Sylvia Mary Matthews Burwell was chosen in April 2014 by U.S. President Barack Obama for the post of Minister of Health and Human Services.

She was born in 1965 in Hinton West Vitzinia. Her mother is the former mayor of Hinton, Cleo Matthews, her madden name was Maroudas, while her father is the ophthalmologist William Peter Matthews. Her maternal grandparents, Vasiliki (Mpakares) and Dennis N. Maroudas, were Greek immigrants, as were her paternal grandparents.

She began her career while still in college, serving as an intern for West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall, as governor’s aide to Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, and working on the Dukakis/Bentsen and the Clinton/Gore campaigns.

From 1993 to 1995 she served as staff director of the National Economic Council. From 1997 to 1998 she served as Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton. In 1998 she was Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget in Washington.

From 2012 to 2013 she was president of the Foundation Walmart, and president of the Global Development Program of the Foundation of the Melinda and Bill Gates, to fight global poverty through rural development and economic programs for the poor . Since April 2013 he served as Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the White House.

She graduated from Harvard in 1987 and continued her studies at Oxford University on philosophy, politics and economics.

In 2005, the Wall Street Journal selects her as one of the «50 women to watch out».