Mila Kofman, Executive Director  –Mila Kofman is the Executive Director of the DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority (DCHBX).  She is a nationally recognized expert on private health insurance markets and regulation including the ACA, HIPAA, and ERISA. She has a record of successfully implementing federal and state health insurance reforms and building, revamping, and leading organizations.

As DCHBX’s first employee, Kofman successfully built the organization that now has 100+ employees, with a $30+million annual budget.  Kofman has led policy initiatives and secured passage of legislation with unanimous support.  She successfully guided the IT development of a State Based Marketplace (SBM) IT system for which there was no blueprint.  Although DC was the last state to begin building its IT system, it was 1 of only 4 to open for business on time and stay open on October 1, 2013.  Under Kofman’s leadership, DCHBX was recognized by AWS for Best Practices in Innovation (2016 and 2018), was selected by the Massachusetts Exchange to replace its technology for SHOP (first-in-the-nation SBM partnership), and ranks number one for consumer decision support tools.

From March 2008 - May 2011, Kofman was the Superintendent of Insurance in Maine.  She was the first woman to serve as Superintendent of Insurance, and while confirmed by a party-line vote of the legislature in 2008, she was unanimously reconfirmed in 2010.   While on faculty at Georgetown University studying private health insurance markets, Kofman published 30+ articles in peer reviewed publications, served as an expert witness, and provided advice to elected officials.  

Kofman was named by the Washington Business Journal as one of 100 most powerful Washingtonians (2013).   She has appeared on NPR, CNN, ABC News, CBS Evening News, and NBC Dateline and has been quoted in all national and many local news outlets, and trade press.  She has testified before Congress and state legislatures.

Kofman holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center (1996) and a B.A. in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland (1993), summa cum laude. 

Purvee Parekh Kempf, Deputy Executive Director – Purvee served as General Counsel and Chief Policy Advisor for DCHBX since early 2014 after joining the agency as Deputy General Counsel in 2013. Having been with DCHBX since its early years, she filled various policy, management, and operational roles including establishing the inaugural Assister program and broker advisory committee, staffing numerous DCHBX policy working groups, and managing development and implementation of policy. From 2003 to 2013, Ms. Kempf served as senior counsel for health policy in the US House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce. Her primary responsibilities were protecting and improving federal regulation of private health insurance, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, health information technology, and privacy through legislation and oversight for Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and previously Congressman John Dingell (D-MI). In that role she helped negotiate and draft the health reform provisions in the Affordable Care Act including the statutory authority and responsibilities for health benefit exchanges.

Ms. Kempf also negotiated and ushered through the House of Representatives groundbreaking health information technology and privacy legislation, as well as the expansion and reauthorization of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Prior to her work on Capitol Hill, Ms. Kempf was an associate in the health practice group at Hogan & Hartson, LLP, currently Hogan Lovells, and a healthcare consultant at Anderson Consulting, currently Accenture. She received an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. She lives in the District with her husband and three young children.

Yi-Ru Chen, Senior Director of Programs and Operations - Yi-Ru is responsible for working with senior leadership and with the transition of moving the agency from start-up to ongoing. As a 20+ year veteran leader in District government, Chen has successfully led and transformed start-up agencies and agencies in transitions.

Prior to Yi-Ru’s current role, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Department of Forensic Services where she led the Operations team, including resource allocation, contracting and procurement, human capital, health and safety, grants program, and information technology. She was also responsible for budget development and execution, policy and legislative affairs, and navigating District government operations. Ms. Chen was also the Deputy Director for the District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) and was instrumental in establishing the inaugural Homeland Security Commission.

Having served in the Executive Office of the Mayor under two administrations, Chen worked in various senior level positions, including Chief of Staff to the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice and to the Interim City Administrator, and as Interim Director of Justice Grants Administration. In the Executive Office of the Mayor, Ms. Chen oversaw the budget and program development for public safety agencies and the District’s Consolidated Forensic Laboratory, was actively involved in the creation of the Office of Unified Communications and the development of the District’s State-designated Fusion Center. Ms. Chen also served a brief detail to the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. Ms. Chen received a master’s degree from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. As a Public Service Fellow, Ms. Chen completed a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, MA, and is a graduate of Smith College.

Brian K. Flowers, General Counsel – Brian K. Flowers has served as Deputy Attorney General for the Legal Counsel Division in the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia since April of 2019. Prior to that, he served as General Counsel to the Board of Ethics and Government Accountability, General Counsel to the Mayor, and as General Counsel, Legislative Counsel and Deputy General Counsel to the Council of the District of Columbia. In total, he has more than 40 years of service in the District of Columbia government, including service as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner, staff attorney, Chair of the Open Government Advisory Committee, Member of the Board of Appeals and Review, Historical Records Advisory Committee, and member of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (“Uniform Law Commission”).

He has served as a member of the Board of Governors of the District of Columbia Bar since July 2021 and was elected to be a Life Member of the Uniform Law Commission in 2022. He is a member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Florida.

Linda Wharton Boyd, Ph.D., Director of Communications, External Affairs and Strategic Partnerships – Dr. Wharton Boyd joined the Exchange’s senior management team from the DC Department of Health (DOH), where she had been the Senior Advisor, Communications and External Affairs, and helped the agency establish a social media presence. Prior to this appointment, she was detailed to the Exchange to assist in communications and media relations. She earlier served as Director of Communications in the DC Executive Office of the Mayor for Mayor Vincent C. Gray, and was a member of the Mayor’s Executive Cabinet and the official spokesperson for the Mayor and the Government of the District of Columbia.

Linda Wharton Boyd has spent much of her professional career working to improve the lives of District residents. She is a communications professional with a proven record of success in communications, marketing, public affairs, media relations, organizational development, strategic planning, and problem solving with the ability to effectively design, implement and manage internal and external communications and marketing programs, projects, information campaigns, promotions, as well as achieve organizational goals beyond expectations. In addition to her work at the Department of Health and the Executive Office of the Mayor, Wharton Boyd has also served as Chief of Staff/Chief Communications Officer for Councilmember Michael A. Brown; Chief Communications Officer for the DC Public Schools; Director of the Office of Communications and Public Affairs for the DC Department of Human Services/Office of the Deputy Mayor For Children, Youth, Elders And Families; Director of the DC Office of Cable Television and Telecommunications and Director of Communications / Press Secretary for DC  Mayor Marion Barry.

With a wealth of experiences to draw upon in strategic communications, public relations, media, telecommunications and external affairs in both the public and private sectors, Wharton Boyd is responsible for building the Health Benefit Exchange’s strategic communications and partnership engagement  across the city with various community-based organizations, to include nonprofits, faith based institutions, and diverse populations. She will also serve as the liaison to the Council of the District of Columbia, District government agencies, Federal agencies and the White House.

She holds a Ph.D. in Communications and Master’s in Speech Communications from the University of Pittsburgh as well as professional Certified Municipal Manager designation from George Washington University Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration.

Eliza Navarro Bangit, Senior Advisor and Director of Health Coverage and Innovation – Eliza served as General Counsel to DCHBX in 2021-2022. Prior to this role, she was DCHBX Director of Marketplace Innovation, Policy, and Operations (MIPO) for 3 years, where she oversaw day-to-day operations of DC Health Link, the District’s on-line individual and small group marketplace. She drove MIPO’s accelerated growth by implementing a new organizational management structure, institutionalizing transparency in decision-making, and ensuring the successful deployment of significant IT projects.

Prior to rejoining DCHBX in 2023, Eliza served as Senior Vice President of Legal and Policy at 340B Health, a nonprofit organization of more than 1,500 hospitals and health systems participating in the federal 340B drug pricing program. At 340B Health, she led the development and implementation of policy positions, legal strategy, and member education.

Eliza joined DCHBX in 2018 from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Eliza was one of a handful of people who came in initially to establish the office responsible for implementing the ACA under President Obama. As Deputy Director of the Consumer Support Group in the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO) at CMS, she led the development of standards for the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC)—a nationwide requirement affecting health coverage for more than 150 million people. She also led the development of the Consumer Assistance and Navigator Programs, which are provisions in the Affordable Care Act that provided millions of grant funding to states to strengthen their health insurance ombudsman and information counseling programs and assist consumers understand the options available to them in the Marketplace.

Eliza served as a Senior Research Associate for 10 years at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute prior to joining the federal government, where she concentrated on federal and state laws governing the private insurance market, with a focus on access, affordability, and adequacy of coverage, and has authored articles in legal and health policy journals. Eliza received her Juris Doctor from the University of the District of Columbia and is a member of the Maryland Bar Association. She earned her MA in Aging Studies with an emphasis on Health Care Administration from Notre Dame of Maryland University.

Kenneth Wallington, Contracting Officer - Kenneth Wallington (Ken) joined the District of Columbia government in 2014 as a Contract Specialist with the Office of Contracting and Procurement (OCP). In 2016 he became a Supervisory Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer with OCP then a Senior Contracting Officer from 2018 until he joined DCHBX in October of 2021. As a Contracting Officer at OCP Ken supported agencies in the Public Safety and Justice Cluster to include the Department of Forensic Sciences, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Office of Unified Communications, Homeland Security Emergency Management Agency, Fire and Emergency Medical Services and the Department of Corrections.

Ken is experienced in cradle to grave contracting and procurement actions which includes developing and issuing solicitations, proposal evaluations, contract negotiations, contract award, contract administration, and contract close out. He has experience in developing complex multi-million dollar procurements using a full range of acquisition techniques including interpreting and applying District contract and procurement laws and regulations. He has managed and developed contract professionals.

Ken received his bachelor’s degree at American University in Washington, DC and his Master of Science in Business Management with a focus in Contract and Procurement Management from the University of Maryland University College. Ken has received Tier I, II, and III District procurement certification from OCP in partnership with George Washington University. He also has received his certification as a Certified Public Professional Buyer (CPPB) from the Universal Public Procurement Certification Council.

Marjorie Edmonds, Chief Financial Officer at the DC Health Benefit Exchange. She has held several leadership roles in finance in the private and public sector. She held the Budget Officer position at the DC Metropolitan Police Department and DC Child and Family Services, and Agency Fiscal Officer at the DC Department of Parks and Recreation. At each of these agencies Ms. Edmonds was responsible for managing the operating and, when applicable, capital budgets. She held the Financial Manager position at DC Water and Sewer (now DC Water). Here she was on the team for the initial $300M+ bond issuance for the $1.3B capital improvement program when the agency became independent.

In the private sector Ms. Edmonds has held roles as Vice President of Finance, Corporate Controller, Financial Analyst, Cash Manager and Auditor. During her career she has worked at Educate, Inc., ISR Solutions, Citibank and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company.

Ms. Edmonds has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Loyola of Baltimore. She is also a Certified Public Accountant, licensed in the state of Maryland.

Desiree Townes, Chief Operating Officer – Desiree has over a decade of experience in District government. She served in various roles at the DC Department of Corrections, including serving as the HR Officer at DOC, leading the HR department and overseeing recruitment, labor relations, and employee relations. She was the Chief of Staff and Associate Director at the DC Department of General Services for a number of years overseeing the day-to-day operations in the Office of the Director. Prior to DGS, she worked for its predecessor Department of Real Estate Services and oversaw the Facility Division as the Assistant Facility Service Manager. Desiree has a JD from University of Pittsburgh School of Law, and a BA in Legal Studies from University of Pittsburgh.

Jennifer Beeson, Director of Partnerships and Marketplace Operations – Jen joined DC Health Benefit Exchange Authority in the spring of 2019, where she oversees day-to-day operations of DC Health Link, the District’s on-line individual and small group marketplace. Jen also oversees the first-in-the nation partnership with the Massachusetts Health Connector for their Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP) marketplace.

In her previous position, Jen spent four years as the Director of the Consumer Support Group at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (CCIIO), where she led three divisions and controlled an annual budget in excess of $100 million. Her teams were responsible for supporting private health insurance customers through policy formulation; the funding, training, and support of navigators and assisters in the federal health insurance marketplace; and directly assisting federal marketplace consumers through casework.

Prior to her federal service, Jen was the Deputy Executive Director at Families USA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the achievement of high quality, affordable health care for all. During her nine years at Families USA, Jen helped to develop and implement the organization’s long-term legislative strategy to achieve comprehensive health care reform, resulting in the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

She has a Bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from The George Washington University.