Yvette Fontenot

Yvette Fontenot has nearly 25 years of Federal health care experience and has held senior positions on Capitol Hill as well as in the White House and at HHS.  She is an expert on the Federal legislative and regulatory process and has longstanding relationships with lawmakers, regulators and thought-leaders.  She is currently a Partner at Avenue Solutions where she develops and implements targeted and comprehensive policy and communications strategies on behalf of a range of health care clients.  

Prior to joining Avenue Solutions, Yvette was a Senior Advisor in the White House where she was responsible for coordinating the Administration’s health care reform work and briefing and advising senior White House officials as well as Members of Congress.  Yvette was the Deputy Director of the Office of Health Reform at the Department of Health and Human Services where she developed policy and coordinated and cleared all matters related to the Affordable Care Act and provided outreach to Congress and other stakeholders with interests in health care reform.

Prior to her work in the Administration, Yvette served as Professional Staff with the Senate Finance Committee where she was a principle author of the Affordable Care Act and advised Chairman Baucus and Committee members on health insurance reform legislation before the Committee and Congress.

Yvette has also served as Professional Staff for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives; as Senior Legislative Advisor for Senator John D. Rockefeller; and as a program analyst for the Office of Management and Budget.  In these capacities, Yvette developed, analyzed, and estimated the budgetary and programmatic impacts of and pursued legislation affecting Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program with a focus on physician, prescription drug and hospital reimbursement. 

Yvette currently sits on the Board of Experts of Axios News and the NYU Wagner Graduate School Health Advisory Board.

Yvette received her Master’s degree from the University of Chicago and her Bachelor’s degree from Duke University.