Nancy A. Miller, Professor of Public Policy, UMBC

Nancy Miller has conducted interdisciplinary health policy research, focusing on disability and aging issues, for the past 18 years, first through her work at the Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or CMS), and most recently as a faculty member in the Department of Public Policy.

In 2004, Dr. Miller received the University System of Maryland Regents Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring. In 2005, she received the UR Great Award from UMBC’s Graduate Student Association. She is an active member of the Gerontological Health Section (GHS) of the American Public Health Association, where she was the 2007-2009 GHS Chair. Prof. Miller recently served as a member of Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Work Group for the O’Malley/Brown Transition.

Dr. Miller received a B.A. in Psychology from Earlham College, and received both her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.

Charles Milligan has been executive director of The Hilltop Institute since 2004. Mr. Milligan has primary responsibility for Hilltop's work for its clients, including the Maryland Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, the Maryland Medicaid program, the New Mexico Medicaid program, other state agencies in Maryland, the federal government, and private foundations. Mr. Milligan also coordinates Hilltop's work with the academic departments and research centers at UMBC.

Before joining Hilltop, Mr. Milligan was vice president at The Lewin Group, where he provided consulting services to states and other clients primarily involving the Medicaid program. His work was varied and included long-term care reform, coverage for the uninsured, Medicaid managed care, and other projects involving publicly financed health care. He has testified before Congress, and before state legislatures in eight states. Prior to his work at Lewin, Mr. Milligan was Medicaid and SCHIP director for the state of New Mexico. He practiced health care law earlier in his career.

Mr. Milligan holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.P.H. from the University of California at Berkeley, and a B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

John M. Colmers, Secretary,Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and co-chair, Health Care Reform Coordinating Council

John M. Colmers is the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. This cabinet level agency has a budget of $8.0 billion and nearly 7,000 employees. 

From November 2000 through January 2007, Mr. Colmers was a Senior Program Officer for the Milbank Memorial Fund. The New York-based Milbank Memorial Fund is an endowed national foundation that provides nonpartisan analysis, study, research, and communication on significant issues in health policy. 

Prior to joining the Fund, he spent 19 years in Maryland State government where he held various positions, including executive director of the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) and the Health Services Cost Review Commission, the agency overseeing Maryland’s all-payer hospital rate setting system.  

Mr. Colmers has a B.S. from the Johns Hopkins University and an M.P.H. from UNC Chapel Hill. He was a director of CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Chairman of one of its affiliates, CareFirst of Maryland, Inc. He is currently a member of the Board of Academy Health where he serves as chair.  He is a past chair of the steering committee of the Reforming States Group, a bipartisan group of executive and legislative leaders. 

Paul Fronstin, Senior Research Associate, Employee Benefit Research Institute

Paul Fronstin is a senior research associate with the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to original public policy research and education on economic security and employee benefits. He is also Director of the Institute's Health Research and Education Program. He has been with EBRI since 1993.

Dr. Fronstin's research interests include trends in employment-based health benefits, consumer-driven health benefits, the uninsured, retiree health benefits, employee benefits and taxation, and public opinion about health care. He currently serves on the steering committee for the Emeriti Retirement Health Program. He is also the associate editor of Benefits Quarterly and is a TIAA-CREF Fellow. In 2002 he served on the Maryland State Planning Grant Health Care Coverage Workgroup. In 2001, Dr. Fronstin served on the Institute of Medicine Subcommittee on the Status of the Uninsured.

Dr. Fronstin regularly testifies before various committees of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. He has appeared before over 100 groups to share his expertise on employee benefits. He has also made numerous presentations for congressional staff and the media.

Dr. Fronstin earned his Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY Binghamton and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Miami.