John Stephen is a Partner at Lucas Group Partners and works in the firm's Government practice. In addition to experience consulting with state agencies, John provides the benefit of heading a state agency through a period of major change.
Prior to joining the Lucas Group, John served from 2003 to 2007 as Commissioner of New Hampshire's largest Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, and was in charge of a $1.8 billion dollar annual budget. During his tenure, John led the Department through a period of major innovation, including improving Medicaid operations and engaging families on assistance in work activities. He developed and implemented GraniteCare, a nationally recognized Medicaid reform program that focused Medicaid on prevention, wellness and rebalancing long term care. John initiated disease management and care coordination programs that transitioned New Hampshire Medicaid away from treating the sick to keeping people healthy. Through John's efforts, Medicaid long term care home and community placements increased 23%, replacing more expensive nursing home placements, which dropped 11%. Moreover, during each of the four years John was Commissioner, New Hampshire ranked first nationally in the Kids Count survey. During that same period, the enrollment of low income, uninsured children into the State's Medicaid and SCHIP program increased by 7500. John led efforts to transform welfare in New Hampshire, reducing the rolls by 20% and dramatically increasing work participation rates by bringing accountability to TANF.
In the area of job placement, job training and workforce development, John led efforts to transform the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program to one that has received national recognition for a 72% improvement in engagement of TANF recipients in job participation and placement. John brought a number of efficiencies to the TANF program and re-engineered the Department's efforts at the district offices and one-stop work centers to successfully focus on helping individuals find sustainable employment. John also led efforts to change the culture of TANF to make participation in work program orientation a condition of eligibility, help individuals return to the workforce promptly, and establish innovative job training programs and other employer-based incentives so as to increase employment opportunities.
John also increased cooperation and collaboration between HHS and other state and federal agencies. Prior to heading the $1.8 billion annual budget at HHS, John served as Assistant Commissioner of Safety, where he served as the state's first Homeland Security Coordinator. John organized New Hampshire to be the first in the US to conduct a statewide Avian Flu pandemic planning exercise, testing all aspects of its emergency management response.
John was a prosecutor for 10 years, taking him from the county level to an Assistant Attorney General. In the process, he prosecuted crimes from misdemeanors up through homicide cases. A respected author, he has written or co-authored eight books on various legal matters.
John holds a JD from the Detroit College of Law and Michigan State University (1987) and a B.S. in Administration from the Whittemore School of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire (1984).
