Jan. 25, 2021 — The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) recently named MAHA's Director of Homeownership Education Symone Crawford and 41 other community leaders from across the country as consumer liaison representatives for 2021. The 23 funded and 19 unfunded consumer representatives began their terms Jan. 1. Thirteen of the funded consumer representatives participated in the program in 2020.
"I'm very pleased to represent low- to moderate-income consumers at the NAIC in the coming year," said Symone Crawford. "Households of color often live in communities that have been historically redlined by the insurance industry and I am excited to join this diverse group of consumer representatives to tackle important issues related to race, equity, access and affordability."
Established in 1992, the Consumer Liaison Program promotes consumer interaction with the NAIC's members, the insurance industry and interested parties through the individuals' dedication and commitment to serving the public interest.
“Consumer Liaison Representatives provide regulators with valuable insight as the NAIC pursues its shared commitment of protecting the interests of consumers,” said David Altmaier, NAIC President and Florida Insurance Commissioner. “I congratulate the 2021 consumer liaisons and appreciate the knowledge and expertise they bring to help the NAIC realize its goals.”
The 2021 Funded Consumer Liaison Representatives
New funded representatives are noted with an asterisk.
Jamille Fields Allsbrook: Director of Women’s Health and Rights, Adjunct Professor, Center for American Progress, University of Maryland School of Law*
Amy Bach: Executive Director, United Policyholders
Birny Birnbaum: Executive Director, Center for Economic Justice
Brendan M. Bridgeland: Director, Center for Insurance Research
Courtney Bullard: Education and Collaborations Director, Utah Health Policy Project
Bonnie Burns: Training and Policy Specialist, California Health Advocates
Tasha Carter: Florida’s Insurance Consumer Advocate, FL Department of Financial Services, Office of the Insurance Consumer Advocate*
Symone N. Crawford: Director of Homeownership Education, Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance*
Brenda J. Cude: Professor, Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics, University of Georgia
Yosha P. Dotson: Technical and Policy Analyst, Georgians For a Healthy Future*
Erica Eversman: President, Automotive Education & Policy Institute
Justin Giovannelli: Associate Research Professor, Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reform
Karrol Kitt: Emeritus Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Austin School of Human Ecology Department of Human Development & Family Sciences
Peter R. Kochenburger: Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Executive Director, Insurance Law Center, University of Connecticut School of Law
Natasha Kumar: Policy Analyst, Families USA*
Deborah Ojeda-Leitner: Policy Advocate, National Center for Transgender Equality/NCTE Action Fund*
Steven T. Lopez: Director, Health Policy, Unidos US (formerly the National Council of La Raza)*
Gwendolyn Roberts Majette: Associate Professor of Law, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, The Center for Health Law and Policy*
Erin Miller: Vice President, Health Initiatives, Colorado Children’s Campaign*
Karen Siegal: Director of Policy, Health Equity Solutions*
Wayne Turner: Senior Attorney, National Health Law Program
Jackson Williams: Director of Government Affairs, Dialysis Patient Citizens
Silvia Yee: Senior Staff Attorney and Analyst, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
The 2021 Unfunded Consumer Representatives
New representatives noted with an asterisk.
David Arkush: Director, Climate Program, Public Citizen*
Ashley Blackburn: Senior Policy Analyst, Community Catalyst
Lucy Culp: Executive Director, State Government Affairs, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Deborah Darcy: Director of Government Relations, American Kidney Fund
Eric Ellsworth: Director, Health Data Strategy, Consumers Checkbook/Center for the Study of Services
Ross Hammond: Strategic Advisor, The Sunrise Project
Marguerite Herman: Lobbyist, Wyoming High School Mock Trial/Healthy Wyoming
Anna Schwamlein Howard: Principal, Policy Development, Access to and Quality of Care, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
Janay Johnson: Policy Analyst, American Heart Association*
Katherine (Katie) Keith: Consultant Advisor and Steering Committee Member, Out2Enroll
Amy Killelea: Director, Health Systems Integration, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
Kenneth S. Klein: Professor of Law, California Western School of Law
Rachel K. Klein: Deputy Executive Director, National Policy Office, The AIDS Institute*
Sarah Lueck: Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Dorianne Mason: Director of Health Equity, National Women’s Law Center*
Carl Schmid: Executive Director, HIV + Hepatitis Policy Institute
Matthew J. Smith: Director of Government Affairs, Coalition Against Insurance Fraud
Andrew Sperling: Director of Legislative Advocacy, National Alliance on Mental Illness
Harold M. Ting: Consumer Advocate Volunteer
About the NAIC
As part of our state-based system of insurance regulation in the United States, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) provides expertise, data, and analysis for insurance commissioners to effectively regulate the industry and protect consumers. The U.S. standard-setting organization is governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. Through the NAIC, state insurance regulators establish standards and best practices, conduct peer reviews, and coordinate regulatory oversight. NAIC staff supports these efforts and represents the collective views of state regulators domestically and internationally. For more information, visit www.naic.org.
