Academy Welcomes New Vice President of Government Relations

On October 28, Joanne Zurcher, MPP, joined the Academy staff as the vice president of government relations and policy. In this role, Joanne will direct the Academy’s government relations activities and oversee payment policy initiatives. Additionally, she will supervise staff management of the guidelines and strategic document development process and provide input.

Joanne brings to the Academy over 25 years of public policy experience. She served six years as staff to two members of Congress, worked for the Obama administration to advance the Affordable Care Act, and worked for a variety of coalitions and associations to lobby for health care and education legislative priorities. She has extensive experience in strategy development and engaging members directly through national grasstops and grassroots campaigns.

In her most recent position, Joanne worked with the Career Education Colleges and Universities to promote and protect proprietary institutions of higher education. Previously, she worked with the National Environmental Health Association to launch its first legislative program, and to support the Environmental Health Workforce Act. She also lobbied to protect graduate medical education and children’s medical education funding. She held positions in the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services, first as the acting director of legislative affairs, and then in the Maternal Child Health Division, where she led 11 states to develop their Federal Home Visiting Program. She began her work on Capitol Hill in the House of Representatives, serving Representatives Rob Andrews (D-NJ) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).

Aside from the impressive skills and experience she brings to the position, Joanne has a personal passion for helping audiologists. She has supported family members through their own hearing loss experiences and witnessed firsthand how much audiologists offer their patients. She is eager to be an advocate for audiologists.