Senior Manager - State Government Relations and Public Affairs

About Covista Covista is America's largest healthcare educator, serving more than 97,000 students and supported by a community of 385,000 alumni across five accredited institutions. Through personalized, tech-enabled education powered by 10,000 faculty and colleagues, Covista expands access to healthcare careers and addresses the U.S. healthcare workforce shortage at scale. Covista is the parent company of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Chamberlain University, Ross University School of Medicine, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and Walden University. Our colleagues come from a wide range of backgrounds, business, academia, healthcare, government and nonprofits, and are part of a culture where doing exceptional work and making a meaningful difference for students and society aren't separate goals—they're one and the same. This means creating an environment where colleagues can develop new skills, build careers that match their ambitions and see the tangible impact of their work on healthcare education and workforce development. Colleagues who deliver results and embrace new tools to work smarter are valued for their contributions. But what makes working at Covista distinctive is our impact. Our faculty and colleagues don't just support healthcare education—they shape it. This isn't abstract purpose work. It's solving real problems for real people in real communities while advancing careers. We operate on a hybrid schedule with four in-office days per week (Monday–Thursday). This approach enhances creativity, innovation, communication, and relationship-building, fostering a dynamic and collaborative work environment. For more information, visit covista.com and follow us on LinkedIn , Instagram and YouTube . Opportunity at a Glance This role sits within Covista's Corporate Affairs team and reports to the Director, State Government Relations & Public Affairs. You'll serve as Covista's embedded government relations presence across your region: the person who understands the political terrain, owns the state and local relationships, and ensures that Covista's institutions can operate successfully in the legislative and regulatory environment around them. This is a field role. You'll be based in the Western US (CA, AZ, NV, UT) or Midwestern US (MN, IA, IL, IN ,MI, OH, MO), present in state capitols when it matters, and closely connected to the institutional leaders, healthcare system partners, contract lobbyists, and policymakers whose decisions shape our institutions' ability to grow and to serve students. You won't wait for legislation to occur to activate, because you'll be building relationships and shaping the political conditions long before that moment arrives. As part of an integrated Government Relations and Public Affairs function, you'll bring public affairs sensibility to the work as well: connecting policy engagement to the healthcare workforce story Covista is positioned to tell and ensuring that state-level success stories reach the audiences who need to hear them. Responsibilities: Regional Legislative and Regulatory Engagement Monitor and track legislative sessions, regulatory proceedings, and executive agency actions across all states in your region; ensure no significant development reaches leadership as a surprise Develop and maintain proactive relationships with state legislators, legislative staff, governors' offices, and state agencies in priority markets — building political goodwill before it is needed, not only in response to threats Identify and pursue opportunities for Covista to engage proactively in state policy conversations — through testimony, coalition participation, or direct stakeholder outreach — that advance our position as a credible healthcare workforce partner Translate state policy developments into clear, timely intelligence for the Director of State Government Relations, institutional leaders, and segment leadership making decisions about campus operations, program access, and market entry Partner with Legal and Regulatory Affairs on state licensing, authorization, and compliance matters, ensuring legislative strategy and regulatory strategy are coordinated and not running in parallel without awareness of each other Lobbyist Management and Accountability Manage Covista's contract lobbyists across your region — setting clear direction, tracking activity against Covista's stated priorities, and holding them accountable to outcomes Ensure lobbyists are active advocates, not passive monitors — driving the agenda rather than inheriting one Conduct regular performance assessments; surface timely recommendations to the Director on where coverage is working, where adjustments are needed, and where gaps exist Build and steward direct relationships with state legislators, legislative staff, governors' offices, state agencies, and healthcare system partners across your region Institutional Partnership Serve as the day-to-day GR partner for Chamberlain campus leaders in your region and support state-level matters affecting Walden University and clinical partners of other Covista institutions operating in your states Advise institutional leaders on the policy environment affecting their programs and campuses — clinical placement access, financial aid eligibility, state authorization frameworks, distance education regulation, and community positioning Support campus expansion and new market entry in your region by building the stakeholder relationships and political groundwork that growth requires Surface issues and opportunities from the field early enough for leadership to act — functioning as a genuine early warning system, not a reporter of news that has already broken State Political Contributions and Compliance Serve as the regional intelligence source for state political giving — identifying which relationships in your states warrant contribution activity and vetting recommendations against C