Rebecca D. Vallas
Chief Executive Officer
Rebecca Vallas is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Rebecca brings two decades of experience shaping economic policy and social insurance, with a career that spans federal and state policy, legal advocacy, and narrative strategy. Most recently, she was a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, where she founded the organization’s disability economic justice work, and launched a national bipartisan campaign to modernize SSI’s outdated asset limits.
A former legal aid attorney and one of the founding architects of the Clean Slate criminal record-clearing model—now law in over a dozen states—Rebecca has testified before Congress numerous times and her work has been featured by a wide array of outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, MSNBC, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN. She also previously held leadership roles at the Center for American Progress, where she oversaw the organization’s antipoverty work and originated its disability work, and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives.
Formerly the host and creator of the Off-Kilter podcast, Rebecca is excited to be developing It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way, a forthcoming podcast exploring how we reimagine broken systems to better serve people and communities—featuring conversations with changemakers at the frontlines of policy and social change. In her personal practice, she is a trained astrologer, energy healer, and spiritual coach. When she isn’t in Washington, D.C., she spends her time on a farm in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband and four rescue cats.
Indivar Dutta-Gupta
Distinguished Visiting Fellow and Senior Advisor
Indivar Dutta-Gupta is the founder and CEO of Blue Lotus Strategies, LLC, based in Washington, DC. He is a recognized researcher, analyst, advocate and policy influencer on U.S. economic policy. Indi is currently a Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, a Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, and a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance. He frequently advises political candidates and campaigns on child, family, and economic policy, testifies before Congress, and speaks to the media. His earlier work includes senior roles at the Center for Law and Social Policy, Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Freedman Consulting, and DC Hunger Solutions.
A member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, Indi also serves on the National Academies (NASEM) Committee on Federal Policy Impacts on Child Poverty, on several nonpartisan boards and advisory groups, and as US-Japan Leadership Program delegate.
Indi is a graduate of the University of Chicago, a Congressional Hunger Center Alumni Leadership awardee, one of Washington Life magazine’s most Influential 40-And-Under Leaders, and twice a Rising Star 40 And Under. He is a former Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow, Harry S. Truman Scholar, a First Focus Campaign for Children “Champion for Children”, and co-chair of President Biden’s 2020 campaign’s economic policy committee.
Robert Espinoza
Senior Fellow & Advisor to the CEO
Robert Espinoza is a prominent advocate and thought leader in the fields of workforce, aging, and caregiving. He has dedicated more than 25 years to advancing public policy and fostering a greater general understanding about some of our most pressing societal issues, from the workforce to caregiving, long-term care and opportunity for all—and more. He presents frequently at events throughout the country and has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, CNN, Forbes, and The Washington Post, among others.
Most recently, Robert served as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Skills Coalition, which fights for a national commitment to inclusive, high-quality skills training so that more people have access to a better life and more local businesses see sustained growth.
Prior to his role at the National Skills Coalition, Robert was the Executive Vice President of Policy at PHI, the nation’s foremost organization focused on the direct care workforce. Over nearly a decade, he directed the organization’s award-winning national advocacy, research, and public education division. Under his leadership, the division produced over 100 original publications, launched multiple high-profile national and state-based initiatives, and garnered significant media attention and online engagement.
In recognition of his innovative contributions, Robert was selected for the inaugural CARE100 list in 2020, recognizing him as one of the most forward-thinking individuals reshaping the landscape of caregiving in America. Additionally, he was named one of Next Avenue’s 2020 Influencers in Aging. In 2021, he testified before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor, emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen workforce interventions in direct care.
In addition, Robert served as a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and sits on the board of directors for the National Academy of Social Insurance, the FrameWorks Institute, and the American Society on Aging, where he holds the position of Board Chair. Since 2023, he has hosted A Question of Care, an award-winning podcast exploring the many challenges facing our country’s caregiving system.
Michele Evermore
Senior Fellow
Michele Evermore is a senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance, where she focuses on innovating and improving our nation’s fractured unemployment insurance system. One of the nation’s leading authorities on unemployment insurance (UI), Michele comes to NASI as a recent senior fellow at The Century Foundation, a visiting non-resident fellow at the Heldrich Center at Rutgers University, and a visiting faculty at the University of Massachusetts Labor Center.
Michele also served in the Biden administration as deputy director for policy in the newly formed Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization in the U.S. Department of Labor. In that role, she spearheaded efforts to improve the delivery of UI benefits in a timely and accurate manner and ensure equitable access for underserved communities. She represented those efforts to Congress and the press through technical assistance, on-the-record interviews, and Congressional testimony. She also worked for the National Employment Law Project from 2018 to 2021, focused on building a more inclusive and sufficient unemployment insurance system. Her work led to the successful passage and implementation of historic protections for unemployed workers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, she has worked to promote worker rights as a legislative advocate for labor unions, including the Service Employees International Union District 1199 New England and National Nurses United. She also worked for the Obama administration’s Department of Labor as a senior legislative officer. Prior to that, she worked in Congress for a decade, primarily for then-Senator Tom Harkin and also for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. In those roles, she worked to advance worker protections, labor organizing rights, and improving retirement security in a variety of private pension plan designs, as well as Social Security.
Michele has testified before Congress several times and is frequently quoted in major news outlets, including the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Good Morning America, NPR, Marketplace, Associated Press, Reuters, ABC, NBC, Politico, The Hill, Bloomberg, Time and USA Today, as well as many large regional newspapers, radio shows, and television news. She holds an MS in labor studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a BA in interpersonal rhetoric and communication from Iowa State University.
Jason J Fichtner
Senior Fellow
Jason J. Fichtner is Executive Director of the Retirement Income Institute, Alliance for Lifetime Income. He is also on the Board of Directors for the FINRA Investor Education Foundation and the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI). Fichtner is a Member of the Puerto Rico Pension Reserve Trust, where he serves on both the Pension Benefits Council and the Pension Reserve Board.
His areas of expertise focus on Social Security, federal tax policy, federal budget policy, retirement security, and policy proposals to increase saving and investment.
Fichtner has significant government experience, having served in several positions at the Social Security Administration, including as Deputy Commissioner of Social Security (acting), Chief Economist, and Associate Commissioner for Retirement Policy. He also served as a senior economist with the Joint Economic Committee of the US Congress and as an economist with the Internal Revenue Service. He has held teaching positions at Johns Hopkins University – School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Georgetown University and Virginia Tech.
He has testified on numerous occasions before the United States Congress and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, the USA Today, and other major media outlets, as well as on broadcasts by C-SPAN, PBS, NBC, NPR, and SiriusXM.
Fichtner earned his BA from the University of Michigan; his MPP from Georgetown University; and his PhD from Virginia Tech.
Fichtner is the author of “The Hidden Cost of Federal Tax Policy” and the editor of “The Economics of Medicaid.”
Ariella Jailal
Director of Leadership Development
Ariella Jailal is the Manager of Leadership Development at the National Academy of Social Insurance with a primary focus on the year-round leadership development programs. With a strong events background, she leads the marketing, recruitment, and onboarding processes for the summer internship program and handles the planning for the awarding of the annual John Heinz Dissertation Award, the Robert M. Ball Award, annual membership renewal campaign, and other events. Ariella moved to DC from New York, where she was the catering and special events manager for an alternative-energy mobile restaurant. Before that she enjoyed four years as a preschool teacher, helping to shape the next generation to love books, nature, music, and all things crafty. Ariella received her B.A. in English, Creative Writing with a minor in sociology from Hunter College in Manhattan. When she moved to DC, Jailal sought a nonprofit that works to address hunger and economic insecurity in her community and is eager to contribute to the policy landscape through the Academy. Ariella is happiest roaming barefoot in the Australian Daintree Rainforest and dreams of returning one day but equally enjoys weekends with her niece and nephew!
Dora Mendelson
Chief of Staff
Dora Mendelson is the Academy’s Chief of Staff. In this capacity, she provides direct support to the CEO while furthering the wide range of research projects hosted by the Academy. Dora has strong interests in disability justice, public health, and policy. Before landing at the Academy, Dora had a brief stint on the Hill, interning in the Disability Policy Office of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
Dora graduated from Colgate University summa cum laude in May 2023 with a double major in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Peace and Conflict Studies. At Colgate, she earned high honors for her thesis on the history of gynecology and its impact on the American eugenics movement. Dora graduated in September 2024 from McMaster University with a Master of Arts in Gender Studies with a concentration in Critical Disability Studies. Her dissertation explored how diabetes stigma is imbedded in American public policy.
Dora lives in DC, where she grew up. In her free time, she enjoys baking sourdough and exploring the DC food scene. Outside of her DC policy-related career goals, Dora fantasizes about going to culinary school, writing a cookbook, and opening a bakery on a daily basis.
Tom Novotny
Director of Membership and Operations
Tom Novotny is the Director of Membership and Operations at the Academy. In this role, he supports the office’s various membership and development programs, helps with the Academy’s technology management including data analysis, assists with the annual conference, and does research on income security. Prior to joining the Academy, he helped manage a branch of a welding supply company and spent time as a full-time stay-at-home parent. He holds a J.D. from The George Washington University and two B.S. degrees from The University of Utah.
Katie Savin
Ford Fellow in Disability Policy Research
Katie is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work at California State University-Sacramento. Their research focuses on disability policy, the welfare state and public health bioethics. They use community-informed, qualitative and mixed methods to center the lived experiences of disabled people in policy analysis with an emphasis on the experiences of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. Katie’s scholarship is shaped by their own experience as a Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipient and their background as a medical social worker.
Taylor Reilly
Equal Justice Works Fellow
Taylor Reilly, J.D., is ecstatic to join the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) team as the 2025-2027 Equal Justice Works (EJW) Fellow. At age 25, Taylor is one of the 60 public interest leaders appointed by EJW to this class of burgeoning lawyers. Taylor has always been passionate about public service, and has known that she wanted to be a civil rights attorney focusing on intersectional disability advocacy since she was 11 years old.
Taylor is originally from Melbourne, Florida. She had the pleasure of growing up with her cousin, Josh, who had Down Syndrome, and her grandmother, “Tutu,” who had vascular dementia. Both Josh and “Tutu” spent many years living with Taylor and her parents in Florida, and Taylor was often called to help manage their day-to-day tasks and activities under the eye of her mom, who served as “Tutu’s” full-time caregiver and often assisted with Josh. This exposure at such a young age shaped Taylor into an empathetic and passionate advocate for individuals that society deems “different,” and she endeavors to be a vessel to speak for those who cannot always speak for themselves. Moreover, Taylor firmly believes in amplifying the voices of self-advocates who do wish to speak for themselves, and hopes to help bolster their needs and expression.
In Florida, Taylor spent six years as a Special Olympics volunteer. Additionally, Taylor graduated from Florida State University (FSU) in the Spring of 2022, Magna Cum Laude, with a B.S. In Psychology, a double-major in English/Creative Writing, and an Undergraduate Certificate in Interdepartmental Developmental Disabilities. Taylor also graduated as a member of the FSU Honors Program, Phi Beta Kappa, Psi Chi, and the FSU Honors Legal Scholars Program.
More recently, Taylor attended Emory School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia, as a Woodruff Scholar. The Woodruff Scholarship and Fellowship program has been historically awarded to students deemed best suited to “carry on Robert W. Woodruff’s legacy of passionate intellectual curiosity, creative leadership, and a strong motivation to use one’s talents and skills for the benefit of others rather than individual glory.” Furthermore, Taylor was an articles editor for the Emory Law Journal, and served as co-president of the Disabled Law Students Association (DLSA). While Taylor has always been a strong advocate for individuals with disabilities, she never imagined that her health issues would lead her to become part of the class she sought to represent. This has led Taylor to explore what it personally means to be a self-advocate herself as well as an external advocate. Moreover, Taylor graduated with her J.D. and a concentration in health law in May 2025. Taylor was also one of two students awarded the Gloria Fowler Angel Award as recognition of good character and commitment to public service and justice. Lastly, in July, Taylor took the Washington D.C. Bar Exam.
Taylor is incredibly grateful for this opportunity and is ready to get started!
Zane Snyder Cox
Communications & Research Intern
Zane Snyder Cox is a Communications & Research Intern at the Academy. In this role, he contributes to the Academy’s strategic communications by drafting and refining content for email campaigns, newsletters, and LinkedIn, helping to amplify the Academy’s work and engage a broad audience. He also supports the Academy’s Task Force on AI, Emerging Tech, & Disability Benefits and the recently launched Disability Economic Policy Research Consortium. Finally, Zane is excited to continue building and organizing events that uplift young people’s voices and highlight their role in shaping the future of social insurance programs.
Zane is BA Candidate in Political Science with a Public Policy Focus and a minor in Economics at The George Washington University. His policy interest areas include environmental and energy policy. His interest in social insurance stems from a desire to build systems that support people across life’s transitions—whether aging, caregiving, or economic hardship—and ensure that dignity and stability are not privileges, but guarantees. Zane served as the Merton C. Bernstein Intern on Social Insurance in the summer of 2025, during which he worked with the Academy to support their Social Security policy portfolio and with Matz, Blancato & Associates to support their work with the Elder Justice Coalition to end elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation.