Welcome to the Executive Secretariat

The NIH Executive Secretariat (Exec Sec) is an organization within the Immediate Office of the Director that provides expert support to the NIH Director and Principal Deputy Director, ensuring timely, accurate, and fully integrated response and decision-making information. Exec Sec represents NIH’s perspective to HHS Operating and Staff Divisions and other government agencies, and serves as an honest broker in adjudicating differences in organizational perspectives across NIH. Exec Sec disseminates and integrates current information and uses best practices to support NIH leadership, maintaining integrity, accountability, confidentiality, transparency, and resiliency. This work is often accomplished in collaboration with a network of liaisons in NIH’s Institutes, Centers, and Offices.

Our mission is to advance the NIH Director and Principal Deputy Director’s strategic priorities through expert analysis and seamless coordination of critical information flow, communications, engagements, and records management. Exec Sec uses SAAVI, a web-based application, to manage official correspondence and clearance assignments throughout NIH, and to create official records.