Scholars and Staff

Grace-Marie Turner
President
gracemarie@galen.org

Grace-Marie Turner is president of the Galen Institute, a public policy research organization that she founded in 1995 to promote an informed debate over free-market ideas for health reform. She speaks and writes extensively about incentives to promote a more competitive, consumer-driven marketplace in the health sector.

She also is founder and facilitator of the Health Policy Consensus Group, which serves as a forum for analysts from market-oriented think tanks around the country to analyze and develop health policy recommendations.

Grace-Marie is the editor of Empowering Health Care Consumers through Tax Reform. The book explains that tax reform can lead to a better functioning market in the health sector.

 

Brian Lee Crowley
Senior Fellow
brian@galen.org

Brian Lee Crowley joined the Galen Institute as a visiting senior fellow in March 2008. Brian is the founding President of AIMS, the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies, Atlantic Canada's public policy think tank. 

Among his many books and other publications, Brian co-authored two projects on the Canadian health-care system both of which won the Sir Antony Fisher Award. In recognition of his health-care work, he was named to the most influential recent provincial health-care inquiry in Canada, the Alberta Premier's Advisory Council on Health (the Mazankowski Committee). The Council's Chairman, former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski, called Brian the "intellectual architect" of the committee's report. He is a much sought-after media commentator on health-care policy and has spoken to scores of national and international conferences in recent years on health-care reform in Canada.

Brian is a frequent commentator on political and economic issues for the CBC, Radio-Canada and many other media. His articles appear in both national newspapers and numerous regional and local newspapers, including regular columns in the largest circulation newspapers in Nova Scotia (the Chronicle-Herald), New Brunswick (the Times & Transcript) and Québec (La Presse, the largest circulation French language daily in North America). He holds degrees from McGill and the London School of Economics, including a doctorate in political economy from the latter.

Joel White
Senior Fellow
joel@galen.org

Joel White is president of JCWhite Consulting, focusing on health and tax issues, and is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the Galen Institute. Most recently, he was the Staff Director of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee where he was responsible for legislation involving Medicare reform and prescription drugs, HIPAA, insurance, and health tax issues. Prior to joining the committee, he was a Legislative Assistant for Rep. Jim Greenwood (R-PA) where he was responsible for health, retirement, banking and budget issues. He also worked as the Senior Legislative Assistant to Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), where he covered health, economic growth and development and retirement issues. Joel has been a member of the National Economist’s Club for eight years and is co-author of Facts and Figures on Government Finance, which brings together data on public finance at all levels of government, with comparisons of taxing and spending levels spanning a half century.

Tara Persico
Research Director
tara@galen.org

Tara Persico has 10 years of experience in project management and website production. She has been with the Galen Institute since 2000, where she serves as research director and project manager. She is editor of the Galen Institute’s weekly newsletter, Health Policy Matters, a responsibility that includes compiling data and writing summaries of current health policy issues. Tara also writes and edits content for the Galen website, http://www.galen.org/.

 

Tara helps manage the Galen Institute’s information technology system, including network maintenance and administration. She evaluates new software and hardware for feasibility and interoperability with the Galen Institute network. In addition, she is director of scheduling for Galen staff. 

Tara received her B.A. from Mary Washington College in 1996.

Jena Persico
Special Projects Director
jena@galen.org

 

Jena Persico first joined the Galen Institute as an intern in 2004. After completing work on her bachelor’s degree in art from James Madison University, she joined the Galen Institute full time in 2006. She works on a variety of projects, ranging from donor communications to meetings and event planning. With her background in art and design, Jena also uses her expertise in designing publications and graphics to create new publications and products for the Galen Institute. Her most recent project was a redesign of Galen’s semi-annual health policy activities report to create a fresher look and make the publication more readable. 

Amy Menefee
Communications Director
amy@galen.org

Amy Menefee is Director of Communications for the Galen Institute. She was previously managing editor for the Media Research Center's Business & Media Institute. A journalist by training, she has been a frequent commentator on radio and television and written op-eds on economic issues in the media.

Menefee has appeared on the Fox News Channel, the Fox Business Network, and the Christian Broadcasting Network's "Newswatch" program. She has done more than 200 radio interviews including the nationally syndicated "Michael Medved Show," "The Lynne Breidenbach Show," "Dateline Washington" and "The Martha Zoller Show." Her op-eds have been published in Human Events Online, Townhall.com and other outlets.

Her background includes covering federal, state and local government. She has reported for Congressional Quarterly's CQ Homeland Security, a daily Web-based publication, and The Macon (Ga.) Telegraph. She worked as a reporter and assistant editor in the state Capitol bureau of The Columbia Missourian.

She holds an M.A. in public policy journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism (Columbia, Mo.) and a B.A. in journalism/mass communication from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. Menefee is originally from Macon, Ga., and resides in Alexandria, Va.