Staff Bio
Kevin Griffis is the Director of the Office of Communications (OC) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Role at CDC
In this position, Griffis leads and directs comprehensive communication outreach and delivery of CDC’s health information and mission priorities along with managing risk communication and reputational issues for the agency. He serves as the principal public affairs leader and communication liaison for CDC, and coordinates agency-wide communication efforts by overseeing communication strategies and practices directed toward the public; news media; public health partners; governmental, national, and international organizations; and CDC staff.
Previous experience
Griffis served as Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell. There, he led a diversified public affairs team and spearheaded communication activities for a wide range of issues, including the department's response to the 2014 Ebola virus outbreak and the Zika virus outbreak. He was also instrumental in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and the rollout of the tobacco deeming rule.
Following his time at HHS, Griffis joined Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 2017 as vice president of Communications, where he led a large, interdisciplinary team at the forefront of reproductive health care delivery and advocacy for women's rights.
Most recently, Griffis worked for Centene Corporation, a multinational health care company that covers roughly one out of every 15 Americans and is ranked 26th on the Fortune 500 list. At Centene, he was vice president for Strategic Communications, working on messaging initiatives with the company's health plans in 30 states across the country.
Griffis first joined the Obama administration in March 2009 as director of public affairs for the U.S. Department of Commerce. There, he served through the BP/Deepwater Horizon oil spill and major policy initiatives, including the Recovery Act and the National Export Initiative. Prior to joining HHS, Griffis worked as communications director for U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), and as communications director and senior advisor for Senator Booker's successful 2013 special election.
Griffis spent the first six years of his career covering government and politics as a reporter for newspapers in Maryland and Atlanta, GA. In Atlanta, he covered City Hall and the Georgia legislature for Creative Loafing newspaper from 2000-2004.