Jennifer Alton

Jenn Alton is President of Pathway Policy Group, a public policy, strategic advisory and advocacy consulting firm. She is a recognized leader in policy design and public health advocacy, bringing more than two decades of experience across senior corporate and federal government roles. Jenn advises senior leaders in the private, non-profit and public sectors on external affairs strategies and organizational structure, including government relations, coalition building, and strategic communications. She also serves as a member of the CSIS Bipartisan Alliance for Global Health Security. Jenn previously served on Capitol Hill as Public Health Policy Director on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for Senator Richard Burr. She led the development and negotiation of major public health legislation, including the bipartisan Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, which strengthened the nation’s health security posture and created two cornerstone offices at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). In the biotechnology sector, Jenn led the establishment of the U.S. government affairs office for a multinational company developing vaccines for infectious diseases and cancer immunotherapies. As Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs, she oversaw federal policy strategy, political advocacy, public affairs, alliance development, and trade association engagement for eight years. Her federal government experience also includes serving at HHS as a senior advisor to the former Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. As a Presidential Management Fellow at HHS, she focused on budget formulation and legislative affairs, earning the Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service. Jenn earned her Master of Public Policy degree from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.