For more than 25 years, the Academy has provided opportunities for young people to enter the field of social insurance. As the primary organization of social insurance professionals, we connect today’s leaders with those who will take the reins in coming years. The Academy is the only organization to:
- Recruit talented students and young professionals and match them with internship placements where they begin to make substantive contributions at organizations working to strengthen social insurance programs such as the
- Bring students from across the country to Washington, DC each summer to work with members of the Academy – the nation’s top experts in social insurance;
- Develop a summer seminar series on social insurance with Academy members as guest lecturers on salient issues; and
- Recognize young scholars for their research and writings on social insurance with the John Heinz Dissertation Award and formerly the Law Student Writing Award for an Outstanding Paper on Social Insurance.
There are now over 400 Associate members – young and mid-career professionals who successfully completed one of the Academy’s leadership development programs. Past interns and Heinz Dissertation Award winners are now making significant contributions to social insurance policy research, advocacy, and implementation. In the years to come, more of our Associates will grow to become decision-makers and influential thought leaders across the United States.
In 2014 the Academy created the Robert M. Ball Fund for Leadership Development on the 100th anniversary of his birth to honor the Academy Founder’s legacy, particularly in the area of developing future generations of leaders in social insurance. Many of them are leaders today, or have begun that career track. A gift to this Fund will support the Academy’s growing efforts to reach and train the next generation of leaders in social insurance.
