Tammy Flanagan has spent 30 years helping federal employees take charge of their retirement by understanding their benefits. She runs her own consulting business at www.retirefederal.com and provides individual counseling as well as online training for the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, Plan Your Federal Retirement and the Federal Long Term Care insurance Program. She also serves as the senior benefits director for the National Institute of Transition Planning Inc., which conducts federal retirement planning workshops and seminars.

Tanya Ballard Brown is Executive Editor of Government Executive. Before (re)joining GovExec in early 2022, Ballard Brown was an editor at NPR for nearly 14 years. During her first stint at GovExec, Ballard Brown contributed significantly to the company’s 9/11 coverage with commitment and empathy, reporting from lower Manhattan following the attacks. She is a seasoned editor with experience brainstorming and implementing digital features, managing reporters, producers and interns, crafting promotional text and social media pitches, and writing, editing and reporting for print, digital and radio. Projects she has edited have been awarded Gracie, Murrow, Neal, and Peabody awards, among others.