Full Agenda & Schedule Of Events
Registration
Location: Majestic Theater
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How To Develop A Strategic Plan: The OPEN MINDS 2023 Executive Seminar On Best Practices in Strategy, Portfolio Management & Scenario-Based Planning
Location: Majestic Theater
In the current health and human service market, executives face uncertainty. This leads many executive teams to either avoid or reluctantly initiate any major strategic initiatives that require long-term commitments. Unfortunately, “waiting for the dust to settle,” isn’t a wise management choice. Regardless of what lies ahead in the market, strategic planning is essential to ensure continued success. A successful strategic planning process will provide your organization with a roadmap – not only for developing plans in uncertain times, but also for putting those plans into action and evaluating their success. In this crucial seminar, we will discuss OPEN MINDS three-phase approach to strategy development, including:
- The OPEN MINDS best practice approach to building a strategic plan
- A guide to strategy implementation planning
- An in-depth review of how to manage strategy implementation for success
Ken Carr
Ken Carr brings over 20 years of finance, technology, data analysis and reporting experience in the health and human service field to OPEN MINDS. He currently ia a Senior Associate with the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. In this role, he served as a subject matter expert in the OPEN MINDS consulting practice where he has led numerous engagements in strategic planning, merger and acquisition prospecting, business process improvement, financial analysis of service lines, and technology selection.
Before joining the OPEN MINDS team, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of The Centers, a community mental health center in Ocala, Florida. In this position, Mr. Carr led a realignment of the organization’s financial management functions. This included revenue cycle management, EHR bill implementation and reporting, cash management enhancement, and strategic financial analysis.
Prior to his role at The Centers, Mr. Carr served as Chief Financial Officer of Guild Incorporated, an organization providing residential and community based mental health services in St. Paul, Minnesota. As CFO, Mr. Carr led the financial, billing, IT, quality, informatics, compliance, and facilities activities. During his tenure at Guild Incorporated, Mr. Carr used his expertise in change management and business process improvement to lead the EHR implementation team, align service data reporting and financial performance, and lead the financial and data capture activities for new service initiatives.
Mr. Carr has also held the positions of Administrative Director and Finance Director at the St. Paul National Testing Laboratory, a biomedical testing facility of the American Red Cross. In those positions he oversaw activities to enhance inventory management, align financial results to industry standards, and improve financial and facilities performance through problem analysis and quality management initiatives. He also was involved in directing human resource functions during laboratory closing near the end of his tenure.
Mr. Carr earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Sioux Falls Seminary. He maintains an active CPA license with the State of South Dakota.
Ray Wolfe, J.D.
Raymond “Ray” Wolfe, J.D. brings over 40 years of experience in the health and human services sector to the OPEN MINDS team. Mr. Wolfe currently serves as a Senior Associate, a position in which he utilizes his expertise to successfully lead varying projects for OPEN MINDS. His areas of expertise include financial analysis and management, mergers and acquisitions, performance improvement, and strategic planning.
Before joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Wolfe served in a 22 year tenure with Pittsburgh Mercy Health System in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most recently, Mr. Wolfe served as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) where he was responsible for oversight of all system operations, strategic planning, and performance management. Under his direction Pittsburgh Mercy achieved over $850K in value-based reimbursement contract quality bonus awards, integrated three organizations through merger/acquisition, and adopted a new performance management program for managers.
Before acting as Pittsburgh Mercy’s COO, Mr. Wolfe served as the organization’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and was responsible for the development of internal costing methodologies, contract rate negotiations, and financial forecasting activities. In addition, he coordinated an integrated care program with local partner hospitals to develop a series of diversion and respite programs, as well as, specialized primary care, integrated care management and high utilizer teams, while maintaining 15 straight years profitability.
Mr. Wolfe was promoted to CFO after serving as the Director of Fiscal and Information Security/Compliance for the health system. In this role, he was responsible for managing the transition of service contracts from fee-for-service (FFS), leading all compliance activities, and implementing a next generation electronic health record (EHR) system.
Prior to his time at Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, Mr. Wolfe served as Chief Fiscal Officer with the Summit Center for Human Development in Clarksburg, West Virginia, where he was responsible for reporting and budgeting functions and preparing Summit Center’s programs for FFS billing.
Previously, Mr. Wolfe served in billing and collections for two Pennsylvania-based hospitals. First, as an Accounts Receivables Manager for Brownsville General Hospital in Brownsville, PA, where he managed the accounting and billing system transition systems. Later as a Patient Account Manager for St. Francis Medical Center in Pittsburgh, PA, where he improved collections to hit 95% rate through the implementation of new billing software and department reorganization.
Prior to working in the health and human services market, Mr. Wolfe spent five years practicing as a Lawyer with at Law Offices of Arch A. Moore in Moundsville, WV. In this role he provided general legal practice, created and established bylaws for multiple corporation, and handled West Virginia licensing of first vision insurance plan.
Mr. Wolfe earned his Juris Doctor from the West Virginia University School of Law in Morgantown, WV and his Bachelor’s degree with a focus in Political Science and Sociology from West Liberty University, in Wheeling, WV, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude.
Building A Digital Transformation Roadmap – Aligning Technology, Team, & Processes For Superior Consumer Experience & Engagement: The OPEN MINDS 2023 Seminar
Location: Majestic Theater
Sponsored By: 
There has been much focus on digital strategies for health and human service organizations. It is clear that a post-pandemic strategy involves a multi-pronged technology driven approach that leads to streamlining of process and higher performance. While the pandemic experience accelerated the use of technology to support consumer access, the use of a technology strategy to assure business success goes beyond a consumer digital interface. In this seminar, we will focus on the eight dimensions of digital transformation and provide a road map for executive teams to integrate and incorporate their entire organization. You will gain clear insights into a digital first approach focused on consumer experience, organizational efficiency, organizational resiliency, growth, and sustainability. Key objectives include:
- A road map for digital first evolution and what it means to be a digital first organization
- The 8 dimensions of a digital first framework for quality and performance
- Critical organizational competencies needed for leading edge technology transformation
Carol Clayton, Ph.D.
Dr. Carol Clayton is a licensed, psychologist with 30 years of health care experience in the public and private sector, including non-profit and private practice work. Prior to joining OPEN MINDS as a Senior Consultant, she retired as the Translational Neuroscientist for Relias, where she specialized in health care solutions targeting workforce development and population health outcome improvement. Before joining Relias, Dr. Clayton was the CEO of Care Management Technologies, a health IT data analytics company. She also served as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Community Programs from 2000-2006. The NC Council is the predecessor organization to i2i.
Paul M. Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Associate of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
Breakfast & Registration
Location: Majestic Theater
If you haven’t registered yet, check in with us at the registration desk and then enjoy breakfast in the exhibit hall!
Keynote
Location: Majestic Theater
M. Lauren Sims
Lauren Sims is an accomplished professional with expertise providing strategic leadership in all facets of clinical and program services, program evaluation, standing up new products, and training across national markets. Using a systemic approach as a leader, she loves the opportunity to educate patients and staff, improve operational processes and increase benefit utilization. She has proven successes in implementing improvement strategies focused on cost efficiency and quality care. Clinically, she has a background creating, launching, managing and improving case management programs and creating initiatives to connect patients with valuable resources. Anthem is a leading health company serving more than 118 million people through its affiliated companies. Ms. Sims was a key leader in launching the first behavioral health value-based payment program for Anthem and continues to lead program expansion and initiatives focused on improved treatment outcomes.
Thought Leader Discussion
Location: Majestic Theater
M. Lauren Sims
Lauren Sims is an accomplished professional with expertise providing strategic leadership in all facets of clinical and program services, program evaluation, standing up new products, and training across national markets. Using a systemic approach as a leader, she loves the opportunity to educate patients and staff, improve operational processes and increase benefit utilization. She has proven successes in implementing improvement strategies focused on cost efficiency and quality care. Clinically, she has a background creating, launching, managing and improving case management programs and creating initiatives to connect patients with valuable resources. Anthem is a leading health company serving more than 118 million people through its affiliated companies. Ms. Sims was a key leader in launching the first behavioral health value-based payment program for Anthem and continues to lead program expansion and initiatives focused on improved treatment outcomes.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past three 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.
Developing A Talent Management Strategy For The Future
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
Having the right talent management strategy in place is essential for any organization that wants to gain a competitive edge while ensuring a sustainable and resilient workforce that is equipped to meet the challenges of the future. In this session, we will explore the benefits of creating a talent management strategy that addresses the needs of both the overall organization and staff, including recruiting and retaining top talent, providing career development opportunities, and ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion. This session is ideal for human services leaders, managers, and supervisors who are responsible for workforce planning and talent management.
Vic Armstrong
Victor Armstrong serves National Director of Soul Shop for Black Churches, a national initiative to equip faith community leaders to minister to those impacted by suicide. Victor previously served as Chief Diversity Officer of RI International with responsibility for developing, creating, and implementing the Diversity Equity and Inclusion framework throughout the organization. Prior to this role Victor served as North Carolina DHHS Chief Health Equity Officer, with responsibility for leading the overarching strategy and operational goals to promote health equity, diversity, and inclusion across all the agency’s health and human services.
Victor originally joined NC DHHS as Director of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services in March of 2020, with responsibility and oversight of the public community-based mental health, intellectual and other developmental disabilities, substance use, and traumatic brain injury system in North Carolina. Prior to accepting this role, Victor spent six years as Vice President of Behavioral Health with Atrium Health. Based in Charlotte. Victor has over 30 years of experience in human services, primarily dedicated to building and strengthening community resources to serve individuals who have been historically marginalized. He is a nationally recognized speaker on issues regarding health equity and access to healthcare, particularly as it relates to individuals living with mental health challenges.
Victor currently serves on the board of directors of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention- North Carolina and is the host of the “Strong Talk” podcast. He is a member of NC Institute of Medicine (NCIOM), and serves on the National Response Steering Committee for the Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention.
Victor’s awards and recognitions include:
- Living Waters Annual Mental Health Summit 2022 “Lifetime Mental Health Champion” Award
- National Association of Social Workers North Carolina (NASW-NC) 2022 Social Worker of the Year
- Addiction Professionals of NC (APNC) 2021 DEI Leadership & Impact Award
- Mental Health America’s 2021 H. Keith Brunnemer, Jr. Award for “Outstanding Mental Health Leadership”
- Black Mental Health Symposium 2019 Mental Health Advocate of the Year
- Atrium Health 2019 Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award
- East Carolina University School of Social Work 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award
- i2i Center for Integrative Health 2018 Innovation Award for “Whole Person Care”
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NC, 2012 Mental Health Professional of the Year.
Victor graduated, Magna Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and received a Master of Social Work (MSW) from East Carolina University. He is the husband of Dr. Charletta Armstrong and the father of 3 sons, Carter, Alonzo, and Victor Jr.
Vic is speaking during Developing A Talent Management Strategy For The Future.
Ramona Osburn
Preparing For the Unexpected – The Little Round Top Case Study & Battlefield Tour
Location: The GAR Building
During this session, we will take a bus to the Gettysburg National Military Park, where Col. Fred Wieners, Licensed Battlefield Guide, will lead a private walking tour of Little Round Top and the surrounding area. This session will include a review of the Union army’s defenses on day two of the battle, a discussion of the history of the battlefield site, and time for questions and discussion with our guide. We will start and end the session with a classroom style discussion, which will highlight the leadership lessons learned from Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the application of those lessons for managing your health care team.
Colonel Chamberlain and his 20th Maine regiment’s defense of Little Round Top is perhaps one of the most famous confrontations of the Battle of Gettysburg. This session examines how he, in times of great distress, recognized the power of strategic thinking, made the necessary quick decisions, and preserved the overall goal of the Union Army. Colonel Chamberlain’s own battlefield experiences help us to realize the importance of good leadership, and to examine transactional and transformational leadership styles. Little Round Top is one of two rocky hills located in the South of Gettysburg, and the position of the far-left flank of the Union army during the Battle of Gettysburg. On the second day of the battle, Union troops left this strategic ground undefended, leaving the Union line open to attack from Confederate forces. Colonel Chamberlain was ordered to guard this position and quickly understood the strategic significance of the small hill—meaning that his regiment must hold the Union line at all costs. In the last moments, as all seemed lost, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge that almost doubled back on its own line, capturing over one hundred soldiers, and maintaining the Union defense of the high ground of the battlefield.
Paul M. Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Associate of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
Innovative Approaches For Retaining Direct Support Professionals
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
This session will explore practical, actionable strategies that you can implement in your own organization to retain and support the dedicated professionals who provide vital support services to consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. We will delve into topics such as developing a positive organization culture, providing ongoing training and professional development opportunities, and implementing fair compensation and benefits packages. Additionally, we will explore innovative recruitment strategies such as leveraging technology and social media to retain a skilled workforce in this field.
Sharon Hicks, MBA, MSW
Sharon Hicks, MBA, MSW, has more than 20 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive expertise and a wide range of experience in health plan management, clinical operations management, and technology. A recognized thought leader among her peers, Ms. Hicks is a regular keynote speaker at industry conferences and association meetings, as well as an author of hundreds of articles and resources for professionals in both clinical and executive roles.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system. She served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, UPMC’s managed behavioral health organization responsible for $800 million in annual revenue. At Community Care, Ms. Hicks was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations, including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. She also managed the day-to-day operations of human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served in a variety of tech leadership roles for UPMC. In 2002, she was appointed as the Vice President of Technology Strategy for the UPMC Insurance Services Division before becoming the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, a leading provider of electronic health record software for behavioral health and social service organizations. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth and profitability of the company and the direction of software development. In addition, Ms. Hicks was the President of U Squared Interactive, a UPMC-owned organization with the exclusive United States rights to Beating The Blues – the renowned computerized cognitive behavioral therapy solution for treating anxiety and depression.
Ms. Hicks started her impressive career as a psychiatric social worker and an Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Point Park College, Pittsburgh, PA.
Implementing Workforce Strategies That Drive Financial Strength
Location: Majestic Theater
The health and human services workforce has changed significantly in the last two years – new competition for both licensed and unlicensed staff, rising wage rates that will not return to previous levels, the need for new technology skills. There are strategies for building the workforce needed moving forward, but how do you assess the financial feasibility of those strategies for your organization? This session will focus and helping finance leaders:
- Assess the financial impact of different workforce strategies
- Model revenue enhancement opportunities through incentive compensation, utilization goals and remote service delivery
- Reduce costs through specialization, and provider extender technology
Dana Royse, MBA
Dana is speaking during Implementing Workforce Strategies That Drive Financial Strength.
Ken Carr
Ken Carr brings over 20 years of finance, technology, data analysis and reporting experience in the health and human service field to OPEN MINDS. He currently ia a Senior Associate with the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. In this role, he served as a subject matter expert in the OPEN MINDS consulting practice where he has led numerous engagements in strategic planning, merger and acquisition prospecting, business process improvement, financial analysis of service lines, and technology selection.
Before joining the OPEN MINDS team, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of The Centers, a community mental health center in Ocala, Florida. In this position, Mr. Carr led a realignment of the organization’s financial management functions. This included revenue cycle management, EHR bill implementation and reporting, cash management enhancement, and strategic financial analysis.
Prior to his role at The Centers, Mr. Carr served as Chief Financial Officer of Guild Incorporated, an organization providing residential and community based mental health services in St. Paul, Minnesota. As CFO, Mr. Carr led the financial, billing, IT, quality, informatics, compliance, and facilities activities. During his tenure at Guild Incorporated, Mr. Carr used his expertise in change management and business process improvement to lead the EHR implementation team, align service data reporting and financial performance, and lead the financial and data capture activities for new service initiatives.
Mr. Carr has also held the positions of Administrative Director and Finance Director at the St. Paul National Testing Laboratory, a biomedical testing facility of the American Red Cross. In those positions he oversaw activities to enhance inventory management, align financial results to industry standards, and improve financial and facilities performance through problem analysis and quality management initiatives. He also was involved in directing human resource functions during laboratory closing near the end of his tenure.
Mr. Carr earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Sioux Falls Seminary. He maintains an active CPA license with the State of South Dakota.
Lunch On Your Own
Recruiting Best Practices For A Competitive Labor Market
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
Employee recruitment is one the most challenging issues facing behavioral health and social service organizations today. To be successful, organizations must leverage diverse recruitment methods to attract a wide range of candidates as well as tell a compelling story for why they should be a part of their organization. In order to become an employer of choice, organizations need to: be aware of their online reputation as an employer; consider and communicate what your organization has to offer the employee in terms benefits, career advancement, and job satisfaction; as well as show candidates how your organization is reflective of the community and populations served by implementing a good diversity, equity, and inclusion program.
Corina Casco, LCSW, MSW
Corina has a 15-year-career in the child welfare arena, most recently at Wayfinder Family Services as chief program officer over the past 11 years. During her time at Wayfinder, the agency grew its contracts from $10 million to $20 million, added six group homes, a medically fragile residential program, and shelter care. She also took the program lead of a merger/transition with another organization. Prior to Wayfinder, Corina worked as a regional administrator at McKinley Children’s Center, a chronic care social worker at The Children’s Clinic, and as a foster care social worker/clinician at Concept 7 Family Support & Treatment Center. For the last 7 years, she has been an adjunct guest lecturer at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs where she teaches several courses to MSW graduate students. Corina holds a B.A. in political science and a B.A. in sociology from the University of California, Irvine and a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California.
Corina is speaking during Recruiting Best Practices For A Competitive Labor Market.
Kymberly Garrett, MBA, GPHR
With over 30 years of progressive Human Resources experience in varying disciplines, Kymberly Garrett has a background using a holistic Human Resources Management style. Kymberly supports all levels of professional development and has created cutting edge programs in Talent Acquisition, Talent & Performance Management and Executive Coaching. Whether creating customized leadership training programs or facilitating change management initiatives – Kymberly utilizes her experiences in both Fortune 500 companies and start-ups, as well as, private and nonprofit organizations to help guide teams into becoming sustainable high-impact and high performing teams. Kymberly is certified through various Human Resources and Training organizations and also teaches Human Resources Practice. Additionally, she serves on various Advisory Boards and is listed as a Subject Matter Expert with many labor-related governmental agencies. Kymberly, a Chicago native, has called Southern California home for the last 18 years. She holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Kymberly is speaking during Recruiting Best Practices For A Competitive Labor Market.
Sharon Hicks, MBA, MSW
Sharon Hicks, MBA, MSW, has more than 20 years of experience in the health and human service field. She has extensive expertise and a wide range of experience in health plan management, clinical operations management, and technology. A recognized thought leader among her peers, Ms. Hicks is a regular keynote speaker at industry conferences and association meetings, as well as an author of hundreds of articles and resources for professionals in both clinical and executive roles.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Hicks spent two decades in a number of executive positions within the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) system. She served as the Chief Operating Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, UPMC’s managed behavioral health organization responsible for $800 million in annual revenue. At Community Care, Ms. Hicks was responsible for all aspects of the organization’s operations, including fiscal, information systems, the claims processing department, and the design of clinical systems. She also managed the day-to-day operations of human resources, facilities, purchasing, and security.
Ms. Hicks also served in a variety of tech leadership roles for UPMC. In 2002, she was appointed as the Vice President of Technology Strategy for the UPMC Insurance Services Division before becoming the Chief Executive Officer of Askesis Development Group, a leading provider of electronic health record software for behavioral health and social service organizations. In this role, Ms. Hicks was responsible for the growth and profitability of the company and the direction of software development. In addition, Ms. Hicks was the President of U Squared Interactive, a UPMC-owned organization with the exclusive United States rights to Beating The Blues – the renowned computerized cognitive behavioral therapy solution for treating anxiety and depression.
Ms. Hicks started her impressive career as a psychiatric social worker and an Assistant Director of Social Work. Prior to her promotions, Ms. Hicks served as a Clinical Administrator for both Ambulatory Services and Emergency and Intake Services at the UPMC Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. In this role, Ms. Hicks managed the behavioral health division, the budgets for all departments, and implemented new software replacing paper billing for clinical services.
Ms. Hicks received both her Masters of Business Administration and Masters of Social Work degrees from the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Before pursuing her graduate education, Ms. Hicks received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Point Park College, Pittsburgh, PA.
Improving Your Choices: Models For Data-Driven Decisionmaking & Metrics-Based Management
Location: Majestic Theater
When it comes to making big decisions on strategy, service lines, staffing, or technology, employing a metrics-based approach can ensure that these decisions are strategically aligned with your organization. Basing strategic decisions on metrics helps executive leaders synthesize their analyses and findings, and better understand the implications and potential outcomes. The questions facing most executives, is where to start and what models to use? Then, how to manage the metrics being tracked? Join us for provider organization case studies on:
- Models for tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics-based approaches
- Using performance-based dashboards to help guide organizational decisions
- Ongoing evaluation of metrics and timelines for review of KPIs
Ellen McGuirk
Ellen is speaking during Improving Your Choices: Models For Data-Driven Decisionmaking & Metrics-Based Management.
Carol Clayton, Ph.D.
Dr. Carol Clayton is a licensed, psychologist with 30 years of health care experience in the public and private sector, including non-profit and private practice work. Prior to joining OPEN MINDS as a Senior Consultant, she retired as the Translational Neuroscientist for Relias, where she specialized in health care solutions targeting workforce development and population health outcome improvement. Before joining Relias, Dr. Clayton was the CEO of Care Management Technologies, a health IT data analytics company. She also served as the Executive Director of the NC Council of Community Programs from 2000-2006. The NC Council is the predecessor organization to i2i.
Women In Leadership: A Discussion Session
Location: Majestic Theater
As organizational culture continues to change and evolve, it’s time we learned to appreciate the different strengths and perspectives women bring to leadership roles. Women in leadership often face different challenges and face challenges differently than their male counterparts. To build strong leadership, organizations need to recognize the differences women bring to the table and determine how they can foster female career-growth and support in leadership positions. Our panel, comprised of dynamic women in leadership roles, will lead a discussion on facing challenges, overcoming barriers, and empowering women executives in the workplace by sharing their leadership stories and lessons learned. After this forum you should be able to:
• Identify different strengths and perspectives women bring to leadership
• Identify opportunities within your own organization to encourage female career-growth in leadership roles
• Strategize on how to best support leadership development for women within your organization for sustainable change
Faith Dyson-Washington, Ph.D., MBA
Dr. Faith Dyson-Washington is a native Philadelphian and licensed psychologist with more than 20 years’ experience within the behavioral health industry.
As a highly respected leader, administrator, and practitioner who has provided clinical leadership and consultation to numerous Philadelphia provider agencies throughout her career, Dr. Washington specializes in evidenced-based practices and therapies, clinical operations, and behavioral health policy.
Her pragmatic, strategic leadership and expertise have elevated behavioral health operations, quality and compliance initiatives, workforce development, and business growth. Prior to joining CBH, Dr. Washington served as the Senior Director of Behavioral Health Integration at Public Health Management Corporation, where she oversaw behavioral health services across Integrated Health Services.
Dr. Washington was drawn to this work as a result of witnessing her birth mother struggle to manage a chronic mental illness while attempting to navigate the behavioral health system. Over the years, she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving others and highly values her family and community. She believes we all can play a role in bettering the behavioral health outcomes of Philadelphia residents.
Dr. Washington received her bachelor’s degree from Temple University, where she double-majored in psychology and African-American studies. She also holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and an MBA from Drexel University.
Faith is speaking during Women In Leadership: A Discussion Session.
Simona Cataldo
Simona is speaking during Women In Leadership: A Discussion Session.
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT, brings over thirty years of experience providing behavioral health treatment in the public and community settings to the OPEN MINDS team. She currently serves as the Executive Vice President, Payer/Provider Market. In this role, Ms. Bond provides executive oversight and leadership to all Provider and Payer client engagements for OPEN MINDS.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Bond served concurrently as a Program Coordinator III and Clinical Manager of Adult Services and a Program Coordinator II and Clinical Manager of Recovery Services for the Ozark Guidance Center. In these roles, Ms. Bond was responsible for the administrative and clinical oversight of the adult outpatient and adult intensive mental health services on the Springdale Campus as well as the adult recovery/co-occurring services, including domestic violence and anger management treatment.
Prior to joining the Ozark Guidance Center, Ms. Bond served as the Executive Vice President of Center Point, Inc, a large substance abuse provider agency in California. In this role, Ms. Bond was responsible for the clinical and administrative supervision of all community-based programs as well as the women and children residential programs. In addition, Ms. Bond also managed budgets, interacted with funding agencies, and built positive relationships with all stakeholders. Ms. Bond was also in charge of proposal and grant writing, staff management, and training, facilities’ licensing and certifications renewals. Additionally, she prepared and submitted monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports to various funders.
Previously, Ms. Bond served as the President and CEO of Mental Health Systems, Inc. Ms. Bond was very instrumental in growing the agency from $12M in annual revenue to over $100M and becoming one of the largest providers of behavioral health services in California. In this role, Bond was responsible for the strategic, clinical, financial, and administrative health of the agency, including direct supervision of Senior Executive Staff. In addition, Bond ensured contract compliance of the agency’s 125 different contracts across federal and state agencies and eight counties.
Ms. Bond received her Bachelors Degree in Psychology, with Honors, and her Masters in Counseling Education from San Diego State University. She is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in both California and Arkansas.
The Eisenhower Leadership Perspective: Eisenhower Farm Tour
Location: The GAR Building
During his wartime and presidential leadership, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (as he preferred to be known in his post-presidency) believed that trust was a critical leadership attribute, especially in turbulent times. Coming up through the military, Ike’s leadership style was different from those before him. He possessed a steady, calming way of looking at the critical issues at hand. He dedicated himself to a cause higher than himself. Eisenhower did not abide in publicity seeking but believed in accountability and being humble in his authority to make consequential decisions.
Ike thought of himself as team player, bringing others along with him to address that cause. Eisenhower’s leadership approach involved the importance of study, contingency planning, and being surrounded by diverse opinion. He believed that wisdom does not reside solely in the mind of one man. Eisenhower also incorporated stress management into his day-to-day to always stay outwardly calm and exercise optimism. He believed that optimism starts from the top and works its way down. He believed in the importance of morale and making winners out of everyone. Join us on this one-of-a-kind tour of the Eisenhower farm and learn more about General Eisenhower, his legacy and his family.
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT, brings over thirty years of experience providing behavioral health treatment in the public and community settings to the OPEN MINDS team. She currently serves as the Executive Vice President, Payer/Provider Market. In this role, Ms. Bond provides executive oversight and leadership to all Provider and Payer client engagements for OPEN MINDS.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Bond served concurrently as a Program Coordinator III and Clinical Manager of Adult Services and a Program Coordinator II and Clinical Manager of Recovery Services for the Ozark Guidance Center. In these roles, Ms. Bond was responsible for the administrative and clinical oversight of the adult outpatient and adult intensive mental health services on the Springdale Campus as well as the adult recovery/co-occurring services, including domestic violence and anger management treatment.
Prior to joining the Ozark Guidance Center, Ms. Bond served as the Executive Vice President of Center Point, Inc, a large substance abuse provider agency in California. In this role, Ms. Bond was responsible for the clinical and administrative supervision of all community-based programs as well as the women and children residential programs. In addition, Ms. Bond also managed budgets, interacted with funding agencies, and built positive relationships with all stakeholders. Ms. Bond was also in charge of proposal and grant writing, staff management, and training, facilities’ licensing and certifications renewals. Additionally, she prepared and submitted monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports to various funders.
Previously, Ms. Bond served as the President and CEO of Mental Health Systems, Inc. Ms. Bond was very instrumental in growing the agency from $12M in annual revenue to over $100M and becoming one of the largest providers of behavioral health services in California. In this role, Bond was responsible for the strategic, clinical, financial, and administrative health of the agency, including direct supervision of Senior Executive Staff. In addition, Bond ensured contract compliance of the agency’s 125 different contracts across federal and state agencies and eight counties.
Ms. Bond received her Bachelors Degree in Psychology, with Honors, and her Masters in Counseling Education from San Diego State University. She is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in both California and Arkansas.
Performance-Based Compensation Plans For Clinical Team Members
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
Most executives are reluctant to adopt performance-based compensation strategies for their teams because of concerns about equity in pay, not knowing how to build the right model, and trouble with establishing metrics and tracking data for incentive compensation. Hear best practices for designing and implementing performance-based pay plans that align with organizational goals and improve employee retention and recruitment. We will delve into topics such as setting performance metrics, conducting regular evaluations, and determining bonuses and incentives. Additionally, we will explore the benefits of involving clinical team members in the design process and creating a transparent communication plan to ensure buy-in and understanding of the plan.
Ramona Osburn
Transformation Showcase: Making Digital Transformation Work
Location: Majestic Theater
Digital transformation is changing how health care provider organizations engage with consumers. For executives, a key to being sustainable and competitive with new digital and retail organizations entering the field is through leveraging technologies. While automation, interoperability, and digital engagement with consumers and staff will get you so far, digital transformation can also open new service lines and revenue opportunities. Hear how digital transformation strategies are affecting a group of organizations and the wider health and human services system, including:
- Getting the biggest bang for your buck with technology investments
- Securing payer contracts with new digital services
- Using digital solutions for operational efficiency and building scale
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, Ed.M.
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, Ed.M., 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.
Executive Networking Reception At The Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center
Join us for this unique networking event! A shuttle bus will be available to transport attendees to the Visitor Center from 6:30pm to 9:00pm—meet in the back of the hotel to catch the shuttle. Attendees may also drive themselves to the reception—for driving and parking directions, stop by the Registration Desk.
Institute attendees will have private, after-hours access to all areas of the museum; to the museum’s newest exhibit: “Following in the Foot Steps of World Leaders” – this new exhibit explores the history of Eisenhower’s life as a Soldier, General, President, and Citizen, as well as a nod to Eisenhower’s leadership; and to view the Famous Gettysburg Cyclorama. Paul Philippoteaux’s 1883 cyclorama painting of the Battle of Gettysburg is among the last surviving cycloraas in the United States.
Executive Breakfast
Location: Majestic Theater
Join us for a hot breakfast and coffee in the exhibit hall to start your day!
Shatterproof: Reversing The Addiction Crisis By Transforming Perceptions, Treatments & Communities
Location: Majestic Theater
Shatterproof was founded by Gary Mendell ten years ago to create systemic change and social barriers to recovery, provide trusted guidance to communities, and mobilize the country to advocate for change and to end addiction stigma. This year marks the 10th year of Shatterproof’s existence. Mendell will share the organization’s impact and progress to date and his vision for the future.
Gary Mendell
Gary Mendell is the founder and CEO of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit focused on reversing the course of the addiction crisis in America. After losing his son Brian to addiction in 2011, Gary founded Shatterproof to spare other families the tragedy his had suffered.
Since founding Shatterproof in 2012, Mr. Mendell has been a national leader in the addiction field creating solutions that will ensure that substance use disorder will be prevented and treated for generations to come, including providing the support needed to those in recovery and removing the shame and stigma so often associated with those afflicted with this disease.
He is a frequent speaker on how our society can end the stigma unjustly associated with addiction, has been honored numerous times for his leadership related to reversing the course of the opioid epidemic, testified in front of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on Treating Substance Misuse in America, and has been a guest several times on CNBC and MSNBC to provide his perspective on commonsense solutions to the opioid epidemic, and his opinions are frequently reflected in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The Washington Post. Mr. Mendell is a member of the National Leadership Steering Team for the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Stigma around Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder with the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, a member of the National Quality Forum’s Technical Expert Panel for Opioid and Opioid Use Disorder and is an advisory member of The Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Mr. Mendell spent decades as an entrepreneur. He founded HEI Hotels & Resorts, a multi-billion-dollar company that oversees a portfolio of approximately 85 first class hotels. He raised and managed $1.2 billion in discretionary capital from some of the most prestigious universities in the United States and managed more than $2 billion in assets. He is also a former trustee and president of Starwood Lodging Trust. That business-world experience gives him a unique perspective in running a nonprofit organization like Shatterproof.
Mr. Mendell received his B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and his MBA with distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Thought Leader Discussion
Location: Majestic Theater
Join our keynote and take this time to ask your own questions and continue the conversation.
Gary Mendell
Gary Mendell is the founder and CEO of Shatterproof, a national nonprofit focused on reversing the course of the addiction crisis in America. After losing his son Brian to addiction in 2011, Gary founded Shatterproof to spare other families the tragedy his had suffered.
Since founding Shatterproof in 2012, Mr. Mendell has been a national leader in the addiction field creating solutions that will ensure that substance use disorder will be prevented and treated for generations to come, including providing the support needed to those in recovery and removing the shame and stigma so often associated with those afflicted with this disease.
He is a frequent speaker on how our society can end the stigma unjustly associated with addiction, has been honored numerous times for his leadership related to reversing the course of the opioid epidemic, testified in front of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on Treating Substance Misuse in America, and has been a guest several times on CNBC and MSNBC to provide his perspective on commonsense solutions to the opioid epidemic, and his opinions are frequently reflected in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and The Washington Post. Mr. Mendell is a member of the National Leadership Steering Team for the Grand Challenge to Eliminate Stigma around Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder with the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, a member of the National Quality Forum’s Technical Expert Panel for Opioid and Opioid Use Disorder and is an advisory member of The Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
Mr. Mendell spent decades as an entrepreneur. He founded HEI Hotels & Resorts, a multi-billion-dollar company that oversees a portfolio of approximately 85 first class hotels. He raised and managed $1.2 billion in discretionary capital from some of the most prestigious universities in the United States and managed more than $2 billion in assets. He is also a former trustee and president of Starwood Lodging Trust. That business-world experience gives him a unique perspective in running a nonprofit organization like Shatterproof.
Mr. Mendell received his B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and his MBA with distinction from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT, brings over thirty years of experience providing behavioral health treatment in the public and community settings to the OPEN MINDS team. She currently serves as the Executive Vice President, Payer/Provider Market. In this role, Ms. Bond provides executive oversight and leadership to all Provider and Payer client engagements for OPEN MINDS.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Bond served concurrently as a Program Coordinator III and Clinical Manager of Adult Services and a Program Coordinator II and Clinical Manager of Recovery Services for the Ozark Guidance Center. In these roles, Ms. Bond was responsible for the administrative and clinical oversight of the adult outpatient and adult intensive mental health services on the Springdale Campus as well as the adult recovery/co-occurring services, including domestic violence and anger management treatment.
Prior to joining the Ozark Guidance Center, Ms. Bond served as the Executive Vice President of Center Point, Inc, a large substance abuse provider agency in California. In this role, Ms. Bond was responsible for the clinical and administrative supervision of all community-based programs as well as the women and children residential programs. In addition, Ms. Bond also managed budgets, interacted with funding agencies, and built positive relationships with all stakeholders. Ms. Bond was also in charge of proposal and grant writing, staff management, and training, facilities’ licensing and certifications renewals. Additionally, she prepared and submitted monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports to various funders.
Previously, Ms. Bond served as the President and CEO of Mental Health Systems, Inc. Ms. Bond was very instrumental in growing the agency from $12M in annual revenue to over $100M and becoming one of the largest providers of behavioral health services in California. In this role, Bond was responsible for the strategic, clinical, financial, and administrative health of the agency, including direct supervision of Senior Executive Staff. In addition, Bond ensured contract compliance of the agency’s 125 different contracts across federal and state agencies and eight counties.
Ms. Bond received her Bachelors Degree in Psychology, with Honors, and her Masters in Counseling Education from San Diego State University. She is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in both California and Arkansas.
Planning Strategy: A Discussion Of The Trends Shaping Strategy
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
In today’s changing health and human services environment being shaped by new payer, competitor, and consumer demands, how do specialty provider organizations compete and assess all the external factors and information into a strategy that can evolve with the current trends? Join us as we discuss the tools and insights executive leaders need to strategically reposition themselves with a structured approach to weather the market changes as we discuss:
- Understanding the external market and perspectives of payers and competitors
- Tactics for engaging consumers and meeting unmet needs
- Analyzing new opportunities for strategic advantage
Paul M. Duck
Paul M. Duck brings over 30 years of experience in leadership and management focusing on managed care, health information technology organizations, strategy, business development, and market expansion, and customer experience optimization to the OPEN MINDS team.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Duck served as the Vice President, Strategy & Development at Beacon Health Options. In this role, Mr. Duck led the organization’s strategy and business development efforts – responsible for a 30% increase in net revenue and initiated over $1 billion in revenue generation. Mr. Duck was active in national behavioral health initiatives as an executive of Beacon Health Options, including participating as a speaker at national and state association meetings.
Before joining Beacon Health Options, Mr. Duck was the Vice President of Business Development at Netsmart Technologies. During his tenure, Mr. Duck was responsible for business planning, including, the oversight of strategic activities including acquisitions, development, and execution of strategic initiatives, and positioning, and sales of large strategic customers. He also led the rollout of the company’s benchmarking and data analytics product suite.
Prior to Netsmart, Mr. Duck served as the Chief Executive Officer for Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, a large group practice with five clinic locations and two ambulatory surgical centers. As the organization’s chief executive officer, Mr. Duck was responsible for significant positive changes in leadership and corporate culture, financial and operational performance, compliance, and governance. Mr. Duck improved net collections by over $1 million per month and grew the practice through negotiating better contract rates with payers. He also implemented an organizational rebranding initiative and launched a new marketing campaign.
Prior to Coastal Orthopedics and Pain Management, Mr. Duck served as the President and Chief Executive Officer for Florida Radiology Imaging, one of the largest outpatient diagnostic imaging service companies serving the greater Orlando market. During his tenure, Mr. Duck led the construction of three new, full modality, diagnostic imaging locations. Mr. Duck revolutionized the company’s culture by creating a highly attractive and functional work environment.
Mr. Duck earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Case Western Reserve University. He earned his Associate of Arts in Electronic Engineering Technology from the Electronic Technology Institute. Mr. Duck received an award by Inc Magazine for leading Florida Radiology Imaging as one of America’s fastest-growing companies. Mr. Duck recently served as a contributing author to the book The New Health Age: The Future of Health Care in America.
The Cigna/Evernorth Centers Of Excellence Model: A Briefing & Discussion Session
Location: Majestic Theater
William M. Lopez, MD, CPE
As the National Medical Director for Virtual Care Dr. Will Lopez is the clinical leader in the implementation of Evernorth and Cigna Healthcare’s national virtual care strategy. In this role he is directly involved in coverage policy development, reimbursement, government affairs issues, and assessing new technologies coming to market. In addition he oversees a medical director’s team responsible for medical necessity reviews, case management, and claims activities. He provides clinical expertise to Cigna’s sales and marketing teams during client and stakeholder meetings.
Prior to joining Cigna in 2006, Dr. Lopez was a staff psychiatrist and Medical Director for psychiatric services at Snowden at Fredericksburg, a private behavioral health center in Virginia. Dr. Lopez was a captain in the U.S. Air Force where he practiced aerospace medicine. As a veteran of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he is passionate about supporting and leading veteran related initiatives.
Dr. Lopez lives in Asheville, NC with his wife and youngest daughter who is a junior at NC State University. When not at work, he enjoys outdoor activities including hiking, bicycling, and whitewater rafting.
Will is speaking during The Cigna/Evernorth Centers Of Excellence Model: A Briefing & Discussion Session.
The Great Divide – Gettysburg & Modern U.S. Battlefield Tour
Location: The GAR Building
Ramona Osburn
Transformation Showcase: Developing Service Lines For the Future
Location: Majestic Theater
In developing your next big thing for serving consumers with complex conditions, organizations must first know how their current service lines are performing. In doing so, executive teams are looking ahead to position themselves in the market with services that are in high demand for long-term sustainability.
- Optimizing the performance of current services lines
- Developing new and enhanced services for the emerging market
- Keeping your strategy focused on consumers and filling in market niches
Ross Teemant
Ross is speaking during Transformation Showcase: Developing Service Lines For the Future.
Kristine Bashore
Kristine is speaking during Transformation Showcase: Developing Service Lines For the Future.
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, Ed.M.
Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, Ed.M., 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.
Briefing & Discussion: Results Of The 2023 OPEN MINDS Executive Compensation & Retention Survey
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
Lunch On Your Own
The Communications Challenge In Time Of Turbulence: The Picketts Charge Case Study & Battlefield Tour
Location: The GAR Building
During this session, we will take a bus to the Gettysburg National Military Park, where a licensed battlefield guide will lead a tour across the field where Pickett’s Charge took place. This session will include a review of Generals Lee and Longstreet’s relationship and decision-making styles and time for questions and discussion with our guide. We will start and end the session with a classroom style discussion to highlight leadership lessons learned from the Pickett’s Charge and the application of those lessons for today’s health care executives.
Pickett’s Charge may be the most infamous incident at the Battle of Gettysburg. We will retrace the steps of General Robert E. Lee and General James Longstreet as they made the decisions that would ultimately determine not only the outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg, but possibly the ultimate outcome of the Civil War.
On the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, commander of The Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee found himself at odds with his trusted commander, General James Longstreet. Generals Lee and Longstreet disagreed at several critical points during the Battle of Gettysburg. The largest disagreement between the two officers came when Lee first talked to Longstreet about the planned Pickett’s Charge on the afternoon of July 3. Longstreet would reluctantly and finally agree to Lee’s plan. This is an example of leader vs follower command disagreement. The assault required the Confederate troops to march nearly a mile over an open field and to climb over several fences under open fire from the Union line. This disastrous end to the battle resulted in a fifty percent casualty rate among the Confederate troops and is seen as not only the decisive end to the Battle of Gettysburg, but also the turning point or high-water mark for the confederacy in the Civil War.
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT
Kimberly Bond, MS, LMFT, brings over thirty years of experience providing behavioral health treatment in the public and community settings to the OPEN MINDS team. She currently serves as the Executive Vice President, Payer/Provider Market. In this role, Ms. Bond provides executive oversight and leadership to all Provider and Payer client engagements for OPEN MINDS.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Bond served concurrently as a Program Coordinator III and Clinical Manager of Adult Services and a Program Coordinator II and Clinical Manager of Recovery Services for the Ozark Guidance Center. In these roles, Ms. Bond was responsible for the administrative and clinical oversight of the adult outpatient and adult intensive mental health services on the Springdale Campus as well as the adult recovery/co-occurring services, including domestic violence and anger management treatment.
Prior to joining the Ozark Guidance Center, Ms. Bond served as the Executive Vice President of Center Point, Inc, a large substance abuse provider agency in California. In this role, Ms. Bond was responsible for the clinical and administrative supervision of all community-based programs as well as the women and children residential programs. In addition, Ms. Bond also managed budgets, interacted with funding agencies, and built positive relationships with all stakeholders. Ms. Bond was also in charge of proposal and grant writing, staff management, and training, facilities’ licensing and certifications renewals. Additionally, she prepared and submitted monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reports to various funders.
Previously, Ms. Bond served as the President and CEO of Mental Health Systems, Inc. Ms. Bond was very instrumental in growing the agency from $12M in annual revenue to over $100M and becoming one of the largest providers of behavioral health services in California. In this role, Bond was responsible for the strategic, clinical, financial, and administrative health of the agency, including direct supervision of Senior Executive Staff. In addition, Bond ensured contract compliance of the agency’s 125 different contracts across federal and state agencies and eight counties.
Ms. Bond received her Bachelors Degree in Psychology, with Honors, and her Masters in Counseling Education from San Diego State University. She is licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist in both California and Arkansas.
Transformation Showcase: Making Mergers Work
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
We’re already seeing a record number of mergers in the health and human services field, and this trend will likely continue in the coming years. Yet, mergers do not have the best of track records. So, how do you increase the odds of a merger succeeding? This session will focus on a cultural analysis to assess the fit of both organizations both during and after merger process. Hear from organizational leaders on how to ensure transparent communication and alignment of values in the merger and post-merger integration phases, including:
- Assessing the culture of both organizations before and after merger
- Having a clear merger communications plan in place both internally and externally
- Learning from past merger successes and failures in the field
Karen Carloni
Karen Carloni serves as the Executive Director of Southern Maryland Community Network, Inc., a 501(c)3, non-profit community behavioral health organization. Since assuming the position in May 2013, Ms. Carloni has focused on working with community stakeholders to address service gaps over a three-county region. Ms. Carloni believes in building strong partnerships among service participants, other area providers, government and private entities in order to achieve the agency mission. She specializes in program development and bringing value through achieving impact.
Ms. Carloni has previous experience as a Deputy Director, Rehabilitation Director and private practice therapist. She also writes for Choosing Therapy and served as an officer on the Board of Directors of the Community Behavioral Health Association. Ms. Carloni is the Treasurer of the Maryland Behavioral Health Services provider network. In 2015 Ms. Carloni completed the Executive Leadership Program of the National Council and Leadership Southern Maryland in 2017.
Ms. Carloni completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Florida and a Master of Arts in Counselor Education at the University of South Florida. She holds CRC and LCPC licenses and is a Nationally Certified Counselor.
Ms. Carloni is married with four children and several adult foster children.
Karen is speaking during Transformation Showcase: Making Mergers Work.
Cari A. Guthrie, LCSW-C
Ms. Guthrie is a licensed social worker who has been working in community mental health for over 25 years. She started her career working on the inpatient psychiatric unit at Montgomery General Hospital (now Medstar Montgomery) and then at Threshold Services residential rehabilitation program. She received her MSW from the University of Maryland in 1995 and worked for Johns Hopkins Bayview Mental Health Capitation Program Creative Alternatives in Baltimore for 3 years. She returned to Threshold Services in 1997 where she served as a Program Director, Rehabilitation Director and Clinic Director as well as the Chief Operating Officer. In 2012, Threshold Services merged with St. Luke’s House and became Cornerstone Montgomery. Cornerstone Montgomery is the largest provider of mental health services in Montgomery County serving over 2400 people. In 2012, Ms. Guthrie became president and CEO of Cornerstone Montgomery.
Ms. Guthrie has been actively involved in implementing evidence based practices, including Family Psychoeducation, Integrated Treatment for Co-occurring Disorders, Motivational Interviewing, Illness Management and Recovery, Supported Employment, Stages of Change, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Nonviolent Crisis Intervention. She facilitates training and consulting on these topics in Maryland and DC.
In 2015, she served on the Montgomery County Mental Health Court Task Force. Ms. Guthrie is a member and serves on the board of Bethesda Chevy Chase Rotary. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland and the National Council for Behavioral Health. Ms. Guthrie is a graduate member of the Leadership Montgomery Core Class of 2016 and in 2015-16 she was a member of the Vistage Executive Group. In 2016 Ms. Guthrie was one of 7 nonprofit leaders recognized by NonProfitPRO for her outstanding leadership, passion for the cause and paving the way for others to follow. Under her leadership and vision, Cornerstone Montgomery’s budget has grown 30%, from $18 million to over $23 million.
Cari is speaking during Transformation Showcase: Making Mergers Work.
Ken Carr
Ken Carr brings over 20 years of finance, technology, data analysis and reporting experience in the health and human service field to OPEN MINDS. He currently ia a Senior Associate with the OPEN MINDS consulting practice. In this role, he served as a subject matter expert in the OPEN MINDS consulting practice where he has led numerous engagements in strategic planning, merger and acquisition prospecting, business process improvement, financial analysis of service lines, and technology selection.
Before joining the OPEN MINDS team, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of The Centers, a community mental health center in Ocala, Florida. In this position, Mr. Carr led a realignment of the organization’s financial management functions. This included revenue cycle management, EHR bill implementation and reporting, cash management enhancement, and strategic financial analysis.
Prior to his role at The Centers, Mr. Carr served as Chief Financial Officer of Guild Incorporated, an organization providing residential and community based mental health services in St. Paul, Minnesota. As CFO, Mr. Carr led the financial, billing, IT, quality, informatics, compliance, and facilities activities. During his tenure at Guild Incorporated, Mr. Carr used his expertise in change management and business process improvement to lead the EHR implementation team, align service data reporting and financial performance, and lead the financial and data capture activities for new service initiatives.
Mr. Carr has also held the positions of Administrative Director and Finance Director at the St. Paul National Testing Laboratory, a biomedical testing facility of the American Red Cross. In those positions he oversaw activities to enhance inventory management, align financial results to industry standards, and improve financial and facilities performance through problem analysis and quality management initiatives. He also was involved in directing human resource functions during laboratory closing near the end of his tenure.
Mr. Carr earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Dakota, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Sioux Falls Seminary. He maintains an active CPA license with the State of South Dakota.
Closing Keynote
Location: The GAR Building
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S., Chief Executive Officer and Senior Associate, is the founder of OPEN MINDS. For the past three 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.