Rise

Doug Adair President

Nashville Diaper Connection

Nashville Diaper Connection's ("NashDiaper") mission is to provide emergency supplies of baby diapers to families that otherwise might not have them. NashDiaper is Middle Tennessee's only Diaper Bank. Unlike emergency "safety nets" for food, utilities, housing or medical care, there are no other consistent sources for this basic essential need. NashDiaper follows food bank practices to help struggling families but instead of food, we provide diapers. Starting in 2013 to serve Nashville, NashDiaper has expanded and now serves over 25 Middle Tennessee counties. To date NashDiaper has helped thousands of Nashville babies by donating over 15,000,000 diapers and currently supports 6,000 infants and toddlers per month.

In addition to his work with NashDiaper, Doug enjoys time with his wife and family, traveling, and reading.

Gaby Alcalá Founder and CEO

MAPA HealthCare

Gabrielena (Gaby) Alcala is a consultant with over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry. She has worked with various organizations, from start-ups to large corporations. Her current focus is on helping organizations transition to value-based care. Gaby is passionate about assisting organizations in executing projects in an agile manner, improving processes, and making healthcare more patient-centered.

Gaby has worked with multiple organizations, including Iora Health, Community Care Cooperative (C3), CityBlock, Partners HealthCare (currently Mass General Brigham), BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting), and The World Bank. Her work has included Medicare Advantage risk adjustment strategic planning and implementation, new business and program development, and operational system redesign.

With a great ability to swiftly adapt, she excels in managing complex projects, collaborating with stakeholders, inspiring teams, and consistently delivering positive outcomes in challenging environments.

She has an MA in Economics from the University of Michigan and a BA in Economics from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Venezuela. Gaby is fluent in English and Spanish, with intermediate proficiency in French.

Cesar Armendariz Senior Director, Community Health Community Health Administration

Inland Empire Health Plan

Cesar Armendariz serves as the Senior Director of Community Health at Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP). Armendariz’s innovative programs and community partnerships are addressing the Social Determinants of Health of the region, including food insecurity by organizing large scale food distributions across various sites throughout Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. He is leveraging existing and new partnerships with community partners, civic leaders, universities, and faith-based organizations, to build capacity and infrastructure to improve health outcomes and enhance the lives of members and the community-at-large. Understanding that the physical built environment is key to community wellbeing, a strategic initiative he devised is transforming the existing Community Resource Centers into large scale Community Wellness Centers that will anchor future collaborative, multi-sector Wellness Villages. Concurrently, Armendariz also serves on the boards of various community organizations, including being a founding board member of End Homelessness California, which operates Shower of Hope, California’s largest mobile shower provider for the homeless, and Hope Housing for Students, serving the housing needs of homeless college students.

Prior to joining IEHP, Armendariz was the Community Relations Executive at Adventist Health White Memorial (2019 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Recipient) in Los Angeles, California. In this role, he led the hospital’s Community Health Integration initiatives, oversaw its Community Wellbeing Council, Community Information Center, Community Garden, fostered strategic collaborations with key community stakeholders/partners, and launched numerous, innovative, health and educational initiatives. Previously, he served as the Associate Vice President for Marketing & Communications and Community & Public Relations, where he oversaw the marketing and promotional efforts of the hospital and served as its public spokesperson.

Prior to his time at White Memorial, Armendariz served as the Executive Director for Community Partnerships at the USC Health Sciences Campus (HSC), where he oversaw university-wide community outreach programs, projects, and initiatives to develop and foster positive, collaborative relations between the university and the local communities surrounding the HSC. While at USC, he also was the university-wide Spanish language media spokesperson, an advisor on strategies for Latin America to the USC Office of Global Initiatives, and a member of the USC Government Relations Council. Previously, he served USC as the Director for Master Plan Communications at the University Park Campus.

Before working at USC, Armendariz was the Director of Executive Offices at TELACU (The East Los Angeles Community Union), the nation’s largest community and economic development corporation. His role was to manage and oversee all the activities relating to the Chairman, President and CEO, including business development, and public, corporate and governmental relations. 

Armendariz previously served as the Executive Director of the International Business Center (IBC) of Orange County in the City of Santa Ana, California. He was responsible for coordinating the trade promotion efforts among the various public and private stakeholders of the center, attracting new international trade partners, and maintaining focus on the core mission of assisting small-to-medium-sized California companies expand their current customer base by seeking new export markets. The IBC partnered with federal, state and local government agencies, universities, and served as host of the Mexico Trade Center, Nacional Financiera (Mexico’s largest development bank), and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Senior Trade Advisor for the Southwest United States. 

Prior to leading the IBC, Armendariz was the International Trade Advisor and Director of the Los Angeles Office to former California Lieutenant Governor Cruz M. Bustamante. His responsibilities included opening and overseeing the Los Angeles Office and its operations, outreach to the Latino community, and addressing trade issues with Mexico and Asia. Mr. Armendariz coordinated a trade delegation to Mexico for public and private sector leaders to participate in Former President Vicente Fox’s inauguration, successfully meeting with five members of President Fox’s cabinet to foster stronger relations between Mexico and California.

Armendariz also assisted former California Senate Majority Leader Richard G. Polanco, as his Advisor on the Senate Subcommittee on the Americas. This subcommittee was responsible for promoting and addressing trade opportunities between California and Latin America. As a result of Armendariz’s work for Senator Polanco, legislation was addressed in the state senate to explore greater opportunities, and better utilization of state resources for trade and exports, thus creating a California Trade Office in Buenos Aires, Argentina to serve the Mercosur market.

A strong advocate of international trade and cross-border relations, Armendariz spent four years in Mexico City working for the California Office of Trade and Investment as a Trade Specialist in the areas of Consumer Goods, Real Estate, Tourism and Entertainment. Armendariz coordinated official visits and projects for the State of California governmental leadership, the California World Trade Commission, Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida, and the University of Southern California.

Cesar Armendariz currently resides in the Inland Empire, is a native of Los Angeles County, and is an alumnus of the University of Southern California (‘94 & ‘12), where he is also an Adjunct-Professor at the USC Marshall School of Business, Department of Business Communication. He is bilingual (Spanish), bicultural (Latin American protocol), and enjoys spending his free time traveling with his two adult children, Zaira and Aramis. 

Raine Arndt-Couch Director, Social Services Management, Medi-Cal Population Health Management

Blue Shield of California

Dr. Raine Arndt-Couch, DSW, JD, LCSW, CCM serves as Blue Shield of California’s Director of Social Services Management, Medi-Cal Population Health Management and is a Director on the Case Management Society of America National Board. Raine has extensive clinical social work, case management, health care policy, and leadership experience in various health care settings working with diverse populations. She earned both her Master’s in Social Work (MSW) and Juris Doctorate (JD) from the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and her Doctorate in Social Work (DSW) from the University of Southern California. 

Katina Bourne Manager- Social and Community Services

Inland Empire Health Plan

Mital Brahmbhatt System Director, Care Coordination & Population Health

Memorial Hermann

Mital Brahmbhatt has 19 years of a variety of health care experiences. She has been able to effectively develop, promote and implement programs around population health and care coordination, and focused on adding value to the healthcare journey. She earned her Masters of Social Work at the University of Houston. Mital started her career as a pediatric oncology social worker at Texas Children’s Hospital. Upon receiving her Masters in Healthcare Administration from Texas Woman’s University, she then moved into impactful positions where she was charged with overseeing the operations of intensive care units, then to building a new psychosocial division for the largest pediatric cancer center, to building the STAR Kids Medicaid program for a health plan and helping to develop how care coordination from payer to hospital to the community positively impacts the patient journey. She strives to be a change agent in all the roles she sits in, professionally and personally. Mital believes in paying it forward and volunteers her time and knowledge to 4 different non-profit agencies in and around Houston, Tx.

Currently, Mital is the Director of Health Management for Memorial Hermann’s Population Health Service Organization and is an adjunct professor at Texas Woman’s University. Her teams focus on providing wrap-around care coordination in the ambulatory space to approximately 400 thousand ACO attributed lives, building and developing innovative workflows related to value-based care, complex case management, transitional case management, community care coordination, HEDIS preventative/wellness initiatives, remote patient monitoring, pharmacy, and overall population health strategies. Her purpose is to be an innovative and passionate thought-leader who is driven to support patients, their families and providers across their health journey and continues to be an advocate for those in need.

Louis Cabanilla Head of Population Health

Equitable Analytics

Louis Cabanilla is the Head of Population Health at Equitable Analytics - A team that strives for a world where everyone has an equal opportunity for a healthy life!

Having experience in all areas of healthcare including health plans, hospital systems, pharma consulting, and a policy think tank, Louis remains a Health Economist at heart. He specializes in working with varied stakeholders to identify individual barriers to health and prioritize populations with the greatest opportunity to improve their future health. Designing segmentation and prioritization algorithms for Medicaid, Medicare, and Commercial populations across the country, he’s passionate about the work Equitable Analytics has done to help address the epidemic of suicide in the veteran population.

Louis has a postgraduate degree in Health Economics having studied in Europe and in the U.S. at the University of Colorado.

Monica Chopra MBA, MPH, Co-Founder & CEO

Auxa Health

Monica co-founded Auxa Health and serves as its CEO. Monica has over two decades of experience working for health plans, health systems, consulting firms, and community-based organizations. She has dedicated her career to building, leading, and managing efforts to improve access to care and health outcomes for individuals. Prior to joining Auxa Health, Monica was the Vice President, East Region at Oscar Health, where she led their ACA, Small Group, and MA business lines for Oscar's East markets. Monica has also worked for athenahealth, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, The Advisory Board Company, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. She holds a BA from Johns Hopkins University, an MBA from the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business, and an MPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Shannon Decker 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.

Lance Donkerbrook Chief Executive Officer

Commonwealth Primary Care ACO

Mr. Donkerbrook has over twenty five years of healthcare experience ranging from consulting, business planning, financial management and contracting within national health insurers, hospital delivery networks, physician practices and healthcare technology companies. Outside of his more recent ACO leadership, Lance has implemented many innovative projects related to strategic planning, system selections, business case, process reengineering, productivity, and contracting associated with health plan operations and their IT systems implementations.

For the last five years, Lance has led as the COO, and more recently, elected as the CEO of the Commonwealth Primary Care Accountable Care Organization based in Tempe, Arizona. He has a BS in Economics from Arizona State University and an MBA from Texas Christian University. Lance serves as an advisor for three technology companies, and volunteers on the the Men’s Arts Council with the Phoenix Art Museum.

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

EFS Supervision Strategies, LLC

Ellen Fink-Samnick is an award-winning industry thought leader who empowers healthcare's transdisciplinary workforce. Known and highly respected as'The Ethical Compass of Professional Case Management', she is a sought out professional speaker and author with hundreds of offerings and publications to her credit.Ellen's work has achieved global acclaim. She is a national expert on the Social Determinants of Health, Workplace Bullying and Violence, Professional Ethics,Professional Case Management Practice, and Wholistic Case Management™. Her latest books include, The Essential Guide to Inter professional Ethics for Healthcare Case Management and The Social Determinants of Health: Case Management's Next Frontier,both through HCPro. Ellen is a panelist for Monitor Mondays and Talk Ten Tuesdays,plus contributor to RAC Monitor and ICD 10 Monitor. She also serves as moderator of Ellen’s Ethical LensTM on LinkedIn, a consultant for the Case Management Institute, anda moderator of their Case Managers Community. Ellen’s academic affiliations include roles as subject matter expert for Western Governors University, and adjunct faculty for the University of Buffalo’s School of Social Work, and George Mason University’s Department of Social Work.Ellen's passion is evident across her varied roles as professional speaker, industry consultant, educator, blogger, continuing education content developer, accreditation specialist, clinical social work supervisor and professional mentor to the case management community. Her contributions transverse the industry’s professional associations and credentialing organizations. A past commissioner for the Commission for Case Manager Certification, and Chair of their Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, Ellen currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Case Management Society of America, the editorial boards for the Professional Case Management Journal and RAC Monitor, and the Council of Advisors and Founders for Reverberation 5.0 (a collective for women over 50 in the workforce). More detailed information is available on her LinkedIn Profile.

Marilyn Fraser M.D., and CEO

Arthur Ashe Institue for Urban Health

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

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

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

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

Eli Goldberg, PhD, MSc VP of Data and Innovation

Belle

Eli Goldberg, PhD, MSc, is the VP of data and innovation for Belle Cares, the US’ largest in-home clinical foot care company. Prior to Belle, Eli was the VP of Data Science at Current Health, a company acquired by Best Buy Health for $400M. Additionally, Eli has held leadership roles at CVS, Aetna, and Novartis, and is a board member in several health-tech companies in the US and Australia. Eli holds a Bachelor of Science in Geological Engineering, Geology, and Geophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a Master’s in Environmental Engineering and a PhD in Chemistry and Bioengineering from ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Gregory A. Hanley VP, Health Services Quality & Operations

UCare

Greg has nearly 20 years of health plan experience in quality, population health and clinical improvement.  In his current role, he provides strategic direction and leadership for Health Services Quality and Operations including Star Ratings, Population Health, NCQA Accreditation, Health Equity, Utilization Management, Appeals & Grievances, Provider Credentialing, Disease Management, Clinical Informatics, and Health Services Analytics.

Prior to joining UCare, he was the Midwest Regional Director of Quality Improvement at Coventry Health Care in Kansas City, MO. As such, he oversaw Coventry’s credentialing, NCQA Accreditation, CAHPS and quality of care program, quality Committees and all quality improvement projects.

Greg retired from the Army in 2005 after a 21-year career as a Medical Service Corps Officer and in Psychological Operations. 

Greg serves on the board for Minnesota Community Measurement (MNCM).  He is board certified by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) as a Fellow (FACHE) in health care management and previously served as the President for the Minnesota Chapter of ACHE.  He is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Cloud State University, and Master of Business Administration from Portland State University.

Jessica Kinowski Business Development Senior Advisor, Medicare Advantage

Cigna Healthcare

Jessica has a passion for public health and has been in the health care field for the past 30 years.

Jessica strongly believes in empowering and supporting people to make lifestyle choices that can help them achieve and maintain good health.

Jessica is currently the Business Development Senior Advisor for the Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) on the Cigna Healthcare Medicare Advantage Team.

Jessica has a Bachelor of Science degree in Pre-Med/Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and a Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Education from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

Jessica enjoys staying involved with the University of Minnesota Alumni Association and mentoring new public health students. Jessica recently completed her second term on the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Alumni Board of Directors. Jessica also serves on the Advisory Board for the Women in Leadership Certificate Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Dr. Nirmala Kishun-jit VP, Population Health

MCR Health

Dr. Nirmala Kishun is a board-certified internal medicine doctor who has seamlessly blended her clinical expertise with executive leadership to drive transformative change in healthcare delivery. With over a decade of experience in healthcare administration, Dr. Kishun has consistently demonstrated her commitment to improving patient outcomes and advancing population health initiatives.

Education and Clinical Experience:

• Dr. Kishun earned her medical degree from University of Guyana and completed her residency in New York state.
• Throughout her clinical career, Dr. Kishun has provided compassionate care to patients while gaining invaluable insights into the challenges and opportunities within the healthcare system.

Executive Leadership:

• Dr. Kishun journey into healthcare administration began as Chief of Medicine, where she spearheaded efforts to enhance clinical operations and quality of care within her organization.
• Recognizing the importance of population health management, she transitioned into the role of Vice President of Population Health, where she developed and implemented innovative programs to improve health outcomes for diverse patient populations.

Innovative Programs and Partnerships:

• Dr. Kishun pioneering spirit led her to establish a groundbreaking outpatient program focused on Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI), which proved instrumental in optimizing revenue and quality metrics.
• She also built a value-based practice from the ground up, leveraging her clinical skills and knowledge of value-based care models to drive improvements in patient outcomes while controlling costs.
• Dr. Kishun played a pivotal role in educating providers and executives on the systemic and cultural changes necessary to succeed in value-based programs, fostering a collaborative environment focused on patient-centered care.

Partnerships and Technology:

• She is innovative in her approach to healthcare transformation, forging intuitive partnerships with payers, community organizations, and healthcare systems to improve care coordination and address social determinants of health (SDOH).
• Leveraging her clinical background, Dr Kishun led the development of electronic health record (EHR) systems and population health programs tailored to the needs of her patient population, enabling more efficient and data-driven care delivery.

Commitment to Equity and Chronic Care Management:

• Dr. Kishun is deeply passionate about addressing healthcare disparities and overcoming barriers to care. She has developed and implemented several chronic care programs aimed at tracking and addressing SDOH barriers, ensuring equitable access to high-quality healthcare for all patients.
• She believes strongly in the power of provider-patient partnerships in achieving optimal health outcomes, advocating for shared decision-making and patient empowerment throughout the care continuum.

Dr. Nirmala Kishun, originally from Guyana, South America, brings a global perspective to her role as a healthcare executive in Florida. She currently resides in Florida with her husband and 7-year-old son. Outside of her professional pursuits, Dr. Kishun is an avid traveler who enjoys exploring the world with her family. She also has a keen interest in culinary arts and enjoys experimenting with different cuisines, reflecting her curiosity and appreciation for diverse cultures and experiences. Her multifaceted interests and global perspective enrich her leadership style and drive her passion for improving healthcare outcomes in her community and beyond.

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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.

Mark W. Lodes Chief Medical Officer and VP, Population Health and Medical Education

Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin

Dr. Lodes joined Froedtert and The Medical College of Wisconsin in 2001 as an Internal Medicine/Pediatrics physician and Assistant Clinical Professor.  He served as the Executive Director of Froedtert and The Medical College’s Primary Care Initiative (PCI) from 2003-2007, Chief Medical Officer of Clinical Ventures Group from 2008-2013, and President of F&MCW Community Physicians from 2013-2018. He currently serves as Chief Medical Officer for Population Health and Medical Education at Froedtert and The Medical College of Wisconsin.  He provides medical direction for the health system’s ACO and Clinically integrated Network.  He is faculty with the Kern Institute and co-director of the MCW Health System Management and Policy Pathway.

He is a past recipient of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty Award and has been annually recognized since 2003 in the Best Doctors in America publication.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Milwaukee Urban League, the Wisconsin State Health Information Network and the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality. 

Dr. Lodes is Board Certified in Adult (Internal) Medicine and in Pediatrics, and he sees patients at the Plank Road Clinic in Wauwatosa. Dr. Lodes grew up in Neenah, Wisconsin and now resides in Brookfield with his wife, Amy. He and his wife have three children: Patrick (23), Caroline (20) and Sam (15). On weekends, you may see him at a local sporting event or on the golf course.

Chuck Marshburn Staff Vice President of Social Data Analytics and Product Development

Elevance Health

Chuck Marshburn serves as a Staff Vice President of Social Data Analytics and Product Development at Elevance Health.  His role includes consulting on whole health, equity, and social work; creating data driven insights for individual, household, and community impacts; and actively developing partnerships to effectuate improved engagement, coordination of care, and health outcomes.​

He resides in Virginia Beach, VA, grew up in Miami, FL, and is married with three children.  Outside of work, he is active in community service and enjoys coaching youth sports.​

Elizabeth Montgomery National Vice-President, Population Health Programs

National Kidney Foundation

Elizabeth Montgomery is the Vice President of Learning Strategies and Primary Care Programs at the National Kidney Foundation.  Ms. Montgomery joined the organization specifically to advance CKDintercept, a multi-pronged strategy to improve chronic kidney disease integration into population health strategies in primary care.  She spearheaded the NKF Laboratory Engagement Initiative, an ongoing collaboration among the nation’s leading pathology societies and laboratories to streamline CKD testing in primary care and ensure that race-free testing approaches are employed in kidney disease. Ms. Montgomery also led the development efforts for the Kidney Health Evaluation for People with Diabetes MIPS and HEDIS measures advanced by NKF.  She is the architect of the NKF data strategy engaging payers and large health systems in an evaluation of their data to identify and engage people with undiagnosed chronic kidney disease resulting in the implementation of community-based CKD programs in several states.  Ms. Montgomery works with payers and integrated health networks on the development of their internal kidney disease strategies.  She also leads the NKF collaborations with the Virginia Department of Health and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services which have resulted in increased CKD testing and recognition in community clinic settings.  

Colleen Morley Associate Chief Clinical Operations Officer

University of Illinois Health System

Dr. Colleen Morley DNP RN CCM CMAC CMCN ACM-RN FCM is the current President 2022-24, of the Case Management Society of America National Board of Directors. 

She is the recipient of the CMSA Foundation Practice Improvement Award (2020) and ANA Illinois Practice Improvement Award (2020), the AAMCN Managed Care Nurse Leader of the Year in 2010 and the CMSA Fellow of Case Management designation in 2022.

Vivian Nava-Schellinger Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Community Impact

The SCAN Foundation

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jennie Nowak Director of Population Health Activation Population Health & Health Equity

Priority Health

Jennie is a social worker with a passion for utilizing population health analytics in program development to align health care resources with the most actionable opportunities to improve health and wellness.  She has focused her career on enhancing whole person care, particularly in pregnant, parenting and pediatric populations.  Jennie currently serves as the Director of Population Health Activation at Priority Health.

Lauren Riplinger Chief Public Policy & 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.

Sabrina K. Sahni Assistant Professor of Medicine

Mayo Clinic Cancer Center

Michael-Sean Spence Managing Director, Community Safety Initiatives

Everytown for Gun Safety

Michael-Sean is the Managing Director of Community Safety Initiatives at Everytown for Gun Safety, where he brings 17 years of experience in public safety to lead Everytown’s efforts to reduce gun violence and improve community safety. Since joining Everytown, Michael-Sean founded the Everytown Community Safety Fund, created the Everytown Community Training Institute, and launched CityGRIP.org, an online, responsive clearinghouse of gun violence prevention strategies to fuel issue awareness and advocacy among Americans.

Michael-Sean formerly served as a Special Assistant at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services. Before joining state government, Mr. Spence served as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City’s Queens District Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted intimate partner violence and white-collar crimes. He served as a valued member of the 24/7 response team, served as counsel to New York City Police Department’s 113th Precinct, and recovered more than $5MM in restitution to New York State, leading to a Unit Citation at the New York City Detective Investigators’ Awards.

Michael-Sean holds a Bachelor’s in Marketing from the R.H. Smith Business School at the University of Maryland-College Park, a J.D. from the Howard University School of Law, and an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.

Jordan Spillane Director, Ambulatory Pharmacy Services

Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin

Jordan Spillane is the Director of Ambulatory Pharmacy Services at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, an integrated health system providing patient care throughout eastern Wisconsin. In her current role, Jordan collaborates with others to implement novel models of care and technology solutions all to improve the health of the communities that Froedtert serves. Prior to joining Froedtert, Jordan received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Purdue University. Jordan completed a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at Northwestern Medicine and PGY2 Health-System Pharmacy Administration Residency at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago. 

Jordan has served as a Board Member for the Junior League of Milwaukee, Committee Chair for Tempo Milwaukee Emerging Women Leaders, Committee Member on the Ambulatory Care Advisory Committee for Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin and Committee Member on the Ambulatory Care Committee for Vizient. She currently serves on the Blessings in a Backpack: Waukesha County Board of Directors and is passionate about ending childhood food insecurity in her community and beyond.  In 2022, Jordan was a recipient of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin Good Government Award for providing legislative testimony in support of Pharmacist Provider Status.

When not at work or volunteering within her community, Jordan enjoys reading, exercising, and getting out and about with her husband and two young sons. 

Rebecca Yanniello Vice President, Population Health

Regal Medical Group

Becca Yanniello is a passionate and skilled leader in population health management. She holds a Master of Public Health degree and a certificate in Population and Reproductive Health from UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and dual bachelor’s degrees in psychology and Italian from the University of Southern California. She is currently the Vice President of Population Health at Regal Medical Group, a leading managed care organization in Southern California. Prior to that, she worked in the government and non-profit sectors, developing, implementing and overseeing health programs and services for vulnerable populations. Becca recently published A Kids Book About Public Health (A Kids Co) in 2023.