Manatt Adds Leading Healthcare Advocate In Albany
ALBANY, NY – July 16, 2008 – Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and Manatt Health Solutions (MHS) the interdisciplinary policy and business advisory division of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, announced today that JoAnn M. Smith is joining Manatt and MHS as a senior advisor in September. With more than three decades of public policy experience, Smith has served for the past 13 years as president and chief executive officer of Family Planning Advocates of New York State (FPA). She will be based in Manatt’s Albany, NY office.
Prior to heading FPA, Smith worked as deputy secretary for Human Services to then New York governor Mario Cuomo, where she was responsible for setting policy for nine state agencies.
“JoAnn’s national reputation for public health advocacy and, in particular, her successes building coalitions and spearheading efforts to pass healthcare legislation here in New York State will be a great asset to our practice,” said James W. Lytle, administrative partner of Manatt’s Albany office. “She is well-known and well-respected on a state and national level for her insight, understanding and abilities. We are so lucky to have her as a member of the Manatt team.”
Leveraging the capabilities of Manatt’s law and policy professionals, Manatt and MHS impart expert insight to clients in the areas of healthcare coverage and access, healthcare information technology, healthcare financing and reimbursement, and healthcare restructuring. The two organizations provide personalized services such as strategic and business advice, policy analysis and research, project implementation and alliance development.
At FPA, Smith directed the statewide efforts of more than 125 civic, labor, religious, health and human services agencies promoting access to reproductive services for women in New York. She served as chief government negotiator for New York State’s 63 family planning providers. Her legislative victories include support for New York’s clinic access law, Women’s Health and Wellness Act (2005-2007) and, during her tenure, quadrupling state and federal funding for family planning services in New York.
"I have worked throughout my career to increase access to vital health services for New Yorkers," said Smith. "After thirteen rewarding years at Family Planning Advocates, I am pleased to join the exceptional team at Manatt, where I can continue to address essential healthcare policy issues."
Among numerous awards and honors, Smith was been a recipient of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association’s Award for Advocacy and Public Affairs. She also received the Bill Bubb Award for Dedication and Service to Children, Youth and Families from the New York State Youth Bureaus, and the Mary Ellen Hamilton Award for Outstanding Support of the Provision of Legal Services to the Poor from the National Legal Aid and Defense Fund.
Smith earned her B.A. from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York.
About Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, provides legal and consulting services to a global client base from offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Sacramento, California; New York City and Albany, New York; and Washington, D.C. Manatt includes Manatt Health Solutions, a healthcare policy and strategic business advisory group, and ManattJones Global Strategies, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary that develops and implements strategies to expand client businesses and facilitate their effective competition in global markets. For more information, visit www.manatt.com, www.manatthealthsolutions.com, and www.manattjones.com.
About Manatt Health Solutions
Manatt Health Solutions is a division of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, which provides legal and consulting services to a global client base from offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Sacramento, California; New York City and Albany, New York; and Washington, D.C. Manatt Health Solutions’ interdisciplinary team provides strategic and business advice, policy analysis, project implementation, and coalition building and advocacy services to clients in the areas of healthcare access and coverage, healthcare financing and reimbursement and health information technology. For more information, visit www.manatthealthsolutions.com.