# Val Arkoosh

Valerie A. Arkoosh (c. 1961) is an American anesthesiologist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services under Governor Josh Shapiro since 2023. From 2016 to 2023, Arkoosh was chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, where she served alongside Shapiro during his tenure on the board.
Arkoosh formerly served on the board of health of Montgomery County. Arkoosh unsuccessfully ran to represent Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district in 2014 and for the United States Senate in 2022.

## Education and medical career

Arkoosh earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Northwestern University in 1982 and a doctorate from University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1986. She earned her Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2007.
She was a professor of clinical anesthesiology and clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania and previously taught at Thomas Jefferson University Sidney Kimmel Medical College and Drexel University College of Medicine, where she chaired the school's anesthesiology department from 1999 to 2004. In 2007, Arkoosh joined the board of the National Physicians Alliance (NPA). From 2010 to 2012, she was president of the NPA as it supported the passage of the Affordable Care Act and healthcare as a human right. Arkoosh also chaired the Board of Health of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania from 2011 to 2014.

## Political career

Arkoosh ran for Congress in 2014 for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district when Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz vacated the seat to run for governor. She came in fourth place in the Democratic primary, losing to eventual winner Brendan Boyle.

### Montgomery County commissioner

In January 2015, was appointed to a vacated seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. She was elected to a full term the following November. That year she signed a "standing order" allowing pharmacies in the county to dispense naloxone upon request. During her time on the Board of Commissioners, she served alongside future Attorney General and Governor Josh Shapiro.
Arkoosh served as vice chair of the board until November 2016 when she was made chair. In January 2019, she was among a number of Pennsylvania legislators and county officials who went on a trip to Israel designed to educate state officials on security issues in the Middle East. She was given a second term as chair in 2020 after being reelected in 2019. As chair, Arkoosh instituted a fifteen dollars per hour minimum wage and paid parental leave for county employees.

### 2022 U.S. Senate campaign

On April 5, 2021, Arkoosh launched her campaign for the Democratic nomination for the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania following the retirement of Pat Toomey. She received the endorsement of EMILY's List. Arkoosh dropped out of the race in February 2022 after receiving just 17 votes of support out of the 290 Pennsylvania Democratic Committeemen.

### Secretary of Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

In January 2023, Arkoosh was nominated by governor-elect Josh Shapiro to serve as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. She automatically became full secretary on June 29 after the Pennsylvania State Senate failed to act within the constitutionally prescribed 25-legislative-day period to confirm her nomination. In the first year of her leadership, Arkoosh directed the department to eliminate a two-year Medicaid enrollment backlog and increased the coverage for doulas and medicine for homeless people.

## Personal life

Arkoosh lives in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Jeffrey Harbison, and their three children. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 in January 2022, and reported mild symptoms.

## Electoral history

2014 United States House of Representatives Democratic primary election, PA-13 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Brendan Boyle | 24,775 | 40.61 |
| | Democratic | Marjorie Margolies | 16,723 | 27.41 |
| | Democratic | Daylin Leach | 10,130 | 16.60 |
| | Democratic | Val Arkoosh | 9,386 | 15.38 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 61,014 | 100.00 |
2015 Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Josh Shapiro (incumbent) | 30,645 | 54.12 |
| | Democratic | Val Arkoosh (incumbent) | 25,864 | 45.68 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 111 | 0.20 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 56,620 | 100.00 |
2015 Montgomery County Board of Commissioners election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Josh Shapiro (incumbent) | 97,212 | 30.90 |
| | Democratic | Val Arkoosh (incumbent) | 88,958 | 28.27 |
| | Republican | Joe Gale | 65,740 | 20.90 |
| | Republican | Steven Tolbert Jr. | 62,644 | 19.91 |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 64 | 0.02 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 314,618 | 100.00 |
2019 Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Democratic primary election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Val Arkoosh (incumbent) | 48,599 | 46.09 |
| | Democratic | Kenneth E. Lawrence, Jr. (incumbent) | 46,998 | 44.58 |
| | Democratic | Ray Sosa | 9,836 | 9.33 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 105,393 | 100.00 |
2019 Montgomery County Board of Commissioners election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Val Arkoosh (incumbent) | 127,089 | 32.29 |
| | Democratic | Kenneth E. Lawrence, Jr. (incumbent) | 124,247 | 31.57 |
| | Republican | Joe Gale (incumbent) | 74,023 | 18.81 |
| | Republican | Fred Conner | 68,176 | 17.32 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 393,535 | 100.00 |