William A. Hazel Jr. MD practiced orthopedic surgery in Northern Virginia until becoming Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia in January of 2010. As a founding member of Commonwealth Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Dr. Hazel gained extensive experience working in our health care system while helping to lead a large group practice. Dr. Hazel has served as a Trustee of the American Medical Association, Speaker and President of the Medical Society of Virginia, President of the INOVA Fair Oaks Hospital Medical Staff, and Chair of the Medical Affairs council of the INOVA Health System.

Dr. Hazel grew up on the family farm in Fauquier County. Dr. Hazel received his BS in Civil Engineering at Princeton University in 1978. He earned his Medical Degree at Duke University School of Medicine in 1983 and completed his Orthopedic Surgery Residency at the Mayo Clinic in 1988 before returning home to Virginia. His professional experience includes working as a team physician for the Chantilly High School Chargers, serving as an Assistant Orthopedist for the Washington Redskins football team, and serving as team physician for DC United soccer team.

As Secretary, Dr. Hazel oversees 11 state agencies with over 16,000 employees including such diverse programs as Medicaid, Behavioral Health, Social Services, as well as Aging and Rehabilitation. These combined agencies spend approximately one-third of Virginia's budget.

During his first term as Secretary, he led the Virginia Health Reform Initiative and helped establish the Virginia Center for Health Innovation. He served as the Founding Chair of ConnectVirginia, Virginia's health information exchange. He negotiated an agreement with the Department of Justice to improve services to individuals with Intellectual and developmental disabilities. He has become nationally recognized for leading an enterprise Information technology transformation in Health and Human Resources. He has devoted significant energy towards improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the HHR agencies. Dr. Hazel lives with his wife, Cindy, in Oakton, Va. They have two grown children and one very cute granddaughter.