BRAD TRAVERSE SENIOR ADVISOR

The following information was released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA):

Brad Traverse has more than 40 years of public affairs and policy experience in the healthcare arena. Most recently, he served as Communications Director in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, a role he also held during the first Trump Administration.

Over the course of his career, Brad has worked in the U.S. Senate, led two healthcare trade associations as Executive Director, and opened and managed the Washington, D.C., office of a health insurance company. He is also an entrepreneur who founded a web-based job board focused on policy and public relations careers.

During his tenure at HHS, Brad provided Department-level public affairs oversight for SAMHSA and four other HHS operating divisions. He also served as managing editor of the HHS employee newsletter, reaching approximately 72,000 employees, and as lead policy advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs.

Earlier in his career, Brad served as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senators Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS) and Barry Goldwater (R-AZ), managing portfolios that included health, education, appropriations, and housing and serving as a key liaison to the Senate health committee. He began his career as an English teacher at Peoria High School in Arizona.