Mara LeFevre is a policy advisor in Akin’s lobbying & public policy practice, where she advises health care and life sciences clients on federal policy, appropriations, and regulatory matters. Leveraging her experience on Capitol Hill and her background in health policy and financial services, Mara supports clients navigating complex legislative and regulatory environments involving FDA, CMS, reimbursement policy, public health initiatives, and stakeholder engagement.

Prior to joining Akin, Mara served in several policy roles for John Hoeven, including as a legislative assistant advising on FDA, health care, life sciences, education, and nutrition policy. In that role, she led the Senator’s work on the Senate Ag FDA and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittees and worked closely with Congressional offices, executive agencies, patient advocacy organizations, and industry stakeholders on a range of health care and life sciences priorities. She also helped develop and introduced legislation related to Medicare reimbursement, FDA policy, infant formula supply chain resiliency, and public health initiatives. Additionally, she worked on issues in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act (PL 119-21), including SNAP, Medicaid, and rural health provisions. Earlier in her tenure with Senator Hoeven, Mara supported health legislation through bill research, congressional briefings, and analysis of Senate HELP and Finance Committee proceedings. She prepared vote recommendations, memoranda for state appearances, and briefings on more than 50 congressional bills, while also advising on tax, banking, and financial services matters.

Mara brings experience coordinating stakeholder engagement efforts, analyzing legislative and regulatory developments, and supporting advocacy strategies involving Congress, FDA, CMS, and the broader health care policy ecosystem. Her work includes supporting clients and policymakers on issues involving health care innovation, reimbursement, appropriations, patient access, and emerging regulatory developments affecting the life sciences sector.

Mara holds a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, where her coursework focused on healthcare business, AI development, and policy in the global economy. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration, with a minor in Political Science, from North Dakota State University. She is a Cato Institute Congressional Foreign Relations Fellow and a National Collegiate Honor Society recipient.