In a tumultuous time of deregulation, elimination of many government programs, and increasingly anti-consumer behavior by regulated industries, consumers need a strong advocate on their side.
Birny Birnbaum is CEJ’s Executive Director. Birny is a nationally acclaimed expert on insurance availability, data, and rate-making issues with a long history of consumer advocacy on energy, economic development, and insurance issues. Prior to CEJ, Birny was the Associate Commissioner for Policy and Research and Chief Economist at the Texas Department of Insurance and Chief Economist at the Office of Public Insurance Counsel, where he provided expert testimony in numerous proceedings regarding insurance rates and availability. Birny has also been an expert witness in dozens of administrative and judicial proceedings on economic and actuarial issues. He has an expert knowledge of collection and public access to insurance data.
Birny holds Masters Degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in both Management and Urban Studies and Planning. He has served as a designated consumer representative and member of the Consumer Board of Trustees of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) for over a decade. The NAIC adopts model laws and regulations that many states then adopt as the law for their state.
Board Members
Lucy Gorham, President
Lucy Gorham is an independent public policy analyst and advocate with a particular focus on labor markets and income distribution. She has worked for US. Congressional committees and economic development agencies in North Carolina.
Steve Cohen
Steve Cohen taught high school history for twenty years and is in his sixth year as a Lecturer in Education at Tufts University. He edited and wrote anthologies to accompany the public television documentaries Vietnam: A Television History and Eyes On The Prize.
Patty Grossman
Patty Grossman works with community organizations on community development finance and related strategies to promote community development. Under her leadership as the Executive Director, the Cascadia Revolving Loan became a model for a successful community development loan fund.
Clare Hinrichs
Clare Hinrichs is a rural sociologist at Penn State University. Her research, teaching and outreach activities center on sustainable agriculture, environmental change and community development.