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CBPP Announces Three New Board Members

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) announced today that three new members have joined its Board of Directors: Mayra E. Alvarez, President of The Children’s Partnership, a California child health advocacy organization; Maria Cancian, Dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University; and James Jimenez, adjunct faculty member at the University of New Mexico School of Public Administration, Executive Director of the New Mexico Pediatric Society, and Executive Director of the NMVC Action Fund. He is the former Executive Director of New Mexico Voices for Children and a member of the State Priorities Partnership (SPP), a network of state policy research and advocacy groups founded and coordinated by CBPP.

“I am thrilled to welcome Mayra, Maria, and James to our Board of Directors,” said Kenneth Apfel, CBPP Board Chairman and former Social Security Commissioner. “They are strong leaders who are deeply committed to promoting economic and health equity, expanding opportunity, and lowering structural barriers for people of color and others in communities that have been systemically marginalized. As Board members, they will help the Center continue to thrive as one of the nation’s most influential organizations in shaping domestic policy.”

CBPP President Sharon Parrott stated, “Our Board has made an outstanding decision in selecting these three new members to help steer the Center in building a nation where everyone has the resources they need to thrive and share in the nation’s prosperity. With their broad and deep expertise in the Center’s core issues, Mayra, Maria, and James will help ensure we continue to shape policies at the federal and state level that improve economic and health security, promote racial equity, and broaden opportunity.”

Alvarez said, “I am honored to join the Center’s Board and contribute to the advancement of more inclusive policies that promote economic, health, and racial justice. Under Sharon’s strong leadership, the Center is fiercely advocating for all children regardless of race, ethnicity, or place of birth. I am excited to support the Center’s efforts to implement bold changes in federal and state policy so that our nation’s children can realize their full potential.”

Cancian said, “I am pleased to join this esteemed organization and champion policies that help families and children thrive. The Center has played a critical role in broadening opportunity by strengthening anti-poverty, health, and social insurance programs. I look forward to working with other members of the Board to promote evidence-based policies that build real progress in Washington and around the country.”

Jimenez has a long association with the State Priorities Partnership, serving as director of the SPP group in New Mexico for five years and as a member of the SPP steering committee for four years. He remarked, “It is a privilege to work closely again with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities as a member of the Board of Directors. In my years working with members of the State Priorities Partnership, I have seen up close that responsible state policies can give more people the opportunity to prosper. I am excited to help the Center and its state partners address the tough policy questions of our day with thoughtful solutions and innovative strategies.”

Biographies

  • Mayra E. Alvarez is the President of The Children’s Partnership, a nonprofit advocacy organization in California working to advance child health equity by ensuring all children have the resources and opportunities they need to grow up healthy and thrive. In 2021, she was named by President Joe Biden to the COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. She previously served in the Obama Administration at the Department of Health and Human Services, where she worked on improving access to quality, affordable health coverage and care and strengthening cultural competency in health care delivery for more people. See Mayra E. Alvarez’s full bio for additional details.
  • Maria Cancian is Dean of the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, helping prepare the next generation of diverse policy leaders. She has deep expertise in advising local, state, and federal agencies on policy initiatives that improve the well-being of low-income families. She has served as a Casey Family Programs Senior Fellow, where she worked with the City of New York on innovative efforts to improve coordination between the child welfare and child support systems. Previously she was Kellett Professor and Director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She also served as Senior Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy for the HHS Administration for Children and Families in the Obama Administration. See Maria Cancian’s full bio for additional details.
  • James Jimenez is an adjunct faculty member at the New Mexico Highlands University School of Social Work and the University of New Mexico School of Public Administration, where he draws from his extensive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector and state and municipal government. Currently he is also the Executive Director of the New Mexico Pediatric Society and Executive Director of the NMVC Action Fund. Previously he was Executive Director of New Mexico Voices for Children, a nonprofit children’s advocacy and research organization, and a member of the State Priorities Partnership network. In state government, Jimenez has served as Chief of Staff to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration. See James Jimenez’s full bio for additional details.

Learn more about CBPP’s Board of Directors.

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