Washington, D.C., October 29, 2024 – The ERISA Industry Committee (ERIC) today announced that its president and CEO James Gelfand has been named one of the top 100 lobbyists in the U.S. by the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics (NILE), an organization representing lobbying, public policy, and government affairs professionals. Gelfand and other 2024 recipients will be honored on November 7th during a reception in Washington, DC.
Gelfand is a well-respected health care and benefits lobbyist and policy advocate in Washington. He leads a team of federal and state lobbyists working on behalf of ERIC member companies, composed of the largest employers in the U.S., advocating for their interests as sponsors of employee health care and retirement benefit plans for tens of millions of employees, families, and retirees. Gelfand has served as ERIC’s president and CEO since April 2023, having previously served as its senior and then executive vice president for eight years, and serving as president since 2022.
“It is an honor to be recognized by fellow government affairs professionals through the National Institute for Lobbying & Ethics. As an advocate, it is extremely fulfilling to lead a premier organization like ERIC that puts wins on the board for our member companies, for working families, and for the American people,” said Gelfand. “I am proud of the work ERIC’s team does every day to improve government, the regulatory environment, and the economy.”
This year Gelfand’s accomplishments included working on a range of critical health benefits issues aimed at boosting affordability of prescription drugs and enhancing transparency across the health care system. Gelfand and the ERIC team have also led the employer community response on changes to the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.
On key retirement benefits, Gelfand and ERIC continued to lead on implementation of the SECURE 2.0 Act. Gelfand also successfully supported efforts in several states on issues as wide-ranging as state regulation of pharmacy benefit managers and mandates related to paid leave.
To view the NILE announcement, go to link.
