Lora has been President and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP) since February 2010. Under her leadership, MAHP has focused on providing access to high-quality, affordable, and equitable health care for all Massachusetts residents.
During her tenure at MAHP, Lora has served as a member of the Health Policy Commission’s Advisory Council, served on the Legislature’s 2017 Special Commission on Provider Price Variation, and was appointed by Governor Baker to both the Digital Health Council and the Merged Market Advisory Council. Lora also serves as Vice President of the Massachusetts Health Council.
Prior to joining MAHP, Lora was the Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Relations at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, where she oversaw over $1M in community giving annually. She also worked on the staffs of Governors Deval Patrick and Michael Dukakis, and as an assistant attorney general.
Lora has a special interest in issues of importance to women and girls, and served as a Big Sister for many years. She is presently the Chair of the Board of Directors for Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus (MWPC), a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting women to elected and appointed office. She is also a Board Member of Dedham Savings Bank.
In October 2019, Lora was awarded the Abigail Adams Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus for her years of service to the MWPC. Lora was named to the Boston Business Journal’s (BBJ) 2017 and 2018 Power 50, the BBJ’s list of the 50 most powerful individuals in Boston-area business. She was also named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Boston by Boston Magazine. In 2018 she was awarded the Women’s Bar Association’s Lelia J. Robinson Award, the organization’s most prestigious award which recognizes women who, like Robinson, are pioneers in the legal profession, experts in their fields and have made a difference in their community. The WBA recognized Lora’s work to ensure that Massachusetts women have access to contraceptive coverage as part of their insurance coverage when that coverage was threatened federally.
Lora holds a BA from Wheaton College and a JD from the New England School of Law.
Sarah joined MAHP in 2006, shortly following passage of Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006. She was promoted to Senior Vice President of Health Policy and General Counsel in 2020. Sarah brought with her two years of litigation experience in criminal, financial, and insurance litigation. After joining MAHP, Sarah became intimately involved in implementation of Chapter 58, working with issues related to commercial, Medicaid and Connector programs. Sarah is responsible for coordinating MAHP’s public policy agenda, including all issues related to Medicaid and MassHealth and behavioral health. Sarah has represented MAHP on a number of commissions and working groups related to MassHealth and behavioral health care. Sarah also serves as MAHP’s general counsel and advises MAHP on compliance with state Ethics laws and regulations. Sarah received a BA, Honors, in Environmental Policy from the University of Kansas and holds a JD from Vermont Law School.
Liz Leahy is the Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Engagement and Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans where she leads MAHP’s work to engage and deepen relationships with stakeholders across the healthcare industry to advance MAHP’s mission of fighting for affordable, high-quality, and equitable health care. She has been with MAHP since 2014. Prior to joining the organization, Liz worked in private practice civil litigation and with a variety of public interest groups including the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, Community Catalyst, and the Community Dispute Settlement Center. For more than a decade, Liz taught courses at Merrimack College in the Women and Gender Studies Department and Pre-Law minor focused on the intersection of gender studies, law, and public policy and has been a visiting lecturer at Tufts University’s EX-College and Boston University.
A Massachusetts-licensed attorney, Liz earned her Juris Doctorate from New England School of Law and a B.A. from Merrimack College in English and Women and Gender Studies. She is a certified Professional designee through the Academy for Health Care Management. In 2023, Liz was selected as one of Boston’s Future Leaders by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and earned a certificate in Leading with Purpose from Harvard Business School. She is a graduate of the Women’s Leadership Program through Simmons University and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Since her appointment by Governor Baker in 2017, Liz has served on the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination’s Advisory Board. She also serves as on the Executive Board of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus and is a Mentor with Tomorrow’s Women Today’s Emerging Leaders Program. In 2024, Liz was named to the Board of Advisors at Merrimack College’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Elizabeth (Fluet) Murphy joined the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans in May 2011 as a Public Policy Analyst and was promoted to Vice President of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs in 2020. Liz is responsible for overseeing issues affecting the commercial health insurance industry before the Legislature and state agencies including the Division of Insurance and the Health Connector. Liz analyzes proposed and enacted legislation, regulations, and sub-regulatory guidance to determine the impact on MAHP’s member health plans and the state’s broader health care market. Liz regularly represents the health plans at the State House and before state regulatory agencies and was responsible for facilitating the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Massachusetts. She has served as an appointed Commissioner on the Ellen Story Commission on Postpartum Depression since 2010 and is also an active member of the statewide Maternal Health Task Force established within the Department of Public Health, focused on addressing inequities in perinatal care and improving birthing outcomes. Liz was previously employed as Chief of Staff for State Representative David Torrisi for over ten years. She received her law degree from Suffolk University Law School and her Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from UMass Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Boston University.
Rob joined MAHP in September of 2023, having previously served in Legislative and Government Affairs roles at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) in both the Baker-Polito and Healey-Driscoll Administrations. McLaughlin was a key advisor to the former Secretary of EOHHS Marylou Sudders and was instrumental in supporting her as she led the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Command Center during the height of the pandemic. More recently he served Secretary Kate Walsh, EOHHS staff, and their agencies, in a key advisory role to navigate the transition to, and first year of, Governor Healey’s administration.
McLaughlin brings significant State House experience to MAHP, having served more than a decade as a staffer in the Massachusetts Senate. In that time, he had a number of roles including Legislative Director to former Senator Stan Rosenberg and Chief of Staff to former Senator Jim Timilty where he also served as Staff Director to both the Joint Committee on Public Service and the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Security. Rob attended Boston Latin School and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Members of the press can reach Rob at mclaughlin@mahp.com.
Ann joined MAHP in November of 2010 as a freelance Communications Specialist and was promoted to the position of Policy Analyst in January 2014. In December 2017, Ann took on the position of Program and Special Projects Manager. In this role, she is responsible for planning and executing the MAHP Annual Conference as well as events throughout the year. Ann also coordinates MAHP Board of Directors, Medical Directors and Legislative Work Group meetings. In addition, she works on special projects, affiliate memberships, and legislative tracking. Ann previously worked on the legislative staffs of former Governor Michael Dukakis and State Representative Warren Tolman. She also managed government and media relations for a small public agency and worked as a communications consultant for a major medical supply company. Ann received her Bachelor Degree in Government with a focus in Communications from Suffolk University.
Nikki worked with MAHP since April 2019 as a Health Policy Consultant. She joined the team as Health Policy and Research Analyst in January 2021. Nikki brought with her years of legal experience in business, health, employment and public policy issues in India and United States. Nikki is responsible for managing and working with MAHP member health plans, related to development and execution of MAHP’s health care policy and strategy development. She serves as a research wing for MAHP projects and provides assistance with MAHP data collection and analysis relating to MAHP member health plans’ programs, Medicaid and Behavioral Health issues; works with MAHP team and MAHP member health plans to analyze legislation and regulations relative to Massachusetts health care policy; and on the development and implementation of MAHP’s legislative agenda.
Nikki is currently a PhD candidate at Westcliff University, where she is working on her dissertation related to administration and management of law and health care public policy. Nikki holds a Master of Law in International Business Laws (LL.M.) from Northeastern University School of Law and Master of Business Administration (M.B.A) from Campbellsville University.
Alyson joined MAHP as a Health Policy and Research Analyst in July 2021. She brought her experience in public policy and government relations from AARP Massachusetts where she helped analyze and research policy, programs, and regulations affecting the 50+ population in Massachusetts. Alyson also brought her experience from the Center for Women’s Health and Human Rights where she helped research and analyze women’s health policies and legislation in Massachusetts. Alyson received her master’s in public administration as well as a graduate certificate in gender, leadership, and public policy from the University of Massachusetts Boston and is a proud member of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy.
Jessica joined MAHP in 2014 from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, where she was Office Manager/Internship Coordinator. As the Office Manager of MAHP, Jessica is responsible for all operations of the MAHP office, including maintaining the physical office space and MAHP’s computer and accounting systems. Jessica provides administrative support to MAHP staff, including scheduling, IT support, event planning and coordination of the MAHP Annual Conference. In her role as Executive Assistant to the President & CEO, Jessica maintains Lora’s schedule, provides administrative support and assists with communications with MAHP members. Jessica graduated from Westfield State College with a Bachelor Degree in Communications.
Jan joined MAHP in September 2022 as its medical director. She is a board-certified internist with a master’s in public health. Along with a passion for health care quality and safety, she brings over 25 years of experience as a physician executive with an extensive leadership background working in the health insurance industry. She currently works as a health care consultant and a physician surveyor/trainer for the National Committee on Quality Assurance. Prior to these positions, she was Vice President and Senior Medical Director at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. She served as Chief Medical Officer at Minuteman Health and was a medical director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Jan received her medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri and her master’s in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health.