Benefits Adviser Leadership Track

Seema Verma currently serves as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and she is only the 15th person ever confirmed to the post. She was nominated by President Trump on November 29, 2016 – the seventh nomination by the President-elect – and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 13, 2017. As Administrator, Ms. Verma oversees a $1 trillion budget, 26% of the total federal budget, that administers healthcare programs for more than 130 million Americans every day.

A nationally recognized leader in health policy and operational design, she has guided healthcare policy in the public and private sector, working with states to build flexibility into their Medicaid programs to help them meet the diverse needs of their unique populations. As the architect of the historic Healthy Indiana Plan, she helped create and implement the Nation’s first consumer-directed Medicaid program.

Administrator Verma is a graduate of the University of Maryland, and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in health policy and management from Johns Hopkins University.

Her editorial commentaries have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Health Affairs, and she also previously served as Vice President of Planning for the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Indiana and most recently before heading CMS was President and CEO of Seema Verma Consulting.

Alex M. Azar II was sworn in as the Secretary of Health and Human Services on Jan. 29, 2018. Azar has spent his career working in both the public and private sectors, as an attorney and in senior leadership roles focused on advancing healthcare reform, research and innovation.

From 2001 to 2007, Azar served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – first as its General Counsel (2001–2005) and then as Deputy Secretary. During his time as Deputy Secretary, Azar was involved in improving the department’s operations; advancing its emergency preparedness and response capabilities as well as its global health affairs activities; and helping oversee the rollout of the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

In 2007, Azar rejoined the private sector as senior vice president for corporate affairs and communications at Eli Lilly and Co. From 2012 to 2017, he served as president of Lilly USA LLC, the company’s largest affiliate. Azar clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia prior to practicing law for several years.

Azar graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in economics and government from Dartmouth College and earned his law degree from Yale University.

For the past 10 years, Azar has lived in Indiana with his wife and their two children.

Prior to his role at SISD, Inc., Gary Bender was previously Chief Financial Officer with three privately held manufacturing and engineering companies following a successful 20+ year career with Air Products and Chemicals.

At Air Products he held a number of key executive roles in finance, business development, operations and general management. Prior to Air Products, he held positions in the international unit of R J Reynolds Industries with assignments in Europe, Canada and Asia.

Gary received his MBA degree from University of North Carolina and his undergraduate degree from Penn State University.

He has served on a number of community zoning boards and is on the boards of two privately owned companies, the Life Sciences Council board, on curriculum advisory boards for two technical engineering schools, the Workforce Investment Board. He is founder of the CFO Solution.

Inc. magazine calls Craig Lack, “Craig Lack is the most effective consultant you’ve never heard of.” As the creator Performance Based Health Plans®, Craig consults with public and private C-level executives and independent health care consultants to eliminate employee out-of-pocket expenses, measurably lower health care claims, and drive earnings to the bottom line.

He is a leading authority and a sought-after speaker at national conferences, business coalitions on health and to C-suite groups. Craig has appeared in Forbes, Inc., Fast Company, Huffington Post, Success, and Yahoo Finance and has been featured on CBS, ABC, CW and FOX.

His mission is to help employees eliminate $1 billion in out-of-pocket expenses for their employees.

Inc. says, “Craig Lack is the most effective consultant you’ve never heard of.” http://www.inc.com/logan-kugler/this-entrepreneur-gave-up-nba-dreams-to-make-millions-off-healthcare.html

Forbes calls Craig Lack a “Broker Whisperer for independent healthcare consultants.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/davechase/2016/06/26/if-you-want-to-see-the-future-of-healthcare-watch-the-cable-industry-what-happened-to-newspapers/#3af3a2a16bb1

Andy Neary is a healthcare strategist with The Olson Group. He has more than 15 years of experience in helping employers affect the rising cost of healthcare through innovative strategies. He works with his clients to move them from the benefits status quo with innovative and creative strategies that provide savings for employers and a rich benefit plan array for employees.

He recently was named to the “Boulder 40 Under 40” list, recognizing his professional and charitable contributions to that Colorado community. He was a former pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization.

As a former professional athlete, Neary understands the hard work and daily grind needed to perform at the highest level. His personal motto is, “It’s the work done when no one is watching that generates success”. He takes the same approach with his clients creating truly elite benefit programs.

As the Managing Director for Healthcare at Google, Ryan Olohan leads the teams responsible for developing and managing Google's relationships with pharmaceutical and consumer health companies. Ryan and his teams partner with the largest companies in the world to leverage Google's consumer platforms while connecting the vast health resources and innovation at Google in an effort to push the industry forward. His relentless push is why he was selected by MM&M as a “Top 40 Healthcare Transformer of 2016” and PRWeek’s 2017 Top 50 Healthcare Influencer.

Before Healthcare, Ryan spent the first half of his 11 years at Google overseeing the CPG industry as the Head of Consumer Packaged Goods. Prior to Google, Ryan was a consultant for Hewitt Associates and a Vice President at Bank of NY Mellon before getting the itch to lead Business Development at two prominent startups. Outside of his day job, he is a frequent speaker at industry events and is a Board member for the Chopra Foundation, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association Foundation, and the Digital Health Coalition. He is also the founder of the Google Healthcare Advisory Board and the co-author of the widely acclaimed "Pharma 3D" (www.Pharma3D.com) in partnership with Google, McKinsey, and Wharton. When not at Google, Ryan "relaxes" at home in New Jersey with his wife and seven children.

In 2003, Tim Olson founded The Olson Group – an employee benefits consulting firm with an emphasis in retirement planning and group insurance plans.

Tim’s focus on serving his clients holistically garnered him and The Olson Group the honor of being named 2015’s Benefit Adviser of the Year by Employee Benefit Adviser magazine. Since then, Tim and his team have set the standard in client service by reinventing and reinvesting in the practice to deliver ACA expertise, electronic enrollment platforms, wellness initiatives, and fiduciary expertise among other vital solutions. Recently developed BenefitsEdge® – a game-changing strategic planning process that allows organizations to intentionally determine the outcomes of their benefits investment.

The Olson Group currently works with more than 150 employers participating in 500 employee benefit plans, and covering more than 20,000 employees throughout Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.

Dr. Thomas E. Price, an Orthopedic surgeon, most recently served as the 23rd Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). He brought to the Department a lifetime of service and a dedication to advancing the quality of health care in America – both as a physician and policymaker. Dr. Price is excited about opportunities to use his vast experience and unique expertise in healthcare and public policy to help actively shape improvements in technology and throughout the financing and delivery systems.

His first calling was to care for patients. Dr. Price received his Bachelor and Doctor of Medicine degrees from the University of Michigan and completed his General Surgery Internship and Orthopedic Surgery Residency at Emory University. After his training, Dr. Price – a third generation physician following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather – began a solo medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia, which would eventually grow to be one of the largest, non-academic orthopedic practices in the country, which he led as Chairman of the Board. During his 20+ years as a practicing physician, he also served as Medical Director of the Orthopedic Clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital as well as an Assistant Professor at Emory University School of Medicine.

As with many physicians and health care providers, Dr. Price’s experience caring for patients gave him a unique perspective about the impact of public policy on the practice of medicine. Eager to broaden the impact he could have on improving access to quality health care, Dr. Price ran for public office and was elected to four terms in the Georgia State Senate – during which time he was chosen by his colleagues to serve as Senate Minority Whip and later as the first Republican Senate Majority Leader in the history of Georgia.

Dr. Price also served as the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District from northern suburban Atlanta. He held this office from 2005-2017 and earned a reputation amongst his colleagues for being a tireless problem solver and the go-to expert on health care matters. During his congressional career, Dr. Price served in various leadership roles including Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee and Chairman of the Republican Study Committee.

Committed to promoting positive solutions under principled leadership, Dr. Price remains a fierce advocate for a patient-centered health care system that adheres to six key principles: affordability, accessibility, quality, choices, innovation, and responsiveness.

Dr. Price and his wife, Betty, have lived in the Metro-Atlanta area for nearly 40 years. They have one adult son.

Dr. G. Keith Smith is a board certified anesthesiologist in private practice since 1990. In 1997, he co-founded The Surgery Center of Oklahoma, an outpatient surgery center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, owned by over 90 of the top physicians and surgeons in central Oklahoma. Dr. Smith serves as the medical director, CEO and managing partner while maintaining an active anesthesia practice.

In 2009, Dr. Smith launched a website displaying all-inclusive pricing for various surgical procedures, a move that has gained him and the facility, national and even international attention. Many Canadians and uninsured Americans have been treated at his facility, taking advantage of the low and transparent pricing available. His most recent effort is the launch of the Free Market Medical Association which provides a platform where those seeking to obtain high quality and affordable health care can find free market-minded providers, both physicians and facilities.

Operation of this free market medical practice, the standard for all who have embraced this practice approach, has gained the endorsement of policymakers and legislators nationally. More and more self-funded insurance plans are taking advantage of Dr. Smith’s pricing model resulting in significant savings to their employee health plans. His hope is for as many facilities as possible to adopt a transparent pricing model, a move he believes will lower costs and improve quality of care for all.

He has made appearances on the John Stossel Show, CNBC, Huffington Post, The O’Reilly Factor, Capital Account, The Ron Paul Channel, NBC Nightly News and has been featured by Reason Magazine’s TV division. The New York Times, Time Magazine, ABC news, Forbes and many others have written articles featuring Dr. Smith’s revolutionary approach to the pricing of health care and uncompromising free market principles.

Brian Tolbert has over ten years of experience in the health and benefits industry and is one of the founders of Bernard Health. Based in Nashville, Bernard’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted advisor when it comes to helping people plan for their healthcare. Today, they provide employer advisory services in multiple markets and license their proprietary all-in-one HR software, BerniePortal, through other trusted benefits advisors all over the country.

Brian received his BS from Vanderbilt University and earned his MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management. He and Bernard Health were honored with the 2017 Summit Award from the Association for Insurance Leadership in recognition of their creating a NextGeneration Benefits Firm that provides a superior and more cost-effective benefits plan for employers and enhanced benefits for employees. Most recently, Bernard Health was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the U.S.