Suzanne Auerbach serves as Special Assistant to the Chief Grants Management Officer of HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA’s mission is to improve health and achieve health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce and innovative programs. To meet its mission, HRSA annually funds over $10 billion to more than 3,000 grantees across the country to support community health centers, HIV/AIDS Ryan White services maternal and child health and health professions training, among others. Suzanne’s work focuses on promoting strategic risk management practices across more than 90 programs to effectively meet HRSA’s mission. This work includes identifying and analyzing risk, promoting a risk aware culture through staff training and collaboration with programs, and serving as chief editor of the HRSA Federal Award Oversight Manual for Project Officers. Most recently she managed a year-long independent assessment in the area of grants management that validated HRSA’s current risk management efforts and recommended several actions to enhance existing practices. Suzanne started her six-year career at HRSA as the agency’s liaison and team lead for the Government Accountability Office and HHS Office of Inspector General.
Prior to coming to HRSA, Suzanne focused on domestic poverty-reduction programs and early childhood education. She worked in Washington, D.C. for nine years, serving in HHS’s Office of Budget as lead on social services entitlement programs, and earlier with the Administration for Children and Families on federal child care and early education efforts. Suzanne began her almost 20-year government career with the Maryland General Assembly, analyzing and testifying before the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees on child and family policy.
Suzanne has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
