HHS Appoints New Office for Civil Rights Director
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights has a new Director. Acting Director Anthony Archeval passed on the baton to Paula M. Stannard after serving in the role since he replaced Melanie Fontes Rainer, the Biden administration’s OCR Director, who served in the role from September 2022 to January 2025.
HHS Office for Civil Rights Director, Paula M. Stannard.
Paula M. Stannard, a graduate of Amherst College and Stanford Law School, rejoins the HHS after serving as Chief Legal Counsel of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Previously, Stannard worked within the HHS for several years as Senior Counselor and Advisor to two HHS Secretaries, Tom Price and Alex Azar, under the previous Trump administration. Stannard also served as Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel under the George W. Bush administration. Stannard also has 16 years of legal experience in the private sector, including six years at the Washington, D.C. law firm Alston and Bird, LLP, where she served as counsel in the Health Care Practice Group.
“I’m proud to welcome Paula back to HHS,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., in a press release announcing Stannard’s appointment. “She’s a proven public servant who delivered results during her time at HHS under both President Trump and President George W. Bush. Paula brings deep institutional knowledge, relentless focus, and an unwavering commitment to civil rights. Under her leadership, the Office for Civil Rights will drive forward President Trump’s bold civil rights agenda with clarity, energy, and purpose.”
OCR is responsible for developing, promoting, and enforcing the HIPAA Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, and Stannard has been charged with leading those efforts. OCR currently has a pending update to the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, with the former proposed under the previous Trump administration and the latter proposed by OCR under the Biden administration. OCR also has active enforcement initiatives focused on the HIPAA Right of Access and the risk analysis requirement of the HIPAA Security Rule.
The OCR Director is also responsible for promoting and enforcing Federal civil rights laws and conscience and religious freedom laws, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and religion. Under the Trump administration, OCR has been investigating educational institutions and healthcare providers to ensure that they are not engaging in discriminatory practices.
OCR currently has a large backlog of investigations due to budget restrictions and an increasing number of complaints and data breach reports. In 2010, OCR had 11 full-time investigators; however, by 2022, the total had fallen to just 60. At the end of fiscal year 2025, OCR had a backlog of 6,532 cases, but by March 2025, that total had more than doubled. Even with the large backlog, OCR has been active in HIPAA enforcement, having announced 16 settlements and civil monetary penalties to resolve noncompliance with the HIPAA Rules between January 1, 2025, and May 31, 2025, collecting $7,385,566 in penalties. Congress has been petitioned to increase funding for OCR for the coming fiscal year to help it achieve its current objectives.
The HHS has recently undergone restructuring, with OCR now falling under the new Office of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement (ASE), along with the HHS Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals, and the Departmental Appeals Board. The HHS announced the new structure in late March 2025. The Assistant Secretary for Enforcement has yet to be appointed.
“I am excited and honored to lead the Office for Civil Rights at HHS under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Kennedy,” said OCR Director Paula Stannard. “I look forward to advancing the significant and highly visible priorities of OCR and protecting the civil rights of Americans who participate in the programs or organizations that HHS operates and funds.”
