Full Name
Celeste Saunders
Job Title
Acting Division Director
Company
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Speaker Bio
"Celeste serves as the Acting Division Director for the Division of Nursing Homes (DNH) in the Quality, Safety, and Oversight Group at CMS. In this role, Celeste is responsible for overseeing programs that improve and protect the health and safety of residents in our nation’s nursing homes. These programs include the survey process for ensuring compliance with federal requirements and policies for imposing enforcement actions to remediate and deter noncompliance. Before joining DNH, Celeste served as a Nurse Consultant and subject matter expert providing a clinical perspective and supporting policy decisions for the End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program (ESRD QIP) program. Celeste subsequently served as the Program and Policy Lead for the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program. She developed policies to set up the program and managed all aspects of the program.

Celeste received her Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and Minor in Spanish from the University of Delaware and a Master’s of International Management specializing in Emergency Management from the University of Maryland University College. When she is not at work, she enjoys family time with her husband, 2-year-old daughter, and 5-year-old son, who all keep her very busy! She is also a plant mom and enjoys hiking!
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