The 2024 OPEN MINDS Strategy & Innovation Institute Livestream Sessions

Dr. Chaudhry is the Chief Executive Officer of Solace Behavioral Health. With over 20 years of experience, he is expanding the footprint of Solace Behavioral Health to several centers in multiple counties, as well as expanding their scope of services through integrating care with lifestyle modifications and chronic disease management to improve outcomes. Dr. Chaudhry received his Doctor of Psychiatric Medicine from the University of Miami School of Medicine, and has clinical expertise in the inpatient, outpatient, and forensic settings.

Michael R. Lardieri serves as Senior Vice President – Strategy at Core Solutions. Mr. Lardieri has over 30 years of health care experience in inpatient, outpatient and managed care settings and was behavioral health administrator for one of the largest Federally Qualified Community Health Centers (FQHCs) in the nation.  He has extensive experience in health plan operations, network development, population health, implementing electronic health record and other health information technologies, treatment of opioid addiction, and integrating behavioral health and primary care.  His managed care experience includes senior positions in clinical and provider relations areas. 

Prior to joining Core Solutions Mr. Lardieri was Chief Operating Officer at Kaden Health a virtual MAT startup and Assistant Vice President, Strategic Program Development at Northwell Health (formerly the North Shore-LIJ Health System), the 14^th largest health system in the nation.  In this capacity, he oversaw the use of technology in the integration of physical and behavioral health care, including a health information exchange, patient portals, clinical quality measures, use of smart phone technologies and population health. Prior to Northwell, Mr. Lardieri was Vice President, HIT and Strategic Development at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. 

Mr. Lardieri’s national experience includes work with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.  Mr. Lardieri is engaged with community behavioral health organizations, FQHCs, health center controlled networks, health information exchanges, Primary Care Associations, the National Health Information Network and other health information systems to advance the field of health information technology and exchanges.  He was responsible for developing strategy and in assisting with behavioral health centers across the nation,  implementing various HIT strategies to improve quality care. 

In addition, as an experienced and licensed mental health professional, Mr. Lardieri not only provides consulting services in the fields of mental health and substance abuse but also in integrating these services with various medical fields.  Mr. Lardieri is a Member of the National Quality Forum (NQF) Behavioral Health Measures Subcommittee.  He serves as an Advisory Board Member of the Morehouse School of Medicine Health Policy Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center (TCC) for Health Disparities Research in Atlanta and the Georgia Health Information Technology Extension Center (GA-HITEC).  He is an Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Certified Health Information Technology (HIT) Clinician/Practitioner; in 2014, Mr. Lardieri was selected The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology as a member of the ONC HIT Policy Committee (HITPC) Workgroup on HIT Implementation, Usability and Safety and has also served on the ONC HIT Policy Workgroup on Voluntary Certification for Technology companies serving providers not eligible for Meaningful Use Incentives.  Mr. Lardieri was a lead participant in developing the Patient Engagement Framework under the ONC and is a national presenter and educator in the areas of behavioral health technology, meaningful use, telebehavioral health and integrated care. He also previously served as a Board Member of the National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC) and the National Research Institute (NRI). 

Rob Hickernell, MBA brings over 20 years of web site development and maintenance, digital marketing and reporting, data analytics, and conversion attribution experience to the OPEN MINDS team. Mr. Hickernell currently serves as a Senior Associate, leading projects related to website development and maintenance, digital marketing, website reporting, data analytics and conversion attribution and web site optimization, acquisition and retention.

Prior to joining OPEN MINDS Mr. Hickernell served as a Digital Marketing and Strategy Consultant for Live Oak Associates, LLC. In this role, Mr. Hickernell served as a consultant and advisor to digital B2B and B2C companies, creating and executing digital marketing strategies (search, social, mobile) by using data insights and analysis to solve business challenges.

Prior to serving as Digital Marketing and Strategy Consultant for Live Oak Associates, LLC, Hickernell served as Vice President, Search for AOL, Inc. in Dulles, VA. In this role Mr. Hickernell was responsible for strategic partnership management (Google, Bing), business development, revenue growth and data analytics of AOL’s search business which incorporates web/site search and content distribution across global web and mobile properties.

Previously, Mr. Hickernell served as the Director/ Sr. Director of Product Management for AOL, Inc. During his tenure Mr. Hickernell was the product marketing leader of AOL Search with focus on marketing partnerships, analytics and site optimization to drive revenue and traffic growth.
Mr. Hickernell has also served in a variety of other roles with AOL, Inc. including Principal Business Planning Manager, Program Director and Sr. Program Director. Mr. Hickernell received his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing from the University of Baltimore, Merrick School of Business in Baltimore, Maryland. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in management from Towson State University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Ian brings over 10 years of experience in the healthcare IT space as a strategic consultant, project manager, and growth leader. Currently serving as the Director & GM of Collaborative Care at Netsmart, Ian is focused on initiatives within the Integrated Care and Primary Care space.  FQHC’s represent a significant portion of this focus as Netsmart recognizes the significance of these providers in their respective communities.  Whole-person care continues to serve as a guiding light to optimize both mental and physical health outcomes.    

Ian enjoys building relationships with clients to understand their strategic vision while also helping to achieve results through technology driven efficiencies.  Prior to his current role he spent several years at Cerner within the Regulatory Consulting Practice, which provided him the opportunity to work with different types of healthcare organizations to understand complex federal healthcare regulations including value-based care and medical home models.  Ultimately focused on building governance and driving operational best practices that allowed for continued success.  Ian currently lives in Kansas City, MO and enjoys cooking and playing golf in his free time.    

Scott Green leads the Care Dimensions business unit at Netsmart. In his role, he leads a team focused on building out a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to support organizations as they digitize their operations beyond the EHR. Green has been with Netsmart for 10 years and has held many roles during that time including leading the Human Services business unit.

Prior to joining Netsmart, he spent 13 years with Pfizer where he focused on building relationships and clinical initiatives with Integrated Delivery Networks.

Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial psychology from Kansas State University and a graduate certificate in healthcare leadership from Park University.

Dr. Tom Starling is a growth-focused executive who has spent his extensive career specializing in defining vision and steering strategy for mission-driven small and mid-sized organizations. Dr. Starling has demonstrated year-after-year success in securing millions of dollars in funding and grants to drive growth, revamp programs, transform operations, and fuel long-term, positive change. Dr. Starling joins OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate.

Previously, Dr. Starling was the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships for Rogers Behavioral Health System, a nationally recognized nonprofit provider of highly specialized psychiatric care. In this role, Dr. Starling gave voices to 21 clinics across 10 states and drove the development of a multidisciplinary division, spanning advocacy, government relationships at a state and federal level, and behavioral health prevention and education.  He identified, targeted, and secured donors, oversaw 10 staff, and controlled a $2 million budget. Dr. Starling was responsible for co-managing national sponsorship decisions and hired Public Affairs Director and Advocacy Manager to optimize organizational performance and cohesively connect messaging, media, and corporate platforms to advocacy and government relations.

Dr. Starling was also the President and Chief Operating Officer for Mental Health American (MHA) of Midsouth, a  nonprofit organization that connects community members with specialized mental health and wellness resources, providing services that improve quality of life and promoting effective services where mental health needs exist. Dr. Starling used his extensive leadership and fundraising experience to define overall strategy and implement a new organizational structure for the largest affiliate in the South. He developed partnerships and managed all relations with funders, donors, and foundations, in addition to providers, hospitals, and health systems. Additionally, Dr. Starling partnered with state and federal legislatures, as well as local and city government officials supervised and supported 25 staff members and controlled the $2 million annual budget. Dr. Starling fueled revenues after creating and rolling out numerous impactful programs and outlined continuing education opportunities and expanded the suicide prevention program by 10 states. Dr. Starling was also nominated to serve on the National MHA Board of Directors and was elected Board Chair from 2018 to 2020, making it the first time in 110-year history to have the affiliate CEO serve as Board Chair.

Dr. Starling is also the former Vice President of Operations for HEOPS in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Starling led daily operations and expanded business for the start-up healthcare company. He served as ISO-9001 Quality Manager, HR Manager, Call Center Supervisor, and Chief Contract Negotiator. He was responsible for tripling staff size by opening Medicaid and Medicare networks in 12 states, making the entire network expand across 40 states in total and expanding from 1 call center to 3. Dr. Starling also became a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed mediator during his tenure.

Dr. Starling graduated with honors from Tennessee State University with his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Administration. He also holds a Master of Arts in Medical Ethics from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s Degree in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Baylor University. Additionally, he obtained a Medical Gerontology Certification from Meharry Medical College and a Business Leadership Certification from the Vanderbilt University Owen School of Business.

John Hogeboom has worked within the Community Bridges, Inc. (CBI) system of care network since 1994 and currently serves as the President/CEO. Prior to this, John served as Deputy CEO for two years and as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the 11 years prior. During his 25-year career in the integrated behavioral/medical health care field, Mr. Hogeboom has gained considerable experience leading clinical operations, quality management, peer support, and medical practice. He enhanced existing programs and developed new programs that have impacted communities and now support agency growth and sustainability.

During his tenure as COO and Deputy CEO, Mr. Hogeboom’s primary focus was on the building of sustainable and meaningful models of care in areas of Arizona that have lacked access to behavioral health services. He and his team have served as the chief architects of the strategy and execution of community-based systems of care which have increased the availability of crisis and general behavioral health services to underserved rural communities throughout Arizona in partnership with local law enforcement, hospitals, tribal and county governments.
In addition to focusing on rural areas, Mr. Hogeboom has been successful in the development of the Access Point and Transition Point models in Maricopa and Pima Counties which provide 24/7 evaluation services to the general community and serve as a police drop-off and short-term crisis residential/hospital step down unit (developing the first community psychiatric emergency center (CPEC) in the East Valley).

In 2019, Mr. Hogeboom became the President/CEO of Community Bridges, Inc., an Arizona private non-profit agency with over 1,600 employees delivering the full continuum of Integrated Behavioral Health services across 31 separate programs across seven counties in Arizona. CBI’s continuum currently delivers over 200,000 episodes of care per year through Crisis, Inpatient, Residential, Housing, Peer Navigation, Women and Children’s Programs, Prevention, Homeless Outreach, Forensic Assertive Community Teams, Medication Assisted Treatment, Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMH) and Community Education. Mr. Hogeboom’s commitment to the mission and purpose of CBI remains his guiding light to support the talented and innovative staff that make CBI a true community partner.

John Hogeboom has a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor’s Degree of Science Administration of Justice from Arizona State University. He is a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC).

Brenda graduated from Indiana University with an MS in counseling.  She has worked in the healthcare sector for 30 years in various capacities—including managed care and direct service. She is well versed in all administrative aspects of provider-payer operations and relationships.

Brenda is currently the Chief Business Officer for Community Bridges, Inc—an Arizona based non-profit agency that provides a full continuum of integrated services for individuals with  mental health and/or substance use disorders. In her current role, Brenda oversees contracting, payer management, claims, eligibility/enrollment, credentialing, and utilization management. Brenda also serves on the multiple committees and task forces with Arizona based ACO’s.

Dr. Amy Munoz, DBH, MS, NCC is the Chief Compliance Officer at CODAC Health, Recovery & Wellness, Inc. in Pima, County. Amy has been with CODAC for 17 years and currently oversees the Quality Management and Utilization Management departments. These teams specialize in care management of members whose needs have not been well met by more traditional service delivery approaches through residential, intensive recovery team, crisis stabilization, court ordered treatment, hospitalization, or transitional services. In addition to her clinical and administrative work, Amy continues in her CARF program and administrative surveyor role with over 14 years’ experience providing consultation to integrated health care agencies, opioid treatment centers and other various direct service providers internationally. Dedicated to continuous learning, she also maintains a role as adjunct professor working with bachelor’s in health science students. Amy is affiliated with many healthcare organizations including the AzHEC (Health Current) Health Information Exchange Clinical Advisory Council since 2017. Amy is also a licensed therapist specializing in trauma, brief-solution-focused intervention, cognitive behavioral therapy and EMDR. She holds a Doctorate in Behavioral Health Management through Arizona State University and a master’s degree in clinical counseling.

Mike Rhoades is CEO and Founder of Alera Health, the largest population health manager of behavioral health Integrated Systems of Care (ISOCs) in the US. As CEO of Alera Health, Mike oversees the assemblage, governance, technology, analytics, and APM contracting departments supporting 13 ONEcare networks supporting over 3M patients to improve health outcomes and reduce unnecessary costs. Mike was former VP of Population Health at Community Care of NC and COO or RHA Health Services.

Paul Uncanin, Alera Health’s Vice President of Payer Contracting, has ten years of experience in building, developing and managing provider networks and provider agreements. The keys to his success are based in analytical and data-driven decision making, exceptional negotiating skills, and an ability to thrive under pressure and deliver results. Paul has a Master of Business Administration from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UC Irvine.  

Jose is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with 16+ years of experience managing large-scale infrastructure projects in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments. A Civil Engineer by training, Jose brings his knowledge in project management, business processes improvement, data analytics, financial analysis, and operations to provide a different and unique perspective to the healthcare industry.

Jose holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a Master’s in Project Management from Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas, Venezuela, and a Master of Business Administration from North Carolina State University, with concentrations in Financial Management, Operations and Supply Chain, and Data Analytics. Jose is an active member of the Project Management Institute (PMI) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Renee, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, has been serving or supporting individuals in need of behavioral health care for over 30 years. She spent the first half of her career in direct practice serving youth and families, many of whom were engaged in the child welfare system, and she received training on multiple evidence-based therapy models. As the community-based agency grew and expanded over the years, Renee’s role also evolved into training and supervision of other clinicians and leading company-wide quality improvement initiatives. In 2019, after 15 years with a statewide comprehensive behavioral health organization, Renee was promoted to executive lead of the organization. As the Vice President of Operations, Renee had clinical and operational responsibility for ensuring 10,000 members, many challenged with serious mental illness, received high-quality behavioral health treatment and crisis support.

Renee is currently supporting 2 Clinically Integrated Networks in Arizona comprised of 10 behavioral health integrated care companies as the Vice President of Network Operations at Alera Health. She is excited to use her clinical knowledge and operational skills to assist these networks with refining their workflows to ensure members are engaged in treatment, and receiving timely health screenings and the highest quality of care possible.

Renee earned a BS in Psychology from the University of Arizona and a Master of Social Work from the University of Kentucky. She has held clinical licensure since 1999. 

Dr. Carol Clayton is a licensed, practicing psychologist with 30 years of healthcare experience in the public and private sector, including non-profit and private practice work. She currently works as the Translational Neuroscientist for Relias, specializing in healthcare solutions targeting workforce development and population health outcome improvement. Before joining Relias, Dr. Clayton was the CEO of Care Management Technologies, a health IT data analytics company. She also served as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Community Programs from 2000- 2006. The NC Council is the predecessor organization to i2i.