Sean McCluskie
Sean McCluskie is the founder of Northstar Park Strategies, LLC, a consulting firm that provides strategic policy and political advice to leaders in the private and public sectors, focusing on health care and human services. His extensive career spans leadership roles in public service and private consulting, where he has shaped policy and guided efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare for millions of Americans.
Before founding Northstar Park Strategies, McCluskie served as chief of staff at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), overseeing the Immediate Office of the Secretary. During his tenure, he played a critical role in the department’s regulatory and policy initiatives, helping achieve historic milestones such as securing access to health insurance for a record number of Americans. He also helped negotiate the first-ever Medicare prescription drug prices, expanded access to quality behavioral, maternal, and women’s health services, and worked to make healthcare more accessible and affordable nationwide.
Earlier in his career, McCluskie served as chief deputy attorney general at the California Department of Justice, where he managed operations for the 5,000-employee agency. He led the creation of key divisions such as the Health Care Rights and Access Legal Section, the Disability Rights Bureau, and the Environmental Justice and Medicaid Fraud divisions and the expansion of the Worker's Rights section. McCluskie was involved in significant legal battles, including efforts to preserve the Affordable Care Act and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. His work also included important cases in civil rights, labor law, environmental protection, and anti-trust law.
Earlier in his career, McCluskie served as chief of staff and Health Care Counsel to Congressman Xavier Becerra and the House Democratic Caucus for 10 years, a part of his 17-year Capitol Hill career. While working in Congress, he played a lead role in the writing and passage of laws that reduced health care costs for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, expanded electronic health records to Medicaid providers, and supported the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
McCluskie earned his PhD from the University of Maryland, College Park, and his JD from George Washington University.