Executive Director/Director of Health and Community Initiatives

Dr. Sharon Allison-Ottey, MD is an energetic and engaging speaker, author, health educator/physician and health strategist/consultant. Dr. Allison-Ottey serves as Executive Director and Director of Health and Community Initiatives of The COSHAR Foundation. We FEATURE Dr. Allison-Ottey to examine the upcoming open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act, which begins on October 1, 2013. Dr. Allison-Ottey is a nationally recognized lecturer/speaker for healthcare professionals. She is also recognized for her unique and articulate views on public health policy.

Associate Director

Carah Ong has years of experience dealing with nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, and missile defense issues. She has spoken all across the US and around the world on these issues. We FEATURE Ms. Ong to discuss the relations between the US and Iran, and the importance of nuclear policy. Carah Ong worked for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation as its Advocacy and Research Director from 1999-2006, including opening and serving as the Director of the Foundation’s Washington DC office from 2005-2006. She co-founded and managed the Foundation’s Turn the Tide advocacy campaign to chart a new course for US nuclear policy. Ms. Ong is currently a PhD candidate studying American political development, foreign and national security policy at the University of Virginia.

Executive Director

Danielle Brian has been the executive director of the Project On Government Oversight, a nonprofit government watchdog since 1993. Brian has led numerous investigations that have exposed wasteful government spending and helped precipitate policy reforms improving government programs. We FEATURE Ms. Brian in response to the impending government shutdown that will occur if Congress cannot agree upon a budget resolution. Before becoming executive director, Brian worked as a producer for television documentaries, as a policy analyst at the Arms Control and Foreign Policy Congressional Caucus, and as a research associate at POGO.

Managing Director

In response to a recent IMF warning of slowed progress of achieving gender equality, we SPOTLIGHT international women's rights expert Shazia Z. Rafi to discuss the findings. Shazia Z. Rafi is, since 1996, secretary-general of Parliamentarians for Global Action, an association of more than 1,350 individual legislators from 131 national parliaments. PGA programs promote peace, democracy, justice and sustainable development around the world. Ms. Rafi is an expert in building representative, accountable, international political systems based on the rule of law. Regional specialization is in the Islamic countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.