Selected by NJBIZ as one of the “50 Most Powerful People in Health Care in New Jersey” for the sixth time, and included on NJ Spotlight‘s list of “Top 10 Healthcare Lobbyists in New Jersey,” Ms. Stearns most recently served as Vice President of Health & Legal Affairs for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. In her role at Gibbons, she provides strategic counsel to an array of clients on regulatory and legislative issues, with a focus on healthcare matters. She also serves on the board of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, a nonprofit foundation working to ensure quality, accountability, and cost containment in New Jersey, and on the board of Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice south Jersey’s oldest and largest hospice.
Ms. Stearns is an attorney with a wide range of political and legislative experience who began her career with Princeton Public Affairs, where she worked with a wide range of clients to develop and implement legislative and regulatory strategies. In 2005, she co-chaired the Governor of New Jersey’s Health Care and Senior Service Policy Group, which advised the Governor during the gubernatorial transition.
Credentials
Education
Rutgers School of Law - Camden (J.D.)
Rutgers University - Eagleton Institute of Politics (M.S.)
Rutgers University - Douglass Residential College (B.A.)
- Recipient, Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award for Public Leadership
Professional Admissions
State of New Jersey
Professional Activities
New Jersey State Bar Association
Insurance Benefits Committee
Bipartisan Coalition for Women’s Appointments
Advisory Committee Member
Caldwell University Healthcare Administration Program
Advisory Board Member
Community Health Law Project
Board Member
National Quality Forum’s Cardiovascular Expert
Steering Committee, 2014 – 2016
Samaritan Healthcare & Hospice
Member, 2013 – present
NJ Health Care Quality Institute
Board, 2011 – present
Gibbons Government & Regulatory Affairs Alert blog (www.governmentaffairsalert.com)
Editorial Board
National Quality Forum’s Pulmonary and Critical Care
Steering Committee, 2012
Horizon Healthcare Innovations
External Advisory Panel, 2011 – 2012
National Quality Forum’s Cardiovascular
Steering Committee, 2011 – 2012
Mercer County Improvement Authority
Assistant Treasurer, 2008 – 2015
Health Care Payers Coalition
Board Member, 2005-2007
Co-Chair, 2007 – 2013
Health Care Administration Board
Member, 2006 – 2015
N.J. Individual Health Coverage Program Board
Member, 2005 – 2015
NJ Society for Economic & Environmental Development (SEED)
Trustee, 2005 – 2015
Small Employer Health Coverage Program Board
Member, 2004 – 2015
Commerce & Industry Association of New Jersey (CIANJ)
Healthcare Roundtable Steering Committee, 2015 –
Eagleton Institute of Politics Alumni
Steering Committee, 2006 – 2011
PAM’s List
Board of Directors, 1997 – present
Chair, 2002 – 2011
Disease Management Study Commission
Member, 2008 – 2010
Governor’s Council on Mental Health Stigma
Member, 2005 – 2010
Health Care Access Study Commission
Member, 2007 – 2008
Governor’s Rationalizing Healthcare
Subcommittee on Reimbursement, 2007
Governor-elect Corzine Health Care Advisory Group
Co-Chair, 2006
New Jersey Bipartisan Coalition for Women’s Appointments
Convener, 2006
Governor-elect McGreevy’s Agriculture Transition Team
Member, 2002
Women’s Political Caucus of NJ
Board Member, 1998 – 2006