Dr. Doug Nemecek helps set the groundwork for clinical coordination, quality and integration for Cigna’s behavioral health and health and wellness operations. As co-chair of the National Quality Improvement Committee overseeing the company’s quality program, he helps ensure network access and availability, patient safety, compliance for treatment with clinical guidelines, participant and provider satisfaction and utilization management. Dr. Nemecek oversees 15 Medical Directors in clinical operations, and is the chief medical liaison for integration, quality and operations. Additionally, he works directly with customers to mold operations and provides clinical expertise in new and existing program development.

Since joining Cigna in 2002, Dr. Nemecek has helped establish workflows, protocols, and collaborative procedures to create a unified medical management team across the company. Additionally, he continues to develop unique relationships with our network providers to ensure members and providers achieve the best possible outcomes.

Prior to joining Cigna, Dr. Nemecek served as Executive Medical Director for Allina Behavioral Health Services in Minneapolis, overseeing five outpatient clinics and four inpatient mental health units with over 80 mental health providers. He also has 10 years of clinical experience with an inpatient and outpatient psychiatric practice in Minneapolis.

Dr. Nemecek received his M.D. and completed his psychiatric residency at Washington University in St. Louis in 1993. He is recognized as a Distinguished Fellow with the American Psychiatric Association, is board certified by the America Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians and holds an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis.

Scientist-practitioner, clinical and community psychologist and health care innovator Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, is CEO of the American Psychological Association, a post he assumed on March 20, 2017. In this position, he heads the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, with nearly 118,200 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students as its members.

Before joining APA, Dr. Evans spent 12 years as Commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, a $1.2 billion health care agency that is the behavioral health and intellectual disabilities safety net for 1.5 million Philadelphians. Dr. Evans has been recognized nationally and internationally for his leadership in the transformation of the Philadelphia service system which has saved millions of dollars that the city reinvested in other community-based services.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Evans was Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services, where he led major strategic initiatives in the state’s behavioral health care system. He also served in leadership positions in clinical administration and state government and he developed a multi-disciplinary private practice in New Haven, Connecticut.

Dr. Evans has held faculty appointments at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and the Yale University School of Medicine.

Mr. Ingoglia is Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Practice Improvement for the National Council for Behavioral Health where he leads the national charge to ensure people have access to their potential to live full and complete lives. During the last thirteen years at the National Council, he has made valuable contributions to the organization in establishing direction and achieving specific goals for the over 2800 member organizations nationwide.

As leader of the Policy and Practice Improvement Team, Mr. Ingoglia transforms the conversation about mental health and delivery of services. He effects change at both the national and state policy level by, among other things, playing a major role in Federal and State policy advocacy and analyses on myriad issues relevant to behavioral health financing and health reform. His influence and advice on policy is informed by insight gained as a result of providing site-of-service technical assistance to members.

He holds a Master of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work, both from The Catholic University of America.

Brian D. Coyne was appointed vice president, federal affairs at Magellan Health in January 2017. Previous to this position, he served for over a decade as senior vice president for federal government relations at Amerigroup, a multi-state managed care plan that provided health care coverage for low-income families and children, low-income seniors and people with disabilities through the Medicaid program. Following the Anthem acquisition of Amerigroup in 2012, Dr. Coyne led the company’s Public Policy Institute during the transition until the spring of 2014.

Brian has spent his professional career in government and politics. He served as chief of staff of the U.S. Social Security Administration from 1994 to 2001 and as deputy chief of staff to Rhode Island Governor Bruce Sundlun from 1991-1994. In addition to this work, he was appointed by Virginia Governor Tim Kaine in 2006 to the Virginia Health Reform Commission where he served as co-chair of the Long Term Care Workgroup. In 2010 he was appointed to the National Academy of Social Insurance blue-ribbon study panel on health insurance exchanges. He also served on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Advisory Committee for the Executive Nurse Fellows Program from 2010 to 2018.

Dr. Coyne holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude in Government, from Cornell University as well as a Master in Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He also holds a Doctor of Law and Policy degree from Northeastern University.

Congressman Charlie Dent currently serves as a Senior Policy Advisor to DLA Piper where he provides strategic advice and counsel to clients on the federal, state and local levels on issues ranging from appropriations, healthcare, defense and veterans, homeland security, infrastructure and energy to international investment, trade and commerce. In addition to his role with DLA Piper, Congressman Dent is a Political Analyst for CNN, a Visiting Fellow for the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN), Perry World House and a Distinguished Advisor for Pew Charitable Trusts.

Prior to those positions, Congressman Dent served 7 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 15th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. During his time in Congress, Congressman Dent distinguished himself as a strong, independent leader who is well respected on both sides of the aisle. Congressman Dent was a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee where he chaired the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. Additionally, he served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Ethics from 2015 – 2017. In addition to his role as a senior Appropriator, Congressman Dent was the co-chair of the Tuesday Group, a caucus of more than 50 center-right Republicans, where he played an important role in many of the most challenging policy and political issues confronted by Congress. Congressman Dent was a member of the Speaker of the House’s weekly cross section lunch and was a member of the Majority Leader’s Chairman’s Table.

Before his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Dent served for 6 years in the Pennsylvania State Senate and 8 years in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Congressman Dent holds a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Service and International Politics from the Pennsylvania State University and a Master’s of Public Administration from Lehigh University. In 2015, Moravian College conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws upon Congressman Dent.

Mary Giliberti serves as Executive Vice President of Policy at Mental Health America, where she focuses on federal initiatives to promote prevention, early intervention and recovery.

She previously served as Chief Executive Officer of The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Ms. Giliberti also was a Section Chief in the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where she worked on interagency collaborations, health reform, and civil rights regulations. Prior to that, she was the director of public policy and advocacy for federal and state issues at NAMI.

During her 20+ years in the mental health field, Ms. Giliberti was also a disability counsel for the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and a senior attorney at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. She clerked for Judge Phyllis Kravitch on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

Al Guida is a principal at Guide Consulting Services, Inc., and he has considerable government relations and public affairs experience in behavioral health. Most recently, the firm has achieved success across mental health and substance use health insurance parity legislation, new funding for First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and Crisis Care programs, addiction medical record privacy issues, and Medicaid demonstrations designed to expand access to community-based psychiatric emergency services and Medication Assisted Treatment. GCS also advises health information technology and pharmacogenetic testing companies.

James A. Laughman, M.S.W., L.S.W., is President of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Solutions for AmeriHealth Caritas. Additionally, he is President of PerformCare, the organization’s full-service behavioral health managed care organization. Prior to his current appointment, he served as Executive Director of PerformCare in Pennsylvania. As President of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Solutions, Mr. Laughman will lead the team that coordinates care and social services for members with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Mr. Laughman joined AmeriHealth Caritas in 2014. He has devoted the majority of his career to improving the quality of life for people with behavioral, intellectual, or developmental challenges. His experience includes serving as Administrator of Behavioral Health and Developmental Service in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, for nearly 10 years. Other notable achievements include his leadership with the Lancaster County Public Health Partnership and his state appointment as Trustee on the Board for Norristown State Hospital. He has also dedicated many years of service to breaking the cycle of homelessness. As Lead Administrator for the Coalition to End Homelessness in Lancaster County, Mr. Laughman oversaw the successful application for $2.2 million in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding, and the implementation of that award to provide permanent housing for families most in need.

Through Mr. Laughman’s leadership as County Human Services Administrator, Lancaster County implemented an efficiency program featuring innovative software for human services programs administration that reduced service duplications and increased access to information that helped the county save more than $600,000 and improve response time. Mr. Laughman continues to work to lower costs and improve care. He encourages state and federal lawmakers to fund efforts to help revitalize neighborhoods and improve social determinants that impact health and wellness, such as housing, neighborhood safety, and health care. He is also a passionate advocate in helping to combat the opioid epidemic.

Brad is VP Government Affairs/Associate General Counsel at Beacon Health Options. He is a practicing lawyer and government relations professional with over 20 years of public and private sector experience analyzing and addressing regulatory issues, including complex legal and policy issues in health care. Among his duties at Beacon Health Options, Brad creates strategies to implement Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) and health care reform. Brad advises and reports regularly to Senior Executives on health care reform developments. Brad is seen as a leading expert on MHPAEA analysis and compliance, having led numerous panel discussions and speaking engagements.

Brad is currently Co-Chair of the AHLA Behavioral Task Force, Government and State Affairs Subcommittee.

Previously, Brad has worked as a regulatory attorney at the Federal Communications Commission and as in-house counsel at Cavalier Telephone, LLC. Brad holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan and a JD from Wayne State University Law School.

Past speaking engagements:

• National Council for Behavioral Health Policy Institute 2013 panel: “Perspectives on Parity from Managed Care”;
• Colorado Coalition for Parity presentation 2014;
• American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) 2015 Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues panel: "The Changing Landscape of Medicaid Coverage of Behavioral Health.”
• AHLA 2015 Annual Program panel, “The MHPAEA: Recent Developments, Federal and State Interpretations, How to Comply"
• The 2nd Annual Payer's Behavioral Health Management Summit panel: "Understand Mental Health Parity and Federal Mandates for Behavioral Health Coverage"
• "Advancing Research and Policy on Mental Health Addiction Parity", Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Virginia Bar Association, 11th Annual Virginia Health Care Practitioners’ Roundtable
• Wayne Law Alumni Speaker Series: Law in the Health Industry
• Employee Assistance Roundtable, speaker: "Legislative Action"
• AHLA 2016 Annual Program panel, "Federal Behavioral Health Legislative and Regulatory Activity"
• National Business Group on Health, Webinar panelist, " Mental Health Parity: Do Your Plans Have Red Flags?"
• New Hampshire Parity Workshop, panelist, NH Alcohol and Other Drug Service Providers Association
• Seton Hall Law School, The Puzzle of Parity: Implementing Behavioral Health Parity, Sentinel Project, panelist, September 2016
• Oregon State Bar Health Law Section, Parity panel, February 2017
• NATCON17, "Parity Can Work: Lessons Learned", National Council, panelist, April 2017
• AHLA, "Mental Health Parity: Updates", presenter, April 2017
• AHLA, "Trends in Enforcement of the MHPAEA and Compliance Strategies for In-House Counsel", presenter, December 2017
• Kennedy Forum, Parity Accreditation speaker, CHQI, January 2018
• World Congress, Behavioral Health Care Congress, Moderator 42 CFR Part 2 Panel, October 2018
• NATCON 19, "Parity: What Comes Next?" panelist, March 2019
• Seton Hall Law School, Guest lecturer, 2019

Dr. James A. Polo, MD is the Executive Medical Director for BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and the Behavioral Health Medical Director at Cambia Health Solutions serving WA, OR, ID, and UT. He is board-certified in both General Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry with over 25 years of experience as an actively practicing physician in multiple treatment settings. He also has advanced degrees in both business and strategy. Dr. Polo has served in numerous executive leadership positions for hospitals and healthcare systems working to advance quality outcomes within a sustainable business model. He has been consultant in the private sector and policy advisor at the national level. Currently, he serves as a board member for numerous professional and private organizations.

June Sivilli serves as a Sr. Advisor in the Public Health, Education and Treatment component in the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

She is a long time federal employee. Ms. Sivilli works on advancing the agencies public health policies and integrating substance use disorder services into mainstream health. Ms. Sivilli has had a robust career working on policy issues to reduce drug use both domestically and internationally.

Her work focuses on building the addictions workforce, expanding access to treatment and recovery supports, integrating the use of medication-assisted treatment, and leading Federal interagency efforts.

Prior to joining ONDCP, Ms. Sivilli conducted research in the private sector. Her training is in Sociology from George Washington University (MA) and Stony Brook University (BA) in New York.

Brian Brooks is a subject matter expert with more than 25 years of experience in the behavioral health field. In his current position as Behavioral Health Growth Director at Anthem, he is responsible for pursuing new business opportunities, growing organic markets, product development, integrating behavioral health with physical health, and tracking new behavioral health programs across the company. In this leadership role, he also drives innovation, telehealth strategies, and digital solutions. Before taking this position, he was a Behavioral Health Regional Vice President at Anthem.

Prior to joining Anthem, Mr. Brooks worked at United Healthcare where he was the Executive Director of United’s National On-Call Center and the Vice President of United’s Medicaid program in New Mexico. He has also worked in and supported multiple Community Mental Health Centers, Employee Assistance Programs, and various Managed Care programs. He considers a highlight of his career the successful startup, oversight, and management of the first internal Employee Assistance Program in an active war zone, supporting families and employees with mental health and substance used disorders resources.

Mr. Brooks has a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology with a minor in Biology, and a Master of Education degree in Community Mental Health from Stephen F. Austin State University. His continued education includes a certificate in Health Care Management from Rice University. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas, and a devoted husband and family man who loves the outdoors.

Stuart Yael Gordon is the Director of Policy and Communications for the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, the member organization representing the state executives responsible for the $41 billion public mental health service delivery systems serving 7.5 million people annually in 50 states, 4 territories, and the District of Columbia.

Stuart has worked in public policy or government relations for the largest Medicaid/Medicare managed care insurer in the U.S., a state Chamber of Commerce, and state or national trade associations for the long-term care, safety net hospital, pharmaceutical, and pharmacy industries. A member of the Maryland and D.C. bars, his public policy/government relations responsibilities have included Medicaid, Medicare, and Affordable Care Act issues within the health care arena, as well as workplace issues such as minimum wage and overtime, unemployment insurance, workers compensation, occupational safety, and employment discrimination.

Stuart began his career as a journalist, and has over the years also worked as a small town newspaper reporter, a new products editor of workplace compliance manuals, and a broadcast news writer for the Voice of America. He also worked two tours with the Maryland General Assembly staff agency, serving at various times as committee counsel, county delegation counsel, bill drafter, amendment room supervisor, committee report system supervisor, and supervisor of legislative staff review of state agency regulations.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law in D.C. He was managing editor and principal author of Under the Dome: The Maryland General Assembly in the 20th Century (2001) and co-author of “Offender-Based Information-Sharing: Using a Consent-Driven System to Promote Integrated Service Delivery,” Information Technology and the Criminal Justice System (2004). He has also co-authored or edited a number of issue briefs under a NAMSHPD technical assistance contract with SAMHSA on topics such as health information technology in behavioral health, the role of behavioral health in population health and prevention programs, behavioral health integration, innovative service delivery models for behavioral health, supported employment, the potential of Medicare coverage for supported employment, and the integration of behavioral health into Federal and state accountable care organization models.

Kody H. Kinsley serves as the Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health & Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities at DHHS where he leads North Carolina’s public behavioral healthcare delivery system with the goal of providing the right care, at the right time, in the right setting. This is accomplished through his stewardship of two of the Department’s Divisions that set behavioral health policy for the state and overseeing outpatient services delivered through seven publicly-funded managed care organizations as well as inpatient services at fourteen facilities with over 11,000 staff and serving 3,000 patients and residents.

Deputy Secretary Kinsley’s past experience spans the public and private sectors, including positions at the White House, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, leading operations for a behavioral health care service provider in western North Carolina, and most recently serving as the presidentially appointed Assistant Secretary for Management for the United States Department of the Treasury. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brevard College in Brevard, NC his Master of Public Policy from the University of California, at Berkeley, and is a native of Wilmington, NC.

Solomon is Vice President for Health Policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, where she focuses on Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program and issues related to the implementation of health reform, particularly policies to make coverage available and affordable for low-income people.

She has testified before state legislatures and spoken extensively to national and state nonprofit groups and is often cited by national and state media, including the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.

Previously, Solomon was a Senior Policy Fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children and Executive Director of the Children’s Health Council. She directed the Council’s work on policy analysis, outreach, education and training, and independent oversight of health care services provided through Connecticut’s Medicaid managed care program.

She has also worked as a legal services attorney specializing in the area of public benefits and taught at the Yale University School of Medicine.

Solomon is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and Rutgers University School of Law in Newark.

Devan Cross is the President of MHN, a managed behavioral health organization and a part of the Envolve family of specialty companies of the Centene Corporation. MHN provides comprehensive behavioral health and employee assistance services to over 5M members and crisis call support to an additional 6M members. He is accountable for MHN’s state and commercial clinical programs, regulatory and clinical compliance including parity, case and care management activities, and utilization management. Mr. Cross has served in various leadership positions within the Health Net / MHN / Centene family of companies, including overseeing the implementation of the ACA mental health benefits, operations of the behavioral health expansion of Medi-Cal and the Military Family Life Counseling program. Mr. Cross brings a wealth of diverse experience to optimize the solutions that deliver great healthcare, driving cost efficiencies, improved care coordination, and customer and member satisfaction.

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

Dr. Liberty Eberly is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in outpatient community mental health, providing care to all ages. She is a graduate of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic medicine and completed her residency at Millcreek Community Hospital in Erie, PA. She has been practicing psychiatry since 2009 and is a member of the American Osteopathic Association.

Dr. Eberly holds a Master of Science in Medical Education and enjoys teaching, especially in a case-consultative model. She participated in the 3-year, national COMPASS grant program studying the outcomes of a collaborative approach (including Primary Care Physicians, Internal Medicine specialists, and Care Managers) in treating patients experiencing a chronic medical condition and depression.

Dr. Eberly is a founding partner of InnovaTel and in addition to her clinical responsibilities, serves as the company’s Physician Engagement Director which includes recruitment and physician support. She has been practicing via the telemedicine modality since 2010, making her the most tenured telemedicine provider at InnovaTel. She feels passionate about providing high-quality psychiatric care to underserved areas and about the use of collaborative models to enhance access to care.

William England is director of the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT) in the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy at HRSA. Bill joined OAT in 2016. He started work in telehealth at CMS/Medicare, followed by work directing the FCC/Universal Service Rural Health Care Program. He is a Fellow and former Board member of the American Telemedicine Association and a former Robert Wood Johnson Healthcare Financing Fellow. Prior to telehealth, Bill was an assistant professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a biomedical engineer at the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis. He has a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering and a PhD in Industrial Engineering from Purdue. His law degree is from the University of Maryland.

Max Isaacoff joined NRHA staff in 2019 as the Government Affairs and Policy Manager.

He came to NRHA after working on Capitol Hill for multiple Congressmen from his home state of Michigan, handling various health care issues. Before joining NRHA, Max worked in Government Affairs for the Medical Group Management Association focusing on Medicare payment policies.

Max earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Michigan State University and is currently finishing his master’s degree in Public Administration and Policy from American University.

As general counsel and chief human resources executive, Noreen is responsible for setting strategy and providing comprehensive legal advice to senior executives as well as the company's board of managers. Additionally, she provides oversight for the recruitment, retention, benefits and services of more than 700 employees.

Since joining New Directions in 2012 as General Counsel, New Directions workforce has grown over 900 percent, and revenue has more than tripled as well. With a strong pulse on health care law, Noreen is a board member for the Association of Behavioral Health and Wellness which develops policy proposals and advocates for improvements to mental health and substance use disorder access and treatment. She also is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and serves on its behavioral health task force.

Prior to joining New Directions, Noreen was Legal Counsel and Model Laws Coordinator for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and has worked in the behavioral health industry for both managed care companies and providers.

Noreen graduated from Rockhurst University with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She received her Juris Doctor and Certificate of Health Law from St. Louis University School of Law.

Maureen Dixon is currently assigned as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC) for the Philadelphia Regional Office of the Office of Investigations (OI) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG). SAC Dixon’s responsibilities include managing all OI operations in the Philadelphia Regional Office, which includes, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Delaware, and the District of Columbia.

SAC Dixon began her career in public service as an Emergency Medical Technician and later joined Federal law enforcement. SAC Dixon has 17 years of Federal law enforcement experience investigating and supervising a wide variety of offenses to include health care fraud, drug diversion, money laundering, contract fraud, grant fraud and identity theft.