The Emerging Leaders and Milbank Fellows Programs’ 2021-2022 Class Launch

Government leaders are the drivers of innovation and improvement in population health. The Milbank Memorial Fund invests in the development of state and county health leaders with its Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) and Milbank Fellows Program (MFP). The 2021–22 cohorts of both programs are kicking off this month.

The Emerging Leaders Program

ELP is a 10-month program now in its fifth year that seeks to develop practical, hands-on leadership skills in future senior executive and legislative officials to help them address the challenges and opportunities in today’s complex health policy environment.

“While I had been in management for several years, once I moved to director it was a whole different ball game,” said ELP alumna Sandra Manzo de Puebla. De Puebla, who is now the Senior Director of Federal & State Authorities at Oklahoma Health Care Authority, explains how the program was transformative for her. “[ELP] gave me the ability to be more assertive and confident. It moved me from a place of aspiring to be like others to realizing that I could also be one of those people who can influence others and bring others up.”

The Milbank Fellows Program

MFP is a new leadership program designed for senior executive branch and senior legislative state government leaders committed to improving population health in their communities. Along with in-person and virtual meetings, Fellows have access to individualized technical assistance for themselves and their senior teams on areas of interest.

Gretchen Hammer is a consultant and former Colorado Medicaid director who is working with Colorado Health Institute to design and execute the MFP year. “Improving population health requires partnership and collaboration between the legislative branch and the executive branch,” Hammer said. “The MFP will be a unique opportunity for senior health and human services leaders to learn together and learn from one another about how to effectively make progress and implement big ideas.”

Milbank Memorial Fund President Christopher Koller pointed out that we are living in a challenging time for supporters of improved population health. “Life expectancy in the United States is flat or declining, disparities in health outcomes persist— driven by systemic racism — and we continue to confront a pandemic that is indifferent to the politics that can divide us,” Koller said. “Confronting these challenges is the work of government, and the Fund is proud to support and nurture the talented and diverse set of officials in our ELP and MFP who will lead this critical work — today and tomorrow.”

Below is a list of the members of this year’s cohorts for both ELP and MFP.

Emerging Leaders 2021-2022 Cohort

	Tony Bacala Member, Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee, Louisiana House of Representatives
	Jennifer Daily-Provost, MBA Member, Health and Human Services Committee, Utah House of Representatives
	Dr. Amanda Dumas Associate Medical Director of the Bureau of Health Service Financing (Medicaid), Louisiana Department of Health
	Dr. Daniel P. Edney Chief Medical Officer, Mississippi State Department of Health
	Kate Harris Chief Deputy Commissioner for Life and Health Policy, Colorado Division of Insurance
	Kendra Johnson Chair, Housing and Community Affairs Committee, Delaware House of Representatives
	Dr. Anna R. Kelles Chair, Subcommittee on Agricultural Production and Technology, New York State Assembly
	Molly Lester Policy Director, Chief Program and Services Office of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission
	Catrina Lucero, MPA Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Washington State Health Care Authority
	Dr. Josh Moore Director of Pharmacy, Missouri Department of Social Services
	Eileen Ng Policy Director, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency
	Robin (Diggs) Perdue Deputy Director of Strategy, Programs and Policy, DC Department of Health
	Jessica Perez-Rosello Deputy Chief Operations Officer, Massachusetts Executive Office
	Vincent Pinkney Deputy Director, Managed Care Operations, Tennessee State Medicaid
	Ruth Richardson Chair, Education Policy Committee, Minnesota House of Representatives
	Dylan Rose Schneider Manager of Policy and Legislative Affairs, San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
	Lisa Subeck Member of Health Committee, Wisconsin House of Representative
	Ann E. Vermilion Vice Chair, Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee, Indiana House of Representatives
	Fatmata Williams Supervising Registered Nurse Consultant, Connecticut Department of Social Services Division of Health Services
	Dr. Carla Willis Director of Performance, Quality, and Outcomes, Georgia Department of Community Health

Milbank Fellows 2021-2022 Cohort

	Ena Backus Director, Health Care Reform, Vermont Agency of Human Services
	Della Au Belatti Majority Leader, Hawaii House of Representatives
	Yadira Caraveo Vice Chair, Health and Insurance Committee, Colorado House of Representatives
	Rachel Currans-Henry Systems Integration and Policy Director, Office of the Director, Oregon Health Authority
	Jen Davis Senior Policy Advisor, Office of the Governor of Wyoming
	Rick Edmonds Chairman, Joint Medical Oversight Committee, Louisiana House of Representatives
	Ruth Hardy Vice Chair, Health and Welfare Committee, Vermont Senate
	Rachel (Halleck) Johnson-Yates Deputy Director and Chief of Staff, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration
	Kody Kinsley Chief Deputy Secretary, Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Service
	Nicole Macri Vice Chair, Appropriations Committee, Washington State House of Representatives
	Marcus McEntire Chair, Appropriations and Budget Health Committee, Oklahoma House of Representatives
	Rena Moran Chair, Ways and Mean Committee, Minnesota House of Representatives
	Courtney Phillips Secretary, Louisiana Department of Health
	Elizabeth Pitman Director, Division of Medicaid Services, Arkansas Department of Human Services
	Jennifer Schultz Chair, Human Services Finance Division, Minnesota House of Representatives
	Cleave Simpson Member, Health and Human Services Committee, Colorado Senate
	Dannette Smith Chief Executive Officer, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
	Ivy Sponholz Co-Chair, Health and Social Services Committee, Alaska House of Representatives
	Dr. Nizar Wehbi State Health Officer, North Dakota Department of Health
	Lisa Willner Member, Health and Family Services Committee, Kentucky House of Representatives
	Victoria (Vicki) Veltri Executive Director, Connecticut Office of Health Strategy