The Kansas Health Institute (KHI) Board of Directors elected new officers at its quarterly meeting on January 28, 2022. David E. Graham, M.D., will serve as Chair, Jean M. Clifford will serve as Vice Chair, and Matt Perrier will serve as Secretary/Treasurer.
David Graham, Chair, has served on the KHI Board of Directors since 2015. Graham, who resides in Overland Park, has been a board-certified family physician for more than 40 years. He currently works for PureHealth Medical Center in Overland Park, specializing in family medicine. Prior to moving to Kansas, he held faculty and associate director appointments at the United States Air Force Regional Hospital at Carswell Air Force Base in Ft. Worth, Texas.
Graham was previously Vice Chair of the KHI Board, succeeding former Chair Janet Stanek who resigned from the KHI Board upon her appointment as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in November 2021.
Jean Clifford, Vice Chair, has served on the KHI Board of Directors since 2017. Clifford, who resides in Garden City, served in the United States Air Force in the Office of Staff Judge Advocate for 30 years, retiring in 2010 at the rank of Colonel. Prior to her career in the Air Force, she worked as an elementary school teacher and an attorney. Jean was elected to the Kansas State Board of Education in 2018 and has been representing District 5 since January 2019.
Matt Perrier, Secretary/Treasurer, has served on the KHI Board of Directors since 2019. Perrier is part-owner and General Manager of his family’s ranch, Dalebanks Angus, near Eureka, Kan. He has been involved in ranching and livestock most of his life. Previous positions include being a Regional Manager and later Director of Commercial Programs for the American Angus Association, as well as Director of Retail and Foodservice Promotions with the Pennsylvania Beef Council. Matt is a past president of the Kansas Livestock Association, currently serves on the Kansas Beef Council Executive Committee, and has served on various local, state and national boards in the livestock industry.
Robert F. St. Peter, M.D., KHI President & CEO, expressed his appreciation for the Board of Directors. “I am exceedingly grateful for the continued leadership of our Board members and their service to our mission. They provide strategic direction to KHI as we work to improve the health of Kansans and also represent KHI in their communities throughout the state,” he said. “With Dave as Chair, I am confident the KHI Board will continue to provide exceptional expertise and guidance for the organization and its stakeholders who rely on KHI’s health policy research and education.”
In addition to St. Peter and the newly elected officers, the following Kansans also serve on the KHI Board of Directors: Tim Cruz, Garden City; Christy Hopkins, Tribune; and Van Williams, Wichita.