Coalition staff
Executive Director
Dennis Jay is executive director of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. He has served as chief executive officer since the Coalition's founding in 1993.
He oversees the Coalition's
three main areas: government affairs, public outreach and research.
Dennis coordinated drafting of a comprehensive model insurance fraud law, which 19 states have passed wholly or partly. In 1996, Dennis initiated breakthrough research on why Americans do and don't tolerate insurance fraud, which was conducted again in 2007.
He is a frequent speaker on insurance fraud, and has testified before state and federal legislatures. He currently serves on the advisory board to the fraud bureau within the Virginia State Police, and in 2007 he was appointed to a state blue ribbon panel to recommend ways to strengthen anti-fraud efforts in California.
Former Maine Gov. Angus King also appointed Dennis to a commission studying insurance fraud and recommending reforms to the legislature, which resulted in passage of a comprehensive insurance fraud statute.
In 2000 he initiated the chartering of the New York Alliance Against Insurance Fraud, and now serves on the alliance's board. NYAAIF has raised nearly $3 million to help educate consumers about the fraud issue and how it affects them.
He also is advisor to the board of directors of the International Association of Special Investigation Units, and has served as a guest lecturer at the FBI Academy's in-service training on white-collar crime. In 2008 he was appointed advisor to the board of governors of the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
Dennis is a sought-after news source for the media, and is widely quoted in newspapers, magazines and on television. He has authored more than 100 articles and reports on insurance fraud, and currently writes Insurance FraudBlog, a popular Internet weblog on issues and analysis of current fraud topics.
He's a frequent public speaker on fraud issues in the U.S, and internationally, including in Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
In 2003, Fraud International magazine named him "Fraud Fighter of the Year" for his efforts in leading anti-fraud initiatives during the first ten years of the Coalition's existence. The website Insurance-Portal.com named Dennis one of the 100 most powerful people in the insurance industry for the last three years.
He formerly served as vice president of communications for the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, where he developed joint industry-consumer Coalitions and worked in consumer affairs, public relations and publishing. He holds a BA in business administration.Director of Government Affairs
Howard Goldblatt has been Director of Government Affairs for the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud since its inception in 1993. His career in government and public policy started in New York and includes 10 years of service on Capitol Hill serving on legislative staffs of several members of Congress. Prior to joining the Coalition, he worked as a government affairs specialist for New York-based law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell in its Washington, D.C. office and as government affairs director for the National Health Council.
Howard has been a frequent speaker on all aspects of the legislative process and on insurance fraud issues. In his capacity for the Coalition, Howard has testified before numerous legislative committees concerning insurance fraud issues. Howard also has published articles on insurance fraud issues in trade journals and general circulation newspapers. Howard has made presentations at international insurance fraud conferences in Budapest, Hungary (2001), Washington, DC (2002) and Amman, Jordan (2006). Howard also advises the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) on insurance fraud issues.
Howard is a member of the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud & Auto Theft Advisory Board, the Virginia State Police Insurance Fraud Advisory Board and the New Mexico Insurance Fraud Taskforce. Howard also is a consumer member of the NAIC- Consumer Liaison Committee that advises the NAIC on insurance consumer issues.
Howard holds a B.A. in political science from SUNY, New Paltz where he is a member of the Advisory Board for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and an M.A. in politics and government from New York University.
Director of Communications
James Quiggle is the Coalition's director of communications and fomenter of buzz.
A 20-year veteran of public relations and journalism, Jim joined the Coalition staff in March 2000. He's stirring public outrage and stoking consumer support with outreach campaigns that tell the tale of fraud, wag the tail of reform, and unite society to combat this crime.
He oversees the
Coalition's outreach strategy, positioning the Coalition as one of America's
most-trusted authorities on insurance fraud.
Jim's award-winning career has ranged from smoke-filled newsrooms to mahogany-paneled boardrooms.
He has headed public relations for two major national trade associations - the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Most recently he was a public relations consultant and business journalist, specializing in high-tech, banking, trucking, youth services and other industries.
Jim also was an editor and reporter for a small-town daily newspaper, manager of communications for a Washington think tank covering the media's reporting of business, and lead writer for a public relations firm promoting prominent national sports events.
He has been published in news outlets such as The Washington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Sun Times, Reno Gazette Journal, Virginia Business and others. Jim also has won several public relations awards.
Jim received a BA (cum laude) in psychology from Dickinson College.
Communications Specialist
Jennifer Tchinnosian is the Coalition's communications specialist and innovation enthusiast. She's the chief strategist for social media marketing via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social platforms. She also handles publication design and video production.
Jennifer thrives in environments where accuracy, creativity and public outreach converge.
She worked at the Associated Press in Rome. There, she covered foreign leaders, and medical fraud and other crimes. At La Nacion in Buenos Aires, Jennifer created graphics, animations and audio slide shows about home energy conservation, local sites and interactive traffic maps.
Studying graphic design at the acclaimed Parsons The New School for Design, she created catalogues, logos, brochures and slide presentations. She graduated from the George Washington University with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. There, she used her skills in writing, photography and film to create multimedia content for the independent student newspaper, The GW Hatchet.
She also freelanced coverage of the election and inauguration of President Obama, creating online content picked up by CBS News.
Jennifer won the Creative Non-Fiction from the school's Mortar and Pestle Literary Magazine: and the GW Review Award for Photography.
Executive Assistant
Kendra Smith is the executive assistant of the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. She has served in this position since 2007.
Her 12-year career in office management and managing schedules of some of DC's most influential execs makes her one of the best in her field.
Kendra's position at Suited for Change from 2001-2004 expanded far beyond clerical duties. She maintained relationships with over 100 job-training programs for low-income women in the DC-area, assisted with public relations and fundraising projects, trained volunteers, interns, and clients on appropriate interview attire and job readiness skills. She also led several job readiness workshops for low-income women.
Kendra attended Sanz School for Computer Applications training in 2001. In 2004, she served as Placement Coordinator for the school's Job Placement department. There, she organized career fairs and seminars, assisted students with gaining employment after completing courses and provided various reports for the school's accrediting company, President, and Corporate Director of Planning.
From 2005-2007, she served as an assistant to the President & CEO, SVP of External Affairs, SVP of Marketing & Communications and Chief of Staff of the DC Chamber of Commerce. She coordinated all board meetings, maintained the President & CEO's schedule and travel arraignments, served as liaison to the Mayor of DC and city council member assistants.
In 2008, she received a BBA in International Business and AA in Science-Criminal Justice from American InterContinental University Online one month after giving birth to her second son. Whew... talk about dedication.
