Since 2007, Debra has served as the majority staff director for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging where she seeks to improve the nation’s nursing homes, lower the cost of health care and increase retirement security for all Americans.  She feels that working on aging issues is particularly rewarding because not only are older Americans the fastest growing segment of the population, but public policies and programs tend to play a greater role in their lives.  Previously, Debra worked with the Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service, Social Security Administration and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee as a Brookings Institution Legis Fellow.  She received her bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University and immediately began pursuing her graduate studies.  While earning her master’s and Ph.D. in economics from Syracuse University, she gained valuable experience as a research fellow with the school’s Center for Policy Research and a research assistant with Syracuse’s Luxembourg Income Study. Debra was a Stennis Fellow in the 111^th Congress.