Suzanne Gore, JD, MSW
Principal
State Health Partners
After nearly 15 years working in and around government, Suzanne formed State Health Partners in 2018 with a passion to improve health, especially for underserved individuals. At State Health Partners, Suzanne helps organizations navigate the complexities of state health programs with a specific focus on Medicaid long-term services and supports, behavioral health and managed care.
Prior to forming State Health Partners, Suzanne served as deputy secretary of Health and Human Resources and senior advisor on Health Care for Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and as special assistant of HHR for Governor Mark Warner, where she had an instrumental role in shaping and administering state health policies across agencies in Virginia. In her most recent position as deputy director of the Virginia Medicaid program, she oversaw the policy, legislation, appeals, innovation and regulatory divisions of the agency.
Suzanne has extensive practical experience with Medicaid procurement, policy, managed care, long-term services and supports, waivers, program development and implementation and knows the challenges states face on a daily basis. She developed, drafted, reviewed, scored and served on the final selection committee for a number of successful state procurements including Virginia’s Medicaid managed procurements - Commonwealth Coordinated Care and Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus programs (the largest procurement in Virginia’s history). She has drafted successful grant applications for funders ranging from the federal government to philanthropic organizations.
In between state government stints, Suzanne worked in the non-profit sector where she spearheaded the Center for Health Care Strategies’ efforts to help states integrate Medicare and Medicaid and develop managed long-term services and supports programs. In that role, she developed a broad network of professional relationships with federal regulators, health care providers, insurers, citizen stakeholder groups and industry consultants. Her academic background includes business, law and social work as she earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree from the University of Virginia, a Juris Doctor from George Mason University School of Law and a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.
