Speakers
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)
U.S. Senator Bob Casey fights every day for Pennsylvania families. He is a strong advocate for policies that improve the health care and early learning of children and policies that will raise wages for the middle class. Senator Casey serves on four committees including the Senate Finance Committee and Senate HELP Committee. He is also the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, where his agenda is focused on policies that support seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
First elected in 1996, U.S. Senator Susan Collins has had a long-standing interest in health care. In 1997, she founded the Senate Diabetes Caucus and has led the effort to more than triple federal funding for diabetes research. As the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer ’s Disease, she has worked to increase funding for Alzheimer’s research and to strengthen support for family caregivers. Senator Collins is the Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging and serves as the ranking member of the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee. She also serves on the Intelligence Committee as well as the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan is committed to working with members of both parties to represent New Hampshire values and to solve problems to expand middle class opportunity, support small businesses, and keep America safe, secure, and free. She is the second woman in American history to be elected both Governor and United States Senator. Senator Hassan was first elected to the New Hampshire Senate in 2004. In 2013, she was sworn in as the 81st Governor of New Hampshire. Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, Senator Hassan is a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) Committee; the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee; the Finance Committee; and the Joint Economic Committee.
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV)
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin was sworn into the United States Senate on November 15, 2010 to fill the seat left vacant by the late Senator Robert C. Byrd. Born and raised in the small coal mining town of Farmington, W.Va., Sen. Manchin grew up learning the values that all West Virginians share — family, common sense, fairness and hard work. Senator Manchin currently serves as the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and also serves on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL)
U.S. Senator Rick Scott was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 and is currently serving his first term representing the state of Florida. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, he served two terms as the 45th Governor of Florida. Sen. Scott currently serves on the following Committees: Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Committee on Armed Services, Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committee, Senate Committee on the Budget, and the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)
First elected in 2013, Tim is a leader on tax reform, education and job training, and innovative ideas to reinvest in our nation’s distressed communities. His signature legislation creating Opportunity Zones was passed as part of the 2017 tax reform package and has the potential to bring billions of dollars of private investment into distressed communities across the country. Tim serves on five Senate Committees, including Finance, and as the Ranking member for the Special Committee on Aging.
Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA)
Elected in 2019, U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which is comprised of ten counties throughout Central Virginia. She serves on the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture. She chairs the Conservation & Forestry Subcommittee of the Committee on Agriculture. In early February she partnered with Young Kim (R-CA) to introduce bipartisan legislation to establish a new grant program to help small businesses and essential employers acquire PPE.
Jim VandeHei | Co-founder and CEO of Axios and co-founder and former CEO of Politico
Jim VandeHei is a media entrepreneur and expert on American politics. Before founding Politico, VandeHei spent more than a decade covering the power politics of Washington. He cut his teeth at Roll Call, where he routinely broke exclusive national stories. He moved to the Wall Street Journal in the late 1990s, and then the Washington Post in 2002. His expertise in a variety of areas – Congress, the White House, campaigns, lobbying, policy, and media – allows VandeHei to tailor his speeches to the specific needs and interests of his audience.
Thomas R. Barker | Partner, Foley Hoag
Thomas Barker has been a partner at Foley Hoag since March of 2009. Tom focuses his practice on complex federal and state health care legal and regulatory matters with a special expertise in Medicare and Medicaid law including coverage, reimbursement, and regulatory oversight. In May of 2019, he was appointed as a commissioner of the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), an advisory body that provides policy advice to Congress and the states on the Medicaid and CHIP programs. Prior to joining the firm, he was acting General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and General Counsel of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Maury Baskin | Co-chair, Littler Workplace Policy Institute
Maury Baskin is the co-chair at Littler Workplace Policy Institute focusing on national labor policy, challenging excessive government regulation on behalf of small and large businesses and advising employers in compliance issues. He has extensive experience in dealing with labor relations and union pressure tactics, employment discrimination, and wage and hour law. Maury has served as lead counsel at all levels of the federal and state courts and before the U.S. Supreme Court, and has recently led successful challenges against nationwide federal labor regulations. He has also succeeded in the courts in numerous cases involving the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Department of Labor (DOL).
Tyson Belanger | Owner and Director, Shady Oaks Assisted Living
Tyson Belanger graduated with a B.A. from Yale University in 1998, served 3 tours in Iraq as a Marine infantry officer, and earned an international relations Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2014. In 2016, he bought Shady Oaks Assisted Living in Bristol Connecticut (TIN #061556008) from his parents. Shady Oaks is a small, cozy, and loyal home. During the 2020 COVID-19 spring surge, Tyson and 17 staff members formed a caregiving bubble and lived quarantined on-site for over two months. Tyson recently received a Phase III denial from the Department of Health and Human Services. It had no explanation or way of appeal. Tyson seeks due process and equal protection for his CARES Act Phase III application and a fair review for all Phase III denied applications submitted by other homes.
Tara Clayton, J.D. | Senior Claim Consultant, Willis Towers Watson
Tara has extensive experience dealing with senior living general liability, professional liability, and medical malpractice claims. Prior to joining Willis Towers Watson, she served as vice president of operations legal counsel for a multi-state senior living provider. Tara uses her broad knowledge and expertise to develop risk management tools that help clients reduce claim activity. She also uses her negotiating skills and experience to provide clients with strategic and tactical advice concerning effective claim resolution. Tara received her J.D. from Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, and her Bachelor in Health Sciences degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from the University of Louisville.
Samantha Koehler | Senior Policy Aide, U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, Office of U.S. Senator Bob Casey
Samantha Koehler is a staffer on the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, serving as senior policy aide under Chairman Senator Bob Casey. Her current work focuses on the intersection of aging and health policy, including aging direct services, rural health, long-term care, and Medicare access and affordability. Prior to joining the federal government Samantha was a direct practice social worker. As a care manager for older adults, she focused on long-term care planning and access to health and social services. Samantha has Master of Social Work and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Michigan.
Joel Nelson | President & CEO, LCS
As president and CEO of LCS, Joel is responsible for executing the business strategy for all business lines in the LCS Family of Companies. He provides leadership and strategic direction for business growth, service excellence, enhancing the company’s stability, and establishing value among financial partners, property owners, and other stakeholders in the senior living industry. Focused on the LCS vision to create opportunities for purposeful living filled with rich experiences, Joel takes great pride in serving more than 40,000 seniors in 135 senior living communities across the country. Outside the organization, Joel serves as a board member of the national associations of Argentum and ASHA and is a member of the National Investment Center operator advisory board.
John Schulte | Vice President, Quality Improvement, Argentum
Schulte joined Argentum in 2018 to lead the association’s quality initiative. Prior to that he led accreditation for Sufka & Associates in Washington, D.C. where he helped associations prepare for personnel certification accreditation. He also served as executive vice president for the National Environmental Balancing Bureau in Gaithersburg, Md., where he led the standards and personnel certification programs consistent with industry best practices. He holds a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of New Orleans and has completed continuing education courses and workshops from the American National Standards Institute.
Conor Sheehey | Deputy Legislative Director, Office of U.S. Senator Tim Scott (Member, Aging Services Committee)
Conor Sheehey serves as deputy legislative director to Senator Tim Scott, managing the Senator’s health, labor, and retirement security policy portfolios. He has served in Sen. Scott’s office since 2017 after working as a Teach For America corps member in the Bronx and completing his master’s degree at the Relay Graduate School of Education. Conor earned his bachelor’s degree with distinction at the University of Virginia, which he attended as a Jefferson Scholar.
Alex Somodevilla | Associate, Foley Hoag
Alexander Somodevilla is an associate in Foley Hoag’s Administrative Law Department. Alexander provides coverage, reimbursement, and compliance strategies advice to a broad range of healthcare providers, manufacturers, and payers. Alexander also helps healthcare companies navigate state and federal healthcare regulatory issues. Prior to joining Foley Hoag, Alexander served as a senior research associate at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health where he focused on healthcare legal and policy issues involving Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. Alexander has also worked at a boutique law firm specializing in provider reimbursement issues.
Kristen Swearingen | Vice President of Legislative and Political Affairs at ABC National
Kristen Swearingen serves as vice president of legislative and political affairs at ABC National. She leads the association’s lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill and coalition efforts in the business community. She currently chairs the 600-plus member Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, fighting against the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. Prior to joining ABC, Swearingen served as a staffer in the office of former Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.). She is a graduate of the College of Charleston.
Scott Wallace | Managing Partner, Client Advocate, Willis Towers Watson
Scott works with clients on complex claim and placement issues relating to professional liability exposures. Prior to his current role, Scott served as a claims advocate in the Atlanta and Chicago offices of a global broker, specializing in professional liability claims. Before joining the brokerage industry in 2007, Scott was an insurance coverage litigation attorney in Chicago. He holds his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law and his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University.
Zachary W. Williams | Managing Partner, Forbes Tate Partners
Zach has constructed and executed dozens of strategies on behalf of Forbes Tate Partners’ clients on issues, including, but not limited to: tax, finance, housing, healthcare, and technology. A partner at Cauthen, Forbes & Williams – which later became Forbes Tate Partners – and former managing director of Cauthen and Associates in Washington, DC, Zach’s broad experience in Democratic politics began with his work with the Alabama Democratic Party in the 1996 statewide, coordinated campaign. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Zach received his bachelor’s degree in political science and foreign languages and also studied business law at the L’Ecole Supérieure du Commerce Extérieur in Paris, France.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I expect from the 2021 Public Policy Institute?
- Hear from leaders within the new administration and Congress on their plans to fight the pandemic and enact policy that will directly impact senior living communities.
- Learn from industry experts on looming regulatory barriers and how your voice is needed to change this course.
- Speak directly with your congressional delegation on Capitol Hill and educate them about senior living issues affecting your community.
- Learn to become an advocate and how your voice can make a difference.
Who can register to attend the event?
Argentum is a private, non-governmental nonprofit association serving the senior living community. Argentum’s events, publications, and other services are provided exclusively to owners and operators of senior living communities and to suppliers to those owners and operators. Argentum reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to accept or reject access to, or participation in, the association’s events, publications, and other services. If you’re a member of the media and would like to be considered for access, please email jmckay@argentum.org to request this accommodation.
