Every year at our annual conference we recognize the achievements of leaders in the health policy community by bestowing Georgetown CCF Bulldog Awards. This year we awarded Bulldog Awards to two state partners and another special lifetime achievement award to one of our founders.

Linda Dixon: 

The first Bulldog was awarded to Attorney Linda Dixon, director of Health Law at the Mississippi Center for Justice. Linda has worked tirelessly to achieve health equity in Mississippi fighting against policies aimed at creating barriers to coverage. Her efforts helped defeat the Medicaid work reporting requirement waiver during the Trump Administration and to usher in 12 months of postpartum coverage. In this past legislative session, Medicaid expansion was approved in the House 99-20 but failed to be approved by the state Senate. Linda has been working against the odds and achieving great things. Through her leadership and character, she is a beacon of hope and resilience. Linda is a perfect example of what it means to be a Georgetown CCF Bulldog.

Cindy Mann

Cindy Mann, the founding executive director of Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, has been involved in every major initiative to improve health coverage over the past few decades. Cindy is known for her incisive intellect and for putting her heart and soul into her work to improve the lives of children and families. President Obama wisely tapped Cindy to serve as his Medicaid Director and she was one of the most successful appointees to ever serve in that role. It’s been an honor to work alongside Cindy in the Medicaid trenches.

Kristen Golden Testa:

Kristen Golden Testa received the Bulldog award in recognition of her dedication over the last 20+ years at The Children’s Partnership (TCP) in California. Kristen led TCP’s child health policy work on Medi-Cal, Healthy Families (California’s old separate state CHIP program) and the state’s ACA marketplace Covered California. She has been one of the major forces behind successful efforts to increase health equity in California through the expansion of MediCal coverage to all children regardless of immigration status and the simplifications of Medi-Cal eligibility and enrollments. Most recently she spearheaded efforts to enact multi-year continuous eligibility for young children. Kristen is the definition of a relentless, effective advocate or — in other words — a Bulldog.