Sheena L. Schmidt, M.P.P.

Sheena L. Schmidt, M.P.P., Senior Analyst & Strategy Team Leader, leads strategic planning and programmatic activities related to access to care, including Medicaid and other publicly funded programs, the health care workforce and rural health issues.

She has over 14 years of experience in public service at the federal, state and local levels. At the state level, Sheena recently served as the Director of Administrative Services for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, where she oversaw grants and contracts for the agency, among other key operational areas. At the local level, Sheena was the Senior Grants Program Administrator and a Grant Writer for the City of Topeka, where she developed strategic funding priorities which resulted in several million dollars for projects related to infrastructure and social services. She also worked at KHI as an Analyst from 2012-2016 and prior to that as an Analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office in Washington, D.C.

Sheena earned a master’s degree in public policy with a concentration in politics and institutions from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in history and a certification in nonprofit management from Washburn University. As a lifelong Kansan, she is invested in helping others understand how policies impact their health, in addition to research interests related to health equity. Her personal interests include listening to podcasts and making memories traveling with her family.