Susan C. Reinhard, RN, PhD, FAAN is senior vice president and director of the AARP Public Policy Institute and chief strategist for both the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA) and family caregiving initiatives. CCNA, an initiative of AARP Foundation, AARP and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a national initiative to ensure America has the nurses it needs to provide care in the future.

Susan is a nationally recognized expert in health and long-term care policy, with extensive experience in conducting, directing, and translating research to promote policy change. Previously, she served as professor and co-director of Rutgers Center for State Health Policy, directing several national initiatives with states to help people with disabilities of all ages live in their communities.

As deputy commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, she led the development of policies and nationally recognized programs for family caregiving, consumer choice, and community-based care options. She is a former faculty member at the Rutgers College of Nursing and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Gerontological Society of America, and Salzburg Global. Susan is also a National Academy of Social Insurance member. She holds many governance positions, including vice chair of the Center for Health Policy Development, which includes the National Academy for State Health Policy. She holds a master’s degree in nursing from the University of Cincinnati and a PhD in sociology from Rutgers University.