Bob Brown serves as State Government Affairs Coordinator and focuses on ANA’s state legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts. Prior to joining ANA in April 2024, he was at Bloomberg Government as a Legislative Data Research Analyst. He was also a Senior Legislative Analyst at Stateside Associates and a Legal Assistant at the DC law firm Kellogg Hansen. Bob is a graduate of Michigan State University, Go Green!
Chris Carlson is the PAC Coordinator for the American Nurses Association Political Action Committee (ANA-PAC). Born outside Philadelphia, Chris began his career in fundraising for state and local campaigns before moving to Washington, D.C. to work in campaign compliance. Chris is a graduate of the University of Richmond.
Zina Gontscharow
Joining the ANA Policy & Government Affairs team in September 2020, Zina Gontscharow serves as Director, Policy & Regulatory Advocacy, elevating the nursing profession through mainly federal regulatory advocacy. Prior to joining the ANA, Zina was a Senior Policy Analyst for America’s Essential Hospitals. There she played an integral role in the association’s policy initiatives to protect hospitals that serve a safety net role in their communities.
In addition to her role at ANA, Zina serves as President of the Western State Hospital Advisory Council, a state psychiatric hospital in Staunton, Virginia. She also volunteers in her community, holding several leadership positions. Zina holds a masters of public policy and a bachelor’s degree in government and international affairs, both from George Mason University.
Alison Hernandez
Alison Hernandez is a doctoral-prepared registered nurse and Senior Policy Advisor on the Regulatory and Advocacy Team at ANA. In her role, she leads efforts to shape and advocate for policies impacting the nursing profession and health care delivery nationwide. Alison works closely with executive agencies, stakeholders, and ANA members to advance regulatory priorities that strengthen nursing practice, enhance patient care, and promote health equity.
Before joining ANA, Alison worked on Capitol Hill, where she helped advance health, aging, and disability policies in both chambers of the U.S. Federal Congress. She served as a Policy Advisor for Chairman Bob Casey of Pennsylvania on the Senate Special Committee on Aging, contributing to the development of legislative solutions aimed at improving the lives of older adults and individuals with disabilities. Prior to her work in policy, Alison worked at the bedside as a medical surgical nurse. A passionate advocate for nursing, Alison is dedicated to empowering nurses to engage in public policy. In 2024 she was inducted as Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing.
As Director, Congressional and Political Affairs, Sam lobbies Congress on behalf of ANA’s policy priorities. Prior to joining ANA, he was Director of Federal Affairs, Health Care for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association where he lobbied on behalf of the speech-language pathology and audiology professions. He has also worked for the American Academy of Dermatology and as a health care legislative aide for former-Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA).
Prior to working in health care advocacy, he served as Finance Director of the Christine Jennings for Congress campaign in 2006 and as a field organizer for John Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid.
Jonah Mainzer joined ANA in February 2022 as a Senior Policy Advisor working on a number of regulatory and policy issues including reimbursement, telehealth, public health, veterans’ health, rural health, and APRN issues. Jonah has extensive health policy and legislative experience working at other medical specialty societies as well as at a government affairs firm whose clients included local government and public hospital systems. Additionally, Jonah was counsel at a consulting firm focused on health care financing.
Jonah graduated from the University of Maryland and also holds a J.D. from the Catholic University of America.
Robyn Matthews-Peacher joined ANA as the Associate Director of State Government Relations in November 2023. With over a decade of experience in state government affairs, grassroots, and political campaigns, Robyn has a proven track record in advocacy and political strategy. Originally from Oklahoma, she has significant experience lobbying for the Oklahoma Credit Union Association and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and has held key roles in political campaigns, including running for state house and managing the campaign for the Oklahoma Attorney General.
Since moving to Washington, D.C., Robyn’s expertise expanded through her work with a state government affairs consulting firm and other national associations including the Director, Intergovernmental Affairs at the National Association of Home Builders and Director, Advocacy and Industry Relations at the American Association of Political Consultants.
Robyn holds a BS in Journalism from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Public Affairs from University of Missouri.
Tim Nanof, MSW, is ANA’s Executive Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs where he leads the team across federal and state, legislative, regulatory, political and grassroots advocacy.
Prior to joining ANA, Tim served as the Policy Director for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Before that he was the lead lobbyist for the American Occupational Therapy Association. Tim is a graduate of the University of Maine and George Mason University.
Simit Pandya is the Director, Congressional and Grassroots Advocacy at the American Nurses Association. In this role, he champions the public policy priorities of the ANA and nursing community in the halls of Congress. Mr. Pandya has over a decade of experience in the government affairs, healthcare policy, legal, and risk management/patient safety arenas.
He is a graduate of Rutgers University and also holds a Master’s in Political Management from George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management where he focused his studies on government relations, healthcare policy, and the budget/appropriations process.
Amanda Rosner joined ANA in January 2025 as a Policy Advisor. Prior to her work at ANA, she served as a Senior Research Associate at the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security, where she researched global infectious disease policies. Her experience also includes federal public health work, having served as a Public Health Advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stationed at the Chicago Department of Public Health Tuberculosis Program. Amanda graduated from Northwestern University in 2020 with a Master of Public Health and in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in both Political Science and Global Health.
Katherine Rowe serves as Grassroots Advocacy Coordinator and leads ANA’s efforts to engage with nurses on legislative, regulatory, and grassroots issues. Prior to joining ANA in November 2023, she worked on a congressional campaign as both a Deputy Field Organizer and Operations and Finance Coordinator as well as in local government as a District Representative. She has also interned at Search for Common Ground, a peacebuilding non-profit, and completed several legislative internships in the California State Senate.
Katherine holds a B.A. in political science and moved to the District of Columbia in 2021 to receive her Master’s in Engaged and Public Humanities. In her free time, she crochets, reads, and eats too much ramen.