Our network is uniquely positioned to unite around cross-cutting advocacy priorities that are of common interest across service lines, given our collective work with all Medicaid beneficiaries. To better leverage the knowledge and work across the network, Lutheran Services in America is launching a pilot policy committee to help support and inform our policy priorities. The overall aim is to guide our core organizational strategies through a policy and advocacy focus, including: growing our individual and collective capacity to lead and effect policy & systems change; catalyzing innovation and impact across our network; and amplifying our united, faith-based voice. To ensure the committee is structured for long-term success, we are beginning this work with a pilot committee launching later this year, with an initial focus on Medicaid policy levers.
We are pleased to share that committee members for this initial pilot period are as follows:
- Salah Ansary, Regional Director, Lutheran Community Services Northwest
- LaSharnda Beckwith, President & CEO, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California
- Stephanie Chedid, President & CEO, Luther Manor
- Héctor Colón, President & CEO, Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin Upper Michigan (LSS)
- Shelly Griffith, CEO, Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center
- Julie Kaminski, Senior VP and COO, Immanuel
- Chris Koenig, President & CEO, Niagara Lutheran Health System, Inc.
- Adam Marles, President & CEO, Lutheran Senior Services
- Ray Ratke, President & CEO, enCircle
- Tom Syverson, Director, Government and External Affairs, The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
- Christine Tappan, Chief, Strategy & External Affairs, Ascentria Care Alliance
- Cheryl Wicks, VP of External Affairs, Mosaic
The committee will support aligned action across our network including through informing policy priorities drawing on relevant issue expertise based on social service practice and leadership; providing timely and relevant feedback on potential and pending federal legislation; identifying, exploring, and supporting consideration and discussion of future policy needs/areas related to ensuring social service sector innovation; supporting effective mobilization of broader LSA member network to advance key policy priorities; speaking and/or engaging in virtual and in-person meetings with policymakers, peers and other key stakeholders to share government relations and advocacy insights and expertise on behalf of the policy committee; and providing timely and relevant insights to connect and align across federal, state and local policy approaches.
We are excited about the launch of the Committee to amplify our united, faith-based voice and grow our collective capacity to lead and effect change.
Please contact Sue Polis, VP of Government Affairs and Public Relations at Spolis@LutheranServices.org or Sarah Dobson, Senior Director for Policy & Advocacy at Sdobson@lutheranservices.org or Bill Kallestad, Disability Network, Director of Policy and Advocacy at BKallestad@lutheranservices.org
