2023 Speakers

Adam Barnhart, FSA, MAAA

Adam is a Principal and Consulting Actuary at Milliman, a global, independent professional services firm serving the insurance, employee benefits, and healthcare industries. His work focuses on healthcare, where he works with a diverse client base that includes Medicare Advantage organizations, Prescription Drug Plan sponsors, employer groups, providers, supplemental benefit organizations, and pharmacy manufacturers. He is passionate about improving the access, value, and outcomes across the healthcare industry, and working with his clients to help them meet their objectives.

Brian Breisinger

Brian is the President and CEO of GS National Insurance. GS was founded in 2012 as a wholesale distributor of health insurance products based in Pittsburgh, PA. The firm represents 26 carriers and currently works with over 4,500 brokers in 13 states. Brian also has ownership interest in the retail insurance firm MediConnect and a managing partner with PEAK Reps, LLC. out of Jupiter, FL. Peak is a wholesale Broker/Dealer.

Ed Buckley, III, Ph.D.

Ed Buckley, III, Ph.D., is the CEO of Peerfit by FitOn Health, a platform that makes it easy for insurance carriers, brokers, and employers to offer a variety of fitness experiences to their clients, employees, and Medicare members through their product Peerfit Move. Having raised over $60 million, Ed leads expansion strategies by fundraising, driving national partnerships, and continued business development. With nearly 15 years in the fitness industry and a background in digital health behavior research, Ed continues to push the envelope on innovation in the fitness-technology space. He is passionate about designing new ways to drive engagement and help deliver flexibility and personalization to the health and wellness marketplace. As CEO, Peerfit by FitOn Health has won national awards for best company culture, best leadership, regional Emmy awards, best workplaces from Entrepreneur, USA Today, and Great Places to Work, and #140 on the Inc 5000 list with nearly 3k% growth. Peerfit was recently acquired by one of the top leaders in the fitness and health space, FitOn and previously completed an M&A transaction with one of the top fitness companies in the space. Ed holds a Ph.D. in Digital Health Behavior, and a Master's of Public Health, from the University of Florida. He is also the co-founder and Vice-President of the Board of Governors for Balance180, a non-profit that encourages children with disabilities to be physically active, and is on the board of FitOn.

Mina Chang, Ph.D.

Dr. Chang currently leads Ohio Department of Aging’s Analytics & Compliance division, using business intelligence to improve statewide delivery of long-term services and supports.

She is an accomplished leader and trusted advisor in large healthcare, public health, and human service delivery systems for a wide span of governments and national markets. Mostly recently, she was a senior executive and VP for Bethesda LC, a prominent long-term care provider on disabilities. She led all aspects of quality, training, and COVID response for its 3,000 employees nationwide.

She was formerly an assistant health commissioner for the New York City, one of the world’s largest health organizations. She led her team to improve health insurance and safety net services for all New Yorkers. She previously held various operations and quality leadership roles for the State of Ohio to improve access to and quality of care for more than three million Ohioans.

Dr. Chang is a frequent speaker at key industry forums and has served as a subject matter expert at MACPAC, SAMHSA, and CHCS. She earned her Ph.D. and Master of Public Administration from the Ohio State University.

Evelyn Chojnacki, MPH

Evelyn Chojnacki brings an extensive health plan background to Sword Health with over 19 years’ experience serving clients and members. This includes client management, health care program development, vendor assessment and integrations, market deployment and strategy. Evelyn joined Sword in early 2021 and remains focused on advocating for the needs of health plan partners while supporting the advancement of virtual care across the industry. This means promoting solutions positioned to deliver impactful clinical results and equitable member access to convenient care - all while tackling escalating healthcare costs. Outside of work, Evelyn is an active outdoor and travel enthusiast.

Keslie Crichton

Keslie is the Chief Sales Officer for Benelynk. In her role, she is not only responsible for new business development but also works on innovative partnerships to improve outreach strategies and health outcomes for our client’s members. At the core of BeneLynk’s services, Keslie and her team work to identify, document and solve member’s social determinant of health (SDoH) challenges by “leading with help”. This increases BeneLynk’s engagement rates across our integrated services while also providing our clients with crucial information they need to deliver care and improve their quality metrics.

Keslie has worked in managed care for over 25 years with a focus on SDoH solutions that improve members lives but also provide a return on investment for our clients. Keslie's passion lies in working on strategies that put members at the center while ensuring we deliver increased risk-adjusted revenue, quality performance, and member retention.

Keslie holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Regis University and worked toward her MBA and Masters in Healthcare Administration at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. She is also a licensed Realtor® and spends time serving volunteering for several non-profit organizations.

Kacey Dugan

Sarah A. Fernandes

Helaine Fingold

Craig Fisher

Ken Gammon

Mark Garnett

With over 30 years in the healthcare industry, Mark has led pharmaceutical and Medicare Advantage teams in both a sales and P&L capacity. Most recently, he was President of the southeast market for Cigna’s Medicare Advantage division, and has spoken frequently on product design, member engagement, clinical outcomes, medical economics and SDoH. Specifically, his experience includes:

• SE President, Cigna Government Sector
• SE VP of Sales and Marketing, Cigna Government Sector
• 18 years leading pharmaceutical teams in Account Management, Sales, Marketing, and Training

Nikki Hungate, MS, MHA

Nikki Hungate, a long-time resident of the Western New York region, currently serves as the Senior Leader of Medicare & Government Programs Product Strategy at MVP Health Care. Utilizing the 17 years of experience in the health plan industry she is accountable for leading a team of product innovators that create and deliver a suite of high-quality government products that address the needs of the community in a customer-centric fashion, placing emphasis on those populations that are most vulnerable and underserved.

Nikki holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Health Administration from Roberts Wesleyan College. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Charleston in the Executive Leadership program. Nikki has a passion for sharing knowledge, and also serves as an adjunct professor in the health sciences degree programs at Monroe Community College and Roberts Wesleyan College. In her free time, she volunteers as fundraising coordinator for the local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter in Rochester, NY.

Billy Justice

Jenn Kerfoot

As Chief Experience Officer at FarmboxRx, Jenn Kerfoot is the head of Client and Member Experience Operations. In this role, Jenn leads the strategic planning, design, and implementation of initiatives that drive Member Satisfaction & Retention. Additionally, Jenn spearheads the Member Insights function using qualitative and advanced analytic approaches to understand the gaps in care and unmet needs of populations.

Jenn has helped companies articulate and achieve success across several aspects of the healthcare space. As a military veteran, Jenn brings leadership and vision to diverse audiences, and offers a unique perspective within start-ups and high-growth stage companies. With a passion for organizational mission and values, as well as the unique competitive advantage of establishing a strong culture, Jenn works with all departments to streamline processes and programs that integrate the member experience into every aspect of the business.

Lauren Flynn Kelly

Lauren has been covering health business issues since the early 2000s and specializes in in- depth reporting on Medicare Advantage, managed Medicaid and Medicare Part D. She also possesses a deep understanding of the complex world of pharmacy benefit management, having written AIS Health’s Radar on Drug Benefits from 2004 to 2005 and again from 2011 to 2016. In addition to her role as managing editor of Radar on Medicare Advantage, she oversees AIS Health’s publications and manages the health editorial staff. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in English.

Gary Melis, RPh

Gary Melis is a Clinical Pharmacist for the past six years at Network Health, a local health insurance provider in Northeast and Southeast Wisconsin. He is currently one of two pharmacists involved making MTM calls in-house. His responsibilities also involve NCQA, pharmacy appeals, P&T Committee, Member and Provider relations.

Gary’s also has experience as pharmacy manager for a national long term care company, pharmacy manager for retail pharmacy chain, and Pharmacy Director for a National Health Care provider. He has also been a pharmacy instructor at local medical college family practice clinic.

Casman Mosby

Casman Mosby, The Queen of Community and Family Relations. A native of Orlando FL, Casman has made it her life’s mission to strengthen the bonds of multi-generational connections. From community food drives to senior focused outreach, and even Adopt Kid Birthday's Initiatives for children in need.

No matter how tough the challenge, Casman shows up, not for the accolades, though those moments are very humbling but shows up for those who need it the most, which are the disenfranchised in the community, or as she would call them my Babies….seniors included. Casman Mosby is all about the family unit…primarily because she herself is a proud mother of three beautiful daughters Alaysia, Ayanna, and Trinity. Her life experience in the community encouraged her to start the non-profit organization Promise Seeds Initiatives International and the Royal International Group (Transitional Housing).

Casman’s current profession is the Director of Marketing and Sales with Metro Health, which covers the Orlando and Volusia county area in Florida. With over 25 years In Healthcare, the past 6 being in Medicare sales, and the past 3 in Real Estate all have strengthened Casman’s muscle in truly being the Queen in her field. She has been named the Community Ambassador for Medicare, a Relentless Coach, and simply a woman who is about her business and elevating those within/beyond her arms reach. She has a heart of gold, and the community's endorsement to back it up. Casman’s passion is in educating the community on resources in their own backyard. She believes with the right guidance you can generate leads, favorable outcomes, and get your next sale by building relationships!

Building relationships is a strong pillar in everything she does. She would not be where she is today, without the continued support of her community partners. In summation, Casman Mosby prides herself in family and engaging the community. When you love on the people, they may not give you a yes right away, but yes is surely soon to come when you are placed there for a purpose. Don’t give up.

Jeff Nathe

Jeff Nathe has over 30 years of experience in the Medicare Advantage industry, beginning in direct sales and moving into sales management. He has worked the last 15 years in Sales and Member Retention with a Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan in Arizona. This allows him to be involved in all aspects of the sales cycle, from marketing to retaining membership in a very mature and highly competitive marketplace.

Philip Nelson

Phil Nelson is a Consulting Actuary with Milliman. He joined the firm in 2016. His expertise is in Medicare Advantage consulting. Phil has assisted Medicare Advantage Organizations with medical and prescription drug pricing during the bid development process. He has also been involved in strategic discussions with MAOs as they assess their plan offerings. Through these strategy conversations, Phil has helped analyze the impact of a variety of potential plan changes including the impact of formulary changes, legislative proposals, plan benefit designs, provider network arrangements, and potential new plan offerings and service area expansions.

Dan Paladino

As VP, Healthcare Client Experience, Dan helps lead marketing strategy for Amsive’s healthcare clients, supporting their long-term growth goals and ensuring Amsive is delivering excellent service.

Dan has two decades of experience leading high-profile marketing, communications and change management strategy and programs, primarily on behalf of health plans and health systems.

Prior to joining Amsive, Dan served for 8 years in both client-facing and in-house roles at Evolent Health, a high-growth $1B unicorn company that provides value-based care services to providers and payers. Most recently, Dan led Evolent’s Corporate Marketing/Communications function and a team of five, where he oversaw PR, marketing, communications, creative/brand strategy and investor relations. During his time at Evolent, Dan also led the Medicare marketing department, where he managed key client relationships and led the successful launch of new Medicare Advantage health plans and marketing programs.

Brandon Solomon

Brandon Solomon is Convey's vice president of client advisory and business development. Brandon joined Convey Health Solutions in 2018, leading all customer-facing operations for Convey’s subsidiary, Pareto Intelligence. Brandon has over 15 years of healthcare experience as a strategic advisor and partner to health plans operating government markets (MA, ACA, Medicaid). In his current role, Brandon focuses on developing strong partnerships with our Convey customers to help them attract, retain, and better manage members through strategic supplemental benefit management and advanced analytics.

Spencer Pratt

Spencer Pratt is the VP of Growth & Strategy at NourishedRx. Spencer has spent his career in healthcare building innovative solutions and frameworks around SDoH, health equity, member engagement, and quality improvement. Prior to joining NourishedRx, Spencer held leadership roles at Unite Us and Carrot Health, and established a consumer insights solution at Optum.

Windsor Richmond

Windsor Richmond is the Field Sales Manager for Anthem Blue Cross. She oversees a Field Sales team in Southern California. She’s been in the Medicare insurance industry 20+ years and has gained her experience by working at multiple Fortune 100 insurance companies. Her role with Elevance Health entails managing, coaching, business development, and knowledge of all Medicare products. She works closely with Elevance Health leadership in analyzing the territories against competition and growth opportunities. Throughout the years she has also had the opportunity to manage the Individual Sales Agents/Brokers.

Medicare has continued to be a passion for Windsor. Having the opportunity to begin Medicare sales since the inception of the Medicare Advantage, she’s had success in improving the lives of Medicare beneficiaries and as well as individuals working in the industry. Her favorite lesson is knowing the history of Medicare. She recommends you Google a video presented by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Medicare and Medicaid at 50.

Windsor lives in Southern California and has two wonderful sons. She is an advocate sports fan. Her favorite team is the Los Angeles Lakers. She holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of LaVerne and an MHA from Walden University.

Todd Rau

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.

Tom Sass

Tom Sass is vice president of consumer markets, Highmark Western and Northeastern New York. In this role, he oversees the strategy and execution of sales to consumer markets, including ACA Individual & Family Plans and Medicare Direct Pay Plans.

Sass joined the health plan in 2012 as general manager, state product and advanced through several positions throughout his tenure, including director, commercial accounts, director, consumer markets and most recently, senior director, consumer markets and corporate sales operations.

Sass received both a Master of Business Administration and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from University at Buffalo. He also completed a Data Analytics 360 Certificate from the eCornell Program at Cornell University in 2019.

A sales and product management executive with more than two decades’ experience, Sass is a member of the National Association of Health Underwriters and Senior Markets Executive Group for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Ezio Sabatino

Ezio is an enthusiastic marketing leader with experience in all aspects of integrated marketing and communications that drives increased revenue and grows market share. Since 2002, Ezio held marketing leadership positions with EmblemHealth and ConnectiCare serving as Director, Marketing Acquisition & Retention for Individual Products and Director, Marketing & Communications for Senior Markets.

Before joining ConnectiCare, Ezio helped elevate commercial health products to market prominence through various marketing positions at PHS Health Plans, a Health Net Company from 1991-2001.

He currently focuses on consulting in the Individual Insurance space (Medicare Advantage DSNP, Medicare Supplement, ACA) spearheading acquisition, onboarding and retention efforts through strategic planning and implementation of marketing lead generation and retention programs.

Ezio obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing with a minor in psychology from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. A lifelong resident of Stratford, CT, he, and his wife Lysa have three children and two grandchildren. Ezio is also a dog lover (especially rottweilers), a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan and loves a good Springsteen and Bill Joel show.

Rebecca Schano

Becca has over 20 years’ experience in helping organization solve some of their most critical client communication needs. Her expertise is in creating workflows that solve complex communications needs for health plans to help drive efficiency, engagement and member satisfaction.

Barb Shooshanian

Barb Shooshanian is the Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer for Health Alliance Administrators, Inc., managing agency for Health Alliance Plan. Barb has worked in the health insurance managing agency space for 18 years. Throughout her tenure, Barb has held positions with a strong focus on driving sales growth, improving customer retention and experience, and strengthening agent relationships/ partnerships. She has a strong Medicare, commercial group, and individual markets background. Barb has been a Metro Detroit Association of Health Underwriters member since 2012, serving on the Board of Directors from 2013 through 2021. Barb also serves on the Board of Directors for Pink Sisters Inc. – a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting women within the Metro Detroit communities facing a breast cancer diagnosis.

Heather Smith

Heather has been in Insurance and Financial Sales for her entire career. Having been in the Medicare Sales arena for over 15 years, she has found her true passion working within the senior population. She enjoys working for regional plans that have a unique offering within the communities they serve. She is responsible for all Medicare Sales distribution channels, as well as the Individual Commercial Market, and Community Programs. Helping others achieve their goals, uncover potential, and find those “aha moments” will always be the most rewarding part of her role.

Heather has been married for over 28 years and has one teenage daughter who will be college bound in the fall of 2023. She enjoys time at home with family and her plethora of pets, as well as retreat time to the lake or the Caribbean to relax and recharge.

Jason Sloan

At BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Jason leads the strategic vision and implementation for Medicare Advantage quality improvement activities, risk adjustment procedures and value-based provider partnerships. Under Jason’s leadership the MA program has markedly increased quality outcomes by helping beneficiaries navigate the healthcare system and by establishing strong partnerships with local healthcare providers.

Jason has spent his career managing local and national Medicare Advantage quality programs along with experience in medical research and physical therapy health programs. He earned an MBA from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Biomedical Science from Midwestern University in Chicago. To stay well rounded Jason enjoys fishing with his kids and playing golf as often as possible.

Michael Spicer

Mike leads the product innovation team of portfolio managers, researchers, and analysts at CDPHP in Albany, NY. Mike’s team is always seeking out new trends and disruptions in healthcare to enhance CDPHP’s product portfolio, ranging the gamut from digital health technologies to high deductible plans paired with HSAs.

Mike is most interested in studying and utilizing consumer behavior trends in healthcare, including the choices people make, why they make those choices, and the influences required to help them make choices that are more appropriate.

Originally from Syracuse, New York, Mike relocated for his post-secondary education, including a B.S from Union College (NY) focused in Neuroscience and Quantitative Economics, as well as a Masters of Business Administration (M.B.A.) focused in Healthcare Management from Clarkson University. Mike now resides with his family and dachshunds in Latham while continuing to work on his golf game.

Cindy Thomas

Cindy has over 20 years’ experience in healthcare solutions business development and sales leadership in many capacities. Her passion is to help health plan businesses to create engaging communications with membership.

Cindy has a BA in Psychology from Indiana State University, a Graduate Certification in Marketing from Liberty University, and professional certifications in HIPAA and Cyber Security from ecfirst. Her industry experience and positive energy enhance clients’ overall effectiveness of our outreach to the payer community.

Merry Beth Ward

Merry Beth Ward is senior marketing consultant with the Milwaukee office of Milliman. She joined the firm in 2021.

Merry Beth is an expert in prospect marketing and assists with lead generation, sales support, acquisition, and member communications for healthcare plans. She works through the entire process, from strategy, go­to­market planning, launch, and reducing membership churn, while focusing on Medicare Advantage plans' best return on investment.

Merry Beth was previously the Vice President of Marketing with Clover Health. She spent over 20 years creating leads and supporting sales actions through multiple mediums and channels. Her strength in strategic planning, as well as experience with multiple facets of advertising and marketing has been recognized multiple times within the healthcare industry. In her first year with Clover Health she increased membership 29% utilizing both traditional and digital advertising during AEP.

Before Clover Health, Merry Beth worked as Vice President of Healthcare Strategy for a direct marketing agency developing marketing plans, analyzing and implementing multi­channel marketing strategies to meet Medicare Advantage client objectives, and delivering comprehensive marketing strategies to meet client's goals. Merry Beth’s Medicare Advantage experience started as Director of Marketing for Cigna­HealthSpring, where she oversaw all marketing and advertising for the southeast. Her efforts resulted in sales increasing by over 42% with 66% attributed to direct marketing activities. She is well versed in the field of Medicare, Medicaid, and CMS regulations.

Merry Beth serves on several boards of directors: for Insight Counseling; for Leadership Healthcare Council; and for Nashville American Marketing Association. She was a Nashville Emerging Young Leader Finalist for two years.

Austin Weaver

Austin is the Vice President of Medicare at Hinge Health, where he leads and grows the digital musculoskeletal services they provide to seniors. Prior to this, he was the Vice President of Payer Strategy and Network Innovation at OptumCare, which is the largest provider of care for Medicare beneficiaries in the US. Additionally, Austin was a Partner at the Advisory Board Company, leading its Value Based Care consulting practice with over a decade of advising health systems, payers, and the US Congress on key strategic initiatives. Austin specialized in healthcare while earning his MBA from Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management and graduated with honors from the University of Notre Dame.

Daniel Weaver

Daniel Weaver is the Executive Vice President of Product Operations and Stars Strategy at NationsBenefits, with nearly 25 years of experience in Operations and Star Ratings strategy. Daniel most recently served as VP, Government Quality Programs at Gateway Health, where he led the company to its first 4.5 Star Rating and an improved Medicaid NCQA Accreditation rating. In his career, Dan has overseen the development and implementation of many analytics-driven and customer-focused programs, and he advocates for continuous improvement and operational excellence philosophies for sustained success. In his new role with NationsBenefits, Daniel will drive strategic planning, facilitate execution, oversee product financial performance, manage operational performance across all products, and ensure strong internal controls are in place to enable efficiency in the growth of the business.

Daniel will also help drive prospective and retrospective investigation into quality outcomes and customer engagement across the company’s distinct benefit management programs while continuing to innovate new solutions for health plan partners focused on growth and strong quality performance.

Dr. Lisa Zaval

Dr. Lisa Zaval is a behavioral scientist with broad expertise in leveraging insights from the fields of behavioral economics and psychology to understand, predict and motivate behavior change. Lisa has been advising See Change since its founding. Lisa holds a Ph.D in Judgment & Decision-Making Psychology from Columbia University, where she currently holds an appointment as an adjunct research scientist. She completed her post-doctoral training jointly at the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions and the Center for Decision Sciences at Columbia Business School. Lisa’s research has been published in leading academic journals, including Nature Climate Change, Psychological Science and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and summarized in a variety of venues, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. In addition to over 10 years of academic experience, she leverages the knowledge gained from years of applied behavioral science research and consulting to help guide decision-making across a range of domains (e.g., sustainability, healthcare, education and consumer finance). Outside of research, Lisa can usually be found building Legos with her kiddos.