Carmen Heredia

Carmen Heredia serves as the director of Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s Medicaid and CHIP Program, overseeing the provision of acute, behavioral health, and long-term care services and supports to more than 2.5 million Arizona residents at an annual cost of $22 billion. She was appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs on December 23, 2022.

Throughout her career, Ms. Heredia has passionately advocated for access to quality health care and education for underserved populations. Directly prior to joining AHCCCS, Ms. Heredia was the CEO of Valle del Sol, a provider organization delivering integrated behavioral health and primary care health as a federally qualified health center and a federally certified community behavioral health center.

Ms. Heredia has served on a variety of government task forces and boards, including St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, the Arizona Council of Human Service Providers, the Center for the Future of Arizona, the Arizona Alliance of Community Health Centers, National Council of Behavioral Health, the Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corporation, Contexture Health Information Exchange, and the ASU College of Health Solutions. She is a 2021 Virginia G. Piper Fellow and an alum of the Hispanic Leadership Institute. Ms. Heredia holds a master’s degree in social work from Arizona State University with a concentration in planning and administration.