2023
Presentations
Registration & Breakfast
Location: Majestic Theater
Grab your badge, a light breakfast, and get registered for the week ahead! Registration is located in the lobby of the Majestic Theater.
How To Develop A Strategic Plan: The 2023 OPEN MINDS 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 avoid or reluctantly initiate significant strategic initiatives requiring 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 for developing plans in uncertain times, implementing them, and evaluating their success. In this crucial seminar, Senior Associates will discuss OPEN MINDS’ three-phase approach to strategy development, including:
- The OPEN MINDS best practice approach to building a strategic plan
- 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.
Lunch On Your Own
Try Food 101, The Garryowen Irish Pub, or The Gettysburger Company, three of Gettysburg’s favorite local restaurants!
Building A Digital Transformation Roadmap – Aligning Technology, Team, & Processes For Superior Consumer Experience & Engagement: The 2023 OPEN MINDS Seminar
Location: Majestic Theater
Sponsored By: 
Much focus has been on digital strategies for health and human service organizations. A post-pandemic strategy involves a multi-pronged technology-driven approach that leads to streamlining processes and higher performance. While the pandemic experience accelerated the use of technology to support consumer access, using a technology strategy to assure business success goes beyond a consumer digital interface. This seminar will focus on the eight dimensions of digital transformation and provide a road map for executive teams to integrate and incorporate their entire organization. Attendees will gain insights into a digital-first approach focused on consumer experience, organizational efficiency, 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 eight 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.
Virtual Care & Interoperability: How They Affect Efficiency, Customer Satisfaction, & Revenue
Location: Majestic Theater
Sponsored By:
While many organizations have adopted a virtual care model to greater serve their client population, the ability to maintain a successful and saleable program requires more than a video link. In this session, we will discuss what it takes to optimize your virtual care model including:
- Interoperability with existing systems
- Decreasing workload with automation
- Increasing patient engagement
*Cookies and brownies will be served!
Nicholas Chepesiuk
Nicholas joined Qualifacts through its acquisition of OnCall Health. Nicholas founded OnCall in 2016 as a telehealth software solution for behavioral health organizations. Now, Nicholas leads the virtual care team at Qualifacts and is also responsible for Qualifacts’ innovation strategy including AI. Nicholas is passionate about innovation in healthcare and improving access to behavioral health services.
Networking Reception
Sponsored By: 
Location: Majestic Theater
End your day by unwinding with your peers, colleagues, thought leaders and vendors. Join us in the lobby of the Majestic Theater and enjoy a cocktail and hors d’oeurvres!
Gettysburg Pub Tour
*Space is limited, please RSVP for this event by emailing Erin Deppen at edeppen@openminds.com
Enjoy a taste of the Gettysburg’s favorite brews. Meet us outside of the entrance of the Gettysburg Hotel and walk with your peers through the historic streets of downtown Gettysburg. Along the way, the tour will stop at three iconic locations:
- Reid’s Orchard & Winery Tasting Room at the Cider House – Where history meets tradition, enjoy a wide selection of locally crafted ciders or wind down with a glass of wine like their signature Chardonnay crafted in Pennsylvania oak barrels.
- Pilger Ruh Brewing Taproom & Beer Garden – This award-winning taproom is known for their signature 8 craft brews, and large selection of local wine, cider, and craft cocktails.
- Ploughman’s Tap Room – Known for their crisp and delicious ciders, crafted from five generations of locally grown apples.
William M. Lopez, M.D., 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.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. 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. She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.
Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, 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.
Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.
Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.
Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.
Executive Breakfast & Registration
Location: Majestic Theater
If you haven’t registered yet, check in with us at the registration desk and then enjoy a light breakfast and coffee before the morning’s keynote presentation.
Behavioral Health Value & Satisfying The Three P’s – People, Providers & Payers
Location: Majestic Theater
Despite social and economic unrest, behavioral health is taking center stage, but the changing market is affecting the dynamic between payers, providers, and consumers. To meet rising demands, providers will have to innovate, improve service delivery, and effectively demonstrate their value, all while staying on top of industry trends affecting the future of value-based reimbursement.
The keyword in a value-based system is value, but value can mean different things to different stakeholders. Has your organization been left wondering what value really means in the eyes of health plans? What does it really take to build an effective practice and service model, and how can your organization best measure and present outcomes?
Join M. Lauren Sims, Former Payment Innovation Director, Elevance Health, and Monica E. Oss, Chief Executive Officer at OPEN MINDS, for a fireside chat focused on those questions. In 2017, M. Lauren Sims helped launch the first commercial behavioral health value-based payment program with Elevance Health (formerly Anthem). In this discussion, Ms. Sims will take a deep dive into the Elevance Health/Anthem Case Study as she explores critical components of developing a cohesive value-based system that speaks to each group of stakeholders, key components of effective service models, and offer advice on measuring reporting data in a value-based system.
M. Lauren Sims, MA, LPC, MBA
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
Join our keynote and take this time to ask your own questions and continue the conversation.
M. Lauren Sims, MA, LPC, MBA
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. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. 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. She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.
Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, 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.
Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.
Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.
Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.
Developing A Talent Management Strategy For The Future
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
The right talent management strategy is essential for any organization that wants to gain a competitive edge while ensuring a sustainable and resilient workforce to meet future challenges. This session will explore the benefits of creating a talent management strategy that addresses the organization’s and staff’s needs, 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 responsible for workforce planning and talent management.
Gina Forrest, Ph.D., MPH
Dr. Gina Forrest is a collaborative, strategic, energetic, and research-driven leader! She has a wealth of experience working in the for-profit, nonprofit, government, and academic sectors; she understands people – our most valuable human resource!
She has earned a Ph.D. in Health Behavior with a minor in Nonprofit Management, research focused on Health Inequities. In addition, she has a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Leadership.
As the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer with the Indiana Supreme Court, Dr. Forrest focused on building a new department, collaborating, and connecting with stakeholders across Indiana. Currently, she is the Chief Culture Officer with Aspire Indiana Health – She is responsible for forming a new unit with six departments, strategic planning, fostering an inclusive workplace, providing training, and being a resource for all.
Dr. Gina has been part of academia, teaching and mentoring students for over ten years. She is skilled at designing meaningful courses to impact the future workforce. She has taught for four institutions and has gained valuable skills, knowledge and experience that she brings to every classroom.
In her personal life, Dr Gina is the proud mom of two adult sons, and enjoys studying African Yoga, Reiki, and is working on a huge bucket list of things to complete before she turns 50 in 2024!
Gina is speaking during Developing A Talent Management Strategy For The Future.
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.
Not If, But When You Use AI and Machine Learning – Key Considerations
Location: Majestic Theater
Sponsored By: 
Moving to implement some form of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools will be a reality for many providers. These tools show great promise in helping ease the workforce shortage and provide higher-quality care to your clients. But how trustworthy is AI when used in a behavioral health setting? Are all AI algorithms the same? Do you know what population was used in AI testing, and does it mimic the people you serve?
Be sure to attend Core Solution’s Knowledge Partner session, where Michael Lardieri, LCSW, will discuss what you need to know before implementing AI in your organization.
This session will review some of the more promising uses of AI in behavioral health today. It will focus on the key questions users and administrators should ask before selecting new technology and explore related federal initiatives to help you make better-informed decisions.
*Assorted danish will be served!
Michael Lardieri, LCSW
Michael Lardieri is known nationally for his expertise and vision in the behavioral health and human services arenas. Mr. Lardieri has held senior level positions at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, Northwell Health, the largest provider of services in NY state, and the National Association for Community Health Centers. He has extensive managed care experience, and has led both private and publicly funded inpatient and outpatient organizations.
Thomas Starling, Ed.D.
Dr. Tom Starling is a growth-focused executive who has spent his extensive career specializing in defining vision and steering strategy for mission-driven small and mid-sized organizations. Dr. Starling has demonstrated year-after-year success in securing millions of dollars in funding and grants to drive growth, revamp programs, transform operations, and fuel long-term, positive change. Dr. Starling joins OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate.
Previously, Dr. Starling was the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships for Rogers Behavioral Health System, a nationally recognized nonprofit provider of highly specialized psychiatric care. In this role, Dr. Starling gave voices to 21 clinics across 10 states and drove the development of a multidisciplinary division, spanning advocacy, government relationships at a state and federal level, and behavioral health prevention and education. He identified, targeted, and secured donors, oversaw 10 staff, and controlled a $2 million budget. Dr. Starling was responsible for co-managing national sponsorship decisions and hired Public Affairs Director and Advocacy Manager to optimize organizational performance and cohesively connect messaging, media, and corporate platforms to advocacy and government relations.
Dr. Starling was also the President and Chief Operating Officer for Mental Health American (MHA) of Midsouth, a nonprofit organization that connects community members with specialized mental health and wellness resources, providing services that improve quality of life and promoting effective services where mental health needs exist. Dr. Starling used his extensive leadership and fundraising experience to define overall strategy and implement a new organizational structure for the largest affiliate in the South. He developed partnerships and managed all relations with funders, donors, and foundations, in addition to providers, hospitals, and health systems. Additionally, Dr. Starling partnered with state and federal legislatures, as well as local and city government officials supervised and supported 25 staff members and controlled the $2 million annual budget. Dr. Starling fueled revenues after creating and rolling out numerous impactful programs and outlined continuing education opportunities and expanded the suicide prevention program by 10 states. Dr. Starling was also nominated to serve on the National MHA Board of Directors and was elected Board Chair from 2018 to 2020, making it the first time in 110-year history to have the affiliate CEO serve as Board Chair.
Dr. Starling is also the former Vice President of Operations for HEOPS in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Starling led daily operations and expanded business for the start-up healthcare company. He served as ISO-9001 Quality Manager, HR Manager, Call Center Supervisor, and Chief Contract Negotiator. He was responsible for tripling staff size by opening Medicaid and Medicare networks in 12 states, making the entire network expand across 40 states in total and expanding from 1 call center to 3. Dr. Starling also became a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed mediator during his tenure.
Dr. Starling graduated with honors from Tennessee State University with his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Administration. He also holds a Master of Arts in Medical Ethics from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s Degree in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Baylor University. Additionally, he obtained a Medical Gerontology Certification from Meharry Medical College and a Business Leadership Certification from the Vanderbilt University Owen School of Business.
Preparing For The Unexpected – The Little Round Top Case Study & Battlefield Tour
Location: The GAR Building
During this session, attendees will take a bus to the Gettysburg National Military Park for a private walking tour around Little Round Top. 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. The session will start with a classroom-style discussion, highlighting the leadership lessons learned from Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and applying those lessons to 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 undefended this strategic ground, 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 line, capturing over one hundred soldiers and maintaining the Union defense of the high ground of the battlefield.
Terry G. Fox
Terry Fox is a sixth-generation resident of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and a battlefield guide emeritus with Gettysburg National Military Park. He taught American History in the public schools for 33 years, serving as department head and as a member of the Carnegie Foundation for teaching American History. Since his retirement he has taught as an adjunct professor at Gettysburg College and at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. He has presented leadership seminars for U.S. Air Force chief master sergeants as well as employees of the U.S. Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in addition to teaching in Johns Hopkins’ Police Executive Leadership program. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Shippensburg College.
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 you can implement to retain and support the dedicated professionals who provide vital support services to consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. Organizations will explore topics such as developing a positive organizational culture, providing ongoing training and professional development opportunities, and implementing fair compensation and benefits packages. Additionally, industry leaders will explore innovative recruitment strategies, such as leveraging technology and social media to retain a skilled workforce in this field.
Erin Drummond, MS
Erin Drummond is the Assistant Vice President of Employee Training & Development at Woods. Woods System of Care is a leading advocacy and population-health management organization that through its network of providers in PA and NJ provides life cycle care to meet the lifelong needs of 22,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, acquired brain injuries and/or mental health challenges who may also have complex medical and genetic conditions.
Ms. Drummond has over 20 years of experience in leadership roles, focusing on employee training and development, program management, team and organizational development, and coaching.
Ms. Drummond received a BA in Sociology from Bloomsburg University, an MS in Counseling Psychology from Holy Family University, and an MS in Nonprofit Leadership and Population Health Management from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She also holds a certificate in Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance through Rutgers University.
Erin is speaking during Innovative Approaches For Retaining Direct Support Professionals.
Valerie Durden, MS
Valerie Durden has held a number of positions at Woods over 20 years, with increasing responsibility with each role. She now serves as Manager of Employee Development and Enhanced Benefits at Woods, overseeing enhanced benefits for employees, including subsidized on-site and other higher education degree programs, helping employees navigate financial aid and Woods’ loan repayment and tuition reimbursement programs. In addition, Ms. Durden is site manager for the on-site associate’s degree program delivered by Harcum College. Prior to this role, Ms. Durden was Enhanced Benefits Specialist and Case Manager at Wood’s brain injury program, Beechwood NeuroRehab. Ms. Durden completed her Master of Science in Nonprofit Leadership and Population Health Management in June, 2020 through Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Valerie is speaking during Innovative Approaches For Retaining Direct Support Professionals.
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 – a new competition for licensed and unlicensed staff, rising wage rates that will not return to previous levels, and 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 on 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 overall costs through provider specialization, and implementation of technology that extends the impact of providers
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.
Building A Clinical Culture For An Integrated, Tech-Enabled, Value-Driven Landscape
Location: The Majestic Theater
A positive staff clinical culture in health care settings have been shown to be tied to desirable outcomes for both the staff and the organization. Reductions of turnover of staff, burnout, improvements in clinical accuracy, clinical efficacy, and more have been linked to organizations that have worked on improving the clinical culture. Additionally, research has demonstrated a link between poor wellbeing in staff and poor patient safety due to increased clinical errors.
In this session, industry leaders will look at best practices for building a strong culture in a clinical setting and some practical steps that can be taken to implement these. In addition we will look at the future of the health care workforce in the time of tech enabled care and value based reimbursement and discuss what the issues for the staff of the future may be.
Stuart Buttlaire, Ph.D., MBA
Stuart Buttlaire brings over 35 years of clinical, management, and leadership experience to OPEN MINDS as an Advisory Board Member. Dr. Buttlaire has experience in both the public and private sectors of healthcare providing leadership and direction in healthcare delivery.
In addition to his work with OPEN MINDS, Dr. Buttlaire is the Regional Director of Behavioral Health and Addiction Medicine for Kaiser Permanente. In this role Dr. Buttlaire, designs and oversees a broad continuum of services and programs for both inpatient, ambulatory, and emergency settings for mental health and addiction medicine. Dr. Buttlaire is also the Regional Director of Inpatient Psychiatry and Continuing Care at Kaiser Permanente and the lead Mental Health Representative within Kaiser Permanente’s State Program Initiatives including Medicaid and Medicare.
Additionally, Dr. Buttlaire is a regional leader in the development of Best Practices at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Buttlaire has developed and led major program redesigns including Integrated Urgent Services for adults and youth with mental health and substance use disorders, Kaiser Permanente Post-Acute Center (SNF) Behavioral Health Program, mental health and emergency room consultation and suicide prevention, multi-family groups for adults and teens in treatment of severe psychiatric conditions, and intensive outpatient treatment programs for adults and youths. Recently, Dr. Buttlaire implemented a mobile application for eating-disordered patients that won Kaiser’s Innovation Award. Dr. Buttlaire also developed and implemented two psychiatric inpatient units at Kaiser Permanente, one of them is a medical/psychiatric unit to treat those members with both medical and psychiatric co-morbidities and the other, a free-standing psychiatric health facility.
Additionally, Dr. Buttlaire often provides expertise and consultation on state and federal legislation and its impact on behavioral health within Kaiser Permanente, the State of California, and nationally. Dr. Buttlaire is currently the Board President of the Institute for Behavioral Health Improvement. He was selected to the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board for Western Section after serving as AHA’s Chair of Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse section. He is currently on the Board of Directors of NAMI California, and the California Hospital Association’s Advisory Board of Behavioral Health.
Dr. Buttlaire is a graduate from the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business with a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Health Care Management, Finance, and Marketing. Dr. Buttlaire also graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Additionally, Dr. Buttlaire holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from California State University, Humboldt, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Political Science from the University of Colorado.
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.
Person-Centered Population Health: Turning Data Into Action To Improve Care
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
How do organizations excel in the advanced population health practices necessary to manage their highest cost/highest need consumers? Join Daymark Recovery Services as they recount their journey designing an actionable care management program that personalized the care experience for patients and earned Daymark lucrative contracts.
Attendees will learn:
- How Daymark grew a program using interoperable data connections and real-time alerts to drive care manager workflows
- Best practices in managing data from across a statewide health ecosystem and translating it into clinical action
- Leadership and health IT strategies necessary to succeed in complex payer relationships while keeping patients at the heart of care
Billy West, MSW, LCSW
Mr. Billy West is the President and CEO of Daymark Recovery Services, Inc. He is a licensed clinical social worker in North Carolina. Mr. West earned his BS and MSW from East Carolina University. Prior to founding Daymark Recovery Services, Mr. West was the Area Director for the former Davidson County Area Program. Mr. West has extensive work experience as a child and family therapist, crisis worker and administrator in community mental health, correctional and hospital settings. Mr. West has used his experience to develop innovative crisis, best practice, telehealth and technology integrated whole person care services at Daymark.
Jerold Greer
Jerold Greer has been a thought leader in Behavioral Healthcare Information Technology for over 3 decades. In 2004, Jerold, as the Chief Information Officer, became a founding management team member that formed Daymark Recovery Services, a CCBHC organization that has grown to serve 50,000 patients annually through over 25 outpatient/walk-in centers, 6 inpatient crisis programs, 5 mobile crisis teams, along with several ACTT, PSR, Residential and Intensive In-Home teams. Through the last decade, Jerold’s teams have focused on continually defining and redefining Electronic Health Record workflows that make medically-centric Meaningful Use systems more Behavioral Healthcare friendly. This 3-stage, multi-year effort has yielded $ 3.2 million in receipts through the Meaningful Use program, earnings that have permitted continual reinvestment to maintain Behavioral Healthcare Heath Information Technology parity with hospital-based systems, being one of the few Behavioral Healthcare agencies recognized by HIMSS as Stage 6 on the 0-EMRAM model, ready for assessment for Stage 7. Jerold’s team is now laser focused in leading the industry through this decade with Technology-Enabled Whole Person Care Management, already exchanging 10,000s of C-CDAs in real time on a monthly basis across his organization’s patients’ healthcare ecosystem through Carequality, while also leveraging this interoperability for real-time care alerts.
Before joining Daymark, Jerold established and led the Information Technology division of the 1,200+ staff Behavioral Health agency Frontier Health that operates in Tennessee and Virginia. Here, he developed one of the first Behavioral Healthcare EHRs in the nation in the early 1990s, including real-time alerts and clinical decision support tools. These efforts allowed his agency to effortlessly and successfully transition into one of the Country’s first Medicaid Managed Care programs, TennCare, an otherwise harsh area in which two thirds of the Tennessee’s behavioral healthcare agencies could no longer operate independently.
Lunch On Your Own
Enjoy one of the many local restaurants and take a stroll in historical, downtown Gettysburg!
Post Lunch Pick Me Up
Location: Majestic Theater
Join us for a fun ice cream bar and make your own sundae with all of your favorite toppings! Located in the lobby of the Majestic Theater.
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 in the military, Ike’s leadership style differed from those before him. He possessed a steady, calming way of looking at the critical issues. He dedicated himself to a cause higher than himself. Eisenhower did not abide by publicity-seeking but believed in accountability and being humble in his authority to make consequential decisions.
Ike considered himself a team player, bringing others along to address that cause. Eisenhower’s leadership approach involved the importance of the study, contingency planning, and being surrounded by diverse opinions. He believed that wisdom does not reside solely in one man’s mind. Eisenhower also incorporated stress management into his day-to-day to 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 OPEN MINDS on this one-of-a-kind tour of the Eisenhower farm and learn more about General Eisenhower, his legacy, and his family.
Lawrence “Larry” Korczyk
Larry Korczyk has been a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park for 10 years. He passed the National Park Service licensed guide exam in March of 2013. Prior to this, he worked for 30+ years in the logistics industry as a manager at two large distribution centers. However, always having a love of history, particularly on the American Civil War, he joined a Civil War Round Table in his native state of New Jersery, became an active Civil War reenactor for the 2nd Rhode Island Infantry, and dreamed, after his first visit to Gettysburg in 1990, to become a Licensed Battlefield Guide. Today, he lives in Gettysburg, has conducted hundreds of tours on the battlefield, is a regular speaker at Civil War Round Tables, and has co-authored a book titled “Top Ten at Gettysburg”.
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.
Recruiting Best Practices For A Competitive Labor Market
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
Employee recruitment is among the most challenging issues facing behavioral health and social service organizations today. To succeed, organizations must leverage diverse recruitment methods to attract a wide range of candidates and tell a compelling story about why they should be a part of their organization. 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 of 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 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. Most executives’ questions are about where to start and what models to use. Then, how to manage the metrics being tracked? Join 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, MBA
As CEO for South Coast Community Services (SCCS), Ms. McGuirk serves 383 employees so that they can serve over 8,000 children and adults in 17 locations across Southern California that need Mental and Behavioral Health services for the most severe levels of mental illness. The impact to the community is over 32,000 people each year who have improved jobs, emergency room mitigation, reduced foster care placements, reduced homelessness, and more stable educational outcomes. Ellen overseas all aspects of the company, such as contract development, client care teams, metrics, P&L, clinical operations, revenue cycle management, performance improvement and information technology and support.
Ellen is an empathetic servant leader, who consistently engages with teams to grow programs, improve operational metrics and improve client outcomes.
Throughout her career, Ellen is known for developing values centered strategies, new product development and improved client experiences across the industries in which she has contributed. Leading new product launches are an area of particular expertise. Ellen’s product development teams have created world-leading positions in flexible laminates to develop the first airbag tapes, the first vertically integrated DARPA contracts for early semiconductor flexible chip packaging and mergers for 532 nanometer lasers for bio-medical applications.
Ellen’s additional experience as a VP of a $500M division for Allied Signal, leading worldwide marketing, sales, new product development and customer service, gave her a solid background for her next role at Allied Signals Electronics Materials group, as a leader to run the M&A team resulting in a $655M acquisition for a $1B division.
Ellen ran her own consulting business redefining strategies, improving customer experiences, assessing new business models and doing product development work with companies such as: Astronics, Concordia University, Alcoa, Nikon, Fairmont Education Group, Intermec, House of Batteries, Thoro Packaging, Washington Mutual, and others.
Ellen led the turnaround for SCCS and Concept 7 as interim CEO, resulting in successful separation of the two entities, improving client and customer satisfaction, bringing South Coast to a point of financial stability for a solvent turn around. She left to take the V.P worldwide marketing role with Newport Corporation until the SCCS board asked her to come back to the agency in a Chief Performance Officer role which encompassed Quality and Performance metrics under the previous CEO.
Ellen has previously served on privately held for-profit company and non-profit agency boards. (Concordia University Business Advisory Board, Concept 7, R.W. Lyall & Co., Irvine Chamber of Commerce, Faith and Work Life, and Western Family Flooring).
Ellen has been asked to be a keynote speaker at NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), spoken to various groups such as: Business Women Rising, International Printed Circuit Association, Photonics West through SPIE.org and has published articles in the Orange County Business journal on strategy. She has either authored/co-authored articles on materials and design in technical journals.
Ellen co-founded the African Ministry at Mariners Church in 2002, which sponsored over 900 children in the first sponsorship drive. She has also served as Sunday school teacher to preschool and elementary children in the churches she has attended, been a member of the Bonner Singers singing group that recorded an album in Prague, led prayer ministry for St. Margaret’s school in San Juan Capistrano for three years, and organized and led women’s retreats for Mariner’s church, among other volunteer activities.
Ellen loves to play tennis and currently plays on a local women’s team, enjoys bike rides and creating new experiences with her son and extended family.
A native of Murrysville, Pennsylvania, Ellen earned her BS Degree, from Michigan State University. She completed an Executive MBA from University of Minnesota and has done graduate work at the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.
Ms. McGuirk currently resides in Colleyville, Texas with her son Matthew.
Ellen is speaking during Improving Your Choices: Models For Data-Driven Decisionmaking & Metrics-Based Management.
Theresa Costales, M.D.
Dr. Costales serves as Connections Arizona Market medical director, overseeing all clinical operations for Connections crisis response centers in Phoenix and Tucson. Following graduation from Canisius College with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Dr. Costales joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, where she worked at an inpatient drug rehabilitation program focused on adolescents. Her dedication to service learning and the pursuit of social justice led her to Georgetown University School of Medicine, where she earned her medical degree before completing a psychiatry residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the last year of which she spent as administrative chief resident.
Theresa 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, organizations must learn 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 and determine how they can foster female career growth and support in leadership positions. The 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, attendees should be able to:
- Identify different strengths and perspectives women bring to leadership
- Identify opportunities within your 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 C-suite executive and clinical psychologist who cares deeply about ending health disparities and improving health outcomes for communities that have been marginalized. She is the first African American woman to hold the position of CEO of CBH, a mental and behavioral health managed care organization responsible for guiding the delivery of high-quality care to its federally insured members.
Since taking the helm of CBH in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, Dr. Washington has employed her expertise, extensive clinical experience, and innovative vision to help establish CBH as a more agile organization poised for growth and ready to take on the challenges forged by a dynamic and rapidly changing healthcare landscape.
Faith is speaking during Women In Leadership: A Discussion Session.
Simona Cataldo
Born and raised in Italy, Dr. Simona Cataldo is an experienced executive with a multicultural background and the ability to drive change and lead execution in fast-paced environments. She has over 20 years of clinical and administrative experience in the non-profit industry, both in mental health and traditional healthcare.
Dr. Cataldo describes herself as a mom, a wife, a leader, and a traveler. She is committed to her own lifelong development as a leader and believes that good leaders are first good humans. Her goal is to be a positive influence in the world by being an authentic and compassionate leader and teaching others what she has learned in her own journey of serving and developing people and organizations.
Dr. Cataldo currently serves as Chief Executive Officer for Victor, a partnership of two non-profit organizations offering specialty mental health services in community-based settings, residential treatment, and foster care and adoption services throughout California. Victor has a consolidated budget of over $100 M.
Simona is speaking during Women In Leadership: A Discussion Session.
Luanne Welch
Luanne Welch is President and CEO of Easterseals UCP North Carolina & Virginia, an industry leader supporting 20,000 children, adults & families living with intellectual and behavioral health challenges.
With more than 35 years of non-profit experience, Luanne is recognized as a turnaround leader, reorganizing financially challenged organizations and positioning them for sustained, healthy growth. In addition, she is adept in portfolio management, service line mission/finance analysis, strategic execution and leadership talent development. Mission driven, Luanne is passionate about influencing culture change, promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and developing leaders and teams where employees feel valued, safe and encouraged to use their voices.
Luanne is a successful relationship builder across all stakeholders including the board, staff, volunteers, donors, public and private payers and community influencers. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Benchmarks NC, as Board Secretary of i2i Center for Integrative Health and is Vice Chair of UCP Regional Affiliate Council.
Rochelle Head-Dunham, M.D., DFAPA, FASAM
Dr. Head-Dunham’s academic and administrative leadership has fostered noteworthy advances in the fields of addiction and mental health. She has served as a subject matter expert on various national and state platforms informing best practices for the field of behavioral health. Her clinical accolades include Clinical Faculty of the Year for the 2021 academic year at LSU School of Medicine. In 2019 she was the recipient of the Nyswander/Dole Award from the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, INC. (AATOD). Her clinical acumen coupled with her transformative leadership style has shaped an administrative career that fosters enduring changes for systems, organizations and individual levels of performance. Dr. Rochelle Head-Dunham is a New Orleans native who currently serves as the Executive Director and Medical Director for Metropolitan Human Services District (MHSD), a state local governing entity tasked with service delivery for indigent and Medicaid ensured persons living with mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual/developmental disabilities, residing in New Orleans and neighboring parishes.
Christy Dye, MPH
Christy Dye is a data-focused healthcare executive who brings over 30 years of experience supporting provider organizations, state agencies, and communities in achieving their business, operational, and quality goals in health and human services to OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate. Christy’s career has included working as a state Medicaid leader, a national expert in substance abuse treatment systems, health information exchange and interoperability, and as chief executive for Arizona’s leading integrated primary/behavioral healthcare provider.
Prior to OPEN MINDS, Ms. Dye served as Chief Business Development Officer for Health Current, (division of Contexture), Arizona’s statewide health information exchange (HIE). While there, Ms. Dye developed provider education and training programs in using clinical and administrative data to improve patient outcomes and manage value-based reimbursement contracts. She led the Health Current HIE research data initiative in partnership with Arizona State University and also served as co-principal investigator for a National Institute of Mental Health project at ASU focused on information sharing for behavioral health populations.
Ms. Dye is the former Chief Executive Officer for Partners in Recovery (now Copa Health), an Arizona agency serving more than 10,000 adults with serious mental illness. At Partners she created a network of fully integrated behavioral and primary care clinics for SMI adults, and launched the company’s population health, value-based and complex care programs, including Arizona’s only Medical Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team.
Prior to PIR, she served as Division Chief for Clinical and Recovery Services and Arizona’s state substance abuse director at the Arizona Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health. As a state official, she served on a team charged with the re-design of Medicaid behavioral health benefits in Arizona and oversaw the expansion of the state’s contracted managed care system to a more recovery focused model, including expansion of peer-delivered mental health, addiction, and consumer-operated services.
Ms. Dye graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master’s in Public Health Administration. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is an active member of the Community Advisory Board for Health Informatics at ASU’s College of Health Solutions.
Deanne Cornette, MHA, GPC
Deanne Cornette, MHA, GPC, brings over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field. Ms. Cornette currently serves as a Senior Associate for OPEN MINDS and brings to the OPEN MINDS team noted expertise in strategic planning, grant writing and revenue development.
Previously, Ms. Cornette was the Vice President of Strategic Development for Tampa Family Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center. In this role, she managed grants, contracts, front desk operations, training, quality assurance special assignments (risk assessments and responses to complaints), credentialing and billing functions. In a very short time period, she successfully procured funding to integrate behavioral health services, brought a system of processes to track health indicators and improve value-based care payment and service and became proficient in utilizing HRSA’s reporting portals.
As Counsel for Strategic Development at Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc. (ACTS) and Vice President of Business Development for Gracepoint (merger), Ms. Cornette directed strategic development, contract negotiations, revenue development, marketing and grants. In this capacity, she targeted funding sources and built a lucrative cash flow that provided needed services to vulnerable populations in need of behavioral health treatment.
Some of her most successful negotiations created best practice services for veteran’s programs, women’s services, as well those involved with the criminal justice system. Her portfolio includes a wide array of awards from a multitude of agencies including, but not limited to: SAMHSA, HUD, Centers for Medicaid, and the Department of Transportation and collaborations with private, non-profit and government entities. Most recently, she worked with Gracepoint to develop Hillsborough’s Centralized Receiving Facility, one of the first funded in the State of Florida. From a system of care for jail diversion to evidence based practices for individuals who are homeless with behavioral health needs, her awards have netted over $80 million dollars to our community.
In addition, Ms. Cornette served as the Vice President for the National Contract Management Association Suncoast Chapter, Vice President of ACTS Affordable Housing Board of Directors, Vice President of ACTS Foundation Board of Directors, and was a member of Hillsborough County Health Care Advisory Board. She is the recipient of University of South Florida’s 2018 Florida Outstanding Women of the Year in Public Health. Her Centralized Receiving Facility collaborative won a 2018 WEDU PBS Be Brilliant / Innovation Award. Her concept of Housing, Engagement and Retention Tenancy (HEART) program won the 2018 Heart for Homeless award through the Housing and Education Alliance.
Ms. Cornette received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Masters Degree in Health Administration from the University of South Florida.
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, needing to know how to build a suitable model, and trouble 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. The session will investigate setting performance metrics, conducting regular evaluations, and determining bonuses and incentives. Additionally, experts 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.
Azuree Morris, M.Ed.
Accomplished Human Resources Leader with over 17 years of expertise partnering with executive teams during successful strategic growth, outsourcing, and downsizing to accomplish changing business objectives. Ability to proactively integrate Human Resources initiatives to create a compelling and engaging company culture to drive organizational goals.
Experience working for high growth companies across behavioral health/social services and legal/professional services industries, providing both a strategic and hands-on approach to implementing human resources solutions and programs.
Ms. Morris received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fisk University and her Masters in Human Resources Development from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. Ms. Morris is active in the human resources community and has served in various volunteer capacities including Member of the Legislative Committee for the San Diego Society of Human Resources Management.
Azuree is speaking during Performance-Based Compensation Plans For Clinical Team Members.
Dee Dewitt
Dee DeWitt has extensive experience as a consultant and corporate leader in the healthcare field. Mr. DeWitt brings over 28 years of experience in healthcare finance and operations, M&A, use of technology, strategic planning, and change management in healthcare organizations to OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate.
Previously, Mr. DeWitt was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Momentum For Health, a CARF-accredited non-profit behavioral health organization providing services to individuals with a diagnosed serious mental illness (SMI) and/or substance abuse disorder, in San Jose, California. During his tenure, Mr. DeWitt increased outpatient productivity by 25% and contributed to growing revenues from $55 million to a projected $71+ million for the fiscal year of 2023. Mr. DeWitt also oversaw Momentum ‘s pilot with Santa Clara County’s transition to Netsmart Provider Connect and led a successful grant award and implementation of a multi-year paid intern program in partnership with Santa Clara University, San Jose University, and Palo Alto University.
Mr. DeWitt was also the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Veridian Financial Group, a strategic consulting firm specializing in performing long-term, on-site C-level and Director roles, evaluating and implementing financial strategies, strategic operational planning, and development strategies for companies that are poised for significant growth, change, or require turnaround attention, in San Jose, California. During his time at Veridian Financial Group, Mr. DeWitt focused primarily on healthcare, finance, technology, and private equity and coordinated licensing, compliance, and external audits for 42 state licenses, including managed care organizations, managed care plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and service provider organizations.
In addition, Mr. DeWitt served as Chief Financial Officer and a Consultant in Strategic Planning and Finance for Home Recovery – Home Aid, Inc., a private equity-backed, for-profit company that provides personal care and skilled care in 35 locations and in-home care throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. During his time there, Mr. DeWitt was a member of the company’s executive management team, audit team, and License & Compliance team. Mr. DeWitt also served as Chief Financial Officer of Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc., a for-profit holding company comprised of 5 home health companies, 4 hospice companies, and 2 private duty/personal care companies. Mr. DeWitt has also been the Chief Financial and Technology Officer for The Filson, a nationally renowned non-profit archive and research institute, and Director of Strategic Development for Signature Healthcare, LLC, a national private equity-backed for-profit, long-term care company operating over 180 facilities, with 18,000 employees, and over $1 billion in revenues.
Mr. DeWitt also held the positions of Deputy Director of Behavioral Health at the County of Ventura, CA Behavioral Health Services Department, and Director of Finance and Management Services of the Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services (SEABHS), a joint commissioned accredited non-profit.
Mr. DeWitt graduated from the University of Louisville, Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and a Master’s in Political Science with a concentration in Economics and Public Policy.
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.
Coping With Stress & Burnout – & Reclaiming Your Calling
Location: Majestic Theater
The human brain is vulnerable to be negatively impacted by traumatic events even if we haven’t personally experienced them. This phenomenon called, Vicarious Trauma can affect anyone. Whether it be a child who becomes fearful about going to school after hearing about repeat shootings, an adult impacted by tragic events on the news, or health care providers who empathetically “put themselves in their patients’ shoes” to work through a traumatic event.
Join Dr. Stuart Buttlaire, Regional Director of Behavioral Health & Addiction Medicine, from Kaiser Permanente for an inside look into the impact of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue on today’s clinical workforce. Dr. Buttlaire will offer practical solutions to help providers to recognize signs of burnout before it happens, manage stress, and implement self-care practices.
Stuart Buttlaire, Ph.D., MBA
Stuart Buttlaire brings over 35 years of clinical, management, and leadership experience to OPEN MINDS as an Advisory Board Member. Dr. Buttlaire has experience in both the public and private sectors of healthcare providing leadership and direction in healthcare delivery.
In addition to his work with OPEN MINDS, Dr. Buttlaire is the Regional Director of Behavioral Health and Addiction Medicine for Kaiser Permanente. In this role Dr. Buttlaire, designs and oversees a broad continuum of services and programs for both inpatient, ambulatory, and emergency settings for mental health and addiction medicine. Dr. Buttlaire is also the Regional Director of Inpatient Psychiatry and Continuing Care at Kaiser Permanente and the lead Mental Health Representative within Kaiser Permanente’s State Program Initiatives including Medicaid and Medicare.
Additionally, Dr. Buttlaire is a regional leader in the development of Best Practices at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Buttlaire has developed and led major program redesigns including Integrated Urgent Services for adults and youth with mental health and substance use disorders, Kaiser Permanente Post-Acute Center (SNF) Behavioral Health Program, mental health and emergency room consultation and suicide prevention, multi-family groups for adults and teens in treatment of severe psychiatric conditions, and intensive outpatient treatment programs for adults and youths. Recently, Dr. Buttlaire implemented a mobile application for eating-disordered patients that won Kaiser’s Innovation Award. Dr. Buttlaire also developed and implemented two psychiatric inpatient units at Kaiser Permanente, one of them is a medical/psychiatric unit to treat those members with both medical and psychiatric co-morbidities and the other, a free-standing psychiatric health facility.
Additionally, Dr. Buttlaire often provides expertise and consultation on state and federal legislation and its impact on behavioral health within Kaiser Permanente, the State of California, and nationally. Dr. Buttlaire is currently the Board President of the Institute for Behavioral Health Improvement. He was selected to the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board for Western Section after serving as AHA’s Chair of Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse section. He is currently on the Board of Directors of NAMI California, and the California Hospital Association’s Advisory Board of Behavioral Health.
Dr. Buttlaire is a graduate from the University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business with a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Health Care Management, Finance, and Marketing. Dr. Buttlaire also graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Additionally, Dr. Buttlaire holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from California State University, Humboldt, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Political Science from the University of Colorado.
Thomas Starling, Ed.D.
Dr. Tom Starling is a growth-focused executive who has spent his extensive career specializing in defining vision and steering strategy for mission-driven small and mid-sized organizations. Dr. Starling has demonstrated year-after-year success in securing millions of dollars in funding and grants to drive growth, revamp programs, transform operations, and fuel long-term, positive change. Dr. Starling joins OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate.
Previously, Dr. Starling was the Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships for Rogers Behavioral Health System, a nationally recognized nonprofit provider of highly specialized psychiatric care. In this role, Dr. Starling gave voices to 21 clinics across 10 states and drove the development of a multidisciplinary division, spanning advocacy, government relationships at a state and federal level, and behavioral health prevention and education. He identified, targeted, and secured donors, oversaw 10 staff, and controlled a $2 million budget. Dr. Starling was responsible for co-managing national sponsorship decisions and hired Public Affairs Director and Advocacy Manager to optimize organizational performance and cohesively connect messaging, media, and corporate platforms to advocacy and government relations.
Dr. Starling was also the President and Chief Operating Officer for Mental Health American (MHA) of Midsouth, a nonprofit organization that connects community members with specialized mental health and wellness resources, providing services that improve quality of life and promoting effective services where mental health needs exist. Dr. Starling used his extensive leadership and fundraising experience to define overall strategy and implement a new organizational structure for the largest affiliate in the South. He developed partnerships and managed all relations with funders, donors, and foundations, in addition to providers, hospitals, and health systems. Additionally, Dr. Starling partnered with state and federal legislatures, as well as local and city government officials supervised and supported 25 staff members and controlled the $2 million annual budget. Dr. Starling fueled revenues after creating and rolling out numerous impactful programs and outlined continuing education opportunities and expanded the suicide prevention program by 10 states. Dr. Starling was also nominated to serve on the National MHA Board of Directors and was elected Board Chair from 2018 to 2020, making it the first time in 110-year history to have the affiliate CEO serve as Board Chair.
Dr. Starling is also the former Vice President of Operations for HEOPS in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Starling led daily operations and expanded business for the start-up healthcare company. He served as ISO-9001 Quality Manager, HR Manager, Call Center Supervisor, and Chief Contract Negotiator. He was responsible for tripling staff size by opening Medicaid and Medicare networks in 12 states, making the entire network expand across 40 states in total and expanding from 1 call center to 3. Dr. Starling also became a Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 31 listed mediator during his tenure.
Dr. Starling graduated with honors from Tennessee State University with his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Administration. He also holds a Master of Arts in Medical Ethics from Vanderbilt University, a Master’s Degree in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Baylor University. Additionally, he obtained a Medical Gerontology Certification from Meharry Medical College and a Business Leadership Certification from the Vanderbilt University Owen School of Business.
Executive Networking Reception At The Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center
Sponsored By:
Location: Gettysburg National Military Museum & Visitor Center
Join us for this unique networking event! A shuttle bus will be available from the Majestic Theater to transport attendees to and from the Visitor Center from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Attendees may also drive themselves to the reception—stop by the Registration Desk for driving and parking directions.
Institute attendees will have private, after-hours access to all areas of the museum, including the museum’s newest exhibit: “Following in the Foot Steps of World Leaders” – this exhibit explores the history of Eisenhower’s life as a Soldier, General, President, and Citizen, as well as a nod to Eisenhower’s leadership. Also view the famous Gettysburg Cyclorama. Paul Philippoteaux’s 1883 cyclorama painting of the Battle of Gettysburg is among the last surviving cycloramas in the United States. Cocktails, other refreshments and food will be available, as well as access to the Museum Bookstore!
Executive Breakfast
Location: Majestic Theater
Join us for a continental breakfast and coffee in the Majestic Theater Lobby to start your day!
Shatterproof: Reversing The Addiction Crisis By Transforming Perceptions, Treatments & Communities
Location: Majestic Theater
Gary Mendell founded Shatterproof 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, progress, and vision for the future.
Gary Mendell, MBA
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, MBA
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.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. 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. She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.
Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, 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.
Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.
Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.
Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.
The Insider’s Guide To The Cigna/Evernorth Network & Centers Of Excellence Model: A Briefing & Discussion Session
Location: Majestic Theater
Learn what Cigna/Evernorth is doing next and how to be part of the next wave of growth. Find out how your organization can participate and leverage Cigna/Evernorth’s Center of Excellence model and participate in the innovations of their expanding network. Hear more about Evernorth’s innovative approach, what they currently look for from provider organizations and what the future holds in this interactive discussion with Dr. William M. Lopez, National Medical Director – Virtual Care, Cigna/Evernorth and OPEN MINDS Chief Strategy Officer Paul M. Duck.
William M. Lopez, M.D., 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.
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.
What If You Build It and No One Comes: Patient Engagement in Whole Person Care & Value Based Payment
Location: The Majestic Theater
Sponsored by: 
Per member/per month payment contracts and performance incentives for achieving certain patient outcomes are common reimbursement models for whole person integrated care. In order to be successful in these models, organizations must design and implement strong engagement strategies to enroll their members in integrated care, reduce no shows and improve visit attendance, and ensure patient follow through after their appointment.
Join the conversation with Christy Dye and Deanne Cornette, Senior Associates at OPEN MINDS, during an interactive discussion on barriers to patient engagement and best practices to maximize member involvement in their whole person care services.
Whole Person Care Headquarters members can redeem their complimentary registration by emailing OPEN MINDS Executive Education Team at events@openminds.com.
*Assorted danish will be served!
Dr. Michael Franczak
Michael Franczak currently serves as the Director of Population Health Services for Copa Health, Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Franczak has been involved in Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Development Disability services in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Arizona for the past 40 years. Dr. Franczak has served as an expert witness in many landmark cases concerning mental health and developmental Disabilities and serves as an expert to the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. Dr. Franczak has been the primary investigator on numerous grants from the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration including Housing Approaches for Persons with a Serious Mental Illness, Jail Diversion for Persons with a Serious Mental Illness, Integrated Substance Abuse Mental Health Treatment Models System of Care Practices for Children and Adolescents and Substance Abuse Services for Adolescents.
Christy Dye, MPH
Christy Dye is a data-focused healthcare executive who brings over 30 years of experience supporting provider organizations, state agencies, and communities in achieving their business, operational, and quality goals in health and human services to OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate. Christy’s career has included working as a state Medicaid leader, a national expert in substance abuse treatment systems, health information exchange and interoperability, and as chief executive for Arizona’s leading integrated primary/behavioral healthcare provider.
Prior to OPEN MINDS, Ms. Dye served as Chief Business Development Officer for Health Current, (division of Contexture), Arizona’s statewide health information exchange (HIE). While there, Ms. Dye developed provider education and training programs in using clinical and administrative data to improve patient outcomes and manage value-based reimbursement contracts. She led the Health Current HIE research data initiative in partnership with Arizona State University and also served as co-principal investigator for a National Institute of Mental Health project at ASU focused on information sharing for behavioral health populations.
Ms. Dye is the former Chief Executive Officer for Partners in Recovery (now Copa Health), an Arizona agency serving more than 10,000 adults with serious mental illness. At Partners she created a network of fully integrated behavioral and primary care clinics for SMI adults, and launched the company’s population health, value-based and complex care programs, including Arizona’s only Medical Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team.
Prior to PIR, she served as Division Chief for Clinical and Recovery Services and Arizona’s state substance abuse director at the Arizona Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health. As a state official, she served on a team charged with the re-design of Medicaid behavioral health benefits in Arizona and oversaw the expansion of the state’s contracted managed care system to a more recovery focused model, including expansion of peer-delivered mental health, addiction, and consumer-operated services.
Ms. Dye graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master’s in Public Health Administration. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is an active member of the Community Advisory Board for Health Informatics at ASU’s College of Health Solutions.
Deanne Cornette, MHA, GPC
Deanne Cornette, MHA, GPC, brings over 20 years of experience in the behavioral health field. Ms. Cornette currently serves as a Senior Associate for OPEN MINDS and brings to the OPEN MINDS team noted expertise in strategic planning, grant writing and revenue development.
Previously, Ms. Cornette was the Vice President of Strategic Development for Tampa Family Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center. In this role, she managed grants, contracts, front desk operations, training, quality assurance special assignments (risk assessments and responses to complaints), credentialing and billing functions. In a very short time period, she successfully procured funding to integrate behavioral health services, brought a system of processes to track health indicators and improve value-based care payment and service and became proficient in utilizing HRSA’s reporting portals.
As Counsel for Strategic Development at Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc. (ACTS) and Vice President of Business Development for Gracepoint (merger), Ms. Cornette directed strategic development, contract negotiations, revenue development, marketing and grants. In this capacity, she targeted funding sources and built a lucrative cash flow that provided needed services to vulnerable populations in need of behavioral health treatment.
Some of her most successful negotiations created best practice services for veteran’s programs, women’s services, as well those involved with the criminal justice system. Her portfolio includes a wide array of awards from a multitude of agencies including, but not limited to: SAMHSA, HUD, Centers for Medicaid, and the Department of Transportation and collaborations with private, non-profit and government entities. Most recently, she worked with Gracepoint to develop Hillsborough’s Centralized Receiving Facility, one of the first funded in the State of Florida. From a system of care for jail diversion to evidence based practices for individuals who are homeless with behavioral health needs, her awards have netted over $80 million dollars to our community.
In addition, Ms. Cornette served as the Vice President for the National Contract Management Association Suncoast Chapter, Vice President of ACTS Affordable Housing Board of Directors, Vice President of ACTS Foundation Board of Directors, and was a member of Hillsborough County Health Care Advisory Board. She is the recipient of University of South Florida’s 2018 Florida Outstanding Women of the Year in Public Health. Her Centralized Receiving Facility collaborative won a 2018 WEDU PBS Be Brilliant / Innovation Award. Her concept of Housing, Engagement and Retention Tenancy (HEART) program won the 2018 Heart for Homeless award through the Housing and Education Alliance.
Ms. Cornette received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and her Masters Degree in Health Administration from the University of South Florida.
The Leadership Management Certificate Program Networking & Social Hour
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
Must be a member of the OPEN MINDS Leadership & Management Certificate Program to attend this private networking event. Refreshments will be served! Join us to meet and mingle with other members of the OPEN MINDS Leadership & Management Certificate Program.
To learn more information or to join the program, please click here.
Casey Bell
Casey Bell has been with OPEN MINDS since 2001 and has served in a variety of functional areas throughout her tenure and has developed expertise in web development, network and database management, publications, marketing and promotions, and project management.
Currently, Ms. Bell serves as OPEN MINDS Chief Operating Officer and is instrumental across all of OPEN MINDS departments, including finance, network and database, subscription services, and consulting. In this role, she manages multiple projects, assists staff members in using computer applications to their full capabilities, and evaluates and develops new initiatives for OPEN MINDS staff and customers.
In addition, Ms. Bell manages the OPEN MINDS Industry Database with its more than 350,000 organizational records. Leading this core department, she has developed and maintains six different industry datasets, specializing in Microsoft Access and SQL Server.
In previous roles, Ms. Bell has overseen the development and management of the OPEN MINDS web site and promotional plans. She was responsible for several areas of the company’s marketing and customer outreach, including design and administration for the company’s web site, coordinating the electronic distribution of the company’s e-publications, and providing technical support to customers. She has also directed the OPEN MINDS sales team and provided support for the company’s annual publications.
Ms. Bell is a Gettysburg native and studied accounting at Messiah College.
Mike Foley
Ashly Sterner
Ashly Sterner brings a wealth of experience in health care marketing and communications to the OPEN MINDS team. She currently serves as Marketing & Product Development Director for OPEN MINDS where she is responsible for planning, designing, and developing a multitude of promotional and business-generating initiatives for OPEN MINDS products, services, and events.
Prior to her promotion to marketing director, Ms. Sterner served as a Senior Consultant at OPEN MINDS, where she supported some of OPEN MINDS top clients with brand development and refresh initiatives. She also served as the lead designer on several brand and website overhauls. Additionally, while in this role, she created a variety of marketing collateral including brand guides, newsletters, fliers, postcards, print and digital advertisements, social media content and graphics, custom branded graphics, and infographics. She specialized in creating portfolios of branded collateral that allowed other team members to continue to create and produce marketing materials while ensuring brand consistency.
Prior to her position as senior consultant with OPEN MINDS, Ms. Sterner served as a Solution Specialist for Deloitte Consulting in the human capital department. In this role, Ms. Sterner served as a communications lead for industry leading clients executing organizational transformation initiatives specific to software implementation and business process redesign. She collaborated with clients throughout organizational change management and/or readiness and adoption initiatives developing communication strategies and tactical plans. She also served as a communications lead for internal learning and development initiatives: managing a team, evaluating workflow timelines, developing strategies, and implementing tactical plans. She was a member of the Communications Center of Excellence and positioned as an expert resource on responsive newsletter design and video development.
Prior to her position at Deloitte, Ms. Sterner served as the Director, Advertising & Vendor Relations at OPEN MINDS, where she managed the advertising and sponsorship service line inventory and processes. She engaged and collaborated with clients in communications strategy and vision planning. She developed custom market awareness campaigns to meet identified goals leveraging OPEN MINDS industry leading advertising and sponsorship services. She leveraged performance metrics analyzing annual campaigns and validating return on investment of outreach initiatives. She also supported business development efforts: drafting proposals, contracts, and pricing worksheets.
Ms. Sterner earned her Master of Science in Communication Studies with a focus on digital media from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. She also earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Shippensburg University where she graduated summa cum laude and majored in Interdisciplinary Arts. Her degree focused on three main tracks: communication, business, and design. In addition, she completed minors in Professional/Technical Communication, Art & Design, and Business.
Stacey Fox
Stacey Fox brings 20 years of experience in the marketing field, with a focus on marketing strategy and implementation, brand development, website development and management, and data analysis. Ms. Fox is currently serving as Circle Marketing & Sales Director at OPEN MINDS.
Prior to working at OPEN MINDS, Ms. Fox served as a lead in Client Services at GRIT Marketing Group. In this role she led strategic marketing and communication direction for clients, as well as projects including lead generation, database marketing, social media, content marketing, digital marketing, media relations, recruitment, and brand development.
Prior to her role at GRIT Marketing Group, Ms. Fox served as the Vice President, Communications, for Erik the Travel Guy. During this time, she assisted in developing and delivering messaging for Erik the Travel Guy, Beyond Your Backyard and Vacation Tuesday to increase viewers to the programs airing on PBS and YouTube. She worked with the leadership team and with clients to provide an alignment between sales and editorial.
Prior to this, Ms. Fox served as the Marketing Manager at AAA Southern Pennsylvania where she was responsible for a $1.6M marketing budget across membership/member services, insurance, and travel verticals. She was also able to expand her team in 2020.
Prior to AAA, Ms. Fox was the Vice President, Sales and Marketing for Destination Gettysburg, a destination marketing organization, where she was responsible for strategic marketing for all segments – leisure travel, group travel, meetings market and partnership. She oversaw the sales, communication, marketing, and partnership departments through direct supervision of two directors and three managers, vendors, and subcontractors. This included fiscal control of all related budgets, including planning and projections. She assisted the president with organizational direction, hiring and employee development, reviews and development, and community relations. She was also responsible for the campaign development, creative direction, and integrated communications plans.
Ms. Fox received her Bachelors of Science in Marketing from York College of Pennsylvania.
Lauren Frantz
Lauren Frantz brings expertise in event planning, marketing, and campaign development to OPEN MINDS as the General Manager of Executive Education.
Previously, Ms. Frantz was the Program and Marketing Director for the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation in Tampa, Florida. In this diverse role, Ms. Frantz supervised the foundation’s event and marketing teams and was responsible for event planning/logistics, implementing a strategic plan for the foundation’s digital marketing efforts, and developing custom campaigns for corporate partners.
Prior to her role as Program and Marketing Director, Ms. Frantz served as the foundation’s Program Manager and was responsible for enhancing national programs through innovative campaigns, implementing event marketing strategies, and coordinating more than 20 annual events. Ms. Frantz worked heavily on the foundation’s Fashion Funds the Cure program and event series. A main component of which was a nation-wide event tour that partnered with some of the country’s leading property companies, retail vendors, and corporate entities to create high-end fashion show galas and ultimately raise critical funds for pediatric cancer research.
Ms. Frantz enjoys both the creative and the analytical aspects of her work, she strives to embrace out-of-the-box thinking while also ensuring strategic implementation of processes and communication across teams. Her work style has been heavily influenced by her background in performing arts and work with local non-profit organizations in the Tampa Bay area. She strives to bring a broad view and creative edge to her work and is always searching for new ways to engage an audience.
Ms. Frantz graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in health management and biological science.
Transformation Showcase: Developing Service Lines For The Future
Location: Majestic Theater
Organizations must first know how their current service lines are performing in developing their next big thing for serving consumers with complex conditions. In doing so, executive teams are looking ahead to position themselves in the market with services in high demand for long-term sustainability. During this session, provider organizations will share how they are:
- Optimizing the performance of current services lines
- Developing new and enhanced services for the emerging market
- Keeping their strategy focused on consumers and filling in market niches
Kristine Bashore
As Caron’s Chief Operating Officer, Kris Bashore oversees the operations of the organization, including human resources, training, professional development, quality, compliance, risk management, admissions, facilities, regional services, marketing, and business development. In addition to this role, for the interim, Kris is currently sharing the duties of the office of the CEO with Caron’s Chief Clinical Officer.
Kris’s extensive organizational knowledge and experience as part of Caron’s executive leadership team ensure that Caron’s mission of Recovery for Life is at the forefront. With more than 20 years at Caron, Kris is dedicated to carrying out Caron’s initiatives and strategies, focused on supporting excellent patient care and the critical work Caron employees do.
Kris leads Caron’s strategic planning efforts, including the development and execution of the most recent strategic plan, which focuses on providing more patients and families with greater access to Caron while launching our new state-of-the-art medical facility, The Keele Center.
Previously, Kris served as chief administrative officer and was responsible for guidance and oversight of human resources, training, risk management, compliance, and quality.
Since joining Caron in 2000, she has overseen several of Caron’s administrative operations, including marketing and public relations, quality, admissions, facilities, and finance. She was instrumental in an extensive branding campaign that increased Caron’s awareness and revenue generation in key markets as well as human resources initiatives, including succession planning and leadership development as well as building culture and employee engagement.
Kris has been actively engaged in expanding the number of services for patients and families on Caron’s campuses as well as regional locations across Caron’s continuum of services.
Prior to joining Caron, Kris held human resources senior management positions with a pharmaceutical company and a regional financial institution. She holds a senior certified professional human resource certification from The Society of Human Resource Management and a bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg University.
Kristine is speaking during Transformation Showcase: Developing Service Lines For the Future.
Paige Bichler, MSN, RN
Paige Bichler, MSN, RN is the Vice President of Clinical Operations for Connections Health Solutions in Montana where she successfully launched the county’s mobile crisis team and has played a key role in identifying and addressing behavioral health needs alongside key stakeholders. Paige provides leadership and oversight over the Company’s Montana-based services ensuring that the highest quality of care and treatment is delivered to individuals who are experiencing a crisis. Paige brings 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, specializing in emergency services, psychiatric crisis care, and establishing strong partnerships with stakeholders to advance immediate-access to behavioral health treatment and care.
Prior to joining Connections, Paige served as the Nurse Manager for Emergency Services at Bozeman Health, where she was responsible for clinical and operational oversight of an entire service line while successfully aligning with organizational parameters for productivity. Her career began as a nurse at Mayo Clinic in Florida.
Paige graduated from the University of North Florida with a B.S. in Nursing. She received her MSN in Leadership and Management from Western Governors University.
Dee Dewitt
Dee DeWitt has extensive experience as a consultant and corporate leader in the healthcare field. Mr. DeWitt brings over 28 years of experience in healthcare finance and operations, M&A, use of technology, strategic planning, and change management in healthcare organizations to OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate.
Previously, Mr. DeWitt was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Momentum For Health, a CARF-accredited non-profit behavioral health organization providing services to individuals with a diagnosed serious mental illness (SMI) and/or substance abuse disorder, in San Jose, California. During his tenure, Mr. DeWitt increased outpatient productivity by 25% and contributed to growing revenues from $55 million to a projected $71+ million for the fiscal year of 2023. Mr. DeWitt also oversaw Momentum ‘s pilot with Santa Clara County’s transition to Netsmart Provider Connect and led a successful grant award and implementation of a multi-year paid intern program in partnership with Santa Clara University, San Jose University, and Palo Alto University.
Mr. DeWitt was also the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Veridian Financial Group, a strategic consulting firm specializing in performing long-term, on-site C-level and Director roles, evaluating and implementing financial strategies, strategic operational planning, and development strategies for companies that are poised for significant growth, change, or require turnaround attention, in San Jose, California. During his time at Veridian Financial Group, Mr. DeWitt focused primarily on healthcare, finance, technology, and private equity and coordinated licensing, compliance, and external audits for 42 state licenses, including managed care organizations, managed care plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and service provider organizations.
In addition, Mr. DeWitt served as Chief Financial Officer and a Consultant in Strategic Planning and Finance for Home Recovery – Home Aid, Inc., a private equity-backed, for-profit company that provides personal care and skilled care in 35 locations and in-home care throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. During his time there, Mr. DeWitt was a member of the company’s executive management team, audit team, and License & Compliance team. Mr. DeWitt also served as Chief Financial Officer of Professional Healthcare Resources, Inc., a for-profit holding company comprised of 5 home health companies, 4 hospice companies, and 2 private duty/personal care companies. Mr. DeWitt has also been the Chief Financial and Technology Officer for The Filson, a nationally renowned non-profit archive and research institute, and Director of Strategic Development for Signature Healthcare, LLC, a national private equity-backed for-profit, long-term care company operating over 180 facilities, with 18,000 employees, and over $1 billion in revenues.
Mr. DeWitt also held the positions of Deputy Director of Behavioral Health at the County of Ventura, CA Behavioral Health Services Department, and Director of Finance and Management Services of the Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services (SEABHS), a joint commissioned accredited non-profit.
Mr. DeWitt graduated from the University of Louisville, Kentucky with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and a Master’s in Political Science with a concentration in Economics and Public Policy.
Briefing & Discussion: Results Of The 2023 OPEN MINDS Executive Compensation & Retention Survey
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
The question of executive compensation is an essential topic for boards and organizations who want to retain current executives and ensure a smooth succession when the time comes. The 2023 OPEN MINDS Executive Compensation & Retention Survey provides the data and trends to help develop a compensation and retention plan in tune with the current market. Join this interactive discussion and hear survey results on:
- The types of cash compensation incentives for Chief Executive Officers—behavioral health, child and family services, long-term services and supports and intellectual and developmental disabilities, and primary care—by organizational revenue
- Trends in executive cash compensation by market—behavioral health, child and family services, long-term services and supports and intellectual and developmental disabilities, and primary care—by organizational revenue and by executive level
- Trends in the number of executives who plan to leave their organization next year and why they plan to leave their organization. Data is broken down by market, revenue, and executive level
- Trends in whether executives believe they can be replaced at the same pay. Data is broken down by market, revenue, and executive level
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.
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.
What Health Plans Are Thinking (& Buying) – An Expert Panel Explores Payer Trends
Location: Majestic Theater
Be part of the discussion on the most up-to-date information impacting health plan management trends for consumers with behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities. This session will look at the latest industry trends and survey data from top health plan executives. Our experts will offer additional insights into how these trends have and will be impacting organizations across the health care landscape. The implications of the dynamic shifts in the market are having a profound effect on how payers and providers are contracting, interacting, and ultimately partnering. In this session, experts will reveal many potential opportunities in these trends and how payers are evolving in their relationships with provider organizations. In this session, attendees will:
- Discuss several of the significant trends in the behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities markets
- Discover what is top-of-mind for payers and discuss some of the best practices organizations are undertaking to prepare
- Learn about possible positioning options for your organization in light of new out-of-market competition and technology-driven therapeutics
M. Lauren Sims, MA, LPC, MBA
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.
William M. Lopez, M.D., 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.
Christy Dye, MPH
Christy Dye is a data-focused healthcare executive who brings over 30 years of experience supporting provider organizations, state agencies, and communities in achieving their business, operational, and quality goals in health and human services to OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate. Christy’s career has included working as a state Medicaid leader, a national expert in substance abuse treatment systems, health information exchange and interoperability, and as chief executive for Arizona’s leading integrated primary/behavioral healthcare provider.
Prior to OPEN MINDS, Ms. Dye served as Chief Business Development Officer for Health Current, (division of Contexture), Arizona’s statewide health information exchange (HIE). While there, Ms. Dye developed provider education and training programs in using clinical and administrative data to improve patient outcomes and manage value-based reimbursement contracts. She led the Health Current HIE research data initiative in partnership with Arizona State University and also served as co-principal investigator for a National Institute of Mental Health project at ASU focused on information sharing for behavioral health populations.
Ms. Dye is the former Chief Executive Officer for Partners in Recovery (now Copa Health), an Arizona agency serving more than 10,000 adults with serious mental illness. At Partners she created a network of fully integrated behavioral and primary care clinics for SMI adults, and launched the company’s population health, value-based and complex care programs, including Arizona’s only Medical Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team.
Prior to PIR, she served as Division Chief for Clinical and Recovery Services and Arizona’s state substance abuse director at the Arizona Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health. As a state official, she served on a team charged with the re-design of Medicaid behavioral health benefits in Arizona and oversaw the expansion of the state’s contracted managed care system to a more recovery focused model, including expansion of peer-delivered mental health, addiction, and consumer-operated services.
Ms. Dye graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master’s in Public Health Administration. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is an active member of the Community Advisory Board for Health Informatics at ASU’s College of Health Solutions.
Lunch On Your Own
Take some time to explore downtown Gettysburg and stop in one of the many local restaurants within walking distance of the event.
Chief Human Resources Officer/Chief Operating Officer Networking Lunch
Location: Majestic Theater
Join us for this private luncheon for executive leaders of OPEN MINDS member organization – created for Chief Human Resource Officers and Chief Operating Officers. The objective of this networking session is to provide opportunities for executive leaders from across the country to share solutions to the challenges in serving consumers with complex needs. Our hosts for the luncheon are Christy Dye and Ramona Osburn, Senior Associates at OPEN MINDS. (To register, contact Erin Deppen, Event Coordinator, at 717-334-1329 or edeppen@openminds.com.)
Christy Dye, MPH
Christy Dye is a data-focused healthcare executive who brings over 30 years of experience supporting provider organizations, state agencies, and communities in achieving their business, operational, and quality goals in health and human services to OPEN MINDS as a Senior Associate. Christy’s career has included working as a state Medicaid leader, a national expert in substance abuse treatment systems, health information exchange and interoperability, and as chief executive for Arizona’s leading integrated primary/behavioral healthcare provider.
Prior to OPEN MINDS, Ms. Dye served as Chief Business Development Officer for Health Current, (division of Contexture), Arizona’s statewide health information exchange (HIE). While there, Ms. Dye developed provider education and training programs in using clinical and administrative data to improve patient outcomes and manage value-based reimbursement contracts. She led the Health Current HIE research data initiative in partnership with Arizona State University and also served as co-principal investigator for a National Institute of Mental Health project at ASU focused on information sharing for behavioral health populations.
Ms. Dye is the former Chief Executive Officer for Partners in Recovery (now Copa Health), an Arizona agency serving more than 10,000 adults with serious mental illness. At Partners she created a network of fully integrated behavioral and primary care clinics for SMI adults, and launched the company’s population health, value-based and complex care programs, including Arizona’s only Medical Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team.
Prior to PIR, she served as Division Chief for Clinical and Recovery Services and Arizona’s state substance abuse director at the Arizona Department of Health, Division of Behavioral Health. As a state official, she served on a team charged with the re-design of Medicaid behavioral health benefits in Arizona and oversaw the expansion of the state’s contracted managed care system to a more recovery focused model, including expansion of peer-delivered mental health, addiction, and consumer-operated services.
Ms. Dye graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master’s in Public Health Administration. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is an active member of the Community Advisory Board for Health Informatics at ASU’s College of Health Solutions.
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.
Mike Foley
Chief Executive Officer Networking Lunch
Location: The Gettysburg Hotel
If you’re the Chief Executive Officer or Executive Director of an OPEN MINDS member organization, join us for this private networking luncheon. This is an opportunity to share leadership experiences and solutions with your peers from across the nation. (To register, contact Erin Deppen, Event Coordinator, at 717-334-1329 or edeppen@openminds.com.)
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. 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. She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.
Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, 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.
Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.
Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.
Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.
Richard Louis, III
Richard Louis, III, brings extensive experience in public and for-profit behavioral healthcare administration and business development to the OPEN MINDS team. Mr. Louis was formerly the Executive Director of Strategic Development and Planning, Pacific Region, for Providence Service Corporation. Prior to OPEN MINDS, Mr. Louis served as the Assistant Director of the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health, the 4th largest county behavioral health system in California, where he was responsible for day-to-day operations of a system serving over 50,000 unduplicated consumers annually through 31 county-operated facilities and 60 contract provider organizations. Prior to his work with San Bernardino County, Mr. Louis was the Vice President of Government Operations for College Health Enterprises. In this role, he pioneered the development of public sector partnerships, contracts, and community mental health system joint ventures in California by creating some of the first inpatient psychiatric hospital-based, outpatient, day treatment, and institutional specialty treatment programs for county, state, and federal government agencies including L.A. County Department of Mental Health, L.A. County Probation Department, California Youth Authority, California Department of Developmental Disabilities, California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, and U.S. Immigration Customs Enforcement/Homeland Security. Mr. Louis has served in a number of leadership roles with several organizations in the community including: the California Hospital Association – Center for Behavioral Health, Advisory Board, and SCAN Health Plan – Advisory Board; the Board of Directors of the Forensic Mental Health Association of California, College Hospitals, and the Intercommunity Child Guidance Center of Whittier; and testified on behalf of the National Association of Psychiatric Healthcare Systems before President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Mr. Louis is currently a volunteer police officer with the City of Monterey Park Police Department in East Los Angeles serving since 1987 and currently holds the rank of Captain. Mr. Louis was recently appointed to the City of Claremont Police Commission in Los Angeles County. He is a graduate of Whittier College and of the Police Academy of Rio Hondo College.
The Communications Challenge In Times Of Turbulence: The Pickett’s Charge Case Study & Battlefield Tour
Location: The GAR Building
This session 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 occurred. 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. Attendees will start and end the session with a classroom-style discussion highlighting leadership lessons learned from Pickett’s Charge and applying those lessons to today’s health care executives.
Pickett’s Charge may be the most infamous incident at the Battle of Gettysburg. 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 outcome of the Civil War.
On the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the 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 most significant 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 climb 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 the decisive end to the Battle of Gettysburg and the turning point or high-water mark for the Confederacy in the Civil War.
Terry G. Fox
Terry Fox is a sixth-generation resident of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and a battlefield guide emeritus with Gettysburg National Military Park. He taught American History in the public schools for 33 years, serving as department head and as a member of the Carnegie Foundation for teaching American History. Since his retirement he has taught as an adjunct professor at Gettysburg College and at the Johns Hopkins University School of Education. He has presented leadership seminars for U.S. Air Force chief master sergeants as well as employees of the U.S. Secret Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in addition to teaching in Johns Hopkins’ Police Executive Leadership program. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Shippensburg College.
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.
Post Lunch Pick Me Up
Location: Majestic Theater
Usher in fall with these local treats of delicious pumpkin cake bars and apple crescents with powdered sugar….MMmmm… located in the lobby of the Majestic Theater!
Transformation Showcase: Making Mergers Work
Location: The Majestic Theater
Organizational leaders are already seeing many health and human services mergers, and this trend will likely continue in the coming years. Yet, mergers do not have the best 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 the 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 the 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, NCC, LCPC, CRC
Karen Carloni NCC, LCPC, CRC, brings more than 20 years of experience to the OPEN MINDS team as a Senior Associate. Ms. Carloni has extensive experience in non-profit management and program development, as well as fiscal oversight and grant writing.
Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Carloni served as the Chief Operating Officer at Cornerstone Montgomery, a certified community behavioral health center spanning a four-county region. In this role, she worked alongside the CEO and the board of directors to ensure the development and implementation of the agency strategy. Ms. Carloni helped meet performance expectations under multiple grants (SAMHSA, county, state, private foundation), and managed budgets in multiple cost centers for an overall budget of $33 million and 450 staff. She also trained program directors and managers to ensure successful program delivery. In addition, she served as a freelance content writer for Choosing Therapy, writing articles in a variety of behavioral health content areas for an online blog.
Before that, Ms. Carloni served ten years as the Executive Director, Deputy Director, and PRP Director at Southern Maryland Community Network, Inc, a nonprofit organization with $6 million in annual revenue and 80 staff over a three-county, ex-urban area. She collaborated with the Board of Directors, internal and external stakeholders to provide excellence in service delivery in wide array of programs: PRP, vocational, residential, crisis, assertive community treatment, targeted case management, police liaison, justice reinvestment, and homeless outreach. Ms. Carloni ensured continuous adherence to CARF accreditation standards and COMAR regulations and a positive agency cultural climate and diversity, equity and inclusion in staffing, culture, and services. She oversaw the annual budget process and the development strategy. Ms. Carloni also managed the facilities and Medicaid/Medicare fee for service billing and grant funded programs. In April 2023, she successfully led and completed the strategic plan goal of merging with a CCBHC to ensure future sustainability.
Previously, Ms. Carloni was a Psychotherapist at Synergy E Therapy, where she offered private practice psychotherapy to adults, teens, and couples to meet mental health shortages during Covid-19. Ms. Carloni also served as the Emergency Psychiatric Services Consultant at Calvert Health. There, she preformed psychosocial assessments, linkage, and crisis intervention in the emergency department.
Ms. Carloni received her Master of Arts degree from the University of South Florida and her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida.
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.
Leading For The Opportunities Of Tomorrow: The Executive’s Role In Organizational Transformation
Location: The GAR Building
The health and human services industry isn’t slowing down. Providers are up against increased competition, changing consumer expectations, and widespread workforce challenges. But with these challenges comes an abundance of new opportunities for organizations that can innovate and adapt. Industry leaders, like yourself, are the tipping point for organizational success and transformation.
Join Monica E. Oss, Chief Executive Officer at OPEN MINDS, as she explores leadership amidst the toughest challenges of today’s industry, and the pivotal role that executives play in driving transformation through potent and adaptable leadership strategies.
Monica E. Oss
Monica E. Oss, M.S. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. 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. She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.
Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, 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.
Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.
Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.
Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.