Maura Calsyn

Principal Deputy Administrator
Performing the duties of the ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging

Maura Calsyn joined ACL in June 2023 and began performing the duties of the ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging in October 2024.  She came to ACL from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy. 

Maura has worked on a broad range of health policy areas in Congress, HHS, and non-profits for nearly two decades. As the head of OASH’s Office of Policy and Legislation, Maura developed and directed policy initiatives on a wide variety of issues, including nutrition, LGBTQI+ health equity, Long COVID, and the health impacts of climate change and environmental justice and advised the Assistant Secretary for Health on all aspects of legislation, policy, research, evaluation, and intergovernmental matters.

Before joining OASH, Maura held a variety of health policy and leadership positions at the Center for American Progress (CAP). Most recently, as the Vice President for Health Policy, she led CAP’s health policy development and advocacy efforts. Maura also established CAP’s public health program, which works across the organization to address structural public health challenges and advance health equity. Prior to joining CAP, Maura was an attorney for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Division of the Office of the General Counsel at HHS.

Rick Nicholls

Deputy Administrator and Chief of Staff

As Deputy Administrator and Chief of Staff, Rick Nicholls serves as a senior advisor to the Administrator, Principal Deputy Administrator and the agency on policy, program, and operational priorities, ensuring the agency’s efforts advance the missions of ACL and HHS. He also provides and supports executive leadership across the agency, and directly on the disaster, executive secretariat, international, intergovernmental and external affairs, and records functions of the agency.

Prior to his current position, Rick served as the Deputy Director of Policy within the Bureau of Health Workforce at the Health Resources and Services Administration, where he oversaw the policy, congressional affairs, planning, budget formulation, grants, and executive secretariat activities of the organization. He also has provided leadership in other positions within HHS on policy, program, management, and strategic planning activities, including at ACL, the Administration for Children and Families, the National Institutes of Health, and the HHS Office of the Secretary.

Before joining HHS in 2005, he was a policy maker, program manager, and case worker in the public and private sectors of health care and long-term services and supports. He earned a master of public administration, with a certificate of advanced study in health services management and policy, from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and a bachelor of science degree in psychology with an emphasis in gerontology from the University of Utah. 

Kari Benson

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging

As the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Aging, Kari Benson leads the Administration on Aging in advocating on behalf of older Americans. In this capacity, she guides and promotes the development of home and community-based long-term care programs, policies, and services designed to afford older people and their caregivers the ability to age with dignity and independence and to have a broad array of options available for an enhanced quality of life. This includes the promotion and implementation of evidence-based prevention interventions proven effective in avoiding or delaying the onset of chronic disease and illness.

Kari's entire career has been in the aging network, most recently serving as the director of the Aging and Adult Services Division of the Minnesota Department of Human Services and as the executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging.  Through these dual roles, she oversaw the full range of federal- and state-funded HCBS for older adults, their families, and the friends, neighbors, and others who provide informal caregiving support. Prioritizing collaboration with the 11 tribal nations that share geography with Minnesota, as well as organizations reaching rural and underserved communities, was a hallmark of her leadership at the state level. She also partnered with the state's Disability Services Division to coordinate quality assurance and improvement strategies for the Medicaid waiver programs, strengthen maltreatment and critical incident remediation efforts for older adults and people with disabilities, and launch the state's universal LTSS assessment tool.

Kari holds a bachelor's degree in human ecology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master's degree in public policy from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. 

Kelly Cronin

Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Partnership

As Deputy Administrator for Innovation and Partnership, Kelly Cronin leads the administration of programs and initiatives that serve both older adults and people with disabilities, including consumer access and protection programs.  This includes overseeing the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, grants to improve Medicare beneficiaries’ access to low income subsidies, and the state No Wrong Door System program for access to long-term services and supports.  She also directs efforts to develop and integrate networks of state and community-based organizations to address social determinants of health and to advance the integration of medical and social care to improve health outcomes of older adults and people with disabilities. 

Kelly also has served in a variety of other roles at HHS, including with the FDA, CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, where she coordinated health IT programs and policies associated with health care payment and delivery system reform.

Before joining HHS in 2001, Kelly was a health services researcher and coordinated clinical trials in pharmaceutical and medical technology industries. She holds a master of public health with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics and a master of science in health policy from the School of Public Health and Health Services at The George Washington University.

Kristi Hill, Ph.D.

Acting Director, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research and 
Chair of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research

As Acting Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research and Chair of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research, Kristi Hill provides strategic vision and leadership for ACL's primary research organization. A research administrator and program manager for nearly two decades, she has worked to advance programs, policy, and practice to improve the lives of people with disabilities. She began her federal career in 2001, serving in a variety of programmatic roles at NIDILRR. In 2005, she moved to the U.S. Department of Education as the Director of Small Business Programs, where she oversaw the agency’s work to improve opportunities, competitiveness, and participation of small and disadvantaged businesses in grant and contract programs.

Kristi earned a doctorate in neuroscience from the Medical College of Virginia. She has published in peer reviewed journals and contributed to the development of book chapters, educational tools, training materials and other resources for research and clinical professionals, service providers, and people with disabilities.

Jennifer Johnson, Ed.D.

Acting Commissioner, Administration on Disabilities

As the Acting Commissioner of the Administration on Disabilities, Jennifer Johnson provides overall leadership of AoD's programs and initiatives focused on direct services, research, capacity-building, and system change that are improving the quality of community living. In her role, she oversees disability programs that are working to create change and improve the lives of the estimated 61 million people with disabilities living in the United States by advancing opportunities for inclusion and participation in the community, employment and financial well-being, independence and self-determination. 

As a person with disabilities and a parent of children with disabilities, she has a deep commitment to improving opportunities for disabled people to lead full lives in the community. During her 30-plus year career in government, academia, national organizations, and local school systems, she has worked on a wide variety of issues to advance the meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities. She leads AoD’s work on health equity, including I/DD Counts, an interagency initiative led by ACL to improve the availability of health and prevalence data on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Jennifer holds a doctorate in special education from The George Washington University.

Elliot Kennedy

Deputy Administrator for Policy and Evaluation

Elliot Kennedy leads the Center for Policy and Evaluation. He oversees the evaluation of, and reporting on, the performance of ACL programs; the provision of technical assistance on performance measurement to ACL grantees; and assisting ACL’s organizational units in developing operational plans that include measurable objectives and performance indicators. He also oversees the coordination of policy activities across ACL and the review of departmental policies and guidance related to health and human services. His center's policy development relates to the promotion of community living, including quality measurement of long-term services and supports, and implementation of policies related to person-centered planning.

Elliot joined the Department of Health and Human Services in 2014. He has held a variety of positions across HHS, including with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Elliot earned his juris doctor degree from American University Washington College of Law after attending the University of Vermont.

Christine Phillips

Director, Office of External Affairs

Christine Phillips serves as the senior communications advisor to the Administrator and Principal Deputy Administrator and leads the agency's communications team, which is responsible for media relations and speechwriting, as well as development of Internet, social media, and printed communications in support of expanding opportunities for all people to live independently, in the community.

Prior to joining ACL in 2013, she held similar positions with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Defense Media Activity (part of Department of Defense public affairs), and the Joint IED Defeat Organization. Before moving to the D.C. area, she served as vice president of account services for an Internet marketing agency serving pharmaceutical clients. Earlier roles included media relations, crisis communications, speechwriting, and marketing communications in both corporate and nonprofit settings.

Also a captain in the Navy Reserve, Christine currently serves as the commanding officer of the Navy Reserve Public Affairs Support Element in Norfolk, Virginia. She earned a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Western Michigan University and an MBA from George Mason University. 

Amy Wiatr-Rodriguez

Director, Center for Regional Operations 

As Director of the Center for Regional Operations, Amy Wiatr-Rodriguez leads ACL's team of ten regional administrators who represent ACL in the regions and serve as liaisons to state, tribal, and local aging and disability stakeholders. She also works with and connects stakeholders to other HHS divisions and federal agencies to help advance the development of programs and activities serving older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers.

Since joining federal service in 2007, Amy has served as a liaison to tribal and state aging programs, a program officer for various grant projects, and a resource for technical assistance on a wide range of Older Americans Act and aging policy issues.

Prior to her position with ACL, Amy worked for AgeOptions, an area agency on aging serving the suburban Chicago area.  She also has experience in nursing home and other settings.  She earned a bachelor of arts in social work and English from Concordia University Chicago, and a master of social work with a management concentration from the State University of New York at Albany. 

Rasheed Williams

Deputy Administrator for Management and Budget

As the Deputy Administrator for Management and Budget, Rasheed Williams serves as the Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer for ACL and advises the Administrator on all matters related to resource management and internal administration.

Rasheed oversees the administration of ACL’s financial resources; discretionary and mandatory grants; information technology and telecommunications; procurement and facilities services; personnel and human capital development; and internal control activities. Under his leadership, the Center for Management and Budget is responsible for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of ACL’s operations and providing effective administrative services to support ACL’s programs.

Prior to joining HHS in 2007, Rasheed served in the Executive Office of the President, first as the deputy branch chief for White House Presidential Travel Services and later as director of financial operations for the White House Press Office. He  earned a bachelor of science in aircraft systems and business finance management from Delaware State University.