Stewart Simonson
Vice President for Global Public Health Preparedness

Stewart Simonson joined Constella Group in 2006 as Vice President for Global Public Health Preparedness. In this role, Simonson leads Constella’s preparedness programs and launches initiatives to broaden the company’s extensive preparedness expertise and its support of both public and private sector constituents. He is also actively involved in public health preparedness outreach through speaking engagements, white papers, and various other media.

Prior to joining Constella, Simonson spent nearly five years with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where he served in a variety of senior advisory roles, most recently as Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness.

As Assistant Secretary, Simonson worked at the highest levels in government, reporting directly to the Secretary of HHS, Mike Leavitt, and former Secretary Tommy Thompson, who now heads Constella’s advisory board. Simonson was the secretary’s principal advisor on bioterrorism and other public health emergency matters, during which time he coordinated public health preparedness activities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health, including implementing the $5.6 billion Project BioShield Act of 2004. Simonson also represented HHS in negotiations with foreign governments and international agencies on public health preparedness matters, and was instrumental in preparedness planning for Pandemic Avian Influenza.

An attorney by training, Simonson has been a dedicated public servant for nearly 18 years, serving in various leadership roles at both the federal and state levels, including HHS, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation and the office of the governor of Wisconsin. He is well-versed in both domestic and global public health preparedness issues, and he is also experienced in business, having begun his career working on Wall Street.

Simonson has received several awards recognizing his contributions to public health, including The Surgeon General’s Medallion and the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research’s Public Health Achievement Award. He holds juris doctor and bachelor of arts degrees from the University of Wisconsin.