Rick McManus

Rick McManus partners with California and other state leaders to improve Medicaid, behavioral health, and human services through rigorous evaluation, evidence-based policy, and practical implementation strategies.

A nationally recognized expert in Medicaid and behavioral health policy, he leads Mathematica’s California account. Among his most significant accomplishments was leading Mathematica’s evaluation of California’s Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, a landmark, multiyear investment to transform behavioral health services for children, youth, and families across the state. This work strengthened Mathematica’s reputation as a trusted partner for using evidence to improve California’s most ambitious health and human services initiatives.

McManus’s expertise spans Medicaid policy, behavioral health, home and community-based services, child welfare, and applied data analytics. Originally trained as a social worker with subsequent advanced graduate training in population health sciences, he combines rigorous research methods with practical implementation experience to help policymakers and program leaders make informed, evidence-based decisions. McManus works closely with state agencies, counties, and partner organizations in California to identify emerging priorities, develop innovative solutions, and strengthen public programs. He also contributes to business development, strategic partnerships, and client engagement across Mathematica’s state and local government portfolio.

Before joining Mathematica, McManus was a managing consultant at The Lewin Group, where he led federal and state projects related to Medicaid, Medicare, and other publicly funded health programs. He also held leadership positions at UMass Chan Medical School, serving as director of research development and planning in the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences. He earned master’s degrees in social work and public policy from the University of Michigan, completed advanced graduate training in clinical and population health research at UMass Chan Medical School, and received his undergraduate degree from Bradley University.