Lora M. Pellegrini, Esq.
President and CEO
Lora has been President and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP) since February 2010. Under her leadership, MAHP has focused on providing access to high-quality, affordable, and equitable health care for all Massachusetts residents.
During her tenure at MAHP, Lora has served as a member of the Health Policy Commission’s Advisory Council, served on the Legislature’s 2017 Special Commission on Provider Price Variation, and was appointed by Governor Baker to both the Digital Health Council and the Merged Market Advisory Council. Lora also serves as Vice President of the Massachusetts Health Council.
Prior to joining MAHP, Lora was the Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Relations at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, where she oversaw over $1M in community giving annually. She also worked on the staffs of Governors Deval Patrick and Michael Dukakis, and as an assistant attorney general.
Lora has a special interest in issues of importance to women and girls. She served for many years as a Big Sister and she is a former president of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus (MWPC), a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting women to elected and appointed office. She is currently a Board Member of Dedham Savings Bank.
In October 2019, Lora was awarded the Abigail Adams Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus for her years of service to the MWPC. Lora was named to the Boston Business Journal’s (BBJ) 2017 and 2018 Power 50, the BBJ’s list of the 50 most powerful individuals in Boston-area business. She was also named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Boston by Boston Magazine. In 2018 she was awarded the Women’s Bar Association’s Lelia J. Robinson Award, the organization’s most prestigious award which recognizes women who, like Robinson, are pioneers in the legal profession, experts in their fields and have made a difference in their community. The WBA recognized Lora’s work to ensure that Massachusetts women have access to contraceptive coverage as part of their insurance coverage when that coverage was threatened federally.
Lora holds a BA from Wheaton College and a JD from the New England School of Law.
Sarah Gordon Chiaramida, Esq.
Senior Vice President of Health Policy, General Counsel
Sarah joined MAHP in 2006, shortly following passage of Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006. She was promoted to Senior Vice President of Health Policy and General Counsel in 2020. Sarah brought with her two years of litigation experience in criminal, financial, and insurance litigation. After joining MAHP, Sarah became intimately involved in implementation of Chapter 58, working with issues related to commercial, Medicaid and Connector programs. Sarah is responsible for coordinating MAHP’s public policy agenda, including all issues related to Medicaid and MassHealth and behavioral health. Sarah has represented MAHP on a number of commissions and working groups related to MassHealth and behavioral health care. Sarah also serves as MAHP’s general counsel and advises MAHP on compliance with state Ethics laws and regulations. Sarah received a BA, Honors, in Environmental Policy from the University of Kansas and holds a JD from Vermont Law School.
Elizabeth Leahy, Esq.
Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Engagement, Chief of Staff
Liz joined MAHP in May 2014 as a Research and Policy Analyst. She was promoted to the position of Chief of Staff and Vice President of Advocacy and Engagement in 2021, advancing to Senior Vice President in 2023. Liz is responsible for fostering MAHP’s collaboration efforts with stakeholders across the health care sector. Liz oversees legislative and regulatory issues relative to dual-eligible managed care programs, public health, and administrative simplification. She serves as MAHP’s representative on the Mass Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder organization focused on administrative simplification across the Massachusetts health care industry. She is the project leader for the Collaborative’s Strategy and Operations group, where she oversees the development of uniform prior authorization forms required by state law and she is heavily involved in ways to improve and streamline the provider credentialing process.
Liz is an adjunct faculty member of the Women and Gender Studies Department and the Pre-Law Minor at Merrimack College, where she teaches courses in gender studies, law, and public policy. She has been a visiting lecturer at Tufts University’s EX-College, and has worked with a variety of public interest groups including the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, Community Catalyst, and the Community Dispute Settlement Center. Liz was appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on Discrimination Advisory Board by Governor Baker in 2017 and currently serves on the Young Professionals Board of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus. She is a Professional designee through the Academy for Health Care Management (PAHM). She holds a J.D. from New England School of Law and a B.A. from Merrimack College.
Elizabeth Murphy, Esq.
Vice President of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs
Elizabeth (Fluet) Murphy joined the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans in May 2011 as a Public Policy Analyst and was promoted to Vice President of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs in 2020. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing issues affecting the health insurance industry before the Legislature, the Division of Insurance, and the Health Connector. Liz analyzes proposed and enacted legislation, regulations and sub-regulatory guidance in order to determine the impact on MAHP’s 17 member health plans. Liz regularly represents the plans before state regulatory agencies and is responsible for facilitating the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She currently serves on the Governor’s Postpartum Depression Commission and is also an active member of the Public Policy Committee within the Boston Bar Association’s Health Law Section. Liz was previously employed as Chief of Staff for State Representative David Torrisi for more than ten years. She received her law degree from Suffolk University Law School and her Masters Degree in Public Affairs from UMass Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. She received a Bachelors in Political Science at Boston University.
Ann Chamberlin LaBelle
Program and Special Projects Manager
Ann joined MAHP in November of 2010 as a freelance Communications Specialist and was promoted to the position of Policy Analyst in January 2014. In December 2017, Ann took on the position of Program and Special Projects Manager. In this role, she is responsible for planning and executing the MAHP Annual Conference as well as events throughout the year. Ann also coordinates MAHP Board of Directors, Medical Directors and Legislative Work Group meetings. In addition, she works on special projects, affiliate memberships, and legislative tracking. Ann previously worked on the legislative staffs of former Governor Michael Dukakis and State Representative Warren E. Tolman. She also managed government and media relations for a small public agency and worked as a communications consultant for a major medical supply company. Ann received her Bachelors degree in Government with a focus in Communications from Suffolk University.
Lynda Jackson
Manager of Public Policy & Communications
Lynda Jackson joins MAHP with over ten years of experience in healthcare working with Massachusetts payers. She comes to MAHP from BMC HealthNet Plan, where she worked for seven years, first as a Policy Manager and then as the Manager of Government Affairs and Communications. In that role, she was responsible for tracking and analyzing legislative and regulatory issues for the organization and working with internal business units to develop policy positions. She also managed communications with the media. Earlier in her career, Lynda worked at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care as a Legal Analyst where she conducted research and regulatory work. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Trinity College and a Masters in Health Management and a Health Policy Certificate from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell.
Members of the press can reach Lynda at Jackson@mahp.com.
Bhagyashree (Nikki) Sonwane
Senior Health Policy and Research Analyst
Nikki worked with MAHP since April 2019 as a Health Policy Consultant. She joined the team as Health Policy and Research Analyst in January 2021. Nikki brought with her years of legal experience in business, health, employment and public policy issues in India and United States. Nikki is responsible for managing and working with MAHP member health plans, related to development and execution of MAHP’s health care policy and strategy development. She serves as a research wing for MAHP projects and provides assistance with MAHP data collection and analysis relating to MAHP member health plans’ programs, Medicaid and BH issues; works with MAHP team and MAHP member health plans to analyze legislation and regulations relative to Massachusetts health care policy; and on the development and implementation of MAHP’s legislative agenda, including health care cost legislation.
Nikki is currently a PhD candidate at Westcliff University, where she is working on developing her dissertation relative to administration and management of law, public policy, and programs. Nikki holds a Master of Law in International Business Laws (LL.M.) from Northeastern University School of Law and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A) from Campbellsville University.
Alyson Durlin
Health Policy and Research Analyst
Alyson joined MAHP as a Health Policy and Research Analyst in July 2021. She brought her experience in public policy and government relations from AARP Massachusetts where she helped analyze and research policy, programs, and regulations affecting the 50+ population in Massachusetts. Alyson also brought her experience with the Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights where she helped research and analyze women’s health policies and legislation in Massachusetts. Alyson received her master’s in public administration as well as a graduate certificate in gender, leadership, and public policy from the University of Massachusetts Boston and is a proud member of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy.
Jessica Lussier
Office Manager & Executive Assistant to the President & CEO
Jessica joined MAHP in 2014 from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, where she was Office Manager/Internship Coordinator for three years. As the Office Manager of MAHP, Jessica is responsible for providing administrative support to MAHP’s members, assisting with event planning, including the MAHP Annual Conference, maintaining the office, and other duties as needed. In her role as Executive Assistant to the President & CEO, Jessica maintains Lora’s schedule and provides administrative assistance to the MAHP staff. Jessica graduated from Westfield State College with a Bachelor Degree in Communications.
Jan Cook, MD
Medical Director
Jan joined MAHP in September 2022 as its medical director. She is a board-certified internist with a master’s in public health. Along with a passion for health care quality and safety, she brings over 25 years of experience as a physician executive with an extensive leadership background working in the health insurance industry. She works as a health care consultant and a physician surveyor/trainer for the National Committee on Quality Assurance. Prior to these positions, she was Vice President and Senior Medical Director at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care for almost 3 years. She served as Chief Medical Officer at Minuteman Health for four years and as a medical director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts for almost two decades. Jan received her medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri and her master’s in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health.
