About Us

About SplitOak Strategies

Sarah Kuehl Egge, Founding Partner and Principal

Sarah launched her career in the late 1990s as a Legislative Assistant and Policy Analyst to former Finance Committee member Senator Bob Kerrey (D-NE), advising him on tax, health care, Social Security, budget and appropriations matters.

For nearly a dozen years, Sarah served as the lead health care and entitlements analyst for the Democratic Staff of the Senate Budget Committee under Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND). She has extensive expertise in the budget, reconciliation and appropriations processes, and was deeply involved with the development and advancement of key legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, the Budget Control Act, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act, and the Deficit Reduction Act.

Sarah was a key advisor to Chairman Conrad during his participation with the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (aka, “Bowles-Simpson Commission”). She was selected by Co-Chairman Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) to serve as Deputy Staff Director of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (aka, the “Supercommittee”), where she helped Committee members navigate complex policy and budgetary tradeoffs of a major deficit reduction package.

Following nearly 15 years in the U.S. Senate, Sarah joined the team at Washington Council EY, where she worked with pharmaceutical and device manufacturers, large national employers, health insurers, health insurance agents and brokers, health care providers, and think tanks to shape national health policy.

Sarah received a B.A. in History and Public Affairs from the University of Denver and a Masters Degree in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.

Amy Jensen, Partner and Principal

Amy is an experienced Washington health care leader with many years of experience with the U.S. government and leading government relations organizations.

Prior to co-founding SplitOak Strategies LLC, she led health care Government Relations for several entities including Washington Council EY, GE Healthcare, the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed), and Caris Life Sciences.

For two years, Amy worked in the White House, serving as Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. At the White House, Cunniffe participated in the drafting, passage and implementation of the Medicare Part D drug benefit legislation. Earlier in her career, she worked as an Assistant to the Speaker of the House of Representatives for Policy, among other responsibilities in the House Republican leadership. In Congress, Cunniffe helped build the Medicare Advantage program, modernize the FDA and ensure passage of the Balanced Budget Act (BBA) along with two subsequent pieces of legislation to fine-tune the BBA.

Amy is passionate about changing health care from the patient perspective and is active in the pediatric cancer community.

Kristen Shatynski PhD, Vice President

Kristen Shatynski is the newest member of SplitOak Strategies. With a strong background in biomedical research and over a decade of experience on Capitol Hill, Kristen brings a unique perspective and valuable expertise to the team.

Prior to joining SplitOak Strategies, Kristen served as a Professional Staff Member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, where she oversaw the public health portfolio, including critical issues related to National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Drug Enforcement Administration, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Medicare Advantage program.

Kristen’s expertise in public health policy resulted in dozens of bipartisan bills being signed into law, including the sweeping 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act; the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act; the Bipartisan Budget Act; and the groundbreaking SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act.

Before joining the Committee in 2017, Kristen honed her skills in the personal offices of Representatives Greg Walden (OR-02) and Jackie Walorski (IN-02). Her passion for science and technology policy initially led her to the American Association for the Advancement of Science Congressional Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program, where she worked in the office of Representative Devin Nunes (CA-22).

Kristen’s academic background, which includes a Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a B.A. in Biology from La Salle University, is a testament to her strong commitment to advancing health, science, and technology policies that positively impact the lives of all Americans.