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, US Department of Health and Human Services.

Priya provides executive leadership in the regional office of the HHS Secretary. She advances the priorities of the Secretary through intergovernmental relations, meaningful community partner development, 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). 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 Abuse, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Medicare. Her primary responsibilities were to increase awareness of CMS programs. In CMS Central Office she worked with American Indian/Alaska Native communities and supported the Tribal Technical Advisory Group in the newly formed Tribal Affairs Group. 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 a few years later.

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. She has a master’s degree from the University of British Columbia.