Chief Operating Officer

Kim Brandt is CMS’ Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer. Previously, she was a Partner at the Washington, D.C.-based policy firm Tarplin, Downs & Young, LLC, where she provided strategic advice on a broad array of healthcare regulatory, enforcement, and policy matters. She also served as an Advisor to the private equity firm Enhanced Healthcare Partners, a private equity firm focused on healthcare, and held board positions at two of its portfolio companies. 

Kim has held multiple senior executive positions in government, including serving as Principal Deputy Administrator for Policy and Operations during the first Trump Administration. In that role she oversaw all activities necessary for the operation and management of CMS’ $1.4T budget in addition to leading efforts to reform the Physician Self-referral regulations and develop the first CMS interoperability rule. Kim previously served as Chief Oversight Counsel and General Counsel on the staff of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee where she led multiple healthcare investigations, the investigation into IRS political targeting and oversaw the political nominations process. Before joining the Finance Committee staff, Kim was a Senior Counsel at Alston & Bird in Washington, D.C. Her previous government service includes serving as the CMS Director of the Medicare Program Integrity Group and working at the HHS Office of Inspector General as a Senior Counsel and Director of External Affairs. Kim has a JD with a concentration in health law and an MA in legislative affairs. 

John Czajkowski is Deputy Chief Operating Officer. John previously served as the Deputy Director of the CMS Office of Financial Management.

In 1986, he began his Federal career in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health’s budget office. He went on to hold senior budget, finance, and administrative positions at the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General.

John was the Deputy Director for Management of the National Cancer Institute, where he navigated the organization through a number of important strategic initiatives, including the launch of new research programs and major capital projects. In 2014, he was recruited by Harvard University to serve as the Executive Dean for Administration at Harvard Medical School.

John holds a Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and a Master’s in Public Administration from American University.

• Overall responsibility for facilitating the coordination, integration and execution of CMS policies and activities across CMS components, including new program initiatives.
• Promotes accountability, communication, coordination, and facilitation of cooperative corporate decision-making among CMS senior leadership on management, operational and programmatic cross-cutting issues.
• Tracks and monitors CMS performance and intervenes, as appropriate, to ensure key milestones/deliverables are successfully achieved. Keeps the Administrator and Principal Deputy Administrator advised of the status of significant national initiatives and programs that affect beneficiaries and/or the health care industry and makes recommendations regarding necessary corrective actions. Oversees enterprise performance reporting and has accountability to ensure the Agency has an understanding of performance, delivery, and progress against enterprise goals.
• Oversees enterprise risk management and has accountability to ensure the Agency has risk awareness and takes appropriate action to address risk in strategy development, planning, and delivery.
• Oversees all planning, implementation and evaluation of administrative and operational activities for CMS, including enterprise-wide information systems and services, acquisition and grants, financial management, facilities, and human resources.