Renee Ellmers has been named to a mid-level post in the Trump administration. The former North Carolina congresswoman, who initially won election as a conservative political outsider in 2010 and then saw herself branded as a traitor to the conservative cause by groups like the Koch brother-funded Americans for Prosperity — a switch that helped lead to her defeat in a 2016 Republican primary with George Holding (this despite her endorsement of Donald Trump) — has been named the Regional Director for Region 4 of the Department of Health and Human Services in Atlanta.
This is from an email sent by the acting director, Natalie Brevard Perry:
Dear valued stakeholders:
I am pleased to formally welcome Renee Ellmers as the new Regional Director for HHS Region 4, effective Monday! After orientation at HHS Headquarters, her first day in Atlanta will be Wednesday, May 24, 2017.
Ms. Ellmers comes to us from the great state of North Carolina with a strong background in public service. For the past six years, she served as the U.S. Representative for North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District. In Congress, she served on the Health Subcommittee of the Energy & Commerce Committee. Ms. Ellmers shared “I ran for office in 2010 because of the changes that were happening in healthcare policy; I wanted to be a voice for healthcare providers. After the 2016 election, I saw an opportunity to join the Department of Health and Human Services to serve the American people by helping the Administration provide patient-centered, quality healthcare.”
Ms. Ellmers is a Registered Nurse. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Oakland University. She currently lives in Dunn, North Carolina with her husband of 23 years, Brent, who is a General Surgeon, and her son Ben, a student at North Carolina University.
Welcome, Ms. Ellmers!
It will be interesting to see what the folks at AFP have to say about this appointment of someone whose defeat the group described as “a victory for economic freedom and a testament to the grassroots movement.” Although the announcement doesn’t make it clear, one presumes Ellmers will not be attempting to commute to such an important post from Dunn and will be moving to Atlanta.
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