District of Columbia Department of Health Care Finance
Melanie Williamson, Chief Operating Officer & Chief of Staff
As the Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF), Melanie Williamson serves as a key member of the Director’s Executive Team and provides strategic leadership across all administrative and operational functions of the agency. She oversees the full scope of DHCF’s administrative operations, ensuring that the agency’s internal systems, processes, and resources effectively support its mission and programmatic priorities. In this capacity, Melanie leads the development and implementation of policies and strategies that strengthen operational performance, improve service delivery, and promote organizational excellence.
Melanie is responsible for ensuring timely and compliant execution of procurement activities, including contract development, vendor management, and oversight of contract monitoring functions. She provides executive leadership on procurement policy, contract compliance, and business process improvements that safeguard the agency’s financial and operational integrity.
Her COO responsibilities further include ongoing review and assessment of the agency’s budget to ensure alignment with operational needs and strategic priorities; oversight of information technology activities beyond the DC Access System; implementation of agency-wide risk management strategies; leadership of administrative support and property management functions; and stewardship of strategic planning and performance management processes that drive continuous improvement across the agency.
In addition to her COO duties, Melanie serves as Chief of Staff, where she holds primary responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Executive Office and comprehensive oversight of Executive Management Team activities. As the Director’s principal advisor on agency operations and strategic direction, she exercises broad decision-making authority on internal matters, intervening when necessary to ensure coordinated leadership and consistent policy implementation across all DHCF functions.
Melanie represents the Director in internal meetings, external stakeholder engagements, and inter-departmental committees, where she is fully empowered to speak on behalf of the Director and commit the agency to courses of action aligned with established priorities. She manages workflow and activity around the Director’s office, including development of the Director’s strategic schedule, approval of speaking engagements, preparation of briefing materials, and identification of appropriate staff support for high‑level meetings.
As the central coordinator for all policy and legislative matters, Melanie ensures that DHCF’s responses to the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and other District stakeholders reflect consistent messaging, sound analysis, and alignment with District-wide priorities. Her role requires deep collaboration with Executive Management Team members and leaders of the agency’s eight Administrations to negotiate, coordinate, and implement operational and policy changes that strengthen agency performance.
Across both roles, Melanie’s leadership is defined by her ability to integrate strategy, operations, and policy; foster cross-agency collaboration; and ensure that DHCF’s administrative and programmatic functions operate in full alignment with the Director’s vision and the agency’s mission.