Senior Staff

Nici C- Gaines Associate Vice President

Nici C. Gaines serves as the Associate Vice President of University Health Care, Inc. Her state government experience includes serving as the former director of the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) where she transformed the program under the Deficit Reduction Act. She also formerly served as the director of pharmacy operations for the Department for Medicaid Services where she worked closely with advocates, providers, and CMS. Previously Ms. Gaines worked in the private sector in the areas of government affairs and compliance.

She has been a conference speaker for the Academy Health/State Coverage Initiatives on the Deficit Reduction Act and state Medicaid reform, as well as for the National Association of State Medicaid Directors Annual Conference. She is a member of Empire Executives and Professional Who's Who. While at the Cabinet, she served as a member of the Wellness Committee and Nutrition Subcommittee.

Ms. Gaines received a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Bachelors of Arts in Journalism from Eastern Kentucky University. She is currently completing her Masters of Business Administration with an emphasis in healthcare from the George Washington University.

She is originally from Worthington, Kentucky and now lives in Lexington with her wonderful husband Keith and two great stepchildren, Megan and Travis.