Marvin B. Figueroa, Secretary of Health and Human Resources: Turning Policy Into Access

The people who write public policy are often far removed from the people who live with its consequences. A decision made in Washington or Richmond can determine whether someone gets healthcare, qualifies for benefits, or finds support for a mental health need, yet the people making those decisions rarely see what happens on the other side.

Marvin B. Figueroa has spent his career on both sides of that divide. Born in La Ceiba, Honduras, and raised in the Bronx by a mother who worked as a home care worker, he grew up close to the realities that public programs are meant to address. Today, as Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia, he oversees the agencies responsible for public health, Medicaid, behavioral health, social services, disability services, and benefits serving millions of Virginians.

For Figueroa, that connection to the people behind the policy is not an abstraction. It has informed a career focused on healthcare, social services, and the work of turning public policy into programs people can use.

A POSSE Foundation Scholar, Figueroa earned degrees from Vanderbilt University and Harvard University before entering government. At the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he worked with governors, state and local governments, and other partners to expand healthcare coverage, respond to public health emergencies, and address health disparities.

Earlier, as Senior Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Mark Warner, he focused on healthcare, education, and workforce development. He co-led the Senate Finance Committee’s Chronic Care Working Group, contributing to the bipartisan CHRONIC Care Act of 2017, which was signed into law in 2018 to improve care for Medicare beneficiaries living with chronic conditions.

His work in Virginia brought those national policy issues closer to the people affected by them. As Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources under Governor Ralph Northam, Figueroa helped lead Medicaid expansion, extending coverage to more than 500,000 Virginians, according to Meharry Medical College. He also helped oversee behavioral health and social services across the Commonwealth.

He later returned to Washington as Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler, managing the Senate office and advising on health and wellness, democracy, and economic mobility.

In 2025, Figueroa added another dimension to that work, joining Meharry Medical College’s School of Global Health as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow and founding faculty member in the Department of Political Determinants of Health. There, he helps prepare future public health professionals to understand how healthcare, policy, and political systems shape health outcomes.

From the Bronx to Richmond to Washington, Figueroa’s career has moved through the institutions that write policy, the governments that put it into practice, and the systems people turn to when they need care and support. Today, that work reaches millions of Virginians through the healthcare, social services, and benefits overseen by his office. His career has been defined by his ability to connect policy to access at a scale few public servants ever reach, grounded in a firsthand understanding of the communities they serve. That combination earns Figueroa a place among our Top 10 Latino Voices of 2026.