--- description: Sylvia Mathews Burwell is being nominated as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services title: Obamacare: Sylvia Mathews Burwell is Pick to Replace Kathleen Sebelius image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56a73ca7ecbe99e7/69868a3d169ab084a6278c2b/syliva-mathews-burwell.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Health Care](/tag/health-care/) ## Health Care Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Meet The Woman Who Would Replace Kathleen Sebelius by [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2014 2:34 PM CUT  White House Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell speaks during an interview with Reuters journalists in Washington, January 30, 2014\. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTX181KX White House Budget Director Sylvia Mathews Burwell speaks during an interview with Reuters journalists in Washington, January 30, 2014\. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTX181KXJonathan Ernst—Reuters by [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2014 2:34 PM CUT President Barack Obama will announce Sylvia Mathews Burwell as his nominee to be the next Health and Human Services Secretary on Friday, replacing the embattled and [resigning](http://time.com/58555/kathleen-sebelius-resigns/ "undefined") Kathleen Sebelius. Burwell, 48, ran the Office of Management and Budget and should be confirmed after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Democrats changed filibuster rules earlier this year, requiring only a simple majority to confirm some nominees rather than the previous 60 votes (though considering how politically divisive the health care reform law is, it will surely be a heated confirmation hearing). As HHS Director, [Burwell will be under serious pressure](http://time.com/58813/what-sebelius-left-undone/ "undefined") to ensure that the next open enrollment period on the health insurance exchanges goes more smoothly than the initially hobbled rollout of Healthcare.gov last year. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know about Burwell, [drawn from our story when she was nominated to be OMB chief](http://swampland.time.com/2013/03/04/sylvia-mathews-burwell-obamas-pick-to-head-omb/ "undefined"). **Fast Facts** * A Harvard University graduate (’87) and a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, Burwell consulted for McKinsey & Company (1990-1992) until she found work in the public sector. * After working on the 1992 Clinton-Gore presidential campaign in Arkansas, Burwell became Staff Director for the newly created National Economic Council under Robert Rubin. In 1995, Rubin was confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury, and Burwell was chosen as his Chief of Staff. When President Clinton asked Erskine Bowles to be his Chief of Staff in 1997, Burwell moved over to become Bowles’ deputy, and later served under recently sworn-in Treasury Secretary Jack Lew. * After the Clinton years, Burwell moved on to philanthropy, working in the Gates Foundation and the Walmart Foundation. She also serves on the board of directors for MetLife and the Council on Foreign Relations. * The Senate confirmed Burwell 96 to 0 for OMB Director in 2013. * Burwell is from Hinton, W.V., and married to attorney and outdoorsman Stephen Burwell. **Quotes About Burwell:** White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to the [New York _Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/11/us/politics/sebelius-resigning-as-health-secretary.html?hp "undefined"): --- > “” --- Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SenJohnMcCain/status/454410334963392512 "undefined"): --- > “” --- Former Sen. Erskine Bowles, to [Bloomberg News](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-04/burwell-passing-note-in-oval-office-meeting-got-her-noticed.html "undefined") last year: --- > “” --- Patty Stonesifer, a Microsoft veteran to [_National Journal_](http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/meet-the-newly-appointed-omb-director-sylvia-mathews-burwell-20130304 "undefined")last year: --- > “” --- **Quotes By Burwell:** On why she left government after eight years: --- > “” --- On if she fears failure: --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/59439/kathleen-sebelius-sylvia-mathews-burwell-obamacare/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/59439/kathleen-sebelius-sylvia-mathews-burwell-obamacare/"},"headline":"Meet The Woman Who Would Replace Kathleen Sebelius","datePublished":"2014-04-11T14:34:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:15:58.871Z","description":"Sylvia Mathews Burwell is being nominated as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services","url":"https://time.com/59439/kathleen-sebelius-sylvia-mathews-burwell-obamacare/","keywords":["Health Care"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56a73ca7ecbe99e7/69868a3d169ab084a6278c2b/syliva-mathews-burwell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Rogers","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56a73ca7ecbe99e7/69868a3d169ab084a6278c2b/syliva-mathews-burwell.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sylvia Mathews Burwell, New HHS Secretary","caption":"Sylvia Mathews Burwell, New HHS Secretary","creditText":"Jonathan Ernst—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/health-care/","name":"Health Care"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/59439/kathleen-sebelius-sylvia-mathews-burwell-obamacare/","name":"Meet The Woman Who Would Replace Kathleen Sebelius"}}]}] ```