Meredith Shaffer is an attorney and public policy professional with over 16 years combined experience in the private sector and federal government.



In her most recent role as the Director of External Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Meredith managed the External Affairs team to advance the priorities of HHS and oversaw ACA partnership work during the fourth open enrollment period. Prior to that, Meredith served as HHS’s Director of Private Sector Engagement where she acted as the Department’s main liaison to the business community on a variety of healthcare policy issues, including the ACA, Zika, and delivery system reform.

Previously, Meredith was a Senior Policy Advisor to the Administrator at the U.S. Small Business Administration where she led the Agency’s work on public-private partnerships related to the ACA. In this role, Meredith served as the Agency's subject matter expert on the healthcare law, advising senior leadership on policy issues and program development for small businesses related to healthcare. She also handled additional portfolio issues such as cybersecurity, women’s entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship in underserved communities. Before that, Meredith served as a Senior Policy Analyst in SBA’s Office of Entrepreneurial Development and an attorney in the Office of General Counsel. 

Prior to joining SBA, Meredith was an Associate at Hunton & Williams LLP and Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal where she represented businesses in labor and employment matters as well as general commercial litigation. She also clerked for the Honorable John M. Facciola on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Meredith earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. in History and International Studies from Northwestern University.