(Kansas City, MO) - Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) applauded President Biden's announcement that Joseph Palm has been appointed as the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Region 7 Regional Director. Due to his extensive background and experience in public health in Missouri, Congressman Cleaver nominated Mr. Palm for the position earlier this year.

"Joseph Palm has demonstrated a longtime commitment to science, public health, and safety of communities throughout Missouri, and I am pleased that he will soon assume the role of Regional Director of HHS Region 7, which serves the people of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska," said Congressman Cleaver. "Mr. Palm's wide array of expertise and strong record of public service and government experience is precisely what we need in our Regional Director. I look forward to working with him and our other local public health officials to ensure we're doing everything possible to protect the communities we serve."

Joseph Palm is a native of Saint Louis, Missouri, with family roots in Wardell, Missouri. Mr. Palm received his Bachelors of Communications Studies and Masters in Public Health from Saint Louis University. In 2009 Palm became the Chief of the Office of Minority Health at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. As the Chief, Palm was the key advisor to the Director on various health matters that affect minorities; he also served as a liaison to the Missouri General Assembly and worked with all statewide local public health agencies and elected officials. Palm supervised the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) grant-funded opioid and homicide prevention program, and he has also advised and facilitated the creation of hundreds of mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites across the States of Missouri in uninsured and underserved communities. Palm has also worked on the ground during the Ferguson and Joplin daily recovery operations.

Palm previously worked as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff in the City of Saint Louis Mayor's Office, as a Legislative Researcher in the Missouri State Capitol, and as an assistant to the Chief of Staff in Missouri's 1st Congressional District Office.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.