Rani Snyder, MPA Rani Snyder, MPA, Program Director, The John A. Hartford Foundation

Nothing pleases me more than having the opportunity to tell my colleagues and the world at large that I am the new Program Director for The John A. Hartford Foundation. And nothing could be truer than to say that the Foundation has not just shaped, but has actually determined the course of my professional life.

Like a parent guiding and teaching, the Foundation put me on a path and gave me the freedom to leave the nest and find my way—gaining valuable experience and maturity along the journey. Now, I have come back home.

I started my career at The John A. Hartford Foundation 24 years ago working on the Foundation’s Health Care Cost and Quality program, which was distinct from the Aging and Health program that later became the sole programmatic focus for the Foundation. It was my first professional position out of college, and my time there sparked an interest, prompting me to earn a master’s degree in Public Administration in Health Care Policy at New York University. Soon after, I moved on to the Commonwealth Fund, where I focused most of my attention on the Fund’s Future of Medicare program, furthering my knowledge and interest in Medicare and the often vulnerable population it serves.

A move out west to begin doctoral work in health services research at UCLA expanded my horizons. I taught health services research courses. I researched Medicare policy and the effects that critical budget legislation at the time, such as the Balanced Budget Act of 1997—oh, so long ago!—had on the Medicare program and its beneficiaries. Working on projects funded by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund, I conducted in-person investigations into how various states regulated the Medigap market, researched and reported on the costs associated with various Medicare managed care choices faced by beneficiaries, and worked with a Medicare dataset to analyze who switches from Medigap to Medicare managed care plans and the impact of those switches on Medigap premiums for beneficiaries who remained. I also spent a little time at RAND, working on various drafts of their survey instrument for the Medicare Consumer Assessment for Health Plans Study (CAHPS). The content and issues fascinated me!

Building on those experiences, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to assess some of the early work that has led to today’s patient-centered care movement. I worked on an assessment of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s program to promote consumer-directed care, which led me to dissertation interviews with dyads of older people with mild to moderate cognitive impairment and their family caregivers.

One day in Los Angeles, I received a phone call from my former boss at The John A. Hartford Foundation, who was working at a foundation in, of all places, Las Vegas. “I’ve got a job, and you would be just right for it!” he said. The idea of living in the desert glitz of Las Vegas was not appealing. But I did end up accepting the job and ran the Aging and Quality of Life program at the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation for more than 13 years. At the Reynolds Foundation, I oversaw and made strategic decisions for a grant portfolio totaling more than $265 million, aimed largely at geriatrics education for physicians. This grantmaking also supported inter-professional education and geriatrics for specialists and medical sub-specialists, as well as projects to establish geriatrics excellence in nursing and the replication of a caregiver training program.

Experiences in aging and health funding, education, research, and policy have led me to some of the smartest, most thoughtful, and dedicated professionals I have had the pleasure of meeting. I have developed relationships with so many amazing scholars, clinicians, and health system leaders who I now consider friends. And what could be more wonderful than bringing what I’ve learned from those experiences and relationships back to my “home” at The John A. Hartford Foundation, and rounding them out with new ones?

My early observations about the staff and the work of The John A. Hartford Foundation confirm what I already knew: The Foundation is staffed by a team of intelligent and intellectually engaged people who are warm as individuals and passionate as professionals. They are adept at interacting with others, while demonstrating the forward thinking and collaborative spirit that have long been hallmarks of The John A. Hartford Foundation. For example, I immediately and repeatedly witnessed staff leadership bringing together funders, both private and public, to explore ways to foster and protect the health and well-being of older adults. And they do it in a professional atmosphere that encourages strong planning and problem-solving approaches.

Being back in an environment where a team of smart and dedicated people are working together—bringing in others, incorporating new colleagues and building relationships—all in the service of improving care for older people is my professional nirvana. I am proud to be a member of such an outstanding team.

I am home.