2017-2018 Health Workforce Research and Policy Seminar Series: How the Sausage Gets Made: Influencing Policy at the North Carolina Legislature”

What goes into the development of a bill at the legislature? When are data influential and when are they not? Experts Gerry Cohen and Alex Miller will answer questions about how state policy is made and how your research can influence it.
• Gerry Cohen, JD, MA, has been deemed both the ‘encyclopedia to the legislature’ and ‘probably the most important North Carolina politician you don’t know’ by WUNC. As a lawyer to the legislature, he worked in the General Assembly for more than 30 years, partnering with representatives from both sides of the aisle to craft non-partisan bills. Mr. Cohen served as Special Counsel from 2012-2014 and was the Director of Legislative Drafting from 1981-2012. He now works in government relations at Nelson Mullins.

• Alexander Miller, MSW, began lobbying in 2006. He has represented a diverse list of clients at the North Carolina General Assembly, including professional associations for nurses, certified nurse midwives, and physical therapists, renewable energy companies, and the NC Craft Brewers Guild. Miller is a former Infantry Squad Leader in the United States Army and direct practice Social Worker, holding a BSW from Pacific Lutheran University and a MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Please invite interested colleagues. Parking is free and available.