Alex J. Adams, PharmD, MPH, serves as director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. He was appointed to lead the department by Gov. Brad Little in May 2024.

The department has a staff of nearly 3,000 and an annual budget of $5.5 billion. Dr. Adams is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of all Idahoans, with the following goals for the department:

Strengthening child welfare. Promoting upward mobility. Improving behavioral health. Reducing the regulatory burden on department stakeholders.

Prior to leading the department, Dr. Adams spent more than five years as Governor Little’s budget and regulatory director. In this capacity, he oversaw the state’s first upgrade to a AAA credit rating with both Fitch Ratings and Moody’s. He helped lead development of major policy initiatives such as Idaho LAUNCH and the financing of $1.5 billion in school facility infrastructure improvements. He helped build the rainy-day funds to the largest fund balance in state history. He also led the Governor’s zero-based regulation initiative, which led to Idaho becoming the least regulated state in the nation, eliminating more than 2,700 pages of regulations.

He earned his bachelor’s degree and Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Toledo in Ohio, graduating as class valedictorian, and his Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. Dr. Adams lives in Eagle with his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Emerson.

Here We Have Idaho is a local radio show heard on KSPD 790 AM and 94.5 FM translator. Here We Have Idaho is a show focusing on celebrating Idaho and all that makes Idaho great. Hear We Have Idaho will focus on the issues and events that impact Idaho’s citizens and families. Each week we will visit those that are writing Idaho’s story and keeping the spirit of our state song alive with hosts Victor Miller and Tom Luna.