HSS Advisory Board Members
Merrill Friedman
Merrill Friedman leads the Disability Policy Engagement team and advocacy strategy for Elevance Health, a leading health benefits company serving nearly 71 million people nationwide through its affiliates.
Kathy Greenlee
Kathy Greenlee was instrumental in founding the Administration for Community Living at HHS. She also a served as the Secretary of the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services.
Janet LaBreck
Under her leadership, Janet LaBreck was responsible for promulgating the most substantive national policy regulation changes to the Vocational Rehabilitation program in over 15 years. In addition to her work at Synergy Consulting and her own consulting business, she is a Respectability and National Braille Press board member.
J.T. Lane
J.T. Lane directs ASTHO’s support of state and territorial partnerships to end the HIV epidemic, state and territorial public health capacity building, rural health innovation, and primary care and public health integration.
Yolanda Stevens
Dr. Yolanda Stevens brings more than 25 years of experience to her role at NAEH. She has spent the majority of her career at the local level on issues related to vulnerable populations-older adults, survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and individuals experiencing homelessness.
Mary Sowers
Before joining NASDDDS, Mary Sowers was with Mercer Government Human Services Consulting where she provided consultation and technical assistance to state governments on a wide array of Medicaid-related issues, with a focus on integrated care, home and community-based services, and managed long-term services and supports.
Sandy Markwood
Sandy Markwood is a national advocate for aging issues and a champion for ensuring that older adults have the best supports to age well at home and in their communities. As the CEO of USAging since 2002, she is committed to ensuring that our society values and supports people across the lifespan.
Abby Cox
Abby Cox provides strategic leadership over the aging and disability work of ADvancing States, overseeing the analysis of federal regulations and advocating for the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act. Abby is the former Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Aging Services in Georgia, and also served as Vice President of Business Solutions at WellSky.