Meet Families USA’s Leadership Team
Anthony Wright
Executive Director
Before joining the organization, Anthony Wright served 22 years as Executive Director of Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition. Under Wright’s leadership, Health Access California led state efforts to win patient protections, fight budget cuts, invest in the safety net, expand coverage, and advance equity and prevention.
Wright led California’s coalition effort to help pass and later defend the Affordable Care Act, and for state policies to implement and improve the law to attain the biggest drop of the uninsured rate in the nation. He was responsible for numerous successful health care advocacy efforts to pass critical health reforms — such as nation-leading laws to stop surprise medical bills, ensure timely access to care, stop hospitals overcharging, and expand Medicaid regardless of age, assets, or immigration status.
A consumer advocate and community organizer quoted widely in state and national media, Wright’s background also includes working for New Jersey Citizen Action, the Center for Media Education, The Nation magazine, and at the White House in Vice President Al Gore’s office. Raised in the Bronx, he graduated from Amherst College magna cum laude in both English and Sociology.
Yael Lehmann (she/her)
Chief Administrative Officer
Yael Lehmann is responsible for developing and executing strategies that further engage national, state and local partners in all sectors to create a country where the best health and health care are equally available to everyone. Before joining Families USA, Lehmann was a consultant, supporting nonprofits with all aspects of fundraising and partnerships strategies. Lehmann previously served as the Executive Director of the Mid-Atlantic Region for the Common Market. In that role, she led a team that provided more than one million free produce boxes sourced from local farms to hungry families during the pandemic. Prior to that, Lehmann was the President & CEO of The Food Trust, where she provided strategic leadership, executed the agency’s mission and successfully advocated for the creation of the federal Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI). She holds a B.A. in Social Welfare from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.
Yasmin Abboud (she/her)
Senior Director, Development
As Senior Director of Development, Yasmin Abboud leads Families USA’s Development team. Over the past twenty years, Abboud has cultivated and stewarded partnerships with national, state, and local foundations, philanthropists, and investors focused on health care policy, advocacy and education. Prior to Families USA, Abboud was Vice President of Development at Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast. Her background lies in directing development strategies that result in both unique and enduring partnerships as well as sustained revenue over the long term. Abboud has also held leadership positions at the National Democratic Institute, Center for American Progress, and the Clinton Foundation. She has a BA from Boston College and an MS from New York University.
Staci Lofton (she/her)
Senior Director, Health Equity
Staci Lofton is a public health leader with 17 years’ experience fighting to make our health care system at the local, state and national levels work for people regardless of their race, gender or where they live. Before joining Families USA, Lofton worked at Harris County, Texas public health department, addressing inequality in health and the COVID-19 pandemic. She previously served as a public health adviser and health scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2004–2012, where she oversaw 12 national, state and local public health programs. She is passionate about fighting to fix our health care system through strategy, policy and partnership development so it can provide everyone high quality care. Lofton holds a masters in public health from Columbia University, and a JD in Health Law and Ethics from the University of Houston.
Gillian Shurland (she/her)
Senior Director, Talent and Happiness
Gillian Shurland has more than 15 years of HR experience working with senior leadership teams. Shurland uses her positive attitude to engage and work with staff daily evaluating operations and identifying areas for continuous improvement. She graduated from the University of Kent at Canterbury in the United Kingdom with a MA in International Relations and has a BS from New York University in Political Science. She has a professional certificate in Human Resource Studies from Cornell University and certified credentials from SHRM-SCP and SPHR. Shurland is originally from Trinidad & Tobago and has lived in the U.S. for over 25 years.
Jen Taylor (she/her)
Senior Director, Government Relations
Jen Taylor is responsible for developing and implementing federal legislative and regulatory strategies. Taylor engages with administration officials and Members of Congress and their staff, as well as national partners and other key health care stakeholders. Prior to joining Families USA, she served as Director of Federal Affairs at the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC), a national membership association representing the interests of the country’s 1,400 health centers. Taylor previously worked on Capitol Hill for six years, first as a Health Policy Fellow in the office of Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA), and then as Senior Policy Advisor for Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME). Taylor received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles. She also holds Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Psychology & Social Behavior from the University of California, Irvine.
Sophia Tripoli (she/her)
Senior Director, Health Policy
Sophia Tripoli is a strategic and innovative health policy thought leader, and oversees and leads Families USA’s strategic development and framework on all aspect of its health policy priorities including guidance on federal and state health policy that will improve health care and health for all families and individuals in America. Prior to this role, Tripoli lead Families USA’s work on value initiatives that focus on re-orienting the health care system to deliver health, lowering health care costs, and on forwarding consumer-focused policy agendas to improve health care delivery and payment systems. Tripoli represents Families USA on the Board of Directors for the Health Care Transformation Task Force, and serves on the Accountable Care Action Collaborative for the Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network. Tripoli previously worked at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), State Innovation, and at the National Governors Association. Tripoli holds an MPH and a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs with a concentration in global public health, both from The George Washington University.
Jon Olson (he/him)
Senior Director, Finance and Operations
Jon Olson is the Senior Director of Finance and Operations at Families USA, where he oversees the recently combined finance and operations staff. Olson started at Families USA in 2017, coming from the National Governors Association where he had been Director, Grants, and Contracts for the previous eight years. He has close to fifteen years of non-profit experience and another ten years in private industry. Olson is a certified public accountant and has a BS and an MS in Accounting, both from George Mason University.
Jesse Cross-Call (He/Him)
Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships
Jesse Cross-Call leads Families USA’s work collaborating with partners on state and national health care advocacy efforts. Previously, Jesse served as Director of External Affairs for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where he developed and executed strategic engagement plans with external stakeholders around initiatives related to health care coverage and access, the care economy, and prescription drug affordability. Prior to joining HHS, Jesse was Director of State Medicaid Strategy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. At CBPP, Jesse authored research papers around Medicaid expansion, Medicaid waivers, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and federal legislation related to the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. He also assisted state partners in the development of their research products, communications strategies, and campaign plans. Prior to joining CBPP, Jesse served as chief of staff to Alaska’s Senate Majority Leader and worked on national and state-level political campaigns. Jesse received his master’s in Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and his bachelor’s in American History from Northwestern University.