John Brooks
John Brooks is a Deputy Administrator and the Chief Policy and Regulatory Officer for CMS. He was most recently a founder and partner at South Capitol, a health policy research and consulting firm. Prior to that, John held multiple senior health executive positions across the Executive Branch, including Senior Advisor for Drug Pricing Reform to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Principal Deputy Director of the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Counselor to the HHS Secretary for Health Policy, and Health Policy Advisor at the White House Domestic Policy Council. John also led the HHS Landing Team, which coordinated the transition between administrations with respect to the Department of Health & Human Services. Prior to government service, John led the Health Policy Department at the MITRE Corporation, providing policy advice and regulatory support to federal health agencies, including CMS, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. John holds a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and an MBA from Virginia Tech.
Kimberly Brandt
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
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.
Natalia I. Chalmers DDS, MHSc, PhD
Dr. Chalmers is a board-certified pediatric dentist, oral health policy expert, and public health advocate who brings more than 20 years of clinical, research, industry, and regulatory experience to CMS in her role as Chief Dental Officer in the Office of the Administrator. Previously, Dr. Chalmers served as a Dental Officer at the US Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Chalmers has devoted her career to transforming scientific and health care data and information into actionable insights to address equity, improve care, and better inform policy and funding. Dr. Chalmers completed her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of the Medical University of Sofia, a residency in pediatric dentistry at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, and a Ph.D. in oral microbiology from the Graduate Partnerships Program of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry and the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health, Post-doctoral Fellowship at the Forsyth Institute, and Clinical Research Fellowship at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Chalmers holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Research from Duke Medical University and a Certificate in Drug Development and Regulatory Science from the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy. Her research has translated into action, improving oral care and advocating for the role health policy can play across the lifespan—particularly when it embraces dental well-being as a facet of care for the whole person.