Jean D. Moody-Williams, RN, MPP, is the current Deputy Center Director for the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS). She has served under multiple administrations in the Senior Executive Service (SES) Corp. She currently is a part of a leadership team responsible for one of CMS’ Centers that has nearly 800 employees and a $3 billion annual budget. She is responsible for leading quality improvement, value-based purchasing, delivery system reform, and kidney health activities. She is also responsible for the execution of inspections for thousands of the nation’s healthcare providers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements for over 90 million people. She works to ensure better healthcare, healthier populations, and smarter spending of healthcare dollars. More recently, she served on the CCSQ Coronavirus Integrated Project Team, in response to the pandemic, to prevent and mitigate the transmission of COVID-19 for more than 18 different healthcare settings.
Prior to joining CMS, Ms. Moody-Williams served as an executive at a number of state and private entities working to improve care for patients and families including, the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC), the National Resource Center for Health Policy and Strategies, Quality Improvement Organizations, and a health care system in Dallas. She is a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing working to prepare the next generation of leaders in healthcare transformation.
Jean has devoted her entire professional career to improving the care provided to patients and supporting families, leading many of the patient and family engagement efforts at CMS in order to bring the voice of the patient to the forefront of policy and program decisions. She is the author of a textbook for healthcare providers entitled, A Journey towards Patient-Centered Healthcare Quality Patients, Families and Caregivers, Voices of Transformation. She is also the author of the book entitled, Transitions, Trust and Triumph: A Daily Devotion for Caregivers, which provides inspiration, encouragement and resources for those caring for a loved one or that recently lost a loved ones.
She is a recipient of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal awarded by the Partnership for Public Service and was recognized as the Federal Employee of the Year. Ms. Moody-Williams is also the recipient of the 2016 President of the United States Meritorious Rank Award and the 2018 President of the United States Distinguished Service Rank Award. The Presidential awards are one of the highest given to Senior Executives that have demonstrated unparalleled leadership skills and a strong dedication to achieving tangible results. She is also the recipient of the 2020 CMS Executive of the Year awarded by the CMS Administrator for leadership and the 2023 Secretary of Health and Human Services Commendation for Outstanding Service during the public health emergency.
She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hampton University and a Master of Public Policy and Management from the University of Maryland, College Park.
