Rise

Julie Anderson Senior Director, Clinical Outcomes

Maven Clinic

Priya Bathija Founder + CEO

Nyoo Health

Priya Bathija, is a nationally-recognized healthcare leader, attorney, and policy expert. She is currently Founder and CEO of Nyoo Health, which serves as a guide for healthcare leaders as they improve women's health. Previously, she was at the American Hospital Association where she led policy efforts and strategic initiatives on value, health equity and maternal health. She started her career as a healthcare attorney and served as in-house counsel and a member of the executive leadership teams at ProMedica and MedStar Health. Priya is also a Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law.   

Stuart M. Butler Scholar in Residence in Economic Studies

The Brookings Institution

Danielle Cameron Director, Program Management

CalOptima Health

Danielle Cameron, MPH, is Director of Program Development for CalOptima Health where she manages a portfolio of significant community investments related to California’s Medi-Cal transformation efforts to make health care more encompassing of the whole person. For the past two years she has led a team of professionals with expertise in the social determinants of health and community-based organizations well-positioned to impact people’s health outcomes through partnerships between the social service and healthcare sectors. Prior to this position, Ms. Cameron was Chief Strategy Officer for National Health Foundation (NHF) where she was responsible for developing and executing strategies to achieve NHF’s mission, communicate with its stakeholders and maintain funding streams to support its efforts. Ms. Cameron was with NHF for 14 years and prior to assuming that position, held positions in the child care and senior services fields focused on both program management and fund development. During these positions, she managed multi-million dollar grant portfolios, led numerous community-based programs, and provided consultative work in strategic planning, fund development and operations/infrastructure design. Ms. Cameron received her Master of Public Health degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.  She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago. 

Autumn Campbell Director

Partnership to Align Social Care

Kelly Cronin Deputy Administrator, Innovation and Partnership

HHS Administration for Community Living (ACL)

As Deputy Administrator of the Center for Innovation and Partnership (CIP), Kelly Cronin leads the administration of programs and initiatives that serve both older adults and people with disabilities, including consumer access and protection programs.  This includes overseeing the State Health Insurance Assistance Program, grants to improve Medicare beneficiaries’ access to low income subsidies, and the State No Wrong Door System program for access to long-term services and supports.  She also directs efforts to develop and integrate networks of state and community-based organizations to address social determinants of health and to advance the integration of medical and social care to improve health outcomes of older adults and people with disabilities. 

Ms. Cronin also has served in a variety of other roles at HHS, including with the FDA, CMS and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), where she coordinated health IT programs and policies associated with health care payment and delivery system reform.

Before joining HHS in 2001, Ms. Cronin was a health services researcher and coordinated clinical trials in pharmaceutical and medical technology industries. She holds a master of public health with a concentration in epidemiology and biostatistics and a master of science in health policy from the School of Public Health and Health Services at George Washington University.

Kristen Daugherty 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 Decker, MBA, MBA, MEd., MEd, PhD Founder & CEO

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. 

Sandra Elizabeth Ford, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.A.P. Public Health Expert/ CEO

BFT Consulting, LLC / Former Special Assistant to the President for Public Health and Science White House Domestic Policy Council

Ashley Gray Executive Director

Aligning for Health

Karen Hacker Director National Center of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

CDC

Dr. Hacker leads CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, setting the strategic direction for the center's portfolio, which focuses on surveillance and epidemiology, policy and environmental improvements, health care system collaboration, and links between community and clinical services.

Role at CDC

Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, is the director of CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), a position she assumed in August 2019. NCCDPHP has an annual budget of more than $1.4 billion and more than 1,000 staff members dedicated to preventing chronic diseases and promoting health across the life span.

Dr. Hacker leads an executive team that sets the strategic direction for the center’s portfolio, which focuses on:

• Surveillance and epidemiology to move data into action.
• Policy and environmental improvements to support health and healthy behaviors.
• Health care system collaboration to strengthen delivery of preventive services.
• Links between community and clinical services to improve self-management of chronic conditions and enhance quality of life.

Previous experience

From 2013 to 2019, Dr. Hacker served as director of the Allegheny County Health Department in Pennsylvania, where she was responsible for 1.2 million residents in 130 municipalities, including Pittsburgh. Under her leadership, the department achieved national public health accreditation in 2017. Dr. Hacker also launched the Live Well Allegheny initiative, aimed at reducing cigarette smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity.

Previously, Dr. Hacker was the senior medical director for Public and Community Health at the Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts. Between 2002 and 2013, she held a variety of leadership roles at the Cambridge Public Health Department and the Institute for Community Health (both part of the Cambridge Health Alliance).

Dr. Hacker served as Interim chief public health officer (2006 to 2007) and medical director for the Cambridge Public Health Departments (2004 to 2013) and as executive director of the Institute for Community Health (2002 to 2013). She also spent several years working for the Boston Public Health Commission, with a focus on adolescent health, serving as division director for Child and Adolescent Health (1999 to 2002), director of Adolescent and School Services (1992 to 1999), and director of Adolescent Services (1989 to 1992).

As an expert in community-based participatory research (CBPR), Dr. Hacker served as the director of the CBPR program of the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Award Initiative (Harvard Catalyst). She wrote Community-Based Participatory Action Research, a widely used academic text, and taught a course on the topic at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As the executive director of the Institute for Community Health, she designed, led, and published on numerous community participatory health projects. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles on a wide variety of topics, including chronic disease, adolescent health and school-based health centers, obesity, substance use, and health policy.

Education

Dr. Hacker received her BA from Yale University, her MD from Northwestern University School of Medicine, and her MPH with honors from Boston University School of Public Health. She completed her internship and residency training in primary care internal medicine at Boston City Hospital, followed by an adolescent medicine fellowship at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. She is board-certified in internal medicine and has served as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School (2010 to 2015) and at Harvard School of Public Health (2012 to 2015), and a visiting professor in the Graduate School of Public Health and clinical professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She is currently an adjunct professor at the Emory School of Medicine and at Morehouse School of Medicine.

Blair Harrison UnitedHealthcare Community & State

Policy Director, Community & Social

As the Director of Medicaid Policy at UnitedHealthcare Community & State, Blair works with national, state and community-based partners on Medicaid policy and program design optimization that increases access and advances population health goals.

Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, Blair was the deputy director of a local public health department and served previously as the Senior Advisor on Health, Homelessness and Housing for the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Interagency Council on Homelessness. Blair is an epidemiologist by training and has worked to advance health equity for more than 15 years.

Chanda Hinton Senior Executive Director

Chanda Center for Health

Chanda is the Senior Executive Director of the Chanda Center for Health, which provides access to holistic, collaborative, accessible and competent healthcare programs to individuals with physical disabilities.  In 2009, she led the movement to pass Colorado House Bill 1047, which created the Spinal Cord Injury Waiver (now the CIH Waiver), offering acupuncture, massage, and chiropractic care through Medicaid to evaluate cost-effectiveness and improve quality of life for persons with spinal cord injuries in the Denver metro area. In 2021, the movement evolved and expanded these services legislatively to other diagnoses and to be a statewide benefit.  

In addition to her work (passion), Chanda presents to diverse audiences about healthcare and disability.  Her previous honors include the 2008 Unsung Hero Award from Mayor Hickenlooper in honor of Denver’s 150th anniversary, 2010 Health & Wellness Award from the Commission for People with Disabilities, 2015 Kathy Vincent award from the Colorado Cross Disability Coalition, 2015 Diversity Award from Mayor Hancock, Denver Business Journal 2017 40 under 40 honoree, 2019 Linda Andre Lifetime Trailblazer Award from the Colorado Fund for People with Disabilities and 2019 AMTA National Government Relations Activist Award, and Colorado Women's Chamber 2020 Top 25 Powerful Women.

Chanda is from Nebraska and has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Denver and earned a Masters in Nonprofit Management from Regis University.  In her spare time (wait, what spare time?), she enjoys cheesy ‘80s chick flicks, thoughtful conversations with people in the community and spending time with loved ones.

Social Media Handles:  

Caitlin Holcomb Founder + CEO

Dwellness Communities

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.

Doug Jacobs, MD, MPH Chief Transformation Officer, Center for Medicare

CMS

Lenel James Interoperability Solutions Lead

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Lenel James, MBA, FHL7
Business Lead, Health Information Exchange and Innovation
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
Chicago, IL 60601

Mr. James is the Business Lead for Health Information Exchange and Innovation at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), on the Health Information Technology (HIT) team. He has been with the Association for over 20 years and is the principal HIT and standards advisor for internal BCBSA proof-of-concept projects with technology partners and BCBS Plans on the effective use of industry standards and innovative use of technology.

Mr. James has been the BCBSA HL7 voting representative for 19 years. He has been the payer advisor champion for multiple HL7 FHIR Accelerators including the Da Vinci Project, for value-based care health data exchange, the Gravity Project, for Social Determinants of Health, and is a founding member of the FHIR-At-Scale Taskforce, for FHIR standard scalability. He has served as co-chair for the HL7 EHR (Electronic Health Records) Workgroup and the HL7 Payer User Group and currently participates in numerous workgroups. He also has co-authored multiple HL7 standards.

In addition to his extensive standards development organization involvement, Mr. James has received industry recognition. In 2006, he received the “Award of Merit” from WEDI (Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange) and was named the HL7 “Member of the Year.” In 2019, he received the HL7 John Quinn Fellowship Award, for more than 15 years of leadership and increasing payer community engagement in HL7.

As part of his 35+ years of experience in clinical information systems, and information technology strategic planning, Mr. James also spent five years as the Acting Director of Clinical Systems for the IT Department of the third largest public hospital in the USA – giving him both a health system and payer perspective on the challenges for the health care industry.

As part of his history of community engagement, Mr. James was a member of the Executive Committee of the Great Lakes Regional Health Equity Council (RHEC-V). The RHEC was part of an HHS Office of Minority Health initiative, the National Program for Action to End Healthcare Disparities, where he co-chaired the Social Determinates of Health Committee. He also co-founded and co-chaired the Cross-RHEC Community Health Worker Coalition (representing four regions across over 25 states).

Mr. James holds a BS degree from SIU-Edwardsville and MBA from the University of Illinois. He was appointed to NCVHS in 2023, serving on the Subcommittee on Standards.

Denise King MBA, BS, CHW, PN, SFC Executive Director

National Association of CHWs

Denise Octavia Smith, MBA, CHW, PN a woman of African descent, Community Health Worker, and survivor of a rare chronic disease is the founding Executive Director of the National Association of Community Health Workers. During the COVID-19 pandemic Denise partnered with global and US organizations to center CHWs’ expertise, racial equity and authentic community-based partnership. Mrs. Smith is a Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care, an Aspen Institute Healthy Communities Fellow, and a Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader. In 2013, Denise partnered with hundreds of CHWs to achieve historic community engagement and enrollment of 30,000 residents into her state’s ACA Health Insurance Marketplace. Her research interests include building trust and relationship, patient and community-level health system governance, health insurance literacy and CHW policy leadership.

Dan LaVallee Senior Director, Social Impact

UPMC

Yolanda Lawson, MD, FACOG Executive Director, Maternal Infant Health 

HCSC 

Yolanda Lawson M.D, Board Certified Obstetrician- Gynecologist, is the Executive Medical Director of
Maternal Infant Health, HCSC. She is a Board-Certified Obstetrician- Gynecologist with 20 years of clinical
expertise in women’s health.
Dr. Lawson earned her medical degree at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, completed
internship at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, and completed residency at St. John
Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit, Michigan.
As a seasoned leader and strategist, she is the 124th President of the National Medical Association. She is
a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, member of the Texas Medical
Association, and she is a delegate for the Dallas County Medical Society.
Dr. Lawson makes frequent appearances as an invited speaker, panelist, and moderator for various
forums to discuss health equity, health disparities, and maternal health. She is also a contributor to
several medical publications.
With a focus on education, community and empowering women she utilizes her leadership positions to
advocate for women’s health and the awareness and elimination of health disparities.

Suyanna Linhales Barker, DrPH Chief Program Officer

La Clinica Del Pueblo

Prior to serving as La Clínica’s Chief Program Officer, Dr. Linhales Barker served as La Clínica’s Senior Director of Health Equity and Community Action. Dr. Linhales Barker has always believed that healthcare is a fundamental human right and has focused her career on ending health disparities related to poverty and discrimination. As the Chief of Programs and Community Services, she is responsible for overseeing the design, implementation and evaluation of programs that are culturally and linguistically grounded. In 2015, Dr. Linhales Barker was awarded the Distinguished Community Advocate Award by the District of Columbia Primary Care Association. She holds a Doctorate in Public Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and a Master’s Degree in Social Psychology from the State University in Rio de Janeiro. 

Jessica Little VP, Business Development and Programs

Civitas Networks for Health

Matt Longjohn, M.D., M.P.H. National Health Officer

YMCA of the USA (Y-USA)

Jenny McGuigan Babcock Senior Vice President for Medicaid Policy

Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP)

Jennifer McGuigan Babcock is ACAP’s Senior Vice President for Medicaid Policy. She also spent over four years as ACAP’s Vice President for Exchanges. In 2010, she served the Eligibility and Enrollment team within the Office of Health Insurance Exchanges in the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight (OCIIO, now known as CCIIO), focusing primarily on the interplay between Medicaid and Exchange coverage. Before joining OCIIO, Jennifer served as ACAP’s Director of Policy, working on Medicaid and CHIP health plan issues.  Previously, she worked on policy related to Medicaid, CHIP, the uninsured, and private health insurance in the Office of Health Policy for the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the Department of Health and Human Services.

She has also held positions with CHIP at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as special assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Health Care Financing at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and as an associate consultant with The Lewin Group in Falls Church.  Jennifer also served as an MPH Fellow at the Consumer Health Foundation in Washington, D.C., and as Executive Director of the Lovelight Foundation, an anti-poverty organization in Detroit. She has a Masters of Public Health from the University of Michigan, Department of Health Management and Policy, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Kalamazoo College in Michigan.

Item 44 Senior Vice President of National Programs 

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Michael McKnight is the Senior Vice President of National Programs. He heads advocacy, policy analysis, and innovative financing and partnership work. Michael finds his “more” in helping improve the lives of those in need. Before joining GHHI, he served as an analyst for a federal government contractor, bringing valuable experience to his role. He describes himself as driven, a quality that inspires him to make a positive impact on communities.

Originally from Maryland, Michael has lived in various parts of the United States but has rooted himself in D.C. for the long term. His go-to quote for inspiration is “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.”

Outside of work, you can find Michael spending quality time with his family, hitting the gym, or keeping up with the Washington Commanders. You can also find Michael listening to “They Reminisce Over You,” one of his favorite songs.

He holds a B.A. from Harvard University.

Dr. Martin Mendoza Chief Health Equity Officer and Director Office of Minority Health

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)

Martin Mendoza, PhD, serves as the Chief Health Equity Officer at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and Director of the CMS Office of Minority Health (OMH). In this role, Dr. Mendoza leads OMH in its mission towards the advancement and integration of health equity in the development, evaluation, and implementation of CMS’s policies, programs, and partnerships.

Prior to CMS, Dr. Mendoza served as the first Director of Health Equity for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program where he provided leadership and high-level expertise to improve inclusion and equity in precision medicine.

Before joining All of Us, Dr. Mendoza led extramural research for minority health in the Office of the Commissioner at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He is a recognized expert in clinical trial diversity and has testified on it before Congress. He is also the primary author of the pivotal FDA guidance recommending that clinical trial sponsors submit a diversity action plan to FDA. Dr. Mendoza’s original idea and recommendation became federal public law in December 2022.

Dr. Mendoza has also served as director of the Division of Policy and Data in the Office of Minority Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Secretary, as well as in multiple NIH Institutes including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Human Genome Research Institute where he assisted in the genetic mapping of the Human Genome Project.

Dr. Mendoza is a graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and received his Ph.D. in cancer biology from Johns Hopkins University.

Beck Moore CEO

Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP)

Beck Moore is a resident of Palmyra, PA, and has over two decades of leadership experience in the non-profit sector. Currently, Beck serves as the CEO of the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP), working to strengthen, advocate for, and empower the network of 43 Community Action Agencies, serving every county in the Commonwealth to effectively address issues of poverty and uniquely addressing Social Determinants of Health.  Drawing from personal experiences, Beck is deeply committed to exploring how identity, geography, and health intersect within the context of poverty in Pennsylvania and on a national scale.

Driven by a dedication to values-based leadership, Beck specializes in member-based organizations, with a focus on membership growth and program development. His impactful contributions extend across various roles within youth serving organizations, where he garnered national recognition for stabilizing and expanding membership through innovative program initiatives.  Beck holds a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from Penn State and a master's degree in human resources from the University of Scranton. He is actively engaged in numerous boards and committees at both state and national levels, some of which include Fairness Pennsylvania,  United Way of PA, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Interstate Renewable Energy Council WAP Enhancement and Innovation Committee, Parents as Teachers Advisory Committee, and others.  He also regularly educates on topics such as health equity, workplace culture, and challenging assumptions. 

Beyond his professional endeavours, Beck finds joy in the outdoors, particularly fishing and camping, but also reading, and writing.  He cherishes the adventures he has with his wife, six- and seven-year-old children, and three silly dogs. Currently, Beck is working on his debut book, and hopes to help others heal by sharing his journey of trauma and how he was able to begin living authentically.

Ernest Moy Executive Director

Veterans Health Administration

Ruth Ann Norton President & CEO

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Ruth Ann Norton is the President & CEO of the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative. She joined the organization in 1993 and has led its development into one of the nation’s most effective and foremost authorities on healthy housing and its impact on the social determinants of health and racial equity.

An expert on lead poisoning prevention, healthy homes and the intersection of climate, energy and health, Ruth Ann directs GHHI’s national strategy, policy framework and services to integrate climate, healthcare and healthy housing as a platform for improved health, economic, educational and social outcomes for low-income communities. Ruth Ann has been at the forefront in building the business case for healthcare investments in housing to address the social determinants of health and racial equity.

Ruth Ann is currently leading GHHI’s $50 million Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program for EPA Region 3 to fund environmental justice projects across the Mid-Atlantic and is spearheading GHHI’s work in the development and implementation of decarbonization, electrification, and climate change mitigation services for low-income households.

Ruth Ann serves on numerous boards and committees, including the EPA Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee, the National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Center for Population Health Information Technology Advisory Board. She is Chair of the Maryland Lead Poisoning Prevention Commission and is also a federally appointed Liaison Member to the CDC’s Lead Exposure and Prevention Advisory Committee.

Casey Osgood Landry Senior Advisor

Legislative & Regulatory Affairs at Nemours Children's Health

Sue Pechilio Polis Vice President of Public Relations and Government Affairs

Lutheran Services

Sue Pechilio Polis is Vice President of Public Relations and Government Affairs at Lutheran Services in America. Prior to joining Lutheran Services in America, Sue was the Director of Health and Well-being for the National League of Cities (NLC) Institute for Youth, Education, & Families. Sue founded and developed Cities of Opportunity, a multi-year effort to engage mayors and city leaders in addressing the root causes of poor health (social determinants of health).

With expertise in health policy, Sue’s work spans the connection to housing, economic opportunity, mental health, substance use disorders, obesity, trauma, systems alignment, and data for well-being. Prior to NLC, Sue led the development and management of the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) external relations and strategic partnership efforts in support of the organization’s public policy goals. Sue’s background includes work with AARP on health and financial security-related issues with an emphasis on advancing policy to address the needs of vulnerable 50+ populations. She was also the founding National Director of Advocacy for the American Heart Association.

Kim Prendergast Vice President, 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). In this role, she leads the ACO’s strategic and policy initiatives to support FQHCs across six states and the District of Columbia 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 has been the architect of C3’s work to identify and address health-related social needs through partnerships across the healthcare and social services sectors. She designed and implemented C3’s $25M Medicaid-funded Flexible Services program in Massachusetts which improves health outcomes and reduces health care costs. Kim is passionate about sharing these successful approaches to value-based care, partnerships and social health programs to expand primary care to advance health equity.  

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.  

Lauren Riplinger Chief Public Policy and Impact Officer

AHIMA

Lauren currently serves as AHIMA’s Chief Public Policy and Impact Officer. In this capacity, she is responsible for providing strategic and operational oversight over AHIMA’s advocacy and programmatic strategy to demonstrate mission impact. Prior to that, Lauren served as Vice President of Policy & Government Affairs at AHIMA, overseeing the organization’s policy and advocacy before Congress and various federal agencies. With two decades of healthcare policy experience, Lauren previously worked on Capitol Hill where she was actively involved in almost every aspect of a congressional office, including serving as Chief of Staff—a position that requires the ability to quickly synthesize multiple issues and adapt to constantly shifting priorities. Lauren received her JD from American University Washington College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University. She is admitted to practice law in New York. 

Jack Rollins Director of Federal Policy

The National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD)

Jack Rollins joined NAMD in April 2014. He is responsible for the association’s policy work, including analysis of legislation and regulations impacting the Medicaid program, convening Medicaid Directors and their staffs to identify and build consensus around policy objectives, and articulating members’ consensus positions via comment letters and other communications to federal policymakers and Medicaid stakeholders. In his time at NAMD, Jack has focused specifically on the areas of Medicaid prescription drug coverage, managed care, and long-term services and supports.

Jessica Schubel "Special Assistant to the President for Health Care at the Domestic Policy Council - Executive Office of the President"

White House Domestic Policy Counsel

Kalin Scott

Healthy Alliance

Jason Sizemore Co-Executive Director

The Mindful Child Initiative

Jason is the Co-Executive Director of the Mindful Child Initiative (MCI). Jason’s 21 years of service to K-8th grade public school students in Harrisburg, PA, the five boroughs of NYC and Allentown, PA, as a teacher & administrator, led him to MCI, a 501c3 non-profit which provides weekly mindfulness education to 7800+ low-income, school-aged children who might not otherwise receive mindfulness instruction, due to limited resources at home and/or school. 

The program is implemented in an urban, public school district in a historically underserved community in Allentown, PA. MCI also supports over 1,200 teachers and staff within the district. Jason’s passion for the welfare of all beings who are within the walls of our schools and beyond has driven him to support MCI by working directly with students, school staff and community organizations to provide self-care and mindfulness training and experiences while also serving as an advocate for mental health promotion and prevention strategies, through trauma informed mindfulness education.

The Mindful Child Initiative believes all children deserve equal access to programs that fully support their overall health. www.themci.org

Lauren Taylor, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health

NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Tashique Thomas Health Equity Leader

Hannah Wagner Senior Advisor, Policy Development & Partnership

Nemours Children's Health

Rick Whitted President & CEO

U.S. 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. 

Sandra Wilkness, PhD Senior Program Director

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)

Brandon Wilson Chief Operating Officer - ABCCM

Veteran Services of the Carolinas

Brandon Wilson is currently serving as the Chief Operating Officer with the Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM). His duties include the oversight of seven ministries that provide emergency assistance needs for families in crisis, providing transitional and permanent supportive housing of the homeless through three transitional housing facilities, increasing access to health care for half the uninsured and medically underserved, coordinating education activities at the jail; as well as work readiness, mentoring and job placement services. Coming into this role, Mr. Wilson worked to scale ABCCM’s Veterans programs 300%, increasing staff from 12 to over 95 and growing this portfolio from $750k to over $10 million annually with Veterans Services of the Carolinas. Mr. Wilson’s early involvement and implementation of NCServes, the nation’s first statewide coordinated care network for Veterans and their families, led to the adoption and creation of the nation’s first statewide coordinated care network, NCCARE360, an integral part of North Carolina’s transformation and expansion of Medicaid and the launch of the Healthy Opportunities Pilot. Prior to this role, Mr. Wilson has served as a consultant for Vaya Health, a North Carolina Managed Care Organization, and has also held numerous positions with the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Whereas Deputy Director was instrumental in the establishment of the new cabinet level agency, the North Carolina Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. During this time, he spearheaded a 42% increase in Fully-Developed Veterans’ Claims, leading to the growth of North Carolina’s Veteran portfolio by over $1.2 Billion, the fastest growth rate of VA claims in the United States in 2015. Brandon, a combat Marine who served in the infantry during Operation Iraqi Freedom, is a strong advocate for social health reform, speaking at conferences across the nation, and is considered a national thought leader piloting many innovative strategies. He serves as an advisor to several local, state, and national committees and task forces to include; serving as the Chair of the NC State Consumer and Family Advisory Committee for NDHHS Secretary Kody Kinsley and was appointed as Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Homeless Veterans by VA Secretary Denis McDonough.

Aviva Woog Director of Health Equity and Drivers of Health

Centene

Aviva Woog is the Director of Community Engagement and Impact at WellCare of NJ. In her role she is responsible for the execution of the Community Connections program focusing on connecting the community to sustainable social services and supporting community-based organizations to participate in healthcare delivery for government sponsored beneficiaries. Her work also focuses on community engagement and innovation, developing and implementing collaborative partnerships with external stakeholders to support the social drivers of health that impact health outcomes of communities. She also championed, created and chairs WellCare NJ’s internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council leading internal committees focused on Cultural Competency in Healthcare Delivery, Provider Diversity, Stakeholder Engagement, and Employee Inclusion. She chairs Centene corporation’s Employee Inclusion Group ABILITY, for persons with disabilities, caregivers, and allies. She continues to demonstrate her commitment to the needs of the community. Before joining WellCare, Ms. Woog has held community relations positions at Healthfirst NJ and Amerigroup. 

Prior to her fifteen years in Healthcare, Ms. Woog worked in community programs supporting initiatives for youth as Program Officer for Supplemental Education Services after school programs throughout New York City through the White House “No Child Left Behind” initiative 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.   

Ms. Woog has received recognitions and awards for her dedication to the communities she serves. Aviva is a graduate of Loyola University, holds a certificate for DEI Practices from Cornell University continuing education, and completed the McKinsey Accelerated Management Program. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Raritan Bay Area YMCA.