Who We Are

Encouraged by the federal tax code since 1983, structured settlements provide strong financial security to victims of physical injuries and their families. Using a tailored stream of payments, a structured settlement provides a long-term payment stream that is completely exempt from state and federal income taxes.

Founded in 1984, the National Structured Settlements Trade Association (NSSTA) represents nearly 1,200 licensed consultants, attorneys, insurance companies, and other professionals who work with accident survivors and their dependents.

Eric Vaughn

Executive Director

Eric Vaughn joined NSSTA as Director of Government Affairs in 2001 and has previously served on the White House Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council. He also served in senior policy positions with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

A longtime veteran of Capitol Hill, Eric has worked for the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. After his Congressional service, he became president of the Renewable Fuels Association, the national ethanol and bio-fuels industry trade association.

He has a Masters Degree in International Economics from the Maxwell School of Public Policy and International Affairs at Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Sciences Degree from Alfred University.

Peter Arnold

Deputy Director

A former White House speechwriter and Capitol Hill press secretary, Peter Arnold has handled NSSTA’s marketing and public relations operations since 1996.

Peter's experience includes serving as the executive director and spokesman for several Washington-based lobbying organizations including a high-tech coalition that successfully lobbied for a federal Internet tax moratorium and a cable television coalition that opposed “open access” regulations on broadband service.

He is a cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College.

Media inquiries: Please contact Peter at 703 629 8552.

John Stanton

General Counsel

John Stanton is a partner at Hogan Lovells, successor firm to Hogan & Hartson, where he practices in the area of federal income taxation, with emphasis on legislative matters, regulatory issues, and controversy proceedings. He has served as NSSTA’s general counsel for more than 20 years.

During his service as lobbyist and counsel, John successfully sought tax changes broadening the use of structured settlements and facilitating their use to resolve workers compensation claims. He also successfully sought the retention of current law treatment of derivative claims for physical injury tort damages.

His court admissions include the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, and the U.S. Tax Court.

Courtney Hill

Member Relations Manager

Courtney joined the NSSTA team in July 2010. She has been with Book Hill Partners since October 2008 as the Government Affairs and Client Relations Manager. Prior to joining BHP Courtney worked as a Government Affairs coordinator for a large trade association.

Raushanna Salhi

Director of Communications and Social Media

Raushanna joined the NSSTA team and Book Hill Partners in February 2011. Her experience spans the areas of public affairs, media and public relations. It was during her time working for a private international investment firm, the Kurdistan Regional Government and an elite, lifestyle-fitness Company in Montreal, Canada that she continued to develop her strategic communication and branding skills.

Raushanna attended the University of Minnesota School of Journalism where she received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and Communication Studies. She is a proud native of South Dakota.

Kathryn I. Moghadas

Continuing Education Director

Kathy has been a healthcare consultant and educator since the early 1980’s. Kathy’s firm, Associated Healthcare Advisors, Inc. (AHA) relocated from Annandale Virginia to Central Florida in 1989 and TopCat Schools, established in 1999, is the educational marketing division of AHA which provides continuing education to assists the licensed professional in meeting the challenges of licensure and certification retention by providing excellence in educational offerings throughout the country and internationally.

Kathy received her nursing degree at Prince Georges College and a healthcare management degree from George Mason University. She demonstrates her commitment to service as the current president of the National Society of Certified Healthcare Business Consultants as well as past president of the Society of Medical Dental Management Consultants. Kathy also serves as adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College, Seminole State College as well as the TopCat School.

She has authored two books for the American Medical Association titled: Medical Office Policies and Procedures and Tools for the Efficient Medical Practice. She is on the advisory boards to Winter Springs High School, Central Florida College as well as Medscape/WebMD.

Debbie Sink

Continuing Education Administrator

Debbie Sink is the TopCat School administrator for Associated Healthcare Advisors, Inc. (AHA), which manages the continuing education credits for NSSTA programs. Her experiences date back to the 1980’s in the corporate national sales environment. Debbie juggles the complexities of the AHA’s diverse client population where she focuses on the details to complete the paper filings necessary to assist our clients to stay in compliance with all the state and federal regulators. Whether it is arranging all the details of producing a single lunch and learn or an entire national conference for our educational schools, Debbie’s painstaking attention to the details contributes to our success and is demonstrated daily by the high praise clients share about her.