Participants

2023-2024

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  Asad Bandealy

  Bureau Chief, District of Columbia Department of Health

  Dr. Bandealy works to advance health equity and ensure access to and utilization of high– quality, person-centered health care, including immunization coverage for residents of the District of Columbia. He prioritizes working with Black and brown communities and newly arrived immigrants. As an active pediatrician and medical director for DC Health’s homebound vaccination program, Dr. […] More
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  Bethany Blackson

  Director of Legislative and Governmental Relations, Louisiana Department of Health

  Ms. Blackson serves as a liaison between the Louisiana Department of Health, the governor’s office, and the Louisiana Legislature on key health care matters for the state. An active member of the community, she is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Junior League Baton Rouge, New Schools Changemakers, The Louisiana Bar Association, the […] More
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  Nichole Brathwaite-Dingle

  Deputy Medical Director, Fort Bend County Health and Human Services

  Dr. Brathwaite-Dingle is the Fort Bend County Health and Human Services’ medical subject matter expert. She has oversight of public health programs and is a member of the health department’s executive team. Dr. Brathwaite-Dingle is an experienced board-certified pediatrician and public health professional with expertise in primary care, disease prevention, health promotion, health policy, and […] More
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  Sean Cleary

  State Senator, North Dakota

  Senator Cleary was elected to the North Dakota State Senate in November 2022 to represent District 35 in the center of Bismarck. He serves as the vice chair of the Senate Human Services committee and spent his first session focusing on health care and workforce issues. He serves as chair of the North Dakota Committee […] More
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  Charlie Conrad

  State Representative, Oregon

  Representative Conrad has been a public employee for the past 23 years. Prior to his election to state legislature, he worked as a research coordinator for the League of Oregon Cities and served 14 years as a police officer and detective at the Springfield Police Department. Rep. Conrad is a volunteer member of various public […] More
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  Michael Echols

  State Representative, Louisiana

  Representative Echols was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in August 2019. He was the sole freshman to join the House Republican Executive Committee as secretary and serve in an executive role in the Joint House and Senate Republican PAC. Mr. Echols is a member of the Health and Welfare, Labor and Industrial Relations, […] More
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  Martha Farlow

  Policy Director, Office of Payment & Care Delivery Innovation, MassHealth

  Ms. Farlow is the director of policy for the Office of Payment and Care Delivery Innovation at MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid and CHIP program. She leads policy development and contracting for MassHealth’s Accountable Care Organizations and Managed Care Organizations, which collectively serve 1.5 million members. Ms. Farlow also leads policy and implementation for MassHealth’s primary care […] More
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  Maria Finnell

  Chief Medical Officer, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration

  Dr Finnell’s role includes leading the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s medical directors, as well as overseeing cross-divisional and interagency work. She previously served as director of clinical operations and associate medical director for FSSA’s Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning. Dr. Finnell continues to serve clinically as a pediatrician in the Riley Early […] More
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  Pamelya Herndon

  State Representative, New Mexico

  Representative Herndon currently serves in the New Mexico House of Representative for House District 28 in Albuquerque’s Northeast Heights. She also serves as the President/CEO of the KWH Law Center for Social Justice and Change, a nonprofit law center focused on providing access to justice for low and medium-income individuals, with an emphasis on advocating […] More

• Jason Hughes

  State Representative, Louisiana

  Representative Hughes serves as a member Louisiana House of Representatives representing House District 100 in New Orleans. As a first-term legislator, Rep. Hughes was appointed to several committees, including Ways and Means, Health and Welfare, Judiciary, the Joint Legislative Committee on Capital Outlay, and the Select Committee on Homeland Security. In addition, he was unanimously […] More
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  Evan Klein

  Special Assistant, Legislative & Policy Affairs, Washington State Health Care Authority

  Mr. Klein manages the Washington State Health Care Authority’s legislative relations and supports development of various policies and programs. His current work includes a focus on affordability policy, immigrant health coverage expansion, and behavioral health access across the state’s Medicaid and Employee Benefits programs.  More
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  Jakenna Lebsock

  Assistant Director, Division of Health Care Services, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System

  Ms. Lebsock oversees all clinical and operational aspects of Medicaid managed care in Arizona while also serving as the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System Health Equity Committee chairperson. She has almost 17 years of health care delivery and policy development and implementation experience across several populations, including those living with serious mental illness and […] More
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  Echohawk Lefthand

  Administrator, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

  Mr. Lefthand is an enrolled member of the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation and has been a public health champion for over 10 years. His knowledge of public health is intertwined with his understandings of Indigenous ways of being. He currently serves as an administrator for the Office of Health Disparity and Health Equity in the Nebraska […] More
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  Bianca Lopez

  Chief Operating Officer for Office of Children and Family Services, New York City Administration for Children's Services

  Dr. Lopez has 20 years of experience working in the field of public health with a focus on child and adolescent health. In her previous position as the director of health policy and planning, she worked on developing evidence–informed health policies for children and youth in foster care.   More
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  South Moore

  Assistant General Counsel, Office of the Attorney General of North Carolina

  Mr. Moore’s responsibilities include assisting with the attorney general in efforts to increase affordability and accessibility in health care by promoting competition; advising the attorney general on health care policy; and representing the state’s and attorney general’s interests in health care litigation. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, he clerked for two federal judges.  More

• Pavel Payano

  State Senator, Massachusetts

  Senator Payano represents the First Essex District which includes the communities of Methuen, Lawrence, and parts of Haverhill. Senator Payano is committed to advancing policies that support education reform, public health, and community development. Prior to his election to the State Senate, Senator Payano served the city of Lawrence for over a decade, first as […] More
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  JW Randolph

  Director, Office of Strategic Initiatives, Tennessee Department of Health

  Mr. Randolph works with cross-sector community groups called County Health Councils to implement community-informed projects and policies for the next generation of public health infrastructure in the Southeast. His office is working with local and regional colleagues to build statewide support for broad, inclusive community engagement, equitable local capacity building, strategic performance improvements, and bringing […] More
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  Liz Reyer

  State Representative, Minnesota

  Representative Reyer is in her second term in the Minnesota House of Representatives representing District 52A (Eagan and Burnsville). She serves on the Health and Human Services Committee and is vice chair of Capital Investment Committee. She has spent many years working in the health system, including in research and operations roles at Blue Cross […] More
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  Emily Shetty

  State Delegate, Maryland

  Ms. Shetty has spent her career in public service and advocacy. She is serving in her second term in the Maryland General Assembly, where she is the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Social Services, and vice chair of the Montgomery County House Delegation. Her focus is […] More
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  Kirsten Siegenthaler

  Director, Division of Family Health, New York State Department of Health

  Kirsten Siegenthaler has a PhD in Epidemiology and over 20 years of experience at the NYS Department of Health. Dr. Siegenthaler is currently the Director of the Division of Family Health, with a staff of 200 and a portfolio of $300M in funding for public health programs that support people from birth through reproductive age. […] More
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  Sara Stolt

  Deputy Commissioner, North Dakota Health and Human Services

  Deputy Commissioner Stolt coordinates the strategic planning process across the agency, including the priorities for each programmatic division within North Dakota Health and Human Services (HHS). She and her team facilitate key projects, bringing change management and process improvement to all major HHS efforts. Ms. Stolt also oversees the day-to-day operations of the agency and […] More
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  Liz Taing

  Deputy Director, Integrated Planning Team, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency

  Ms. Taing is developing a new team of planners and project managers to support, coordinate, and facilitate cross-agency systems transformation projects, such as climate action planning, homelessness prevention, cross-sector data exchange, and the implementation of California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM).  More
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  Jenna Takenouchi

  State Representative, Hawaii

  Representative Takenouchi was elected in 2022 to serve House District 27. She is the vice chair of the House Committee on Health & Homelessness, working toward expanding mental health and substance abuse treatment initiatives, addressing health care workforce shortages, and supporting Hawaii’s aging population of seniors. Rep. Takenouchi also sits on the House Committee on […] More
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  Jessie Tenenbaum

  Chief Data Officer, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

  Dr. Tenenbaum oversees data strategy across the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, enabling the use of information to inform and evaluate policy and improve the health and well-being of residents of North Carolina. She was a founding faculty member of the Division of Translational Biomedical Informatics within Duke University’s Department of Biostatistics […] More
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  Justin Turner

  Chief Medical Officer, Mississippi State Department of Health

  Dr. Turner was appointed chief medical officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health in August 2021. He currently serves on the Public Health Task Force for Mississippi State Medical Association and served on the Covid Task Force for the City of Jackson. Dr. Turner is an active member of the community and participates in […] More
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  Martijn van Beek

  Quality Director, Division of Medicaid, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

  Mr. van Beek oversees the Bureau of Population Health, which is responsible for developing Idaho Medicaid’s population health strategy, implementing the state’s value care program, and the implementation of various quality–related projects. Prior to joining Medicaid, he led various public health programs in the Netherlands and at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, including […] More
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  Arvind Venkat

  State Representative, Pennsylvania

  Representative Venkat, an emergency physician, was elected to serve his first term in the state House of Representatives in November 2022. He is the first Indian American to be elected to the state House and the first physician to serve in the General Assembly in nearly 60 years. Dr. Venkat serves as state representative for […] More

2022-2023

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  Markay Adams

  Assistant Director, Division of Fee-for-Service Management, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System

  Ms. Adams, who has more than 16 years of experience in Arizona’s Medicaid system, oversees a variety of programs including providing health care coverage for a variety of populations, including the American Indian Health Program, Federal Emergency Services, and Medicaid in School-Based Claiming program. More
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  Elizabeth Adkins

  Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Aging and Adult Services, Louisiana Department of Health

  A Louisiana native Ms. Adkins manages the Louisiana Department of Health’s Medicaid Long Term Home and Community Based Services programs. In her 10-year tenure with the department, she has consistently demonstrated a dedication to older adults and persons living with adult-onset disabilities. More
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  Jennifer Avegno

  Director, New Orleans Health Department

  Jennifer manages a dedicated team of public health professionals addressing critical health needs for the community. As an academic faculty member at Louisiana State University, she established the Division of Social Emergency Medicine to facilitate innovative programming, interdisciplinary partnerships, and improved population health outcomes. More
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  Grant Beebe

  Project Manager, Mississippi Division of Medicaid

  Mr. Beebe leverages big data to understand personnel challenges and identify patterns in claims data and utilization metrics. His primary areas of academic and research interest include wellness promotion, non-communicable disease prevention, and the social determinants of health. He is licensed as a nursing home administrator in the State of Mississippi. More
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  Jamie Carmichael

  Chief Health Opportunity Advisor, Ohio Department of Health

  Ms. Carmicheal’s role focuses on the elimination of population level health disparities by aligning and channeling strategic resources on communities with the highest levels of need. Her experience includes nearly a decade of service at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, where she worked on poverty reduction and workforce development policy and programs, […] More
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  Machaela Cavanaugh

  State Senator, Nebraska

  Senator Cavanaugh, an Omaha native with nearly 20 years’ experience in community engagement and public affairs represents Legislative District 6 in the Nebraska Legislature including Omaha. She serves on the Health and Human Services Committee and Transportation and Telecommunications Committee. She made history in 2019 as the first lawmaker to breastfeed her baby on the […] More
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  Kimberly Chen

  Assistant Secretary, Office of Programs and Fiscal Affairs, California Health and Human Services Agency

  Ms. Chen is responsible for formulating, analyzing, revising, and evaluating the program and fiscal impacts of major health and human services policies. This includes assessment of all policy, legislative, fiscal, and other issues affecting the Department of Health Care Services (California’s State Medicaid Agency), Department of Community Services and Development, and other related state departments […] More
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  Ava Crawford

  Director, Office of Health Equity, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

  Ms. Crawford addresses priorities for community outreach, engagement, policy and equity within the department of health. She previously served as the co-chair for the North Carolina Chronic Disease and Injury Section’s Health Equity Community of Practice Committee, where she created a health equity framework, standard language for agreement addendums, and more. She also served as […] More
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  Meghan Elledge-LeVota

  Policy Team Manager and Equity, Inclusion and Justice Senior Advisor, County of San Diego, California

  Ms. Elledge-LeVota is committed to improving the lives of others by leading organizations and governmental agencies on their journey toward structural changes centered on equity, inclusion, and justice. Her background is a unique blend of law, policy, health equity, and social justice. In 2021, received the Legal Innovator Award for targeting health disparities with the […] More
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  Eva Forrest

  Nurse Consultant, Connecticut Department of Social Services

  One of Ms. Forrest’s primary roles as a nurse consultant is advocacy, which is vital in promoting health equity and enhancing population health. Her goal is to improve her leadership skills so that she can continuously and effectively advocate for the health and social needs of Connecticut’s Medicaid members and those of other residents. Ms. […] More
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  DaShawn Groves

  Special Projects Officer, Office of State Medicaid Director, DC Department of Health Care Finance

  Mr. Groves works to implement four strategic priorities: 1) Building a health system that provides whole-person care; 2) Ensuring value and accountability; 3) Strengthening internal operational infrastructure, and 4) Responsibly unwinding the flexibilities of the Public Health Emergency. He as previously the Community Partnerships Director at Cityblock Health in the DC market. More
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  Emily Gruber

  Health Equity Manager, Maryland Primary Care Program (MDPCP)

  Ms. Gruber role at the MDPCP includes leading the team strategy around health equity; managing technical assistance for Maryland primary care practices on social needs screening and referrals; leading a CDC-grant-funded project to identify disparities in clinical quality data; and other special projects. Prior to joining the MDPCP, she worked in health care technology and […] More
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  Diamond D. Williams (Hanson)

  Outreach Program Manager, COVID-19 Response and Recovery Team, Wisconsin Department of Health Services

  Dr. Williams oversees the connection of stakeholders and manages vaccine equity grants totaling $30M. She recently awarded 146 organizations $13.8M to advance vaccination health equity. She has a particular interest in community engagement. More
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  Erin Healy

  Representative, South Dakota

  Representative Healy is currently serving her second term in the South Dakota State House. She serves as a Minority Whip, sits on the House Health and Human Services, Education, and Legislative Rules Committees, has been a member of two mental health taskforce committees, and is a commissioner for the Midwest Higher Education Compact. She focuses […] More
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  Martin Hickey

  State Senator, New Mexico

  Senator Hickey has been a physician executive, as well as clinician, for most of his career. He started in the Indian Health Service on the Navajo Nation practicing population health and continues in this role today. He is fortunate to be at the innovative forefront of care management in almost all health venues: multispecialty medical […] More
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  Mark Martin

  Acting Director, Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, Maryland Department of Health

  Senator Martin brings over 25 years of combined professional experience in public health, hospital operations, financial services, and community and faith-based organizations. His combined academic and professional experience continues to fuel his efforts to research and develop innovations to improve patient-centered care and the patient experience. More
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  Tade Mengesha

  Manager, Integrated Fiscal Strategy, MassHealth

  Ms. Mengesha supported and now leads the value-based payment strategy and implementation for Massachusetts Medicaid accountable care organizations and Medicaid managed care organizations. Previously, Tade worked at Guidehouse Consulting Services (formerly known as Navigant Consulting) as a senior consultant in their revenue cycle management sector. She has a strong interest in using innovative financial mechanisms […] More
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  Genevieve Mina

  Ms. Mina (she/her) is a lifelong Alaskan, community advocate, and second-generation Filipino-American with a background in Alaska campaigns, government, and health policy. She has worked as a nonprofit communications professional supporting community health centers, and as a political aide for elected officials in the Anchorage Assembly and the Alaska Legislature. Most recently, Ms. Mina carried […] More
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  Ruth Richardson

  Chair, Education Policy Committee, Minnesota House of Representatives

  Representative Richardson made history in 2018 as the first Black woman elected to represent her district in the Minnesota House of Representatives. She represents House District 52B, which includes Inver Grove Heights, Sunfish Lake, and parts of Eagan and Mendota Heights. More
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  Shawn Smith

  Managed Care Oversight Director, TennCare

  Mr. Smith is responsible for the contract oversight of the Division of TennCare’s three contracted managed care organizations. He also serves as a board member for the National Alliance for Medicaid in Education; teaches social welfare policy as an adjunct faculty; and serves as a member of Middle Tennessee State University’s Social Work Advisory Board. More
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  Michelle Strinden

  State Representative, North Dakota

  Michelle Strinden is an educator, small business owner, and life-long North Dakotan. She has lived in south Fargo’s District 41 for 26 years with her husband, Tom, and their four children, Jacob, Joe, Ben, and Sarah. First elected in 2018, she serves on the House Appropriations Committee, Human Resources Division, where she works every day […] More
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  Ann Vermilion

  Representative, Indiana House of Representatives

  Representative Vermilion is the vice chair of the Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee in the Indiana House of Representatives, serves District 31, which includes Blackford County and portions of Delaware, Grant, Wells counties. She is also the founder and CEO of Vermilion Group, a health care and public health consulting firm working with clients, […] More
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  David Ward

  Long-Term Services and Supports Director, Oklahoma Health Care Authority

  In 2011, Mr. Ward began his public service career with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority as a research analyst and now directs the Long-Term Services and Supports unit that administers six 1915(c) Home and Community Based Waiver Programs, State Plan Personal Care, and the Money Follows the Person program (Oklahoma’s Living Choice). More
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  Janeana White

  Chief Physician, Deputy Health Authority, Houston Health Department

  Dr. White oversees community-based programs and monitors trends in infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. She is honored to serve as a physician not only because it helps make the community better as a whole, but also makes her better as an individual. More

2021-2022

• Jen Dailey-Provost

  Jen Dailey-Provost lives in the Avenues neighborhood in Salt Lake City with her husband Scott and three daughters. She received her bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business, and her MBA from Westminster College’s Gore School of Business. She began her career as the Director of Human Resources […] More

• Anthony Daniels Jr.

  House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels Jr. is in his second term in the Alabama House of Representatives. He represents Alabama’s 53rd District, which is located in the Huntsville area. Representative Daniels has served as minority leader since 2017, the youngest and first African American to hold the position. Under his leadership, House Democrats successfully fought […] More

• Amanda Dumas

  A native of the Alabama Gulf Coast, Dr. Amanda Dumas attended Loyola University New Orleans and received a medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. During her medical training she spent a year in Zambia with the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia helping to scale-up pediatric clinical services. She then completed […] More

• Daniel P. Edney

  Daniel P. Edney MD FACP is a board certified general Internist with subspecialty board certification in Addiction Medicine. He is a summa cum laude graduate of William Carey University and the University of Mississippi School of Medicine Class of 1988. He then completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Virginia. […] More

• Kate Harris

  Kate Harris has spent her career working at the intersection of public health and public policy, primarily on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Washington State and Colorado. In 2019 she joined the Colorado Division of Insurance as the Chief Deputy Commissioner for Life & Health Policy, where she oversees much of the […] More

• Kendra Johnson

  Kendra Johnson has dedicated her entire career to serving individuals living with disadvantages and life challenges. Having been born and raised in the city of Chester in an extended family environment, it was through that experience where she learned the value of service to others. Those experiences were a catalyst that continue to drive her […] More

• Anna Kelles

  Assemblymember Dr. Anna Kelles represents the 125th District of New York State, including Tompkins County and the southwest of Cortland County. This district includes the metropolitan areas of Ithaca and Cortland as well as 17 smaller municipal towns and villages in both counties. Before becoming a state Assembly member, Anna served in the Tompkins County […] More

• Molly Lester

  Molly Lester currently serves as Policy Director for the Chief Program and Services Office of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. In this role, she leads policy development, daily operations and legislative coordination for the office overseeing HHSC client services programs—including Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, behavioral health, maternal and child health, and long-term services and […] More

• Catrina Lucero

  Catrina Lucero is the Deputy Chief Financial Officer for the Washington State Health Care Authority where she provides oversight of the agency’s financial operations, including external relations, quality assurance, and staff development. Prior to joining the Health Care Authority, Catrina worked as a non-partisan senior fiscal analyst for the Washington State House of Representatives providing […] More

• Josh Moore

  Josh Moore is the Director of Pharmacy for MO HealthNet Division. Josh graduated from St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Most recently he served as the Director of Operations for the Clinical Management Services & System for Pharmacy and Prior Authorization at Conduent. As the Director of Pharmacy for MO HealthNet, Josh leads the operations of […] More

• Eileen Ng

  Eileen Ng is the Policy Director of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, which includes the Departments of Behavioral Health, Environmental Health, Public Health, and the Office of the Agency Director. The Agency has an annual budget of $1 billion and more than 1,500 employees. Eileen joined the Health Care Services Agency in June […] More

• Robin (Diggs) Perdue

  Robin (Diggs) Perdue, MPH has over 18 years of experience as a public health professional in the Nation’s Capital. Currently, as the Deputy Director of Strategy, Programs and Policy for the District of Columbia Department of Health’s Community Health Administration. She oversees population health strategies for improving health outcomes across five broad areas: chronic disease prevention […] More

• Jessica Perez-Rossello

  Jessica Perez-Rossello is a Deputy Chief Operations Officer at the MassHealth Department of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services. She has over 25 years of experience in project management, large scale systems integration, and business process improvement, working under tight budgets and timelines while building trusting relationships with staff, colleagues, and vendors. […] More

• Vincent Pinkney

  Vincent Pinkney, MBA, MPH, currently serves as the Deputy Director of Managed Care Operations for Tennessee’s state Medicaid agency known as TennCare. Managed Care Operations involves Tennessee’s state Medicaid agency contracting with three health insurance plans to maintain a network of providers of medical services, mental health services, and long-term services and supports the delivery […] More

• Kristin Roers

  Senator Kristin Roers was elected in 2018 to represent District 27, located in Fargo, ND. She has been a Registered Nurse since 2004 and works in Nursing Administration when not in the legislature. Ms. Roers serves as the Vice Chair of the Human Services committee and as a member on the Government and Veterans Affairs […] More

• Dylan Rose Schneider

  Ms. Schneider has over 12 years of professional experience in external affairs, policy and planning and communications in the public and private sector. Ms. Schneider has served as the Manager of Policy and Legislative Affairs for the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) since 2018 where she oversees government relations, public policy […] More

• Lisa Subeck

  Representative Lisa Subeck has represented the 78th District in the Wisconsin State Assembly since January, 2015. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the Assembly Democratic Caucus, and is the ranking member on the Assembly Committee on Health and the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules. She also serves on the Assembly Committees on […] More

• Fatmata Williams

  Fatmata Williams is an immigrant from Sierra Leone, West Africa, who has lived in the United States for thirty years and has been a registered nurse for twenty-three years. She is a Supervising Registered Nurse Consultant and currently works at the Connecticut Department of Social Services Division of Health Services, Connecticut’s single state Medicaid agency. […] More

• Carla Willis

  Dr. Carla Willis serves as the Director of the Performance, Quality, and Outcomes within the Performance and Care Management Office of the Georgia Medicaid program. She oversees multi-disciplinary teams that focus on predictive analytics, quality measurement, and performance improvement. She works to define the populations of interest to the Georgia Medicaid program and captures key […] More