UGA Mentor Spotlight Christina Carrere

The UGA Mentor Program has already been a great success as so many talented alumni step forward. And with the widest base of expertise and know-how, Franklin College alumni have stepped up enthusiastically to help our students and pay forward the good fortunate that has made them effective leaders in every field.

In the Mentor spotlight this week is Christina Carrere, Senior Medicare Program Examiner in the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Christina Swoope Carrere (BS ’11) is a health policy expert whose work focuses on the Medicare program and the roughly 60 million Americans it serves. As a Senior Medicare Program Examiner serving under multiple White House Administrations in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Christina informs administration views on a broad range of complex and sensitive policy areas such as Medicare eligibility and prescription drugs. Most notably, Christina led the development of a Medicare prescription drug reform package, included in the President’s budget, that produced nearly $90 billion in savings to the Medicare trust funds, reduced drug prices, and modernized the Medicare Part D drug benefit—improving access to drugs for over 45 million Americans. Christina was also instrumental in Administration efforts to address the opioid epidemic and was recognized for her pivotal role in developing a balanced, whole-of-government policy to reduce both the supply and demand of addictive opioids.

Christina is a 2011 graduate from the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology. Initially bound for pharmacy or medical school, she discovered her true passion for public service through her involvement with the UGA Redcoat Marching Band. After marching in the alto saxophone section her freshman year, Christina was selected to serve in one of the band’s prestigious leadership roles as a Drum Major and made history as the first African American female to do so in the band’s then 107 years of existence. While an unlikely place to think about policy, it was her experience leading this organization, lauded as the “heartbeat of the Bulldog Nation”, that unveiled her desire to pursue a career in policy that would similarly allow her to positively impact millions of people at a time.

Great people doing amazing things. Thank you, Christina, and best wishes on your continued success.