Rise

Michael T. Baer Plan Medical Director

AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania

Michael T. Baer, MD, CPC, board certified in Family Medicine, began his Medicaid career in 2005 after nearly 20 years of outpatient medicine in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.  Dr. Baer has previously worked in the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Bureau of Fee For Service from 2005 to 2012.  In 2012 he joined AmeriHealth Caritas Pennsylvania (ACPA) as the plan medical director.  After 5 years he left ACPA to work at Cotiviti, a payment accuracy company, from 2017 to 2019.  Dr. Baer returned AmeriHealth Caritas in 2019 as a Utilization Management (UM) medical director.  In August 2021 he transitioned to a Corporate Medical Director in the Population Health managing 10 UM medical directors and overseeing UM in 5 states.  In March of 2022, Dr. Baer became the Plan Medical Director for ACPA in a role similar to his role from 2012 to 2017.  Dr. Baer has lived in Carlisle, Pennsylvania since 1988 with his wife, 3 grown children and 2 grandchildren.

Michael Bagel Associate Vice President, Public Policy

Alliance for Community Health Plans

Michael is a public policy expert with more than 15 years of working with federal policymakers and lawmakers to advance regulatory and legislative activities. He previously served as a senior policy advisor at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Secretary, attorney with the Office of Management and Budget, and as a law clerk at the US Department of Labor and Health Policy Associate with the Senate Finance Committee.

Meaghan Baier Director of Health Innovation

McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy & Research at NYU

As the Director of Healthcare Innovation, Meaghan Baier manages ongoing projects and partnerships supporting healthcare transformation, some of which include initiatives related to payment reform, organizational readiness, and the design and implementation of technical assistance and resources tailored specifically to the needs of partners and stakeholders.  One of the main projects Baier manages is the Managed Care Technical Assistance Center (MCTAC), helping to oversee the daily operations and supporting the development of healthcare transformation work in New York State. 
 
Baier was previously the Assistant Director of Strategic Operations at McSilver, and prior to her time at NYU, she was the Project Manager in the Department of Innovations at Institute for Community Living (ICL), one of MCTAC’s provider partners. In this role, she was responsible for the coordination and management of MCTAC and Community Technical Assistance Center of New York (CTAC) deliverables, including the management of various CTAC business offerings. 
 
Baier received her MSW degree from Hunter College’s Silberman School of Social Work in Community Organizing, Planning and Development. Prior to her graduate studies, she lived in Alaska working as an advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence and as a program coordinator for children who had experienced abuse and neglect. 

Andrew Cleek Chief Program Officer

McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy & Research at NYU

Dr. Andrew F. Cleek is an expert on the scalable implementation of systems change initiatives, particularly related to healthcare reform, value based payments, Medicaid managed care, and trauma-informed services.  Dr. Cleek is the Chief Program Officer at NYU’s McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research. In this role, Dr. Cleek oversees a portfolio of technical assistance offering training and support to all behavioral health, child welfare and intellectual and development disabilities serving agencies in New York State.  He additionally directs a number of initiatives involving trauma informed care, early childhood mental health and the implementation of healthcare reform.  

Prior to his current role, Dr. Cleek was the founding director of the Urban Institute for Behavioral Health an association of 15 Nonprofits dedicated to the implementation of evidence based models in real world settings.  Dr. Cleek has 15 years of experience leading local and statewide, and national technical assistance activities to nonprofit improve business, clinical, and administrative operations.   

Dr.Cleek holds a Psy.D. and MA in Clinical Psychology from Spalding University, a BA in psychology from California State University, Long Beach and is also a Research Assistant Professor at the NYU School of Medicine. 

Shannon Decker, M.Ed., MBA, PhD Principal

VBC One

Dr. Shannon Decker is principal at VBC One, a consulting firm assisting physician groups, health plans and vendors maximize the performance of their value based contracts and offerings.  Dr. Decker has more than 20 years experience in health care and most recently led teams in risk, quality, data and analytics, telehealth, COVID response and delegation compliance.  Of her more than 20 years of experience in healthcare--15 include working with risk adjustment, quality and Medicare. Dr. Decker has a PhD. in Interdisciplinary Studies, dual MBA degrees--in Finance and in Marketing, as well as an M.Ed. in Secondary Education and a M.Ed. in Administration and Leadership. Dr. Decker is on the faculty at Arizona State University and is also an associate professor of Higher Education & Adult Learning (HEAL) and chief methodologist for Walden and Capella Universities where she chairs and oversees the dissertations of doctoral students. An author of two books and several peer-reviewed articles, and a prolific national public speaker, her interests include the study of human behavior and how theories on motivation and learning may be brought to bear on population health management.

Cassandra Diorio MPH, CHES, CLC, Marketing Manager

Capital District Physicians' Health Plan, Inc.

Cassie Diorio joined CDPHP in 2016 and currently serves as marketing manager. In this role, Cassie leads member-focused, data-driven marketing strategies to increase engagement with CDPHP products and services. Throughout her tenure at CDPHP, Cassie has led and supported various population health initiatives, most notably those that impact family health and the improvement of birth outcomes within the community. Cassie holds a Bachelor of Science from the University at Albany, a Master of Public Health from the University at Albany School of Public Health, and a certificate of graduate study in maternal and child health.

Kelly Fernandez Senior Director, Managed Care & Value Based Contracting

RWJBarnabas Health

With over 15 years of experience across the health care industry, Kelly Fernandez has a proven track record of driving change through innovative value-based solutions. Kelly helped to launch and operationalize a first-of-its-kind strategic health care alliance during her tenure with New Jersey’s largest health insurance provider. She currently directs the negotiation of market-leading value-based contracts across commercial, Medicare Advantage, and Managed Medicaid (including pay-for-performance, MLR, shared savings/shared risk, bundles, and episodes of care) at RWJ Barnabas Health, New Jersey’s most comprehensive health care delivery system. Having built pioneering strategic partnerships from both the payer and provider sides, Kelly offers a unique and well-rounded perspective on the current and future state of health care.

Shannon Fortran Unit Director, Children’s Outpatient Programs, Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families

New York State Office of Mental Health

Shannon Fortran currently works for the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) in the Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families as the Director of Children’s Outpatient Programs Unit.  The unit supports a variety of child and family-serving programs and initiatives including, Mental Health Outpatient Treatment and Rehabilitative Services (MHOTRS)/clinic and school-based satellites, Child and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS), and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).  In Shannon’s tenure with OMH, she primarily focused on the operation and transition of the Children’s OMH Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Waiver Program, the roll-out of the Children’s Medicaid Transformation, and the implementation of CFTSS. Prior to OMH, Shannon worked as a clinician and clinical supervisor with a primary focus on trauma and dyadic treatment.

Carmen Heredia Cabinet Executive Officer and Executive Deputy Director

Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s Medicaid and CHIP Program

Carmen Heredia serves as the executive deputy director of Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s Medicaid and CHIP Program, overseeing the provision of acute, behavioral health, and long-term care services and supports to more than 2.5 million Arizona residents at an annual cost of $22 billion. She was appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs on December 23, 2022.

Throughout her career, Ms. Heredia has passionately advocated for access to quality health care and education for underserved populations. Directly prior to joining AHCCCS, Ms. Heredia was the CEO of Valle del Sol, a provider organization delivering integrated behavioral health and primary care health as a federally qualified health center and a federally certified community behavioral health center.

Ms. Heredia has served on a variety of government task forces and boards, including St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, the Arizona Council of Human Service Providers, the Center for the Future of Arizona, the Arizona Alliance of Community Health Centers, National Council of Behavioral Health, the Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corporation, Contexture Health Information Exchange, and the ASU College of Health Solutions. She is a 2021 Virginia G. Piper Fellow and an alum of the Hispanic Leadership Institute. Ms. Heredia holds a master’s degree in social work from Arizona State University with a concentration in planning and administration.

Jodina Hicks President

Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania

Jodina Hicks is the President of Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania (VOAPA).  VOAPA is a $12million organization, focused on health equity and housing across Pennsylvania.  VOAPA’s mission is to equip and empower individuals and communities experiencing greatest inequity.   

Prior, Jodina led UrbanPromise Ministries in Camden, NJ, an organization she helped to start earlier in her career. Jodina led national demonstration projects focused on prison reform and prevention while at Public/Private Ventures, where she helped launch Amachi and the Ready4Work (President’s Reentry Initiative).  Both initiatives were highlighted in State of the Union addresses and led to new federal funding streams.   

She was a senior executive of the Safer Foundation (IL), a prisoner reentry/employment organization. Her work at Safer reached 10,000 people each year, and her policy work at Safer included the writing and passage of state and local legislation aimed at reducing barriers for formerly incarcerated individuals, federal testimony and state reentry policies and procedures. 

Jodina earned her Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School. Jodina was given the New Jersey Hero Award from the Governor (2014), the MLK legacy award from Rutgers Law School (2018), was named a top 100 Pennsylvania Non-Profit Leaders (2022), and awarded the Mary Philbrook Award (2023).  

Terry Hill Executive Director & Founder and Senior Advisor for Rural Health Leadership and Policy

Rural Health Innovations & National Rural Health Resource Center

Terry Hill is the Founder, former CEO, and currently Senior Advisor for Rural Health Leadership and Policy at the National Rural Health Resource Center.  Besides leading the Center, Hill led the Minnesota Center for Rural Health, as well as a consortium of 54 rural hospitals and clinics, two Regional Emergency Medical Services systems and a health services planning agency. Over his long professional career, he has worked directly with more than a hundred hospitals, led a dozen rural national demonstration projects, co-authored numerous research papers and healthcare articles, and served as faculty for medical students, pharmacy students, physician assistant students and health administration students.  He has served as president of the Minnesota Public Health Association and the National Cooperative of Health Networks and served on numerous boards including the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinics.  Hill also received lifetime achievement awards from both the National Rural Health Association (2014) and the Minnesota Rural Health Association (2019).  He currently lives in woods north of Duluth, Minnesota with his wife, three dogs, two cats and occasional grandchildren.

Sarah Iversen Senior Policy Analyst

Jefferson Health Plans

Sarah Iversen is a Senior Policy Analyst for the Health Partners Medicaid & CHIP programs, which are products of Jefferson Health Plans where she leads the redetermination efforts to ensure eligible Medicaid and CHIP members retain health coverage during the unwinding period. As part of the Government Affairs teams, Sarah plays a crucial role in fostering relationships with elected officials and promoting policy objectives. In addition, Sarah has over 5 years of experience in the public sector where she served as the Executive Director of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee for the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus. Sarah has an M.A. in foreign policy from Lancaster University and a B.A. in world diplomacy from the University of Richmond.

Mark LeVota Executive Director

District of Columbia Behavioral Health Association

Mark LeVota has served as the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Behavioral Health Association since May 2016. He is chair of the Department of Behavioral Health's Behavioral Health Planning Council and previously chaired the District's Medicaid Medical Care Advisory Committee. He is a commissioner on the District Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. He served as co-chair of the recruitment and retention subcommittee of the Mayor’s Healthcare Workforce Task Force. Regionally, Mark was a member of the planning team for the DC, Maryland, and Virginia Regional Opioid & Substance Abuse Summit and for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Regional Behavioral Health Forum: Criminal Justice Diversion & Reducing Stigma. Nationally, Mark serves on the Public Policy Committee and the Addictions Committee of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. 

Mark comes to DCBHA following eleven years with Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, where he led the organization's grant and contract applications team. He holds an MBA from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and an undergraduate degree in Politics from the Catholic University of America. Mark is a District of Columbia Ward 2 homeowner and shares with his wife appreciation for national parks and marine ecosystems. 

Beth Marootian V.P. of Strategy and Business Development

Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island

Beth Ann Marootian is Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.  Beth is responsible for corporate strategy, annual goal setting, identification, and assessment of strategic business opportunities. Beth is also responsible for the health plans accountable care organization program covering over 175,000 Medicaid lives across 7 organizations.  

Prior to her work in Business Development, Beth was the Director of Quality Management at Neighborhood.  Her leadership resulted in the health plan receiving NCQA’s Excellent status and #1 Medicaid health plan rating by U.S. News and World Report.

Previous to her work at Neighborhood, Beth was a Commissioned Officer in the US Public Health Service working in the Department of Health and Human Services in the Health Resources and Services Administration and prior to that the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). 

Beth is a former Board Member of The Public’s Radio (RI’s public radio station).   

Beth holds a master’s degree in public health from Yale University.

Sarina Master Director of Adult Special Populations Policy and Programming

New York State Department of Health

Sarina Master serves as the Director of Special Population Policy and Programming in the NYS Department of Health. In this role Sarina leads the design, implementation, and management of Medicaid initiatives that support individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, serious mental illness, substance use disorder, and recent incarceration. Sarina also oversees the state-wide Health Home program which coordinates physical, behavioral, and social care for over 180,000 New Yorkers.  

Prior to working at DOH Sarina helped launch New York’s first Health Home for people with physical disabilities and led one of New York State’s Balancing Incentive Programs (BIP), effectively reducing the avoidable hospital admissions of disabled adults by better training the direct care workforce. Sarina has assisted in the design and development of a Fully Integrated Duals Advantage (FIDA) program and has supported Medicaid Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plan operations. At the beginning of her career Sarina served as a paralegal case manager in the Legal Aid Society’s Health Law Unit, providing direct services to thousands of Medicaid enrollees and uninsured New Yorkers.  

Sarina received a Master’s in Health Administration (MHA) from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and graduated cum laude with a BA from Columbia University. 

Jessica McFarlin Medicaid State Operations Director Sr.

Wellpoint

Jessica McFarlin is the Medicaid State Operations Director for Wellpoint Texas, an affiliate of Elevance Health. Jessica has almost two decades of managed care experience supporting Texas Medicaid programs and has been with Wellpoint for the last ten years. Jessica oversees Wellpoint Texas Operations and the Operational Excellence Committee, assuring contract and reporting requirements, metrics, and performance standards are met. Jessica provides leadership over Wellpoint rural health initiatives and has experience in the areas of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS), Compliance and Provider Relations.  Jessica holds an MBA from Texas Woman’s University and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from Texas Tech University. She serves as a Board Member for the Special Olympics of Texas and Keene Independent School District.

Jamila Michener Associate Professor, Cornell University

Co-Director of the Cornell Center for Health Equity & Author of Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics

Jamila Michener is an associate professor of Government and Public Policy at Cornell University. As of January 2024, she has begun a new role as the inaugural director of Cornell's new Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures. Michener studies poverty, racism, and public policy, with a particular focus on health and housing. She is author of the award-winning book, Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics. She is Associate Dean for Public Engagement at the Brooks School of Public Policy, co-director of the Cornell Center for Health Equity, co-director of the Politics of Race, Immigration, Class and Ethnicity (PRICE) research initiative, and board chair of the Cornell Prison Education Program.

Yavar Moghimi, MD Chief Psychiatric Medical Officer

AmeriHealth Caritas DC

Dr. Yavar Moghimi is the Chief Psychiatric Medical Officer at Amerihealth Caritas DC, where he has extensive experience working with Medicaid populations in Washington DC as a managed care executive and community psychiatrist. He has a track record of innovation when it comes to bridging gaps between behavioral health, physical health, and social services.  He is intimately familiar with the current challenges that our fragmented health system faces as an administrator and clinician and has implemented multiple interventions that address the social drivers of health, complex populations with comorbid substance use conditions, and improved transitions of care.   

Dr. Eliza Ng Chief Medical Officer

Coalition of Asian-American Independent Practice Association (CAIPA)

Dr. Eliza Ng serves as the Chief Medical Officer of CAIPA, an Independent Physician Association that comprises over 1,000 providers and manages over 500,000 lives, and one of the largest and highest performing accountable care organizations (ACOs) in New York. Under her leadership, CAIPA manages over 170,000 lives under total cost of care programs, including Medicare Shared Savings and New York State Innovator. In addition, she is the Founding Chief Medical Officer of CurioDigital Therapeutics that offers digital behavioral therapy in women's health. She is a Board-Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist with extensive clinical and management experience in value-based care in both payers and provider systems. Prior to joining CAIPA, she held leadership roles including Chief Medical officer of Population Health at RWJBarnabas Health System. Her area of expertise includes population health and leading provider organizations to manage total cost of care. She is passionate about creating a system of care that supports high quality care and patients’ and providers’ quality of well-being. 

Lynne Olney Chief Transformation Officer

Healthy Alliance

Lynne joined Healthy Alliance because she believes that by approaching things holistically and working collaboratively across the spectrum of medical, behavioral, and social care, we can improve health and ensure that all community members have access to the care they need. Lynne brought over 30 years of experience in the health care industry with her when she joined Healthy Alliance in 2020. Prior to joining the organization, she spent 13 years as a principal-level consultant, 3 years directing a local health plan’s third-party administrator, and 15 years with a national health plan, beginning as an intern while in college/graduate school and progressing to a senior director. Throughout her career, she has provided cross-functional expertise and leadership to business, data, and technology teams. As CTO, Lynne’s focus is on ensuring that Healthy Alliance has the backbone core infrastructure, processes, solutions, and data needed to drive meaningful decisions, support an agile and high-performing organization/network, and evolve and respond to business needs and external changes in the market. Lynne has a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters of Business Administration degree, both with a concentration in health services administration. She has certifications from the Project Management Institute as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and an Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).

Judy Mohr Peterson Med-QUEST Administrator and Medicaid Director

State of Hawaii Department of Human Resources

Judy Mohr Peterson, PhD, is the Medicaid Director for Hawaii and a nationally recognized leader in health care delivery system reform and Medicaid policy. She served as president of the board of the National Association of Medicaid Directors from 2017-2019.  She began her career with Oregon’s Medicaid program in 1997 and served as Oregon’s Medicaid Director from 2009 to 2015.  In that role she was one of the architects of Oregon’s successful health system transformation.  Before working for the Oregon Medicaid program, Dr. Mohr Peterson received her doctoral degree in Sociocultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.

Errol Pierre Senior Vice President of State Programs

Healthfirst

Errol L. Pierre is a healthcare executive, public speaker, professor, and author. 

He serves as the SVP of State Programs at Healthfirst and was the former Chief Operating Officer of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. 

Errol graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, New York University with a master's degree in Health Policy and Financial Management, and Baruch College, with a Doctorate in Business Administration focused on Health Equity and Economics. 

He is an adjunct professor at New York University, Columbia University, and Baruch College teaching Health Economics and Health Transformation. He serves as board member of Arthur Ashe Institute of Family Health and Medinova and is the co-chair of the Yonkers Health Equity Taskforce. 

Meredith Ray-LaBatt Deputy Director, Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families

New York State Office of Mental Health

Meredith Ray-LaBatt works at the New York State Office of Mental Health as the Deputy Director of the Division of Integrated Service for Children and Families.  For more than 25 years, Meredith has worked on behalf of children with mental health needs and their families, to ensure they receive the right services, at the right time, in the right amounts.  Meredith has spent much of her career working to address the needs of youth with mental health needs who become involved with various other child-serving systems, including substance use,  juvenile justice and child welfare.  Most recently, Meredith has been working to transition children and children’s mental health services into Medicaid managed care, under the Medicaid Redesign efforts within New York State.  This cross-system, interagency effort is working to create greater access and better align children’s behavioral health services for youth with various needs; including those in foster care, with serious mental health challenges and substance use disorders.  Meredith holds Masters degrees in Criminal Justice and Social Welfare from the New York State University at Albany.

Kristen Scholl Vice President of Integrated Care Initiatives

TriaDD, NY

With a goal to make access to health care equitable for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), Kristen’s 30+ years in the health care industry gives her a unique and valuable perspective in her current role as VP of Integrated Care Initiatives for TriaDD.  

 TriaDD is a partnership of 3 NYS Care Coordination Organizations, providing specialized health home care management services to people with I/DD. Combined, TriaDD serves over 60,000 people across the state of New York. The NYS I/DD system is in crisis and TriaDD and it's I/DD Provider partners and founders are looking to a future where health care and long-term services and supports are integrated under one specialized, I/DD provider led health plan. 

 Kristen has been with TriaDD since June 2023, advocating for health equity for people with I/DD and implementing programs that reduce the fragmented care that people with I/DD face today. Her 25 years in managed care and 8 years working for a NYS Social Care Network, has given her the opportunity to build partnerships across NYS with people and organizations that are aligned with the belief that ALL people deserve to be healthy with access to medical, behavioral health and health related social need resources. 

Kelly Shearin Director, Business Development

Elevance Health

Kelly Shearin currently serves as Director of Business Development for Medicaid health plans with Elevance Health. Through its affiliates, Elevance Health offers a comprehensive suite of commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid plans that focus on whole health and its drivers to help improve outcomes for employers, individuals, families, and communities. 

With over 20 years of health care experience, she currently supports health plans with strategic planning and development. Most recently, Kelly has led health plan teams focused on the member experience as well as addressing social determinants of health and managing community investments to drive health equity.  

With her deep experience in community relations, Kelly is passionate about helping community non-profits succeed. She currently serves on the board for Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG-TN) as well as a volunteer consultant for the Tennessee Community Health Worker Association. Kelly is an avid traveler who appreciates new cultural experiences and has traveled to over 25 countries and lived in Europe for nearly four years.  

Ashley Stoneburner Director, Applied Research & Analytics

March of Dimes

Ashley Stoneburner is the Director of Applied Research and Analytics at March of Dimes. With over 12 years of experience in maternal and child health, Ashley leads the team of amazing epidemiologists comprising the Perinatal Data Center. Together the team produces national reports including the annual Prematurity Report Card and the Maternity Care Deserts Report and maintains an online database of maternal and infant health data indicators, called PeriStats.  A Michigan native, Ashley graduated from the University of Michigan- School of Public Health with a Master’s in Epidemiology after attending the Michigan State University and obtaining a Bachelors in Nutritional Sciences. Ashley’s public health career includes international work in Tanzania and China as well as the completion of a Counsel of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Maternal and Child Health fellowship at Multnomah County Health Department in Portland, Oregon. Ashley gained invaluable experience in prior positions as Research Analysts at Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research and Nurse Family Partnership, a national home visiting program for pregnant women and children. In her free time, she likes traveling, hiking, biking and spending time with her husband and two daughters, Ellie and Lucy.

Nicole Truhe Senior Director of Policy, Medicaid

UnitedHealthcare Community & State

Nicole Truhe is the Senior Director of Policy, Medicaid at UnitedHealthcare Community & State. UnitedHealthcare Community & State proudly serves over 6.45 million Medicaid members in 30 states, plus Washington, DC.

As the Senior Director of Medicaid Policy, Nicole leads the development of policy positioning and associated advocacy and thought leadership strategies related to traditional Medicaid populations. Populations she focuses on include TANF and CHIP (with focus on maternal and infant health and child and adolescent health), Medicaid Expansion, Child Welfare, and Justice-Involved. Nicole also leads Community & State’s regional policy team that is focused on supporting Community & State’s Medicaid markets’ policy advocacy needs to influence state Medicaid program design.

Previously, Nicole was the Director of Thought Leadership for UnitedHealthcare Community & State where she led the development and management of thought leadership strategies for the organization, specifically focusing on emerging health and human services policy and practice trends and business growth opportunities. Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, Nicole served as the Government Affairs Director for America Forward. Nicole also worked for over a decade at a national child welfare and children’s mental health non-profit.

Nicole has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN and a Master’s in Public Administration/Public Policy from the University of Memphis.

Tracy Wang Digital Solutions Director for Enterprise Data and Analytics

Elevance Health

Tracy I. Wang, MPH, serves as Digital Solutions Director for Enterprise Data and Analytics of Carelon Digital Platforms at Elevance Health. In this role, she is responsible for the delivery of population health management analytics that aggregate public and member data to provide insights on members’ clinical risks and social needs, as well as the community they live in, to inform health disparities. 

Prior to her current role, Tracy served as Clinical Programs Director for Clinical Quality Strategy, where she was responsible for directing member and community health programs that measure and improve patient safety and population health. She works closely with key business units and collaborates with industry leaders to advance health care initiatives, including award winning Patient Safety First…a California Partnership for Health program. 

Tracy currently serves on the Gravity Project Operating Committee and Family Keepers International Board. She also serves on the University of California at Riverside Foundation Board of Trustees and Bourns College of Engineering Parents Advisory Council. Previously she served on the Patient Safety Committee for the National Quality Forum, as well as California Maternal Data Center Steering Committee for the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative. Tracy received BS and MPH degrees from the University of California at Los Angeles and graduated from America’s Health Insurance Plans Minority Management Development Program. 

Jacy Warrell MPA, CRHCP, Chief Executive Officer

Rural Health Association of Tennessee

Jacy Warrell, MPA brings people and organizations together to improve health outcomes through policy and programs. She is a listener, strategic thinker, and achiever who maintains that the best way to affect positive change is through community engagement, education, and pairing direct services with advocacy.

Currently, Jacy is the Chief Executive Officer of Rural Health Association of Tennessee a 501(c)3 non-profit established to “lead the way for a health tomorrow throughout rural Tennessee” through partnerships, advocacy, education, and resources. In this role, Jacy has committed to advocating for members who include rural hospitals and clinics, school health directors, and others who care about rural health. Her goal is to bring groups together to deliver services that improve health locally, promote peer-to-peer learning and resource sharing, and to elevate rural voices at the Tennessee legislature as well as nationally.

Jacy has a Master of Public Administration from Villanova University and undergraduate degrees in Communication Studies and Public Administration from Western Kentucky University. In her free time Jacy enjoys reading, traveling, and hiking with husband Chris and their three dogs, Alonzo, Jimmy, and Ada Mae.

Tia Whitaker Statewide Director, Outreach and Enrollment

Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers

Tia N. Whitaker serves as the state’s Primary Care Association Outreach and Enrollment Lead for health center-based in-reach, outreach and health insurance coverage enrollment. She has over 25 years of experience in Medicaid Managed Care and Health Insurance Programs.  Tia coordinates education, training, and opportunities for networking to address challenges and identify best practices for outreach, enrollment, and eligibility assistance counselors employed by Community Health Centers and like-mission providers in rural and urban underserved areas of the state. She works with key local, state and federal partners to optimize the impact of a “community of Community Health Centers” approach to enrollment assistance to offer more people the security of health insurance coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicaid, CHIP, and Medicare.  Tia serves on several committees and boards including the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange, PENNIE, and formally served on the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education. 

Prior to joining the PACHC team, she was the Manager for Member Outreach at AmeriHealth Caritas, a Medicaid Managed Care Organization in Harrisburg, PA.  Tia holds a BS in Business Administration and Human Resource Certification from Central Penn College and is a Certified Community Health Worker.  She is married and has a son who loves to play football and soccer.   

Amanda Zellner Chief of Staff

Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania

Amanda Zellner serves as the Chief of Staff at Volunteers of America of Pennsylvania and has a strong background in government relations and the legislative process.  

Before joining VOAPA, she served as a legislative aid and chief of staff to a Philadelphia member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.  Amanda worked directly on several Pennsylvania legislative efforts, especially providing research, coalition/advocacy support, messaging, marketing, and communications.  In one session, Amanda and her team oversaw the only successful legislation passed during the entire session by a Philadelphia House member, which focused on transport safety for incarcerated individuals in Philadelphia. Amanda was most passionate about working on legislation related to the protections of women’s health care; protection against hate crimes towards LGBT and Intellectual Development communities; and gun violence prevention efforts. 

She received her Master’s in Public Policy and Administration from American University and her BA in History from Drexel University.