Brenda Blunt
When you are met with a challenge or obstacle in life, it’s easy to run in the other direction and make excuses to not continue. However, that’s not a mindset that Brenda Blunt, senior director of Health Policy at ORAU, takes with her.
Whether at work or one of her many extracurricular activities, Blunt looks at every challenge as an opportunity to learn something.
“Even in your most challenging situations, there's always something to learn, so whether you're faced with challenging people or just a challenging situation that you can't wait to get rid of, there's always something to learn,” said Blunt. “I found that if you start looking for what you can learn or take away from the situation, it makes it easier to get through.”
Blunt has learned this lesson both during her two plus years with ORAU and during the other stops along her career path. Before coming to ORAU, Blunt was executive director for health at Customer Value Partners, a government contractor based in Fairfax, Va., where she provided subject matter expertise to project teams working with a wide range of federal agencies related to health care quality, federal health care policy, and clinical workplaces.
She has also served as a division director for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where she was tasked with leading and directing staff involved in the monitoring and research evaluation of section 1115 Medicaid demonstration projects, and the startup, development and creation of a new workgroup within CMS dedicated to section 1115 Medicaid demonstration projects.
In her current position with ORAU, Blunt’s responsibilities include work with CMS and ORAU-Directed Research and Development Projects. While each new challenge and opportunity has led Blunt to where she is today, she points back to her time as a nurse as a major contributor to her career.
“Being a nurse and being in health care, my goal is always looking for those roles that have a purpose and really have an impact on people,” said Blunt. “That was one of the contributing factors in choosing ORAU, along with the opportunity to work for a great company surrounded by amazing people. I really appreciate that ORAU is a nonprofit, and I love the mission, but I also love the people. I love how they are committed and passionate about their work, as well as about each other.”
When Blunt isn’t at work, you can find her outdoors. She lives on a 147-acre farm and enjoys getting outside with her livestock and dogs. As of now, her farm includes four dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, and a couple of goats. Blunt plans to expand even further with the addition of pigs and cows. Besides tending the farm, she also enjoys trying out new recipes in the kitchen.
“I love to cook, and I make a lot of things from scratch,” said Blunt. “I have been learning bread making, and I also enjoy making my own cheeses and jarring and canning foods.”
As Blunt pursues her career at ORAU and continues to grow her farm, one thing is certain: she won’t back away from any challenges or obstacles that come her way. After all, challenges are what make life exciting, and it’s the best way to grow to where you want to be.