About Priya
Connecting systems, communities, and policy — for over 25 years.
I've spent my career in the spaces between systems — where federal policy meets tribal sovereignty, where agency mandates meet community needs, and where good programs either connect to the people they serve or quietly fail.
Most recently, I served as Acting Regional Director and Executive Officer for HHS Region 10, providing executive leadership across Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and 272 federally recognized tribes. In that role, I led stakeholder engagement strategies to advance national health priorities, built cross-sector partnerships with federal, state, tribal, and local governments, and designed frameworks for interagency collaboration and coordinated messaging.
Before that, I spent sixteen years at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. At CMS, I designed engagement strategies for Affordable Care Act implementation and Medicaid expansion. I served as the region's key liaison to tribal and Alaska Native health organizations, trained hundreds of providers and community partners on Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace programs, and directed opioid engagement efforts with national reporting protocols.
Earlier in my career at CMS headquarters, I worked within the Tribal Affairs Group alongside tribal leaders on policies affecting the Indian Health Service, tribal health programs, and urban Indian health organizations. I supported the establishment of the Tribal Technical Advisory Group and the CMS Tribal Consultation Policy, and conducted national trainings and outreach campaigns on Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP for tribal health programs.
My path to federal health policy started in Washington, D.C.'s American Indian policy community. As Director of Communications and Development at the National Council of Urban Indian Health, I supported advocacy for AI/AN healthcare in urban areas — preparing Congressional testimony, tracking legislation, and building relationships with federal agencies, advocacy organizations, and members of Congress. Before that, I managed the Native American Health Policy Fellowship at the Kaiser Family Foundation, developing emerging AI/AN leaders' understanding of federal policy-making. And I designed and launched the Native American Congressional Internship Program at the Morris K. Udall Foundation, building an enrichment program that connected interns with Cabinet Secretaries, Senators, and senior policy officials.
I started my professional life at the Smithsonian, working with curators on American Indian and Alaska Native collections to comply with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act — a grounding experience in how institutions and communities must find ways to work together.
The Intarsia Approach
In knitting, intarsia is a technique where separate colored sections interlock to form a single, cohesive fabric. Each color keeps its identity, but together they create something none could alone.
That's how I think about the work. Health policy, tribal sovereignty, federal programs, state agencies, community organizations — these aren't interchangeable parts. They have their own logic, their own constraints, their own strengths. The challenge isn't to flatten the differences. It's to find the pattern that lets them hold together.
I founded Intarsia Health Strategies because I believe the most important health policy work happens at these connection points — and because getting it right requires someone who understands the texture of each piece.
WeavePulse
I'm also co-founder of WeavePulse, a grant compliance infrastructure platform for healthcare organizations. WeavePulse helps organizations assess their grant readiness, manage portfolios, and navigate funding opportunities — particularly in tribal health and underserved communities.
The Short Version
For external bios and speaker introductions:
Priya Helweg is the founder of Intarsia Health Strategies and co-founder of WeavePulse. She is a health policy engagement strategist with more than 25 years at the intersection of healthcare, government, and community partnerships. She served as Acting Regional Director for HHS Region 10 and spent 16 years at CMS leading tribal affairs, community outreach, and ACA implementation. Her career spans federal health policy, tribal sovereignty, program design, and cross-sector coalition building.