Institute Agenda

Devan J. Cross

President, MHN, A Subsidiary of Centene

Devan Cross is the President of MHN, a managed behavioral health organization and a part of the Envolve family of specialty companies of the Centene Corporation. MHN provides comprehensive behavioral health and employee assistance services to over 6M members. Devan brings a wealth of diverse experience to optimize the solutions that deliver great healthcare, driving cost efficiencies, improved care coordination, and customer and member satisfaction.

While with MHN, Devan has served in a variety of operational and leadership roles, including direct oversight of clinical operations and administrative support of federal contracts. Before joining MHN, Devan served as a Naval Officer following his graduation with merit from the United States Naval Academy and holds an MBA from the University of California.

Devan J. Cross

President, MHN, A Subsidiary of Centene

Devan Cross is the President of MHN, a managed behavioral health organization and a part of the Envolve family of specialty companies of the Centene Corporation. MHN provides comprehensive behavioral health and employee assistance services to over 6M members. Devan brings a wealth of diverse experience to optimize the solutions that deliver great healthcare, driving cost efficiencies, improved care coordination, and customer and member satisfaction.

While with MHN, Devan has served in a variety of operational and leadership roles, including direct oversight of clinical operations and administrative support of federal contracts. Before joining MHN, Devan served as a Naval Officer following his graduation with merit from the United States Naval Academy and holds an MBA from the University of California.

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past two decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.

Ken Carr

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Lori M. Schmidt

Director of Behavioral Health, HealthPartners

Lori Schmidt has over 20 years of experience in the healthcare and nonprofit industry with an emphasis on mental health and chemical dependency for underserved populations. Ms. Schmidt is currently the Director of Behavioral Health Services at HealthPartners. In this role, she plans, implements and evaluates innovative and improved clinical care models, workflows, and operations across the organization.

Prior to her current role, Ms. Schmidt was the Executive Director at Central Minnesota Mental Health Center where she led a multi-site behavioral healthcare delivery system with over 300 employees and a $20 million annual budget. While serving as the Executive Director, she was responsible for developing and executing a strategic plan that resulted in a 33% growth in the annual budget. Initiatives implemented as result of the executed strategic plan included adding a pharmacy for integrative care, developing telepsychiatry services, and implementing a new electronic health record system. As a result, Ms. Schmidt was awarded the 2014 Minnesota DHS Commissioner Circle of Excellence Award for innovative program development and implementation.

Previously, Ms. Schmidt served as the Supervisor of Social Services for Wright County based in Buffalo, Minnesota, where she managed mental health services for the residents of Wright County. As part of her role, she coordinated with public health and mental health services across the county; represented organization on various county and community committees, task forces, and planning groups including the Mental Health Advisory Council Local Advisory Council (LAC) and in implementing the county’s SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) grant. While serving in this role she was awarded the Johnson & Johnson Dartmouth Award for Individual Placement and Support.

Ms. Schmidt also worked for 13 years as a Senior Social Worker for Hennepin County in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she worked in various areas of the organization providing legal services, case management, adult services and child crisis interventions. While working in adult services, Ms. Schmidt held an impressive 90% success rate representing clients for Social Security benefits before the administrative law judge and collecting over $1 million for Hennepin County in 1995.

Ms. Schmidt received her Juris Doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Adolphus College. Additionally, she has been a member of the Minnesota State Bar since 2001.

Jeremy J. Gatto, MSW, LICSW

Clinical Social Worker, HealthPartners

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.

Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics.  Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.

Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.

He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.

Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.

Carol Carmichael

Assistant Vice President, Network Strategy, Beacon Health Options

Christina Mainelli

Executive Vice President of Strategy and Product Development, Beacon Health Options

John MacKenzie

RN Coordinator Psychiatric Telemedicine, Dignity Health

Heather Rudolph

President, RCI

Stacy DiStefano

Chief Operating Officer, OPEN MINDS

Diane Beastrom

President & Chief Executive Officer, Koinonia Homes, Inc.

Kristi Daugherty, LCSW, LISW, MBA

Chief Executive Officer, Emergence Health Network

Kristi Daugherty, CEO for Emergence Health Network, has over fifteen years of experience in the behavioral health arena.  As chief executive for El Paso County’s Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Authority for El Paso County, Ms. Daugherty is responsible for all clinical and oversight services delegated through performance contracts with Texas Health & Human Services.

Previously, Ms. Daugherty served as Chief Clinical Officer for Emergence and as Director for Sun City Behavioral Health Care, Emergence’s non-profit subsidiary.  She also has extensive experience in the private behavioral health sector, serving as Director of Clinical Services University Behavioral Health in El Paso and Director of Outpatient Services Mesilla Valley Hospital in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Ms. Daugherty is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Texas and a Licensed Independent Social Worker in the State of New Mexico.  She has a Master’s Degree in Social Work from New Mexico State University and is a graduate of the Executive MBA Program at the University of Texas at El Paso.

Richard Louis, III

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Christy Shaver

VP of Operations, Monarch NC

Christy has been with Monarch for 22 years and leads the agency’s residential, vocational and community services in supporting, educating and empowering people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) and Mental Illness to choose and achieve what is important to them.

She oversees major clinical and administrative operations as well as developing and ensuring the implementation of new and existing programs and services in western North Carolina.  Christy has aided her division in the accomplishment of national accreditation in both The Commission on Quality Leadership (CQL) and The Joint Commission

Christy holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Gardner-Webb University followed by a Masters of Health Administration from Pfeiffer University.  Throughout Christy’s 20 plus years in the field of mental health and human services she has served in both direct support and administration. She is a graduate of the N.C. Advancing Strong Leadership Initiative through the N.C. Developmental Disabilities Council and is a Master Trainer for “Getting It Right.”

She is married, has one daughter and lives in Albemarle, NC.

Lori Clarke

Chief Program Officer, SDSU Social Policy Institute

Patricia Kreil

Lifesharing Unit Director, Resources for Human Development (RHD)

Rayann Rohrer

Regional Director, Resources for Human Development (RHD)

Scott Green

Sr. VP and GM, Behavioral Health and CareGuidance, Netsmart

Scott Green is senior vice president and general manager, Behavioral Health and CareGuidance business units at Netsmart. In this role, Mr. Green oversees Netsmart’s solutions and services offerings to the behavioral health, social services, addiction services, IDD and child welfare communities. He also leads the teams charged with aligning the company’s population health, consumer engagement, clinical content, analytics and interoperability strategies and solutions to the user communities Netsmart serves. Green works closely with Netsmart’s product, clinical and operational teams, and drives collaboration with clients to maximize the benefits of their investment in healthcare information technology.

Prior to joining Netsmart, Mr. Green held a variety of positions in the pharmaceutical industry, including roles in government relations, marketing, sales and managed markets. Mr. Green’s experience includes leveraging technology to enable operational and clinical teams to develop and deploy innovative initiatives and programs designed to drive improved standardization of care and outcomes. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Kansas State University and a graduate certificate in healthcare leadership from Park University.

Brian Gann

Comerical Product Manager, Valant

Trevette Lang

Director, Business Development, Valant

Trevette has a reputation as one of the most passionate and forthright leaders in healthcare technology business development. Each of her 26 years in the industry has been spent building a community of thoughtful and passionate connections. As the Director of Business Development, Trevette helped build Valant’s Go To Market Strategy in conjunction with customer and community feedback. Trevette helps Valant build an EHR that is directly beneficial to those in her inner circle. It’s a good place to be.

Annie Medina, MBA, ACNP-BC

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Christopher Yadron, Ph.D., LCPC, CADC

Vice President of the West Region and Administrator of the Betty Ford Center, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

In his role, Dr. Yadron oversees the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage and its outpatient sites in West Los Angeles and San Diego, as well as the Oregon Beaverton facility and our Springbrook campus in Newberg, Oregon.

Dr. Yadron has provided top-notch clinical service and highly effective leadership in a wide variety of substance use, mental health and nonprofit settings over the past 20 years. Most recently he served as the executive director of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's facilities in New York, located in the Chelsea and Tribeca neighborhoods of Manhattan.

Dr. Yadron received his PhD from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He completed his bachelor's degree in Philosophy at Trinity Christian Colle ge and his master's degree in Counseling Psychology at Loyola University in Chicago. He also received an MDiv in Theology from Covenant Theological Seminary.

He is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. He often speaks at conferences and workshops on addiction and the family, counselor training and development, and organizational leadership.

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.

Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics.  Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.

Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.

He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.

Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.

Suki Norris, J.D.

Senior Knowledge Engineer, The Echo Group

Suki joined The Echo Group in 1996 and has more than 35 years of experience in healthcare including healthcare law, managed care and behavioral health.

Suki has extensive experience with Medicaid waivers, meaningful use, and the Excellence in Mental Health Act. She has worked extensively in data analysis, including analysis of big data in support of clients and ongoing research. Her knowledge of behavioral health law has been sought by customers across the country as they address specific needs such as managed care and Health Information Exchange implementation.

Kim Sanders

President, Ukeru Systems & Executive VP, Grafton Integrated Health Network, Grafton Integrated Health Network

Kim is the President of Ukeru Systems and an Executive Vice President at Grafton Integrated Health Network. Kim has worked with individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities for over 29 years. She has served in a variety of both hands-on and leadership roles at Grafton , beginning as a direct support professional. She is recognized as an innovator in assisting organizations move towards a restraint-free environment and tackle changing company cultures.

Scott Zeiter

Chief Information Officer, Grafton Integrated Health Network

Scott Zeiter is the Chief Operating Officer of Grafton Integrated Health Network. After completing his Masters in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania he practiced as a clinical social worker and family therapist in a variety of settings including a children’s outpatient mental health clinic, a partial hospital program, a large inpatient psychiatric treatment center, and a Medicaid managed care company. Prior to joining Grafton, Scott was the CEO of a large residential treatment center serving children and families with behavioral challenges and sexual reactivity. Scott lives in Leesburg with his wife, two children, and two ill-behaved dogs.

Stacy DiStefano

Chief Operating Officer, OPEN MINDS

Clayton Chau, M.D., Ph.D.

Regional Executive Medical Director, St Joseph Hoag Health/Providence St Joseph Health Southern CA Region

Clayton Chau is currently the Regional Executive Medical Director for the Mental Health Network, St Joseph Hoag Health/Providence St Joseph Health System, Southern California Orange County/High Desert Region, where he joined in January 2017.  Previously, he was the Senior Medical Director for Health Services at LA Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest public health plan, responsible for behavioral health, care management, utilization management, disease management, health integration quality improvement, behavioral health long-term care, health education & cultural linguistics, physician concurrent review, strategic initiatives and provider continuing education.  He was also the Co-Principal Investigator for a multi-year Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Innovation grant in Transforming Clinical Practice.  He is a Lecturer for the UCLA School of Public Health and an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UC Irvine School of Medicine.  Prior to joining health plan, he worked for the Orange County Health Care Agency Behavioral Health Services for 13 years providing care to people living with severe persistent mental illness and integrated care for the county’s Public Health HIV clinic.  He was also the Director of the Center of Excellence in Education, Training, Research and Advocacy for Reducing Health Disparities.

Dr. Chau obtained his MD degree from the University of Minnesota and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Chelsea University.  He completed his psychiatry residency at UCLA/San Fernando Valley followed by a fellowship with the National Institute of Mental Health in psychoneuroimmunology focusing on substance abuse and HIV.  During his residency he was also selected for the American Psychiatric Association Mead Johnson Fellowship in Community Leadership.

Dr. Chau has conducted international trainings in the areas of health care integration, health care system reform, cultural competency, veteran’s health, trauma, homelessness and mental health policy.  He is featured in the 2013 documentary “A New State of Mind:  Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness” narrated by Glenn Close, produced by PBS, the 2013 Emmy Awards winner 60 Seconds PSA and the 2012 Emmy Awards winner Informational/Public Affairs Series “Profiles of Hope” produced by the LA Department of Mental Health.    Dr Chau was named the 2012 Visionary Leader by the National Council for Behavioral Health.  In that same year he was also awarded the prestigious Warren Williams, MD Award from the American Psychiatric Association “for his extraordinary contributions to the profession of psychiatry and the care of those with mental illness.”

Mario San Bartolomé, M.D., M.B.A., M.R.O., FASAM

National Medical Director, Substance Use Disorders, Molina Healthcare, Inc.

Dr. Mario San Bartolomé is an Addiction Medicine specialist who is board certified in both Family Medicine and Addiction Medicine. Dr. San Bartolomé received his undergraduate degree from UC Davis, his MD from the UC Irvine School of Medicine and received a Master’s in Business Administration from the Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine.

Dr. San Bartolomé has leadership and health delivery experience in multiple levels of care related to substance use disorders including inpatient medical withdrawal management, residential treatment and outpatient treatment both in programs and in medical offices. Dr. San Bartolomé has served as founding Director for the Memorial Care Addiction Medicine Unit and has held directorships for several residential and outpatient treatment organizations.

Dr. San Bartolomé has been an active and passionate advocate for improving access to care for people with substance use disorders through leadership at the local, state and national level. As the Medical Director for Substance Use Disorders at Molina Healthcare, Inc., Dr. San Bartolomé´s focus is on aligning Molina’s strategy and to improve the organization’s ability to address member needs with all things related to substance use while moving forward initiatives to integrate behavioral health and physical medicine across the multiple vulnerable groups that Molina serves.

David K. White, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer, Baymark Health Services

David K. White, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer, Baymark Health Services

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past two decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.

Ken Carr

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Briana Gilmore

Director of Planning & Recovery Practice, Community Access

Briana Gilmore is a passionate advocate for the transformation of the mental health system through public-health oriented reform. She is the recipient of the 2016 Advocacy Champion Award from the NYC Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies for her dedication to implementing a Self-Directed Service approach and for successful advocacy for Crisis Intervention Team training within the NYPD. Briana joined Community Access as the Director of Planning and Recovery Practice in 2015, where she provides management of peer training, supported education, and advocacy activities, and spearheads national and international technical assistance projects. Before her work in mental health, Briana worked to inform migrant and refugee policy with the United Nations, and gained her Research Master’s degree in International Development and Natural Resource Security from the University of Amsterdam. Briana’s commitment to her work is derived in part from her personal experience of survival of the mental health system.

Sue Ann Atkerson, LPC, MBA

Chief Operating Officer, RI International

Sue Ann Atkerson, LPC, MBA, serves as Chief Operations Officer at RI International, a global non-profit organization known for its behavioral health crisis solutions and widespread use of peer supports.   A seasoned behavioral health professional who has worked in the non-profit public sector for more than twenty years, Sue Ann’s focus is leveraging clinical innovation and best practices to maximize client outcomes.   She served on Arizona’s Integrated Treatment Consensus Panel, a group appointed to develop the state’s clinical service guidelines for the treatment of co-occurring disorders.  She has provided numerous presentations on evidence-based practices, program development, and behavioral health leadership.

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.

Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics.  Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.

Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.

He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.

Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.

Bill Dollar

Chief Information Officer, Kings View Corporation

Bill provides the IT leadership for Kings View’s corporate office and multiple satellite offices throughout California. Additionally, Bill directs a team of IT professionals providing hardware and software support to 24 California mental health departments/programs. Prior to coming to Kings View, Bill worked for Systems Group in Fresno, CA as a systems programmer/administrator and technician.

Throughout Bill’s twenty‐one years with Kings View he has grown the IT department into a leading resource for behavioral health billing, electronic health record support and development, and tracking of consumer information in California with over $110 million in billing on behalf of counties. Bill has led his team to develop an integrated hardware and software network capable of consumer tracking of behavior health services, billing various funding steams while allowing for state reporting, and clinical productivity. Over the past year, Bill’s team have launched a new division focusing on Health Information Analytics developing interactive dashboards and analytic tools to assist agencies in data driven decisions.

Bill received his B.A. in Applied Mathematics at California State University Fresno.

Leon Hoover, MSW, MMgmt

CEO, Kings View Corporation

Mr. Hoover provides the lead executive leadership to Kings View, overseeing all aspects of the organization’s six service lines in the 29 California counties in which Kings View operates.  In addition to a portfolio of Community-Based, Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability services, Kings Views also provides EHR implementation, hosting and support, Health Information Analytics, Telepsychiatry and Financial services to Counties and providers.  Before working at Kings View, Leon served for eight years as the Vice-President of Everence, a financial services firm, leading the U.S. Eastern Region team to annual sales in excess $100,000,000.

Leon has over 30 years of experience in behavioral health.  He started as a clinician providing mental health and substance abuse services and moved on to senior administrative work for Philhaven, a large behavioral health provider in south-central Pennsylvania.  From 1996-2000, Leon served as the Executive Director for Advantage Behavioral Health.  In collaboration with the Philhaven CEO, Leon developed and executed the business plan for this successful investor-owned, (six hospitals, including Philhaven) risk assuming, behavioral health network for health plan members in Eastern Pennsylvania.  Leon and his wife Carolyn, have three children.  Bradley Jon is the CEO of Grammarly in San Francisco, CA, daughter Valerie Joy, married to Nathan is a psychologist at Stanford in the women’s health service and son Nathan Kyle, married to Jenna, is a CPA with the Walz Group in Lititz, PA.

Leon serves on the national Boards of Directors for MHS Alliance and MHS Consulting Group.  He also serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Board of the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies, and Chairs the Associations Policy Committee.   Leon earned his Masters in Management in Business Administration from Penn State University and a Masters in Social Work from Marywood University.

Alex Rocha, MBA, CPHQ

Quality Improvement Director, Kings View Corporation

Mr. Rocha provides oversight of Quality and Performance Improvement monitoring activities. Alex works closely with staff to develop and integrate quality improvement activities related to design, process improvement, development and implementation as well as assist in the identification of strategic quality initiatives throughout the organization.

An integral aspect of Alex’s oversight is collecting and extracting data from clinical information systems and medical records to utilize in research, data analysis and reporting to assist in better outcomes for the clients we serve.

Alex has been working in the healthcare field for over 10 years and has worked within both the hospital arena and in community healthcare providers. Alex received his Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and Master’s in Business Administration. He is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality through the Healthcare Quality Certification Commission.

Jim Rodriguez, MBA, CSBI

Chief Financial Officer, Kings View Corporation

Jim Rodriguez has been serving as the Chief Financial Officer for Kings View Behavioral Health System for the past four years.  He is responsible for all financial and insurance matters for the organization.  Prior to joining Kings View, Jim served as CFO for Mennonite Central Committee, a faith-based organization headquartered in southeastern Pennsylvania, providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief assistance in 60 countries around the globe.  Jim also has twelve years of healthcare finance experience while working for two regional hospital systems serving California, Arizona and Nevada.

Earning his undergraduate degree in Accounting, Jim also earned a Master of Business Administration degree with a certificate in Accounting.  In addition, he holds a Certified Specialist in Business Intelligence (CSBI) designation through Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

For the past five years, Jim has served as an instructor of a Spanish-language church leadership certificate program teaching on the subjects of church financial administration and church polity through Fresno Pacific University Biblical Seminary.  Jim has served on numerous community boards and currently is a Board of Director of Everence, a faith-based financial services organization.

Annie Medina, MBA, ACNP-BC

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Heidi Waters

Director of Outcomes Management, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Companies, U.S.

Heidi Waters currently serves as Director of Outcomes Management/Health Outcomes at Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.  In that role, she partners with payers and providers to develop unbranded health services research to improve the process of care and optimize outcomes for consumers with serious mental illness and other conditions that Otsuka products help treat.  Prior to joining Otsuka, Heidi worked for Ethicon as Global Franchise Director, Health Economics and Director, Health Economics for Centicor Ortho Biotech, both Johnson & Johnson companies.  Heidi also has experience working in drug safety, both at J&J and Wyeth. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Heidi served as Quality Improvement Director for Magellan Behavioral Health, where she was responsible for conducting quality improvement initiatives, developing preventive health programs, and trending utilization data for both Medicaid and commercial lines of business.

Heidi has a PhD in Health Services from Walden University, a Master’s degree in Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from LaSalle.  Heidi’s dissertation research focused on integrated care for consumers with serious mental illness.

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past two decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.

Ken Carr

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Howard Shiffman

Senior Associate, OPEN MINDS

Mr. Shiffman has over 30 years of successful organizational and business experience in human service fields including expertise in executive management, strategic planning, business development, finance, marketing, market intelligence research, fundraising, and board development. He has hands-on expertise that comes from successful management and consulting with a number of programs. Prior to joining OPEN MINDS Mr. Shiffman served as Chief Executive Officer of Griffith Centers for Children, a COA-accredited, full-service treatment program for severely troubled youth and their families. He also developed one of the first offense-specific sex offender program in the United States.

Monica E. Oss

Chief Executive Officer, OPEN MINDS

Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past two decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice. Ms. Oss is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field. She has unique expertise in payer financing models, provider rate setting, and service pricing. She has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, managed care programs, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.

Karen O. Yarberry, MA, LPC

Executive Director, Jefferson Hills

Karen is celebrating 35 years of working with Colorado’s children, youth, and families in a variety of residential, inpatient, and day treatment settings. Being Executive Director at Jefferson Hills since 1995, she is passionate about improving the continuum of care for our at-risk children, integrating quality services, and partnering with entities for maximum benefit and resources.  She has spent the past 8 years leading Jefferson Hills through significant changes and new, innovative business ventures that foster business growth.  Skillfully negotiating advantageous contracts with health care entities, managed care entities, mental health centers, hospitals, counties, school districts, the State and even real estate transactions, Karen thoroughly assesses and meets the community need while staying true to and  furthering the mission of Jefferson Hills.  Karen leads Jefferson Hills in continually re-inventing the organization to meet the changing needs in the new business environment and strategically positioning Jefferson Hills to meet the demands of the future.

Joseph M. Costa, MSW

President & Chief Executive Officer, HillSides

Joseph M. Costa, Hillsides’ president and chief executive officer, has served as Hillsides chief executive officer since 2011 , with the title of president added in 2017. During his tenure at Hillsides, Joe has used his expertise and experience to significantly expand Hillsides programs and services and to further cement Hillsides as a leader in the child welfare field. In 2016, he oversaw Hillsides’ affiliation with another respected child welfare agency, Bienvenidos. With this affiliation, Hillsides increases our presence in East Los Angeles and adds a foster care and adoption program to increase permanency for children, thus extending our reach to serve 13,000 children, youth and families in Southern California.

Joe is also successfully shepherding Hillsides through a $17 million dollar capital improvement project to significantly enhance the main campus in Pasadena that houses our short-term therapeutic residential program and our school, Hillsides Education Center. Under Joe’s direction, Hillsides has also expanded its Youth Moving On program for transition-aged youth with a drop-in center, the Peer Resource Center, and expanded our Family Resource Centers. Joe has also led Hillsides through the creation of a new Behavioral Health Division to streamline billing and intake and a new substance prevention and intervention program. In 2013, Hillsides achieved national accreditation through the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA). The same year, Hillsides became recognized as a trauma informed organization by the National Council for Behavioral Health (National Council.

In his role, Joe oversees the overall operation of Hillsides and its affiliate, Bienvenidos, which encompasses planning, directing and coordinating the activities of both agencies. Joe administers the policies of both agencies as designated by the board of directors, including training programs and the administration of over 600 employees. As the chief executive officer, Joe is also accountable for the overall management of the Short-Term Residential Treatment Program on a 17-acre campus, its 14 buildings and the operation of two group homes in the nearby community in addition to its Foster Care and Adoptions Program that serves children and youth in resource homes, the management of a 49-unit apartment building that provides low cost housing for youth who have emancipated from foster care, the Family Resource Centers that provide mental health services to families in crisis, and Hillsides Education Center that offers individualized education plans to students with learning and behavioral challenges. Including Bienvenidos, he oversees 35 sites across four counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange.

Acknowledged as a leader in the child welfare community, Joe was selected by his peers to serve on the governing body of Child Welfare League of America, and has served as its Chairman. Previously Joe was on the governing body of the California Alliance for Child and Family Services. He is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers.

Previous to Hillsides, Joe was the chief executive officer of Sunny Hills Services, a multi-service children's charity in Northern California.

Joe earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy and social services from St. John's Seminary College in Boston. Thereafter, he earned his master's degree in divinity from St. John's Seminary, School of Theology before earning another master's degree in social work from Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. He also served as an ordained Roman Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts.

Kent Dunlap

President and Chief Executive Officer, Stars Behavioral Health Group

Kent Dunlap, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer, has over 30 years’ experience in developing and managing social services and health care facilities, programs, and systems. Mr. Dunlap specializes in strategic planning, contracting, government relations, as well as operations management.

Todd A. Landry, MBA, Ed.D.

Chief Executive Officer, Lena Pope

Todd Landry brings extensive experience in child and family social services and business to Lena Pope.  His professional accomplishments are recognized nationally and led to his appointment as Director of Nebraska’s Division of Children and Family Services.  On April 1, 2009, Mr. Landry became the fifth Chief Executive Officer in the 88-year history of Lena Pope in Fort Worth, Texas.  Lena Pope’s mission is to help create hope, happiness, and success for children and families and provides prevention, early intervention, counseling, and education services.

Landry received a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from Lamar University and earned his Master’s of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.  He is expected to receive his Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from Southern Methodist University in May 2018. He currently serves on several local and national boards, including as the current board treasurer of CWLA (Child Welfare League of America).

Kristyn Peck, MSW

Chief Executive Officer, West Michigan Partnership for Children

Kristyn Peck moved to Michigan from Washington, D.C. to help launch West Michigan Partnership for Children (WMPC), a new Kent County organization piloting a performance-based funding model to improve foster care outcomes for families and children. As Chief Executive Officer, she provides strategic leadership for WMPC’s organizational vision, mission, goals, strategies, and plans. She is chief motivator for a high-performing team of 14 who oversee the placement and care of more than 800 children in foster care in Kent County in partnership with more than 40 sub-recipient private agency providers of child welfare services. Ms. Peck most recently served as Associate Director of Children’s Services for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ department of Migration and Refugee Services. In that capacity, she oversaw residential, foster care, and family reunification services for unaccompanied children in collaboration with a national network of more than 225 community-based sub-recipient agencies. She also served as the Chair of the Vulnerable Minors Working Group of Refugee Council USA; presented on best practices for serving refugee and immigrant children at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) annual meetings in Geneva, Switzerland; and developed child protection policies for a program that served Burmese refugees in Malaysia. Ms. Peck earned an M.S.W. from the University of Maryland-Baltimore and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Maryland-College Park.

Nancy Rostoni

Manager, Performance Based Child Welfare, Child Welfare Services and Support, Michigan Department of Human Services

Nancy Rostoni is the State Administrative Manager of the Performance Based Child Welfare System for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Children's Services Agency. Nancy is responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of the child welfare performance-based funding model in Michigan.  She is also responsible for the technical support and oversight of Michigan’s contracted child placing agencies.   She has 23 years' experience in child welfare including oversight and management of the state's foster care policy and program office and 13 years in the child welfare private sector serving in a variety of positions. She is a leader in foster care policy implementation, child welfare programming; including the establishment of the child welfare practice model.