In this capacity Ms. Ashkar speaks to beneficiaries and their families and provides representation at all levels of appeal, including administrative hearings. Ms. Ashkar is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association Elder Law Section. Ms. Ashkar is also a trainer for Connecticut's Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1997 and received her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2000. Before coming to the Center for Medicare Advocacy, Ms. Ashkar practiced law at a firm in Dubuque, Iowa where she worked in litigation and employment law.