The Board of Directors of the National Academy of Social Insurance has approved the election of 56 distinguished experts as Academy Members, bringing the total active membership to over 1,100. (A complete list of individuals newly elected to the Academy may be found below.)
“It is my privilege to welcome this newest cohort to the Academy. They bring an inspiring range of perspectives to our work,” said William Arnone, the Academy’s Chief Executive Officer. “It is essential to include various types of expertise and disciplines when it comes to the complex challenges we face – from the impacts of COVID-19 to systemic racism in our society and economy. We are excited to engage our newest Members in the Academy’s initiatives and to support their diverse contributions to social insurance policy.”
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 – Workers’ Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, Medicare – as well as related policy areas, including Universal Family Care, health security, other social protection programs, and private employee benefits.
“This newest cohort represents excellence in program administration, policymaking, research, education, and advocacy. As with past years, the individuals elected have distinguished themselves across a wide array of areas, from contributions to longstanding programs – Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation – to addressing emerging risks and unmet needs,” said Shaun O’Brien, Chair of the Membership Committee.
“The Academy welcomes our newest Members with a renewed focus on the vital role of social insurance in the lives of America’s families, and in an inclusive, democratic society,” said Academy Board Chair William Rodgers III. “The insights they will bring to the Academy’s work could not come at a better time.”
New Academy Members are nominated by current Members in recognition of their professional contributions in one or more areas of social insurance. Members make significant contributions to the Academy’s research, education, and leadership development initiatives by volunteering their time on study panels, task forces, and committees, at conferences and on webinars, and in 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:
Olugbenga Ajilore, Center for American Progress
Mir Ali, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Riaz Ali, Saeidan, Inc.
Jessica Bartholow, California State Legislature
Linda Benesch, Social Security Works
Yonatan Ben-Shalom, Mathematica
Deborah Berkowitz, National Employment Law Project
Raphael Bostic, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Alexandra Bradley, HIPS
Niall Brennan, Health Care Cost Institute
Caroline Bruckner, Kogod Tax Policy Center, American University
Kevin Cahill, Center for Retirement Research, Boston College
Debbie Chang, Blue Shield of California Foundation
Anqi Chen, Center for Retirement Research, Boston College
Rita Choula, AARP Public Policy Institute
Lisa Cook, Department of Economics, Michigan State University
Damir Cosic, Urban Institute
William Darity, Jr., Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University
Miranda Dietz, University of California – Berkeley Labor Center
Rebecca Dixon, National Employment Law Project
Melanie Egorin, U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means
Vicki Fung, Harvard Medical School
Colleen Grogan, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago
Jean Hall, Life Span Institute, University of Kansas
Darrick Hamilton, The New School
Mary Hamman, University of Wisconsin, La Crosse
Samuel Hammond, Niskanen Center
June Hopkins, Georgia Southern University
Nan Hunter, Georgetown Law
Camara Jones, Morehouse School of Medicine
Damon Jones, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
Janelle Jones, Groundwork Collaborative
Robert Leflar, School of Law, University of Arkansas
Jaia Lent, Generations United
Michael LePore, LiveWell Institute, Brown University
Laurel Lucia, University of California – Berkeley Labor Center
C. Nicole Mason, Institute for Women’s Policy Research
Samantha Morales, New Mexico Aging & Long-Term Services
Denise Murray, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Caroline Pearson, NORC at the University of Chicago
Ninez Ponce, UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Leigh Purvis, AARP Public Policy Institute
Lynette Rawlings, The Policy Academies
Mary Romero, Arizona State University
Ruth Schau, TIAA
Ian Shapiro, Yale University
David Super, Georgetown Law
Christina Swoope Carrere, White House Office of Management & Budget
John Tambornino, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy
Sherece West-Scantlebury, Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation
Kelly Whitener, Center for Children & Families, Georgetown University
Jasmine Wigfall, Social Security Works
Taryn Williams, Center for American Progress
Patrice Willoughby, Signal Group
Claire Winiarek, Pharmaceutical Care Management Association
Abigail Zapote, Latinos for a Secure Retirement
Since the National Academy of Social Insurance was founded in 1986, it has provided rigorous inquiry and insights into the functioning of our nation’s social insurance programs – Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, and Workers’ Compensation. Comprised of over 1,100 Members – the nation’s top experts in social insurance and related policies and programs – the Academy studies how social insurance can continue to meet the changing needs of American families, employees, and employers, including uninsured or underinsured economic risks. To learn more about the Academy’s work, please visit www.nasi.org, or follow @socialinsurance on Twitter.
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