Jeremy Vandehey, J.D. — Principal
I help in complex, high-stakes situations — and get organizations to decisions that hold up.
I have done it as a state agency executive, a governor's advisor, a health plan leader, and an attorney — where strategy, regulation, politics, and operations all collide.
Steady leadership when the stakes are high, the issue is complex, and the path is not obvious.
Who I serve
I help leaders and organizations at the moments that matter most.
Jeremy Vandehey helps leaders, boards, and organizations navigate their highest-stakes, most complex challenges — as a strategic advisor, an interim executive, or a board member. He brings two decades of leadership across government and industry, at real scale, in one of the most heavily regulated arenas there is.
- A high-stakes decision, transition, or transformation
- A regulatory, political, or public-facing challenge with real consequences
- A merger, procurement, market entry, or new line of business
- A leadership gap that needs a steady, credible hand
- A board that needs someone fluent in both governance and operating reality
These challenges arise wherever complexity, regulation, and competing interests raise the stakes.
What I offer
Five ways I work with leaders and organizations.
Strategic advisor & independent expert
A thinking partner and a credible outside opinion on high-stakes, complex situations — helping seasoned leaders and non-experts alike cut through complexity to a clear view.
Policy & regulatory expertise
Policy design, analysis, and strategy; translating between policy intent and operational reality, and building the consensus to move an agenda.
Management & operational leadership
Leading complex programs, large teams, and major initiatives — and turning strategy into execution that holds up.
Interim executive leadership
Stepping in to lead through a transition, a turnaround, a major initiative, or a leadership gap — with the seniority to be trusted from day one.
Board service & speaking
Governance for organizations navigating complexity, and speaking and facilitation on leadership, policy, and turning hard problems into workable decisions.
Why me
The whole board, not one corner of it.
Most advisors bring a single vantage point — policy or operations, government or industry. My value comes from having worked complex problems from several angles at once: political, policy, operational, financial, legal, and the consumer's. I have designed the rules, delivered under them, and, as an attorney, understood the legal and regulatory terrain beneath them. That combination is what complex, regulated problems require.
Selected record
Proof, in the hardest conditions.
Closed a $1 billion budget shortfall through bipartisan legislation — generating $600M in new revenue, preserving coverage for 400,000 people, and creating a program that cut premiums 6%. High-stakes negotiation across a partisan divide, on a hard deadline.
Served as executive sponsor of the largest public procurement in state history — re-contracting services for 1.4 million people.
Led a $2 billion division and a team of 200+ as a state's chief of policy and reform.
Negotiated an expedited five-year federal agreement in eight months — a complex negotiation with a federal counterpart, against the clock.
Designed and launched two first-of-their-kind state programs, both now used as national models.
Why I do this
I am drawn to complex systems that are not working as well as they should for the people who depend on them.
And to the leaders trying to change that. Cutting through that complexity, and helping good people make better decisions inside it, is the work I care about most.
In the media
SAMPLE — to be replaced with real appearances- Expert commentary & interviews — outlet, topic, year
- Op-eds & bylines — title, publication, year
- Panels, keynotes & testimony — event or venue, role, year
Deep roots in health care
Two decades where all of this was built.
Two decades leading health care reform and health plan strategy — across government and industry — is where this experience was built. Whether you are a plan, a provider, or a policymaker trying to make sense of it all, there is a lot more to say.
Explore my health care work
About
Leadership across government, industry, and the law.
Jeremy Vandehey, J.D., is an executive and attorney based in Bend, Oregon. He has led at the highest levels of both government and industry, and began his career as an attorney, including as a public defender and in disability rights. Today he is Principal of Vandehey Strategies. He holds a J.D. with distinction from the University of North Dakota School of Law and a B.S. in Public Policy & Administration from Western Oregon University.
Get in touch
Let us talk through what you are facing.
A market shift, a policy fight, a regulatory hurdle, a leadership gap — if it is complex and the stakes are real, it is worth a conversation.