Gary Koenig

About Gary Koenig

I am a policy expert and strategic leader with 30 years of experience advancing financial health and retirement security across the non‑profit, government, and consulting sectors. My work has focused on improving financial well‑being by shaping public policy, influencing private‑sector practices, and supporting better consumer decision‑making. Most recently, I spent 17 years at AARP’s Public Policy Institute, where I served as Vice President of Financial Security and led AARP’s enterprise‑wide strategy on financial health. In that role, I guided research, policy development, and cross‑functional initiatives aimed at helping people build and live financially secure retirements, protect assets from fraud and financial exploitation, and manage costs and spending. I also led large, cross‑matrix teams, managed a $20M+ budget, and partnered closely with advocacy, communications, and program teams to drive measurable impact. During my tenure at AARP, I developed deep expertise in retirement security, savings policy, Social Security, personal finance, and consumer financial behavior. I had the opportunity to help design and scale consumer‑facing financial education tools, including providing strategic direction for AARP Money Map, a digital platform that guided users through budgeting, debt reduction, and saving. Earlier in my career, I was an economist for the Joint Committee on Taxation in the U.S. Congress, where I specialized in employer‑provided pensions and retirement plans. I analyzed the budgetary and economic effects of tax policy changes, built and applied economic models, and contributed to major Congressional reports on tax reform and retirement savings. Today, I am leveraging this experience as an independent consultant through Koenig Consulting Group, advising companies and non‑profits on scaling financial well‑being initiatives and advancing evidence‑based public policy through research, strategy, and actionable insights. I am also a Nonresident Fellow at the Urban Institute, collaborating on research related to retirement security, savings policy, and Social Security reform. I am motivated by opportunities to learn, innovate, and partner with organizations committed to strengthening financial well‑being at scale—particularly where rigorous analysis, thoughtful design, and practical solutions can make a meaningful difference.

Experience

1. Nonresident Fellow

   Urban Institute

   Feb 2026 — Present

   Nonresident fellow in the Family and Financial Well-Being Division and the Tax and Income Supports Division at the Urban Institute focusing on retirement security, savings policy, and Social Security reform.

Skills

• Community Outreach
• Government
• Nonprofits
• Program Evaluation
• Public Speaking
• Management Consulting
• Data Analysis
• Non-Profits
• Policy
• Economics
• Public Policy
• Research
• Policy Analysis
• Strategy
• Politics
• Strategic Communications