Gary D. Alexander, EdD, JD, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation and Research Officer at Thriiv Health, is a visionary leader with over 20 years of expertise in healthcare management, policy, financing, and innovation. As former Health and Human Services Secretary for Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, and Medicaid Director for Rhode Island, he pioneered transformative reforms, including the Rhode Island Global Medicaid Waiver—a groundbreaking federal-state entitlement overhaul that achieved millions in cost savings, budget surpluses, and enhanced patient outcomes through expanded consumer choice and streamlined benefit delivery. In Pennsylvania, his initiatives generated over $2 billion in savings by targeting fraud reduction, performance management, and strategic realignment of health services, while fostering quality improvements, fiscal accountability and operational efficiency.

Currently directing Paragon Health Institute’s Medicaid and Health Safety Net Initiative, Alexander leverages his deep knowledge in budgeting, auditing, and information technology to drive data-driven policy innovations that lower costs, improve accessibility, and promote sustainable program design. A recognized thought leader, he advises members of Congress, governors, state policy makers and industry leaders. His reforms and perspectives have been featured in prominent publications like The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and National Review, he continues to shape healthcare financing and innovation, emphasizing cost-effectiveness, program integrity, and high-quality outcomes to empower providers and patients in a decentralized, technology-enabled ecosystem.