National Health Law Program, Executive Director

We are pleased to announce that National Health Law Program (NHeLP) has selected Jennifer Cannistra to serve as its next Executive Director effective February 2026. Cannistra will succeed Elizabeth G. Taylor, who is retiring after more than a decade of transformative leadership.

Cannistra is widely respected as a thoughtful, collaborative, and effective leader with a strong record of improving health outcomes for people and communities. Cannistra brings deep experience in federal and local government and a long-standing commitment to health justice. She has held leadership roles in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services across two administrations, most recently serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Administration for Children and Families. She has also led teams focused on behavioral health and homelessness for the District of Columbia.

Cannistra graduated from Princeton University with a bachelor’s degree and received her J.D. from Harvard University Law School.

You may read the full press release here.

Timothy McFeeley led this search with Alycia Johnson and Henry Nickerson.