Speakers Bios David Hawkings Senior Editor, Roll Call David Hawkings is the Senior Editor for Roll Call and writes the “Hawkings Here” blog and column. He is known for his non-partisan and forward-looking analysis of policies being formed on Capitol Hill and the people and politics driving the debates. Hawkings has been a passionate Congress-watcher at CQ Roll Call for two decades. Before his current assignment, he spent two years as founding editor of the company’s Daily Briefing and six years as managing editor of CQ Weekly. He has also been senior editor for legislative affairs, the magazine’s economics editor, and its congressional affairs editor. Is has also been co-editor of “Politics in America,” the signature reference work on Members of Congress. He offers analysis every Monday through Friday on NPR’s Washington DC affiliate, WAMU, and is a regular guest analyst on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. Before joining CQ Roll Call, he was a correspondent in the Washington Bureau of Thomson Newspapers and a reporter, columnist and editor at the San Antonio Light. He is a native of New York and a graduate of Bucknell University. William C. Daroff Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Director of the Washington Office, Jewish Federations of North America William Daroff, Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Director of the Washington Office of The Jewish Federations of North America, is the chief lobbyist and principal spokesperson on public policy and international affairs for the 153 Jewish Federations and more than 300 independent communities represented by JFNA. Daroff guides the Jewish community’s advocacy efforts on the Federation movement’s key domestic policy issues, principally on health and human services, such as Medicare and Medicaid, long-term care, and policies affecting older Americans, as well as homeland security programs and strengthening the capacity of charities to care for those in need. In addition to his focus on domestic policy, Daroff is a key player in foreign policy circles – advising policy-makers and elected officials on Jewish communal concerns, principally those related to the US-Israel relationship, the Middle East conflict, and efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear capacity. He is also a leader in the worldwide fight to combat the assault on Israel’s legitimacy, acting as a key steward of the Federation movement's Israel Action Network, and serving on both the steering committee of the Prime Minister of Israel’s global task force and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organization’s working group. Daroff was named by the Forward Newspaper as being among the fifty most influential Jews in America. Daroff received his Bachelor Degree in Political Science & History, Masters Degree in Political Science, and Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Jonathan Westin Director of Health Policy, Jewish Federations of North America Jonathan S. Westin is the Director of Health Policy with The Jewish Federations of North America, based in Washington, D.C. JFNA is the umbrella organization of the 157 Jewish Federations of North America. Jon’s areas of expertise are legislative strategy and advocacy related to health delivery, long-term care, and aging. This includes key programs such as Medicaid and Medicare which fund nearly three-quarters of the care delivered by Jewish communal providers. In addition, Jon concentrates on the intersection of private/public initiatives that will prepare the nation for the health needs of the Baby Boom generation, the first wave of which turned 65 in 2011. Shelley Rood Senior Legislative Associate, Jewish Federations of North America and Washington, Director of the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies Shelley Rood serves as Senior Legislative Associate of the Jewish Federations of North America and Washington Director of the Association of Jewish Family & Children’s Agencies. Shelley works primarily on aging policy, including senior housing, transportation, supportive services, and initiatives for serving Holocaust survivors. Shelley led the Congressional initiative to install the Jewish Chaplains Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery. Rachel Goldberg Director of Aging and Health Policy, B’nai B’rith International Rachel Goldberg is the Director of Aging and Health Policy at B’nai B’rith International (BBI) where she focuses on Social Security programs, housing, and health care access issues for older adults and the disabled. While at BBI she has served as a liaison between the organization, Congress, and the Executive Branch, in addition to advising BBI’s Board of Governors on policy development. She has spoken about aging issues around the country and writes a quarterly column on these issues for the B’nai B’rith magazine. Before joining BBI in 2003, Rachel completed a Ph.D. in American Government at Georgetown University and taught courses in government and politics there and at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. She is particularly interested in American voting behavior and grassroots advocacy, and has consulted for non-profits in Washington on those issues. She holds a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin. Ruth Katz Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Disability, Aging Ruth Katz has been the Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Disability, Aging and Long- Term Care Policy, within the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) since 1999. In this position she leads critical policy analysis and research and supports the Secretary of HHS on several important topics, including Alzheimer’s disease, homelessness, long-term care financing reform, and serious mental illness. Overall, Ms. Katz and her team conduct short- and long-term analyses of HHS and other related programs that serve older adults and people with disabilities. These programs include Medicare and Medicaid, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration programs, Older Americans Act programs, NIH activities, Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality, and Health Resources and Services and Administration programs. Beyond HHS, her work encompasses programs operated by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Education and Labor, as well as the Social Security Administration. During her time in ASPE, she has been called upon for a number of short term positions and initiatives. Most recently, she served as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary, filling in for the Principal Deputy during a three month absence. She also staffed a Congressional Commission on Social Security and Disability. She came to ASPE in 1990 after spending 7 years in two non-profit associations, one representing the state directors of intellectual disabilities and the other representing the state directors of aging. Ms. Katz began her career in direct service delivery, as a Head Start teacher and later, providing perceptual motor training for children and adults with visual-perception challenges. Ms. Katz holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Education, with an emphasis on disability services, research, and policy. .