A longtime leader in Tennessee’s Medicaid program is taking a new job with the city of Nashville. Wendy Long has been hired to head Nashville’s public health department, according to a joint announcement Monday afternoon.

Before directing the TennCare Bureau under Governor Bill Haslam, Long was the agency’s top doctor. Prior to that she served in Tennessee’s health department, coordinating with local health officials. In total, she’s served in state government for 30 years.

Long will replace Bill Paul, who was appointed by former Mayor Karl Dean in 2007. He announced he would retire in 2019, but the Metro Board of Health
also indicated it wanted new leadership.

Governor-elect Bill Lee had not said whether he wanted to keep Long in the position. But now he will have to find a new TennCare director who oversees the single largest part of the state budget. A new director will also have to implement a
long-delayed eligibility system for people to qualify for the government-funded coverage. And the appointee will come at a time that the
number of enrollees is shrinking.

For Long, the new post represents a pivot from managing the largest insurer in the state with a $12 billion budget and 1,200 employees to operating a department of 500 people that provides public health services. The Metro Health Department is already in a state of flux, with
three top executives leaving in recent months for various reasons.

“I’m thrilled to have been selected to lead the health department team and look forward to the opportunity to work with health department staff and community stakeholders to make a positive difference in the lives of Metro Nashville residents,” Long said in a statement.

The Board of Health is scheduled to vote on her contract at their monthly meeting, December 13.