KRISTIN PARADISE
York,PA
Summary
Driven, creative and compassionate leader with more than ten years of experience leading projects and developing programs that benefit diverse systems and populations. Detail-orientated government relations expert with experience in strategic planning, federal programs, healthcare, human services, creative problem solving, emergency preparedness and response. Expert in leveraging stakeholder relationships to move policy initiatives forward.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Deputy Director Continuity and Records Management
Governor's Office of Administration
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
02.2025 - Current
- Serves as the primary continuity program manager for the Office of Administration and as the primary point of contact for all state agencies.
- Ensures Continuity of Operations, Continuity of Government and Enduring Constitutional Government plans are operational.
Central Region Director
Office of the Governor, Josh Shapiro
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
02.2023 - 02.2025
- Represented the Office of the Governor at meetings, tours, round table discussions and speaking engagements across 15 counties in Central Pennsylvania.
- Designed, executed and staffed more than 80 public events.
- Served as the primary liaison for stakeholders, local, county and federal officials, chambers and nonprofits to the Governor’s Office and state agencies.
- Reviewed local projects to determine opportunities for funding and advocacy.
- Identified local engagement strategies to move policy initiatives forward.
- Leveraged relationships and exceptional interpersonal communications to ensure excellence in all external interactions.
Director Intergovernmental Affairs
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
06.2021 - 02.2023
- Responsible to manage relationships with municipal, county and federal elected officials to support agency needs.
- Increased engagement with local government shareholder groups to increase understanding of agency programs.
- Supported Hurricane Ida response efforts and recovery efforts with local communities.
- Led the private nonprofit webinar development and infrastructure support that resulted in the healthcare community successfully applying for COVID-19 Public Assistance.
Deputy Director Intergovernmental Affairs
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
07.2020 - 06.2021
- Responsible for stakeholder engagement during the COVID-19 response.
- Lead the COVID-19 Response for Emergency Assistant to Counties Team, C-REACT.
- Supporter outreach and communication with local officials and stakeholders to provide public health guidance to counties as well as coordination with the department to support community vaccination initiatives.
- Leadership liaison to county and municipal health departments.
- Facilitator for the Long Term Care Stakeholder Group.
COVID-19 Response
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
02.2020 - 07.2020
- Department of Health planner assigned to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
- Partnered with the Department of Education regarding school guidance.
- Lead the Alternate Care Site Task Force to facilitate an effective medical surge plan for the Commonwealth.
- Long Term Care Strike Team creator and Program Manager.
- Long Term Care Task Force Field Operations Lead.
Medical Countermeasures Coordinator
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
12.2017 - 07.2020
- Responsible for the management, maintenance and update of the Pennsylvania Meadical Countermeasures Plan.
- Programmatic oversight of medical countermeasure planning in 67 counties to include administration of the Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI) funding and grant requirements to 8 CRI jurisdictions.
- State lead of the multi day, multi-state, multi-agency full scale exercise Frankenthrax.
- Team lead for the Public Health Workshop for the National Governor’s Association.
- Presenter at Anti-Terrorism Advisory Board 2019 Conferences.
- Served as a 24/7 On-Call Agency Representative and ESF#8 lead during public health emergencies and Commonwealth activations.
Public Health Program Assistant Administrator
Department of Health
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
10.2016 - 12.2017
- Supported the planning and provision of medical countermeasures received from the Strategic National Stockpile.
- Responsible for the SNS CHEMPACK program.
- Served as a 24/7 On-Call Agency Representative during public health emergencies and Commonwealth activations.
Income Maintenance Caseworker
Department of Human Services
York , PA
10.2015 - 10.2016
- Analyzed public assistance applications and determined eligibility for benefits.
Medical Assistant Program Director
York Technical Institute
York, PA
07.2014 - 03.2015
- Led a department with 13 direct reports and approximately 140 students at risk of losing programmatic accreditation.
- Planned, led and facilitated a focused site visit which resulted in development of a long-term development plan rather than loss of accreditation.
- Provided operational oversight of program in accordance with set policies and regulatory guidelines in a fast-paced environment.
- Regularly evaluated instructor performance, provided feedback and coaching to improve the student experience while reducing student complaints by 85%.
- Coordinated with community stakeholders to ensure curriculum was matched to student and employer needs.
- Adjunct instructor teaching Psychology and Professional Development.
Coalition Member
Healthy York County Coalition
York, Pennsylvania
04.2014 - 03.2015
- Involved in the strategic planning to prepare York and Adams Counties for the Affordable Care Act open enrollment period as well as improving healthcare access for our community.
Quality Service Reviewer PRN
York County Children, Youth and Families
York, PA
03.2014 - 08.2014
- Conducted interviews and subsequent assessments to determine quality indicators for the Office of Children, Youth and Families’ Quality Review Process.
Motivational Interview Trainer
Wellspan Health
York, PA
02.2009 - 07.2014
- Led a 2-4 hour lecture to clinicians designed to improve communication skills with patients managing chronic conditions.
- Provided valuable insight to clinicians to normalize the patient experience while teaching clinicians communication skills.
- Certified by the Institute of Healthcare Communication to effectively facilitate course.
Social Services Specialist
Wellspan Health
York, PA
09.2007 - 05.2014
- Effectively served as an advisory resource by providing behavioral health expertise and regulatory advice needed to make efficient clinical decisions in a practice with 8,000-10,000 patients.
- Assisted in the delivery and execution of the Super Utilizer Pilot that contributed to the development of the Bridges to Health program.
- Directly coordinated care for 6 of the 12 patients involved in the pilot which resulted in an estimated $400,000 savings in utilization.
- Provided complex case management and health coaching to at risk populations; aging, chronically ill, medically complex children, patients with high utilization patterns.
- Developed and managed the Dental Shared Medical Appointment where we applied fluoride varnish to patients between the ages of 12-24 months to prevent carries and decrease operating room visits by early intervention.
- Regulatory resource for day to day operations as well as a consultant to health coaches and social workers throughout the health system.
- Facilitated the payment of dental implants by Medicare for a trauma patient.
Education
Certificate - Leadership For Senior Government Leaders
Leadership Development Program
Harrisburg University 05-2022
Certificate - Leadership
Academy For Building Leadership Excellence
Pennsylvania Department Of Health05-2020
Certificate - Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Villanova University
Villanova, PA12-2014
MHA - Health Administration
The Pennsylvania State University
Harrisburg, PA08-2014
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA12-2002
Skills
- Confident public speaker
- Excellent writer
- Descriptive statistics
- Relationship and team building
- Identifying funding streams
- Complex problem solver
- Process improvement
- Legislative advocacy
- Great at taking complex issues and making them easy to understand based on the audience
Timeline
Deputy Director Continuity and Records Management
Governor's Office of Administration
02.2025 - Current
Central Region Director
Office of the Governor, Josh Shapiro
02.2023 - 02.2025
Director Intergovernmental Affairs
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
06.2021 - 02.2023
Deputy Director Intergovernmental Affairs
Pennsylvania Department of Health
07.2020 - 06.2021
COVID-19 Response
Pennsylvania Department of Health
02.2020 - 07.2020
Medical Countermeasures Coordinator
Pennsylvania Department of Health
12.2017 - 07.2020
Public Health Program Assistant Administrator
Department of Health
10.2016 - 12.2017
Income Maintenance Caseworker
Department of Human Services
10.2015 - 10.2016
Medical Assistant Program Director
York Technical Institute
07.2014 - 03.2015
Coalition Member
Healthy York County Coalition
04.2014 - 03.2015
Quality Service Reviewer PRN
York County Children, Youth and Families
03.2014 - 08.2014
Motivational Interview Trainer
Wellspan Health
02.2009 - 07.2014
Social Services Specialist
Wellspan Health
09.2007 - 05.2014
Certificate - Leadership For Senior Government Leaders
Leadership Development Program
Certificate - Leadership
Academy For Building Leadership Excellence
Certificate - Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
Villanova University
MHA - Health Administration
The Pennsylvania State University
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
The Pennsylvania State University