Who are the Board Members & Judges?

Topics on this page: Board Members | Administrative Law Judges | Administrative Appeals Judges

The Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) provides impartial, independent review of disputed decisions in a wide range of Department programs under more than 60 statutory provisions. The DAB generally issues the final decision for the Department, which may then be appealed to federal court. The DAB may issue a recommended decision for action by another official. The DAB has three broad areas of jurisdiction each with its own set of judges and staff. The DAB also has a leadership role in implementing Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) across the Department since the DAB Chair is the designated Dispute Resolution Specialist under the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act of 1996. DAB staff includes trained mediators and facilitators. The DAB's ADR responsibilities include providing ADR services and training and coordinating and facilitating negotiated rulemaking committees.

The DAB resolves disputes with outside parties such as state agencies, Head Start grantees, universities, nursing homes, doctors, and Medicare beneficiaries. In a single year, disputes heard by the DAB may involve as much as $1 billion in federal grant funds.

Board Members

Christopher S. Randolph (Acting Chair) was appointed as a Board Member in November 2015 and has served as the Deputy Chair since November 2021. He previously served as an Administrative Appeals Judge on the Medicare Appeals Council. Prior to that, he was the DAB's Project Manager for the Fully Integrated Duals Advantage demonstration project, the Special Assistant to the Chair, and both the Director and Deputy Director of the Medicare Operations Division (MOD). Judge Randolph was also a law clerk at the District of Columbia Board on Professional Responsibility's, Office of Bar Counsel, a prosecutor with the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office, a litigator at a small firm, a solo practitioner, and an associate county attorney at the Prince George's County Office of Law. He earned his J.D. from Howard University School of Law.

Michael P. Cunningham was appointed as a Board Member in March 2020. Before joining the Board, Judge Cunningham worked in private practice for more than twenty years, representing clients in a broad range of business, insurance, banking, and healthcare litigation matters. He earned his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law and B.A. from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Karen E. Mayberry was appointed as a Board Member in May 2022. She previously served as an Administrative Appeals Judge on the Medicare Appeals Council. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Chief Immigration Judge and served in the U.S. Air Force as a judge advocate in a variety of assignments, culminating her 30-year military career as the Chief Judge of the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. Before entering the military, Judge Mayberry practiced tax law and was an appellate defense counsel for the State of Kansas. She earned her J.D. from the Kansas University School of Law and B.A. from Rutgers University.

Jeffrey Sacks was appointed as a Board Member in May 2022. He previously served as an Administrative Appeals Judge on the Medicare Appeals Council since November 2019. Previously, Judge Sacks served as a senior staff attorney with the Board's Appellate Division, which he joined in 1991, drafting Board decisions in appeals of disallowances, grant terminations, civil penalties and exclusions by state agencies, institutional grantees, and health care providers. He previously served as an AAJ on the Council under a temporary appointment in 2002, and prior to joining the DAB, worked as an attorney for state and federal agencies. He received his J.D. from The George Washington University.

Kathleen E. Wherthey was appointed as a Board Member in May 2022. She served the State of Maryland for over fifteen years with the Administrative Office of the Courts and the Office of the Attorney General, most recently as Deputy for Litigation and Benefits representing the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System. She represented the State of Maryland and its agencies in over sixty appellate cases, including over twenty reported state and federal appellate decisions. She previously worked in private practice representing clients including health care providers, and has prior professional experience in the health and medical insurance industry. She earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland.

Administrative Law Judges

Meredith Montgomery was appointed as a Supervisory Administrative Law Judge in October 2024. She previously served as an Administrative Law Judge since June 2023. She has served the DAB for thirteen years in various capacities, most recently as the Executive Director for Human Capital in the Immediate Office of the Chair and prior to that as a Senior Advisor and the Division Director of the Civil Remedies Division-Tobacco. She has also served as a Team Lead and Attorney-Advisor in the Civil Remedies Division. Prior to joining the DAB, she worked in a private law practice and served as a judicial law clerk at the Wisconsin Circuit Court. She earned her J.D. from Seattle University and B.A. from the University of Wisconsin.

Debbie K. Nobleman was appointed as a Supervisory Administrative Law Judge in October 2024. She previously served as an Administrative Law Judge since June 2023, and before that she served on the Medicare Appeals Council as an Administrative Appeals Judge since October 2016. Beginning as an Attorney-Advisor in the Immediate Office, Judge Nobleman drafted decisions for MOD and quickly became involved in helping the Chair manage the appeals backlog. She later served as the Deputy Director of the Civil Remedies Division and then as the Special Assistant to the Chair. She also held the position of MOD Director. Before joining the DAB, she practiced civil litigation and also served as a Judicial Law Clerk for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. She earned her J.D. from the Howard University School of Law and B.A. in History from the University of California.

Jacinta L. Alves joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in March 2021. Prior to her appointment, Judge Alves worked in private practice in the areas of health care, as well as government contracts and grants law, for over twelve years. She served on the firm's Diversity Council Steering Committee, Recruiting Committee, and False Claims Act Steering Committee. She earned her J.D. from the Boston University School of Law and B.A. from Emory University in Economics and Psychology.

Scott Anderson has served as an Administrative Law Judge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since March 2012, both for the DAB’s Civil Remedies Division (2012-2017, 2018-present) and the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals (OMHA) (2017-2018). He previously served as an Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration. He also served as an Associate General Counsel and Deputy Disciplinary Counsel with the U.S. Department of Justice's Executive Office for Immigration Review. Prior to that, he worked at the Social Security Administration as a Presidential Management Fellow, an Assistant Special Council with the agency's Office of Hearings and Appeals, and an attorney with the agency's Office of General Law/Office of General Counsel. He earned his J.D. and B.A. from the College of William and Mary.

Zina D. Ashourian joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in October 2024. She previously served as a Supervisory Administrative Law Judge at OMHA, where she conducted de novo hearings on appeals involving highly complex Medicare, Medicare Secondary Payer, income-related monthly adjustment amount, and Entitlement cases. Before that she was the Senior Attorney-Advisor for the OMHA Associate Chief Administrative Law Judge. She earned her J.D. and B.A. from the University of Detroit Mercy.

Tannisha D. Bell joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in March 2021. She previously served as an Administrative Law Judge with the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings and before that as an Assistant Deputy Attorney General with the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General's Child Support Services Division. She also was a Section Chief of the Crime Victims Services Section with the Ohio Attorney General's Office. She earned her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and B.A. and M.S. from Virginia Tech.

Margaret G. Brakebusch joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in June 2015. She previously served an Administrative Law Judge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from 2001 until 2013. From 1994 until 2001, Judge Brakebush was an Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration where she served as Hearing Officer Chief Judge during the latter years of her work there. Before that she was a trial attorney with the NLRB. Before entering the field of law, she practiced as a clinical social worker. She earned her J.D. from the University of Memphis, M.S.W. from the University of Tennessee, and is a graduate of Bethel University.

Adam R. Gazaille joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in June 2023. He previously served as the Senior Advisor to the Chair, Executive Director of Adjudication, Team Lead in MOD, and Team Lead and Attorney-Advisor in the Immediate Office of the Chair. Prior to joining the DAB, Judge Gazaille worked for a private law firm where his practice focused on complex litigation matters, primarily in federal court. He also volunteered as a pro bono attorney, representing unaccompanied children in federal immigration proceedings and related state court matters. He earned his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law.

Richard C. Goodwin joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in November 2016. He previously served as an Administrative Law Judge with the Food and Drug Administration from September 2015 until November 2016. He has over twenty years of judicial experience, including as an Administrative Law Judge for the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Social Security Administration. Before that he was in private practice in Annapolis, Maryland for almost twenty years. Judge Goodwin served over thirty-four years as an Infantry Officer and Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army, having been awarded the Legion of Merit and two Meritorious Service Awards, before retiring from his position as Colonel, Judge Advocate General's Corps. He has acted as both Chair of the Judicial Division of the American Bar Association and the National Conference of Administrative Judiciary. He earned his J.D. from Northern Kentucky University, MBA from Xavier University, and B.A. in Economics from the College of William and Mary.

Carolyn Cozad Hughes joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in October 2000. She previously served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals, beginning in 1994. Prior to her appointment as an Administrative Law Judge, she was an attorney with the Department of Health and Human Services and a Clinical Professor of Law at the Chicago-Kent College of Law/Illinois Institute of Technology. She earned her J.D. from Northwestern University.

Marla Johnson joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in June 2023. She previously served on the Medicare Appeals Council as an Administrative Appeals Judge since March 2022. Prior to her appointment as Administrative Appeals Judge, Judge Johnson served as a Magistrate assigned to the asbestos docket for the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Judge Johnson also has previous experience working as a litigator specializing in labor and employment law for local government entities. She earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law and B.A. from Princeton University.

Kourtney LeBlanc joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in June 2023. Before her appointment, Judge LeBlanc held multiple roles at the DAB, most recently as the Director of the Civil Remedies Division and prior to that as Senior Advisor to the Chair. Previously, Judge LeBlanc worked in private law practice in Denver, CO and as a District Court law clerk. She received her J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law.

Pamela Levine joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in September 2024. She previously served as a Supervisory Administrative Law Judge at OMHA, where she conducted hearings on the record in all Medicare matters and oversaw the drafting and issuing of legally sufficient decisions. Prior to federal government service, she represented disabled clients in private practice for more than twenty years in a variety of contexts. She received her J.D. from the Boston University School of Law and B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Jewell Reddick joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in June 2023. He previously served as the Director of the Civil Remedies Division-Tobacco. Judge Reddick also served as the Team Lead, Technical Attorney, and Attorney-Advisor in the Civil Remedies Division-Tobacco. He also served as a Legal Intern in MOD during the Spring of 2014. Prior to law school, Judge Reddick earned his Pharm.D. in 2007 and has been a licensed pharmacist in Florida and the District of Columbia, practicing in numerous community pharmacy settings. He earned his Pharm.D. degree with honors from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and J.D. with honors from the University of Miami School of Law.

Karen Robinson joined to the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in October 2018. Previously she served as an Administrative Law Judge at the Social Security Administration and prior to that worked in several positions at the DAB including the Special Assistant to the Chair, Director of the Civil Remedies Division, and as an Administrative Appeals Judge on the Medicare Appeals Council. Prior to working at the DAB, she practiced complex commercial litigation at an international law firm. She earned her J.D. and B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Leslie C. Rogall joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in August 2015. She previously served as an Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review, and spent the majority of her tenure as the Hearing Office Chief Administrative Law Judge of the Washington, D.C. Hearing Office. She also served as Deputy Assistant General Counsel with the Department of Veterans Affairs and was a judge advocate for four years with the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. She is a native of New Jersey, earned her J.D. from the Rutgers School of Law - Newark, and is a graduate of Rutgers College.

Keith W. Sickendick joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law judge in September 2001. He has been an Administrative Law Judge since 1995, and previously served with the Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals, including a period as a Hearing Office Chief Administrative Law Judge. He was also a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, from 1989 to 1995. He also served as a judge advocate while on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1989. He earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law, and is a graduate of Westminster College.

Bill Thomas joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in July 2016. He previously served as an Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration, Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. Prior to that he worked for the Social Security Administrations's Office of General Counsel in Chicago with a focus on labor and employment law and federal district and appellate litigation. He earned his LL.M. and J.D. from Loyola University Chicago, and B.S. in Biological Sciences from Wright State University.

Rochelle D. Washington joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in June 2023. She previously served as a Supervisory Attorney in MOD in the role of the Program Operations Branch Chief. She also served as the Executive Director for Adjudication in the Immediate Office of the Chair and briefly as the Acting Senior Advisor to the Chair. Before that, she served the legal community for over sixteen years at the District of Columbia Bar in the Office of Regulation Council and in private practice handling civil litigation. During her legal career, Judge Washington provided pro bono legal services to juveniles, was appointed by the Maryland governor to the 15th District Judicial Nominating Commission, and was admitted as a member of the Southern Maryland Inns of Court. She earned her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and B.S. from Towson University.

Benjamin J. Zeitlin joined the DAB, Civil Remedies Division, as an Administrative Law Judge in June 2023. He previously served on the Medicare Appeals Council as an Administrative Appeals Judge since January 2021. Prior to his appointment, Judge Zeitlin served as a Supervisory Attorney-Advisor within MOD. Before joining the DAB, he was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division. He earned his J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law and his B.A. from the University at Albany, State University of New York.

Administrative Appeals Judges

Stanley I. Osborne, Jr. joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as the Chief Administrative Appeals Judge in 2011. Previously, he served as a Director and Deputy Director in MOD and a Deputy Director in the Civil Remedies Division. Before joining the DAB, he was an Attorney-Advisor with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He also worked for several years in private practice. He earned his J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.

Cristina M. Prelle is the Executive Director of MOD. She also serves as an Administrative Appeals Judge on the Medicare Appeals Council and was appointed in October 2022. Previously, she served as a Branch Chief in MOD, and she joined the DAB in May 2020. Before joining the DAB, Judge Prelle served for nearly ten years in the Social Security Administration, Office of Appellate Operations, where she occupied various roles including Attorney-Advisor, Supervisory Attorney, and temporary Administrative Appeals Judge. Prior to federal government service, she worked in a private law practice and for a consulting firm. She received her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law and B.A. from Duke University.

Kanisha L. Adkins joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in July 2024. She previously served as a Senior Civil Rights Investigator for Equal Opportunity at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has also worked for various other Commonwealth of Virginia agencies, including the Department of Social Services and the Department of Medical Assistance Services as an Administrative Appeals Hearings Officer and the University of Virginia as Deputy Director for Equal Opportunity Programs. She earned her J.D. from the University of Richmond, MDiv from Virginia Union University, and MSW and B.A. in English Literature from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Wyndell O. Banks joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in May 2021. He previously served as Director of the Office of Fair Hearings for the District of Columbia Housing Authority. Prior to that he served as an Administrative Hearing Officer for the Housing Authorities of the District of Columbia, Baltimore City, Prince George's County, the City of Glenarden, MD, and the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership. He also served as the Legal Director of the Neighborhood Legal Services Program, as a Chief Counsel with the U.S. Small Business Administration, and as an Adjunct Professor at the Howard University School of Law. He has also worked in private practice. He earned his J.D. from the Howard University School of Law and B.S. in Accounting from Southern University in Baton Rouge.

Christine Becer joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in November 2023. She previously served as a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Constitutional and Specialized Tort Litigation Section. Specifically, she represented the interests of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in cases filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. Prior to federal government service, Judge Becer worked in private practice civil litigation. She is also a licensed registered nurse. She earned her J.D. from Loyola University of Chicago and BSN from the University of Pennsylvania.

Eric Cioffi joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in June 2024. He previously served as an Attorney-Advisor to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces for eight years. Prior to federal government service, he worked as an appellate attorney for the City of Los Angeles, California, while working in private practice at various law firms. He also managed a solo practice. Judge Cioffi also served as a law clerk for the New Hampshire Supreme Court and the U.S. District Court, District of New Hampshire. He earned his J.D. from Vermont Law School and B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Kathy Duncan joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in June 2020. She previously served as the Career Judicial Law Clerk for the Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, for eleven years. Before that she worked as a litigating attorney specializing in employment law matters for both a large and mid-size firm. She also served as a Staff Attorney for the Office of the Fulton County Attorney where she represented Fulton County, Georgia in a wide variety of civil litigation and provided legal advice to county officials. She earned her J.D. from the Georgia State University College of Law and bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia.

Corey Fazekas joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in August 2024. He previously served for twelve years at the Social Security Administration, Office of the General Counsel, as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney litigating disability appeals in federal district and circuit courts across the country. He was also an Attorney-Advisor at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Administrative Law Judges. He received his J.D. from Temple University and B.A. from Fordham University.

Kevin L. Flynn joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in March 2022. He previously served in the U.S. Navy as a judge advocate for twenty-eight years in both an active duty and reserve capacity. He had a variety of assignments, including Deputy Trial Counsel at the Office of the Chief Prosecutor, Office of the Military Commissions; Appellate Government Counsel at Navy Appellate Activity; Co-Regional Program Director and Adjunct Professor at the Defense Institute of International Legal Studies; Command Services Department Head at Naval Legal Service Southwest; Assistant Staff Judge Advocate at USSTRATCOM; and Tort Litigation Attorney at the Navy Tort Litigation Division. As a civilian practitioner, Judge Flynn worked as a litigation attorney specializing in workers’ compensation, insurance defense, product and premise liability, and subrogation, for both a major insurance company and mid-size firm. He earned his B.S., B.A., and J.D. degrees from Creighton University.

Jordy Hirschfeld joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in December 2020. Previously he served as a Senior Hearing Officer with the Comptroller of Maryland. Before that he worked as a litigating attorney representing financial institutions with a mid-size firm. He earned his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law and bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland.

Vanessa Hunte joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in October 2022. She previously served as an Attorney-Advisor in MOD from 2011 to 2015. Before her appointment as an Administrative Appeals Judge, she re-joined the DAB in 2020, as a Supervisory Attorney in MOD, serving as the Program Support Branch Chief, and later as the Appeals Policy and Adjudication Branch Chief. Judge Hunte has also practiced litigation and healthcare law in private practice and previously served as a judicial law clerk at the Superior Court for the District of Columbia. She earned her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and B.A. from Vanderbilt University. 

Kaba Kabi A. Kazadi joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in March 2022. She began her federal career in 2009 at the Social Security Administration where she first started as an Attorney-Advisor at the National Hearing Center. She joined the Office of General Counsel’s Office of Program Law at the Social Security Administration's Headquarters in 2015 where she defended Administrative Law Judge decisions in federal court, provided legal advice on various policy matters, and served as the agency’s lead Staff Attorney on national class actions. She received her J.D. from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and her B.A. in International Politics from Georgetown University.

Michael Lanning joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in October 2022. He first joined the DAB in November 2014 as a contractor attorney in the Civil Remedies Division. In March 2015, he transferred to MOD, where he served as a Senior Attorney-Advisor, a Team Lead, and an Adjudication Branch Chief. As Team Lead, Judge Lanning developed and implemented MOD’s introductory training program for new judges and attorneys. Prior to joining the DAB he was a Staff Attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He received his J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and his B.A. from Northwestern University.

Eric Lester joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in March 2021. He previously served as a Team Lead with MOD, as well as Senior Attorney-Advisor, Deputy Director, and Appeals Officer within the DAB. He received his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and B.A. from Oakwood University.

Cherise Neville joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in December 2020. Previously, she spent fifteen years with OMHA, first as an Attorney-Advisor and then as a Senior Attorney for nine years. Her experience includes drafting decisions for the OMHA Chief and Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judges, deciding certain appeals filed at OMHA, advising senior executives on legislative, regulatory, and policy issues related to the Medicare claims appeals process, and creating the OMHA Settlement Conference Facilitation Initiative. Judge Neville received the 2016-2017 Secretary's Award for Meritorious Service, which is the second highest honor awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services and conferred by the Secretary. She also has previous experience working in other federal agencies and private industry. She received her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and B.A. from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Judith Pichler joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in October 2022. She has served at the DAB for nearly ten years in various capacities, most recently in the Appellate Division as a Senior Advisor and prior to that as the Division Director. She has also served as an Escalation Appeals Officer with MOD and as an Attorney-Advisor, first with the Civil Remedies Division and then with MOD.  Prior to joining the DAB, she served as a law clerk to a judge in the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland and then as an appellate law clerk to a judge on the Maryland Court of Appeals. She earned her J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law and her B.A. from Goucher College.

Alissa D. Rodriguez joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in October 2022. Previously, she served as an Administrative Judge and then as Director of the Appellate Review Division for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, specializing in civil rights and employment discrimination. Judge Rodriguez also previously worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Brooklyn, and an Assistant Inspector General with the NYC Department of Investigation, Health & Hospitals Unit. Additionally, she is currently a reservist with the U.S. Air Force, serving as an Assistant Staff Judge Advocate. She earned her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

Maria Cristina E. von Spiegelfeld joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in January 2021. Previously, she served as Counsel/Senior Counsel to several Board Members at the NLRB where she first started as an Honors Attorney. In 2019, she completed a detail assignment at the Small Business Administration's Office of International Trade as part of the President's Management Council Interagency Rotation Program. Prior to her legal career, she worked in international development supporting the implementation of USAID and State Department-funded international health and education projects. She earned her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and B.A. in International Studies from American University.

Deneen Tavares joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in 2020. Previously she spent eighteen years with the NLRB, first as Counsel/Senior Counsel to a Board Member and most recently as Assistant Solicitor for more than twelve years. In 2019, she also spent six months at the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey through the President's Management Council Interagency Rotations Program. Prior to federal government service, she worked in private practice. She received her J.D. from Mercer University, Walter F. George School of Law in Macon, Georgia and B.A. in Labor and Industrial Relations from Penn State.

Cecilia Traini joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in March 2022. Previously, she served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, where she litigated business tax issues, and as a Hearing Officer with the Comptroller of Maryland. Judge Traini began her legal career representing victims of domestic violence in family law and protective order proceedings in Baltimore City. She earned her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

Christopher T. Villator joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in October 2019. He first joined the DAB in 2009, serving as an Attorney-Advisor in MOD, later as Deputy Director of MOD, and then Special Assistant to the Chair. Prior to that he had a brief career in public policy, working on federal legislative issues at a large law firm, and before that, at a state government relations firm. He received his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.

Michael Williams joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in September 2024. Previously, he spent ten years at the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, Environmental Torts Division, where he served most recently as the Lead Trial Attorney in an ongoing litigation of over 20,000 claims seeking over $13 billion related to alleged exposure to lead from a public drinking water system in Flint, Michigan. Prior to federal government service, he was a partner at a large law firm. He received his J.D. from the Northwestern University School of Law and B.A. from Albion College.

Renee F. Williams joined the DAB, Medicare Appeals Council, as an Administrative Appeals Judge in August 2023. Previously, she served at the Department of Veterans Affairs in various capacities at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. Most recently, she served as Counsel in the Office of Appellate Operations at the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. She was previously appointed Special Counsel in the Office of the Medical Advisor and also worked with the Office of Learning and Knowledge Management. She earned her J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine, and B.S. from Xavier University of Louisiana.