa played an integral role in the design, development, and implementation of Pennsylvania’s HealthChoices managed care program, including development of the Commonwealth’s managed care waiver and contractual language and program oversight and monitoring. In addition, Leesa was responsible for implementing value-based purchasing and quality incentives for providers and managed care organizations (MCOs) within the HealthChoices program. Leesa was also an active participant with the National Association of Medicaid Directors, selected by her peers to serve on the Board of Directors for the Eastern Region, and is a 2016 Fellow of the Medicaid Leadership Institute.

Current Responsibility

Leesa provides direct client consulting and leadership services including providing objective advice, expertise, and specialized skills in the area of healthcare policy, strategy and management with the aim of creating value, maximizing growth and/or improving the business performance of clients. In addition, Leesa leads Sellers Dorsey’s Research and Policy team, which conducts timely research and tracking of state and federal legislative, regulatory, and judicial actions impacting the Medicaid Program as well as the content and development of the weekly Sellers Dorsey Digest.

Education

  • Chatham College, BA, English
Meet Our Team: Q&A with Leesa Allen, Director
Leesa works as a Director in the Sellers Dorsey Harrisburg office, where she uses her leadership, Federal and State Medicaid and public policy knowledge and expertise to support the teams and Sellers Dorsey clients. She serves as a subject matter expert to Sellers Dorsey’s client-servicing team and provides strategic guidance to many of the Medicaid financing projects. Leesa also focuses on researching new policies and policy updates surrounding states. Recently, Leesa served as the firm’s executive sponsor of the COVID-19 and National Policy workgroup which provided regular updates on policy developments, CMS waivers, state plan amendments, and enacted federal and state legislation.
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