Innovators,
Researchers and Doers

Mary Beth Donahue was named President and CEO of Better Medicare Alliance in 2021, bringing nearly three decades of management, health care policy, and patient advocacy to the role. Mary Beth began her career working in state government in her native Massachusetts and ascended to a role as Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Donna E. Shalala during the Clinton administration. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of Kidney Care Partners, a coalition of patient advocates, dialysis professionals, care providers, researchers, and manufacturers dedicated to improving quality of care for individuals living with kidney disease. A leader in patient advocacy and health equity, Mary Beth additionally serves on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a national nonprofit dedicated to empowering children to develop lifelong healthy habits. She served as an Advisory Council Member to the Cancer Support Community. Mary Beth is also the past Executive Vice President of Advocacy and Operations of AHIP, the trade association representing companies providing health insurance coverage in the United States. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College and a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy where she served on the Alumni Board of Directors.

Chris Long joined Better Medicare Alliance as Vice President of Government Affairs in early 2022, bringing three decades of government relations, advocacy, and public service leadership. Long started his career as an aide to Congressman George “Buddy” Darden (D-GA) and, most recently, was partner at Bluestone Strategies LLC, a top bipartisan government affairs firm where he lobbied for over a decade on behalf of clients including Serco Inc., Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), and Kaiser Permanente. Prior to co-founding and leading Bluestone Strategies, Long served as Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for CareCore National, where he advocated for evidence-based specialty benefit management programs during the historic debate on the Affordable Care Act.  Earlier, Long served as Director of Congressional and Public Affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and as Director of Tax and Fiscal Affairs for the Associated General Contractors (AGC). Long is a graduate of the University of Georgia, and holds a Master of Arts from American University. He served on the board of the Literacy Volunteers and is Chair of the local Young Life Committee in his community.  Email Chris at CLong@bettermedicarealliance.org.

Rebecca Buck is Senior Vice President of Communications at Better Medicare Alliance. In her role, Rebecca develops and leads BMA’s messaging and grassroots strategies, while overseeing the organization’s network of more than 200 ally groups. Rebecca joined BMA from the Washington, D.C., office of public affairs firm Penta Group, formerly Hamilton Place Strategies, where she advised Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations, and trade associations. Previously, Rebecca spent a decade covering Congress and national political campaigns as a D.C.-based reporter, including on-air roles at CNN spanning three pivotal election cycles. She is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Jennifer Nord Mallard, a leader with over 20 years of policy, regulatory, and legislative expertise, is Vice President of Government Affairs at Better Medicare Alliance. Most recently, she served as Head of Government Affairs at Tempus, an AI-enabled precision medicine company.  She also served as Head of the Health Care Practice at The Vogel Group, working with clients in manufacturing, supply chain, tech, insurance, biopharma, and providers representing startups through Fortune top 10 corporations.  For close to a decade, she managed and led the world-renowned Mayo Clinic’s Washington D.C. office and was responsible for the analysis, evaluation, and implementation of the Clinic’s regulatory affairs and legislative initiatives.  Jennifer was also the Senior Associate Director of the American Hospital Association where she developed and implemented a diverse federal advocacy agenda.  She was the chief health care policy advisor to Congressman Rick Lazio in his congressional office and volunteered in a similar capacity for his Senate campaign.  She started her vast health policy career as a policy analyst at the National Conference of State Legislators.  Jennifer received her bachelor’s degree from the College of Saint Benedict/St. John’s University in Minnesota and a master’s degree in political science from American University.

Kaitlyn Saal-Ridpath serves as Vice President of Policy and Research at Better Medicare Alliance. She first came to the organization in early 2021 as Policy Associate. Prior to joining the Better Medicare Alliance team, Kaitlyn worked across the public, private, and non-profit sectors, with a mission to improve the health and well-being of individuals across the country. She brings with her a range of public health, health law, and policy experience, focusing primarily on social determinants of health. Kaitlyn holds a JD and MPH in Health Policy & Management from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and Graduate School of Public Health, as well as a bachelor's degree in Public Health from Elon University. Email Kaitlyn at KSaalRidpath@bettermedicarealliance.org.

Jessie serves as the Senior Director of Digital where she is responsible for digital communications spanning social media, video content, email, and web.

Prior to joining BMA, Jessie ran social media, paid social advertising, and integrated marketing campaigns for companies across the health care, ecommerce, and automotive industries. Jessie spent the first seven years of her career as a freelance marketer serving multibillion-dollar corporations and small businesses.

Jessie holds a bachelor’s degree from Baylor University and a master’s degree from University of Texas.

Andrew Young joined the Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) in late 2023 as Director of Grassroots. Prior to joining BMA, he had spent over five years with the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA), notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before his time at ACLA, he worked as a political consultant during the 2016 election campaign. Young previously served as the Wayne Townsend Legislative Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly, where he worked on a range of policy issues, including health care. Young holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Political Science as well as a minor in Public and Environmental Affairs from Indiana University. Email Andrew at ayoung@bettermedicarealliance.org.

Kristen Voyvodich is the Director of Operations at Better Medicare Alliance. Before working at Better Medicare Alliance, Kristen worked at a large non-profit in the Marketing, Creative and Events department, where she was part of the Event Operations team, working on large-scale national and regional events. She holds two Masters degrees, one in Drama and Movement Therapy from the University of London and one in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham. Kristen has a BA from Mount Holyoke College. Email Kristen at KVoyvodich@bettermedicarealliance.org.

MacKenzie joined Better Medicare Alliance as a Government Affairs Associate in August of 2024. MacKenzie holds a bachelor's degree from Adelphi University where she majored in Political Science and minored in Gender Studies. After receiving her bachelor's, she went on to American University to receive her master's in Justice, Law, and Criminology. Prior to Better Medicare Alliance MacKenzie interned for two members of the House of Representatives, and served as a Government Relations Associate at Smithbucklin, where she focused on Health Care Policy.