About the Executive Secretariat

Mr. Brought joined NIH in August 2023.  He serves as the Director of the NIH Office of the Executive Secretariat, which facilitates the integration of policy and scientific information in support of the NIH Director’s and Principal Deputy Director’s day-to-day work.

Mr. Brought has over 15 years of executive secretariat experience across multiple government agencies, including at the United States Department of Agriculture, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of the General Counsel, and DHS’s Executive Secretariat as a congressional reports officer.  At DHS, Mr. Brought also served as an intelligence and operations briefer to the Secretary of Homeland Security.  Before entering federal civilian service, he worked as a contractor doing risk analysis for the Homeland Infrastructure Threat and Risk Analysis Center at DHS, following his 5 years of active duty service in the United States Marine Corps as a Korean linguist.  While on active duty, Mr. Brought served in the United States and Iraq.  He has also worked as an adjunct professor for Colorado Technical University teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in Homeland Security.

Mr. Brought earned Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Management Science from University of Maryland Global Campus (formerly University of Maryland University College).

Alissa Meister is the Deputy Director of the NIH Office of the Executive Secretariat, which facilitates the integration of policy and scientific information in support of the NIH Director’s and Principal Deputy Director’s day-to-day work.

She previously served as a Senior Health Science Policy Analyst and Special Assistant to the Acting Deputy Director in the NIH Office of Science Policy (OSP). In her role, she led strategic, high-impact scientific initiatives with broad implications across the biomedical research enterprise, including public engagement in clinical research, drug pricing, and partnerships. Alissa joined NIH as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2019, serving as a Health Specialist and Special Assistant to the Director and Deputy Director of the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). She completed a developmental rotation at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke (NINDS), where she worked on several projects related to neuroethics.

Alissa graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from Dickinson College and earned a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Pennsylvania State College of Medicine. 

Michael Broome is the Manager of Exec Sec’s Official Files & Records Management. He previously served as Director of Investigative Group International (IGI), a law and investigation firm in Washington, D.C. Before that, he served as a Senior Counsel on the staff of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), where he managed the review and vetting of all nominations before the committee and led committee investigations of ethics and tax issues. Prior to serving on HSGAC, he was a Senior Advisor to the Executive Secretary in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he supervised the records management and correspondence staff, and an Associate at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, where he vetted and reviewed the tax disclosures and personal backgrounds of prospective presidential appointees.

Dr. Broome graduated with honors from Haverford College, and holds an M.A., J.D., and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He clerked for two years for the Honorable Joseph Gale of the United States Tax Court, previously worked as a researcher and compliance officer on several political campaigns, and also taught American history at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech.

Lindsay Cramer is the Manager of Executive Portfolio Services within the NIH Executive Secretariat.  Ms. Cramer and her team of policy analysts are responsible for managing the NIH Director’s and Principal Deputy Director’s email correspondence, invitations, and meeting and briefing materials, among other executive services.

Prior to this role, she served as a policy analyst in the NIH Executive Secretariat for 5 years managing an extensive correspondence portfolio including various ICs and OD offices, coordinating NIH responses to priority clearance requests from the White House, HHS, and other federal agencies, while also extending additional support with other tasks as needed, including managing the NIH Director’s email.  Before joining the NIH Executive Secretariat, Ms. Cramer worked in the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Government and Congressional Relations for 13 years.  During her time at NCI, she served in various roles managing congressional correspondence, preparing congressional briefing materials, tracking NCI-relevant legislation, managing the office’s website content and document management system, and assisting the FOIA staff.  Prior to federal service, she worked as an accounts receivable associate at a small, family-owned printing company.

Lindsay has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources from Hood College.

Michelle Whitfield is the Manager of the Executive Correspondence Operations within the NIH Executive Secretariat. Michelle has been a valuable member of the Executive Secretariat for over 19 years and has supported the organization in various capacities. She most recently served as Acting Team Lead for the Executive Secretariat Policy Analyst team, managing and directing activities supporting the NIH Director and Principal Deputy Director’s correspondence. These duties included managing the team’s daily workflow activities, prioritizing numerous requests and actions, mentoring staff, and training new team members. While serving as Acting Team Lead, Michelle continued performing her duties as a Policy Analyst, managing her portfolio of various NIH Institutes, Centers, and OD offices, overseeing the preparation and submission of NIH reports to Congress, and coordinating intra-agency and interagency clearance requests. Prior to federal service, Michelle worked for a non-profit agency, providing in-home educational services for children with autism.

Michelle has a Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Emma Di Mantova is the Chief of the Program Integration and Business Operations Team in the NIH Executive Secretariat. Emma has been part of the NIH Exec Sec team since 2015, where she previously served as a Senior Advisor to the Director of NIH Exec Sec, working on a variety of special projects including the overhaul of the Exec Sec website and the development of the NIH Policy and Procedure Guide. Emma also served as a Policy Analyst for over six years, with a diverse portfolio of responsibilities including managing the NIH Director’s Meeting Materials, developing HHS and White House Reports, and handling actions related to Regulations, GAO and OIG Reports, Reorganizations, and Delegations of Authority. 

Prior to joining NIH, Emma served as a Policy Monitor at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Immediate Office of the Secretary, Executive Secretariat, where she handled the bi-annual Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions and worked on actions related to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). She began her federal career at the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs, working on correspondence and serving as a GAO/OIG Liaison. Prior to federal service, Emma completed a variety of internships, including for Congress, the UK Parliament, and various non-profit organizations. Emma attended American University, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a Certificate in Women, Policy, and Political Leadership, and a Master of Arts in Political Science, American Government.