On September 13, 2024, NOSSCR’s Board voted unanimously to make Rebecca Vallas an Honorary Member of NOSSCR. Rebecca began her career at the esteemed Community Legal Services of Philadelphia – an outstanding organization that continues to provide free civil legal assistance to low-income Philadelphians while simultaneously advocating for needed critical policy changes. From there, Rebecca joined NOSSCR as a staff member, serving as our Deputy Director, Government Affairs before moving on to co-found the Clean Slate Initiative and then join the Center for American Progress, where she worked tirelessly on the Poverty to Prosperity Program. She then served as the Senior Fellow and Co-founder of the Disability Economic Justice Collaborative where she founded the organization’s disability economic justice work and organized a bipartisan, cross-sector coalition in support of reforming Supplemental Security Income’s antiquated asset limits.

Rebecca now serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Academy of Social Insurance – a diverse, nonpartisan network of more than 1,200 of the nation’s leading experts on Social Security, Medicare, and other social insurance programs. She has authored numerous policy reports and proposals on social insurance and public assistance, disability policy, and reentry policy, aiming to strengthen Social Security and improve its accessibility for those who are entitled to benefits. Rebecca has used her platform to deliver powerful messages to Congress, including her recent testimony in front of the Senate Budget Committee where she eloquently educated the committee on the importance of considering the disparities in life-expectancies for lower-income individuals and people of color when contemplating raising the retirement age.

NOSSCR is proud to count Rebecca as one of our staff-alumni, we are grateful for her friendship and partnership on important policy issues, and we are delighted to honor her with an honorary membership.