Rise

Lourdes Aceves Interim Director, Health and Wellness

National League of Cities (NLC)

Suyanna Barker Chief of Programs and Community Services

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. 

Sara Berkemeier Bell Policy Advisor to Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK)

Sara Berkemeier Bell has led the conversation on federal Social Determinants of Health policy since 2017 both while working for a member on the Senate Finance Committee, and in her current role as the Health Policy Advisor for Senator Dan Sullivan. Her legislative experience includes increasing access to health services, building healthier communities, addiction and mental health issues, and innovative solutions to improve community coordination. She worked to raise the IMD cap in Medicaid for all substances, and she has drafted multiple pieces of legislation to ensure access to quality health care for all, including the UNDERSTAND Act, which establishes a standardized definition of SDoH using the DSM 5 Z-codes, and the LINC Act, which integrates health systems and social services by empowering communities to work together to meet their unique needs.

Sara's passion for SDoH began while growing up in rural New York, where she experienced firsthand the health gap and challenges that communities face when it comes to basic health care. Before coming to Capitol Hill, Sara worked as an addiction therapist and mental health counselor for at-risk populations and trauma survivors, ensuring that everyone — no matter their socioeconomic status or zip code — had access to mental health services. Her policy continues to be rooted in these formative life experiences and her deep knowledge of the issue. 

Kumar Chandran Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition

USDA

Samuel Chasin Government Relations and Policy

YMCA OF THE USA

Sam Chasin is the Director of Social Responsibility Partnerships & Policy at YMCA of the USA, the national resource office for the nation’s 2,600 YMCAs. In his role, he works to increase government investment in and prioritization of programming that supports strengthening communities, including YMCA residential housing and shelters, food and nutrition programs, volunteerism, civic engagement and workforce development. Sam helps YMCAs share their stories of community impact, elevates the Y perspective on federal policies and regulations, works alongside Ys to navigate federal funding streams and opportunities, and collaborates with partners to advance policies that serve all communities. Sam previously worked in the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives and as a middle school social studies teacher in Houston, Texas. He’s a proud University of Wisconsin-Madison alumnus and enjoys reading and hiking in his free time.

Richard Cho US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Senior Advisor for Housing and Services

Richard Cho serves as Senior Advisor to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge. In this role, he advises the Secretary and helps set HUD’s policy strategy for solving homelessness, coordinating health with housing, and meeting the housing needs of people with disabilities, older adults, and people involved in the criminal justice system.  Richard brings to this role two decades of experience at the community, state, and federal levels building collaboration between the housing, health care, social services, and criminal justice sectors to address the housing and services needs of vulnerable Americans. He served as Deputy Director at the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness during the Obama Administration and has held positions at the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the Council of State Governments Justice Center, and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. He has a Ph.D. in Public Administration from New York University, a Master in City Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago.

Carrie Cochran-McClain Chief Policy Officer

National Rural Health Situation (NRHA)

Dr. Carrie Cochran-McClain serves as the Chief Policy Officer at the National Rural Health Association (NRHA). Carrie joined NRHA staff in 2020 where she is the head lobbyist for the association and is responsible driving the policy agenda for rural health for the 21,000 member organization. Carrie has more than 20 years of experience working in federal health policy development, including leadership roles at Health Management Associates, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. In her previous positions she has focused on improving health care outcomes, promoting health equity for vulnerable populations, and advising on health care policy issues. Carrie earned a BA in sociology from Willamette University and an MPA with a concentration in health policy and management from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. She completed a doctor of public health at the UNC Gillings School with a focuses on access to obstetrical care in rural areas.

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.

Megan Cundari Senior Director, Federal Relations

American Hospital Association

Megan has been a member of the Federal Relations department at the AHA since 2001 and has been lobbying Congress for the last eighteen years.  In addition to advocating the full range of AHA’s legislative and regulatory agenda, her specific issue areas include Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicaid, surprise medical billing, price transparency, immigration, pandemic preparedness, quality and societal factors that influence health; she also serves on internal working groups related to maternal and child health and societal factors that influence health. Prior to her work at the AHA, she spent five years in campaign politics, working for a Chicago-based political consulting firm.  She graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she majored in political science and economics.

Shannon Decker, MBA, MBA, MEd., MEd, PhD Principal

VBC One

Dr. Shannon Decker is principal 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 20 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 20 years of experience in healthcare--15 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 of Higher Education & Adult Learning (HEAL) and chief methodologist 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 theories on motivation and learning may be brought to bear on population health management.

Zil Joyce Dixon Romero State Government Affairs Manager

National Rural Health Association (NHRA)

Sarah Downer

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation | CMS

Sarah Downer joined CMMI in 2022 as a Health Insurance Specialist in the State and Population Health Group, where she focuses on developing and implementing components of the Innovation Center’s strategy related to social determinants of health.

Prior to her work at CMMI, she served as Associate Director of the Harvard Law School Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation (CHLPI), leading CHLPI’s Whole Person Care initiative and the Social Determinants of Health Law Lab. This body of work analyzed opportunities to integrate novel services and supports into health care delivery and financing and explored legal barriers to scaling innovation within the health care system.

Sarah holds a BA from Harvard College and a JD from Harvard Law School.

Krista Drobac Co-Chair

Aligning for Health

Reena Duseja, M.D. Senior Advisor, Office of Quality and Patient Safety

Veterans Administration

Esther Dyson Founder

Wellville

Kathleen Ellmore Co-Founder and Managing Director

Engagys

Dr. Ellen Fink-Samnick Wholistic Health Equity Strategist, Content Developer, Educator

EFS Supervision Strategies, LLC

Dr. Ellen Fink-Samnick is an award-winning industry entrepreneur who empowers healthcare's interprofessional workforce. She is a subject matter expert on Ethics, Health Equity, Integrated Care, Interprofessional Teams, Professional Case Management, Quality, and Trauma-informed Leadership. Dr. Fink-Samnick is the author of a number of professional titles including the recently published The Ethical Case Manager: Tools and Tactics, The Social Determinants of Health: Case Management’s Next Frontier and End of Life Care for Case Management.

Dr. Fink-Samnick has a Doctorate in Behavioral Health with specialization in Health Equity, Integrated Care, Quality, Leadership, and Trauma-Informed Practice. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Board-certified Case Manager, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. Dr. Fink-Samnick has been inducted as a Fellow in Case Management, as well as a member of the academic honor society, Delta Epsilon Tau.

Dr. Fink-Samnick serves the industry through a variety of roles with academic appointments at Cummings Graduate Institute of Behavioral Health Studies, George Mason University’s College of Public Health, and the University of Buffalo School of Social Work. She is a clinical supervision trainer and instructor for the National Association of Social Workers of Virginia and Metro DC, moderator of Ellen’s Ethical Lens on LinkedIn, and author of the blog, Ellen’s Interprofessional Insights. She is also a consultant for the Case Management Institute and moderator of their Case Managers Community. Dr. Fink-Samnick is also Editor of the Heartbeat of Case Management Column for Wolters Kluwer’s Professional Case Management Journal.

Dr. Fink-Samnick is known for her fierce professional voice. Along with leadership and committee roles across credentialing entities and professional associations, she has shared her expertise with the Gravity Project, National Coalition for Social Work and Health, and RISE Association. She is a board consultant to the American Association of Doctors of Behavioral Health, and editorial board member for the Professional Case Management Journal, Further information is available on her LinkedIn Profile.

Rachel Fisher Senior Advisor, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

HHS

Sandra Elizabeth Ford, M.D., M.B.A. Special Assistant to the President for Public Health and Science 

White House Domestic Policy Council 

Sandra Elizabeth Ford, M.D., M.B.A. is the Special Assistant to the President for Public Health and Science. In this role, which she began in May of 2021, Dr. Ford’s portfolio includes the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Office of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).  Her primary areas of focus are the socials determinants of health (SDOH), health equity, and biopreparedness, including COVID-19 response, monkeypox, Ebolavirus, and other biological threats.

Prior to assuming this role, Dr. Ford held a number of public health leadership positions in Georgia, most notably as the District Health Director of DeKalb County and Chief Executive Officer of the DeKalb County Board of Health, a position she held for 16 years. In this role, Dr. Ford directed clinical and population-based services for DeKalb’s more than 760,000 residents who speak more than 130 languages and dialects.  She was responsible for programs such as Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Health, and Refugee Health.  Under her leadership, DeKalb County Board of Health received over $40 million in grant funding to address obesity, physical activity, nutrition, asthma and smoking cessation.  Her Maternal and Child Health initiative, M.O.R.E. (Mothers Offering Resources and Education) has received national recognition and has been supported by entities as diverse as United Way and R&B icon Usher Raymond.

While Dr. Ford was serving as District Health Director for DeKalb County, she also served as the Interim District Health Director for Fulton County (population 1.04M) from 2019-2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her knowledge and expertise were essential when facing the COVID-19 crisis, and she was instrumental in ensuring the safety of the citizens of DeKalb and Fulton Counties simultaneously while still overseeing core public health services in both counties.

From May 2008- July 2009, Dr. Ford served as Acting Director of the Georgia Division of Public Health, where she orchestrated the agency’s reorganization.  There, she also led the development of policy and legislation pertaining to public health and enforcing related laws and regulations.

Dr. Ford’s Public Health career began in April 2003, when she was appointed Florida Department of Health’s Deputy State Health Officer/Deputy Secretary for Children’s Medical Services, where she was responsible for the oversight of all health services for children with special health care needs in the state. 

A board-certified pediatrician, Dr. Ford received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Stanford University, a Medical degree from Howard University’s College of Medicine, and a master’s degree in Business Administration with a focus in Health Services Administration from Howard University’s Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Ford has held faculty positions at Howard University’s College of Medicine, Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, and Morehouse School of Medicine. Her dedication to minority health and health inequities has led to appearances on CNN, CNN International and local Atlanta stations, including FOX, ABC, CBS, NBC, and NPR.

Evelyn Gallego Chief Executive Officer & Founder

EMI Advisors

Evelyn Gallego, MBA, MPH, CPHIMS, is the CEO and Founder of EMI Advisors LLC,  
an 8(a) certified Economically and Socially Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small  
Business. EMI was started to further Evelyn’s mission of delivering value-driven health data management advisory services to her government and commercial clients. Evelyn is a trusted advisor in helping her clients bridge the gap between health information technology policy and standards and business requirements. She has a strong ability to work across and build consensus with diverse stakeholder groups, including multidisciplinary providers, policymakers, healthcare payers, researchers, system vendors and implementers, and standard development organizations.  

Ms. Gallego provides specialized expertise in digital health interoperability and health policy with a focus on the alignment of regulatory, technical, and process improvement requirements to enable the effective adoption and use of technology. She is a thought leader in the areas of care coordination, social determinants of health (SDOH), health IT policy analysis and development, health information exchange and interoperability, and health IT standards development.  

Ms. Gallego is the co-founder and former Program Manager of HL7 Gravity Project and provides subject matter expertise across several federal and state level initiatives including the ONC SDOH Information Exchange Learning Forum, the ACL Social Care Challenge Program, and the NIH/AHRQ Multiple Chronic Care (MCC) electronic Care Plan Project. Ms. Gallego also serves on the IHE USA Board and the HIMSS SDOH Committee. 

Allison Gertel-Rosenberg Vice President, Chief Policy and Prevention Officer 

Nemours Children's Health 

Allison Gertel-Rosenberg is VP, Chief Policy and Prevention Officer at Nemours Children’s Health. She has spent her career addressing some of the most important and challenging issues in population health. In her role, she is responsible for leading Nemours Children’s National Office of Policy and Prevention leveraging federal policy and advocacy efforts and innovative prevention and population health strategies to improve health and well-being outcomes for children. These efforts have included the highly successful Moving Health Care Upstream, Let’s Move! Child Care, Healthy Kids, Healthy Future, and the National Early Care and Education Learning Collaborative initiative with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ms. Gertel-Rosenberg is widely recognized as an expert on public health and population health and has written articles and presented at national conferences on child health, social determinants of health, multi-sector partnerships, social return on investment, obesity, health care, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and evaluation. Ms. Gertel-Rosenberg received her B.S. in public health from Rutgers College and M.S. in health policy and management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Alberto A. Gonzalez Jr., MPP Senior Advisor for External Engagement Food and Nutrition Service

United States Department of Agriculture

Alberto A. Gonzalez, Jr., MPP currently serves as Senior Advisor for External Engagement at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). Alberto’s role at FNS involves engaging healthcare, food, nutrition, and anti-hunger partners on FNS’s more than 16 Federal nutrition assistance programs and the USDA’s food and nutrition security initiative.      

Previously, Alberto was Senior Project Manager for Health Policy at UnidosUS, where he worked on state and federal health, nutrition and anti-hunger policies and led a federal legislative campaign to pass the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) of 2020. 

Before joining UnidosUS, Alberto was Senior State Advocacy Manager at Community Catalyst in Boston, MA. Alberto also held roles at the California Immigrant Policy Center and the California State Assembly. Alberto has a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. 

Dr. Karen Hacker Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Denise Harlow CEO

National Community Action Partnership

Denise Harlow serves as the CEO of the National Community Action Partnership, the hub that links the nation’s 1,000 local Community Action Agencies to each other and to leaders looking for solutions that connect Americans to greater opportunity. Community Action Agencies reach into 99% of America’s counties and provide life-changing services that build pathways to well-being and prosperity. With more than 30 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector, Ms. Harlow has a deep understanding of the complexities of the human services ecosystem and the challenges faced by community based organizations and the families they serve.

Prior to her tenure at NCAP, Ms. Harlow was the CEO of the New York State Community Action Association and Sr. Vice President for Capacity Building for the New York Council of Nonprofits. She has a master’s degree in social work from the University at Albany where she was a Fellow on Women and Public Policy at the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society and holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Valparaiso University. Presently, Ms. Harlow holds the position of Board Secretary at the National Human Services Assembly and serves on the national advisory committee for First Nonprofit.

Gabriel Hitchcock VP of Business Development

Healthrageous

Gabriel is an experienced healthcare entrepreneur with far-reaching expertise in policy, investment strategy, and SDOH. Gabriel currently serves as VP of Business Development at Healthrageous, where he leads strategic planning and implementation to enhance member satisfaction and retention. Gabriel also leads Member Insights, using qualitative and advanced analytic approaches to identify gaps in care and unmet needs. 

Prior to Healthrageous, Gabriel served as the VP of Strategy at NationsBenefits, managing and executing on supplemental benefit design and crafting an M&A strategy. In 2019, Gabriel co-founded Nightingale Partners with John Gorman. Nightingale is a boutique SDOH investment fund and advisory group. In this role, Gabriel sourced, diligenced, and executed transactions totaling over $10M.

A life-long founder, Gabriel has started companies ranging from pharmaceuticals, science communication, and real estate. His first exit came in 2018 through the sale of Onconetics Pharmaceuticals, inc. Gabriel graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in Neuroscience and Finance and is currently pursuing his MBA/MS in Biotechnology at Harvard Business School.

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

CMS

Dara Koppelman EVP, Health Services and Programs

Mary’s Center

As Executive Vice President of Health Services and Programs at Mary’s Center, Dara oversees the nursing, behavioral health, programs/social services, and quality and research departments. She has been dedicated to Mary’s Center’s work since 2012, when she started as a Nurse Manager and later worked as Chief Nursing Officer. Dara began her professional and nursing journey in labor and delivery and then as a Public Health Nurse performing home visits in the Prenatal and Early Childhood program at a local health department. She later obtained her master's in health systems administration from Georgetown University. She also works as an adjunct faculty at the Georgetown University School of Nursing and sits on the Advisory Board for the Platform of Hope. In her time at Mary’s Center, she is proud to have contributed to the development of Briya Public Charter School’s Medical Assistant training program, the planning and opening of two new health centers and an in-house pharmacy, the implementation of Mary’s Center’s facilitated telemedicine program, and co-founding Mary’s Center’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Awareness (IDEA) committee. Dara firmly believes that access to quality health care is a human right. She has devoted her career to ensuring that people can achieve that right at Mary’s Center and beyond. In her personal life, Dara is an animal-lover and enjoys traveling and exploring the outdoors with her family and friends.

Dr. Jessica Lee Acting Chief Medical Officer for Medicaid and CHIP

CMS

Jessica Lee, MD, MSHP is the acting Chief Medical Officer for Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, where she leads the center's clinical strategy and portfolio in health-related social needs. Dr. Lee was previously the medical officer in the Division of Quality and Health Outcomes at CMCS, where she led initiatives in quality measures and quality improvement. Dr. Lee has deep expertise in clinical medicine and quality, and a background in health policy at the health system, state, and federal levels. She has served as a senior health policy analyst at the Government Accountability Office, focusing on payment policy and community benefits provided by nonprofit hospitals. She has conducted grant-funded research focused on the intersection of health care delivery systems and population health. Dr. Lee continues to care for patients as a practicing pulmonologist at the University of Pennsylvania and ICU physician at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.  She earned her A.B. with honors from Harvard College and her M.D. from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She completed internal medicine residency at Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and pulmonary and critical care fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.

Timi Leslie President

Blue Path Health

Timi Leslie, Founder and President of BluePath Health and Executive Director of Connecting for Better Health, has over 30 years of experience in the health care industry advising organizations on business strategy, technology innovation, partner relations, product management and system implementation. She works with a wide variety of clients to improve clinical information sharing and apply new insights.

Timi regularly leads government and board-level initiatives focused on health IT strategy, financing, population and community health, electronic health record (EHR), and health information exchange (HIE). With her experience working at federal healthcare agencies, Timi offers a unique combination of expertise in both national and California health care policy and regulation. 

Christen Linke Young Deputy Assistant to the President for Health and Veterans Affairs

The White House

Christen Linke Young is deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council for Health and Veterans at the White House. Prior to this, she was a health policy advisor for the Biden-Harris transition team and a fellow of the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy. Previously, Young was the principal deputy secretary for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. She also held roles in the federal government, including principal deputy director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, White House senior policy advisor for health, and director of coverage policy in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Health Reform. Young began her career as a policy analyst with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kate McFadyn Director of Government Affairs

AHIMA

Jo Ellen McNamara Vice President Housing + Healthcare

National Equity Fund

Jo Ellen is the Vice President of Housing+Healthcare at National Equity Fund (NEF) – the largest non-profit affordable housing finance organization in the United States.  Her work is focused on creating alliances to collaboratively plan and fund innovation in housing to address both individual and population health outcomes. 

In March 2023 of Health Affairs Journal, Jo Ellen co-authored “Proposed Social Drivers Of Health Bonds Offer Promising Improvements But Face Many Challenges To Implementation” discussing the policy and implementation challenges and opportunities surrounding the funding of social drivers of health by managed care organizations.    

She holds a Master of Science in Health Innovation and Community Assets from Arizona State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Cleveland State University.   Additionally, Jo Ellen attended Law School at Cleveland State College of Law and studied Non-Profit Finance at Case Western Reserve University. 

Amanda Mihalko Director, Social Determinants of Health

Highmark Health

Amanda Mihalko serves as Highmark Health’s Director of Social Determinants of Health (SDoH).  Highmark Health’s SDoH team is responsible for evaluating opportunities to positively impact the health and well-being of patients, members, and the community at large. Amanda has over 15 years of experience in health care administration and public health, including health promotion, health policy development, health systems operations, and community focused coalition building.

A solutions-focused leader, Amanda previously served as Director of Community Health Initiatives at the University of Pittsburgh, leading implementation and evaluation of community and agency-based initiatives and securing millions in grant and foundation funding. Manager of Community Engagement for UPMC’s Community HealthChoices, where she was responsible for developing and executing a community engagement strategy focused on patient experience, enhancing quality of care, and increasing positive health outcomes. In addition, Amanda worked as Program Director for the California State Hospital System, Management Analyst for Monterey County Health Department’s Public Health Bureau, and was a fellow with the Dr. Beatriz Maria Solis Policy Leadership Institute.  

Amanda holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University, an MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling Psychology from Antioch University New England and is credentialed as a Board-Certified Dance Movement Therapist (BC-DMT).

Beck Moore CEO

Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP)

Beck Moore serves as CEO at Community Action Association of Pennsylvania (CAAP), working with the 43 Community Action Agencies, addressing poverty across every county in the Commonwealth. Having a deep-rooted appreciation stemming from personal experiences of living in poverty and being homeless, Beck is devoted to creating change.  He regularly educates on the realities of poverty, social determinants of health, dimensions of diversity, and helping people challenge their assumptions.  

Beck has served in nonprofit leadership roles over the past 20 years and has a passion for values-based leadership. Beck’s experience shines in member-based organizations, with expertise in membership growth and program development. He served in various roles across multiple Girl Scout councils, leaving an impact of membership stabilization and growth through creating valuable programs that gained national recognition.

Beck is a father by nontraditional means and loves to write and spending time in the outdoors.  He is currently authoring his first book about his journey of transitioning and authenticity.

Lastly, 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 serves on various boards and committees with United Way of PA, County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Weatherization Advisory Committee, LIHEAP Advisory Committee, Interstate Renewable Energy Council WAP Enhancement and Innovation Committee, Parents as Teachers Advisory Committee, and others.

Cortney Nicolato President and CEO

United Way of Rhode Island

Cortney M. Nicolato is a mission-driven executive leader and systems change-agent with two decades of experience in nonprofit management and entrepreneurship. Cortney is president and CEO of United Way of Rhode Island, a statewide nonprofit with more than 80 employees and an operating budget of $28M. United Way proved during COVID-19 to be the only organization in the state that effectively harnessed resources from government, corporations, nonprofits, and individuals to address crises, starting with its 211 hotline, the front door to social services in the state, as well as through advocacy, fundraising, and grant making. Under Cortney’s leadership, the organization is focused on the root causes of inequities in the RI community that have become more apparent as a result of the pandemic. In January of 2021, the United Way of Rhode Island launched Live United 2025, with a goal to invest $100M in the next five years to build racial equity and opportunities in the state. In just 2.5 years, United Way of RI has invested $71.25M. Cortney is the first woman CEO in the organization’s 95+ year history. Prior to United Way, Cortney held several transformative senior management positions. Most recently, she served as president and CEO of The Senior Source, the largest nonprofit agency for older adults in North Texas. Her previous experience also includes being Senior Advisor, Director of New Business Initiatives at the National Center of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Cortney is a sought-after speaker as well as a member of Forbes Magazine’s Nonprofit Council. From the beginning of her career, Cortney’s focus has been on serving the community. This commitment allowed her to effectively lead dedicated teams and improve the lives of individuals and families across the globe. Cortney serves as a Trustee for the University of Rhode Island, a member of United Way Worldwide’s Network Advisory Council, and a mentor at Sophia Academy, among other things. She is also an adjunct professor in the Nonprofit Management program at Northeastern University. The most important people in her life are her husband David and their two sons, Jacob and Ian. With her family, she can be found out on her road bike, swimming or kayaking throughout Rhode Island and photographing nature in all its glory.

Ray Prushnok AVP, Program Development, Executive Director, UPMC Center for Social Impact

UPMC Health Plan

Ray currently leads UPMC Health Plan’s Center for Social Impact, an office charged with implementing programs that meet social needs which impact health, quality, and cost.  The Center’s work is focused on employment, housing, and collaboration with human services and community-based organizations. 

Ray joined UPMC Health Plan in 2011 where he first led Medicare Special Needs Plans and launched a Medicaid long-term services and supports program.  Before joining UPMC Health Plan, Ray served in various capacities at the Pennsylvania Department of Aging from 2005 to 2011 including acting Secretary and Deputy Secretary.

Elena Rosenbaum, MD Medical Director

Health Alliance

Naomi Senkeeto Managing Director, Health Equity Policy

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Naomi Senkeeto is a Managing Director of Health Equity Policy at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), where she leads policy development for addressing health disparities and advancing equity through legislative and regulatory policy. She also serves as the policy and advocacy representative for BCBSA’s National Health Equity Strategy. Prior to this role, she led BCBSA’s policy development on ACA-related financial management and payment policy issues as well as the federal budget and appropriation processes.

Prior to joining BCBSA, Naomi held policy positions with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Diabetes Association, the American College of Physicians, Reproductive Health Technologies Project, and the American Association of University Women. Naomi received her master’s in public policy from the George Washington University and has a BA in political science from Rutgers University.

Megan Shreve CEO

South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP)

Megan Shreve serves as the CEO of South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP) in Pennsylvania. With over three decades of service in the health and human services field, Megan has been a driving force in implementing numerous programs and community engagement initiatives aimed at eliminating poverty and helping individuals reach their potential. During her career, she has also made impactful contributions in the private sector, consulting on business processes, policy change, and implementation strategies, around large-scale change management projects. Megan's passion for creating positive change and her ability to bridge sectors has allowed SCCAP to be an effective partner with health systems and managed care organizations around the Social Determinates of Health, helping local individuals create a thriving, healthier future and bringing increased attention to the need for system/policy level solutions.

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

Mikal Sutton Managing Director, Medicaid Policy

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Mikal Sutton is Managing Director of Medicaid policy for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), a national federation of thirty-four independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) companies. BCBSA covers 114 million lives across all lines of business in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Twenty-four of the BCBSA Plans operate a Medicaid program in twenty-nine states and Puerto Rico with more that twelve million Medicaid members.  

With almost 15 years of experience Sutton has collaborated with state and local agencies, organizations, and external stakeholders to build substantive policy solutions. Sutton oversees detailed Medicaid policy analysis and strategies to support BCBS companies, in collaboration with BCBSA’s legislative, regulatory, research and modeling teams. Since joining the Association in 2020, Sutton has worked on regulatory and policy development on a wide variety of program issue areas including maternal health, social determinants of health, long-term services and supports, expansion of Medicaid and the Public Health Emergency unwinding.  

Sutton has worked on Medicaid policy in Illinois, policy initiatives with the Illinois Department on Aging and as a director of grant operations for a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant focused on growing the nursing pipeline in Illinois. Sutton has a master’s degree in political studies and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Illinois at Springfield.  

An Illinois native, Sutton earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and master’s degree in political studies from the University of Illinois, Springfield. She enjoys outdoor activities, listening to music and traveling with her family.  

Adrienne Tenney Director of Operations

Engagys

Adrienne has over 15 years of experience working in healthcare and nearly a decade in consumer engagement. She is passionate about leveraging her expertise to drive results for her clients and consumer health outcomes in general. Adrienne has partnered with a variety of healthcare-focused clients on projects related to engagement and campaign strategy including A/B testing, digital transformation, communications governance, and content optimization. She is often recognized for her unique ability to drive progress and results across a wide range of healthcare domain challenges.

Karin VanZant Seasoned SDoH Champion

Karin VanZant is the Vice President of National Social Determinants of Health & Health Equity at Clearlink Partners. Karin has an extensive background in establishing strategic partnerships between managed care and community-based organizations focused on social care models and coordinating efforts within safety net programs. She leads the efforts to assist state, health plan, and provider partners to integrate SDOH & health equity into all aspects of their care model designs at Clearlink.

From 2015 to 2022, Karin led the national strategy for SDOH at CareSource and the full integration into its population health model. She built Life Services®, CareSource’s brand of SDOH partnerships, programs, and pilots. The largest program of the Life Services brand is JobConnect™, a workforce development program that assists CareSource members with full-time, permanent employment. The program has a 26:1 return on investment across multiple state-funded programs. For every 1,000 CareSource members who become employed, there is an annual $83 million in savings in taxpayer dollars.

Prior to CareSource from 2005 to 2015, Karin was the co-founder and Executive Director of Think Tank, Inc., helping organizations, communities, and system leaders who were addressing issues of poverty in noncollaborative and interdisciplinary ways that involved individuals with lived experience and focused on relationships vs. deficit models.

Karin has an MPA in Public Administration (2008) and a BA in Social Work (1998) from Wright State University. She is an Adjunct Professor at Antioch University (2009 – present) on subjects including US Hunger and Poverty, Justice and Equity, Introduction to Human Services, Grant Writing, Gender & Multicultural Issues in Healthcare, and Emotional Intelligence. She lives with her husband and two boxer dogs in Springfield, Ohio and is a mom to one son and grammy to one precious granddaughter.

Samantha Wallack Meklir Senior Policy Advisor

Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC)

Samantha Wallack Meklir serves as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Policy, Immediate Office within the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).  In this role, she leads strategic policy development, coordination, and execution with industry and federal stakeholders to advance and inform the successful implementation of health IT including for opioid use disorder prevention and treatment, advanced health models, and settings across the care continuum. She’s held various positions within HHS over the past two decades including with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Office of Legislation, Chicago Regional Office, and Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services), and with the Health Resources and Services Administration.  She received her undergraduate degree from Tufts University and her graduate degree in Public Affairs from the LBJ School at the University of Texas- Austin in 2000.

Rick Whitted President and 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 government payor spaces; and, developing a SaaS solution that uses
Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning to identify root causes of food insecurity
in the U.S.

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.

Sandra Wilkniss Senior Director, Population and Public Health Team

National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)

Dr. Sandra Wilkniss serves as NASHP’s Senior Director of Population Health where she directs programs focused on public health, social determinants of health and health equity. Prior to joining NASHP, she served as Director of Complex Care Policy and Senior Fellow at Families USA. In that role, she led the organizations’ national project on state approaches to equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine, collaborating with a broad network of national and state partners, as well as projects on behavioral health integration, and cost and value in health system with a special focus on prescription drug policies. Before that, Sandra spent six years as a Program Director at the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, advising governors and their senior staff on a variety of issues including: COVID-19 response (including state authority and best practices in testing, vaccine and treatment development, distribution and reimbursement, pandemic preparedness, housing, and behavioral health), social determinants of health, addressing complex care populations in health delivery and payment reforms, health as housing and cross-sector strategies in meeting the needs of children and families. She also spent three years in the United States Senate as Senior Legislative Assistant in Health Care to Senators Bingaman and Heinrich, beginning as an American Academy for the Advancement of Science fellow in Senator Bingaman’s office. Sandra is a clinical psychologist by training, held faculty appointments at Dartmouth Medical College, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Weil Cornell Medical Center, and was the director of Thresholds Institute, the research and training arm of Thresholds, Chicago’s largest psychosocial rehabilitation organization.

Rev. Kimberly Willims

Choose Healthy Life

Reverend Kimberly L. Williams is the Executive Director of Choose Healthy Life, a preeminent
national nonprofit organization committed to addressing health disparities in underserved
communities in partnership with the Black church—a cornerstone and trusted pillar in the
community. Choose Healthy Life supplies essential resources, training, and support to facilitate
critical health services and foster community wellness initiatives.
Rev. Williams has been an integral part of Choose Healthy Life since its launch in 2021 by
Founder Debra Fraser-Howze. The organization has funded 120 Black churches across 13 states
to hire and train local faith-based community health workers to connect and deliver much needed
health services.
Possessing a harmonious background of corporate savvy and pastoral insight, Rev. Williams
spearheads the organization’s mission with a vision that seamlessly integrates faith and science to
confront and resolve health inequities. Her leadership is powered by a profound grasp of the
complex dynamics at play in the union of these sectors.
An alumnus of Drew University and the distinguished HBCU Clark Atlanta University, she is
armed with a robust educational foundation that undergirds her capacity for impactful leadership.
With a unique 30-year track record of select roles in the corporate sector, Reverend Williams has
refined a sharp acuity in strategic planning and leadership excellence.
Beyond her pivotal role at Choose Healthy Life, she is a dedicated minister at Metropolitan
Baptist Church (Newark, N.J.), underscoring her unwavering commitment to uplifting the health
and well-being of marginalized communities. Rev. Williams's vocation is a compelling testament
to her lifelong devotion to advancing health equity and her steadfast belief in the transformative
potential of faith-based organizations to inspire and enact enduring societal transformation. She
believes that everyone should live the promise of a holistic, abundant life.

Brandon Wilson Managing Director

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.

Anwar Zoueihid Vice President, Long Term Services & Supports

Partners in Care Foundation