National Academy of Social Insurance Elects Forty-Eight New Members

The Board of Directors of the National Academy of Social Insurance has approved the election of 48 distinguished experts to the Academy, bringing the total active membership to over 1,200. (A complete list of individuals newly elected to the Academy may be found below.) 

“We are excited to welcome our newest Members and to support their contributions to social insurance and related policy areas,” says William Arnone, the Academy’s Chief Executive Officer. “New and existing Members, encompassing a diverse range of perspectives and expertise, play a pivotal role in the Academy’s work to address critical issues in today’s challenging environment – from the impacts of COVID-19 to racism in its many dimensions.” 

The Academy advances solutions to challenges facing the nation by increasing public understanding of how social insurance contributes to economic security. This mission encompasses established social insurance programs – Social Security, Medicare, Workers’ Compensation, and Unemployment Insurance – as well as related policy areas, including Medicaid, long-term services and supports, paid leave, other social assistance programs, and private employee benefits. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome this new cohort of social insurance experts to the Academy’s membership. Together, they bring an expansive base of knowledge across topics critical to the social insurance field and will help elevate the Academy’s mission to strengthen social insurance and improve economic security in this country,” said Robert Espinoza, Chair of the Membership Committee and Vice President of Policy at PHI, a national organization focused on strengthening the direct care workforce. 

New Academy Members are nominated by current Members in recognition of their professional contributions, such as improving the quality of research, administration, or policymaking in an area of social insurance. Members make significant contributions to the Academy’s research, education, and leadership development initiatives by volunteering their time to serve on study panels, task forces, committees, and speaking at conferences and other Academy programs. For more information about membership in the Academy and a full list of active Members, please visit the Academy’s website: www.nasi.org. 

Newly elected Academy Members and their affiliations at the time of nomination: 

Staci Alexander, AARP 

Algernon Austin, Center for Economic and Policy Research 

Colleen Barry, Cornell University 

Michelle Beebe, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration 

Karen Biddle Andres, The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program 

Alexander Billioux, UnitedHealthcare 

Chad Bolt, Office of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown 

Bobbie Brinegar, Independent Consultant 

Melanie Campbell, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation 

Marci Chodroff, Magellan Health 

Joyanne Cobb, Social Security Administration 

Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, University of Minnesota School of Public Health 

Karen Fein, Bridgewater State University 

Sara Sternberg Greene, Duke Law School 

Jeremie Greer, Liberation in a Generation 

Angela Hanks, U.S. Department of Labor 

Karen Helsing, National Academy of Sciences, Health and Medicine Division 

Todd Honeycutt, Mathematica 

Freeman Hrabowski, University of Maryland Baltimore County 

Mia Ives-Rublee, Center for American Progress 

Renée Johnson, Public Private Strategies 

Jennifer Kowalski, Anthem, Inc. 

Andrew MacPherson, Heathsperien, LLC 

Amy Matsui, National Womens Law Center 

John Mendeloff, University of Pittsburgh 

Sarita Mohanty, The SCAN Foundation 

Hannah Neprash, University of Minnesota School of Public Health 

Eloise Pasachoff, Georgetown Law Center 

Siavash Radpour, The New School 

Julia Raifman, Boston University School of Public Health 

Conway Reinders, Social Security Advisory Board 

Jesse Rothstein, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment 

Jennifer Ryan, Aurrera Health Group 

Jessica Schieder, Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy 

Julia Simon-Mishel, Philadelphia Legal Assistance 

Eric Skidmore, Social Security Administration 

Ken Sokol, Financial Spreadsheets LLC 

Ruth Stein, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

Betsey Stevenson, University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy 

Michael Strain, American Enterprise Institute 

Nichole Swafford, Social Security Administration 

Emma Tatem, Social Security Advisory Board 

Christopher Towner, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget 

Diego Valero Carreras, London School of Economics 

Courtney Van Houtven, Duke University and Durham VA Health Care System 

Dorian Warren, Community Change 

Elaine Weiss, National Academy of Social Insurance 

Fred Zimmerman, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health