Elizabeth Lower-Basch Email & Phone Number

Falls Church, Va, Us

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

• Represented CLASP at high-profile events and act as a thought leader. Provided expert guidance and leadership to CLASP’s five policy teams, overseeing two-thirds of the organization’s employees. Coached team directors in setting priorities given capacity and developing strategy based on assessment of opportunities, threats, and CLASP's unique contributions. Provided institutional knowledge and stability and kept change processes moving during a time of multiple organizational transitions. • Updated and streamlined annual organizational planning process to focus on setting priorities, sharing lessons learned and identifying ways to respond to changing circumstances with maximal impact. Combined duplicative processes for reporting to Board of Trustees and funders to reduce burden on staff.• Developed and led cross-organization areas of work, recognizing that the same families are impacted by many of the different programs and policies that CLASP works on. Key priorities include multi-generational strategies, defending democracy, leveraging the investments of the Inflation Reduction Act for people with low-incomes, and incorporating the expertise of people with lived experience of poverty into policy work. • Led CLASP’s involvement on foundation project in which 10 organizations collaboratively co-designed shared goals, structure, governance and budget for $14 million in pooled funds.

• Built Income and Work Supports issue area team advocating and providing technical assistance on the full range of public benefit programs. Recruited, hired and developed staff from research assistants to senior policy analysts to high levels of performance, including during transition to remote/hybrid work. Supervised and mentored staff to create a team culture of ongoing experimentation, reflection and learning. • Developed and secured funding for a major project on improving policy and practice in the delivery of public benefits so people with low income can receive the full range of supports for which they are eligible, with dignity and minimal burden. Provided technical assistance to politically diverse state and county agencies on federal policies, requirements and flexibilities and best practices from other states to improve access to Medicaid and SNAP. Led project to support learning community on state-based administrative advocacy in 15 states, resulting in improvements to policies, client communications, technology, increasing enrollment and reducing churn. • Together with partners at CLASP and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), conceived, launched and implemented the multi-sector Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) campaign in response to threats to low-income immigrant families’ access to benefits. Set goals for both quality and quantity of comments on the public charge proposed rule, resulting in over 260,000 comments and substantive comments from many sectors that were important in litigation that delayed implementation of rule. Successfully advocated for new Administration to prioritize repealing harmful public charge rule and finalizing a new rule that does not consider non-cash supports. Transitioned PIF to independent structure.• Led Income and Work Supports team to identify racial equity as a core goal of our work and to develop the knowledge and self-awareness needed to speak about racism in public benefits programs.

• Analyzed policy proposals, made recommendations, synthesized research findings, conducted legislative and administrative advocacy, and provided technical assistance to policymakers and advocates through papers and presentations. Built strong relationships with diverse stakeholders.• During the Great Recession, identified that states were leaving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund money on the table. Conducted real-time research and delivered intensive technical assistance and advocacy, resulting in states drawing down the full $5 billion, twice as much as the Congressional Budget Office originally estimated. Resulted in families receiving cash assistance and more than 260,000 low-income parents and youth being hired in subsidized jobs.

Appointed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a policy expert to a Congressionally mandated advisory commission charged with analyzing how USDA programs, policies, systems, structures and practices contribute to barriers to inclusion or access, systemic discrimination, or exacerbate or perpetuate racial, economic, health and social disparities.Actively engaged in Commission discussion to develop actionable recommendations that would have meaningful and lasting impact. As the only member of the Commission with expertise on the USDA nutrition programs, I educated fellow members on barriers to access that impact communities of color. The recommendations I developed and proposed were unanimously supported for inclusion in our report.

Policy Analyst for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Division of Human Services Policy.• Reviewed proposed TANF and job training policies in support of senior Administration officials. Analyzed expected effects on families with low incomes and on state and local governments. • Based on assessment of upcoming issues, developed and managed portfolio of research on programs that affect families with low incomes. Synthesized research on AFDC waivers and TANF "leaver" studies, including first analysis of differential outcomes for Black and Latino/a parents leaving cash assistance. Led Congressionally mandated study of potential outcome measures for TANF programs.

Mpp

Thesis: Employment in the Health Care Industry as an Economic Resource for Boston

Ba, History

Phi Beta Kappa, Magna cum laude and with Distinction in History. New York Labor History Association Wertheimer Award for an outstanding.