Kara Crawford

Vice President, Governmental Relations, UTHealth Houston

Kara Crawford serves as vice president of governmental relations at UTHealth Houston. In this role, Crawford is a liaison to local, state, and federal governments to advance the program and policy goals of UTHealth Houston with an emphasis on developing and maintaining successful relationships in the Texas Legislature and state agencies.

Crawford joined the Office of Governmental Relations in 2018. Along with the Governmental Relations team, she focuses on increasing awareness and support for several strategic initiatives, programs, and services at UTHealth Houston, including state and federal funding for mission-critical research and clinical operations at UT Physicians, the faculty practice of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. More recently, her efforts have focused on garnering support for the establishment and operations of programs in pandemic preparedness and health care data analytics within UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. Crawford also serves as a lead advocate and advisor for the development and coordination of a partnership program with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services which specializes in inpatient mental health care for at-risk adolescents through UTHealth Houston Harris County Psychiatric Center and the John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center at UTHealth Houston.

Prior to joining UTHealth Houston, Crawford worked for more than a decade in budget and policy advisory positions in the Texas Senate, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, and the Office of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Through these roles, she was instrumental in negotiating key elements of state health care funding and policy, including billions in funding for the Texas 1115 Medicaid Managed Care Waiver, state mental health hospital improvements, women’s health and family planning services, and other critical programs that support health care infrastructure and services for vulnerable Texans. Crawford also served as the budget advisor for the Texas Senate Finance Committee and provided evaluation and oversight of the budget appropriations process for all health-related state agencies.

Crawford holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Kansas State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Texas State University.