Carolyn Mullen is Chief of Government Affairs & Public Relations and brings 17 years of experience as a government relations professional to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). In this capacity she leads the federal government relations, public relations, and state health policy teams. Previously, she was the director of government affairs at the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) and was responsible for developing and implementing AADR's federal policy agenda. Prior to AADR, Carolyn worked as the associate director of health reform implementation and government affairs at the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs and as the associate director of federal affairs for the March of Dimes. During her tenure at these organizations, Carolyn promoted their federal policy agenda to both Congress and the Administration focusing on appropriations, health reform, and public health policy. Carolyn is currently the president-elect for the Coalition for Health Funding Board of Directors and formerly an elected member of the Friends of the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities executive committee, and a member of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network annual conference planning committee. Carolyn also worked as a senior federal affairs representative for the MWW Group and as a healthcare policy legislative aide to former United States Senator Arlen Specter. In 2019 she was included in the de Beaumont Foundation’s inaugural “40 Under 40 in Public Health” list which recognized leaders whose creativity and innovation are strengthening communities across the country. She is a graduate of Villanova University.