Kari M. Bruffett became President and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute (KHI) in May 2022. A leader with extensive experience in national and state health policy, at KHI she has advanced efforts to support effective policymaking through new and enhanced services while continuing to ensure high-quality, objective research, education and engagement. Kari joined KHI as Vice President for Policy in 2016. Prior to that, she held executive leadership roles in the health and human services sector of state government, serving as Secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and as the Director of the Division of Health Care Finance at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the state Medicaid agency. Kari's experience includes eight years in government affairs at The University of Kansas Hospital, and four years in Washington, D.C., as a congressional staffer. She currently serves on the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services.