Tommy Thompson
 Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson is the nation's leading advocate for the health and welfare of all Americans. He is the 19th individual to serve as Secretary of the department, which employs more than 60,000 personnel and has an operational budget of more than $400 billion.
Secretary Thompson has dedicated his professional life to public service, most recently serving as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to his time with HHS, Secretary Thompson was Wisconsin's longest-serving Governor, holding the office from 1986 until he left the post in 2000 to head HHS.
During his 14 years as governor, Secretary Thompson focused on revitalizing Wisconsin's economy. He also gained national attention for his leadership on welfare reform, expansion of health care for low-income people, and education. More recently, Secretary Thompson worked to extend health insurance to many low-income children and families. As of November 2000, The BadgerCare program - Wisconsin's Medicaid/State Children's Health Insurance Program for uninsured families - had enrolled more than 77,000 individuals. In addition, Wisconsin's Pathways to Independence was the nation's first program to allow the disabled to enter the workforce without the fear of losing health benefits. The program provides ready access to a coordinated system of services and benefits counseling. As governor, Thompson also created FamilyCare, designed to help elderly and disabled citizens, allowing them to receive care in their homes for as long as possible.
Secretary Thompson began his career in public service in 1966 as a representative in Wisconsin's State Assembly. He was elected assistant Assembly minority leader in 1973 and Assembly minority leader in 1981. Secretary Thompson has received numerous awards for his public service, including the Anti-Defamation League's Distinguished Public Service Award. In 1997, the Secretary received Governing Magazine's Public Official of the Year Award, and the Horatio Alger Award in 1998. The Secretary has also served as chairman of the National Governors' Association, the Education Commission of the States and the Midwestern Governors' Conference. Secretary Thompson also served in the Wisconsin National Guard and the Army Reserve.
Susan Davis
Susan Ann Davis is Chairwoman of Susan Davis International, an international communications and public affairs firm based in Washington, D.C., with 60 agency partners worldwide. Ms.  Davis manages national and international media and public policy campaigns, and represents a wide array of domestic and foreign clients before the U.S. Congress and Executive Branch. Susan Davis International has been cited as one of the top public affairs agencies in the United States by industry peers, and Ms. Davis has received numerous awards including "National Woman Business Owner of the Year" in the United States.
Ms. Davis chaired the historical U.S.-Ireland Business Summit, which, for the first time, brought business, academia and government leaders at the highest levels from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United States together to discuss new forms of collaboration in biotechnology, financial services, technology and telecommunications. Ms. Davis served as the advisor to and the coordinator of the trans-Atlantic Task Force designated to plan for the Partnership, co-chaired in the U.S. by the Director of the National Science Foundation, and the Director of the National Institutes of Health.
Ms. Davis is the Chairwoman and Founder of the U.S.-Ireland Business Summit; Chairwoman of The Irish Breakfast Club; National President of the National Assembly of Irish American Republicans; and served on the Executive Committee of Irish for Bush/Cheney. She is a past president of the prestigious International Women's Forum representing 3,000 women leaders worldwide, and Board Executive of The Center for International Private Enterprise and the Center for Democracy.
Named "Woman Business Advocate of the United States " by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Ms. Davis was also selected for a similar honor by the District of Columbia. She was recognized by the National Association of Women Business Owners for "Outstanding Achievement in National and International Public Affairs" and Washingtonian Magazine named Ms. Davis as one of "Washington's Most Powerful Women." She is a Chevaleresse in the Knights Templar who awarded Ms. Davis the prestigious Order of Merit. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award, the award for Distinguished Service in the field of Communications and the University of Wisconsin Daily Cardinal Hall of Fame award. The Public Relations Society (PRSA) in Washington, D.C., honored Ms. Davis with their inaugural Hall of Fame Award, and she co-chairs the annual PRSA Hall of Fame Awards program.
Tommy Thompson and Susan Davis have known each other and worked together for more than twenty years. It is from this long-term friendship, that this former Governor of Wisconsin and prominent PR professional have created an atmosphere of both levity and seriousness on the set of Plain Talk. Their deep concern for the medical topics discussed and empathy for those who are faced with challenges of acute and chronic illness come to life and bring a fresh perspective to each new episode. |
