Traci L. Vitek

Traci L. Vitek, Senior Vice President at ML Strategies in Washington, DC, advises clients on federal health care policy, legislative strategy, and executive branch engagement. She leverages a deep understanding of federal decision-making, developed through more than two decades across Congress, federal agencies, and the private sector, to help clients navigate regulatory environments, build bipartisan relationships, and advance their health care priorities. 

Traci has helped clients navigate complex issues involving the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Resources Administration (SAMHSA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Before joining ML Strategies, Traci spent nearly a decade in senior roles at HHS and five years in private-sector health policy consulting. She most recently served as director of federal health policy at a national consulting firm, providing strategic counsel on legislative and regulatory matters and advising clients on federal procurement strategy across the public, commercial, and state and local health sectors. At HHS, she served as deputy assistant secretary in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, overseeing legislative portfolios for multiple agencies and shaping policy on telemedicine, health information technology, and cybersecurity, and as senior counselor, managing congressional relations on drug pricing and public health programs. During her time at HHS, she contributed to the development and passage of the 21st Century Cures Act and the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA Act).

Earlier in her career, Traci counseled health care clients at national law firms on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and FDA policy and worked with medical societies to advance their legislative priorities before Congress. She holds a JD, with a concentration in health law, from Michigan State University College of Law and a BA from Indiana University.

• Michigan State University College of Law (JD, health law)
• Indiana University, Bloomington (BA)

• HHS OIG Exceptional Achievement Award, US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (2012 – 2017)