BlackRock’s Emergency Savings Initiative is a group of the leading experts in consumer emergency savings research and strategies. The initiative works with industry partners to advance the field’s knowledge and implementation of effective savings strategies.
For media inquiries around the initiative’s research, programs or to speak with a subject matter expert, please contact Naomi Adams Bata at nbata@finhealthnetwork.org.
Mariel Beasley is a Principal at the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University and Co-Founder of the Common Cents Lab - a subcenter committed to improving the financial behavior of low- to moderate-income households in the United States. Working directly with credit unions, non-profits, and local governments, Mariel incorporates findings from the behavioral sciences to help members, clients, and residents lead happier, healthier, and wealthier lives. Mariel and her team use quantitative methods to design and rigorously test ideas in the field, exploring what is needed, what works, and how to move forward. To date, innovations from the Common Cents Lab have measurably improved the financial lives of over half a million people in the U.S.. Mariel also teaches a Master's level course in Behavioral Science for Municipal Policy at Duke University.
Timothy Flacke is Executive Director and Co-Founder of Commonwealth, a mission-driven organization that builds solutions to make people financially secure. Tim helped launch Commonwealth in 2001 and serves on the organization’s board of directors, drawing on twenty-five years’ experience in the non-profit and private sectors. Under his leadership, Commonwealth has grown from a start-up social venture into a nationally recognized innovation incubator which has thrice impacted the federal tax system and spawned new financial products and public policies responsible for helping hundreds of thousands of Americans save over $3B. Tim holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
John Thompson leads the Financial Health Network’s programmatic activity, including its research, consulting, innovation, network, and policy practices. His previous private-sector career in financial services, technology, the humanities, and retail delivery provides a broad range of experiences to draw from in addressing financial health business issues. He is regularly invited to speak at leading financial services and fintech events and has recently been quoted on financial health strategies by The New York Times and the Associated Press.
