Leadership and Workforce Transformation in Social Services - Ep. 21 Part 1

In this episode, we dive into the transformative journey of leadership in social services—exploring how empathy, frontline engagement, and community accountability can revitalize a demoralized workforce and elevate service to world-class standards. Join us as we uncover practical insights on leading meaningful change from within.Leveraging over 40 years of public sector leadership, Rod Bremby has established The Bremby Group, LLC to offer strategic guidance and solutions. His deep understanding of the public sector landscape is rooted in his recent role as the leader of enterprise positioning and solution strategy for Salesforce's Global Public Sector Business Unit, where he focused on the health andhuman services, social services, and public health markets. Rod's journey in public service includes an impressive 16 years as a Cabinet member for four Governors (2003-2019), where he steered two major health and human service agencies. His tenure as the head of Connecticut's largest such agency ($8.2B budget, 1,986 positions) is marked by a groundbreaking Medicaid transformation. This innovative approach not only achieved national recognition for best-in-class per-member per-month cost reductions, saving an estimated $2.25B, but also expanded access to care for an additional 220,000 residents. Furthermore, under his leadership, the timeliness of SNAP application processing saw a remarkable 57% improvement, elevating Connecticut to 3rd best nationally.Earlier in his distinguished career, as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Rod made national headlines for his courageous leadership by becoming the first U.S. public official to deny a permit for a coal-fired energy plant based on the compelling evidence of climate change. His agency also led the state's successful H1N1 pandemic response.With a strong academic foundation from the University of Kansas (BA, MPA - a top-ranked program), Rod brings a wealth of award-winning expertise recognized by organizations such as the American Public Human Service Association State Member of the Year Award, the Sierra Club’s Distinguished Achievement Award and the Kansas Public Administrator of the Year Award.Now residing in the Phoenix East Valley with his wife, Janet, Rod cherishes time spent traveling to visit their seven children and thirteen grandchildren, who live across Arizona, Kansas, New York, and Texas.Contact Roderick at:linkedin.com/in/roderickbrembyContact Kerry and Peggy at:Kerry:linkedin.com/in/kerrylbasshttps://makingitreality.com/Peggy:linkedin.com/in/peggyonealhttps://www.peggy-oneal.com/Leave us a comment and share this episode with your network!