Kilolo Kijakazi Ph.D, M.S.W.
Acting Commissioner of Social Security
Social Security Administration
Dr. Kilolo Kijakazi is the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
(SSA).
Prior to her appointment as Acting Commissioner under the Social Security Act, Dr.
Kijakazi served as the Deputy Commissioner for Retirement and Disability Policy at
SSA from January 2021- July 2021. During her time as Deputy Commissioner, Dr.
Kijakazi advised the Commissioner on policy issues and was responsible for planning
and managing the development of program policy, policy research and evaluation, and
statistical programs to inform programs administered by SSA. These programs include
Retirement and Survivors Insurance, Disability Insurance, and Supplemental Security
Income.
From 2014 - 2021, Dr. Kijakazi served as an Institute fellow at the Urban Institute
where she developed collaborative partnerships to expand and strengthen Urban’s
rigorous research agenda, effectively communicate findings to diverse audiences, and
recruit and retain a diverse research staff at all levels. Dr. Kijakazi also conducted
research in the areas of economic security, structural racism, and the racial wealth gap.
Dr. Kijakazi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York,
Binghamton, a Master of Social Work from Howard University, and a PhD in public
policy from the George Washington University.
Additional accomplishments and experiences are as follows:
• Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, focusing on building economic
security and incorporating the expertise of people of color into all aspects of
the work.
• Senior Policy Analyst for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, focusing
on Social Security and SSI.
• Program Analyst for the US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition
Service.
• Policy Analyst for the National Urban League.
• Board member of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation; the National
Academy of Social Insurance, and its Study Panel on Economic Security; The
Policy Academies; and Liberation in a Generation.
• Member of the Washington, DC Equitable Recovery Advisory Group.
• Founding advisor for the Closing the Women’s Wealth Gap Initiative.
• Co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Eliminating the Black-White
Wealth Gap.
• Member of the Bipartisan Commission on Retirement Security and Personal
Savings
About Kilolo Kijakazi Ph.D, M.S.W.
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Acting Commissioner of Social Security
Social Security Administration
Jack McCormack
Director
Vermont Disability Determinations Services
Jack began his career with the DDS in New Jersey when he was hired as a Claims Adjudicator in December 1991. Over the next 10 years, Jack worked his way up to the Senior Adjudicator level and served as a Case Consultant before leaving in 2002 for an opportunity in the Vermont DDS. Since 2002, Jack has served in many roles, including Senior Adjudicator, Hearings Officer, Operations Supervisor and Assistant Director. In August 2021, Jack became Director of the Vermont DDS. He has been an active member in NADE over the years and served as GMADE (VT) chapter President from 2005 to 2007 and managed the 2007 NADE Regional Conference in Stowe, VT. Jack is also a member of the National Council of Disability Determination Directors and serves on the quality and policy committee.
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Director
Vermont Disability Determinations Services
Anatoly Shnaider
Boston Regional Commissioner
Social Security Administration
Anatoly Shnaider is currently serving as the Regional Commissioner for the Boston Region of the Social Security Administration (SSA). He has the overall responsibility for agency service operations in the six New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Prior to assuming the Regional Commissioner position, he served as the Deputy Regional Commissioner, Assistant Regional Commissioner-Management and Operations Support (ARC-MOS), and Director for the Center for Automation in the Boston Region.
Anatoly began his career with SSA in the New York Region where he held a variety of positions including Claims Representative, Area Administrative Assistant, Team Leader and Project Manager. He is a graduate of the Operations Leadership Development Program, and the Senior Executive Service (SES) Candidate Development Program. His SES assignments included serving as the Director of Quality Performance in the New York Region, Deputy Associate Commissioner in the Office of Systems, and Deputy ARC-MOS in the Boston Region.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and an MBA in Finance from Hofstra University.
About Anatoly Shnaider
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Boston Regional Commissioner
Social Security Administration
Grace Kim
Acting Assistant Deputy Commissioner
Social Security Administration
Grace was selected as the Acting Assistant Deputy Commissioner for Operations in June 2017. Before this, she served as the permanent Regional Commissioner of the San Francisco Region, responsible for SSA’s operations in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the Far Pacific.
Grace began her federal service in 1989, when she joined the Chicago Office of the General Counsel (OGC) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). When the Social Security Administration became an independent agency in 1995, Grace continued with SSA’s Chicago OGC. As an attorney for HHS and SSA, Grace represented the agency in a wide array of cases in Federal District Court, the Courts of Appeals, and before various adjudicators and tribunals. Her other positions have included serving as a Supervisory Attorney for five years, as Deputy Regional Chief for six years, as Acting Regional Chief Counsel in Chicago, and as the permanent Regional Chief Counsel for the San Francisco Office.
Grace received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
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Acting Assistant Deputy Commissioner
Social Security Administration
John Owen
Assoc. Commissioner of the Office of Disability Determinations
Social Security Administration
John Owen was appointed the Associate Commissioner in the Office of Disability Determination in October 2016.
John began his professional career at the State of Alaska Disability Determination Services (DDSs), serving in a number of positions, including disability adjudicator, disability hearings officer and in operations management. In 2007, John moved from Alaska to Baltimore, Maryland where he began his SSA career as a program analyst. He has served in many leadership positions within SSA. John is a graduate of the Department of Defense, Defense Language Institute, and Oregon State University. He has completed Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Senior Executive Fellows Program and is a graduate of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Senior Executive Services (SES) Candidate Development Program (CDP) Class VII. John is a U.S. Army veteran, father of three grown daughters, and grandfather to one grandson.
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Assoc. Commissioner of the Office of Disability Determinations
Social Security Administration
Lucinda Davis
Deputy Associate Commissioner, ODD
Social Security Administration
Lucinda E. Davis became the Deputy Associate Commissioner for the Office of Disability Determinations (DCO/ODD) in March 2021 after serving in an acting capacity starting in December 2020.
From 2014 to 2020, Luci served as the Director of the Fiscal Law Division in the Office of General Law in the Office of the General Counsel at SSA. In this capacity, she led a team of highly-specialized attorneys providing legal advice on fiscal and appropriations, contracting and procurement, real property, intellectual property, travel, Federal Tort Claims Act administrative determinations, and other related matters at the agency. She also supervised all contract and procurement litigation at SSA. Luci began her career at SSA in 2006 and worked as an attorney and senior attorney in the Office of General Law. She litigated numerous contracts and personnel cases and provided legal advice on these matters.
In 2019, Luci served as the Acting Deputy Associate Commissioner for the Office of Acquisition and Grants in the Office of Budget, Finance, and Management at SSA and oversaw all contracting and procurement activities at the agency.
Prior to beginning her career in federal service, Luci worked as an Associate Attorney at the Baltimore firm Niles, Barton, & Wilmer, LLP and specialized in property insurance litigation defense. After graduating from law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Audrey J.S. Carrion in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
Although Luci is a Texas native, she has adopted Baltimore as her hometown for over 20 years. She holds an undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College and a J.D. from the Catholic University of America.
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Deputy Associate Commissioner, ODD
Social Security Administration
Angela Wells
Adjudicator II
Vermont Disability Determinations Services
Angela Wells was born in Vermont and raised between her family’s farm in Vermont and the beaches of Cape Cod, MA. She came to Disability Determination Services as a new examiner after working for over 10 years in mental health as an inpatient psychiatric tech and outpatient psychiatric office manager. She took a break from the DDS to work as a Family Readiness Support Assistant for the Vermont Army National Guard for 8 years where she obtained certification as a Master Resiliency Trainer. Once her husband retired from active duty, Angela returned to the DDS. She graduated from Champlain College, VT with an Associate’s Degree in Science and a Bachelor’s Degree from Johnson State College, VT. She lives in Waterbury, VT with her family and for the past 20 years has been involved in youth hockey and her local fire department auxiliary. She enjoys gardening, hosting events and camping.
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Adjudicator II
Vermont Disability Determinations Services
Lesley Brown
Disability Hearings Officer
Kentucky DDS
Lesley became a Disability Hearings Officer in July 2014. As a young adjudicator she always wanted to be a Hearing Officer. When she is not conducting hearings, she is working to make the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in her state more racially equitable for the DDS and Child Support Enforcement by being the team leader. Outside of the DDS she loves to travel. She has traveled to Cuba, Mexico and Paris just to name a few. When she is not traveling she's meeting folks from all over by buying and selling at the local Flea Market every weekend. Even with all that, she still finds time to take care of her two Pom-che’s Rocko and CoCo!
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Disability Hearings Officer
Kentucky DDS
Xusana Davis
Executive Director of Racial Equity
State of Vermont
Xusana Davis was appointed to the position of Executive Director of Racial Equity in June 2019 by Governor Phil Scott. She works with state agencies to identify and address systemic racial disparities, ensure that equity goals and objectives are incorporated throughout the State's operations, and provide strategic and policy guidance on equity issues.
Prior to joining the State of Vermont, Xusana served as Director of Health & Housing Strategic Initiatives at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and as the Director of the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus of the New York City Council.
Xusana holds a Juris Doctor with a concentration in International Human Rights Law from New York Law School, where she also directed a civil liberties education program for low-income youth and youth of color. She studied Anthropology and Philosophy at Fordham University, earning the Rev. J. Franklin Ewing, S.J. Award for writing on the relationship between global human rights violations and the proliferation of HIV/AIDS.
Xusana is first-generation in the U.S., and proud to be a Spanish-fluent Latina who approaches her work from a multicultural perspective.
https://racialequity.vermont.gov/
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Executive Director of Racial Equity
State of Vermont
David Henry Holben, Ph.D.
Director of Office of Food and Nutrition Security, University Of Mississippi
University Of Mississippi
Dr. Holben is a registered dietitian nutritionist with a Level 4 Certificate in School Nutrition from the School Nutrition Association, and former commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Medical Specialist Corps (Reserve Component, 65C IMA, MAJ). Building upon a clinical nutrition and basic science background, his research primarily focuses on food-based STEM education and the relation of food insecurity to health outcomes.
About David Henry Holben, Ph.D.
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Director of Office of Food and Nutrition Security, University Of Mississippi
University Of Mississippi
Marjorie Garcia
President
NADE
Marjorie is the current president of the National Association of Disability Examiners (NADE), and a member since 2005. She has served at the local, regional, and national levels every year since. Ms. Garcia joined the NADE Board of Trustees as the Pacific Regional Director (2015-2019), before joining the ranks of the Executive Board as President Elect, 2019.
Ms. Garcia’s DDS career began at the WV DDS in 2004, joining the OR DDS in 2008, where she remains today. During her DDS career she has worked as an Examiner, beta testing Quick Disability Determination (QDD) processes, the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tool for Document Management Architecture (DMA), and as a Vocational Expert (WV DDS). After joining the OR DDS, Ms. Garcia continued working as an Examiner and Disability Claim Specialist, adjudicating and monitoring specialized caseloads. In her current position as a unit manager in Operations, she continues to manage both the Prerelease/Institutionalized and SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery (SOAR) caseloads.
Marjorie obtained a Master of Science, Organizational Management, degree in 2006 from Capella University and a Bachelor of Science degree, Psychology and Biology, from Fairmont State University, 1982.
www.NADE.org
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President
NADE
Steve Rollins, Esq.
Acting Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Policy
Social Security Administration
Mr. Rollins joined the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2019. Before joining SSA, he was the Director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Disability Determination for over four years. He entered that position after owning and managing Rollins Law Office where he worked for 15 years. In this capacity, he represented individuals with cases involving Social Security Disability Benefits and Supplemental Security Income at the administrative and federal court of appeal levels. He was a former legal counsel to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of General Counsel. Mr. Rollins has lectured on Social Security law for many organizations. These include the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law, and the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives. He has also lectured for various support, insurance, and medical groups.
Mr. Rollins received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. He was awarded his Juris Doctorate from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law.
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Acting Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Policy
Social Security Administration
Ben Gurga
Acting Deputy Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Policy
Social Security Administration
Mr. Gurga joined the Social Security Administration in 2009. He spent his first five years as a data analyst in the Office of Hearings Operations, where he created decision support and anomaly detection tools. He left the hearings space in 2015 to help the agency stand up the Analytics Center of Excellence (ACE). As a Team Lead in ACE for two years, he oversaw data analysis and modeling projects for numerous components. Since April 2020, he has coordinated the agency’s acquisition and use of external medical information about the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Through 2021, he served as the Director in the Office of Decision Support and Strategic Information in the Office of Research and Disability Policy and as a Special Advisor to the Principal Deputy Commissioner before becoming the Acting Deputy Associate Commissioner for Disability Policy. Mr. Gurga earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.
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Acting Deputy Associate Commissioner, Office of Disability Policy
Social Security Administration
Don Jefferson
Deputy Assistant Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General
Social Security Administration
In May 2020, Donald Jefferson was appointed as a Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (DAIGI). As DAIGI, Mr. Jefferson is responsible for providing senior executive level oversight and management of the Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) Program. He engages with stakeholders at all levels to identify and implement efficiencies necessary to ensure operational effectiveness and success of the program. Most recently, this included overseeing the restructuring of the CDI Program, developing the CDI Hub Model, and using reemployed annuitants as investigators.
Prior to his current position as DAIGI, Mr. Jefferson served as a Senior Advisor and Acting DAIGI in the Office of Investigations (OI). In these roles, he advised the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (AIGI) on investigative and operational matters impacting OI’s headquarters components and ten field divisions.
In 2017, Mr. Jefferson was promoted to Special Agent in Charge of the newly established CDI Division in OIG Headquarters. He worked closely with SSA on expansion and has the agency positioned to comply with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which required CDI coverage in all 50 states and U.S. territories by October 1, 2022. The remaining states of Alaska, Delaware, and Pennsylvania are scheduled to have CDI coverage by the end of this fiscal year.
Prior to returning to OIG Headquarters, Mr. Jefferson served as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Division from 2008 to 2017. In this position, he was responsible for supervising and managing investigative offices in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. He also helped establish the Providence CDI Unit.
Mr. Jefferson started his career with SSA OIG in 2003, as a special agent in the Ft. Lauderdale, FL office before accepting a position in 2006, as a regional desk officer in OI’s Criminal Investigations Division in Baltimore.
He is a graduate of Florida A&M University and holds a Certificate of Public Leadership from the Brookings Institute. In 2019, he completed the Senior Executive Fellows Program at the Harvard Kennedy School for Executive Education.
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Deputy Assistant Inspector General, Office of the Inspector General
Social Security Administration
Conor Washington
Special Agent-in-Charge, Cooperative Disability Investigations Division OIG
Social Security Administration
In May 2022, Mr. Washington was assigned to the position of Special Agent-in-Charge of the Eastern Cooperative Disability Investigations (CDI) Division. As the SAC of the Eastern CDI Division, Mr. Washington is responsible for supervising and managing CDI units in New England, New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Mr. Washington also engages with stakeholders in furtherance of the CDI mission.
In April 2021, Mr. Washington was promoted to the position of SAC of the CDI Division located in OIG Headquarters. In this role, he worked closely with SSA on expansion and has the agency positioned to comply with the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, which required CDI coverage in all 50 states and U.S. territories by October 1, 2022. The remaining states of Alaska, Delaware, and Pennsylvania are scheduled to have CDI coverage by the end of this fiscal year.
Mr. Washington joined SSA OIG in 2008, as a Special Agent in the Philadelphia Field Division, Washington D.C. Office. From June 2017 through September 2018, he served as a regional desk officer in OI’s Criminal Investigations Division in Baltimore.
Mr. Washington began his Federal law enforcement career in 2004 as a Uniformed Division Officer with the U.S. Secret Service in Washington D.C. He is a graduate of Towson University.
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Special Agent-in-Charge, Cooperative Disability Investigations Division OIG
Social Security Administration
Stephanie Bissonette
Director of Children Services, TVI and COMS
VT Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Stephanie Bissonette was born and raised in Rhode Island. She received an eye injury at age 8 due to a swinging jump rope handle to her right eye, resulting in glaucoma. Then as a high school student she became interested in the job as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired after watching the television show called “Little House on the Prairie.” She graduated from Dominican College in NY with a Bachelor’s Degree and Boston College in MA with a Master’s Degree. She lives in Hinesburg, VT and for the past 37 years she has been employed at the Vermont Association f/t Blind & Visually Impaired as a licensed Teacher of the Visually Impaired and Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialist. In 1993, she was promoted as the Director of Children Services. In 2015, she received the award for Outstanding Direct Services to Children from the Association for the Education & Rehabilitation for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
https://www.vabvi.org/
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Director of Children Services, TVI and COMS
VT Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Abigail Kirkman, M.A.
Assistant Director, SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance Center
SOAR Works!
Abigail Kirkman, M.A. is an Assistant Director for the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center. She is an expert on the SOAR and Social Security Disability application process, as well as the subject matter expert on American Indian and Alaska Native populations and has expertise with implementing SOAR in rural communities. Prior to joining PRA, she worked as a case manager and employment specialist where she managed programs to retrain and employ youth and individuals with disabilities. She also coordinated a housing and employment program for persons living with HIV/AIDS. Abigail has a B.A. from the College of William & Mary, an M.A. from the University at Albany, State University of New York, and has received comprehensive SSI/SSDI benefits training through Cornell University.
https://soarworks.samhsa.gov/
About Abigail Kirkman, M.A.
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Assistant Director, SAMHSA SOAR Technical Assistance Center
SOAR Works!
Jennifer Pecora
Division Director, Office of Disability Policy
Social Security Administration
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Division Director, Office of Disability Policy
Social Security Administration
Kasey Torres
Office of Quality Review
Social Security Administration
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Office of Quality Review
Social Security Administration
J. Scott Pritchard, D.O.
Medical Consultant
Oregon DDS
About J. Scott Pritchard, D.O.
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Medical Consultant
Oregon DDS
Thato Ratsebe
Associate Director and Program Manager
Association of Africans Living in Vermont
About Thato Ratsebe
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Associate Director and Program Manager
Association of Africans Living in Vermont
Hope Seggelink, Sophia Coccagna
State Employees Wellness Program
LiveWell Vermont
LiveWell Vermont
The Employee Wellness Incentive Program supports the State of Vermont employee and retiree population through partnerships with health and wellness resources both within and outside of state government. Wellness specialists provide individualized coaching, presentations and webinars, wellness breaks, screenings, flu shot clinics, and challenges – and state employees can earn rewards for participating! Employees can find support in many areas of wellness, including physical activity, nutrition, emotional/social wellbeing, financial, and environmental wellness.
About Hope Seggelink, Sophia Coccagna
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State Employees Wellness Program
LiveWell Vermont
A. Evan Eyler, M.D., MPH
Professor, Department of Psychology, Larner College of Medicine, UVM
University of Vermont Medical Center
A Evan Eyler, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.F.P., D.F.A.P.A. is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Robert Larner, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, in Burlington, Vermont. Dr. Eyler is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, with Certificate of Added Qualifications in Consultation Liaison Psychiatry, and the American Board of Family Medicine with Certificate of Added Qualifications in Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Eyler helped found a transgender health program in 1995 and has worked in trans clinical care since that time. Dr. Eyler is co-editor of the books, Principles of Transgender Medicine and Surgery (Routledge 2007) and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Aging: Challenges in Research, Practice and Policy (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012), and co-author of several American Psychiatric Association practice guidelines.
About A. Evan Eyler, M.D., MPH
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Professor, Department of Psychology, Larner College of Medicine, UVM
University of Vermont Medical Center
Jennifer Nottingham
President-Elect
NADE
About Jennifer Nottingham
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President-Elect
NADE
