Governor Kay Ivey announced Thursday that Bo Offord will be appointed as the next commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency, succeeding Stephanie McGee Azar, who will become the new chief executive officer of the State Employees’ Insurance Board (SEIB).
“As Alabama’s longest consecutively serving Medicaid commissioner, Stephanie Azar has proven herself a skillful manager of the state’s public health insurance program for low-income families,” Ivey said. “She successfully directed annual Medicaid budgets for more than 13 years and shepherded the passage of legislation to create and fund the first Alabama Medicaid Reserve while maintaining a balanced budget. I am grateful to Stephanie for her years of invaluable service, and I am confident she will continue to serve the state well through her new position at SEIB.”
Azar, who led the agency through numerous budget cycles and reform efforts, will now shift to leading SEIB, where she will oversee health insurance benefits for state employees.
Offord, a longtime legal advisor within the Alabama Medicaid Agency, has served as assistant general counsel, deputy general counsel, and general counsel over the past 15 years. His legal expertise and institutional knowledge were key factors in his selection.
“Meanwhile, Bo Offord has diligently helped guide the Alabama Medicaid Agency for close to two decades,” Ivey said. “He has demonstrated the necessary expertise to ensure the Agency remains on the sound footing Commissioner Azar established, and I look forward to his leadership as he assumes his new role of Medicaid commissioner.”
Offord, a graduate of the University of Alabama and Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, began practicing law in 2007 and joined the Alabama Medicaid Agency in 2010. He has represented the agency in probate, circuit, and appellate courts, and advised on complex federal regulatory matters.
“It is an honor to be appointed by Governor Ivey to serve as the next commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency,” Offord said. “I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Alabama in this capacity. I had the privilege to work with Commissioner Azar for 15 years, witnessing firsthand her professionalism and leadership. I am certain she will have nothing but success at the State Employees Insurance Board.”
Offord’s appointment becomes effective July 16, 2025.
