10 UnitedHealth Group government affairs leaders
Senior vice president and head of federal affairs, vice president of government affairs and director of state government affairs are among the current titles held by these ten UnitedHealth Group government affairs leaders. A reader can learn how government affairs leaders work at UnitedHealth Group from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Anthony D. Price
LinkedInExperience: Director, Federal Government Affairs · UnitedHealth Group
Anthony D. Price has been Director, Federal Government Affairs at UnitedHealth Group since October 2024. Anthony D. Price was Sr. Government Relations Manager at Whirlpool Corporation (2023–2024), held Dell Technologies roles as Sr. Advisor, Corporate Sustainability & Customer Engagement (2023) and ESG Advisor - Global Impact & Engagement (2022–2023), and worked at Universal Service Administrative Co. (2020–2021).
Armstrong Robinson
LinkedInExperience: Senior Vice President, Head of Federal Affairs · UnitedHealth Group
Armstrong Robinson has been Senior Vice President, Head of Federal Affairs at UnitedHealth Group since March 2026, and also held the title Vice President External Affairs there from 2024 to 2026. Armstrong Robinson was Chief Advocacy Officer (2020–2024) and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs (2020) at Finseca, and has been a Board Member of the Congressional Management Foundation since January 2026.
Ellen Locke
LinkedInExperience: Former Director, UHG PAC & Political Giving · UnitedHealth Group
Ellen Locke was Director, UHG PAC & Political Giving at UnitedHealth Group from 2023 to 2026, and was a Board Member of the National Association of Business Political Action Committees (2023–2026). Ellen Locke was Director, U.S. Government Relations at MetLife (2022–2023) and Co-Chair of Financial Services PAC Pals (2019–2023).
Faviola Ochoa
LinkedInExperience: Director of State Government Affairs · UnitedHealth Group
Faviola Ochoa has been Director of State Government Affairs at UnitedHealth Group since January 2025, based in the Los Angeles area. Faviola Ochoa was West Region Manager, Strategic Partnerships (Government Relations) at Verra Mobility (2024–2025), Director of Government Affairs (West Region) at Liberty (2022–2024) and Public Affairs Manager at SoCalGas (2014–2022).
Karla Ashenhurst
LinkedInExperience: Vice President of External Affairs · UnitedHealth Group
Karla Ashenhurst has been Vice President of External Affairs at UnitedHealth Group since July 2018. Karla Ashenhurst was Vice President of Mission Integration (Chief Mission Integration Officer) at Ascension (2016–2018), and held Ministry Health Care roles as Vice President of Mission Integration (2014–2016), System Director, Advocacy & Public Policy (2013–2014) and System Director, Government Affairs and Strategic Planning-Communications (2010–2013).
Kayla Petersen
LinkedInExperience: Director, Government Affairs (Chief of Staff) · UnitedHealth Group
Kayla Petersen has been Director, Government Affairs (Chief of Staff) at UnitedHealth Group since November 2025. Kayla Petersen held Optum Rx roles as Associate Director, Communications (2025) and Communications Manager (2023–2025), and was a Communications Manager at Maple Leaf Foods Inc (2020–2023).
Matthew Keppler
LinkedInExperience: Director, Health Policy, Government Affairs · UnitedHealth Group
Matthew Keppler has been Director, Health Policy, Government Affairs at UnitedHealth Group since December 2023, and was Associate Director, Health Policy, Government Affairs there in 2023. Matthew Keppler was Senior Manager, State Health Policy, Central Region at Change Healthcare (2021–2023), and held March of Dimes roles as Director, US State Government Affairs, National Office (2020–2021) and Regional Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs (2018–2020).
Nate Spade
LinkedInExperience: Regional Vice President, External Affairs · UnitedHealth Group
Nate Spade has been Regional Vice President, External Affairs at UnitedHealth Group since May 2024, and was Vice President, External Affairs there from 2017 to 2024. Nate Spade was Deputy Secretary of Legislative Affairs in the Office of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf (2015–2017) and Executive Director of the Transportation Committee at the Pennsylvania State Senate (2010–2015).
Nikki Blake
LinkedInExperience: Director, Commercial Health Policy · UnitedHealth Group
Nikki Blake has been Director, Commercial Health Policy at UnitedHealth Group since February 2026, and the profile places the role within UHG Government Affairs. Nikki Blake was a Senior Public Policy Analyst at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (2021–2026), a Senior Analyst at LMI (2019–2021) and an Administrative Resident at Highmark (2018–2019).
Choose the right perspective
Pick a person whose own title covers the same ground as your question, such as federal affairs, a state or region, or health policy. Then use the dates to favor someone whose time in the role overlaps the period you care about.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did a typical week look like in your government affairs role, and which work took the most time?
- 02How did you work with business, policy and legal colleagues when a policy issue affected the company?
- 03Which earlier roles prepared you best for government affairs at UnitedHealth Group, and what did you have to learn there?
Reaching UnitedHealth Group government affairs leaders
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About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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