BOISE, Idaho — The current director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW) has been nominated by President Donald J. Trump to serve in his administration.
If the U.S. Senate confirms the nomination, Alex Adams will assume the role of Assistant Secretary for the Administration of Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is helmed by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
RELATED: Trump administration is set to drop lawsuit pushing Idaho to allow emergency abortions, filing shows
In a release, Idaho Governor Brad Little celebrated the nomination, saying, "In under one year at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, [Alex] completely transformed and improved Idaho’s child welfare system to better serve our state’s most vulnerable children and the generous foster families who care for them." As the director of IDHW, Adams oversaw some 3,000 employees and managed a budget of $5.5 billion.
Prior to his role with IDHW, Adams served Governor Little as his administrator of the Governor’s Division of Financial Management from 2019 to 2024.
Before his roles in government, Adams worked for a national trade organization, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which represents approximately 40,000 pharmacies nationwide.
RELATED: 'Junk food epidemic': Idaho lawmakers propose cutting candy and soda from food stamps
A valedictorian, Adams graduated from the University of Toledo in Ohio with a bachelor’s degree and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree. He continued his education by earning a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
Adams would be the third Idahoan to serve in a prominent role within Donald Trump's administration. A confirmation hearing has yet to be scheduled.
