President
Alex Swedlow
Mr. Swedlow has more than 25 years of experience in health services research, public policy analysis, and data development and has published numerous research studies in the areas of managed medical and disability systems, evidence-based medicine, pharmaceutical utilization, access to care, return-to-work and key performance indicators of California workers ’ compensation reform. In 2013 he was named President of the Institute after having served as Executive Vice-President of Research for 13 years. Prior to that he had been an independent consultant to CWCI from 1988 to 1999, working to enhance data collection and research on topics including medical and indemnity benefit development, 24-hour coverage and medical treatment utilization, and cost drivers. In 1998, he served as the Systems Architect and Project Manager for CWCI’s primary claims database, the Industry Research Information System (IRIS), one of the largest and most robust workers’ compensation transactional data warehouses in the nation. Mr. Swedlow earned his master’s degree in Strategic Planning and Health Services Research from the George Washington University and was awarded GWU’s International Research Fellowship Award. He is an active participant in industry advisory committee work and a frequent speaker at regional and national conferences and forums.
Senior Vice-President, Research & Operations, CFO And Treasurer
Rena David
Ms. David provides leadership and oversight for the CWCI research function as well as the tools and systems necessary to support it. In addition, as CFO, she oversees budgeting, human resources, facilities and systems; Ms. David has expertise in 24-hour coverage models and has published research on medical dispute resolution and other impacts of recent California Workers’ Compensation Report. She holds a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford and master’s degrees in business administration and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining CWCI in 2013, she worked as a consultant and manager for more than 25 years in finance, data systems development, product development, workers’ comp and group health pricing, health services research and hospital operations, primarily at Kaiser Permanente.
General Counsel
Ellen Sims Langille
Ms. Langille oversees CWCI’s internal legal functions; serves as staff liaison to the Legal Committee, which directs the Institute’s amicus activities; analyzes regulatory and legal issues affecting the workers’ compensation industry; and helps develop and present CWCI research and legal programs for members and industry stakeholders. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of California, Hastings College of Law, she joined the Institute in 2016. Her 25-year career in workers’ compensation included service as a partner at the defense firm of Finnegan, Marks, Theofel & Desmond in San Francisco, where she specialized in appellate level workers’ compensation cases and often served as CWCI amicus counsel.
Communications Director
Robert E. Young
Mr. Young is responsible for writing, editing, production and dissemination of information and publications from the Institute, including CWCI research reports, bulletins, executive memos and briefings, news releases, marketing and educational materials, and web content, and he serves as liaison between the Institute staff and members of the press and the media. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied political science and journalism, he has been active in the California workers’ compensation community for 28 years, having started at the Institute in 1988, prior to which he worked for nine years as a writer and managing editor of the nation’s largest weekly financial newsletter.
Senior Research Associate
Stacy L. Jones
Ms. Jones is a recognized authority on workers’ comp medical billing and payment issues, as well as various aspects of claim adjudication and management. In her role within the Research Department she works with other members of the research staff on public policy and applied research projects; drafts public policy reports and presentations; represents CWCI at various forums; and collaborates with CWCI members and others in the community to expand data-related products and services using the IRIS database. Ms. Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University Long Beach and a master’s degree in psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She joined the Institute in 2014 after having spent 15 years as an independent consultant working on projects for claims operations, information technology companies, medical clinics, law firms, and state and national insurer organizations including CWCI, IAIABC, and the WCIRB.
Senior Research Associate
Steve Hayes
Mr. Hayes is a member of the Institute’s research staff, working with CWCI members and stakeholders to design and build analytical tools to develop both public policy and applied research projects based on the CWCI’s Industry Research Information System database. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, he also holds a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Mr. Hayes joined the Institute’s research team in 2014 after spending 11 years with Carewise Health (formerly SHPS HR Solutions Inc.) where he was the Director of Analytics from 2009 to 2013, prior to which he served as Director of Wellness Reporting & Performance Guarantees, Manager of Financial Reporting, and Senior Employee Benefits Consultant.
Senior Research Associate
Robby Bullis
Mr. Bullis is the newest member of the CWCI research staff, having joined CWCI in 2016 as a Senior Research Associate, where his duties include working with CWCI members, other stakeholders and staff to gather input on issues relating to research scope, methods and analysis, and analyzing and evaluating policy and claims data quality to assure the accuracy and representativeness of data used in support of applied and public policy research projects. Prior to joining the Institute, Mr. Bullis spent 10 years as an analyst, specializing in national Medicare and Medicaid finance for Kaiser Permanente and as a health risk analyst for Carewise Health. He holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and mathematics from the University of Washington, Seattle, a masters’ degree in economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a juris doctorate from the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley.
Technical Operations Manager
Rawintara Adel
Ms. Adel oversees the transformation and loading of claims data from various IRIS database contributors. She has more than 30 years’ experience in California workers’ compensation, having worked as a database consultant at Industrial Indemnity and as an information technology consultant for Price Waterhouse prior to joining the Institute in 2000. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand as well as masters’ degrees in economics and computer science from University of Detroit.