Karen Shields is the Deputy Director for the Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services (CMCS) within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Karen has held several leadership positions in the public sector, as well as at HHS. She previously served as the Deputy Director at Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) and as the Director for Marketplace Operations. During her time at CCIIO she led multiple Open Enrollment periods and oversaw the team responsible for the implementation, design and launch of systems for the disbursement of over $23 billion in federal payments to health insurance plans.
Before joining CCIIO Karen worked in the Office of Information and Technology (OIT) and led the Division of Customer Liaison and Support Services. She joined CMS in 2009 leading multiple laptop refreshes and the agency’s Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-12 technology implementation.

Prior to joining CMS, Karen worked at Lockheed Martin for nine years, where she led multiple technology projects with the Departments of Defense, Treasury and other government agencies.