Elisabeth Wright Burak

Elisabeth Wright Burak is a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) with more than two decades of experience in federal and state policies to support low-income children and families. She currently leads CCF projects on Medicaid’s role in supporting early childhood development (prenatal to age 6) and maternal health. Since joining CCF in 2011, Elisabeth has worked on a range of health coverage issues, such as state Medicaid expansion and the 2015 CHIP extension in Congress. She previously served as Director of Health Policy and Legislative Affairs with Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families, where she led successful efforts to expand access to ARKids First (Medicaid and CHIP for Arkansas children) and aided other victories for families at the state capitol, including tax relief for low-income Arkansans and increased access to health and education programs. Elisabeth first returned to her home state in 2006 to direct the Arkansas Department of Human Services Office of Policy and Planning, where she guided cross-system initiatives such as children’s behavioral health reform. She began her career in early care and education policies at the National Governors Association and The Finance Project in Washington, D.C. Elisabeth holds Master of Public Policy and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts in social psychology from Smith College.