Speakers & Faculty

During his tenure, Cenikor expanded from 3 to 10 locations providing vital addiction recovery treatment to thousands of Texans suffering from Substance Abuse Disorder. Bill’s dedication to Cenikor and the behavioral health community is centered on raising public awareness in the areas of treatment, prevention, education, and continuing a progressive movement on a national level.

Bill’s leadership, derived from 30-years of executive experience with Hillcrest Health System and InterFirst Bank, has contributed to his expertise in strategic planning, board development, community development, and corporate partnerships. A proud supporter of the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Houston Food Bank, and Boy Scouts of America, Bill provides direction and advocacy for two universities, and several church committees.

A strong proponent of philanthropy in the communities served by Cenikor recovery centers, Bill is a catalyst for innovation and advancement at the State Association of Substance Use Providers in Texas, and the Houston Network for Behavioral Health Providers, where he is a member as well as the Chair of the Policy Committee. He was also nominated by the Secretary of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to serve as one of 15 members of the Insurance Parity Work Group for the State of Texas. Additionally, Bill is a member of the Addiction Committee for the National Council for Behavioral Health and served on other national work groups.

Bill is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in Real Estate Finance.

Bill will be speaking during Build Or Merge? How To Expand Your Service Line Portfolio Or Merge To Get It.

Dr. Vincent Bemmel is a seasoned technologist with over 25 years’ experience with the research and development of emerging technology solutions. Prior to joining Catalight, Dr. Bemmel has held various leading roles where he was driving digital transformation through innovation across different industries. Throughout his journey he has focused on leveraging advanced technology to deliver increased value to end-users and their environment.  

As the Director of Technology and Innovation at Catalight, Dr. Bemmel leads the investigation into the use of consumer-grade technology for improving the wellbeing of their client population. In addition, he also conducts qualitative research to uncover clinical insights into the large amounts of data that is collected through their practice. 

Vincent is speaking during the Planning A Digital Consumer Experience.

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.

Brenda is speaking during From Competition To Co-opetition: How The Integral Health Network Of Southern Arizona (IHNSA) Maximizes Value-Based Performance Through Data-Driven Collaboration.

Jodi Bopp is thrilled to be leading the Advancement Team at I Am Boundless, Inc. With thirty years of experience working in non-profit philanthropy, Jodi has helped raise millions of dollars in gifts which support a diverse array of missions.

Jodi began her career in a small shop where her primary responsibilities were gift processing and database management. She quickly moved into annual giving work, managing direct mail, phonathons, grants, events and volunteer management. After a few years, she made the jump to face-to-face fundraising, working with leadership annual donors and from there eventually moved to planned gifts/major gifts for several years.

Jodi’s career started working in small shops for small and mid-size social service organizations. She also spent a little more than a decade in higher education fundraising, learning the value and importance of working with individuals to maximize their philanthropic impact. Five years ago, Jodi returned to social services and bringing with her the best practices from larger philanthropic organizations.

Jodi is committed to the profession of non-profit fundraising, and is called upon frequently as a speaker, trainer and mentor to others in the profession. A multi-decade member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Jodi served as the AFP Central Ohio Chapter President for two years, and chaired numerous AFP committees throughout her time with the organization. Currently, she’s leading an Executive Peer Cohort for the chapter. She achieved Certified Fund-Raising Executive status in 1997, one of the youngest professionals in Central Ohio to do so. In 2013, Jodi was named the Central Ohio AFP Fundraiser of the Year.

Jodi passionately believes in the transformative power of philanthropy and takes great satisfaction in the opportunity to work with those who want to help others lead a boundless life.

Jodi is speaking during Using Content Marketing To Build Your Brand & Drive Referrals.

Scott Budzien is a Data Scientist I at Monarch. He is passionate about serving others and seeks to transform data into practical and purpose-driven information that maximizes positive care delivery outcomes. He leads a team in designing, building, and presenting reporting products that fulfill operational, financial, and clinical requests. Prior to joining Monarch in 2019, Scott was a Mathematics Teacher for 14 years and used student performance data to inform lesson design, measure learning progress, and determine staffing needs. Scott holds a BS in Mathematics and is currently pursuing a MS in Analytics. Monarch is a premier nonprofit organization that provides innovative support to thousands of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, mental illness and substance use disorders in North Carolina. With approximately 400,000 patient encounters annually, Monarch offers quality, person-centered services, and treatment to nearly 30,000 people to help them learn, grow, work and heal.

Scott is speaking Overcoming The Data Challenges That MA&A Can Create: Best Practices In Maintaining Continuity In Client Data.

Elizabeth Carey has three decades of experience in the field of social and human services. As President and CEO of Starr Commonwealth, Elizabeth provides leadership and direction, and serves as one of Starr’s most passionate advocates for systems-level change for childhood whole health. In her previous role of chief strategy officer, she helped shape the future of this century-old organization, modernizing our approach to providing positive experiences so all children can flourish.

Prior to joining Starr Commonwealth in 2010, she served as Director of Government Relations for the Council on Accreditation, as Executive Director of the Michigan Federation for Children and Families, and as Senior Vice President and COO for the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities.

She holds Bachelor and Master’s Degrees in Social Work from Michigan State University.

Elizabeth will be speaking during Strategy For Turbulent Markets: Keeping Your Plan On Top Of Market Changes.

Sherrie began her career with Arrowleaf in 2008 and has been the Chief Executive Officer since 2014.  Her previously held positions within agency included Youth Outpatient Therapist, Youth Programs Coordinator and Behavioral Health Assistant Director. She has a bachelor of Social Work and Master of Science in Human Development and Family Life degrees from Eastern Illinois University.

Sherrie is speaking during Making Tough Decisions: When & How To Close Or Change Services.

Holly H. Cunningham, MBA, M.Ed., LCMHCS, is the Director of Contracting and Value-Based Purchasing at Trillium Health Resources in Greenville, NC. She earned a Master of Business Administration Degree specializing in Healthcare Management from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Master of Education Degree in Counselor Education from Pennsylvania State University. Holly holds a license as a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Supervisor. She has over 30 years of experience working in community, school, residential, and managed care settings in mental health and substance use. She demonstrates leadership by overseeing the Practice Management Unit, which creates and implements innovative value-based purchasing initiatives and alternative payment models that drive the quadruple aim of healthcare.

Holly is speaking during Best Practices In Working With Payers For Children With Complex Needs.

Tim Daley serves as the Senior Vice President of National Network Development and Delivery Strategy for Behavioral Health at Magellan Healthcare. In this role, Daley is responsible for the behavioral health provider network strategy and provider network transformation. His team focuses on the timely and exceptional delivery of care through high performing provider networks, optimization of network performance and execution on strategies to support value and risk-based provider networks as well as expansion of telehealth utilization.

Daley has 20 years of experience launching new businesses and products within healthcare organizations of all sizes. He specializes in network development and optimization, new product launches, risk-sharing relationships, and value-based care partnerships. Daley also has a proven track record of success in achieving high financial growth through organic and inorganic partnerships across behavioral health, health systems, skilled nursing facilities, Medicare, managed care and the pharmaceutical industry.

Prior to joining Magellan in July 2020, Daley served as the Vice President of Partner Development at Remedy Partners, acquired by Signify Health, where he developed a bundled payments for care improvement team that reduced unnecessary patient days and readmissions. He has also served in key growth roles at PointRight, Inc. and Citeline.

Daley earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University, Boston, MA.

Tim is speaking during Creating A Value-Based Center Of Excellence Proposal For Health Plans.

C.J. Davis is the CEO of Brightli, Inc., the parent company of Burrell Behavioral Health, where he serves as President and CEO, and Preferred Family Healthcare. Brightli was formed through joint partnership of Burrell and Preferred in 2022; together the companies employ nearly 5,000 individuals in more than 200 locations across the four-state system.

At Burrell, C.J. has made mission expansion through strategic mergers and acquisitions a top priority. Earlier this year, Burrell merged with Comprehensive Mental Health Services, an Independence-based Community Mental Health Center, establishing Burrell/Brightli’s presence in the metro-Kansas City mental heath market. This, coupled with the PFH partnership, have made Brightli one of the largest nonprofit mental health providers in the Midwest.

With more than 25 years of experience in the mental health industry as both an executive and a clinical psychologist, Dr. Davis has managed and practiced at nearly every level of behavioral health care, including community treatment settings, residential treatment, primary care behavioral health, inpatient hospital services and criminal justice. C.J. previously held executive leadership positions in Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Indiana, focusing on improving accessibility to care at each stop in his career. After being hired as President and CEO of Burrell Behavioral Health in 2017, he has remained committed to accessibility, mission expansion, and promoting community conversations related to behavioral health issues.

With a passion for community service, C.J. serves on the boards of the Missouri Behavioral Health Council, the National Psychology Training Consortium, and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2019 C.J. was named one of Biz 417 Magazine’s “10 for the Next 10” as well as one of the Springfield Business Journal’s Men of the Year. In 2021 he was chosen as the SBJ’s CEO of the Year at their annual Dynamic Dozen awards.

C.J. will be speaking during Build Or Merge? How To Expand Your Service Line Portfolio Or Merge To Get It.

Sal DeTrane co-founded Empactful Capital with a penchant for strategy, growth planning and operational execution, skill which he honed over his 25 years of experience spanning roles in venture capital, business development, organizational development, operations, and finance. 

Sal’s passion for advising technology-focused, early and growth stage entrepreneurs came into focus when he moved to Silicon Valley in 1996. In late 2001, he co-founded Nucleus Partners to serve as a venture capital and catalyst firm for seed and early-stage technology businesses – it was here that Sal pioneered the approach of a “working engagement” diligence model. Sal led Nucleus’ investment in Mede Analytics, the nation’s largest privately held health care analytics business, a company which he went on to run for 12 years as the #2 executive. During this time, Sal gained valuable direct P&L and operational experience. He was instrumental in Mede’s revenue growth in both the hospital and payer markets. This market/product strategy led to Mede’s growth from $3 million to over $120 million in revenues.  Thoma Bravo acquired Mede as it prepared for its IPO in 2015.

Prior to Nucleus, Sal co-managed nearly $50 million of committed capital at The Angels’ Forum after successfully building a technology investment banking practice in Silicon Valley.

Bolstered by a history of developing and managing relationships across the healthcare ecosystem, Sal sits on the boards of several early/growth stage healthcare IT companies.  

A die-hard Philly sports fan, Sal currently splits his time between Bucks County, PA and the Bay Area. Sal graduated Summa Cum Laude with his B.S. in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Accounting, from Temple University. Sal currently serves on Temple University’s President’s Council and the Dean’s Council for the Fox Business School where he is also assisting with the development of a Venture Capital and Private Equity Institute.

Sal is speaking during A For-Profit Subsidiary Success In The Non-Profit World: The Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, Innovatel, & Quartet Case Study.

Andrew DiGiacomo is the current National Provider Network Strategy Director, at Evernorth. In his role, he oversees the development of the strategy and future direction of the Evernorth Behavioral Health national network. In his day to day he partners with all of Evernorth’ s Behavioral Care partners to drive innovation, cost-savings, improved outcomes and better care for our members. In addition, Andrew plays a key role in helping elevate Evernorth as a behavioral thought leader in the industry and in the marketplace.

Andrew brings a wealth of experience in network strategy, contracting, project management, and population health management. Before Evernorth Andrew was working for Henry-Schein Boston, where he served as the Director of Business Solutions – Provider Reimbursement Services. Prior to that, Andrew provided executive leadership in provider networking and contracting with Anthem-Beacon Health Options. His career has been marked by outstanding achievements including driving significant year over year network growth, achieving industry leading solution turn-around time, sponsoring a nationwide tiered provider service model strategy, and successfully implementing a new online payment and credentialing program nationwide for a provider network with over 350+ doctor partnered locations.   

Jessica Dunbar currently works at Jefferson Center for Mental Health as their Chief Business Development Officer. In this role, she leads the communications and philanthropy department and the Jefferson Center’s strategic business development efforts to ensure the community mental health center is responsive to the behavioral health needs in the community. She is currently focused on a project to offer permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, expand wellness and therapy services for the business community in the region, expand integrated behavioral health services with community partners, and advance the community mental health center’s partnerships with commercial payors through value-based contracts.

Prior to joining Jefferson Center, she ran Colorado’s largest independent pediatric practice, Every Child Pediatrics, for 6 years. Earlier in her career she worked on state reform efforts that led to the establishment of Colorado’s health information exchange, now called Contexture, and health insurance exchange, Connect for Health Colorado.

She holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of Colorado and a BA in Religious Studies and BS in Psychology from Westmont College.

Jessica is speaking during Integrating Digital Tools Into Service Delivery.

Jennifer Duncan-Sanford, LCSW has over 25 years of experience in direct clinical care, clinical management, and account management in both the public and private sectors. Ms. Duncan-Sanford received her master’s degree from Florida State University and is licensed as a clinical social worker in both Illinois and California. As a National and Strategic Account Director, Ms. Duncan-Sanford is the trusted advisor and primary point of contact for national insurers and Employee Assistance Programs.

Jennifer is speaking during Creating A Value-Based Center Of Excellence Proposal For Health Plans.

Jonathan Evans, MS, brings 30 years of experience in the behavioral health field.  Mr. Evans is currently the Chief Clinical Officer of Quartet.

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.

Diane Gould joined Advocates in 1985 and was appointed President and CEO in 2013. In a career at Advocates spanning over forty years, she has held many clinical and leadership roles and directed a range of clinical, residential, and support services promoting empowerment, inclusion, and health equity. Diane is also the President and CEO of Family Continuity Program, as of January 1, 2023.

Central to Diane’s approach to leadership is a commitment to collaboration. At Advocates, Diane emphasizes partnership with employees, funders, and individuals who receive services as an essential way to advance the agency’s mission.

In the broader community Diane is an active board member of the Massachusetts Providers Council, Association of Behavioral Healthcare, and several other industry advocacy organizations. Throughout her career, Diane has worked to build diverse, inclusive community coalitions that address behavioral health and social service needs. Diane’s several community recognitions include the 2011 Deborah Blumer Community Health Leader Award from the MetroWest Health Foundation, the 2015 MassPRA Public Advocacy Award, and The Providers’ Council’s 2020 CEO Award and 2022 Chair’s Award. Diane’s leadership has resulted in Advocates being selected one of the Top 100 Women Led Businesses, and Top 100 Places to Work in Massachusetts by the Boston Globe.

Diane holds a Master of Social Work degree from Simmons College, and the values of the social work profession continue to inform her vision and leadership. Previously, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts with a concentration in English and Women’s Studies.

Diane is speaking during Reflections: The State Of Health & Human Service Organizations After A Merger – What They’ve Learned & Where They’re Headed.

As a human-centered design pioneer, Richie Grantham has spent the past decades using insight into human behavior to help craft innovation strategies and experiences for brands, ranging from start-ups to Billion-dollar global cultural icons, across industries.

He’s brought his passion for design and innovation expertise to Kaiser Permanente as a senior leader within clinical innovation for Southern California, managing a diverse team of creatives and human centered designers to work with executive leaders and innovation champions within the organization to transform healthcare in meaningful and impactful ways.

Richie is speaking during Kaiser’s Human Centered Approach To Strategic Care Innovation.

Juliana Harper has over 25 years working in a wide range of health and human services. Her experience includes strategic planning, program development and implementation of sustainable behavioral health and medical rehabilitative programs. Juliana has been with Easterseals MORC in a leadership role since 2008. As the Chief Program Officer, she leads operations in the development, implementation and monitoring of effective services that support and promote recovery and resiliency of individuals/families with behavioral, cognitive, and developmental disabilities from birth to beyond. Juliana holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from Wayne State University. She is a licensed master level macro and micro clinical social worker and certified advanced addictions counselor in Michigan.

Juliana is speaking during Programs For Addressing The Needs Of Children & Teens With Physical & Mental Service Needs.

Rochelle Head-Dunham, MD, DFAPA, FASAM, an Endowed Professor at LSU School of Medicine, is a double board-certified Addiction Psychiatrist with academic appointments as Clinical Associate Professor and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at LSU and Tulane University Schools of Medicine, respectively. Her past immediate appointments were Assistant Secretary and Medical Director for the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) within the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). In that capacity, she represented the state of Louisiana nationally as the Mental Health and Addictive Disorders Authority serving as both the Commissioner of Mental Health and the State Substance Use Director. Her impact to systems change was evident in her leadership during the state’s conversion to statewide Medicaid managed behavioral healthcare. She was also an early adopter of collaborative integrative care models, for coordination of primary and behavioral comprehensive healthcare in the field of behavioral health.

Dr. Head-Dunham’s academic and administrative leadership has fostered noteworthy advances in the fields of addiction and mental health. She has served as a subject matter expert on various national and state platforms informing best practices for the field of behavioral health. Her clinical accolades include Clinical Faculty of the Year for the 2021 academic year at LSU School of Medicine. In 2019 she was the recipient of the Nyswander/Dole Award from the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, INC. (AATOD). Her clinical acumen coupled with her transformative leadership style has shaped an administrative career that fosters enduring changes for systems, organizations and individual levels of performance. Dr. Rochelle Head-Dunham is a New Orleans native who currently serves as the Executive Director and Medical Director for Metropolitan Human Services District (MHSD), a state local governing entity tasked with service delivery for indigent and Medicaid ensured persons living with mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual/developmental disabilities, residing in New Orleans and neighboring parishes.

Rochelle is speaking during Making Tough Decisions: When & How To Close Or Change Services.

Jeffrey M. Holsinger has served as CEO of Volunteers of America Northern Rockies for the last 22 years, serving tens of thousands of people in need. Jeff is a visionary leader who values each person’s unique abilities and contributions. He understands that success happens when alliances are forged in a way that strengthens those around him. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded services from a small revenue base of under one million dollars a year to over $55 million today, supported by over 450 professional staff and several hundred volunteers.

Volunteers of America Northern Rockies operates innovative human service programs in eight core areas of service including community corrections, youth services, veteran’s services, low-income housing, healthcare services, homeless services, ministry, & community outreach. It operates under the governance of a board of directors that is represented throughout region of Montana, Wyoming, & Western South Dakota. The organization is one of 30 independent faith-based affiliates within Volunteers of America, Inc. through a federated model. Volunteers of America Northern Rockies has successfully fostered growth and innovation through entrepreneurial thinking, radical hospitality, and organizational citizenship. The organization has been intentional with growth strategies to prioritize the replication of successful programs and the acquisition of new service lines that enhance mission impact. Mergers and acquisitions have contributed to over 50% of the organization’s growth through ten separate engagements. Investing time in the leadership development of team members, fostering an organizational culture centered around Servant Leadership, and creating transformational change in those served are all passions of Jeff. He encourages his team to challenge institutional thinking while preparing for the certainty of change.

Jeff currently serves on the Wyoming Department of Family Services Advisory Council through appointment by Governor Gordon. He previously served on the Wyoming Workforce Development Committee. Jeff is also an avid outdoorsman who enjoys fishing, bird hunting and woodworking when time permits. He is married to Beth who also shares his outdoor passions and deep faith. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia with continuing education in facilitation, executive development, and social entrepreneurship. Jeff’s organizational practices and leadership vision related to social entrepreneurship was profiled in the 2011 college text Moral Courage in Organizations.

Jeff is speaking during Too Small To Survive – How Do I Find An Acquisition Or Affiliation Partner?

Jim Huben has worked in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) services for the past 35 years. As Director of Strategic Planning at The Arc Mid-Hudson, Jim spearheads his agency’s efforts to streamline and enhance services to continue their profitability in the future. This includes expanding market share, improving staff retention and recruiting procedures, as well as maintaining the agency’s status as the premier service provider in their region.

Prior to joining The Arc Mid-Hudson, he worked on IDD issues for several New York State Governors, in several State agencies, and in the New York State Senate. Jim has also served as an adjunct professor of government and politics in the State University of New York system.  

He holds a Bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Marist College.

Jim will be speaking during Strategy For Turbulent Markets: Keeping Your Plan On Top Of Market Changes.

Rene Hurtado was born and raised in El Paso and has over 25 years of experience in healthcare operations and public policy.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Mr. Hurtado has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors of healthcare delivery systems along the U.S.-Mexico border.  He has designed communication initiatives in different areas of public health to include trauma & crisis communications, children’s outreach and poison control centers.  He has also led marketing and public affairs initiatives for one of the largest hospital systems in El Paso, where he designed multi-media communications initiatives for various healthcare product lines including pediatrics, kidney transplant and oncology.  In the area of public policy and government relations, he served as Director of Public Affairs for Spectrum Communications where he advocated for effective telecommunications legislation.

He currently serves as Chief of Staff for Emergence Health Network, the designated mental health authority for El Paso County responsible for designing and maintaining the public mental health/developmental disability service delivery system for the region to include crisis services and suicide prevention. He oversees community affairs, human resources, training & education, and government relations.

Mr. Hurtado also works and has held leadership positions with various community agencies.  He has served as chair of the public relations committee for the Paso Del Norte Health Foundation and chair of the government relations division for the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce.  He also volunteered with Leadership El Paso, Creative Kids and various community agencies.  Mr. Hurtado is a graduate of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund Leadership Program, Leadership El Paso and the El Paso Creative Cities Leadership Group.    

Recently Mr. Hurtado was appointed to One Fund El Paso, which provided guidance and resources for victims of the El Paso August 3^rd 2019 Walmart Shooting and has advocated for increased access to mental health services as a result of this tragic mass shooting. 

Rene will be speaking in From Paper To Action – How To Successfully Implement Your Strategic Plan.

Don Fowls, M.D. is a nationally known psychiatrist and health care consultant who works with organizations across the country to develop solutions for the many challenges they face today, including integration, value-based reimbursement, managing complex, special populations, and strategic partnerships. Dr. Fowls has worked with several national and regional health plans, health systems and providers to address these areas. He has also helped a number of start-up companies with product and business development, enabling them to strategically identify their best opportunities and then successfully pursue them as customers.

Dr. Fowls previously served as Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Business Development for Value Options and its parent company FHC Health Systems for eleven years.  He also worked at Schaller Anderson Inc. as Executive Vice President, Business Development, and President and CEO of its behavioral health subsidiary.

In Arizona, he recently served as the behavioral health advisor to the Practice Innovation Institute, one of the CMS Transforming Clinical Practice Initiative grant awardees to transform the practices of health care providers. As part of this process he co-led the Behavioral Health Affinity Group nationally. He also served as Chief Medical Officer of Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care, the first fully integrated behavioral health plan in the nation.

Dr. Fowls is recent past Chairman of the Board of Copa Health, an Arizona-based community provider of services for behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disorders and continues as a Board member. He is also immediate past President and current Chair of Government Affairs for the Arizona Psychiatric Society and a Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Kathleen Jordan is the Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer at Seven Hills Foundation, an integrated health and human services company with an annual operating budget of $400 million and 4800 employees.  In this role, Kathleen oversees the programmatic and clinical aspects of the Affiliate companies in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.  In addition, Kathleen is responsible for quality assurance and program improvement, risk management, Medicaid Demonstration Projects, the Seven Hills Research Center, and the Institutional Review Board (IRB).  Dr. Jordan has been with Seven Hills Foundation for the past 19 years.  She speaks frequently on issues related to HIV/AIDS, Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) and Data Analytics.  In addition to her role at Seven Hills, Dr. Jordan is an adjunct professor at Clark University teaching Global Health, Research Strategies and Nonprofit Management and at Central Michigan University where she teaches Strategic Philanthropy, Health Informatics and Communication and Substance Abuse Services.  Dr. Jordan holds a Doctor of Health Administration degree from Central Michigan University; a Masters in Education Administration from Boston College; and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from West Virginia University.  She is also a Fellow in the American College of Health Executives.

Kathleen is speaking during Reflections: The State Of Health & Human Service Organizations After A Merger – What They’ve Learned & Where They’re Headed.

Becca King is the Chief Operating Officer of HOPE, Inc., an Arizona-based peer-run specialty provider. She holds her Master’s in Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management and healthcare administration. Over the last 14 years, she has worked and advocated for peer-run services as an evidence-based practice in Arizona’s public healthcare system, overseeing programs and operations that creatively integrate peer support into systems of care, particularly transition points such as release from incarceration and hospitalization. In her current role, she works to foster partnerships with other providers that create opportunities for members to have timely access to the care they need while eliminating barriers, to provide the best opportunity for success. Becca is active in her community and has served on other nonprofit boards including the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona and is currently the board president for NAMI-Southern Arizona. In 2018, she was featured by the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as one of “Tucson’s 40 under 40”, in recognition of her leadership accomplishments.

Becca is speaking during From Competition To Co-opetition: How The Integral Health Network Of Southern Arizona (IHNSA) Maximizes Value-Based Performance Through Data-Driven Collaboration.

Dave Lederman is currently a Senior Product Manager at Elevance Health. In his 2nd year at Elevance Health, Dave’s role is focused on developing strategies to expand access to behavioral health and substance use care in the commercial space. This work comes with an opportunity to shape Elevance Health product offerings when it comes to member experience, client reporting, and provider and vendor relationships. 

Dave earned a Bachelors Degree from Tel-Aviv University in 2007, and a Masters Degree in Business Management with a focus on Health Sector Management from the Temple University at Philadelphia in 2013. Prior to getting his graduate degree, he worked at Columbia University on a behavioral health and substance use study identifying the impact of genetic and environmental effect on behavioral health and substance use. After graduating from Temple University, Dave worked as a business consultant at telehealth and remote monitoring start up. Dave transitioned to lead projects at a Behavior Health Analytics start-up, identifying ways to drive members to seek care for chronic conditions and co-morbidities.

David is speaking during Behavioral Health Advantage – The Elevance Health Approach To Innovations In Substance Use, Suicide Prevention.

As the National Medical Director for Virtual Care Dr. Will Lopez is the clinical leader in the implementation of Evernorth and Cigna Healthcare’s national virtual care strategy. In this role he is directly involved in coverage policy development, reimbursement, government affairs issues, and assessing new technologies coming to market. In addition he oversees a medical director’s team responsible for medical necessity reviews, case management, and claims activities.  He provides clinical expertise to Cigna’s sales and marketing teams during client and stakeholder meetings.

Prior to joining Cigna in 2006, Dr. Lopez was a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for psychiatric services at Snowden at Fredericksburg, a private behavioral health center in Virginia.  Dr. Lopez was a captain in the U.S. Air Force where he practiced aerospace medicine.  As a veteran of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he is passionate about supporting and leading veteran related initiatives.

Dr. Lopez lives in Asheville, NC with his wife and youngest daughter who is a junior at NC State University. When not at work, he enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, bicycling, and whitewater rafting.

An experienced board director, CEO, advisory consultant and serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits and a 25-year leadership success record, Tania is most passionate about bringing innovative healthcare technologies to market and translating vision and strategy into commercial successes.

She recently completed serving as Interim CEO for Vital Plan, a wellness company and is investigating her next venture as she advises Excelerate Health Venture Fund and is a member of Triangle Angel Partners II. The last year she co-founded a Management Services Organization and a Professional Corporation licensed throughout several States.

Tania leads and supports several nonprofit organizations including the American Telemedicine Association as a Past Chair of the Telemental Health SIG and newly elected to the College of Fellows and In-Kind Friends (Chair) that she co-founded in 2015. She also served on the Board of Directors for Mindcare Solutions after selling COPE Today.

Over the course of her career, Tania has realized several industry firsts including being first-to-market with a telemedicine offering and securing the first malpractice insurance for this entirely new category of service. Organizational leaders and boards of directors value her ability to navigate and define solutions within complex regulatory landscapes – a skill informed by earlier service as a Senior Enforcement Attorney with the Office of Commissioner of Insurance for the State of Georgia and as an Administrative Law Judge with the Office of State Administrative Hearings.

Tania is speaking during A For-Profit Subsidiary Success In The Non-Profit World: The Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, Innovatel, & Quartet Case Study.

Wendy Martinez Farmer from Carelon Behavioral Health is Licensed Professional Counselor with over 23 years of crisis experience in the public and private sectors, Wendy holds a Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from Marquette University and a MBA from Georgia Southern University. Since 2020, she has served as a national crisis lead for Beacon helping to develop crisis capabilities, which include building and overseeing statewide and community crisis systems. She is currently the CEO of the Georgia Collaborative ASO program, which includes administration of the statewide Georgia Crisis and Access Line. Prior to joining the Beacon team, Wendy was the President and CEO of Behavioral Health Link in Atlanta, where she oversaw daily operations of the statewide line as well as 24/7 mobile crisis response services in 104 Georgia counties. She has played a foundational role in building electronic capacity to coordinate crisis care in real time and continues that work today.

A suicide prevention leader, she sat on the Standards Training and Practice Committee for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline from 2016 to 2019. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for NAMI Georgia and was elected to the Board of Directors for the International Council for Helplines (ICH) in January of this year.

A member of the 2015 Crisis Now work group, Wendy is passionate about ensuring individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis receive the same predictable care individuals with medical emergencies receive. As a heart attack survivor, she has become even more dedicated to building crisis systems that prevent individuals in crisis from falling through the cracks. After her health scare, she became more and more interested in what her experience may have been if instead of chest pain, she was in a behavioral health crisis. “The response to chest pain is predictable no matter where you live. We demand it. This is not the case for behavioral health emergencies which can also be fatal. Unlike the bystanders and first responders who knew exactly what to do for me, our family, friends coworkers and even medical professionals are much less likely to know what to do when the emergency is related to mental health or substance use.” She is very invested in the successful launch of 988 and believes that community collaboration and the connection between key crisis services are key to ensuring individuals receive life-saving behavioral health care in their moment of need.

Wendy is speaking during One Year Later: Where We Are With 988.

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.

Amy is speaking during From Competition To Co-opetition: How The Integral Health Network Of Southern Arizona (IHNSA) Maximizes Value-Based Performance Through Data-Driven Collaboration.

Walter Philips has had a passion to work with troubled youth that stems from his own immigrant experience growing up in Los Angeles. This passion led him to receive his Master’s in Social Work from SDSU. Since first working on the streets of Southeast San Diego with gang kids in the 1980s, he made it his life goal to save one kid at a time. Walter was fortunate to become the CEO of San Diego Youth Services (SDYS) in July 2000.  SDYS serves over 20,000 homeless, abused and at-risk youth and their families each year. Walter has worked for almost 40 years in San Diego as a social worker, including over 30 years in administrative leadership positions in community based non-profits.  In addition, he has served on numerous local and statewide committees and boards.  This includes serving as the immediate past Chair of the California Coalition for Youth, which is the main voice and advocate for homeless youth at the State level.  Because of his leadership in the San Diego community, Walter has received numerous awards, including Social Worker of the Year (2002), Most Admired CEO for large Nonprofits (2011), and Behavioral Health Person of the Year (2018). In addition to raising their own two biological children, Walter and his wife have been foster parents to a son who experienced homelessness and incarceration in the juvenile and adult correctional system.  Walter is an avid endurance athlete who has combined his passions by raising funds and awareness for at-risk youth through several running/biking endurance events.  

Walter is speaking during Successful Models For Serving Children With Complex Needs.

Lori is the Vice President of Clinical Services for the Northeast region of Arisa Health, the largest provider of mental health services for the state, covering 41 counties in Arkansas. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, she leads all clinical programs and services for the 11 counties in the Northeast region of the state.  She has 27 years of experience, serving our most vulnerable persons who struggle with mental health and substance use issues, both in direct service provision and administrative roles.  Lori has served her agency in several roles: school-based therapist, consultant/trainer with schools in Positive Behavior Supports under a SAMHSA grant, collaborated with Craighead County to create a Juvenile Drug Court program, and now works to help grow Arisa’s outpatient and residential treatment programs. Additionally, she is certified as an Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (AADC) and Clinical Supervisor (CS) for Counselors in Training in Arisa’s substance use programs. 

Lori is speaking during Successful Models For Serving Children With Complex Needs.

Karyn began her career at Adelphoi in 1990 and has held various roles in marketing, public relations and grant writing. She currently oversees the organization’s marketing and fundraising efforts, and leads the facilitation and execution of Adelphoi’s Strategic Plan. Karyn earned a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Vincent College and an MBA from Clarion University. She received her certification in Strategic Planning from George Washington University. She is a member of the Board of Directors of FirstMatch and the Greater Latrobe-Laurel Valley Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Sexual Abuse Prevention and Education Network Committee, PCCYFS Data and Research Committee, PCCYFS Membership Committee, Rotary International, Association of Strategic Planning and a Volunteer Therapeutic Riding Assistant at Stoneybrook Foundation.

Karyn is speaking during From Paper To Action – How To Successfully Implement Your Strategic Plan.

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.

Ashley Sandoval, Associate Chief Executive Officer for Emergence Health Network (EHN), has close to ten years of experience in the behavioral health arena. As a lead officer for El Paso County’s Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Authority, Ms. Sandoval is responsible for the operating and financial sectors of EHN services that include facilitating organizational effective functions and leading large-scale projects. EHN assists more than 15,000 local residents with their mental health/IDD and substance use treatment needs and operates more than 19 service locations throughout the region.

Previously, Ms. Sandoval served as Chief Operating Officer for EHN’s Mental Health Division, Director of Budgeting and Plant Operations and Operations Accountant at Emergence Health Network.  She also has experience in the Human Resources arena and worked as an Employee Assistance Program Representative for Sun City Behavioral Health Care, Emergence’s non-profit subsidiary.

Ms. Sandoval received both her master’s and bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at El Paso, along with a B.A. in Accountancy.

Ms. Sandoval will be speaking in From Paper To Action – How To Successfully Implement Your Strategic Plan.

Kevin has 3 decades of health care experience. He’s been in EMS for 9 years, IT Director for a TPA with 5 high risk state pools, created the interoperability capabilities and business for a very large EMR vendor as well as helped define and manage all data for the population health platform for that same vendor; he was also the executive over a control substance repository. He has served on committees in the federal space with ONC and CMS, as well as helped states plan and define their data, analysis, and state reporting. Currently Kevin has responsibility over Data Innovations for Qualifacts. He has executive responsibilities over the strategies for big data.

Kevin is speaking Overcoming The Data Challenges That MA&A Can Create: Best Practices In Maintaining Continuity In Client Data.

Stephen Smith is co-founder and CEO of NOCD — the largest telehealth provider focused on ending worldwide OCD suffering, and home to the world’s largest OCD patient community, providing hundreds of thousands of annual treatment visits through an international OCD-specialized network.

After emerging from a personal struggle with OCD and experiencing first-hand success of Exposure & Response Prevention (ERP) therapy, Smith began to transform the behavioral health system aiming to create an anytime, anywhere virtual care platform allowing those suffering to be diagnosed quickly, accurately, and treated appropriately.

Smith ensured that evidence-based OCD treatment can be insurance-covered, demonstrated by NOCD currently managing 108 million commercially covered lives. He has secured over $84M in financing since 2018, was named to Forbes 2021 30 under 30 in Healthcare, and to the 2020 Crain’s Notable Entrepreneur List.

Stephen is speaking during Integrating Digital Tools Into Service Delivery.

Dr. Lindsey Sneed is the Vice President of Clinical Excellence, providing clinical oversight and leadership to the organization. She also conducts applied research where she evaluates the efficacy of different models of care and assists in the development of new care models with a specialized interest in parent-mediated interventions, parental stress and parental self-efficacy. Dr. Sneed emphasizes the value of person-centered care that accentuates the self-determination of individuals and the whole family.

Dr. Sneed has been working in the field of behavioral health treatment, specifically supporting autistic individuals and people with other development disabilities, for 15 years and has been with Catalight for 10 years. Her experience includes direct implementation of applied behavior analysis, parent-mediated interventions, diagnostics, and CBT with youth and adults who are both neurodiverse and neurotypical. Dr. Sneed holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral level. She also has a Master of Science in Applied Psychology and Master of Science in Educational Counseling.

Lindsey is speaking during the Planning A Digital Consumer Experience.

Michaela has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from ASU. Throughout her career she found her niche in health care administration and operations. She has worked at Copa Health for over nine years in a variety of roles including Clinical Coordinator (East Valley Campus), Clinical Director (West Valley/Wickenburg), Site Administrator (Arrowhead Campus), and most recently, Director of Health Information Management (Brookstone).

Michaela played a vital role in working across all Integrated Health Solutions locations to support Copa Health in various value based purchasing arrangements, resulting in improved health outcomes for members in addition to earning financial incentives for the organization. Under her leadership, Michaela’s team built the infrastructure for measurement-based care across multiple service lines allowing Copa Health to be well positioned for program expansion across the state of Arizona.

Michaela is passionate about supporting employees by being accessible, responsive, transparent, and optimistic. She strives to create opportunities that allow staff to be innovative in their work leading to improved job satisfaction and performance resulting in members receiving the best possible care within every service line.

Michaela is speaking during the Planning A Digital Consumer Experience.

Mihali Stavlas is the founder and CEO of Mellōnaid, an analytical and creative-driven agency in Raleigh, North Carolina. For more than 15 years at Mellōnaid, Mihali has helped clients capture and recreate their brand’s story, build brand experience and online platforms by encompassing the full spectrum of all its touchpoints: identity, collateral materials, advertising, marketing, user experience and interactive media. Mihali oversees all strategy and brand experience efforts that help clients convert prospects into advocates.

In addition to overseeing Mellōnaid, Mihali currently serves as President of the American Marketing Association’s (AMA) Professional Chapter Council. He previously served as President of the AMA Triangle, an advisor to North Carolina Center for Nonprofits and an advisor to AIGA Raleigh (American Institute of Graphic Arts). In addition, Mihali has hosted a radio talk show out of California called This Week in Marketing and is a national speaker on the topics of marketing, design and leadership.

Mihali graduated from one of the nation’s top design schools, Virginia Commonwealth University, with a Bachelor of Communication Arts. The marketing community has recognized Mihali as one of the Triangle AMA’s Volunteer of the Year and with one of the Triangle Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Awards.

When not at work, Mihali can be found jumping out of planes, flying a Boeing-Stearman Model 75, or partnering with local organizations to help bring transformation in North Carolina. Mihali is married to his best friend, Laura and they have two children.

Mihali is speaking during Using Content Marketing To Build Your Brand & Drive Referrals.Edit Speaker 

Uriel currently serves as the Director of Family Services for Easterseals MORC. She has worked with both adults and children in a variety of behavioral health settings in both Michigan and Texas. She is deeply invested in children and families who have experienced psychological trauma and is a master trainer in the promising practice of Intergenerational Trauma Treatment model.

Uriel is speaking during Programs For Addressing The Needs Of Children & Teens With Physical & Mental Service Needs.

As General Manager of Integrated Care, Neal Tilghman endorses a client focused and strategic market model around Netsmart’s solutions with a keen awareness of the current state of behavioral health, addictions treatment and physical health, while maintaining a forward-looking approach as to where our clients need to be and how we get them there with the appropriate technology. As an advocate of integrated care and its inclusion of addictions, Neal promotes whole-person care as the best means to improve patient care, achieve better outcomes and reduce costs. Neal completed his graduated studies at East Carolina University and has 30 years of experience in behavioral health.

Cheryl Tuning is the Chief Marketing Officer for Easterseals UCP (ESUCP). As part of the organization’s executive leadership team, she is responsible for upholding the ESUCP brand and bringing their marketing strategies to life. As CMO, Cheryl’s team is responsible for creating unified messaging and storytelling opportunities, web development, social media and working directly with internal teams to promote and attract new funders, new hires and new families to support.

She is both innovative and entrepreneurial, with a reputation for building meaningful relationships, exceeding expectations but most importantly, identifying and developing great Marketing talent. Cheryl and her team have the privilege of working directly with ESUCP’s frontline programs in accelerating a playbook of marketing plans that promote the agency’s purpose of helping individuals living with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and mental health challenges live their best life.

Cheryl received her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Marketing from Illinois State University. She enjoys reading, writing and traveling with her husband.

Cheryl is speaking during Using Content Marketing To Build Your Brand & Drive Referrals.Edit Speaker 

Anne Tyree, MPA, CFRE, is Regional Chief Operating Officer for Centerstone operations in Illinois. She joined Centerstone through a merger with her former organization in 2014. Centerstone is a nonprofit health system providing mental health and substance use disorder treatments. Services are available nationally through the operation of outpatient clinics, residential programs, and the use of telehealth and an inpatient hospital. As Regional COO, Tyree oversees Illinois operations, administrative and support systems for 600 staff members serving over 10,000 clients annually in Southern Illinois. Previously Tyree served as the organization’s Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Centerstone, she worked for a number of nonprofit human services organizations in Chicago, Illinois and as a nonprofit consultant. In these roles she planned and implemented significant strategic growth initiatives, revenue enhancement projects, public policy and marketing initiatives, and the development and funding of services to better serve children, adults and families experiencing behavioral health challenges. Tyree retired from the Illinois Air National Guard after serving as an enlisted member and becoming an officer; at her retirement she held the rank of Major (0-4).

She has more than 20 years expertise in strategic business planning, marketing, financial reporting and budgeting, and program and business development. Tyree received her B.A. from the University of Illinois-Chicago and her MPA with an emphasis on health care from American Public University.  

Tyree has led a number of state and local boards and commissions, and remains involved with state, local and national organizations that support improving the funding and provision of behavioral health services.   

Anne is speaking during Too Small To Survive – How Do I Find An Acquisition Or Affiliation Partner?

Brandon’s unique background as a technologist and licensed psychologist allows him to understand both the technical and clinical aspects of integrating valuable technology solutions in healthcare settings. He and his team do this by assistingstaff in using new technologies to more effectively deliver care, by ensuring that staff receive important information about a person’s unique health needs, and by facilitating collaboration between healthcare professionals using efficient and secure technologies.

During his tenure at the Mental Health Center of Denver, Brandon has provided direct care and led various technology teams. His early career clinical specialties were in the treatment of anxiety issues and substance abuse. However, in recentyears, he became a core member of the Harm Reduction Committee, whose mission is to reduce instances of harm to self and others for the community members served by the Mental Health Center of Denver. His work on this committee has played an important rolein implementing several company wide risk reduction initiatives, all with the necessary technology components to support staff in identifying at-risk individuals and identifying ongoing intervention needs.

In addition to his involvement in clinical technology solutions, Brandon also oversees the implementation of technology solutions for many other parts of the business, including human resources, payroll, accounting, facilities, and so on. This necessitates a focus for continuously maturing project management practices and an overall commitment to interoperability between enterprise systems. Brandon oversees a team of staff that follow an Agile Development methodology which allows them to work closely with stakeholders, carefully prioritize upcoming work, and regularly evaluate processes that need improvement. His staff of developers, business analysts, system technicians, and quality assurance professionals work carefully to ensure that software systems at the Mental Health Center of Denver are thoughtfully integrated to support data integrity, ease of use, and scalability.

Brandon is speaking during Integrating Digital Tools Into Service Delivery.

Dr. Tamra Williams is a Clinical Psychologist and a results-driven public service and behavioral healthcare executive with. Her areas of expertise include managed care operations, large-scale clinical program design and implementation, and children’s mental health.   

Dr. Williams oversees the Montgomery County, PA Department of Health and Human Services where she engages in short and long term strategic planning blending health, social services and managed care solutions. She brings over 15 years leadership experience in managed care, county government, and non-profit settings to the department. Prior to that, Dr. Williams was the Chief Clinical Officer for a behavioral health managed care organization representing over 700,000 lives. In this role, she oversaw a number of initiatives related to children’s behavioral health including development of Medicaid funded school-based treatment programs, value-based contracting, integrated care, and development of a quality and accessible continuum of care.  

Dr. Williams obtained her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Florida with a minor in public health policy & management and completed her pre-doctoral training at Yale University’s School of Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry and post-doctoral training in the Division of Law & Psychiatry.

Tamra is speaking during Best Practices In Working With Payers For Children With Complex Needs.

Dr. Williams serves as the director of Quality and Data Management for MHSD. Dr. Williams is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst – Doctoral Level. Dr. Williams has over 15 years of professional experience. Among her roles, she is a consultant, trainer, practitioner, and researcher. Her clinical experiences focus on direct services to youth (e.g., individual, group, and family therapy) for a variety of presenting psychopathology and utilizing ABA methodologies in treatment planning. Her administrative experiences are in healthcare operations including behavioral health program development, accreditation, federal grants, informatics/analytics, and complex project management. She has developed and facilitated trainings and workshops for mental health centers, schools, and community organizations. Dr Williams has authored book chapters and her research can be found in peer reviewed journals.

Dr. Williams brings an in-depth understanding of quality and data management to MHSD. The Quality and Data Management division strives to establish a data driven environment, that includes but is not limited to system infrastructure, data management, and service delivery monitoring, that supports continuous quality improvement across MHSD. 

Kashunda is speaking during Making Tough Decisions: When & How To Close Or Change Services.

Doug started working with Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center in August 2000. With nearly 30 years of clinical experience, Doug has served in many ways in the mental health field, including as an outpatient therapist, quality assurance manager, risk manager, HIPAA compliance officer, and director of crisis services at SEKMHC. He has vast experience working with all age groups, treating a wide variety of clinical issues. Special groups he has experience with include military personnel, law enforcement, and families. His career has led him to opportunities in a variety of settings including outpatient mental health centers, a university counseling center, a juvenile detention center, a prison, and centers for the developmentally delayed.

Dr. Doug Wright will be speaking during The Tech & Human Infrastructure For Hybrid Care: Coordinating Virtual, In-Clinic & In-Home Services.

Dr. Shawna Wright is the Director of the University of Kansas Center for Telemedicine & Telehealth and the President/CEO of Wright Psychological Services. She is a licensed psychologist (Kansas and Nebraska), and she obtained her graduate training in clinical psychology at Texas Tech University. Dr. Wright worked for over a decade in community mental health and has been a practicing telepsychologist since 2011.

Through her experience with providing treatment to rural and underserved population, Dr. Wright is keenly aware of the impact of the shortage of medical and mental health providers, and she sees the promise of telehealth for improving access to care. She has particular interests in advancing telehealth policy and engaging medical and mental health professionals and students in telemedicine education.

Dr. Wright works with KUMC’s Project ECHO as project facilitator and behavioral health content expert to assist Kansas health/mental health providers with increasing access to up-to-date research outcomes, best practices and standards of care to reduce health disparities.

Locally, Dr. Wright is a member of the Rural and Frontier Subcommittee of the Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Planning Council, the Kansas State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup, and the Kansas Prescription Drug and Opioid Advisory Committee. Her work with these groups to understand gaps in access to care and to identify ways telemedicine can be leveraged to increase access to care.

Shawna Wright will be speaking during The Tech & Human Infrastructure For Hybrid Care: Coordinating Virtual, In-Clinic & In-Home Services.

Casey Bell has been with OPEN MINDS since 2001 and has served in a variety of functional areas throughout her tenure and has developed expertise in web development, network and database management, publications, marketing and promotions, and project management.

Currently, Mrs. Bell serves as OPEN MINDS Chief Operating Officer and is instrumental across all of OPEN MINDS departments, including finance, network and database, subscription services, and consulting. In this role, she manages multiple projects, assists staff members in using computer applications to their full capabilities, and evaluates and develops new initiatives for OPEN MINDS staff and customers.

In addition, Mrs. Bell manages the OPEN MINDS Industry Database with its more than 500,000 organizational records. Leading this core department, she has developed and maintains six different industry stakeholder datasets, specializing in Microsoft Access and SQL Server.

In previous roles, Mrs. Bell has overseen the development and management of the OPEN MINDS web site and promotional plans. She was responsible for several areas of the company’s marketing and customer outreach, including design and administration for the company’s web site, coordinating the electronic distribution of the company’s e-publications, and providing technical support to customers. She has also directed the OPEN MINDS sales team and provided support for the company’s annual publications.

Mrs. Bell is a Gettysburg native and studied accounting at Messiah College.

Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT, brings more than 30 years of experience providing behavioral health treatment in the public and community settings to the OPEN MINDS team. She currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Business Development. In this role, Ms. Bond focuses on growing the OPEN MINDS client portfolio across all nine verticals of OPEN MINDS business.

Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Bond served concurrently as a Program Coordinator III and Clinical Manager of Adult Services and a Program Coordinator II and Clinical Manager of Recovery Services for the Ozark Guidance Center. In these roles, Ms. Bond was responsible for the administrative and clinical oversight of the adult outpatient and adult intensive mental health services on the Springdale Campus as well as the adult recovery/co-occurring services, including domestic violence and anger management treatment.

Prior to joining the Ozark Guidance Center, Ms. Bond served as the Executive Vice President of Center Point, Inc, a large substance abuse provider agency in California. In this role, Ms. Bond was responsible for the clinical and administrative supervision of all community-based programs as well as the women and children residential programs. In addition, Ms. Bond also managed budgets, interacted with funding agencies, and built positive relationships with all stakeholders. Ms. Bond was also in charge of proposal and grant writing, staff management, and training, facilities’ licensing and certifications renewals. Additionally, she prepared and submitted monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports to various funders.

Previously, Ms. Bond served as the President and CEO of Mental Health Systems, Inc. Ms. Bond was very instrumental in growing the agency from $12 million in annual revenue to more than $100 million and becoming one of the largest providers of behavioral health services in California. In this role, Ms. Bond was responsible for the strategic, clinical, financial, and administrative health of the agency, including direct supervision of Senior Executive Staff. In addition, Bond ensured contract compliance of the agency’s 125 different contracts across federal and state agencies and eight counties.

Ms. Bond received her bachelor’s degree in psychology, with honors, and her master’s degree in counseling education from San Diego State University. She is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in both California and Arkansas.

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.

Emily Del Vecchio brings over 14 years of experience in strategic, customer-focused, and results-driven marketing in retail and the behavioral health field. Ms. Del Vecchio is the Executive Vice President of Partnerships for OPEN MINDS.

Previously, Ms. Del Vecchio was the Marketing and Communications Manager II for Cleveland Clinic. As Cleveland Clinic’s global interests grew, Ms. Del Vecchio was promoted to manage international marketing and support for International Operations, Global Patient Services, international business development, and global expansion efforts. She was instrumental in setting up the London Marketing and Communications function ensuring the UK-based team was connected to US resources and providing corporate oversight for all foundational marketing elements including recruitment advertising campaigns, grand opening promotional strategy and events, and the creation of a localized website and online tools for patients and referring doctors. She also served as a senior member of the cross-departmental “Digital Optimization Team” that was responsible for strategic oversight of all digital lead generation campaigns, designing, executing, and analyzing testing strategies to roll out scalable programs; and managed day-to-day relationship with digital agency and marketing automation partners.

Prior to Cleveland Clinic, Ms. Del Vecchio was Senior Manager, Affiliate Marketing for Gen3 Marketing. Ms. Del Vecchio led the day-to-day management and strategic development of affiliate marketing programs for some of Gen3’s highest-profile clients ranging from financial services to high-end, luxury retail. She operated as an extension of the client’s internal marketing team to support key initiatives, drive increased sales and maintain set budgets. Ms. Del Vecchio established strong relationships with publishers and network teams on behalf of clients to effectively structure and negotiate terms, secure paid placements, and ensure overall brand presence across affiliate sites. She tracked campaign performance, identified trends and growth opportunities, and analyzed key metrics.

Before Gen3, Ms. Del Vecchio advanced to Online Marketing Specialist, Affiliate Marketing for QVC, Inc. Here she managed QVC’s affiliate marketing program, which had 1K+ publisher partners and generated over $200M in annual revenue. She oversaw daily program activities, implemented strategic plans and offer strategies, managed a multi-million dollar budget, and exceeded aggressive revenue goals. Ms. Del Vecchio ran QVC’s most successful publisher optimization campaign at the time, which generated $300K+ in incremental sales among mid-tier publishers in one month. Ms. Del Vecchio and her team provided creative briefs for print and television, attended photo and video shoots, and oversaw projects from concept to execution. 

Ms. Del Vecchio received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration for Marketing at Elon University, Elon, NC.

Dee DeWitt has extensive experience as a consultant and corporate leader in the healthcare field. Mr. DeWitt brings over 28 years of experience in healthcare finance and operations, M&A, use of technology, strategic planning, and change management in healthcare organizations to OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate.

Previously, Mr. DeWitt was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Momentum for Health, a CARF-accredited non-profit behavioral health organization providing services to individuals with a diagnosed serious mental illness (SMI) and/or substance abuse disorder, in San Jose, California. During his tenure, Mr. DeWitt increased outpatient productivity by 25% and contributed to growing revenues from $55 million to a projected $71+ million for the fiscal year of 2023. Mr. DeWitt also oversaw Momentum ‘s pilot with Santa Clara County’s transition to Netsmart Provider Connect and led a successful grant award and implementation of a multi-year paid intern program in partnership with Santa Clara University, San Jose University, and Palo Alto University.

Mr. DeWitt was also the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Veridian Financial Group, a strategic consulting firm specializing in performing long-term, on-site C-level and Director roles, evaluating and implementing financial strategies, strategic operational planning, and development strategies for companies that are poised for significant growth, change, or require turnaround attention, in San Jose, California. During his time at Veridian Financial Group, Mr. DeWitt focused primarily on healthcare, finance, technology, and private equity and coordinated licensing, compliance, and external audits for 42 state licenses, including managed care organizations, managed care plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and service provider organizations.

In addition, Mr. DeWitt served as Chief Financial Officer and a Consultant in Strategic Planning and Finance for Home Recovery – Home Aid, Inc., a private equity-backed, for-profit company that provides personal care and skilled care in 35 locations and in-home care throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. During his time there, Mr. DeWitt was a member of the company’s executive management team, audit team, and License & Compliance team. Mr. DeWitt also served as Chief Financial Officer of Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc., a for-profit holding company comprised of 5 home health companies, 4 hospice companies, and 2 private duty/personal care companies. Mr. DeWitt has also been the Chief Financial and Technology Officer for The Filson, a nationally renowned non-profit archive and research institute, and Director of Strategic Development for Signature Healthcare, LLC, a national private equity-backed for-profit, long-term care company operating over 180 facilities, with 18,000 employees, and over $1 billion in revenues.

Mr. DeWitt also held the positions of Deputy Director of Behavioral Health at the County of Ventura, CA Behavioral Health Services Department, and Director of Finance and Management Services of the Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services (SEABHS), a joint commissioned accredited non-profit.

Mr. DeWitt graduated from the University of Louisville, Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and a Master’s in Political Science with a concentration in Economics and Public Policy.

Christy Dye is a data-focused healthcare executive who brings over 30 years of experience supporting provider organizations, state agencies, and communities in achieving their business, operational, and quality goals in health and human services to OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate. Christy’s career has included working as a state Medicaid leader, a national expert in substance abuse treatment systems, health information exchange and interoperability, and as chief executive for Arizona’s leading integrated primary/behavioral healthcare provider.

Prior to OPEN MINDS, Ms. Dye served as Chief Business Development Officer for Health Current, (division of Contexture), Arizona’s statewide health information exchange (HIE). While there, Ms. Dye developed provider education and training programs in using clinical and administrative data to improve patient outcomes and manage value-based reimbursement contracts. She led the Health Current HIE research data initiative in partnership with Arizona State University and also served as co-principal investigator for a National Institute of Mental Health project at ASU focused on information sharing for behavioral health populations.

Ms. Dye is the former Chief Executive Officer for Partners in Recovery (now Copa Health), an Arizona agency serving more than 10,000 adults with serious mental illness. At Partners she created a network of fully integrated behavioral and primary care clinics for SMI adults, and launched the company’s population health, value-based and complex care programs, including Arizona’s only Medical Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team.

Prior to PIR, she served as Division Chief for Clinical and Recovery Services and Arizona’s state substance abuse director at the Arizona Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health. As a state official, she served on a team charged with the re-design of Medicaid behavioral health benefits in Arizona and oversaw the expansion of the state’s contracted managed care system to a more recovery focused model, including expansion of peer-delivered mental health, addiction, and consumer-operated services.

Ms. Dye graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master’s in Public Health Administration. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is an active member of the Community Advisory Board for Health Informatics at ASU’s College of Health Solutions.

Nicole Garris brings a wide variety of expertise to the OPEN MINDS team, including an extensive background in marketing, creative direction, and brand development and management. In addition to a multitude of experience in digital, traditional and social media marketing, she has years of experience as a graphic designer. She currently serves as a Senior Associate for OPEN MINDS.

In her role at OPEN MINDS, Ms. Garris helped earn the 2017 Silver Healthcare Marketing Impact Award for PsychU’s 2016 Stigma Campaign. She also grew subscribers of PsychU.org from 2,500 to 36,000+ in 3.5 years through developing and executing comprehensive marketing plans.

Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Garris served as the Director of Marketing, Culinary Services Group. In this role, she defined and oversaw the execution of strategy for corporate/business dining for all business lines including senior living, hospitals, behavioral health care and retail. Ms.Garris developed the editorial calendar as well as implemented the strategic content marketing plans. She increased LinkedIn followers by 59% in 12 month, from 2,668 to over 4300+. In addition, Ms. Garris utilized blog posts in email campaigns to convert leads to clients, generating an additional $630,000 in revenue for 2019.

Prior to joining Culinary Services Group, Ms. Garris developed and managed the formalwear and factory store brands of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, a prominent men’s retailer composed of 600+ stores nationwide. In this role, she engineered and ensured the consistent look of all branding, promotions, in-store signage, and outward communications.

Ms. Garris has also worked as an independent marketing and design consultant for multiple organizations—specializing in social media integration, campaign design and execution, and multichannel marketing strategies.

Ms. Garris is a 2009 graduate of the Art Institute of York, Pennsylvania where she earned an Associate Degree in Specialized Technology with a Major in Graphic Design.

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.

Lauren Nunn brings her expertise in event planning, marketing, and campaign development to OPEN MINDS as the General Manager of Executive Education.

Previously, Ms. Nunn was the Program and Marketing Director for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation in Tampa, Florida. In this diverse role, Ms. Nunn supervised the foundation’s event and marketing teams and was responsible for event planning/logistics, implementing a strategic plan for the foundation’s digital marketing efforts, and developing custom campaigns for corporate partners.

Prior to her role as Program and Marketing Director, Ms. Nunn served as the foundation’s Program Manager and was responsible for enhancing national programs through innovative campaigns, implementing event marketing strategies, and coordinating more than 20 annual events. Ms. Nunn worked heavily on the foundation’s Fashion Funds the Cure program and event series. A main component of which was a nation-wide event tour that partnered with some of the country’s leading property companies, retail vendors, and corporate entities to create high-end fashion show galas and ultimately raise critical funds for pediatric cancer research.

Ms. Nunn enjoys both the creative and the analytical aspects of her work, she strives to embrace out-of-the-box thinking while also ensuring strategic implementation of processes and communication across teams.  Her work style has been heavily influenced by her background in performing arts and work with local non-profit organizations in the Tampa Bay area. She strives to bring a broad view and creative edge to her work and is always searching for new ways to engage an audience.

Ms. Nunn graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in health management and biological science.

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.