Rise

Carlos Arroyo Carlos Arroyo, former NBA point guard, general manager of the Puerto Rican national basketball team, and Olympic flagbearer

Carlos Arroyo holds a cherished place in Puerto Rico's sports history. Arroyo had a long and decorated basketball career for the national team, most notably helping to lead them to a victory in the 2004 Olympics over the United States. He also defied the odds as a professional, going from an undrafted player to spending nine seasons in the NBA. 

Arroyo first played professionally as a 17-year-old in Puerto Rico and jumped to the U.S. to play collegiately at Florida International University. He is the school's all-time leader in assists and has his jersey retired. 

Arroyo also spent time as a pro in Europe and Israel. In 2009, he led Maccabi Tel Aviv to an Israeli League championship, pacing the league in assists and winning Finals MVP. Three years later, he won a Finals MVP award in the Turkish Super League with Besiktas. 

Off the court, Arroyo has continued to impact his country, serving as general manager of the national team since 2021. He has also dabbled in music, releasing the hit reggaeton single, "Baila Reggaeton." 

Missy Bazzo Director, Medicare

Peak Health

Missy is a passionate, trusted, and innovative leader in Medicare Advantage growth and product with 25-years’ experience setting and exceeding sales goals, strengthening product performance with strategic market-driven approaches, successful recruitment & retention efforts, and building and preserving integral relationships with community and distribution leaders.   Missy prides herself on her eagerness to help others while delivering exceptional outcomes and focusing on the communities she serves.

Missy proudly joined Peak Health as Director of Medicare in April 2024, leading its Medicare Advantage Plan based in Morgantown, West Virgina. Her current responsibilities include growth, which has already increased by ~250%, and retention around Peak’s Medicare Advantage Portfolio of Products to help West Virginians live healthier and fuller lives. Missy has achieved results by building an effective sales & operational team to tackle each day with decisive nature, operations expertise, and a member and community focus.

Previously, Missy worked at UnitedHealthcare for 20 years where she led Medicare Advantage growth in different roles during her tenure there earning recognition for her efforts as MVP and Eagle’s Club recipient.  Missy also managed Medicare Advantage Sales & Outreach at Gateway Health Plan, now Highmark Wholecare, along with a stint as the Executive Director of Sales at Aetna.

Missy’s work has also been recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Insurance with the Reaching Out Award along with the Women of Integrity Award by Pittsburgh Women’s Business Association.

Missy is a graduate of the Bradford School of Business with honors and holds a certificate in Social Work from Pitt University. Missy is also active in her community and currently sits on the boards at Veteran Angels & Foster Grandparents of SWPA, where she was acknowledged with the “Good Neighbor” award.

Missy is happily married to her husband, Blaize, and has 4 rescue doggie kiddos which are truly the love & heart of the Bazzo family household.

Christopher Bond Chief Growth Officer

Verda Healthcare 

Christopher is a dynamic Marketing and Sales leader with over 20 years plus of proven results in various roles for national and regional health plans in the Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plan space. Prior to joining Verda, Christopher had served as the Vice President of Sales for SCAN Health Plan. During his extensive tenure at SCAN, Christopher was responsible for planning membership growth for all sales distribution channels, enrollment forecasting, sales distribution strategy, and marketing pilot implementation, directed and managed captive field and tele sales channels, employer group business, and EMO relationships which resulted in a significant increase of 287k members

Joseph Boschert Sr. Director of Products

Milliman

Joseph’s professional area of practice is in new product development and healthcare information technology. He works with a variety of stakeholders in the healthcare system including payers, providers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, Medicaid agencies, employers, and consumers to drive new creative product solutions to market.

Prior to joining Milliman, Joseph spent more than 10 years working across a variety of industries. His healthcare experiences involved improving operational efficiencies in home health, home infusion, and disease / case management organizations. Additionally, he has served a variety of technical roles involving data warehousing, web application development, mobile app development, and systems automation. His product responsibilities have included market analysis, market research, design thinking and user testing, pricing strategies, and product launch strategies.

Joseph is passionate about challenging the status quo and seeing new disruptive technologies add value to the healthcare system.

Michelle Boudreau SVP, Group Client Service

MERGE

Michelle Boudreau is a Senior Vice President in MERGE’s Health Plan practice. Michelle has worked across the spectrum in health care, from medical device and diagnostics to health insurance. She has been exclusively focused in the health plan space for over a decade, working with a variety of Blue Cross Blue Shield and Independent plans.

Michelle and her teams have a proven track record of delivering business results from brand building to member acquisition across a broad range of products, target audiences and geographies. Her teams are known for delivering consumer-centric omnichannel campaigns and rigorous measurement. Michelle is a travel enthusiast, and has been to over 35 countries.

Krystal Burroughs Senior Manager

Convey Health Solutions 

Krystal Burroughs is a Sr. Client Services Manager on the Miramar:Agent team with Convey Health Solutions. In this role, she manages client implementations, certifications, agent oversight and operational delivery of the Miramar:Agent  agent/broker solution.

Her background in management gives her the foundation to facilitate integration of client needs and our technology solution.

Krystal is active in her community where she resides in West Virginia, and enjoys spending time with her four children.

Jessica Collins Hill, MPH Director, Medicare Segment

Blue Cross NC 

Jessica Hill is the Director of Medicare Product and Market Offer Strategy at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, a position she has held since 2021. In this capacity, she spearheads the development of innovative strategic initiatives aimed at elevating member experience, optimizing outcomes, and fostering growth across Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement, and Part D programs.

Jessica brings a wealth of experience to her current role, having previously served in various positions focusing on market analysis, product strategy, and analytics. Prior to joining Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, she worked as an Analyst at AHIP, where her efforts centered on assessing the impact and value of private payers on the Medicare program.

A native of North Carolina, Jessica's dedication to improving healthcare delivery for seniors and Medicare beneficiaries in her home state is evident throughout her career. She holds a Master of Public Health from East Carolina University with a concentration in Analysis and Management and research focus on addressing health challenges among rural populations through provider engagement and education.

Residing in North Carolina, Jessica's professional journey underscores her unwavering commitment to driving innovation and enhancing healthcare access and quality for individuals across the state

Jotham Cortez Sales Director

Devoted Health Plan

Jotham’s journey in Health Insurance began over 25 years ago where he worked for a Brokerage in Mid-Missouri. He later moved to the carrier side working for companies such as Anthem BCBS and United Healthcare before spending ten years at Essence Healthcare/Lumeris. Jotham began his current role with Devoted Health in April 2024 where he led the launch of the Medicare Advantage products into Missouri, Arkansas and Kentucky. During his career, he has led Sales Distribution, both internally and externally, as well as Sales Operations which include overseeing application processing, commission processing, the producer support call center, all sales systems and the producer portal. Additionally, Jotham has launched new Medicare Advantage plans in markets across the nation from California to Virginia, Michigan to Florida, and more states in between. When he is not working his day job, he can be found at the baseball field watching his son throw a filthy curveball, at a convention center watching his daughter flip across the stage as a competitive cheerleader or on a mountain hiking a back-country trail. Jotham has had the opportunity to speak coast to coast on various topics, which include Medicare Advantage, and brings humor and excitement to the platform to keep the audience engaged and included in the conversation.

Scott Cummings CEO

NexTalk

Scott Cummings is the CEO of NexTalk, an accessibility software and services company transforming communication for the Deaf, hard of hearing, speech-impaired, and non-English speaking communities. Under his leadership, NexTalk has advanced its mission by focusing on innovation and accessibility access in contact center environments.

Scott is dedicated to helping health plans improve their member and employee experiences by providing direct, reliable channels for those who are communication-challenged.  To date, he has enhanced NexTalk's proprietary TTY/RTT software by creating native API-driven agent experiences within leading contact center platforms, and is working on improvements in transcription and remote interpreting services.

Before joining NexTalk, Scott held leadership roles at SAP, where he shaped business development, customer-focused outcomes and operational excellence.  His experience in enterprise software and leadership in large-scale organizations have equipped him with a deep understanding of how technology can address complex challenges and create sustainable, positive impacts.

Shub Debgupta Founder

Predict Health, Inc 

Shub is the founder of Predict Health, an AI-driven member intelligence solution helping Medicare payors improve member and business outcomes. Under Shub’s leadership, the company has grown from an idea to an enterprise serving over 5 percent of the country’s Dual Eligible Medicare members. Prior to Predict Health, Shub founded, and led WiserTogether, a patient navigation solution for plans and self-insured employers. Shub's work and research on AI and consumer health behaviors have been published in leading media outlets including the New York Times, NPR, Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and NBC News. Shub received the Innovator of the Year award by Healthcare Consumerism and was a finalist for E&Y’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. Shub has a Ph.D. in economics from Cornell University.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shubdebgupta/

Shannon Decker Founder & CEO

VBC One

Dr. Shannon Decker is Founder & CEO 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 25 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 25 years of experience in healthcare--17 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 in the social and behavioral sciences 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 social and behavioral theories may be brought to bear in value based care and population health management as a whole.

Archie Dey Director Consumer Experience and Insights

SCAN Health Plan

Archie Dey leads the Consumer Experience and Insights efforts at SCAN. In his current role, Archie leads the strategic planning, design and implementation of initiatives which drives Member Satisfaction, Net Promoter Score and Retention. In addition, Archie leads the Consumer Insights function which uses qualitative and advanced analytic approaches to understand user’s unmet latent needs 

Archie has extensive healthcare strategy, Operations and Analytics experience with both Health Plan and Provider groups. Prior to SCAN, Archie has been a management consultant specializing in Strategy and Operations in the Healthcare Industry. Archie did his undergraduate in Mechanical Engineering and earned his MBA from USC Marshall School of Business. 

Nick Dimauro Director of Sales

Medline 

George Dippel President

Deft Research

George Dippel spent the first 12 years of his career with Procter & Gamble at P & G’s Healthcare Consumer Institute.  While there, George studied the healthcare consumer across all aspects of care delivery and used those insights to provide high-level consultation to both P & G’s internal brand teams as well as many partner health insurance carriers. 

George brought his healthcare consumer market research expertise to Deft in 2010, and since then has worked with more than 130 carriers to help them better understand the modern healthcare consumer.  George’s range of healthcare consumer research expertise spans Medicare Advantage, MedSupp, Small Group, ACA, Uninsured, PBM and Part D. 

Ryan Dodson Chief Operating Officer/Co-Founder

New Vision Healthcare Solutions

Ryan Dodson’s background is in management and operational processes for 15 years, and he began working in the risk adjustment arena 15+ years ago. Ryan has proven himself by helping medical groups and health plans to accurately improve their documentation with a solid track record of provider engagement. Ryan uses a unique blend of comedy and deep risk adjustment knowledge to get buy-in from providers to improve their documentation. His track record of results of improving documentation and thus improving revenue streams and patient care brings value to any group he works with. Having worked on the provider, payer, and now the vendor side Ryan is able to bring a unique perspective to the conversation and develop out-of-the-box ideas to help any size group. In 2020 Ryan co-founded New Vision Healthcare Solutions to fill a niche in the market on providing provider education with data stemming from analytics and provider chart data. Ryan has a Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC) credential through the AAPC. 

Romelyn Dones Director of Medicare Sales

MetroPlus Health

Romelyn Dones has over two decades of experience in the healthcare and insurance sectors, showcasing exceptional leadership and strategic skills. As the Director of Medicare Sales at MetroPlusHealth, she achieved a 20% increase in sales, improving access to essential healthcare services. She was part of MetroPlusHealth’s Medicare Town Hall panel providing valuable information to the community, helping seniors navigate Medicare and understand their benefits better.

Romelyn is known for her expertise in strategic sales planning, new market growth, and customer relationship building. She has a proven track record of meeting financial objectives and fostering high-performing teams.

Prior to MetroPlusHealth, she implemented effective marketing and community engagement strategies at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, helping to educate the community about healthcare options. Additionally, her leadership at HealthFirst significantly grew Medicaid enrollment, ensuring more low-income individuals and families received coverage.

Romelyn holds a Bachelor of Science from St. John’s University, a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University, and is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Science degree at Seton Hall.

Romelyn lives in New Jersey and is a mother of three children.

Eliza Dougall VP, Client Solutions

Anderson

Eliza has leveraged a degree in communications and tremendous people skills into a stellar 30-year marketing career marked by major achievements on the creative, production, database, and account sides of the business.

She’s developed keen acquisition and retention strategies for some of the biggest names in health care, retail, and the financial industry.

She’s chalked up numerous wins in traditional direct marketing and DRTV. Plus, she’s quite adept at multicultural, online, and social media marketing, too. Key client experience includes: Cambia Health Solutions (Regence BlueCross BlueShield), BlueCross BlueShield of Minnesota, Cigna and BlueCross Blue Shield of Kansas City.

Shannon Drotning Consumer Market President

Providence Health Plan

Shannon Drotning serves as Providence Health Plan’s Market President overseeing Consumer and Specialty lines of business. She leads consumer lines of business and is responsible for state and regional consumer and specialty sales and growth strategies. Prior to her role as Market President, Shannon served as Associate Vice President of Medicare and Individual Sales, leading sales teams in Oregon, Washington and California.

Shannon works with insurance producers and community members to navigate the complexities of Medicare, Medicaid, and Individual health insurance, with the goal of seamless and easy access to care. A veteran of Medicare sales, she is known as a trusted subject matter expert in the field as well as a successful, authentic leader.

Shannon began her 20+ year career at PHP as a Medicare Customer Service Representative in 1994 and worked her way up through the ranks of customer service, marketing and sales in the insurance industry, focusing on Medicare.

Shannon is currently based in Oregon.

Tina Dueringer CEO, Principal Advisor

Dueringer Advisors, Inc.

Tina Dueringer, BSN, RN, CCM, PCC, is the CEO and Principal Advisor at Dueringer Advisors Inc., a distinguished consulting firm dedicated to supporting health plans, vendors, and leaders in the health insurance and provider sectors. With a robust background spanning Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Duals, ACA, and commercial markets, Tina brings extensive expertise in care management, utilization management, clinical quality, Model of Care development, Stars ratings, HEDIS measures, and accreditation standards such as NCQA and URAC.

Tina's career is marked by strategic insights into health plan operations, including strategic planning, joint ventures, partnerships, delegated relationships, and the advancement of value-based care models. She is deeply committed to advancing Health Equity, Population Health, and integrated care initiatives across the industry.

Previously, Tina served as Vice President of Clinical Quality and Stars at Rebellis Group, specializing in Medicare Advantage and government consulting. Her leadership journey includes pivotal roles at Cityblock, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona, and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Medicaid Policy Division.

Tina earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and holds a post-graduate certification in Population Care Coordination from Duke University. She is also a Board-Certified Case Manager (CCM), underscoring her dedication to enhancing healthcare delivery and outcomes through comprehensive care coordination strategies.

Mary Easley Team Lead, Senior Strategic Enterprise Account Executive

Freshpaint

Tony Feijoo Principal

New Health Partners

Driven by a vision to transform healthcare, Tony founded his current company, intending to modernize the industry through integrating technology, process improvement, and a steadfast commitment to quality care. His company dedicates itself to reducing the financial burden of healthcare on American families and improving the overall delivery of care. By leveraging technology and streamlining processes, Tony aims to create a more efficient and effective healthcare system that prioritizes patients' well-being while also addressing families' financial concerns.

Nilda Gonzalez VP Quality Management & Stars 

MMM Healthcare

Kevin Greenberg Director of Finance and Administration, Hospital Transplant Services

UI Health

Katie Guhr SVP of Medicare

BroadPath

Katie joined BroadPath in 2024 and oversees our Medicare program and services. With more than 30 years in healthcare, she specializes in business operations and government-sponsored healthcare products. Previously, as Interim Medicare CEO at Centene, Katie led initiatives in growth and quality assurance. She also held leadership roles at Advantasure, Coventry, and Humana, where was responsible sales and marketing, compliance, member engagement, and strategy. Katie holds an MBA and BA in Finance from Rockhurst University and completed further studies at Michigan’s Ross School of Business.v

Ana Handshuh Principal

CAT5 Strategies

Ana Handshuh, Principal at CAT5 Strategies, is a government programs executive with expertise in creating and implementing corporate programs for the healthcare industry. Her background includes Quality, Core Measures, Care Management, Benefit Design and Bid Submission, Accreditation, Regulatory Compliance, Revenue Management, Communications, Community-based Care Management Programs and Technology Integration. Ms. Handshuh currently serves on the Board of the Resource Initiative and Society for Education (RISE), the preeminent national professional association dedicated to managed and accountable care financing and delivery. She is a sought after speaker on the national healthcare circuit in the areas of Quality, Star Ratings, Care Management, Member and Provider Engagement, and Revenue Management. Her recent consultancy roles have included assisting organizations create programs to address the unmet care management needs in the highest risk strata of membership, document their processes and procedures, achieve accreditation status, design and submit government program bids, institute corporate-wide programs and create communications strategies and materials. She possesses sophisticated business acumen with the ability to build consensus with cross-functional groups to accomplish corporate goals. Ms. Handshuh served as the Vice President of Managed Care Services at Central Florida Inpatient Medicine (CFIM). In this role, she provided leadership and strategy on CFIM projects and collaborations with physicians, risk entities, hospital health care systems, and health plans. CFIM is the largest Hospitalist group in Central Florida, with 70 providers discharging over 50,000 patients annually from multiple hospitals across two health care delivery systems and 24 skilled nursing facilities. At CFIM Ms. Handshuh previously served as the Vice President of Operations. Prior to those assignments, she worked with Precision Healthcare Systems as their Vice President of Quality Improvement. In that capacity, she led the IPA’s Quality efforts and collaborated with payers on implementing programs to move the needle on Quality and Star Rating initiatives. Ms. Handshuh also served as the Director of Corporate Program Development at Physicians United Plan. In this role, she led the Quality Management and Corporate Communications departments and spearheaded the development of innovative integrated technology solutions to drive business excellence and Star Rating achievement initiatives. For the past fifteen years Ms. Handshuh has taken an active role in redefining and implementing changes that have led to improvements and greater efficiency within Government programs and healthcare delivery. Prior to joining Physicians United Plan Ms. Handshuh was the founder of I-Six Creative. Under Ms. Handshuh’s vision and leadership, I-Six Creative provided expertise in the areas of managed Medicare benefit design, MSO/IPA operations, provider network strategy, new market launches, technology integration, corporate communications and quality improvement. 

Dr. Ines Hernandez Roses Chief Medical Officer, Clinical Affairs

Medical Card System, Inc.

Dr. Inés Hernández-Roses, Chief Medical Officer, is a Board-Certified Family Physician, with over 22 years of experience in the healthcare industry. Graduated of the Family Medicine Residency Program of the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine and is certified as a Family Medicine specialist by the American Board of Medical Specialties. She was also a professor of Family Medicine at the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico for nine years. She is certified as a Healthcare Insurance Executive by the AHIP Foundation and as a Professional Medical Coder by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). She joined MCS in 2005, after several years in academic medicine. Since then, she has held several positions in MCS, including the Vice Presidency of Clinical Affairs. During her tenure, she has been responsible for the development and implementation of several clinical programs, including Care Management, Wellness and Palliative Care and Community Outreach; the latest being an innovative program that develops initiatives to address the social determinants of health. In 2020 she received the Outstanding Woman in the Healthcare Field Award from the Puerto Rico Hospital Association. Founder and past president of the Chief Medical Officers Committee of the Puerto Rico Medicaid and Medicare Advantage Products Association (MMAPA). Committed to the community, Dr. Hernández sits on the Board of Trustees of Ser de Puerto Rico, a non-profit entity dedicated to improving the quality of life of people with disabilities and autism.

Ron Hiraski VP, Product Management & Marketing Sales

Christus Health Plan

Kaleb Holt Director, Medicare Products

SelectHealth

Kaleb began his career in health insurance in 1999 when he first joined the Select Health customer service team. He has worked in claims, provider relations, coverage policy management, product management, product development, and pretty much anything else they would let him get his hands on. In 2011 when the decision was made for Select Health to launch an MA plan, Kaleb enthusiastically joined the team and has never looked back. Medicare Advantage has been an incredibly challenging and rewarding field and he isn’t sure he could ever leave it. Kaleb has been described by work colleagues as a true Medicare Advantage nerd, which essentially just means he is really fun at parties.

Kaleb spends most of his personal time with his wife and best friend, Sarah Jean. They have four children in total. None yet show any inclination toward Medicare Advantage, but there is still time. They like to watch movies, go on picnics, and take the occasional road trip when they can get everyone together.

Shawn Holt Chief Revenue Office

Bloom 

Shawn Holt brings more than 25 years of experience in the health insurance industry to Bloom. A seasoned executive, Shawn has a proven track record of driving revenue growth and scaling organizations within the Medicare and ACA sector. Shawn is a Co-Founder of Focused Health, a Medicare Advantage and ACA-focused distribution agency acquired by Bloom in 2024. Prior to building Focused Health, he served as Chief Sales Officer at Centene Corporation, a Fortune 25 company, and was CEO of Meridian, Medicare. His extensive experience in health care sales, combined with his ability to build and lead high-performing teams, positions him as a key strategic leader for Bloom’s continued growth and innovation.

Nikki Hungate Director, Medicare

PacificSource

Nikki is an accomplished professional with over 17 years of experience in the healthcare industry, specializing in Medicare and Medicaid product strategy. With extensive knowledge and expertise in the field, Nikki is a trusted leader who has consistently contributed to the growth and success of various organizations.

Nikki holds a Master's degree in Health Administration. Additionally, she has pursued a Doctorate in Executive Leadership. 

As a passionate advocate for accessible and affordable healthcare, Nikki remains dedicated to driving innovation in the Medicare and Medicaid sectors.

Christopher Javor National Sales Director of Retail Sales

AmeriHealth Caritas

Christopher Javor is a seasoned professional who currently holds the position of National Sales Director, New Business leading the Healthcare Sales Strategy for Medicare/Medicaid and ACA Plans at AmeriHealth Caritas. With an impressive career spanning over 19 years, Christopher has amassed extensive expertise in the healthcare industry and government programs, specifically concentrating on Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial health insurance. 

His profound understanding of the intricacies of the healthcare landscape allows him to contribute significantly to AmeriHealth Caritas' marketing efforts, product development initiatives, and overall business strategy. Christopher's comprehensive knowledge of the industry's dynamics equips him with the ability to identify and capitalize on emerging opportunities, ensuring the delivery of optimal healthcare solutions to the company's diverse portfolio of clients. 

Joe Kanatzar Head of Growth, Government Programs

Blue Cross NC

Angie Keenan Director of Operations

Network Health

Kelly Kimberland Sr Director, Health Plan Marketing

Geisinger Health Systems

Kelly Kimberland is senior director of health plan marketing for Geisinger. In this role, she oversees a team of marketing strategists responsible for acquisition, member engagement and retention marketing campaigns for Geisinger Health Plan. Prior to joining Geisinger, Kimberland served as senior director, marketing strategy and digital engagement for UPMC Health Plan commercial, government and individual product lines. In this role, she also was responsible for developing and implementing the health plan’s digital marketing (including its first mobile app), change management and marketing automation efforts.

Kimberland has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, analytics, business operations, digital innovation and communications. In 2024, Kimberland successfully completed AHIP’s Executive Leadership Program earning the distinction of Certified Healthcare Insurance Executive.  

Elisa Koniski Sr. UX Researcher

RRD

Elisa has a passion for executing highly impactful user-centered research, while collaborating with and reporting to stakeholders. She has more than 20 years of professional research experience, which has shaped her into an empathetic, creative, and detail-oriented problem-solver.

Elisa has designed and executed end-to-end qualitative and quantitative research projects using a variety of methods that provided actionable feedback for stakeholders in the academic, medical, and media research fields. Her expertise includes qualitative research design, methods, and analysis. 

Dave Krupa VP, Marketing and Retail Sales – Group and Individual Division

BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina

Dave Krupa is Vice President of Marketing and Retail Sales for the Group and Individual line of business at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. In this role, he leads the organization’s direct-to-consumer marketing efforts and directs multiple teams in the areas of retail strategy and sales, telesales, sales training and quality, as well as sales technology, marketing, research, communications, and reporting. His areas of product expertise include ACA and Medicare products, and he has responsibility for the Medicare Supplement products offered to the market.  

He brings over 30 years of experience across multiple geographic markets, including the last 14 years with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.

Nicole Kurz VP, Precision Marketing

Digital Health Strategies

Nicole is the VP of Precision Marketing at Digital Health Strategies (DHS), a leading digital health agency specifically designed to support healthcare providers. Nicole has 20 years of experience in precision marketing, including over a decade of patient marketing in healthcare and pharma, with a specialization in insurance and Medicare.

Theresa Lauer Vice President, Sales & Marketing—Medicare

Independence Blue Cross

Theresa Lauer is a seasoned executive with extensive experience in designing, implementing, and leading successful sales and marketing programs for government business. In her current role as VP, Sales and Marketing- Medicare, she oversees the strategic direction and execution of the Medicare products and services in the five-county southeastern PA area. She is responsible for driving growth, retention, and customer satisfaction for the Medicare segment at Independence Blue Cross, as well as developing and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders and partners.

Shioban M. Lawler Head of Sales

Freshpaint

Alan London Medical Director

Digital Health Strategies

Former Chairman, the Cleveland Clinic Health System Physician Organization

Meagan Mathias Customer Experience Strategist

Medical Mutual of Ohio 

Christie McMullen CEO

AIM...Analyze, Improve, Move

Dr. Christie McMullen is a seasoned educator turned entrepreneur, dedicated to infusing work with genuine fun. With 25 years of experience and expertise in educational leadership, she's impacted organizations like FAMP, ReMax, Aetna, Solaris, and RISE, enhancing human interactions.

With a master's and doctorate in Educational Leadership, Dr. McMullen connects with individuals across industries, from CEOs to educators to salespeople. As a coach, networking specialist, and keynote speaker, she offers transformative experiences, using her AIM approach: Analyze, Improve, Move towards extraordinary relationships.

Dr. McMullen's coaching is personalized, tailored to diverse needs, whether in the corporate world or personal relationships. She helps humans overcome mediocrity and unlock the potential for extraordinary connections.

Jack Meere Senior Director

TransPerfect 

Jack Meere is the Division Head of TransPerfect’s Healthcare Practice Group. With over 15 years of experience in healthcare, he leads sales, strategy, and marketing execution for all of TransPerfect’s Managed Care programs.

In his role, Jack and his team collaborate with health plans, TPAs, and other supplementary benefit organizations to optimize language services, accessibility, and contact center strategies, ensuring members receive the information they need to make well-informed healthcare decisions.

Prior to joining TransPerfect, Jack worked in Provider Strategy at US Imaging Network, a national diagnostic imaging program that partners with employers, labor unions, municipalities, third-party administrators, and health plans to improve access to cost-effective imaging services.  His expertise in healthcare sales, operations and strategic partnerships has been instrumental in driving efficiencies and enhancing member engagement.

Renee Mezzanotte EVP, Client Engagement

DMW

What can you do to stop Renée Mezzanotte from thinking about Medicare? Nothing. It just won’t’ happen. With over 30 years of direct marketing experience across many categories, Renée has spearheaded countless successful consumer and business acquisition and retention programs for a variety of services and clients. But ask her about Medicare, and you had better be ready to settle in and get comfortable. For the past 15 years, Renée has trained a laser-like focus on Medicare plans, including Medicare Advantage, Med Supp, and DSNP, guiding regional clients to success through numerous AEP, OEP, SEP and New to Medicare campaigns across twenty states. One of her specialties is helping to launch new plans – particularly those that are provider sponsored. She knows Medicare inside out, top to bottom.

Renée’s a firm believer that “Life’s too short,”  and she brings a positive energy to everything she does, whether its engaging with her clients, soaking in the sun at the Jersey Shore, hiking on a far-away trail, or traveling to another bucket-list destination.

Nicholas Michel Director of Research, Strategy, and Growth

RRD

Nick is a subject matter expert, working with clients to help answer questions that can drive their brands forward with a focus on enhancing their customers' experiences. 

He has led over 150 projects for global brands across industries including healthcare, retail, financial services and utilities. Nick has led all research activities for multiple Fortune 500 companies where these efforts have brought about conversion increases of greater than 25% and ROI increases up to 185% for specific engagements. 

Nick has spoken at events around the country and internationally on topics in CX and Research Innovation. He is also the foremost company expert in eye tracking and emotional testing using EEG technology.

Lucas Miller Professor

UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business

Lucas Miller is a human performance researcher, author, and the youngest faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Lucas teaches one of the most popular MBA classes at Berkeley called "Becoming Superhuman: The Science of Productivity and Performance" and has been featured in Wired and The Wall Street Journal. Along with his wife Dr. Sahar Yousef, he also runs the Becoming Superhuman Lab, a training and consulting firm which teaches busy professionals who think for a living how to get their most important done, in less time, with less stress.

He has given over 600 keynotes to knowledge workers in 50+ countries, has advised executive teams at JP Morgan, Google, and Visa, and has even been invited to speak to the U.S. Congress.

Maggie Mood Vice President, Sales and Marketing

Mass Advantage Medicare Advantage Plan

Margaret Mood is the Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Mass Advantage, a local provider-sponsored MA plan in the central Massachusetts market.

As the former Director of Sales in the Senior Programs Department at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, she was is involved in the development of long and short term marketing strategies and is responsible for development and implementation of sales strategies for Harvard Pilgrim’s Medicare Products (nongroup). She oversees all sales channels responsible for growth of Medicare nongroup options (internal sales, call center, brokers and exchanges). As a member of the Senior Programs Leadership Team, she also lends her expertise to product development and retention strategies. 

Margaret has been involved with direct selling to the senior population since 1994 working for Fallon Health Plan, before joining Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in 1997.

Ms. Mood is a graduate of Assumption College (Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management) located in Worcester, MA and received her MBA from Anna Maria College, Paxton MA.

Andy Mueller Principal and Consulting Actuary

Milliman

Andy’s area of expertise is health insurance and managed healthcare programs. He has advised managed care organizations, hospital systems, state government agencies, insurance companies, employers, and other organizations. His primary focus is Medicare Advantage.

Andy assists health plan clients with several facets of their business including rating, self-funded rate development, liability estimates, product design, health care reform issues, risk sharing arrangement development, and other actuarial projections.

Further, Andy helped develop Milliman’s Medicare Suggest product, which helps beneficiaries find the optimal Medicare plan for them.

Brooke Murphy Strategic Communications Manager

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

Brooke Murphy is the Strategic Communications Manager for CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Baltimore, Maryland. In this role, she oversees the Marketing and Communications Team responsible for acquisition, member engagement and retention marketing campaigns for CareFirst’s Government Programs lines of business including Individual and Group Medicare, Medicaid, and Medicare Supplemental products.

Brooke has nearly 15 years of experience in marketing, member engagement and retention, digital communications and business operations.

Andrew Napierala Vice President, Medicare & Individual Market Sales

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

Andrew Napierala joined the Lifetime Healthcare Companies (the parent company of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Univera Healthcare, and LifeTime Benefit Solutions) in May 2022 in the role of Vice President, Medicare & Individual Market Sales.  His areas of focus include Medicare (General Enrollment), Group Medicare, and Individual Under-65 product lines, with oversight of the various distribution channels for these lines of business encompassing field sales, retail sites, telesales, external brokers and other strategic partnerships.

Previously, Andrew served as Sales Manager for Highmark BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York’s Consumer Markets team, providing coverage options for Medicare and Individual Under-65 members, as well as specialized programs for Group Medicare, State and Federal employees. During his tenure with Highmark, Medicare membership increased by more than 160% while the company’s “New-to-Medicare” conversion improved by 250% over the same period, yielding revenue growth in excess of $350 million.

Andrew has considerable experience in consumer sales, having spent much of his career in the financial services industry, including sales and management roles with HSBC, MassMutual, and The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.  A 2001 graduate of Clarkson University, he is currently earning an M.B.A. from St. Bonaventure University with a focus in Strategic Marketing.

Andrew is a board member with several non-profit organizations across Upstate New York including the Amherst Generations Foundation, The Clarkson University Honors Program Advisory Council, and CDS Life Transition’s Wolf Foundation. He currently resides in Williamsville, NY with his wife, Brittany, and daughters Nora and Nina.

Brigitte Nettesheim Chief Growth Officer

Convey Health Solutions 

Alexandra Nguyen Sr Leader, Statewide FMO Distribution

Florida Blue

With over 15 years of proven success as a sales leader in the health insurance industry, Alexandra Nguyen (Alex) is a visionary professional known for driving revenue growth and building high-performance sales teams. Alex has a track record of exceeding targets and establishing strong relationships with clients and partners in the healthcare sector. Alex is a strategic thinker with a deep understanding of market trends and consumer behavior, allowing her to develop innovative sales strategies that deliver results. She is passionate about leading and inspiring her team to achieve their full potential and is dedicated to providing top-notch service to clients. Alex is a trusted leader in the industry, committed to excellence and driving success in the ever-evolving world of health insurance sales.

M. Keith Peiffer Vice President, Senior Market Segment Leader

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska

Jennifer Pike, JD Counsel, Health Care Group

Alston & Bird

Jen Pike is counsel in the Health Care Group of Alston & Bird. She serves a broad range of clients in the industry, including institutional providers, medical practices, health systems, and health care technology vendors. Her practice is focused on providing comprehensive counsel on a full range of HIPAA regulatory and compliance matters, including analysis of applicability of HIPAA requirements, creation and implementation of robust HIPAA programs designed to reduce compliance-related incidents, successful navigation of breach response and government investigations, negotiation of business associate agreements, and analysis of complex data use questions.

Jen also regularly advises clients on IT-related matters and technology transactions. Jen’s experience in these areas uniquely positions her to counsel health care entities on their adoption and use of cutting-edge technologies, as well as guide clients in developing and commercializing digital health technologies.

Jenny Ramseth Chief Product Officer

Best Buy Health

Todd Rau Director Sales and Client Relationships

Indiana University Health Plans, Inc.

Todd Rau is the Director of Medicare for Indiana University Health Plans and leads the Medicare Advantage line of business for the past 5 years. IU Health Plans is an extension of Indiana University Health, Indiana’s only hospital system to be nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report for 20 consecutive years.

Rau has 29 years of experience in insurance and began his career as a broker, focusing on commercial group, individual and Medicare health sales. In 2007 he became the Regional Sales Manager for Anthem BCBS individual broker sales, and quickly transitioned to the role of Broker Sales Director for Medicare Products.

While at IU Health Plans, Rau introduced the first $0 premium plans and multiple supplemental benefit additions. A Greenwood, Indiana native, he received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University.

Bryce Rausch Head of Fitbit Enterprise

Fitbit Enterprise 

Bryce Rausch is an accomplished healthcare executive with over 15 years of experience in sales, business development, and channel enablement. Leading Google’s Fitbit Enterprise division, he oversees enterprise initiatives and strategy across health plans, health systems, partners, government entities, and research. His primary focus is empowering health plans to improve member health, engagement, and retention, with the goal of reducing healthcare costs, through Google Fitbit products and services. Bryce resides in Ohio with his wife and three daughters. His current health focus is monitoring his sleep trends in the Fitbit app and working to improve his sleep hygiene.

Angelo Rexach Medicare Policy and Analytics Consultant

Rex Wallace Consulting, LLC

Angelo Rexach is a highly skilled Medicare Star Ratings Consultant with a Master’s degree in Demography and six years of specialized experience in the Medicare Star Ratings Program. Since joining Rex Wallace Consulting, LLC in January 2024, he has utilized his expertise to assist clients in enhancing their Star Ratings through strategic data analysis and performance improvement initiatives. Previously, Angelo served as a Senior Data Scientist at MCS Puerto Rico, where he was instrumental in helping the organization become the first plan in Puerto Rico to achieve a 5-star rating. Over his seven-year tenure at MCS, he held various roles, including Data Scientist and Business Analyst, focusing on data-driven strategies to elevate Star Ratings performance.

Ixel A. Rivera Chief Operations Officer

Triple-S Salud

Sarah Robertson Customer Experience Strategist

Medical Mutual of Ohio 

Joseph Schneier CEO

Circle

Joseph Schneier has been at the forefront of innovations in global and domestic education, government, healthcare, and insurance technology for over 20 years. He has built companies and products related to behavioral change with complex populations, co-founded and exited two companies, and is a Fellow at Columbia University’s MBA Entrepreneurial Program. 

Since 2012, Mr. Schneier’s primary focus has been on the older adult population. Joseph founded three companies in this space — Cognotion (now operating as Cinematic Health Education): a growth stage company that trains CNAs, Home Health Aides, and Personal Care Assistants; Bellage (with James Firman, the former CEO of the National Council on Aging): a company working with Area Agencies on Aging on longevity initiatives; and Circle (formerly Trusty.care): an AI data management and customer relationship SaaS platform that makes it easier for health plans, value-based care providers, and brokers to get rewarded for better serving their members. Circle bridges the gap by empowering partners with the right technology and insights and facilitating a more inclusive and accessible healthcare environment. 

Mr. Schneier has spoken at TedMed, Lake Nona, and JP Morgan Healthcare. He is a mentor at New York University, Wharton, Cornell, Techstars, and is a Columbia University Fellow.  Mr. Schneier sits on the board of The Sam and Devorah Foundation for Transgender youth, Superbia Credit Union (an LGBTQ credit union), Stonewall Community Development Corporation (a non-profit focused on LGBTQ senior housing), and is a member of the LGBTQ+ Biden Council and the LGBTQ+ Queens District Attorney Council. 

John Selby President

Rebellis Group

Melissa Smith Founder, Senior Advisor

Newton Smith Group

For more than a decade, Melissa Smith has been at the forefront of leading Medicare Advantage and Star Ratings teams. As the founder of Newton Smith Group and a Senior Advisor to Oliver Wyman, Melissa is a widely recognized thought leader and healthcare strategist. Her proven track record of success lies in developing comprehensive enterprise-wide solutions that enhance Star Ratings, quality performance, health outcomes, and the overall member experience.

Melissa excels in crafting strategic and tactical solutions to meet client needs, forging productive partnerships across internal teams and external vendors, and improving performance on various quality measures.  Her unique background in business, finance, regulatory compliance, and healthcare quality provides clients unparalleled access to healthcare strategy, quality performance, and revenue optimization.

As the former Chief Consulting Officer at Healthmine and Senior Vice President at Gorman Health Group, Melissa's leadership spans across prestigious organizations like Cigna-HealthSpring and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Graduating from Purdue University, Melissa began her career at KPMG, LLP and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Patrick Speer Managing Director

Encore Health Advisors 

Patrick Speer is a Medicare growth and distribution leader with deep expertise in plan expansion, sales strategy, and financial performance. He has led large-scale initiatives across major Medicare Advantage organizations, optimizing P&L, distribution channels, and retention strategies to drive sustained growth.

As Vice President of Medicare at Alignment Health, Patrick oversaw misc. functions including sales operations, telesales, and dual-eligible strategies, contributing to the company’s rapid expansion to over 200,000 members. He held leadership roles at Blue Shield of California, managing Group Medicare, strategic planning, and financial performance. He started his career in finance at Humana in his hometown of Louisville, KY.

As Managing Director of Encore Health Advisors, Patrick empowers seniors to navigate Medicare with confidence while delivering tailored growth and health solutions to meet the unique needs of individuals, employers, and provider organizations.

He holds a BBA in Finance and BSBE in Economics from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Justin Stauffer Executive Vice President of Marketing Technology & Media

DMW

Justin has a proven track record in leading marketing, media, web development, and technology initiatives at DMW. For the past twenty-five years, he has developed results-driven, multi-channel marketing campaigns across various industries, including insurance, healthcare, and pharma. His core expertise includes digital marketing, user experience, and web analytics.

When he's not working, Justin enjoys watching his kids compete in swimming for their college and high school teams. He loves outdoor activities with his family and is a die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan. An avid homebrewer for over a decade, he speaks as passionately about beer and football as he does about marketing.

Jamee Sunga Director of Product

Bloom

Jamee Sunga is a seasoned sales operations professional with more than a decade of Medicare experience. As Director of Product Operations, she leads the strategy, implementation, and operations of all Bloom onboarding products, helping to produce a better onboarding experience for Medicare health plan stakeholders and their members. Prior to joining Bloom, Jamee served as National Integration Manager for Centene Corporation, where she helped lead large-scale, nationwide initiatives for their Medicare Solutions business. 

Derrick Taveras VP of Business Development

Ingenia Health

Derrick is a highly accomplished healthcare executive with a track record of over 20 years in entrepreneurship, specializing in developing top-tier risk adjustment, quality, SDoH (Social Determinants of Health), and eligibility and enrollment programs for health plans and hospital systems. Currently serving as the Vice President of Business Development at Ingenia Health, he leads the company’s sales and business development efforts nationwide.

Prior to his role at Ingenia Health, Derrick held the position of Senior Vice President of Business Development at Centauri Health Solutions. During his tenure, he played a pivotal role in the creation and success of Centauri Advance, the company’s flagship SaaS platform. This achievement stemmed from Centauri Health Solutions’ acquisition of Tactical Management, Inc. (TMI), a risk adjustment firm that Derrick founded in 2005.

Derrick’s educational background comprises an undergraduate degree in Finance and Management Information Systems from Alfred University, followed by an MBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. His wealth of experience and expertise continue to drive innovation and growth in the healthcare industry.

Britt Travis President

Alternative Growth Strategics, LLC

Britt is a seasoned executive with an extensive leadership background in sales, marketing, and operations, spanning over four decades in prominent healthcare and technology companies. Notably, he has contributed to the growth and improved performance of organizations such as Centene Corporation, Molina, Highmark, Inc., and, most recently, Clever Care Health Plan.

Throughout his career, Britt has cultivated a deep understanding of payer and member needs across various lines of business, coupled with a profound knowledge of health plan operations. In the early 2000s, he briefly transitioned to the technology sector, serving as VP of Business Development and Sales Operations for New Era of Networks (NEON), a pioneering company specializing in systems integration technology, eventually acquired by Sybase. There, he assumed a marketing leadership role in its e-business division.

In August of 2023, Britt embarked on a new career in consulting by establishing Alternative Growth Strategies LLC. His company specializes in providing Sales and Business Development strategy, process execution, and interim leadership support for health plans and technology companies selling into health plans. 

Britt's attention is currently focused on two key technology relationships. He serves as the SVP of Business Development at Insightin Health Inc., a healthcare technology company that delivers hyper-personalized experiences through its highly secure SaaS-based platform, inGAGE™. This platform offers precision insights and tailored data-driven recommendations, enabling health plans to simplify the healthcare journey for consumers and improve member care planning, outcomes, and engagement. Additionally, Britt's company acts as a preferred distribution partner and provides sales leadership for EvolveNXT, a leading Broker Commissions and channel management system that streamlines agent onboarding and commission payment processes, among other core functionalities.

Britt's depth of knowledge and experience in the healthcare industry, coupled with his early foundation in technology, are invaluable assets that will undoubtedly benefit his clients in the coming years.

Andrea Urena Director of Retail Marketing

AmeriHealth Caritas

Jason Vallejos Executive VP & CSO

Syndicated Insurance Agency, LLC

Jason Vallejos is the EVP & CSO for Syndicated Insurance Agency, a Limited Liability Company founded in 2003. Syndicated is a multi-line general agency offering all lines of coverage including Life, Health, Property & Casualty insurance with a strong focus on Medicare Plan sales as a National Field Marketing Organization. As Executive Vice President, Jason is head of sales, marketing and training for all sub-agencies working with Syndicated and fosters win-win relationships with professional partners including medical groups & Independent Physician Associations.

Syndicated’s approach to marketing is to work in collaboration with professional advisors such as healthcare providers, CPA’s, business, and estate planning attorneys to help develop long-term protection plans and growth for his clients. As the industry and the needs of our community change, Jason continues rigorous educational standards in Senior Health Care, Life, Long-Term Care and Business Insurance.

At a young age, Jason volunteered with various charities and organizations including the American Red Cross. In 1994 Jason assisted the victims of the Northridge Earthquake with claims filing, shelter, food, and clothing, as an American Red Cross volunteer. This is where Jason first understood the necessity of insurance and the value it brings to communities during disasters. Later, as a healthcare business analyst, Jason developed a passion for helping seniors with their healthcare needs while learning the operational and analytical support that runs a major carrier. Through this diverse career background, Jason acquired business knowledge, actuarial analysis, insurance, networking and managed care experience. Jason Vallejos was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and resides in the Ventura County area.

Jason has a passion for people and is driven by a set of core values including integrity, excellence and innovation, focusing on client satisfaction and retention, teamwork, continuous improvement, mentoring, growth and success. Jason is an accomplished and results driven top performing leader known for his industry knowledge, organizational and leadership abilities and his focus on win-win solutions for his clients and partners. 

Jessica Vander Zanden VP Operations

Network Health

Jessica has a proven track record of taking skills that she mastered in one area and applying that mastery to new areas. She holds certifications in Health Care Compliance from the Health Care Compliance Association, Strategic Decision and Risk Management from Stanford University and Gerontology from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. She holds a current Wisconsin license as an Advance Practice Social Worker and is also a Six Sigma Green Belt. She has close to two decades of experience in healthcare and business and organizational leadership.

Jessica is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh and holds a Masters of Social Work from University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a Masters in Organizational Business and Business Leadership from Silver Lake College in Manitowoc, WI.

Dustin VanDuine Director of Strategic Relations

Rick Young Insurance

Rex Wallace CEO

Rex Wallace Consulting, LLC

Rex Wallace is the founder and principal of Rex Wallace Consulting, LLC, a firm that specializes in improving Star Ratings for Medicare Advantage health plans. Rex assesses plans and guides them in the development and implementation of leading strategies to drive material Quality Improvement. Since its inception in 2017, RWC has helped multiple Medicare Advantage contracts achieve significant improvements in Star Ratings, including single-year full-Star improvements. Prior to launching RWC, Rex spent twenty-three years in strategic healthcare roles, with a strong focus on Medicare Advantage. Most recently, he led Stars for a large, multi-state plan that consistently achieved 4 and 4.5 Stars across its multiple contracts. 

Darren Wethers CEO

Wethers Consulting, LLC

Darren Wethers is a board-certified internal medicine physician and certified physician executive.

He graduated from Morehouse College, Northwestern University Medical School and completed internal medicine training at Emory University School of Medicine before establishing himself in internal medicine practice in the St. Louis, Missouri area, becoming a “Top Doctor” honoree several years running. Dr. Wethers was the medical staff president at SSM St. Mary’s Health Center in 2006-07 and chaired the facility’s Credentials committee 2007-11.

In 2011, Dr. Wethers began a career in administrative medicine, servings as a medical director with Coventry Health Care and Aetna, vice president of clinical operations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and at Atrio Health Plans, where he served as chief medical officer. He launched Wethers Consulting, LLC in 2023, which has clients including Rebellis Group, Toney Health and MetaDigital. Dr. Wethers is a strategic advisor to the Managed Care Resource Alliance (MCRA).

Dr. Wethers is a member of the American Association for Physician Leadership, Fellow of the American College of Physicians, member of Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Pi Phi fraternities; he is the immediate past chairman of the board for Gamma Mu Educational Services (GMES) and is a board member of Northwestern University Medical School Alumni Association, for which he serves as president-elect and co-chair of the Inclusion and Allyship committee.

Stephen Winn Senior Director, Quality

Permanente Medicine

Stephen Winn is the Senior Director for Quality at the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, a large multi-specialty medical group based in the Mid-Atlantic, and oversees Quality Program reporting, including HEDIS.   With more than a decade of experience, he focuses on building programs, systems, and workflows that promote the delivery of high-quality care and accurate reporting. Prior to working in Healthcare, he was an International Economist at the U.S. Department of Treasury.

Dr. Sahar Yousef Cognitive Neuroscientist and MBA Faculty

UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business

Dr. Sahar Yousef is a cognitive neuroscientist and faculty at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She is considered one of the world’s leading experts on cognitive training and the science of productivity.

Dr. Sahar runs the Becoming Superhuman Lab and her work has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CNBC, and The New York Times. She also teaches one of Berkeley’s most popular MBA classes which trains busy professionals who think for a living how to get their most important work done, in less time, and with less stress. 

Sahar has given over 750 keynotes to knowledge workers and execs in over 50 countries, including speaking to the U.S. Congress, and was recently selected by Thinkers50 as one of the top 30 management thinkers to watch in 2024.