Rise

Megan Bair CEO

Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc.

Megan Bair is the CEO of Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc., with 25 years of experience in Workforce Development and Community Action in Central PA. She excels in operational efficiency, innovation, and program development. Megan actively participates in numerous local and state committees representing low-income families. and focuses on creating collaborative programs to support individuals and communities in addressing the root causes of poverty. Her experience in developing services that address the full range of social determinants of health, combined with her ability to foster cross-sector partnerships, enhances her capacity to implement change and support communities.

Stacy Biddinger Wathen Director, Community Health

Children’s Hospital Association

Stacy Wathen serves as Director of Community Health at the Children’s Hospital Association where she leads the association’s work in community health, community benefit and addressing health related social needs. She joined CHA in 2009 and while her role has evolved, it has always included facilitating member affinity groups of participants focused on peer learning, sharing best practices and advancing hospitals’ work to promote optimal health, development and opportunities for children. Additionally, Stacy serves on The Board of Trustees for the Root Cause Coalition, as a liaison to the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Community Pediatrics and on the Healthy Steps National Advisory Committee.

Stacy started her career at Children’s Hospital of Richmond, spending eight years working in public relations and marketing on behalf of the hospital. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Journalism from Randolph-Macon College and a Master’s in Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Amy Blackledge Director, Clinical Quality

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Idaho

Amy Blackledge, MBA-HC, MSN, RN, CSSBB is the Director of Clinical Quality at Blue Cross of Idaho where she has oversight of HEDIS, NCQA accreditation, and quality improvement while serving as the organization’s Health Equity expert.  With extensive experience in quality reporting, population health, and value-based performance across large health systems, Amy is deeply committed to advancing health equity and improving patient outcomes.  She is passionate about driving transformational change through cross-functional collaboration, integrating best practices to drive quality, and using data to optimize care delivery and outcomes. 

Kimberly Brister Vice President, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

WellSpan Health

Stephanie Burdick

Lived Experience Expert

Laura Carroll

Patient Advisor

Laura Carroll is a patient family partner that focuses on integrated healthcare, social
determinants/ drivers of health (SDOH), and complex care in rural Colorado and the United
States. A natural storyteller, she openly shares real life experiences and challenges from her
own life and community with corporations and agencies to facilitate better physical, mental, and
social healthcare for all.

Laura is the president of the State of Colorado Medicaid Medical Services Board, and also
serves on the Nourish Colorado Advisory Board, Kyruus Health’s Patient and Family Advisory
Council, The Center to Advance Consumer Partnership’s Consumer Advisory Panel, the
Camden Coalition's INSPIRE Core Team and the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger's
Community Voice Commitee. She enjoys bringing her down to earth approach to speaking
engagements, facilitated panels, and research projects nationwide.

Laura lives in a small agricultural community of less than 1,500 people where she volunteers
with the Colorado Master Gardeners, gleans produce for local food pantries with UpRoot
Colorado, and explores the wilderness with her husband, son, and little dog, Mari.

Loreen Chant CEO

Health Foundation of South Florida

Loreen Chant was appointed President and CEO of the Health Foundation of South Florida in January 2021, becoming the organization’s first woman CEO. A community leader with nearly three decades of executive experience, Chant is responsible for leading the organization and ensuring its resources are leveraged to address the social and economic disparities and inequities that too often act as barriers to health.    Previously, Chant served as President and CEO of Easterseals South Florida, which provides vital services and supports for people and families with disabilities and young families living in poverty across Miami-Dade. Under her leadership, Easterseals experienced a period of transformative growth and achieved history-making fundraising milestones, as she drove visibility, engagement and relationships throughout the community. In addition, Chant spent more than 20 years working in higher education, serving as Vice President and then President of Johnson & Wales University’s North Miami Campus.    Well-known in South Florida for her community contributions and accomplishments, in 2015 Chant was recognized for effective leadership by the Latino Center on Aging. She is also the recipient of the Red Cross Sara Hopkins Woodruff Spectrum Award for Education. In 2009, she was named one of South Florida’s 25 Most Influential Women by the South Florida Business Journal. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University, and an Executive Education Program Certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management from Harvard Business School.   

Jodi Cichetti, RN, MS, CCM, CPHQ, CPPS, HACP Vice President Quality, Patient Safety and Infection Prevention

WellSpan Health

Jodi is a Registered Nurse with adult ICU background, and a master’s degree in health systems management, currently the Vice President of Patient Safety, Quality and Infection Prevention at WellSpan Health.  Jodi has supported the health system to be the first in Pennsylvania awarded the NCQA Accreditation for Health Equity and co-directs new and innovative efforts to reduce the disparities in life expectancy in the communities that WellSpan serves. Jodi developed the sepsis remote monitoring model and directed the quality and nursing work design implementation that resulted in winning the 2019 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award for the Health System.  Jodi has co-led efforts that resulted in winning the 2024 American Hospital Association Quest for Quality award.   

Jodi has led the patient safety team to reduce serious events by 45% and increase patient safety reporting for that same time by 97%.  Jodi also led the device safety team to the 5^th consecutive year for award of the ECRI Alerts Impact Award. 

Jodi has previous work experience as the Vice President Care Management and Clinical Operations at PA Health & Wellness a Centene subsidiary, Sr. Director of Population Health, Quality and Care Management at Johns Hopkins Health System, and as the Sr. Director of Central Medical Review and Appeals at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. Jodi is an active member of the IHI Leadership Alliance and Pursuing Equity Action Community, and the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania Health Equity Steering Committee. 

Kristen Daugherty, LCSW-S, LISW-S, MBA CEO

Emergence Health Network

Kristen Daugherty, CEO for Emergence Health Network (EHN), has over thirty years of experience in the behavioral health arena.  As CEO of Emergence Health Network, El Paso County’s Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Authority, Ms. Daugherty is responsible for oversight of services funded through local, state and federal contracts.  Emergence Health Network is the largest provider of behavioral health, substance addiction treatment and developmental disability services in El Paso County.   

Ms. Daugherty has led efforts to form critical community collaborations that have resulted in expanding access points to behavioral health services.  Her work has also focused on increasing services to address gaps in care.   

Under Ms. Daugherty’s leadership, EHN has also developed and implemented a multi-year, comprehensive strategic plan for the agency that has resulted in significant growth both fiscally and operationally and set a clear strategic direction for the organization. 

In 2022 Ms. Daugherty received the El Paso Inc. Woman of Impact Award for her outstanding contributions to and tireless commitment to the El Paso community.  

Ms. Daugherty is a Licensed Clinical Social Work Supervisor in Texas and New Mexico.  She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from New Mexico State University and Executive MBA Program from the University of Texas at El Paso. 

Shannon I. Decker Principal

VBC One

Dr. Shannon Decker is Founder & CEO at VBC One, a consulting firm assisting physician groups, health plans and vendors maximize the performance of their value based contracts and offerings. Dr. Decker has more than 25 years experience in health care and most recently led teams in risk, quality, data and analytics, telehealth, COVID response and delegation compliance. Of her more than 25 years of experience in healthcare--17 include working with risk adjustment, quality and Medicare. Dr. Decker has a PhD. in Interdisciplinary Studies, dual MBA degrees--in Finance and in Marketing, as well as an M.Ed. in Secondary Education and a M.Ed. in Administration and Leadership. Dr. Decker is on the faculty at Arizona State University and is also an associate professor in the social and behavioral sciences for Walden and Capella Universities where she chairs and oversees the dissertations of doctoral students. An author of two books and several peer-reviewed articles, and a prolific national public speaker, her interests include the study of human behavior and how social and behavioral theories may be brought to bear in value based care and population health management as a whole. 

Tina Dueringer, BSN, RN, CCM, PCC CEO, Principal Advisor

Dueringer Advisors, Inc.

Tina Dueringer, BSN, RN, CCM, PCC, is the CEO and Principal Advisor at Dueringer Advisors Inc., a distinguished consulting firm dedicated to supporting health plans, vendors, and leaders in the health insurance and provider sectors. With a robust background spanning Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Duals, ACA, and commercial markets, Tina brings extensive expertise in care management, utilization management, clinical quality, Model of Care development, Stars ratings, HEDIS measures, and accreditation standards such as NCQA and URAC.

Tina's career is marked by strategic insights into health plan operations, including strategic planning, joint ventures, partnerships, delegated relationships, and the advancement of value-based care models. She is deeply committed to advancing Health Equity, Population Health, and integrated care initiatives across the industry.

Previously, Tina served as Vice President of Clinical Quality and Stars at Rebellis Group, specializing in Medicare Advantage and government consulting. Her leadership journey includes pivotal roles at Cityblock, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Medicaid Policy Division.

Tina earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and holds a post-graduate certification in Population Care Coordination from Duke University. She is also a Board-Certified Case Manager (CCM), underscoring her dedication to enhancing healthcare delivery and outcomes through comprehensive care coordination strategies.

Kathleen Ellmore Managing Director

Engagys

As Managing Partner of Engagys, Kathleen Ellmore brings the best of consumer marketing and data-driven methodologies to healthcare to motivate better health decisions.  Prior to founding Engagys, Kathleen led the consumer engagement consulting practice for Silverlink for 12 years leveraging Silverlink's data repository of over a billion consumer health interactions, the best of behavioral economics and the latest in clinical research to help health plans and PBMs close the last mile of consumer engagement.  

Kathleen is an award-winning engagement expert who speaks regularly on the national stage on many topics including: driving consumer health engagement, creating better consumer experience in healthcare, motivating and inspiring consumers, and using data to drive consumer behavior. She has been recently named as a consultant to the first ever FDA Patient Engagement Advisory Committee (PEAC).  

Kathleen has an undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from the Kellogg School at Northwestern.  

Monica Figueroa King CEO

Broward Healthy Start Coalition

Monica Figueroa King is the Chief Executive Officer of The Broward Healthy Start Coalition.  She also serves as the Vice President of the Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions. The Florida legislature created the Healthy Start Program 30 years ago and designated Coalitions to lead maternal and child health initiatives in their local communities.   

Monica has dedicated over twenty-five years to the field of Human Services, channeling her passion toward supporting children and families. Her journey began in 1999 in child welfare at the Florida Department of Children and Families. She then contributed her expertise to the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, focusing on enhancing coordination across child-serving systems to elevate care for children and families. In 2013, she took on the role of Executive Director at ChildNet Broward, the county’s lead child welfare organization before taking on the role of CEO at Broward Healthy Start Coalition in 2016. 

Monica’s educational background includes a B.A. in International Studies from Emory University and an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Ellen Fink-Samnick, MSW, ACSW, LCSW, CCM, CCTP, CRP, DBH-C Wholistic Health Equity Strategist, Content Developer, Educator

EFS Supervision Strategies, LLC

Ellen Fink-Samnick is an award-winning industry entrepreneur who empowers healthcare's interprofessional workforce. She is a subject matter expert on Health Equity, Ethics, Professional Case Management Practice, Interprofessional Teams, and Trauma-informed Leadership. Her latest books include, The Essential Guide to Interprofessional Ethics for Healthcare Case Management, The Social Determinants of Health: Case Management's Next Frontier, End of Life Care for Case Management, and upcoming Social Determinants of Mental Health: Advancing Wholistic Practice Excellence.  

Ellen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Board-certified Case Manager, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and Certified Rehabilitation Provider. Her academic appointments include the University of Buffalo School of Social Work, and George Mason University’s Departments of Social Work and Global Community Health. She is a clinical supervision trainer and instructor for the National Association of Social Workers of Virginia, lead for Rise Association’s Social Determinants of Health Community, moderator of Ellen’s Ethical LensTM on LinkedIn and author of the blog, Ellen’s Interprofessional Insights. Ellen is a consultant for the Case Management Institute, moderator of their Case Managers Community, and a Doctor of Behavioral Health candidate at Cummings Graduate Institute of Behavioral Health Studies.  

Ellen's fierce professional voice has been constant across her varied roles. She has served as a commissioner of the Commission for Case Manager Certification and Chair of their Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, as well as a past member of the Board of Directors for the Case Management Society of America. Ellen currently serves on the Gravity Project’s Intervention Council and Coalition for Social Work and Health. She is Vice-Chair of the American Association of Doctors in Behavioral Health, and Chair of their Regulations Committee. Ellen is also an editorial board member for the Professional Case Management Journal, and Case Management Monthly. Further information is available on her LinkedIn Profile.  

Sandra Ford CEO

BFT Consulting, LLC

Marilyn Fraser CEO

Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health

Dr. Marilyn Fraser is the Chief Executive Officer at the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH), a Research Associate Professor in both the Department of Medicine and the School of Public Health at the SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, and the co-Director of the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center. Previously, as Deputy Director and Associate Director for Research & Training, she managed the Institute’s community outreach and research programs.   

Dr. Fraser, as co-leader of an investigative research team supported by several NIH and CDC grants, helped develop behavioral health intervention models and training curricula for AAIUH’s award-winning Black Pearls and Different Fades of Health programs. The Institute’s community outreach programs prepare hairstylists and barbers to educate their clients about various health topics, including breast, prostate and colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, and HIV/AIDS risk reduction. She also served as the Co-PI in conducting the Institute’s ACCESS project to increase access to health and social services for formerly incarcerated individuals in Brooklyn.  

Guyanese-born Dr. Fraser is a graduate of the Spartan Health Sciences University School of Medicine in St. Lucia and did her medical training in the West Indies, Mexico, and the United States. Dr. Fraser has received numerous awards including the Health Award from the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, and the prestigious Fulbright Research Specialist award to develop and implement a climate change and public health internship program for secondary school students in Trinidad and Tobago. She was also the recipient of the Innovator Award from the Bedford Stuyvesant Family Health Center, the Community Award from the Nurses Association of the Counties of Long Island (NACLI), as well as an extraordinary woman of Downstate recognition. She was also nominated to serve on the nationally acclaimed Clinical & Translational Science Award (CTSA)’s Community Engagement Domain Task Force. Dr. Fraser was honored as a Power Woman in Brooklyn and received the special Health Award. She was also honored as the winner of the Crain's Heritage Healthcare Leadership Award and named one of Crain’s Notable Women in Healthcare. Most recently, Dr. Fraser was honored as one of the CUNY School of Medicine’s 2021 Strong Women in Medicine. Dr. Fraser regularly presents her work at scientific meetings, nationally and internationally, and is a co-author on several publications and a book chapter.   

Dr. Fraser’s deep interest in addressing health disparities and improving health outcomes in communities of color also allows her to serve as an expert advisory board member with the NYC Diabetes Prevention Project. 

Marianne Gibson Program Director, Health

National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices

Marianne Gibson serves as the Program Director for Health in the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices. Her portfolio includes behavioral health and health equity initiatives.    Prior to joining the NGA, Marianne served as the deputy director of the Opioid Operational Command Center (OOCC), an office established by Governor Larry Hogan, to coordinate the State of Maryland’s response to the overdose crisis. Before her role with the OOCC, Marianne worked for a local health department where she oversaw the implementation of behavioral health prevention programs, and at the University of Maryland Baltimore, where she provided technical assistance and evaluation support to jurisdictions implementing a public health planning framework to address substance use.    A lifelong Marylander, Marianne earned a bachelor’s in social work from Salisbury University and a master’s in health science from Towson University. Additionally, she was selected to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Addiction & Public Policy Scholars Program at Georgetown University’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. 

Marisa Hamamoto Founder

Infinite Flow Dance

Marisa Hamamoto is the first professional dancer named People Magazine “Women Changing the World.” A leading authority on disability inclusion and building a culture of belonging, Marisa was recently named LinkedIn Top Voice, and has been featured on Good Morning America, NBC Today, Forbes, Fast Company, amongst other media outlets. As a sought-after international speaker, performing artist, and creative director, Marisa has been a speaker at the United Nations, shared the stage with Tim Cook at Apple HQ’s Steve Jobs Theater, and her clients and partners include Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Red Bull, Deloitte, adidas, PayPal, Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, among other forward-thinking brands. Marisa is a spinal stroke survivor, a late-diagnosed Autistic, and a proud fourth-generation Japanese American. She is the founder of Infinite Flow Dance, an award-winning dance company and nonprofit that employs disabled and nondisabled dancers with diverse, intersectional identities, with a mission to advance disability inclusion, one dance at a time. Marisa is bilingual and bicultural. She completed her BA & MA from Keio University, Tokyo. 

Erika Hanson Clinical Instructor at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation

Harvard Law School

Erika Hanson is a Clinical Instructor at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation of Harvard Law School, where her work focuses on whole-person care initiatives addressing the social determinants of health and reproductive justice. Through this work, she advises federal and state agencies, health care providers and community-based organizations, and payers regarding the legal pathways and policy implementation strategies for health care financing and delivery of health-related social needs services — such as food and housing supports for those with chronic illness or high-risk pregnancy.  Erika also leads the Center’s work as a partner to design cash payment as treatment pilots for seriously ill patients and their families.  Prior to joining Harvard, Erika was a Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society in New York City where she represented clients, conducted class action litigation, and led policy advocacy on a wide range of health law issues, and she was a Georgetown Women’s Law & Public Policy Fellow and a Reproductive Rights & Health Legal Fellow at the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C. She is a licensed member of the New York State bar.

Todd Hickey, MHA, FACHE Chief Strategy Officer

ECU Health

Todd Hickey, MHA, FACHE has served as Chief Strategy Officer of ECU Health since 2022, where he brings more than 20 years of experience in health care operations management, and clinical and business development strategy to deliver transformational change initiatives focused on achieving ambitious organizational goals. Todd excels at using market and industry intelligence and data-driven insights to solve problems creatively and build competitive and innovative business models and ventures that enhance patient access, drive growth, and improve clinical business outcomes.     As CSO, Todd oversees the development and execution of enterprise strategy for the healthcare system, which includes an academic tertiary medical center, eight community hospitals, numerous outpatient facilities, home health and hospice, wellness centers, and more than 1,100 academic and community providers practicing in more than 110 locations across eastern North Carolina. He is a seasoned healthcare executive, leading teams dedicated to clinical network and service line development, population and community health strategy, and creation and advancement of multifaceted strategic alliances and partnerships that drive system growth and expansion. He also works in collaboration with leadership from The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, the health system’s academic partner, to ensure coordinated clinical and academic strategies for the integrated enterprise.     Todd holds a master’s degree in health care administration from Western Kentucky University, and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) certification from the American College of Healthcare Executives.  

Stephen Hoy COO

PFCCpartners

Diagnosed with mitochondrial disease as a child, Stephen has crafted a person-centered engagement with the health system that focuses on fly-fishing, skiing, surfing, cycling, and camping. That experience fuels a passion for advancing patient and family centered care practices across the US health system.

Mark Humowiecki General Counsel & Senior Director, National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs

Camden Coalition

Rene Hurtado Chief of Staff

Emergence Health Network

Rene Hurtado was born and raised in El Paso and has over 25 years of experience in healthcare operations and public policy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Mr. Hurtado has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors of healthcare delivery systems along the U.S.-Mexico border. He has designed communication initiatives in different areas of public health to include trauma & crisis communications, children’s outreach and poison control centers. He has also led marketing and public affairs initiatives for one of the largest hospital systems in El Paso, where he designed multi-media communications initiatives for various healthcare product lines including pediatrics, kidney transplant and oncology. In the area of public policy and government relations, he served as Director of Public Affairs for Spectrum Communications where he advocated for effective telecommunications legislation.

He currently serves as Chief of Staff for Emergence Health Network, the designated mental health authority for El Paso County responsible for designing and maintaining the public mental health/developmental disability service delivery system for the region to include crisis services and suicide prevention. He oversees community affairs, human resources, training & education, and government relations.

Mr. Hurtado also works and has held leadership positions with various community agencies. He has served as chair of the public relations committee for the Paso Del Norte Health Foundation and chair of the government relations division for the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. He also volunteered with Leadership El Paso, Creative Kids and various community agencies. Mr. Hurtado is a graduate of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund Leadership Program, Leadership El Paso and the El Paso Creative Cities Leadership Group.

Recently Mr. Hurtado was appointed to One Fund El Paso, which provided guidance and resources for victims of the El Paso August 3rd 2019 Walmart Shooting and has advocated for increased access to mental health services as a result of this tragic mass shooting.

Palak Jalan Chief Operating Officer

AccessHealth Community Health Center

Palak Jalan, BDS, MPH is the Chief Operations Officer at AccessHealth located in the Greater Houston area. Before joining AccessHealth Ms. Jalan worked as a dentist, led global non-profit operations leader, and contributed to quality and operations at Texas Medical Center Institutions such as MD Anderson Cancer Center and UT Physicians.  

Ms. Jalan gained her bachelor's degree in dental surgery and medicine at the AMC Dental College in India. She then gained a Master of Public Health degree in Health Management at the School of Public Health, University of Texas.  

In her current role, she is responsible for leading strategic partnerships, marketing, grants, care-coordination, expansion, development and making the operations more community-centered. She is instrumental in leading teams in population health and value-based care efforts alongside convening and participating in multiple community collaboratives to conduct needs assessment, community focus groups and prioritizing efforts around COVID-19 testing and vaccines. She has a passion for digital transformation and collaborates with stakeholders to determine the most scalable solutions. Her efforts around the lack of sidewalks have led to a private foundation funding a city for a multiyear multimillion sidewalk project. Her expertise lies in strategic integration of social determinants of health into clinical practice and leading teams to achieve health and quality improvement goals.  

Ms. Jalan was awarded the Emerging Leader award by Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) in 2019, and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) in 2020, for her successful endeavors in improving Population Health. Palak is a member of Chief, American Public Health Association (APHA) and Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. She is also a graduate of Fort Bend Leadership 2019 class and Fort Bend Excellence for Non-Profit Leadership 2020 Class. 

With her career spanning many different countries, Ms. Jalan is very experienced in working with diverse cultures and is well equipped to work with the culture and linguistically diverse populations that use AccessHealth’s services. 

Laura Jordan Associate Director

Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health And Intellectual disAbility Services

Melinda Karp President and CEO

The Center to Advance Consumer Partnership

Melinda has nearly thirty years of experience as a leader in the health care sector, developing innovative approaches to transform health care experience and outcomes through the authentic engagement of people with lived experience. She has worked with health plans, public agencies, community-based organizations, and care systems to create structures, practices, and cultures of consumer and community partnership.  

Melinda is a co-founder and the President and CEO of the Center to Advance Consumer Partnership (CACP) where she leads the organization in delivering on its mission to drive meaningful and enduring change in health care by embedding the real-world insights of people with lived experience into every level of organizational decision-making. She holds an MBA in Health Care Management and Policy from Boston University and a BA in Psychology from Duke University. 

Katherine Kasabuske VP Health Equity

MHS Health

Pending final Confirmation 

Jenn Kerfoot Chief Strategy & Growth Officer

DUOS

Jenn is a visionary healthcare leader with deep expertise in Medicare Advantage and Value-Based Care. She leverages her extensive background in healthcare policy, regulation, and business development to drive strategic growth and innovation at DUOS, developing tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of Medicare Advantage plans. A seasoned podcast host, Jenn regularly explores critical issues like the looming threat of Medicare insolvency, the challenges of financing care for an aging population, the impact of rising healthcare costs, and disparities in care access. With previous leadership roles at FarmboxRx, Excelera Health, and NationsBenefits, Jenn has a proven track record of navigating complex healthcare regulations and aligning strategies with market demands. Beyond her executive role, she is a recognized thought leader and advocate for progressive healthcare practices, advising venture capital and private equity firms on investments in transformative healthcare solutions. Jenn’s pragmatic optimism and relentless problem-solving approach are key to her success in fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare. 

Sameer Kokan VP, Clinical Partnerships

Point32 Health

Pending final confirmation 

Ann Kunkel Vice President Community Health and Engagement and Home Care and Hospice

WellSpan Health

Ann M. Kunkel, RN- BSN, VP of Home Care/ Community Health joined York Hospital/ WellSpan Health in 1989. Ann held various nursing leadership roles. In 1999 as Senior Director of Case Management, she developed care coordination team model (2013) which integrates primary & acute care case management. This was recognized in 2013, 2015, 2018 with the Care Point Platinum Achievement Awards. In 2017, Ann initiated 3 strategies to address long length of stay. This led to the 2018 DecisionHealth Platinum Award for Outstanding Achievement in Care Transitions. In 2019, this work won the Hospital Association of PA, Living the Vision Award. In 2020, Ann shifted her focus to lead WellSpan’s work in Community health; Ann co leads the Health Equity work.  In July 2023, Ann expanded responsibilities to include Home Care. In calendar year 2024, Ann led the Home Health Agency through a value-based care transformation.  Ann received a BSN from York College. 

Shaune Lancit Director, Community Engagement

WellCare of North Carolina

Shaune currently serves as the Director of Community Engagement for WellCare of North Carolina, focusing on strategic statewide and local community partnerships to address the Social Determinants of Health for Medicaid beneficiaries across North Carolina.

Shaune joined WellCare’s Corporate Community Connections team in 2014. Since 2014 she has focused on developing WellCare’s model and approach to addressing the Social Determinants of Health for our most vulnerable populations. Shaune utilizes her experience with government-sponsored health care programs as well as behavioral health and community advocacy to connect individuals to social services in the community, and identify ways to sustain the social safety net as a whole through an innovative community giving strategy.

Shaune has more than 13 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Prior to WellCare, she served as the Director of Admissions for one of the top behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment centers in the country.

In her time at WellCare, Shaune has overseen the launch and rollout of the proprietary and award-winning Community Connections Social Determinants of Health model across multiple markets, and served as lead for the Community Connections team on all RFPs and new business development efforts for WellCare. Over the course of her time at WellCare, she has met with more than 350 nonprofits and community based organizations across the U.S. in an effort to launch and expand WellCare’s Community Connections mode, including in North Carolina.

Shaune grew up in New York, attended college at American University in Washington, D.C., and currently lives in Raleigh, NC. In her free time she enjoys photography, playing guitar and piano, and her mindfulness/mediation practice.

Rachel Landauer Clinical Instructor- Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation

Harvard Law School

Rachel Landauer (she/her) is a Clinical Instructor at the Center for Health Law and Innovation of Harvard Law School. Her work primarily focuses on technical assistance and policy advocacy to support partnerships and programming that break down silos between the health care and social services sectors. Rachel is especially passionate about building the capacity of organizations, through resource development, trainings, and other tools, to navigate health care regulatory and compliance matters such as patient privacy laws as they apply to interventions that address health-related social needs. 

Rachel graduated from UCLA School of Law in May 2016 as a member of the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, and with a Master of Public Health degree from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Prior to joining the Center, Rachel was an associate at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP. She is a licensed member of the California Bar. 

Lauran Larson Senior Manager of Food and Health

Hunger Free Oklahoma

Lauran Larson is the Senior Manager of Food and Health at Hunger Free Oklahoma, where she works to improve access to nutritious food through collaborative, systemic solutions. She co-leads two statewide coalitions focused on nutrition, bringing partners together to drive collective impact and create lasting change. Her work includes expanding Food is Medicine initiatives and strengthening partnerships that reduce food and nutrition insecurity.

Before transitioning to the nonprofit sector, Lauran spent over 11 years in governmental public health and social services, focusing on reducing disparities and improving access to essential resources through better policies and programs.

She is pursuing a Doctor of Public Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, specializing in Nutrition Programs and Policies. She is also a fellow in the Food Systems for Health focus area of the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. She holds a Master of Prevention Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, both from the University of Oklahoma.

When she’s not working or studying, Lauran enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids. She’s an active Girl Scout volunteer and loves jogging and swimming.

Darren Levitz SR. DIRECTOR, MEMBER EXPERIENCE and HEALTH EQUITY

WellCare of North Carolina

Abra Lyons-Warren Director

Housing IS

Abner Mason Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer

GroundGame.Health

Abner Mason is the Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer for GroundGame.Health, a social impact company that manages the complex connections between health plans, members, and Community-Based Organizations to fulfill unmet social and care needs for people everywhere. Abner has spent decades working to reduce barriers to care faced by underserved people nationally and internationally, from the local to the federal level. He currently sits as a Commissioner for the National Commission on Climate and Workforce Health; is on the board of Manifest MedEx; serves as Vice Chair of the board for California Black Health Network; is a member of United States of Care’s Founders Council; and is a member of the American Medical Association’s External Equity and Innovation Advisory Group. Abner founded HealthTech 4 Medicaid and SameSky Health. 

Michael McKnight Senior Vice President of National Programs

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Jo Ellen McNamara VP of Housing + Health Partnerships

National Equity Fund

Jace Meier Childrens Health Community Consultant

Intermountain Health

Jace Meier is a Children’s Community Health Consultant with Primary Children’s Hospital.  As part if this role, he directs the creation and implementation of the Healthy Kids Scorecard.  The scorecard is a population health-based initiative designed to measurably improve the health and wellbeing for Utah children.  Working with community coalitions, the scorecard provides real-time data indicators to help keep collaborators involved and working through a quality improvement framework.  Currently this work is supporting coalitions in Mental Wellbeing, Preventive Services, Infant Mortality/Prematurity, and Injury prevention.  Jace loves this work and is a firm believer in keeping ourselves grounded in data-driven decision making as we move upstream.  He received his Master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of Utah and loves the unique perspective it gives him when applied to Community Health.  When he’s not thinking about community health, he enjoys bringing together friends and family with a nice charcuterie board.  

Dan Mistak, MA, MS, JD Acting President and Director of Health Care Initiatives for Justice-Involved Populations

Community Oriented Correctional Health Services

Dan Mistak, MA, MS, JD, is the Acting President and Director of Health Care Initiatives for Justice-Involved Populations at Community Oriented Correctional Health Services. At COCHS, he has led efforts at the federal, state, and local level to improve connections between the health and justice systems. He is a leader in the field in creatively leveraging opportunities to use the strengths of the health system to help people avoid incarceration. His previous experience has focused on legal issues for underprivileged populations including representation of clients in asylum hearings, legal research surrounding the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and campaign finance. He previously worked at Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i where he provided support to map Hawai‘i County’s behavioral health safety net and its interface with the criminal justice system. While there, he was a trial attorney and worked with justice-involved individuals regarding the collateral consequences of their justice involvement. He also served on the board of NAMI Hawaiʻi. He holds Master’s degrees in Genetics/Cell Biology and Philosophy from Washington State University and Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Chemistry. Prior to joining COCHS, Mr. Mistak was a Senior Editor of the California Law Review at UC Berkeley, School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in California and Hawai‘i.

Beck Moore CEO

Community Action Agency of Pennsylvania

Beck Moore is the CEO of the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP), leading a network of 43 Community Action Agencies dedicated to addressing poverty and its root causes across the Commonwealth. With over 20 years of leadership in the nonprofit sector, Beck is committed to values-based leadership, advocacy, and empowering organizations to drive meaningful change.

A specialist in member-based organizations, Beck has a proven track record in membership growth and program development. His work in innovative initiatives within youth-serving organizations earned national recognition. Passionate about the health factors and social connections, Beck frequently educates on workplace culture, challenging assumptions, and the intersection of identity, geography, and health in the context of poverty.

Beck holds a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from Penn State University and a master's degree in Human Resources from the University of Scranton. Actively engaged in state and national leadership, he serves on multiple boards and committees, including the United Way of Pennsylvania, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations.

Beyond his professional work, Beck enjoys fishing, camping, reading, and writing. He treasures time spent with his wife, their two young children, and their three lively dogs. Currently, he is writing his debut book, sharing his personal journey of overcoming trauma and embracing authenticity to inspire others on their path to healing

Angela M. Morris Senior Director of Community Relations

Parkland Hospital

Angela Morris, MPH is an accomplished, results-oriented health care professional with a comprehensive management background in external affairs and strategic and operational planning. Her 20+ year career expands across a broad spectrum of processes including stakeholder relations, public engagement, event planning, strategy development and execution, project management, and continuous process improvement.

Ms. Morris is the Senior Director of Community Relations at Parkland Health, with responsibility for relationship building and leading Parkland’s community engagement strategy and outreach efforts throughout Dallas County. She supports and partners with chief executives and senior management on system-wide initiatives, health equity activities, real estate development projects and operational improvements. She oversees high-profile events as well as Parkland’s participation in community-based events. She also serves as the primary contact for various constituency groups, community stakeholders and social service organizations.

Prior to her role as Senior Director of Community Relations, Ms. Morris served two years as Public Policy Administrator in Legislative Affairs, supporting executive management with timely delivery of major projects, planning of legislative activities, and execution of advocacy initiatives. She also served two years as Intermediate Project Manager, driving strategies to optimize existing health care processes and resolve obstructions to optimal care delivery. Preceding her transition to Parkland Health, she spent six years in administrative positions at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

Ms. Morris holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Texas. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Omicron Mu Omega Chapter, Dallas, Texas.

Vivian Nava-Schellinger Director of Community Impact & California Partnerships

The SCAN Foundation

Vivian Nava-Schellinger, (she/her/ella), is Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Impact for The SCAN Foundation. A proud Tejana, originally from the border region of El Paso, Texas, Vivian has utilized her legal training to efficiently and successfully merge business strategy, development, organizational management, and health policy to ensure that all communities have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about their health and economic security. Throughout her career, she has led efforts to increase the safety, acceptance, and access of programs and services for hardly reached communities across the lifespan. 

During her tenure at the National Council on Aging (NCOA), she led the organization’s engagement with national and community partners to include senior centers focusing on low-income older adults, and the Equity in Aging Collaborative coalition to support advocacy efforts that elevate alternative measures of financial adequacy for all older adults. Her deep commitment to connecting NCOA to diverse groups and coalitions working toward achieving greater economic and health equity for all older adults led the organization to a historic $50 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living to provide funding and technical assistance to hundreds of community-based organizations focused on People of Color and working to provide lifesaving COVID-19 and influenza vaccines to older adults and people with disabilities. 

Prior to NCOA, Vivian led strategic partnerships efforts in Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania at Enroll America, a nonprofit aimed at connecting individuals to health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Dedicated to access and equity, Vivian worked in higher education administration, leading the development and strategic planning of education access programs around student recruitment and retention at two of the country’s major research universities in Phoenix, Ariz., and Washington, D.C. She has also worked with public school educational programs like AVID and early college programs, which gave her a deep appreciation for the needs of students and the dynamics involved in building support pipelines in communities that start from childhood and continue through adulthood. 

At The SCAN Foundation, Vivian directs TSF’s DEI strategy and operational implementation internally among staff, leaders, and the Board. Additionally, she works across program teams to incorporate TSF’s community impact work within it’s Advancing Health Equity in Aging Initiative.  

Vivian received her Juris Doctorate from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in Phoenix. She is also a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, where she earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Legal Reasoning and a Master of Science in National Security Studies. 

Vivian enjoys running, hiking, cooking and listening to Chicano oldies as well as spending time with her husband, Jake, and their four dogs 

Jennifer Obadia Senior Director of Health Care Partnerships

Project Bread

Dr. Jennifer Obadia is the Senior Director of Health Care Partnerships at Project Bread. Since 2020, she has developed, implemented, and evaluated Project Bread’s Flexible Services Program, which provides comprehensive food assistance for individuals referred through the health system. Prior to joining Project Bread, Jennifer spent six years as the Eastern US Director of Health Care Without Harm’s Healthy Food in Health Care Program. In that role she worked with hospitals and healthcare systems to improve the food environment of the communities in which they were located. Other past roles include community organizing to improve the accessibility of farmers markets in Boston and serving as adjunct faculty at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. Dr Obadia received her BA from New York University, MS in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development from the University of Maryland at College Park, and her doctorate in Nutrition from Tufts University. 

Andrey Ostrovsky Former Chief Medical Officer | Managing Partner

U.S. Medicaid Program | Social Innovation Ventures

Lavisha Pelaez Health Equity Operations and Evaluation Scientist

Nemours Children's Health

Lavisha Pelaez is the Health Equity Operations and Evaluation Scientist for the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Alignment team at Nemours Children’s Health. She is responsible for leading efforts to apply research and evidence-based practices to health equity initiatives across the enterprise. She supports development of evaluations and interventions and implementation efforts for population health, quality improvement, workforce development and other related initiatives, with a specific focus on health equity, outcome disparities, social drivers of health and other related factors. Lavisha’s professional background is centered around improving pediatric health outcomes and addressing disparities in care. She has worked within internationally recognized health systems, non-profit organizations focused on services for children and academia with responsibilities that included public health and clinical research, program evaluation, project data management, and consulting.            Lavisha earned dual B.S. degrees in Community Health and Kinesiology, and an MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Maryland – College Park. Lavisha is currently pursuing her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Health Equity and Social Justice from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

Annie Pham Director of Social Health

Community Care Cooperative

Annie Pham is a health care professional committed to improving the health and well-being of under-resourced communities. She is passionate about health equity, and as the Director of Social Health at Community Care Cooperative (C3), an accountable care organization in Boston, MA, she develops and executes projects to address health related social needs for patients at federally qualified health centers. As part of a Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration project in Massachusetts, she developed a portfolio of clinical-community partnerships and evidence-based nutrition and housing interventions to serve over 17,000 members in the State. Her work also entails capacity building and workforce development initiatives to equip health center and social service staff with the tools and knowledge required to identify and address unmet health related social needs.

Annie earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Health Services Administration (MHSA) from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is a graduate of the CDC Public Health Scholars Program, where she received training on the fundamentals of public health, minority health, and health disparities. She is a co-author of the publication “Applying Value Chain Thinking to Social Drivers of Health: A Framework and Two Case Studies,” which appeared in the December 2021 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst.

Amy Pont Senior Director of Community Health

Community Care Plan

Kim Prendergast VP, Policy

Community Care Cooperative

Kim Prendergast is Vice President for Policy for Community Care Cooperative (C3), a Federally Qualified Health Center-led Accountable Care Organization (ACO) based in Massachusetts. In this role, she leads the ACO’s strategic and policy initiatives to support FQHCs to leverage value-based payments and address social drivers of health to improve health equity and health outcomes. Kim joined the organization in 2019 and was the architect of C3’s work to build partnerships across the healthcare and social services sectors, designing and implementing their $20M Flexible Services program through partnerships and contracts. Today C3 partners with more than twenty-five community organizations and has supported more than 15,000 C3 members with interventions to improve food insecurity, housing instability, and homelessness.

Prior to joining C3, Kim spent two decades addressing food insecurity and health with Feeding America through roles in public policy, nutrition programs, and healthcare partnership consulting. Kim is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a BS in Dietetics from Purdue University and has a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago. She lives in the Boston area.

Monique Robinson Health Informatics & Technology Associate Analyst

Nemours Children's Health

Nathaly Rubio-Torres, LMSW CEO/Founder

Voces Latinas

Nathaly Rubio-Torio, originally from Peru, is the Founder and CEO of Voces Latinas, a 21-year-old culturally responsive HIV/STI and violence prevention agency in Jackson Heights Queens serving over 8000 immigrant Latines annually. Voces Latinas provides health literacy and connection to services, regardless of immigration status.

Nathaly is a licensed social worker. She received her MSW from Columbia University, and she is committed to addressing social determinants of health affecting immigrant Latines. Her background in community organizing, youth development, and criminal justice has equipped her with the tools and knowledge needed to guide and navigate new immigrant/migrants through the complex NYC systems.

Nathaly currently serves on the NYC Mayors Office Ending Gender Based Violence Advisory Board, she was appointed to serve as a member of the Mayors Office Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee, and is a member of the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatrists.

Charlotte Safrit Breast Cancer Advocate and Content Creator

Meet Charlotte, a breast cancer survivor, activist, keynote speaker and passionate cancer advocate reshaping the landscape of patient support. Charlotte was a caregiver for her Mother while she battled breast, thyroid and small cell lung cancer. At the age of 42, Charlotte had her first mammogram and began fighting her own battle with breast cancer. Her unique perspective as both caregiver and survivor gives her a unique patient perspective.

Charlotte's journey is not just a story; it's a powerful call to action. Through her compelling narrative, she sheds light on the urgent need for early detection and better access to breast imaging for pregnant and lactating individuals.

Through her lived experience, Charlotte proudly identifies as a cancer myth buster, challenging misconceptions and highlighting the pivotal role patients play in contributing and collaborating  as a consumer in a healthcare system they must learn to navigate. Her dedication lies in providing resources crafted by patients, for patients—a practice which fell to the wayside during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

With a focus on dispelling myths surrounding cancer and transforming healthcare practices for patients, Charlotte imparts her own story in an engaging and captivating way to audiences, clinicians, and healthcare leaders to underscore the critical need for change.  

Charlotte speaks to audiences of all sizes through her advocacy work, sits on advisory panels for health systems and is a content creator at CharlottePXP. In her spare time, she runs a Mom's group, a foodie group and breast cancer support group. She loves to paint, kickbox, belly dance, play with her kids, sing karaoke, bake and volunteer for her community.

Vanessa Shannon

Mental Performance Consultant

Dr. Vanessa Shannon is a certified mental performance consultant (CMPC) with over 15 years of experience. She spent the past two years as the Director of Mental Performance for the Cincinnati Reds where she worked within an integrated Health and Performance team and provided mental performance support for the major league (MLB) and AAA players and staff.  

Dr. Shannon joined the Reds in the Spring of 2022 after spending seven years as the Director of Mental Performance for the University of Louisville Athletic Department and Norton Sports Health where she supported the mental performance needs of over 600 student-athletes and 17 coaching staffs. During her 7 years at the University of Louisville the teams and student-athletes Dr. Shannon supported tallied innumerous accolades including 13 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, 2 College World Series appearances, 10 NCAA Elite 8 appearances, 4 NCAA Final Four appearances, 3 individual NCAA Championships, and 8 MLB and WNBA draftees. 

Prior to Louisville, Dr. Shannon spent two years at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL where she served as a Mental Conditioning Coach, coordinated Psychological Test Preparation for the NFL Combine Training Program, and served as a Vision Training Coach for the Major League Baseball Off-Season Training Program.  

Before transitioning into the applied sector, Dr. Shannon spent the first 8 years of her career in academia where she spent 3 years as department chair of Exercise and Sport Sciences at Tennessee Wesleyan University and 5 years as a faculty member in the Sport and Exercise Psychology Program at West Virginia University.  

Dr. Shannon has been invited to speak to teams, organizations, and universities across North America and throughout Europe and she has authored and co-authored numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles. She holds a PhD in Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sports Studies with a concentration in Sport Psychology and specialization in Counseling from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She holds a MS in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise and Sport Psychology from Kansas State University and a BA in Health and Human Performance/Psychology from Rice University where she was a member of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball team. 

Sarah Stacy Director & Population Health Consultant

Uncommon Solutions, Inc.

Sarah is a population health nurse with deep experience in healthcare transformation and quality improvement. Sarah is a systems-thinker with a passion for impactful processes that address individual and population health needs. She has worked in community health centers, managed care and in nonprofit organizations to advance health outcomes. Sarah has taken these experiences to both lead and facilitate community care hub implementation.  Her work has included developing and facilitating statewide standards, workflows and operations to support a statewide system of community care hubs during the COVID19 response.

Celina Sullivan Regional Director, Medicaid

Kaiser Permanente

Celina M. Sullivan, JD, BSHCM, has over 24 years of healthcare leadership experience. She has led highly successful and thriving Quality Programs, Population Management, Chronic Conditions, and Outpatient Service Lines teams across California, with a focus on Medicaid patient populations. 

Recently, she successfully established clinics and sustainable workflows focusing on health equity, specifically, increasing the rate of controlled hypertension for Black & African American patients, and diabetes control for Latinx patients. 

Celina’s volunteer work centers around helping women and children access resources to rebuild their lives. She has volunteered at Building Futures, a shelter committed to providing safe refuge for women and children. Celina also volunteered at La Casa De Las Madres, an organization committed to helping domestic violence survivors, and providing crisis response. 

Mikal L. Sutton VP, Medicaid Innovations

AHIP

Laura Taylor Director of Community Impact

Arkansas Children's

Laura Taylor currently serves as the Director of Community Impact at Arkansas Children's. She is an Arkansas native with a Bachelor of Science in Health Promotion from Arkansas State University and a Master of Public Health in Rural and Global Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist and has experience in public health programing, community engagement, partnership development and grant management. In addition to her work at Arkansas Children’s, she serves as an adjunct instructor for Arkansas State University.  

Nico Thom Health Equity Advisor, Medicare Advantage

Cigna Healthcare

Nico Thom is a public health professional based in Chicago, dedicated to advancing health equity and creating inclusive systems that empower communities. As the Health Equity Advisor, Medicare Advantage at Cigna Healthcare, she leads strategy development, drives initiatives to enhance SDOH data collection, and facilitates education campaigns engaging over 1,000 colleagues to embed health equity into operations. Nico also serves as the Founder and President of She Became, Inc., a nonprofit empowering girls through mentorship and career exploration, impacting over 1,500 children over the past nine years.

Tashique Thomas

Health Equity Leader

Dana Thomas Managing Director, Food

Rockefeller Foundation

Dana is a healthcare law and policy professional with diverse experience in the public and private sectors. She joined Rockefeller Foundation from a Medicaid-focused startup where she led Growth Partnerships. She spent almost a decade with Elevance Health, a multi-state national health insurer, where she worked in various roles supporting the Medicaid line of business. She has also held roles in non-profit organizations and in the U.S. Congress where she worked on policies to expand healthcare access for underserved populations and communities. She holds a law degree and a Certificate in Health Policy from The George Washington University.

Andrew Tomlinson Senior Director of Regulatory and International Affairs

AHIMA

In his current role at AHIMA, Andrew advocates on behalf of AHIMA members on issues related to the intersection of technology and healthcare. Prior to his time at AHIMA, Andrew served as the Director of Federal Affairs at the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) and as a Director of External Affairs at UnitedHealth Group. Andrew has worked on health IT policy for over 10 years, including during a six-year career at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) that culminated with a posting focused on international health IT issues and stakeholder engagement for the National Coordinator. A graduate of American University in Washington, DC, Andrew grew up in metro-Detroit and currently resides with his wife and dog in Baltimore, MD. 

Catherine Toms, MD, MPH President

Green Cars for Kids

Catherine Toms is a public health physician with experience designing programs to reduce
maternal and infant mortality. She leads the South Florida-based nonprofit Green Cars for Kids,
providing free non-emergency transportation to healthcare for under-resourced kids and
expectant mothers using electric vehicles. Before founding Green Cars for Kids, Dr. Toms was
senior advisor for climate and health for the international nonprofit Health Care Without Harm.
She was a 2022-23 Cambridge Health Alliance Climate Health Organizing Fellow and served as a
founding steering committee member of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action. Dr. Toms is
especially concerned about the health impacts of air pollution and extreme heat on vulnerable
populations, including children and pregnant women.
Dr. Toms earned a BS degree from Duke University and a medical degree from Ludwig
Maximilian University, Munich, Germany, and trained at Buskerud Central Hospital in Drammen,
Norway. She holds a master of public health degree from the University of Alabama at
Birmingham.

Brian Urban, MS MBA MPH Head of Population Health & Commercial Strategy

Best Buy Health

Brian serves as Best Buy Health’s Head of Population Health & Commercial Strategy with 15-years of experience having led marketing, and product programs across the US healthcare ecosystem.  

Highlights include Brian’s work at Highmark Inc’s Civic Affairs strategy team, leading Cigna’s local market-high performing network strategy across top US markets and the  Walgreens Specialty Drug SDOH analytic engine to payers and life science organizations.  

Most recently Brian has hosted a Healthcare Tech Podcast reaching a 26K national audience while at FinThrive (a revenue cycle management firm). 

Brian holds an MPH from Dartmouth College, and is currently pursing more academia with a focus of emerging technologies in healthcare at Brown University. 

Shelly Weizman Associate Director, Center on Addiction and Public Policy

Georgetown University Law Center

Shelly Weizman, JD is a human rights lawyer whose areas of interest include advancing public policy related to addiction, mental health, and disabilities. She is the associate director of the Center on Addiction and Public Policy at the O’Neill Institute at Georgetown Law, where she works on a project portfolio focused on the overdose epidemic and how the law can promote access to treatment and support recovery. She is an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law and in Georgetown’s Master of Science in Addiction Policy and Practice, where she introduced and teaches a course on addiction and mental health law and policy. Ms. Weizman serves on the board of directors of Faces and Voices of Recovery and also facilitates the Recovery Policy Collaborative, a network of experts in health, human rights, and policy who have lived experience with addiction and recovery. Before coming to Georgetown, she served as the Assistant Secretary for Mental Hygiene in the Office of the Governor of New York, where she oversaw policy and operations related to addiction, mental health, and disabilities. She began her legal career as a civil rights attorney at MFY Legal Services, a not-for-profit legal services organization in New York City. 

Maria Welch, MPH, CHES Program Manager

Geisinger

Maria Welch is a Program Manager with the Geisinger Steele Institute for Innovation.  Maria has been with Geisinger for over 10  years and currently leads the clinical and health plan organization’s Social Determinants of Health strategy, that includes the identification of social needs, connection to local community resources and the creation of new programs to support members and patients.  Additionally, Maria leads the Health Equity strategy for the Geisinger Health Plan.  to A native of Pennsylvania, Maria earned her B.S. in Biology from Juniata College and her M.P.H. from West Chester University of Pennsylvania.

Erin Westphal Director of Policy, Programs, and Operations

The SCAN Foundation

Erin Westphal serves as Director or Policy, Programs, and Operations at The SCAN Foundation. Erin’s work focuses on multisector plans for aging with states, models of care for duals integration, and long-term financing solutions. Before joining the Foundation, Erin was the Special Projects Coordinator for the Los Angeles Department of Aging. There, she developed community-based programs for older adults and caregivers. Prior, Erin served as Director of Research for the Beverly Foundation and Project Coordinator for the Orange County Elder Abuse Forensic Center. Erin holds a Master of Science in Gerontology from the USC Davis School of Gerontology and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Diego State University. Erin enjoys creating her own stationery through letterpress, writing letters to pen pals around the world, reading, and spending time outdoors.

Rick Whitted CEO

US Hunger

Rick Whitted is the President & Chief Executive Officer at U.S. Hunger, a global nonprofit whose mission is feeding families today and uniting them to a healthier tomorrow. In total, U.S. Hunger (USH) has provided over 150 million meals to families in need. Before his appointment as CEO in March 2020, Rick served on USH’s board of directors. Rick has overseen the launch of several of the organization’s initiatives: expanding home delivery of fresh produce into its supply chain; aligning its Full Cart® program with the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services’ (CMS) health equity framework; and, developing a cloud based SaaS solution that uses A.I. and Machine Learning to identify root causes of food insecurity in the U.S. and provide real-time actionable intelligence on social determinants of health (SDOH). Rick is a graduate of Stetson University and Nova Southern University where he received a BA in Political Sciences/American Studies, and an MBA, Business Administration and Management, respectively. Prior to joining USH, he spent 27 multi-faceted years in banking; focusing on small business, government and non-profit banking. He is also an accomplished author and speaker with expertise in leadership, workplace culture and individual and team development. 

Na-Tasha Williams Sr. Population health Specialist

Nemours Children's Health

Na-Tasha D. Williams, MPA, MHR, is a Senior Population Health Specialist with Nemours Children’s Health System where she has spearheaded the development and implementation of a hybrid social needs screening tool across the organization. She is responsible for the oversight of various aspects screening implementation, including but not limited to, training development and administration, coordination with IT for system integration, adherence to compliance regulations and coordination with clinical care teams.     She has also been instrumental in the development of trauma informed care and violence prevention efforts within the organization and the surrounding community and has led the implementation of interventions designed to address unmet needs identified via the social needs screening tool.  Additionally, she has an extensive background in the development and implementation of educational trainings on a variety of health-related topics for organization staff, youth and adults in local communities throughout the state. Na-Tasha has a passion for community outreach and education and has worked tirelessly to spearhead prevention efforts around alcohol, tobacco and other drug cessation, teen pregnancy, childhood obesity, childhood trauma and violence throughout Delaware and surrounding states and continues to work to mitigate issues that can adversely impact the quality of life of the youngest Delawareans.    Na-Tasha earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Delaware State University and dual master’s degrees in Public Administration and Human Resources from Wilmington College.   

Aviva Woog Director of Drivers of Health and Health Equity

Centene Corporation

Aviva Woog is a Director of Drivers of Health and Health Equity at Centene Corporation. In her career she has focused on building equitable programs and partnerships to connect vulnerable populations to health-related social needs and supporting community-based organizations to participate in healthcare delivery for government sponsored beneficiaries. Her area of focus has been on community engagement, developing and implementing collaborative partnerships to support the social drivers of health that impact health outcomes of communities. She has championed, created, and chaired internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Councils and Centene corporation’s Employee Inclusion Group ABILITY, for persons with disabilities, caregivers, and allies. Before joining Centene Corporation, she has held roles at other managed care organizations serving NJ. 

Prior to her over fifteen years in Managed Care, Aviva worked in community programs supporting initiatives for youth as Program Officer for Supplemental Education Services after school programs throughout New York City and at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark, as the Director of Prevention Programs where she was integral in creating gang awareness, prevention, and intervention programs for Newark families and the Boys and Girls Clubs movement.    

Aviva is a graduate of Loyola University, holds a certificate for DEI Practices from Cornell University continuing education, and has completed the McKinsey Accelerated Management Program. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Raritan Bay Area YMCA and the Mtume Foundation. 

Rebecca Yanniello Vice President, Population Health

Regal Medical Group

Rebecca Yanniello, MPH, is the Vice President of Population Health at Regal Medical Group, where she has led initiatives to improve health outcomes and reduce costs for members, including a successful program that decreased 30-day hospital readmissions by 67%. With extensive experience in designing and managing population health programs, including services for high-risk, dual-eligible, and homeless populations, she also oversees innovative social work and care navigation services. Rebecca previously served as Associate Director of Programs and Grants Management at St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, where she managed programs addressing diverse health needs such as HIV care, childhood obesity, and maternal health. She is passionate about community-based health solutions and has contributed significantly to public health education and advocacy, including writing A Kids Book About Public Health (A Kids Co, 2023), and mentoring future leaders through her work with UCLA and USC.

Alla Zilbering, MD National Medical Director, Health Equity

Cigna