National Academy of Social Insurance Welcomes Three Longtime Leaders as Senior Fellows

Washington DC, May 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The National Academy of Social Insurance is excited to announce the addition of three new senior fellows, each of whom is a longtime leader in the social insurance field: Robert Espinoza, Kathryn Edwards, and Elisa Walker.  

“I’m thrilled to welcome Robert, Kathryn, and Elisa to the Academy’s growing team. Each brings deep expertise and a long-standing commitment to advancing equity and economic security, and their leadership will be a tremendous asset as we strengthen the Academy’s work on long-term care, Social Security, and the broader landscape of social insurance,” said Academy CEO Rebecca Vallas. “As we continue to grow our senior fellows program, I’m excited to build alongside these three outstanding leaders who share our mission to make the promise of economic dignity real for all.” 

Robert Espinoza is a prominent advocate and thought leader in the fields of workforce, aging, and caregiving. He has dedicated more than 25 years to advancing public policy on the workforce, caregiving, long-term care and opportunity for all—and more. Most recently, Robert served as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Skills Coalition; previously, Robert was the Executive Vice President of Policy at PHI, the nation’s foremost organization focused on the direct care workforce. Robert sits on the board of directors for the FrameWorks Institute and the American Society on Aging, where he holds the position of Board Chair. Since 2023, he has hosted A Question of Care, an award-winning podcast exploring the many challenges facing our country’s caregiving system. Robert was selected for the inaugural CARE100 list in 2020 and was named one of Next Avenue’s 2020 Influencers in Aging. As a distinguished fellow and senior advisor to the CEO at the Academy, Robert will center building support for a long-term care system that works for older adults, people with disabilities, and the workers who make care possible every day. 

Kathryn Edwards is a PhD Economist with decades of experience studying labor market, public policy, and inequality. Previously, Kathryn served as an economist at the RAND Corporation. A member of the Academy since 2015, she joins the Academy as a senior fellow after authoring multiple major Academy reports over the years, including A Young Person’s Guide to Social Security, and as the principal investigator for the Academy’s Economic Security Study Panel from 2019-2021. A contributor to Bloomberg News, where she writes regularly about the economy, Kathryn recently launched a popular podcast called “Optimist Economy,” which explores how the U.S. economy can be improved and empowers listeners to understand that the American economy can—and should—work better for everyone. Kathryn also has a viral social media presence, where she posts regularly about economics, social insurance, and public policy.  

Elisa Walker is a Social Security expert with 15 years of experience analyzing and shaping Social Security policy from the executive branch, legislative branch, and think tank perspectives. Previously, she served as a Senior Technical Advisor at the Social Security Administration’s Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs; as a Professional Staff Member for the House Ways and Means Committee’s Social Security Subcommittee; and in several roles in SSA’s policy office. Joining the Academy team as a senior fellow is also something of a homecoming for her, as she started her career as a policy analyst at the Academy many years ago. Elisa has co-authored several Academy publications over the years, including the 2014 public opinion initiative Americans Make Hard Choices on Social Security: A Survey with Trade-Off Analysis. A member of the Academy since 2015, Elisa was an Academy “torch recipient” in 2017 and received the Frances Perkins Center’s Open-Door Award in 2015. Elisa’s work with the Academy as a senior fellow will focus on Social Security. 

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About the National Academy of Social Insurance 

Founded in 1986, the National Academy of Social Insurance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization made up of the nation’s leading experts on social insurance policy, practice, research, and innovation. From Social Security and Supplemental Security Income; to Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act; to Workers’ Compensation and Unemployment Insurance; to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and income-boosting tax credits, America’s social insurance ecosystem serves as the bedrock of economic protection against the risks of life — such as when we retire, lose a job, experience disability/illness, or lose a family breadwinner. For nearly 40 years, the Academy and its powerful, diverse member network have championed the safeguarding, strengthening, and modernizing of social insurance and worked to increase public understanding of how it contributes to economic security. 

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