PRESS RELEASE: Forty-Five New Members Elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI) has accepted 45 distinguished new members, bringing the total active membership to over 1,000. (See below for a complete list of new members and their affiliations.)

"At a time when U.S. social insurance programs are continuously capturing headlines and the attention of policymakers, the Academy looks forward to recognizing, engaging, and sustaining the expertise of new members," said NASI President G. Lawrence Atkins.  "These dedicated public servants, business leaders, legal experts, professors, and administrators have played an important role in strengthening social insurance and economic security for Americans."

Academy members are recognized experts in Social Security, Medicare and health coverage, workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and related social assistance and private employee benefits. Individuals selected for membership have distinguished themselves by improving the quality of research, administration, or policymaking in one or more of these areas. Members of the Academy volunteer their time to study panels, advisory committees, conferences, and they participate in NASI's other research, education, communication, and leadership development initiatives.

Membership in the Academy is an honor for which individuals are nominated by two current NASI members. For more information on membership, visit the "About NASI" section of the NASI website (www.nasi.org).

The National Academy of Social Insurance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization made up of the nation's leading experts on social insurance. Its mission is to promote understanding and informed policymaking on social insurance and related programs through research, public education, training, and the open exchange of ideas.

Newly elected members and their affiliations at time of election:

Peter Arno, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusettes, Amherst

Cristina Boccuti, The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Aaron Bradenburg, National Association of Insurance Commissioners

Raymond Cebula, Cornell University

Allison Cuellar, George Mason University, College of Health and Human Services

Gina Clemons, Social Security Administration

Rupali Das, California Division of Workers' Compensation

Walter Dawson, Oregon Health Care Association

Linda Elam, HHS/Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Karin Feldman, AFL-CIO

Martin Gaynor, Carnegie Mellon University and Health Care Cost Institute

Jon Gelman, Jon L Gelman, LLC

Marge Ginsburg, Center for Healthcare Decisions

John Graves, Vanderbilt University

Jeffrey Hemmeter, Social Security Administration

John Jankowski, Social Security Administration

Gary King, Harvard University

William Kramer, Pacific Business Group on Health

David Langham, Florida Division of Administrative Hearings

Amy Lee, Texas Department of Insurance

Wendy Max, University of California, San Francisco

Ruth Milkman, The City University of New York

Daniel Mont, Leonard Cheshire Disability & Inclusive Development Center, University of London

Jeanne Morin, National Association of Disability Representatives

Brent Neiser, National Endowment for Financial Education

Jack Nolish, State of Michigan, Workers' Compensation Agency

Krzysztof Ostaszewski, Illinois State University

Susan Parish, Brandeis University

Edwin Park, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Diana Pearce, Center for Women's Welfare, University of Washington School of Social Work

Alan Pierce, Pierce, Pierce, & Napolitano

Karl Polzer, KP Consulting

Michelle Putnam, Simmons College School of Social Work

Nari Rhee, National Institute on Retirement Security

Barak Richman, Duke University School of Law

William Rowe, North Carolina Justice Center

Kim Rutledge, United Domestic Works/AFSCME Local 3930

Charlie Sabatino, American Bar Association

Benjamin Sommers, Harvard School of Public Heath

David Stevenson, Vanderbilt University

Ronora Stryker, Society of Actuaries

Steve Utkus, Vanguard Center for Retirement Research

Thomas Wickizer, Ohio State University

Ann Widger, AFSCME

Ali Akbar Zaker-Shahrak, California Department of Insurance