Jenkins has more than 25 years of policy expertise in government relations, industry, and the nonprofit sector

Washington, D.C., September 12, 2017 – Today the Alliance for Aging Research (Alliance) is pleased to announce that respected policy expert Ellen Dunbar “Missy” Jenkins has joined the organization as its new vice president of public policy.

Jenkins brings significant public policy and legislative expertise to the Alliance. Her accomplishments include:

• Overseeing efforts to include the FDA global inspection provision as part of the agency’s reauthorization bill of 2012.
• Leading a successful bipartisan coalition that focused on enacting biosimilars legislation as part of the Affordable Care Act.
• Working with congressional leadership to establish a uniform national standard for electronic prescribing.
• Playing a strategic communications role on behalf of the nation’s pharmacy benefit managers as she worked in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of the implementation of the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA).
• Serving as health advisor to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

“Missy Jenkins brings unparalleled expertise, leadership, and a passion for the mission of the Alliance to this position,” says Susan Peschin, MHS, Alliance president and CEO. “Her experience both on the Hill and in industry has earned her a well-deserved reputation as someone who gets things done. I look forward to working beside her to advance the Alliance’s policy priorities.”

Jenkins comes to the Alliance after six years of operating BelleAire Consulting LLC, a Washington D.C.-based public policy consulting firm that specialized in coalition building, government relations, strategic planning and positioning, and public policy. Previously, Jenkins held leadership positions at Mylan, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, PhRMA, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“I am very gratified to be joining the Alliance for Aging Research in its mission to spur innovation so we can all live healthier lives, no matter what age we are,” says Jenkins.

“We have all been touched by diseases related to aging. I lost my father to Alzheimer’s disease, a condition for which there is currently no cure or even a disease-modifying therapy. To have the chance to work for an organization dedicated to pursuing policy goals focused on advancing research into conditions like Alzheimer’s disease—and others like it—makes this opportunity even more personally rewarding.”

Jenkins holds a B.S. in Engineering from Clemson University. She recently chaired a fundraiser to benefit an HIV/AIDS clinic in Kampala, Uganda, where she has also personally volunteered.

For inquiries, please contact Noel Lloyd at 202-688-1229 or [email protected].

About the Alliance for Aging Research
The Alliance for Aging Research is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discoveries and their application in order to vastly improve the universal human experience of aging and health. The Alliance was founded in 1986 in Washington, D.C., and has since become a valued advocacy organization and a respected influential voice with policymakers. Visit www.agingresearch.org for more information.

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