* Indicates An OPEN MINDS Leadership & Management Course With Course Hours
Inside The Payer View: The Future of Addiction Treatment Service Delivery
Sponsored By: 
As addiction treatment evolves, so do the expectations, innovations, and strategic priorities of the nation’s leading payers. Join Debra Nussbaum, Senior Director, Behavioral Health Evidence Based Services, and National SUD Strategy Lead for Optum, and Monica Oss, Chief Executive Officer of OPEN MINDS, in this fireside chat as they discuss the newest developments shaping service delivery for substance use disorder care—from value-based payment models and quality measurement, to network design, care coordination, digital solutions, and member engagement strategies that drive outcomes.
Attendees will gain a behind-the-scenes look at how payers are redefining best practices to expand access, improve continuity of care, and strengthen accountability across the addiction treatment ecosystem. Understand what providers need to know, what changes are on the horizon, and how to align clinical, operational, and financial strategies to succeed in a payer-driven landscape.
Debra Nussbaum, Ph.D., LCSW
Dr. Debra “Deb” Nussbaum is a Sr. Director For Behavioral Health Evidence Based Services and National SUD Strategy Lead for Optum. Optum is the behavioral health specialty arm of United Healthcare Insurance Company. Deb has been in a clinical leadership role for Optum since 2010 and has led behavioral product design, network development and specifically substance use disorder (SUD) initiatives since 2013.
Deb’s products within Optum are designed to improve access to evidence based services, such as the adoption and roll out of the American Society of Addiction medicine (ASAM) criteria, expansion of Optum’s MOUD/MAUD network, implementation of the 24/7 SUD helpline and development of alternative payment and value based models of care. Deb also leads parity compliant benefit design initiatives for customers looking to address specific utilization trends for their population.
Deb’s clinical background is in substance use treatment, family services and was an addictions counselor prior to earning her PhD. She is also an LCSW licensed in Florida and in New York. Deb sits on many committees within ASAM and is an advocate for evidence based care at the federal level championing SUD legislation.
The I/DD & Autism Landscape: Population Trends, Co-Occurring Needs & Market Pressures
This session provides a comprehensive overview of the current I/DD & Autism markets, with a focus on population growth, increasing clinical complexity, and the prevalence of co-occurring mental health, chronic conditions, and substance use disorders. Executives will gain insight into workforce shortages, reimbursement constraints, regulatory pressures, and access challenges shaping service delivery nationwide. Speakers will highlight key data trends and emerging risks to help leaders better anticipate demand, align resources, and position their organizations for sustainability in a rapidly evolving environment.
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.
Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics. Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.
Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.
He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.
Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.
Welcome To The 2026Â OPEN MINDSÂ Pitch Day
Opening remarks and introduction to the third annual OPEN MINDS Investment Pitch Day.
Jonathan Evans
Jonathan Evans, MS, brings 30 years of experience in the behavioral health field.Â
Previously, Mr. Evans was the Chief Executive Officer of InnovaTel Telepsychiatry, LLC. He was also the Chief Executive Officer of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, an organization known for clinical innovations. He brings to the OPEN MINDS team noted expertise in the design of community-based programs, new service line development, expertise in telehealth-based service delivery, and governance and leadership expertise.
Mr. Evans began his career at Hamot Institute for Behavioral Health (IBH), where he initially worked in the emergency department providing initial evaluations for patients. He had a long tenure at Hamot IBH, serving as both Director of the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center (DEC) and the Director of the Adult Division.
Mr. Evans left Hamot IBH in 1993 to become the Founding Chief Executive of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health. Safe Harbor was established to assist the State of Pennsylvania with an initiative to close state hospitals and move consumers with serious mental illnesses to the community. Safe Harbor provides intensive outpatient services to patients with serious mental illness and provides 24-hour a day crisis intervention services to anyone in Erie County. The program’s annual operating budget has grown from the initial $300,000 to over $8 million. Safe Harbor currently provides services to over 4,000 consumers each year.
Mr. Evans is also the Founding President of Northwest Beacon Group, LLC. Northwest Beacon, a subsidiary of Safe Harbor, provides outpatient behavioral health services in the Erie community and employee assistance services to over 100 organizations with over 40,000 employees.
Mr. Evans was also the Founding Board Chairman of Presque Isle Psychiatric Associates, a non-profit organization that provides psychiatric coverage for hospitals and community-based providers. In addition, he serves on many boards, including The Pennsylvania Community Providers Association, The Erie Center on Health and Aging and Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania Provider Advisory Board.
Mr. Evans received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and his Masters’ Degree in Clinical Psychology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
Aaron Baca
Aaron joined Vista Care in 2024 to help lead the development of the next wave of tech-enabled I/DD services. Before Vista Care, he founded Mox Capital, where he partnered with innovative healthcare companies focused on reducing costs and enhancing outcomes. Aaron also served as Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Kingfish Group, where he sourced investment opportunities and drove strategic growth for portfolio companies. He holds a BA from Stanford University and a Master’s Degree from Oxford University.
Grant Chamberlain
Grant Chamberlain joined Ziegler in 2015 as a managing director in the Healthcare Investment Banking Practice. With over 25 years of investment banking experience, Grant has dedicated the majority of his career to advising HCIT and tech-enabled outsourced services companies with particular focus on transactions with telehealth companies such as Vimly, CXC, TM2U, Somnoware, Avera eCare, Philips Lifeline / ConnectAmerica, Tridiuum, Anelto, SmartMeter, CancerIQ, Validic, Doctible, CentralLogic, SCI, Regroup, Forefront, Basys, Airstrip, Forefront, IRIS, MDLIVE and Voalte.
Prior to Ziegler, Grant led the mHealth sector coverage at Raymond James – which included telehealth, remote monitoring and wireless healthcare solutions – after spending 25 years advising HCIT and tech-enabled outsourced services companies on a broad variety of M&A, joint ventures/partnerships and private financings. Additionally, Grant has completed dozens of transactions in the physician practice management space with a specific concentration in oncology, having closed over 15 deals in that sector in his career.
Prior to Raymond James, Grant was a principal at Shattuck Hammond Partners, which was acquired by Morgan Keegan. He was also a part of the corporate finance group of General Electric Capital Corporation and the financial services division of GE Medical Systems.
In addition, Grant is an elected Director of the ATA, the leading international advocate for the use of advanced remote medical technologies. He is also on the Board of Directors for The MAVEN Project, which uses telehealth and a network of volunteer physicians affiliated with the nation’s foremost medical school alumni associations to improve healthcare access for underserved populations.
Grant earned a B.A. in finance and investment banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Eric Keen
Prior to founding Civitas Growth Partners, Eric accumulated 20 years of experience as a private equity investor, including over a decade as a General Partner at Council Capital. His prior engagements include roles at leading middle-market private equity firms including DW Healthcare Partners, The Riverside Company, and Norwest Equity Partners. Prior to his tenure as a private equity investor, he spent time in management consulting at Marakon Associates and investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston. He earned his BA in finance and political science from the University of Illinois in 2000. Outside of work, Keen also serves on the board of Hope College, Siloam Health, and Currey Ingram Academy, and was selected as a member of the 2016 Nashville Health Care Council Fellows program. He and his wife Macy have been blessed with four children, ranging in age from 16 to 10.
Tania S. Malik, J.D.
As co-founder of The Office of CEO, Tania brings a 25-year success record of C-level leadership, board experience, interim executive engagements, consultancy, investor experience, and serial entrepreneurship with multiple successful exits. Over the course of her career, she has realized several industry firsts as she launched several telemedicine companies starting in 1999. She is the Founder or Co-Founder of Medical Web, Inc, Virtual Medical Group, Inc. 1stonlinepharmacy.com (all related to online primary care with Medical Web being acquired), Vital Health Network. LLC (an online naturopathic company that implemented with Aetna), COPE Today, LLC (a telemental health company acquired by a venture firm), Virtual Medical Services and Veteran Benefit Management Services (dedicated to providing Independent Medical Opinions for veterans).
After two exits, she pivoted to board work, consultancy, and investments.
She serves as executive advisor to Excelerate Health Ventures (focusing on health SAAS companies) and member of Triangle Angel Partners (includes companies outside of healthcare).
As COO of the Center of Digital Health, Innovation and Telehealth for Optum, she focused on a virtual-first care delivery model. She also served as a strategic advisory board member for OmnySense, Inc. and Innovatel Telepsychiatry, acquired by Quartet Health in 2021. As co-founder and CEO of Medical Web, she led the first-of-its-kind online physician-patient communication platform to acquisition in 2014. She also served on the Board of Directors for Mindcare Solutions Group upon its 2013 acquisition of COPE Today, and is currently serving on the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood Direct and other non-profit boards. She is a Fellow in the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) College of Fellows and was the ATA Woman of the Year in 2020.
Early in her career, Tania practiced law as a Senior Enforcement Attorney with the Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Georgia, and held the position of Administrative Law Judge with the Office of State Administrative Hearings (OSAH) as well as General Counsel for an HMO, Master Health Plan, Inc. A key tenure in management consulting with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ healthcare practice in Atlanta served as a launch pad for business and entrepreneurial opportunities across the healthcare space.
Tania holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University, and a Doctor of Law from Georgia State University College of Law.
Steven J. Mason Jr., M.Ed.
Steven is a Managing Partner and healthcare industry veteran with more than 25 years of experience starting and operating market-leading technology and services companies in the health and human services industries.
He has been instrumental in Fund I’s investments, including Care Continuity, where he recently served as CEO. Prior to serving as Executive Vice President at Iodine, Steven was the Chief Executive Officer at ChartWise Medical Systems, Inc., a computer-assisted clinical documentation system company that automated and improved the completeness and accuracy of physician documentation for faster and more optimal reimbursement of services provided. Iodine acquired ChartWise in 2021.
​Prior to his success with ChartWise, he led several successful start-up ventures including OnFocus Healthcare, a leading provider of web-based enterprise performance management software solutions for healthcare providers and payers. The company was acquired by MedeAnalytics, where he was Senior Vice President and General Manager of the EPM Business Unit. In this role, Steven was primarily responsible for integrating, managing, and growing the Mede Performance Management (MedePM) business unit within the broader MedeAnalytics portfolio.
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Additionally, he was Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qualifacts Systems, a SaaS based electronic medical records software provider, and Chief Operating Officer of Camelot Care Centers, a national behavioral healthcare provider organization.
Steven received his BA in History from the University of Mississippi and an M.Ed. Human and Organizational development / counseling from Vanderbilt University. Mr. Mason currently serves on the Board of Directors of several private digital health companies.
Danish Munir
Danish is a Founding Partner of GreyMatter, a VC firm dedicated to advancing innovation in mental & brain health through a systems change approach.‍‍
Prior to GreyMatter, Danish founded Genoa Telepsychiatry one of the first (and prior to the pandemic, the largest) telepsychiatry companies in the country, which was acquired by Optum. At Optum he participated in the early transformation of their behavioral health network, working with numerous emerging mental health startups, that have since gone on to become defining companies in our space. GreyMatter was born out of the desire to continue this work to support bold founders pushing this space forward.
Danish started his career at Microsoft. He received a Bachelor of Science and Engineering, Computer information Sciences from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Danish grew up in Karachi, and considers both Karachi and New York home. His interests include cutting edge developments in mental health and therapeutics, ultimate frisbee and live music, and he is an active angel investor.
From Health Care To HealthTech: The Paradigm Shift That’s Happening
Sponsored By: 
AI and intelligent technology are actively reshaping how organizations deliver care, manage operations, and compete for sustainability — and behavioral health is no exception. In this session, Ravi Ganesan, CEO of Core Solutions, cuts through the hype to explore what the shift to a technology-driven model actually means for health and human services leaders and what it demands of them strategically.
Attendees will leave with:
- A framework for evaluating AI readiness — understanding where your organization sits on the healthcare-to-HealthTech spectrum and what to prioritize next
- Real-world AI use cases — how behavioral health organizations are using technology to reduce clinician burden, improve outcomes, and drive financial performance
- An actionable roadmap — how to embed technology as a core strategic competency, not just a back-office tool
Ravi Ganesan
Ravi Ganesan is the founder and CEO of Core Solutions, where he leads the revolution in behavioral health through artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies. With over 25 years of dedication, Ravi has addressed the unique challenges of the health and human services industry by developing innovative EHR technology, significantly improving treatment outcomes. His deep expertise in healthcare and technology, combined with a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, has established Core Solutions as a leading software provider nationwide.
Under his leadership, Core Solutions has pioneered AI-driven solutions for clinical documentation, treatment planning, and care delivery optimization in behavioral health settings. As CEO, Ravi has successfully established partnerships with large providers, government agencies, and leading management consulting firms to improve treatment for behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disability services.
Ravi is a recognized thought leader and frequent speaker on AI implementation, data-driven decision-making, and digital transformation in healthcare. Ravi received his M.B.A. from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Judge Quick-Fire
Jonathan Evans
Jonathan Evans, MS, brings 30 years of experience in the behavioral health field.Â
Previously, Mr. Evans was the Chief Executive Officer of InnovaTel Telepsychiatry, LLC. He was also the Chief Executive Officer of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, an organization known for clinical innovations. He brings to the OPEN MINDS team noted expertise in the design of community-based programs, new service line development, expertise in telehealth-based service delivery, and governance and leadership expertise.
Mr. Evans began his career at Hamot Institute for Behavioral Health (IBH), where he initially worked in the emergency department providing initial evaluations for patients. He had a long tenure at Hamot IBH, serving as both Director of the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center (DEC) and the Director of the Adult Division.
Mr. Evans left Hamot IBH in 1993 to become the Founding Chief Executive of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health. Safe Harbor was established to assist the State of Pennsylvania with an initiative to close state hospitals and move consumers with serious mental illnesses to the community. Safe Harbor provides intensive outpatient services to patients with serious mental illness and provides 24-hour a day crisis intervention services to anyone in Erie County. The program’s annual operating budget has grown from the initial $300,000 to over $8 million. Safe Harbor currently provides services to over 4,000 consumers each year.
Mr. Evans is also the Founding President of Northwest Beacon Group, LLC. Northwest Beacon, a subsidiary of Safe Harbor, provides outpatient behavioral health services in the Erie community and employee assistance services to over 100 organizations with over 40,000 employees.
Mr. Evans was also the Founding Board Chairman of Presque Isle Psychiatric Associates, a non-profit organization that provides psychiatric coverage for hospitals and community-based providers. In addition, he serves on many boards, including The Pennsylvania Community Providers Association, The Erie Center on Health and Aging and Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania Provider Advisory Board.
Mr. Evans received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and his Masters’ Degree in Clinical Psychology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
Integrated Care In Action: Lessons From Multi-Service I/DD, MH & SUD Providers
As individuals with I/DD present with increasingly complex behavioral and substance use needs, integrated service models are becoming essential. This session features real-world case studies from organizations delivering both I/DD, MH or SUD services under one operational and clinical framework. Presenters will discuss lessons learned, barriers to integration, regulatory considerations, and measurable outcomes, offering executives practical insights into scaling integrated care while maintaining quality, compliance and financial viability.
Kelley Krueger, Ph.D., BCBA
Dr. Kelley Krueger, PhD, BCBA is a licensed psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over 17 years of experience working with neurodivergent populations. Dr. Krueger is the Senior Clinical Director of Neurodevelopmental Services, Southern California Region for Pacific Clinics and the Center for Divergent Connections. She started her career as a behavior therapist and instructional aide before receiving her BA in Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. She earned her MA and PhD in Psychological Studies in Education at the University of California, Los Angeles under the mentorship of Dr. Connie Kasari.
Dr. Krueger is passionate about supporting neurodivergent populations to achieve self-determined, authentic, and enriched lives. She uses a strengths-based, neurobiologically-informed, neurodiversity-affirming approach to assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
Dr. Krueger’s primary research interests include promoting engagement and communication development in minimally verbal autistic populations, augmentative and assistive communication systems, and neurodiversity-affirming practices.
Afm Z. Haque, M.D., MPH
Era Supports 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
Era Supports is a tech-enabled, whole-person care delivery platform designed to help individuals recover from substance use disorder while remaining centered within their existing provider relationships. Their digital platform works in tandem with a virtual and in-person care team to support management of associated medical conditions, psychiatric comorbidities, recovery requirements, and health-related social needs. By combining a dedicated multidisciplinary care team with a patient-facing app, Era extends the reach of primary care providers rather than shifting patients away from them.
Yona Remer
Yona Remer is the Co-Founder and CEO of Era Supports, an innovative behavioral health startup leveraging technology-enabled collaborative care to advance support and treatment within the substance use community. With over a decade of strategic leadership experience in behavioral health, Yona has successfully executed and integrated more than six acquisitions as part of roll-up strategies in private equity-backed healthcare ventures.
Throughout his career, Yona has specialized in high acuity mental health services and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) autism care, driving substantial organizational growth and operational scaling. His expertise includes designing and implementing best-in-class platforms aimed at delivering quality care, streamlining operations, and optimizing service outcomes. Yona’s visionary approach and proven track record position him as a leading executive committed to transforming behavioral health care delivery for diverse populations.
Yona holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson with a concentration in Finance and an MSc in Economics from the London School of Economics—where his master’s thesis focused on behavioral economics and IPO underpricing. He earned his BA in History at UCLA.
Julian Mitton, M.D., MPH
Julian Mitton, MD MPH is a healthcare innovation leader and addiction medicine physician dedicated to advancing equitable care for underserved populations. With clinical expertise in population and behavioral health, and advanced training in health services research and implementation science, he has led clinical innovations and policy initiatives at leading institutions, including Harvard Medical School, CommonSpirit Health, and Redesign Health. Currently Head of Clinical Operations at Era Supports and Medical Director at Zero Overdose, Dr. Mitton’s recent work focuses on tech-enabled behavioral population health solutions and expanding access to evidence-based addiction treatment. He completed his training at SUNY Stony Brook, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard School of Public Health, and his research has been published in NEJM Catalyst and the Journal of Addiction Medicine.
Toko 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
Toko is a digital mental health platform delivering the first therapeutic experience shared between peers and guided by AI. Users are matched with a peer facing similar challenges and meet weekly via video sessions led by an AI-powered psychological agent that provides evidence-based interventions, teaches well-being skills, and tailors the experience to each individual. The model is designed to reduce the cost of mental care while improving outcomes, with clinical data showing significant improvements in anxiety reduction and resilience-building among participants.
Maya Goldberg
Maya Goldberg is the Co-Founder and CEO of Toko, where she is building a new model of care, one that harnesses AI and the power of human connection to meet the mental health needs of our era.
A psychologist and behavioral expert, Maya is an Adjunct Professor at Reichman University, where she specializes in the intersection of technology, AI, and human behavior.
Maya has extensive experience building AI-driven products that integrate psychological insight with deep human understanding. She has served as Chief Psychology Officer and behavioral consultant for technology companies including Intuition Robotics, Makes, and Sweetch. Earlier in her career, she was Head of Strategy at Kayma, a behavioral consulting firm, and held board and investment-committee roles with Israel’s National Student Union.
Maya is a veteran of Unit 81, the elite technological unit of the Israel Defense Forces’ Intelligence Corps. She holds a double-major BSc in Mathematics and Humanities, an MA in Economics from Tel Aviv University, and an MA in Clinical Psychology from Reichman University, all magna cum laude.
From Reactive To Predictive: How AI Is Helping I/DD Providers Identify Risk Before Crisis, sponsored by Vista Care
I/DD provider organizations generate enormous amounts of operational and clinical data every day, yet many critical warning signs remain hidden until after a behavioral escalation, medication issue, hospitalization, or staffing breakdown occurs.
This session explores how emerging AI-driven approaches are helping providers move from reactive response models toward earlier identification of risk and stronger continuity of care. Attendees will examine how organizations are beginning to use information already captured across documentation, scheduling, incident reporting, medication systems, and caregiver notes to surface meaningful patterns that can support frontline staff in real time.
The discussion will focus on practical, person-centered applications of AI that aim to strengthen caregiver support, reduce avoidable crises, improve continuity across teams, and enhance outcomes without replacing human judgment or relationships.
Hello Its Me® 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
Hello It’s Me® is a platform and coaching program specifically designed for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), their caregivers, and parents. Through interactive group sessions and a dedicated app, the program builds social-emotional skills, healthy relationships, communication, emotional regulation, and employment readiness. Their curriculum is grounded in the latest research in social-emotional learning, with a goal of empowering individuals with IDD to lead more confident, connected, and independent lives.
Vikhaas Aurora
Vik Aurora is CEO and Founder of Hello It’s Me®, a digital platform advancing social engagement, independence, and workforce readiness for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is a three-time entrepreneur, having built and scaled education technology platforms through Focus EduSolutions, where he led the development of digital learning systems used by millions of learners globally, resulting in a $275M exit. Vik has driven the commercialization of Hello It’s Me® securing Medicaid waiver adoption, establishing state agency partnerships and integrating coaching, learning, and peer connection into a unified IDD platform. Vik holds an MBA from Northeastern University in Boston.
Charles Gaughan
Charles Gaughan is CGO and EVP of Capital Strategy at Hello It’s Me®. He brings over 30 years’ experience leading market expansion for health tech innovators serving Medicare and Medicaid payers and risk-bearing providers. Charles has advised several start-ups and early-stage ventures in building strategic partnerships, go-to-market infrastructure and scalable revenue models across commercial and government-funded healthcare programs. He is an HCBS family caregiver, involved in local community efforts to advance the independence and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities. Charles holds an MBA from the University of Denver and  a BS in Business Administration from the University of Colorado.
Plugging EHR Functional Gaps & Manual Workarounds With Automation/AI Tools
Sponsored By: 
Learn practical use-cases for leveraging automation and AI tools to scale efficiently and perform manual processes and workarounds. See how providers are improving efficiency and achieving exponential ROI without expanding administrative teams. Today’s bots perform everything from scheduling to billing, doing the jobs people don’t want to do faster and more efficiently, allowing them to focus on your core mission.
Dan Heimerle
With decades of experience in the EHR market, Dan knows that there is no perfect software platform. Most organizations are trying to leverage an ever-increasing number of platforms, including CRMs, EHRs, scheduling applications, compliance tools, billing platforms, and the list goes on. The workflow, however, is still largely human-driven. Automation and AI tools can now become the operators of these platforms, fundamentally changing the way practices operate. Dan can help you identify the workflows that make sense to automate (and those that don’t) to improve revenue, reduce costs, and devote the highest percentage of revenue towards services rather than administration.
Mindsigns Health 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
Mindsigns Health develops an AI-powered platform for brain and mental health monitoring, unifying neurology and psychiatry into an integrated clinical view. Their two core products include an enterprise SaaS tool for automated EEG interpretation and analysis, and a mobile application that uses voice and cognitive biomarkers to enable providers to remotely monitor and assess patients’ neuropsychiatric conditions. The platform is clinically validated, ISO 13485 certified, and designed to scale across health systems worldwide.
Michel Birnbaum
Michel is co-founder and CEO of Mindsigns Health™ Inc a cloud-based neuropsychiatry platform with international collaborations and partnerships.
Michel is currently Director of Entrepreneurship and Research Translation at NTU-SCELSE, working on technology commercialization via spinoffs and industry collaborations and partnerships, strategy and corporate development.
During that time he was also responsible for the development and operations, from 2019-2022, of the Singapore National Biofilm Consortium, creating partnerships in the US, UK and EU and funding proof of concept and tech transfer projects between academia and industry.
Michel was a lecturer for the MIT-SMART ACT program where he developed and taught the course “Lab to Market”.
He is also co-founder and advisor to two other healthcare spinoffs involved in anti-microbials and microbiome.
Michel has held board positions with a number of technology and healthcare growth companies internationally, in operational and advisory roles and has managed technology & healthcare IPOs on both European markets and NASDAQ as well as M&A and investments.
Michel served as Vice Chairman of the Singapore Venture Capital Association (SVCA) and was a member of the Executive Council of BioSingapore. Michel won the SVCA’s Highest Impact VC/PE-Backed Company Non-Executive Board Member award in 2013
Michel holds a B.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering (PINY) and attended General Electric’s Advanced Engineering program. Michel was a graduate of General Electric’s Edison Program. He earned his MBA from the London Business School and has certifications in machine learning, data privacy and QMS for Medtech.
Accountable Care For I/DD: Inside The ACO Model
What does accountable care look like for individuals with I/DD? This session explores ACO models designed to improve care coordination, outcomes and cost management for this population. Hear directly from ACO leaders and participating providers about governance, data sharing, quality metrics, and financial alignment. Attendees will gain a balanced view of the opportunities and challenges of ACO participation, along with actionable considerations for organizations evaluating or operating within these models.
TownHome Health 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
TownHome Health is a tech-enabled urgent care provider for mental health crises, offering a warm, home-like residential alternative to hospital emergency departments. Their support houses provide immediate hybrid care for non-dangerous psychiatric and stress crises, staffed by Licensed Peer Specialists with lived experience who deliver 24/7 individualized support. Peers are supervised by experienced LCSWs, and guests are connected to an alumni community to sustain recovery after discharge.
Charles Raisch
Charles Raisch is the Co-Founder and CEO of TownHome Health, a mental health organization dedicated to building scalable models for behavioral crisis care. A tech executive turned mental health advocate, Charles helped found TownHome Health to address the critical need for non-hospital alternatives during psychiatric crises.
Under his leadership, TownHome Health provides AI-enabled 24/7 hybrid crisis care. This approach offers a compassionate, tech-enabled alternative to emergency rooms for individuals experiencing non-dangerous mental health crises. Charles is an alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania and has been recognized as a cohort member of Google AI Startups and ONEMIND.
What Actually Works: Monarch’s Integrated Care Model For I/DD & Co‑Occurring Behavioral Health & Substance Use DisordersÂ
Peggy Terhune, Ph.D., OTR/L, MBA
Peggy Terhune, PhD is the Chief Executive Officer of Monarch, where she has provided visionary leadership for more than 30 years. Under her tenure, Monarch has grown into a nationally recognized, mission‑driven system of care delivering integrated services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, behavioral health needs, and substance use disorders.
Dr. Terhune is widely respected for advancing integrated care models that align clinical excellence, operational discipline, and community‑based innovation. Her leadership has focused on building scalable systems that address complex needs across the lifespan while improving access, outcomes, and sustainability in publicly funded care.
As CEO, Dr. Terhune works closely with clinical leaders to translate evidence‑based practices into real‑world care delivery, making Monarch a trusted partner for payers, policymakers, and provider organizations nationwide. At the Open Minds Strategy & Innovation Summit, she brings an executive perspective on how integrated system design can move beyond theory to deliver measurable impact for individuals with I/DD and co‑occurring behavioral health and substance use disorders.
In addition to her career, Peggy is mother to seven adult children, grandmother to ten and wife to Bob. For more than twenty years, the couple has fostered children with and without disabilities. A servant leader, Peggy continues to provide community service in many ways. For fun, she serves as an adjunct faculty member at Wingate University in the doctoral program for Occupational Therapy and at Pfeiffer University in the masters’ program for Occupational Therapy. In her spare time, she enjoys needlepoint, knitting, reading and traveling.
Robert McHale, M.D., MS
Dr. Robert McHale, MD, MS is the Medical Director at Monarch, where he has provided clinical leadership and oversight for behavioral health services since 2010. A board‑certified psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist, Dr. McHale works with individuals of all ages experiencing mental illness and substance use disorders, with a particular focus on the treatment of people with co‑occurring intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and behavioral health needs. His clinical interests also include the complex interaction between psychiatric and general medical conditions.
Dr. McHale earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Saint Louis University, a Master of Science degree in Biology from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, and his Doctor of Medicine degree from Saint George’s University School of Medicine. He completed his psychiatry residency at the University of Kansas School of Medicine–Wichita, where he was named Chief Resident. His professional background includes work as a study physician and sub‑investigator at the Clinical Research Institute in Kansas, contributing to research on depression, psychotropic medications, and drug–drug interactions. Prior to medical school, he worked as a biochemist at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and has co‑authored more than 30 scientific publications and abstracts.
A recognized leader and educator, Dr. McHale has delivered numerous presentations on mental illness and integrated care, reflecting his belief that education is central to delivering high‑quality, person‑centered services. He has received multiple honors, including the NAMI Excellence in Service Award and the Laurie Coyner Award for Excellence in Psychiatric Inpatient Care. Dr. McHale is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association, and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as well as board certified in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
John Latz, M.D.
Dr. John Latz, MD is the Medical Director for Specialty Populations at Monarch, where he provides clinical leadership for crisis services supporting individuals with complex behavioral health needs, including those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and co-occurring behavioral health and/or substance use disorders. With more than 34 years of clinical experience, Dr. Latz brings deep expertise in psychiatry, crisis intervention, and integrated care for high-acuity populations.
A native of Texas, Dr. Latz earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio before completing a master’s degree at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He received his medical degree from Wake Forest School of Medicine and completed his internship and residency at NC Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem. First licensed in 1992, he is board certified in Psychiatry and Neurology and has practiced across a wide range of settings, including private practice for more than three decades, inpatient psychiatric services in both nonprofit and for-profit systems, and leadership roles within the state hospital system, where he served as Associate Chief Medical Officer.
At Monarch, Dr. Latz supports the development and operation of crisis service models that emphasize person-centered care, clinical integration, and cross-system coordination for individuals with complex needs. His work focuses on improving access, stabilization, and long-term outcomes while reducing unnecessary emergency utilization.
Outside of his professional work, Dr. Latz is married with four adult children and is eagerly awaiting his first grandchild. He and his wife are “gentleman farmers” in Catawba, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, where they enjoy caring for their horses and other assorted critters. He is also an active member of the local amateur (ham) radio emergency communications community and assisted with first-in supply coordination and the establishment of a field hospital following Hurricane Helene.
At the Open Minds Strategy & Innovation Institute, Dr. Latz will share practical clinical insights and strategies for treating individuals with I/DD and co-occurring behavioral health and/or substance use disorders, with a focus on navigating care complexity, coordinating across systems, and building effective, sustainable crisis service models.
Breakout Discussion Group: Treatment Considerations For Co-Occurring Disorders
This breakout discussion group will gather for a deeper conversation about treatment considerations and issues for populations with co-occurring disorders, including how to cross train staff and clinical leaders, overcoming communication barriers when it comes to diagnosing, and adopting trauma-informed, person-centered care models.
Choose which 2:00 pm discussion group you’d like to attend!
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.
Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics. Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.
Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.
He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.
Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.
Breakout Discussion Group: Making The Funding Work For Integrated Care
This breakout discussion group will gather for a deep dive into funding integrated care models including braided funding strategies, approaches to health plan contracting relationships and marketing to payers, as well as merger and acquisition growth strategies.
Choose which 2:00 pm discussion group you’d like to attend!
Paul Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 25 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
2026 Pitch Day Welcome Back & Re-Introduction of Judges Panel
Welcome back remarks and re-introduction of the judges.
Jonathan Evans
Jonathan Evans, MS, brings 30 years of experience in the behavioral health field.Â
Previously, Mr. Evans was the Chief Executive Officer of InnovaTel Telepsychiatry, LLC. He was also the Chief Executive Officer of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, an organization known for clinical innovations. He brings to the OPEN MINDS team noted expertise in the design of community-based programs, new service line development, expertise in telehealth-based service delivery, and governance and leadership expertise.
Mr. Evans began his career at Hamot Institute for Behavioral Health (IBH), where he initially worked in the emergency department providing initial evaluations for patients. He had a long tenure at Hamot IBH, serving as both Director of the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center (DEC) and the Director of the Adult Division.
Mr. Evans left Hamot IBH in 1993 to become the Founding Chief Executive of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health. Safe Harbor was established to assist the State of Pennsylvania with an initiative to close state hospitals and move consumers with serious mental illnesses to the community. Safe Harbor provides intensive outpatient services to patients with serious mental illness and provides 24-hour a day crisis intervention services to anyone in Erie County. The program’s annual operating budget has grown from the initial $300,000 to over $8 million. Safe Harbor currently provides services to over 4,000 consumers each year.
Mr. Evans is also the Founding President of Northwest Beacon Group, LLC. Northwest Beacon, a subsidiary of Safe Harbor, provides outpatient behavioral health services in the Erie community and employee assistance services to over 100 organizations with over 40,000 employees.
Mr. Evans was also the Founding Board Chairman of Presque Isle Psychiatric Associates, a non-profit organization that provides psychiatric coverage for hospitals and community-based providers. In addition, he serves on many boards, including The Pennsylvania Community Providers Association, The Erie Center on Health and Aging and Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania Provider Advisory Board.
Mr. Evans received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and his Masters’ Degree in Clinical Psychology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
Psyrin Inc. 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
Psyrin is a health care company developing AI-powered tools to streamline mental health care delivery. Their flagship product, Mira, acts as a clinical assistant that engages patients before appointments by collecting intake information, conducting structured psychiatric interviews, and handling documentation, so clinicians can focus on care. The platform delivers AI-generated insights ahead of visits and keeps patients engaged between sessions, helping organizations increase capacity and improve quality of care for serious mental illness.
Edwin Wong, Ph.D.
Edwin is co-founder and CEO of Psyrin, where he leads the company’s strategy, and partnerships, working to bring systems-level change in mental health. He completed his PhD at King’s College London and the National University of Singapore, where he worked on large-scale genetic studies for psychiatry. Before Psyrin, Edwin was active in deeptech innovation via Entrepreneur First and Nucleate UK.
OpiAID 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
An AI-powered recovery intelligence platform, OpiAID is designed to improve the safety and effectiveness of medications for opioid use disorder treatment. The platform integrates biometric data from commercially available wrist-worn devices with EHR data. Using machine learning to quantify withdrawal symptoms and detect acute substance abuse, the tool delivers real-time actionable insights to clinicians through a decision support dashboard. By enabling timely interventions and remote patient monitoring, OpiAID aims to increase patient retention in treatment, support personalized care planning, and expand billing opportunities for treatment clinics.
Dino Miliotis
He is an entrepreneur, recovery advocate, and commercial leader, focused on advancing innovation in addiction care.
He first gained national recognition as the creator of Bug-Ban, an all-natural insect-repelling bracelet, with features in Forbes, Entrepreneur, People Magazine, and appearances on Oprah.
After overcoming a more than 20-year battle with alcohol and substance use, Dino authored the memoir There Is No Box and has become a respected voice in recovery, known for connecting lived experience with meaningful change in care.
Today, Dino leads Strategic Partnerships and Commercial Growth at OpiAID, where he works with providers, payers, and healthcare organizations to support adoption of real-time recovery technology. His focus is on building scalable partnerships and aligning clinical needs with practical, sustainable implementation across the continuum of care.
Dino is a sought-after speaker who brings a grounded, personal perspective to the evolving landscape of addiction treatment, with a focus on improving engagement, strengthening recovery pathways, and helping more people achieve long-term stability.
TruCare Provider Services 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
TruCare Provider Services is a disability services organization based in Cincinnati, Ohio, dedicated to improving the lives of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through meaningful engagement and innovative, person-centered supports. Their services include remote support monitoring, assistive technology, and community participation programs built on a “Technology First” framework that prioritizes technology as the starting point for planning supports promoting independence, self-determination, and quality of life.
Medicaid Innovation For Autism & I/DD: 1115 Waivers, Emerging Models & Funding-Driven Change
Medicaid policy continues to be a primary driver of innovation in I/DD services. This session examines new and experimental Medicaid waivers, with a particular focus on Section 1115 demonstrations and their impact on care models, funding structures, and service integration. Presenters will review current waiver activity, early results, and state-level trends, helping executives understand how funding mechanisms are shaping the future of I/DD services and where strategic opportunities may exist.
Janet Butler
Janet Butler has developed and led residential and individualized support programs for over 35 years, primarily with Community Systems, where she is the CEO and President. Her innovative thinking and dedication to the discovery of each person’s definition of their own happiness have led to scores of remarkable success stories, most notably with persons considered too challenging to ever enjoy community success or live independently.
Ms. Butler received her degree in nursing and later a BS in Nonprofit Management from Skidmore College. She was the Executive Director of Community Systems, Inc. in Massachusetts for more than 20 years, starting the operations and growing the organization to support 250 individuals with more than 350 staff.
Janet assumed the role of CEO upon the retirement of the founders at CSI, who had filled their roles for more than 30 years. Prior to this role, she worked as a nurse in acute care and helped develop one of the first hospice services in southeastern Massachusetts when it was strictly charity responsibility.
Community Systems, Inc. is a group of nonprofit organizations providing support to persons with disabilities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, and Delaware. The organization operates primarily in the ID/DD but also provides brain injury services, including to disabled veterans. For the last 15 years, the primary focus of her role has been to help build leaders.
Stacey Dixon, Ph.D., MHA
Dr. Dixon is a licensed psychologist with over 37 years of experience in both clinical and leadership positions in the fields of behavioral health and ID/D. The primary focus of her work has been assisting people and their systems of support in transitioning out of high levels of care or incarceration into lives of their choosing in the community. Currently, she leads Project Transition and PCS Mental Health as we bolster and grow our array of community-based services and supports for people with behavioral health, substance use, and ID/D.
Secured Health 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
Secured Health is an AI-native community primary care platform that connects individuals with culturally and linguistically competent community health workers to close care gaps and improve health outcomes. Their model leverages community-based organizations, trusted local change-makers, and technology to help underserved populations navigate health and social services, including Medicaid enrollment, health risk assessments, and social determinants of health resources.
Richard Trinh
VOISS 2026 Pitch Day Presentation
Project VOISS (Virtual Reality Opportunities to Implement Social Skills) is a research-backed extended reality platform design to help students, aged 8-18, learn and practice social skills for the real world. The platform offers dozens of immersive scenarios covering over 150 distinct skills, along with administrative tools that help educators assess student needs and progress. VOISS is particularly designed for students with autism and learning disabilities and includes tools and resources for educators to reinforce those skills with their students outside the app.
Paul Epp
Paul Epp co-founded and led a research-backed behavioral health SaaS company from startup to acquisition (2014-2023). He is an AI and Technology Business Consultant and educator. He is a producer of children’s music, audiobooks, and animation.
Amber Rowland, Ph.D.
Amber Rowland has 23+ years of experience in collaborative research, tool development, and designing best practices in education. She received more than $10 million from the Office of Special Education Programs, NSF, and the Institute for Education Sciences. She has peer-reviewed over 20 manuscripts that have been published.
Closing Statements
Jonathan Evans
Jonathan Evans, MS, brings 30 years of experience in the behavioral health field.Â
Previously, Mr. Evans was the Chief Executive Officer of InnovaTel Telepsychiatry, LLC. He was also the Chief Executive Officer of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, an organization known for clinical innovations. He brings to the OPEN MINDS team noted expertise in the design of community-based programs, new service line development, expertise in telehealth-based service delivery, and governance and leadership expertise.
Mr. Evans began his career at Hamot Institute for Behavioral Health (IBH), where he initially worked in the emergency department providing initial evaluations for patients. He had a long tenure at Hamot IBH, serving as both Director of the Diagnostic and Evaluation Center (DEC) and the Director of the Adult Division.
Mr. Evans left Hamot IBH in 1993 to become the Founding Chief Executive of Safe Harbor Behavioral Health. Safe Harbor was established to assist the State of Pennsylvania with an initiative to close state hospitals and move consumers with serious mental illnesses to the community. Safe Harbor provides intensive outpatient services to patients with serious mental illness and provides 24-hour a day crisis intervention services to anyone in Erie County. The program’s annual operating budget has grown from the initial $300,000 to over $8 million. Safe Harbor currently provides services to over 4,000 consumers each year.
Mr. Evans is also the Founding President of Northwest Beacon Group, LLC. Northwest Beacon, a subsidiary of Safe Harbor, provides outpatient behavioral health services in the Erie community and employee assistance services to over 100 organizations with over 40,000 employees.
Mr. Evans was also the Founding Board Chairman of Presque Isle Psychiatric Associates, a non-profit organization that provides psychiatric coverage for hospitals and community-based providers. In addition, he serves on many boards, including The Pennsylvania Community Providers Association, The Erie Center on Health and Aging and Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania Provider Advisory Board.
Mr. Evans received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and his Masters’ Degree in Clinical Psychology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
The Road Ahead For Autism & I/DD Organizations: A Payer & Provider Executive Roundtable
This closing panel brings together senior leaders from Autism & I/DD provider organizations and payer partners for a candid discussion on the future of the field. Panelists will address shared challenges, evolving expectations, and opportunities for collaboration across care delivery, reimbursement, and innovation. Designed as an interactive executive dialogue, this session will leave attendees with forward-looking perspectives and practical takeaways to guide strategic planning in an increasingly complex I/DD landscape.
Rita Wiersma
Rita Wiersma, President and CEO of Accord, is celebrating 10 years of transformative leadership in disability services. Leading a team of dedicated professionals, Rita has grown Accord into a statewide leader known for quality, innovation, and person-centered care. With expertise in strategic planning, program development, and mergers and acquisitions, she has expanded services to empower individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and serious mental illness to live their greatest lives. Prior to Accord, Rita held executive roles with Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, overseeing teams of up to 800 staff and budgets exceeding $20 million. Her vision and advocacy have advanced both organizational excellence and systemic change in Minnesota’s disability services. Rita’s decade-long leadership is a testament to her commitment to building stronger communities and creating lasting impact.
Rebecca Richwine, MS
Becki Richwine is the Senior Vice President for Merakey’s Children & Family Services, responsible for overseeing all program operations and driving clinical and business development. She began her career at Merakey in 2007 as the Regional Director of Autism Services. Becki’s leadership has been instrumental in significantly expanding program operations, while she continues to foster new ideas to improve programming for all Merakey children’s services.
Becki received her BA in Psychology from Shippensburg University and went on to receive her Master’s in Clinical Psychology with a focus in Behavioral Disorders and Social Emotional Disorders. She started her career in human services as Therapeutic Support Staff before moving into management roles, such as the Assistant Director of BHRS, the Director of Outpatient Services, the Executive Director of Operations, and the Vice President of Education & Autism Services.
In her over 20 years of experience, Rebecca has focused her career on delivering high quality services to all individuals in need and skilling operational and clinical leaders to help fulfill that mission.
Dean Pastras, ACSW, LCSW
For more than 40 years, Dean Pastras has dedicated his career to providing essential social work services to children, adults, and families across New Jersey. He began as a clinician working with children facing a wide range of challenges and later became Director of Children’s Services at the Fair Lawn Mental Health Center, which eventually merged with CarePlus NJ. During his tenure, he developed and expanded innovative programs designed to support children and families in their communities.
In 2002, following New Jersey’s major initiative to transform the behavioral health system for children, Dean became the founding Executive Director of Bergen’s Promise. Under his leadership, the organization has become a premier children’s behavioral health care management organization utilizing the nationally recognized Wraparound Model. Central to this approach is the Child Family Team process, which brings together the child, their family, community supports, and service providers to collaborate toward the child’s wellbeing. Bergen’s Promise has received widespread recognition for helping children thrive while remaining at home, in school, and connected to their communities.
Dean has presented at major conferences and professional events and has provided training and consulting on the Wraparound approach and system-of-care practices for professionals and organizations. He has also contributed to statewide mental health initiatives, including serving on the Governor’s Task Force for Mental Health. He is a past chair of the Bergen County Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council and the Trauma and Youth Project.
His leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Ann Klein Advocate Award, the CarePlus NJ Courage Award, and the NJAMHAA Outstanding Leader in Mental Health Services.
Throughout his career, Dean has championed the Wraparound philosophy, emphasizing collaboration, community support, and family-centered care.
Dean holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Rutgers University and is both an Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) credential holder and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). A lifelong resident of Bergen County, New Jersey, he remains deeply committed to strengthening services that help children and families thrive.
Rebecca Womack, MS, LBA, BCBA
Rebecca has been privileged to serve adults and children using applied behavior analysis (ABA) in settings such as facility-based care, group homes, day centers, clinics, and family homes both across the United States and overseas. In addition to her clinical experience, Rebecca is passionate about ABA service delivery aligning with generally accepted standards of care. With an expertise in applying health care documentation requirements and systems of compliance, she served as the lead author of a chapter on organizational documentation guidelines for ABA services.
Rebecca co-led the development of session note templates for adaptive behavior services via the Documentation Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP). She was also a co-led the creation of the CASP Artificial Intelligence Practice Parameters, is an appointed Subject Matter Expert for the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts, and a Member of the Board of Directors for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). Rebecca also has extensive experience with public policy work. Not only is she an experienced presenter at national conferences, but she has also won national awards for her role as an advocate and work to support ABA organizations in delivering quality services.
Rebecca currently serves as the National Director of ABA for Optum. She also formed RAW Consulting Solutions as a way to provide education and consultation services to ABA organizations, professionals, and providers of ABA services. Whatever the role, her ultimate goal is to make a significant impact through effective and efficient services utilizing the science of behavior analysis.
Looking Towards The Horizon: How Magellan Health Is Advancing Behavioral Health Through Clinical Innovation
Leaders at Magellan Health are looking to the future as the organization transitions to an independent managed behavioral health care organization. In this keynote, Dr. Steven Pratt, Chief Medical Officer of Magellan Health, will share how the company plans to expand its clinical services into new markets with enhanced technology, AI, data and analytical solutions, providing quality access to care to more communities. Discover how Magellan is continuing to focus on whole person care, excellent customer service, and collaborating more effectively with providers to improve outcomes for complex populations.
Steven Pratt, M.D.
Steven E. Pratt, M.D., serves as the chief medical officer of Magellan Health, a leader in managing the fastest-growing, most complex areas of health. In this role, Dr. Pratt advances Magellan Health’s clinical mission and furthers the company’s significant leadership capabilities in clinical engagement. He also continues to provide clinical leadership to Magellan’s employer market.
Dr. Pratt previously served as the senior medical director of the employer segment at Magellan where he was responsible for clinical oversight of the behavioral and mental health services provided by the company’s network of more than 110,000 clinicians. Subsequently, he served as vice president medical director with added duties overseeing Magellan’s Quality and Medical Policy Divisions. With more than 25 years of extensive experience in providing care to patients, overseeing the administration of health services, and supervising doctors and medical directors, Dr. Pratt is well known for creating a positive, inclusive, and engaged culture that empowers employees and creates cohesive, supportive teams.
Prior to joining Magellan Health in 2017, he served as the executive medical director of behavioral health for the Minnesota Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Pratt also held clinical leadership positions at UnitedHealth Group.
A board-certified psychiatrist, Dr. Pratt received his Doctor of Medicine and Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Minnesota.
The National Market Trends Driving Changes In Government Health & Human Service Management
Join us as we kick off the day by diving into the national policy, funding, and market forces reshaping county health and human services systems. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how federal shifts, state funding recalibration, value-based expectations, and rising demand are redefining county accountability and performance expectations. Hear why counties are not simply administrators of programs, but integrators of care and stewards of measurable outcomes in a resource-constrained environment.
Deanne Cornette, MHA, GPC
Deanne Cornette, MHA, GPC, brings over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field. Ms.Cornette currently serves as a Senior Associate for OPEN MINDS and brings to the OPEN MINDS team noted expertise in strategic planning, grant writing and revenue development.
Previously, Ms. Cornette was the Vice President of Strategic Development for Tampa Family Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center. In this role, she managed grants, contracts, front desk operations, training, quality assurance special assignments (risk assessments and responses to complaints), credentialing and billing functions. In a very short time period, she successfully procured funding to integrate behavioral health services, brought a system of processes to track health indicators and improve value-based care payment and service and became proficient in utilizing HRSA’s reporting portals.
As Counsel for Strategic Development at Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc. (ACTS) and Vice President of Business Development for Gracepoint (merger), Ms. Cornette directed strategic development, contract negotiations, revenue development, marketing and grants. In this capacity, she targeted funding sources and built a lucrative cash flow that provided needed services to vulnerable populations in need of behavioral health treatment.
Some of her most successful negotiations created best practice services for veteran’s programs, women’s services, as well those involved with the criminal justice system. Her portfolio includes a wide array of awards from a multitude of agencies including, but not limited to: SAMHSA, HUD, Centers for Medicaid, and the Department of Transportation and collaborations with private, non-profit and government entities. Most recently, she worked with Gracepoint to develop Hillsborough’s Centralized Receiving Facility, one of the first funded in the State of Florida. From a system of care for jail diversion to evidence based practices for individuals who are homeless with behavioral health needs, her awards have netted over $80 million dollars to our community.
In addition, Ms. Cornette served as the Vice President for the National Contract Management Association Suncoast Chapter, Vice President of ACTS Affordable Housing Board of Directors, Vice President of ACTS Foundation Board of Directors, and was a member of Hillsborough County Health Care Advisory Board.​ She is the recipient of University of South Florida’s 2018 Florida Outstanding Women of the Year in Public Health. Her Centralized Receiving Facility collaborative won a 2018 WEDU PBS Be Brilliant / Innovation Award. Her concept of Housing, Engagement and Retention Tenancy (HEART) program won the 2018 Heart for Homeless award through the Housing and Education Alliance.
Ms. Cornette received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Masters Degree in Health Administration from the University of South Florida.
State Leaders Driving Behavioral Health Innovation: A Panel Discussion
As behavioral health systems face rising demand, workforce shortages, and evolving payer and regulatory expectations, state leaders are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of care delivery. This session brings together a panel of state leaders to share how they are advancing behavioral health transformation through strategic funding, policy reform, cross-agency collaboration, and data-driven initiatives.
Health care executives will gain insight into emerging state priorities, innovative programs, and scalable models that are improving access, quality, and outcomes across mental health, substance use, and integrated care settings. The discussion will highlight practical implications for providers, including opportunities to align organizational strategy with state initiatives, leverage public funding, and prepare for what’s next in behavioral health policy and system design. Leave with a clearer understanding of how state-level innovation is reshaping the behavioral health landscape – and how executive leaders can partner effectively with states to drive sustainable, mission-aligned growth.
Nora K. Bock, MS, LPC
Nora Bock serves as the Director of the Division of Behavioral Health at the Missouri Department of Mental Health. She is a recognized behavioral health leader focused on strengthening public mental health systems through cross sector partnerships. Her work spans community-based prevention, treatment, and recovery services, as well as forensic services, hospital oversight, and innovative public-private collaborations that increase access and improve outcomes across complex public behavioral health environments.
Nick Boukas, MPA
Nick Boukas is the Director of Behavioral Health Services at the New Mexico Health Care Authority. Mr. Boukas has served in various roles in public service for city, county, regional and state government agencies and national organizations working with the CDC and other Federal agencies on policy and programs. He has been an invited speaker to national and regional conferences speaking on various topics ranging from workforce development to
community engagement. Prior to his appointment in 2023, Mr. Boukas worked at the New Mexico Department of Health. His focus has been to strengthen the behavioral health system to make New Mexico a healthier place. He has a Masters Degree in Public Administration and lives in Santa Fe with his wife and dogs.
Moving Government Health & Human Service Contracting To Performance-Based Models
During this session we’ll examine real-world examples of counties transitioning from volume-based or compliance-driven contracting to performance-based models tied to outcomes and value. Attendees will take away the financial, operational, and political implications of this shift, including procurement alignment, provider readiness, and performance metrics, and discover a roadmap for aligning contracts, data systems, and oversight processes to support measurable impact while safeguarding public funds.
Jin Lee Palen, MPH
Jin Lee (Jinny) Palen is the Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of Community Mental Health Programs (MACMHP) and Convergence Integrated Care, a clinically integrated network of community mental health centers across Minnesota. Her background includes public health research and analysis, community engagement, legislative advocacy, government relations, public policy, and community leadership. Prior to her role with MACMHP, Jinny was with the Minnesota Association of Community Health Centers (MNACHC) Public Policy Staff. Jinny stays active in her local neighborhood community clinic and the AAPI community. Jinny worked for the Minnesota Department of Health in the Health Economics Program, Tobacco Prevention and Control, and the Legislative Affairs Office. Jinny was a Legislative Policy Fellow of the Partners for the Americas Policy Exchange Fellowship in 2014. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, MN, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota.
The $50B Opportunity Requiring Stronger Rural Partnerships
The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) presents a $50 billion opportunity to strengthen rural health care nationwide. With nearly one in four rural adults experiencing a behavioral health condition annually, often alongside chronic physical conditions, limited rural systems are challenged to quickly scale to address higher utilization and higher costs. Success will depend on seamless behavioral health integration, real-time coordination, and measurable outcomes. This session explores how states can align partners, convene strong provider coalitions, and leverage existing networks to expand access and improve outcomes for individuals in need. With Bamboo Health’s implementation-ready infrastructure and expansive network already improving over 3 billion care events each year, attendees will gain credible insight on how to leverage responsive, AI-powered, and human-supported solutions that enable real-time visibility, accelerate impact, and sustain rural health transformation.
Lori Szczygiel
Lori Szczygiel is a mission-driven healthcare executive with more than 35 years of leadership experience across behavioral health, managed care, and public sector programs. She is the Founder and CEO of LBS Public Sector Strategies, where she partners with organizations to improve clinical outcomes, optimize financial performance, and design innovative solutions across complex healthcare systems.
Prior to founding her firm, Lori served as Regional Vice President of National Accounts at Carelon Behavioral Health, where she oversaw large-scale government and commercial contracts, including the nation’s largest Employee Assistance Program serving active military populations. She held full P&L accountability for a portfolio exceeding $400 million and led more than 700 employees nationwide. Her leadership was marked by strong operational performance, high client satisfaction, and top-tier Net Promoter Scores across her division.
Previously, Lori was President of the Connecticut Market at Carelon (formerly Beacon Health Options), where she drove 40% revenue growth while building a high-performing, mission-focused leadership team. Under her direction, the organization earned multiple Top Workplace recognitions, reflecting her deep commitment to culture, talent development, and organizational excellence. She also played a critical role in fostering strategic partnerships with legislators, advocacy organizations, providers, and managed care stakeholders. She is widely recognized for her expertise in Medicaid, child welfare systems, recovery-oriented care, and public sector program design.
Lori began her career in clinical and leadership roles in Massachusetts and holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology.
A respected industry leader, Lori is known for aligning strategy with execution, building high-impact teams, and advancing solutions that improve both system performance and individual outcomes.
Scaling Coordinated Care Models For Safety Net Services For High-Needs Population
During this session, panelists will focus on what it truly takes to scale coordinated care beyond pilot programs. Attendees will explore leadership lessons, funding strategies, technology infrastructure, and cross-sector partnerships required to support high-need populations, particularly those interacting with multiple systems. Leave this session with clarity on the enabling conditions for sustainable scale, common pitfalls in multi-system coordination, and how counties can position themselves as accountable hubs for whole-person, safety-net care.
Jonah C. Cunningham, MPP
Jonah C. Cunningham currently serves as President and CEO of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD). In this role he proactively advocates for national policies that recognize and support the critical role counties play in caring for people affected by mental illness, addiction, and developmental disabilities. In this capacity he also serves as Executive Director of the National Association for Rural Mental Health.
Prior to joining NACBHDD, Jonah worked at Trust for America’s Health, a public health think tank, where he focused extensively on ways to reduce mortality from substance misuse and suicide. Additionally, he worked as a congressional staffer for several years in the office of Congresswoman Grace F. Napolitano (CA) where he helped to reestablish the Congressional Mental Health Caucus and created a Suicide Prevention Task Force within the Caucus.
Jonah C. Cunningham has received numerous awards and recognition for his commitment to the field of behavioral health and those served by the nation’s behavioral health system. Jonah has a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Utah and a Master of Public Policy from The George Washington University. In his free time, he enjoys learning how to cook and is an avid Jiu-Jitsu practitioner.
Wayne Lindstrom, Ph.D.
With over 50 years of experience in the behavioral health field, Wayne Lindstrom brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his new role. He served five years with the New Mexico Department of Human Services and was appointed as CEO of the Behavioral Health Collaborative.
In 2014, he was recruited by the state to assist with the aftereffects of the 2013 behavioral health shakeup and played a key role in restoring the credibility of the behavioral health system for the state of New Mexico.
Most recently, Wayne Lindstrom served as the vice president of business development and consulting for RI International, a 33-year-old nonprofit headquartered in Phoenix. RI International is recognized as a pioneer in the development of the behavioral health peer support specialist workforce.
Lindstrom holds a doctorate in applied social sciences/addictions from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University. He also earned a master’s degree in community organization from the University of Pittsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Bowling Green State University.
Strategy With Purpose: Creating Growth, Competitive Advantage & Sustainable Impact
For leaders in health and human services, challenging times present a unique opportunity to rethink strategy, reimagine service delivery, and redefine marketing approaches. Join Monica E. Oss, Chief Executive Officer of OPEN MINDS, as she takes a candid look at the current industry landscape and offers actionable insights and tools to help organizations take control of their strategy, focus on their strengths and mission, and emerge stronger.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.
Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.
Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.
Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.
Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.