Heather Drake, Chair

Heather Drake currently works at the Commonwealth Fund as a Program Associate in their Program on Payment System Reform. The Commonwealth Fund is a foundation promoting a high performance health system through better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency. In this role, she manages the Program's grantees and assists with research as it pertains to reforming our current health care payment system. Heather graduated from Syracuse University in 2007 with a B.A. in political science and policy studies and is currently a Master's of Public Health candidate concentrating in health promotion at George Washington University.

Camie Corrigan, Vice Chair

Camie Corrigan currently works for the National Association of Children's Hospitals as the Assistant Director, Federal Legislative Affairs. N.A.C.H. represents 140 children's hospitals across the country and works to advance public policy that supports children's health care services. Camie serves as a registered lobbyist for the Association lobbying on all federal advocacy issues including health coverage, Medicaid, graduate medical education, health care financing, research and other important issues to children's health care. Prior to working for N.A.C.H., she completed her Master's in Public Administration at the University of Toledo in Ohio.

Chyrsanthe Courniotes,Treasurer

Chrysanthe Courniotes work for Booz Allen Hamilton as a Senior Consultant for Global-Civil Health Team. Prior, she was the Project Manager for the Afghanistan Medical Reconstruction Project at the Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Assistance Medicine. She has also worked as a health policy analyst for the Iraq/Afghanistan Transition Planning Group, where they coordinated the reconstruction efforts of the health care systems in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Chrysanthe graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 2004, with a BA in Political Economy of Health. She hold a Masters of Science in International Healthcare Management, Economics and Policy from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.

Ezra Mehlman, Development Director

Ezra Mehlman has spent the last three years in strategy consulting and research in the private and public health care spaces. Currently, he serves as a Senior Consultant in the Global Health Practice of Booz Allen Hamilton, advising health systems on methods to reduce costs, increase market share, and provide better service. Before coming to Booz, he worked as a Senior Strategic Analyst at the Advisory Board Company, a best practices health care research and consulting firm. Ezra has lived in DC for about three years, moving directly here after graduating college at Washington University at St. Louis.

Tanya Schwartz, Membership and Outreach Director

Tanya Schwartz is currently a Policy Analyst for the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured at the Kaiser Family Foundation. In this role, she is primarily responsible for performing research and policy analysis on state and national health reform. Prior to joining the Kaiser Family Foundation, she held positions with various non-profit, government, and political entities. Tanya graduated from Bates College with a B.A. in Sociology and received a Master of Public Policy and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan.

Jenny Minott, Communications Director

Jenny Minott is an Associate at AcademyHealth, a health policy research organization, working on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization (HCFO) initiative. In this capacity, she supports HCFO's grantmaking and convening activities and writes newsletter articles and briefs that examine issues related to health care financing and organization. Prior to joining AcademyHealth in 2007, she worked as a Research Associate at the Advisory Board Company, a best practices consulting and research firm. Jenny graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in economics and a minor in bioethics.

Tyrell Robertson, Secretary

Tyrell Robertson serve as a Management Consultant under the Global-Civil Health Division for Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading strategy and technology consulting firm. In this role, he is responsible for providing critical analysis in the areas of operational demand and utilizations review for the Department of Defense Military Treatment Facilities and Veteran Affair's Hospitals and Community Based Centers. In addition, Tyrell often volunteers by providing strategic marketing consultative services to Ashoka Youth Venture, a leading non-profit/entrepreneurial social changemaker. Prior to moving to DC, he completed his education at Cornell University with a B.S. in Policy Analysis and Management, with a concentration in Health Management.

Committee Chairperson: DaShawn Groves and Shireesha Jevaji

The Professional Development Subcommittee is responsible for developing events and programs designed to enhance professional skills and provide information about career opportunities in the field of health policy. Events will be planned by sub-committee members to hone the skills of young professionals so they can effectively define career goals, network, build strong working and mentoring relationships, conduct a successful job search, excel in the professional workplace, and stay up-to-date with current issues in the field.

A range of events are offered to meet the needs and interests of our diverse membership, including the following:

• Skills-Building Events – tips for improving skills related to networking, mentoring, the career search, and effective communication
• Meet the Experts – networking panel discussions
• Career Exploration Panels – exploration of public and private sector jobs
• Coffee Shop Chats – informal discussions on hot topics in the field.

Committee Chairperson: Dave Chandrasekaran

Similar to the Professional Development Committee, the Society's Programming Committee is responsible for programming that facilitates networking among Society Members and fosters long-lasting, meaningful relationships with members. Additionally, the Committee collaborates with other organizations to sponsor events and develop programming partnerships. Our programming events include monthly networking happy hours, expertpanels, and a host of others.

Society members are encouraged to suggest additional topics for future programming.

Committee Co-Chairs: Diana Kassen and Chris Cantrell

As an organization dedicated to the fields of health and public health, the Society of Health Policy Young Professionals has a responsibility to not only serve its members, but also the public. The Society created a Community Service Committee to promote involvement in various volunteer initiatives throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

The Community Service Committee helps to enhance the fulfillment of the Society's mission, while also providing a venue for Society members to give back to the community. With volunteer events, the committee helps the Society increase its visibility in the community, support the formation of new relationships and partnerships, provide another forum for networking, and abet professional development by encouraging a spirit of service. These include:

• Blood drives
• Education (e.g. outreach programs with Metro Teen AIDS or tutoring with So Others Might Eat)
• Food drive (e.g. Capital Area Food Bank)
• Food service (e.g. Bread for the City, DC Central Kitchen, or Food & Friends)
• Fundraisers to benefit Community Organizations or Issues (e.g. happy hours, auction or galas to raise money for a health organizations)
• Group walk (e.g. AIDS Walk Washington or America's Walk for Diabetes)
• Hospital service (e.g. Children's National Medical Center or Georgetown University Hospital)
• Issue-specific organization opportunities (e.g. volunteering at the American Cancer Society)
• Health and Fitness Expo
• Sponsor a child (e.g. Arlington Academy of Hope)

Our activities are announced via the Society website and in every newsletter. We always encourage member feedback on previous or future events.

Committee Chairperson: Lisa Feng

The Communications Committee strives to increase the visibility of the Society to Members and external organizations by coordinating all communications, marketing events, and producing the monthly newsletter. In addition, the committee oversees the Society's social networking sites, including the LinkedIn and Facebook groups, and web site updates.