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Staff

Pamela J. Larson, Executive Vice President

In alphabetical order:

Pamela J. Larson has directed NASI since it began operation in 1987. First as Executive Director, then as Executive Vice President, Larson continues to work closely with the Academy's 900 members, Board, and staff to develop its research and education programs on Social Security and Medicare, long-term care, and leadership development as well as developing its services to social insurance professionals. She has managed the Academy’s planning and fundraising and has organized many of its annual conferences, awards events, and internship programs.  In February 2008 she directed the feasibility study for the Ford Foundation’s Affinity Group on Development Finance, Committee on Social Protection, compiling the report entitled Charting a Future for Social Protection. Before coming to the Academy, she was Director of Membership Services for the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Prior to coming to Washington in 1983, she served as Director of Long-Term Care Services at the Southwestern Pennsylvania Area Agency on Aging and as a Health Services Specialist for the United Mine Workers of America Health and Retirement Funds. On mini-sabbaticals in 1998 and 1999, Larson taught Medicare policy at Florida State University and wrote articles on work and retirement research for the features newspaper Aging Today. Her October-December 2011 sabbatical will be spent reading and communicating about sharing through the pooling of risk and finances in a number of cultures.  A member of NASI since 1993, Larson received her master’s of regional planning from Cornell University.

Tom Bethell is a Senior Fellow Scholar at NASI, consulting primarily with the Income Security team. An independent writer-editor, he worked closely for many years with the late Bob Ball, NASI’s co-founder. He edited The Greenspan Commission: What Really Happened (2010), Mr. Ball’s account of serving on the National Commission on Social Security Reform; edited Insuring the Essentials (2000), Mr. Ball’s collection of articles and speeches spanning seven decades of service to social insurance; co-authored Straight Talk about Social Security (1998); and co-authored Because We’re All in This Together: The Case for a National Long Term Care Insurance Policy (1989). He has contributed to many publications including The Washington Monthly and The American Scholar. He is a founding board member of the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky; a contributing editor for The Mountain Eagle (Whitesburg, KY); and a former research director of the United Mine Workers of America. At NASI he is involved in the planning and production of issue briefs, fact sheets, reports, and other informational materials.

Jill C. Braunstein is the Director of Communications. During her time at NASI, Braunstein has been involved in the production, release, and dissemination of major research reports, countless briefs and fact sheets, as well as the planning and execution of NASI’s annual conferences. She manages and builds NASI’s electronic outreach program, including overseeing NASI’s website, ensuring the accuracy and timeliness of its content. Before joining NASI’s staff, Braunstein was Director of Communications at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), where she oversaw all aspects of communication, including the development and launch of their website. A member of NASI since 2009, Braunstein received her master’s of Public Policy with a concentration in Women’s Studies and a B.A. in Journalism, both from the George Washington University.

Devin F.L. Cowens is the Development Associate. She supports the Director of Membership Engagement and the Executive Vice President with implementing membership engagement and development strategies, manages the membership database, and coordinates the leadership development initiatives. She received a degree in psychology from Wake Forest University.
 

Lee Goldberg is Vice President for Health Policy at NASI and serves as Study Director of the Health Insurance Exchanges Study Panel. Prior to joining NASI in September 2010, Goldberg managed long-term care policy initiatives for the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which represents more than half-million nursing home and home care workers. Previously, he served as a Senior Legislative Representative and Communications Representative for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and as Assistant Director for Health Policy for United Jewish Communities. In addition to his advocacy work, he has experience working on the Capitol Hill for Sen. Don Riegle and Rep. Fortney H. (Pete) Stark and as a journalist working for Inside Washington Publications. A NASI member since 2006, Goldberg received his M.A. in international economics and international relations from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and his J.D. from the George Washington University.

Kristine Quinio is Director of Engagement Strategies. In this role, Quinio works with NASI’s staff teams to provide membership services and to advance the organization’s capacity-building and development objectives. She also oversees knowledge management processes and coordinates strategic planning and implementation with other senior staff. Quinio has worked in the for-profit and government sectors and as a research and teaching assistant in academia. She received an M.A. in Communication, Culture & Technology (CCT) from Georgetown University, where she focused on networks and knowledge diffusion, social responsibility, and communication strategies. She graduated cum laude from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in Political Science.

Virginia Reno is Vice President for Income Security Policy and directs work on Social Security, disability insurance, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, and related issues. She directed the Academy’s landmark study, Uncharted Waters: Paying Benefits from Individual Accounts in Federal Retirement Policy. That study, led by bipartisan co-chairs, was highly acclaimed by individuals on all sides of the Social Security debate.  Reno also directed Evaluating Issues in Privatizing Social Security and the Academy’s study of the Social Security disability programs and ways to promote rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities. Before coming to NASI, Reno held research and policy positions at the U. S. Social Security Administration (SSA), where she was staff director of the Policy Council that advised the Commissioner of Social Security on legislative, regulatory and administrative issues. Before that, she served in SSA’s office of research and statistics, where she directed the program analysis staff.  Reno served in the U.S. Peace Corps in West Africa and received her B.A. from the Honors College of the University of Oregon.

Bob Rosenblatt is a senior fellow at NASI and a free-lance writer and editor.  He prepared the reporter’s sourcebook on social insurance for the “Learn” section of the NASI website. He writes weekly postings on long-term services and supports for The SCAN Foundation’s website “Research and Policy Library. ”  He also writes a column on health policy issues for the website of the California HealthCare Foundation. Rosenblatt was a Washington correspondent for the Los Angeles Times from 1975-2002. He covered economic and financial stories, health policy, and created the paper’s beat dealing with aging and retirement issues. He also wrote a column, “Health Dollars and Sense,” for the newspaper’s health section, dealing with insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, nursing homes and other issues.  He was the principal author of the first reporter’s guidebook to health care issues, prepared for the Alliance for Health Reform. He was co-chair of the Editorial Board of “Aging Today,” the publication of the American Society on Aging and writes a column, “Potomac Sources.” Rosenblatt has a BA in economics from the City College of New York and an MA in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has been a member of NASI since 2002.

Ishita Sengupta is Director of Workers' Compensation. She co-authors NASI’s annual workers’ compensation report, which provides the only comprehensive data on workers’ compensation cash and medical payments for the nation and for each state, the District of Columbia, and federal programs. Sengupta has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Connecticut.

Jasmine V. Tucker is the Income Security Senior Policy Analyst. In this role, she examines how Social Security, unemployment insurance and other social insurance programs influence Americans’ economic security. Prior to joining NASI, she was a fellow at the National Women’s Law Center, where she conducted research on the importance of Social Security and related programs to women and their families. She has also worked for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. She received a master’s degree in public administration from The George Washington University, where she focused on poverty and social policy, and is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park.

Elisa Walker is the Income Security Policy Associate at NASI, where she assists in the research, editing, and production of briefs and fact sheets on Social Security policy. She also supports the Income Security team on projects including conference planning, events, and grant activities. She has a B.A. in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Mary Washington.

Sabiha Zainulbhai is the Health Policy Associate at NASI. She assists the Vice President for Health Policy with NASI’s project on health insurance exchanges and conducts research on other health policy issues, such as Medicare and health reform implementation. Zainulbhai received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the George Washington University.