Connie Garner Rejoins Foley Hoag Government Strategies Practice Group

BOSTON, Dec. 5 -- Foley Hoag issued the following news release:

Longtime health and disability policy expert Connie Garner has rejoined Foley Hoag LLP as policy director and practice leader of the firm's Government Strategies Practice Group. This is Garner's second engagement at Foley Hoag. She served as policy director in 2010, focusing on health, disability, long-term services and support, and education. She will be based in the firm's Washington D.C. office.

Prior to rejoining Foley Hoag, Garner held the positions of executive vice president for policy at United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) and executive director of Advance CLASS, Inc.

"Connie has two decades working in Congress and as a policy advocate on health, disability and education initiatives that have had a significant impact on improving the lives of American families," said Nick Littlefield, chair of the firm's Government Strategies Practice. "She will bring tremendous value to Foley Hoag clients as she is widely recognized as a leader on these issues, and has a remarkable track record of building bipartisan support that will enhance our service to clients."

"I am so pleased to be rejoining the very experienced policy team at Foley Hoag and have the opportunity to work with clients to develop strategies on the important issues related to health and education for vulnerable populations and their providers," Garner said.

For 17 years, Garner served as policy director for Disability and Special Populations to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). She worked with the late Chairman Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Sen. Christopher Dodd and Sen. Tom Harkin. She was the lead Democratic committee architect for the CLASS Act, the major long-term care legislation that is part of the Affordable Care Act; enactment of the landmark Mental Health Parity Act 2008; the 2006 and 2009 reauthorizations of the $2 billion Ryan White CARE Act; the Family Opportunity Act of 2006; the 2005 reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); and the 1999 Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act. Garner also served in the U.S. Department of Education as Director of the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council for Children with Disabilities and as the secretary of education's principal liaison on interagency healthcare matters.

In addition to her work at the federal level, Garner has practiced as both a hospital and public health clinical nurse specialist, including as the nursing administrator for maternal-child health inpatient hospital units in the Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. areas. Garner earned bachelor's and master's of science degrees in nursing from the University of Pennsylvania and George Mason University, respectively. She also earned an educational specialist degree in special education and a doctoral degree in public policy from George Washington University.

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