Priya A. Helweg, MA

Priya Helweg is the Acting Regional Director and Executive Officer for the Region 10 Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Priya provides executive leadership in the regional office of the HHS Secretary. She advances the priorities of the HHS Secretary through intergovernmental relations, meaningful community partnerships, and stakeholder engagement. Priya supports the regional office’s function as a nexus point for coordination with HHS divisions and other federal agencies. Region 10 covers the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and 272 federally recognized tribes.

Priya joined the Office of the Regional Director after 16 years at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). In CMS Central Office she worked in the Office of the CMS Administrator’s Office of Tribal Affairs. Priya moved to the Seattle Regional Office Division of Medicaid and Children’s Health Operations in 2007 and joined the CMS Regional Administrator’s Office as an External Affairs Specialist in 2008. Her primary responsibilities were to increase awareness of CMS initiatives.

Prior to federal service, Priya worked in Washington, DC for The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, The Morris K. Udall Foundation, and The Smithsonian Institution. Formerly an External Affairs Specialist for the Office of the Regional Administrator, CMS Region 10, Priya was outreach lead for the Affordable Care Act / Health Insurance Marketplace, Opioids and Substance Misuse, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare. Her primary responsibilities were to increase awareness of CMS programs.