Kansas Department on Aging Secretary Kathy Greenlee is being vetted for a top ranking post in the Obama administration.
Federal Bureau of Investigation agents have interviewed people as part of the routine background checks done on persons being considered for upper echelon federal jobs.
Sources say Greenlee was under consideration even before President Obama announced his nomination of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Greenlee declined comment. But sources close to her say she is in running for a slot as deputy or undersecretary at HHS. That would be a presidential appointment requiring Senate confirmation.
Greenlee has worked closely with Sebelius for several years, most recently as a member of the governor’s cabinet but also before that in the state insurance commissioner’s office.
Meanwhile, the confirmation hearing for Sebelius is expected to happen early next week, perhaps Tuesday.
Sebelius is expected to gain the Senate’s nod despite some objections from Republicans who dislike her stance on abortion rights and comparative effectiveness research.