Tom Leary is senior vice president, government relations at HIMSS. In this role, Leary leads the organization’s digital health policy development work and strategic engagements with government and membership. He guides a team that provides legislative and regulatory analysis and practical guidance on health information and technology policy development. Through policy analysis and outreach to establish support, he leads priority engagements and strategies to achieve the HIMSS vision: to realize the full health potential of every human, everywhere.

Leary also serves as the executive director of the HIMSS Foundation. As the philanthropic arm of HIMSS, the foundation enriches public discourse on public policy and helps advance clinician informatics and data science education through granting academic scholarships and other opportunities. The foundation fosters partnerships to advance access and inclusion in the healthcare community.

Leary’s tenure at HIMSS began in 2003 as director of federal affairs, working with a small team of HIMSS staff to launch the government relations team. Later he was promoted to senior director, federal affairs—leading the team’s engagement with U.S. federal government on policy topics spanning everything from meaningful use to EHR modernization at the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs (DoD). ​

Leary earned his master’s degree in legislative affairs from The George Washington University. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Rutgers University, He is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) through the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and has completed the Georgetown University Executive Leadership Certificate program.​

Tom is a proud member of the Leary Bunch from Wanaque, NJ. He lives in Falls Church, VA with his awesome educator wife, Day, and teenage sons, Jackson Thomas and Marcus Paul, who are his current and future heroes!