2018 Speaking Faculty

Bryan Adams is the Chief Commercial Officer of GreatCall, Inc., the leader in connected health for active aging. Bryan joined the company in December of 2016 as a part of the Healthsense acquisition. Bryan leads a cross-functional team that addresses two related areas. The first is the company’s broad data science initiative: leveraging the company’s sizable data set to improve the experience for both internal and external customers. The second is the commercial product: ensuring that the GreatCall offering in the healthcare space both leverages the company’s data science department and also meets the broader needs of the market. Prior to GreatCall, Bryan was the CTO at Healthsense for almost 5 years, where he led the engineering, IT, product management, customer service, and clinical service teams. Prior to that, he was the CTO and founder of a startup in the mobile advertising space, and prior to that he was a Principal Investigator at iRobot, helping them start a healthcare group. He holds a BS, MEng, and PhD in Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jessica Brooks is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health, where she is leading the effort to redefine and advance the discussion around health care value, access and quality on behalf of employers. Jessica is responsible for the vision of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health – spearheading new initiatives and measures that have resulted in improving the organization’s visibility and growth in the health care market space.

Under her leadership, PBGH has enjoyed consistent financial gains, the growth of the organization’s class-leading prescription drug management program – delivering more than $25 million in annual savings to employers, and the deployment of a comprehensive data strategy that enables employers to better leverage health care and benefits information with health plans, providers and other partners.

Ms. Brooks is also leading the effort to drive continuing education for health and human resource professionals with the launch of one of the country’s first online certification program designed to help HR and benefits practitioners improve how they deploy and track health care quality and cost. She has contributed to numerous news stories, opinion editorial pieces, and has appeared on National Public Radio, and in national health care and benefits publications. She has been recognized by the Pittsburgh Business Times as a Fast Tracker and was also named to the 2015 Smart 50 class by Smart Business Magazine.

She is a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and Carnegie Mellon University, where she received her Masters in Public Management. Ms. Brooks serves on the board of governors for the Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative, the Health Innovation in Pennsylvania Price and Quality Transparency Work Group, as well as the All-Payer Claims Database Subcommittee for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is a board member of Lending Hearts and the National Business Coalition on Health, and a Fellow for the Employer-Provider Interface Council (EPIC) of the Hospital Quality Foundation.

David Contorno is President of Lake Norman Benefits, now part of the Hilb Group and one of the employee benefit practice leaders inside this now top 40 largest insurance agency. As a native of New York, David began his career in the insurance industry at the age of 14, and has since become a leading expert in the realm of employee benefits over the last 21 years. The Hilb Group continues to grow organically by ensuring all management is handled locally, providing top notch solutions and supports, and through strategic acquisitions.

Among his many accolades, David received a Broker Spotlight in 2004 and was recognized as an outstanding Broker of Service in 2005 through 2014 by Blue Cross Blue Shield. He has continually received the Echelon Award by United Healthcare since 2003, reserved for the top 1% of agents nationally, and was a 2015 "40 Under 40" Award Winner presented by Charlotte Business Journal. Most recently, David was Benefits Selling Magazine's 2015 Broker of the Year and, in March 2016, Forbes deemed him "One of America's Most Innovative Benefits Leaders."

David is a member of the Board of Directors for both the Charlotte Association of Health Underwriters and Healthreach Community Clinic. He served on the NC Insurance Commissioners Life and Health Agent Advisory Committee, as well as participated in the Technical Advisory Group that helped with the Market Reforms required under the Affordable Care Act in North Carolina. He is a long-time member of the Lake Norman and South Iredell Chambers of Commerce as well as the National, North Carolina, New York and Long Island Associations of Health Underwriters. David contributes to numerous publications, including Forbes, Benefits Selling Magazine, Business Leader Magazine and Insurance Thought Leadership.

David is committed to giving back to his community and actively participates in the membership drive for the United Way, assisting the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and supporting The Dove House Child Advocacy Center. When he is not working, he enjoys boating, traveling, and being with his wife, Heather, and their two children, Hannah and Ethan.

Charlene Curry is the Director of Benefits for H-E-B Grocery Company. With over 100,000 employees, H-E-B serves more than 300 communities across Texas and Mexico. During her 26 year career at H-E-B she has held positions in Store Operations, Drug Store Procurement, Pharmacy Contracting, and Business Development.

Charlene is a passionate advocate for access to quality affordable healthcare for all H-E-B employees and works tirelessly to navigate Partners to the best possible care. Within the Benefits Department she leads an innovative team that designs, implements, and manages, all health and benefits programs for the company.

Charlene is a native Texan and has her degree from Texas State University. She is the proud mother of two daughters who compete in Stock Show and Rodeo events.

Missy Danforth is the Vice President of Health Care Ratings at The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, DC based, not-for-profit organization representing the nation’s largest employers and purchasers of health benefits working to make great leaps forward in the safety, quality, and value of healthcare.

At Leapfrog, Ms. Danforth serves as member of Leapfrog’s senior leadership team informing Leapfrog’s strategic direction, engaging experts and stakeholders, and analyzing program results to engage purchasers and consumers and to drive safety and quality improvements. Ms. Danforth administers Leapfrog’s various measurement and public reporting activities including the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s Value-Based Purchasing Platform, and emerging ratings programs.

Ms. Danforth serves on the NQF’s Patient Safety Steering Committee, the Consensus Standards Approval Committee (CSAC), and is the co-chair of the Diagnostic Quality Committee. She serves on the Policy Committee of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine and on the Steering Committee of the Coalition to Improve Diagnosis. She has served on several CMS Technical Expert Panels focused on patient harm. Ms. Danforth is also on the board of PCPI, a membership organization with the goal of bringing the voices of patients and clinicians together to advance the science and practice of measurement and improvement.

Before joining Leapfrog, Ms. Danforth was the Special Projects Manager of the Franklin Community Health Network (FCHN) based in Farmington, Maine where she led marketing, communications, and strategic planning.

Gary Everling has been in healthcare administration since 1998 and assumed his role at Hendricks Regional Health in 2013. Prior to that, he served as System Executive of Business Development for St. Vincent Health.

Active in his church, for the past 22 years he has enjoyed singing in an a cappella men’s quartet ministry. As an adjunct faculty member, Everling teaches healthcare policy, marketing and statistics at Indiana Wesleyan University. He is a member of the Medical Group Management Association and the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development.

Trisha Frick, RN, MS is the Director of Bundled Rates Contracting for Johns Hopkins HealthCare LLC, Baltimore, MD. Trisha has been with Johns Hopkins Health System since 1986 resulting in more than 30 years health care experience. She started at Johns Hopkins providing direct patient care as a nurse. After providing direct care and supervision for almost a decade, she began her career in Managed Care in 1995. Since then Trisha has created a Bundled Rates Contracting Office that is now managing over $50 million annually in Bundled Rate Contract Revenue. The current service lines for bundled rate agreements include transplants, cardiovascular, bariatric, pancreatic cancer and orthopedic services.

Trisha is responsible for the Travel Surgery Program with the Pacific Business Group on Health. This program represents Walmart, Lowe’s other large group employers and is for joint replacement procedures. This relationship is one of the few direct employer agreements in the nation where employers are paying for travel, housing and health services at identified centers of excellence in exchange for the elimination or reduction in co-pays and deductibles. Trisha is also working on the development of similar programs with other employer groups.

David Grandin is founder and CEO of Kiio, a digital therapeutics company focused on changing the paradigm for musculoskeletal care. Evidence-based, personalized, and consumer-centric, Kiio’s Low Back Pain Program significantly reduces pain, opioid use, and medical costs, leading to improved quality of life for the individual and improved productivity and lower cost for the employer. Kiio works with both health plans and employers, providing a cost-effective, easy-to-implement solution tailored to the needs of our partners.

With an extensive background in digital media and analytics, Dave has spent his career innovating and successfully driving change through disruptive technology. Prior to Kiio, Dave was a founder in four companies, including Avid Sports, whose solution was adopted as the de-facto standard throughout the NFL and NCAA for digital video coaching analysis, and InformTV, creator of interactive TV applications and now the backbone for statistics on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket. At Kiio, Dave is passionate about leveraging technology and data-driven insights to provide new options for how we deliver and consume healthcare.

Dave holds a degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and an MBA from the executive high-tech program at Northeastern University. He has been active all his life, and currently enjoys fitness training, swimming, biking, and golf.

Present Responsibilities
Kristie is a Principal with Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, in Boston. She is responsible for developing and managing client relationships, providing strategic advice and orchestrating the delivery of a broad range of specialized Mercer services. She has primary responsibility for strategic planning, critical analysis and project management.

Kristie also serves on Mercer’s Total Health Management specialty practice where she helps develop strategies and educate clients and colleagues about best practices in the areas of consumerism, disease management, wellness, incentives and absence management.

Experience
Kristie has over 18 years of experience in the employee benefits industry. Prior to joining Mercer in 2014, Kristie was a Vice President in the Health practice at a regional employee benefits consulting firm headquartered in Boston. In this role Kristie managed relationships with the firm’s large national clients (1,000+ employees). Kristie also established and led the firm’s wellness consulting practice where she served as a subject matter expert on all aspects of worksite wellness programs including strategy development, program design, and evaluating outcomes.

Earlier in her career, Kristie spent several years in sales and client account management at a national third party administrator of self-funded health plans.

Kristie is considered an expert in the field of worksite wellness, and she has been quoted or published in The Boston Business Journal, Benefits Magazine, Employee Benefit News, Employee Benefit Advisor, Risk and Insurance Magazine, Business and Legal Reports (BLR), and Women’s Business Boston.

Education
Kristie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Emory University and holds the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) and Certified Worksite Wellness Program Consultant (CWWPC) professional designations. She also holds a Life, Accident and Health Insurance Producer License in several states.

Community Involvement
Kristie is a cofounder and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Worksite Wellness Council of Massachusetts, the first non-profit in the Commonwealth representing health promotion professionals and business leaders dedicated to improving employee health and productivity. She is also an active member of The Boston Club, one of the largest communities of women executives and professional leaders in the Northeast. Its mission is to impel the advancement of women to top leadership positions.

Brian Klepper, PhD is Principal of Worksite Health Advisors and a nationally prominent health care analyst and commentator. He writes and speaks extensively about the structural dynamics of the US health care cost crisis, primary care clinics, high performance health care and the management of full continuum clinical and financial risk.

Lee Lewis runs Gallagher’s Innovation Lab practice, a mission-driven group devoted to improving the cost, quality and design of American healthcare. Lee advises several health startups working to solve meaningful healthcare problems.

The Innovation Lab has a track record of breakthroughs. It leads the effort to bring sophisticated health plan audits to private employers. It pioneered specialty drug direct purchasing without using a PBM. His team led a grassroots effort to identify all independent freestanding Emergency Rooms in Texas. The innovation lab developed the first HSA compliant model for back and joint pain prevention, and is piloting first-ever ultra-high value virtual networks in 2018 in two major U.S. cities.

His current and past clients include American Airlines, Comcast NBC Universal, Albertson’s Grocery Stores, Home Depot, Abbot Laboratories and dozens of other large and jumbo employers.

Lee is a Rhodes Scholar Nominee. He graduated Second in his Class, Magna cum Laude with University Honors in Accounting from Brigham Young University.

Janet McNichol, SPHR, CAE, SHRM-SCP is a seasoned human resources professional with over 20 years of experience in a not-for-profit environment. She currently works as the Human Resources Director for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in the Washington, D.C. Area and leads a small consulting company, Inside Workplace Wellness.

Janet is widely recognized for being passionate about health and wellness. She serves on the board of directors of the Mid-Atlantic Business Group on Health and an advisory council for the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

In addition to her functional areas of expertise, she is knowledgeable about communication, negotiation and group decision-making. She earned her BS in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. You can connect with Janet on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Brenda Motheral leads Archimedes, a specialty drug management company that provides analytics, technology, and service solutions for employers, health plans, and PBMs.

Brenda brings more than 20 years of pharmacy benefit management, product development, and analytics experience to the role. Prior to founding Archimedes, Dr. Motheral served as the President of Artemetrx Specialty Drug Solutions, which she founded to provide comprehensive specialty drug consulting for plan sponsors. Previously, Brenda was the Senior Vice President of Product and Research at Express Scripts and served as a company officer on the executive team. Among many initiatives during her 12-year tenure, Dr. Motheral launched the Medicare Part D program for Express Scripts and led development of the Drug Trend Report and annual client outcomes conference. Dr. Motheral has authored numerous seminal industry reports and has published more than 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts on pharmacy benefit management. She has received national research awards from the Academy for Managed Care Pharmacy and the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research.

Dr. Motheral holds a PhD focused in Health Economics from The University of South Carolina, a Master of Business Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from The University of Kentucky.

Kathryn (Katie) Nermoe is the Corporate Wellness Director at Sanford Health Plan (Sioux Falls, SD) and is also an Amazon.com #1 best-selling author. Over her 20-year career, Nermoe has held leadership positions in health care, marketing and local government administration. Nermoe believes organizational health is the number-one driver of organizational wealth. She contends a businesses’ engagement and wellness strategies are one in the same, and uses the six dimensions of well-being as foundational cornerstones for transforming organizational culture.

Nermoe holds a bachelor’s in public administration and public relations; a master’s in public administration; and a mini-MBA in health care administration. Her favorite wellness activities include going for runs with her German Shorthair, snorkeling and wakeboarding. She is married with two step daughters and considers Bemidji, MN, the Apostle Islands, WI and North Caicos, BWI all home.

Julie Paris is the Wellness Program Specialist at Akamai Technologies, Inc. She has successfully developed the wellness program and engaged her colleagues in programs that align with the 5 Pillars of Akamai Wellness - active, nourished, calm, balanced, and healthy. Her passion for health and wellness started with a part-time career as a group fitness instructor. Completing the Institute for Integrative Nutrition program provided more fuel to her passion for health and wellness.

Aaryn Pure is the Vice President of the Northeast for Livongo Health. Livongo empowers all people with chronic conditions to live better and healthier lives, using a combination of innovative technology, analytics, and personalized coaching.

Aaryn has spent his career at the forefront of healthcare innovation and transformation. He works collaboratively with Fortune 500 companies to develop strategies to effectively manage high cost employees with chronic conditions. He is passionate about the need for proactive management and real-time monitoring as a strategy to reduce costs and improve the quality of life for individuals managing these conditions. Prior to Livongo, he worked with many of the nation’s largest health systems to implement technology strategies in preparation for the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

Aaryn is committed to personal fitness and enjoys fly fishing, golf, and skiing. He holds an undergraduate degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Rachel Quinn oversees the Office of Value-based Purchasing in the Policy Division, at the Washington State Health Care Authority. In her role, Rachel assists with the development of value-based purchasing and payment strategies in Medicaid and the Public Employee Benefit Program. Prior to joining HCA in September 2013, she worked as project manager of the Robert Bree Collaborative, a multi-sector collaborative created to develop guidelines to decrease health care cost and quality variation in Washington State. Rachel also served for five years as health policy advisor to former King County Executive Ron Sims. She has a dual master’s in public health and public policy from the University of Michigan.

As the Principal and Managing Partner of Axial Benefits Group, Mr. Rodgers brings his extensive background in health and welfare plans to Axial's clients.

He has been pioneering Healthcare Purchasing Coalitions since 2009 specializing in assisting medium and large corporations, many of whom have multi-state locations, with the development of effective health care programs. Specifically, he has designed, implemented and managed 5 successful healthcare purchasing coalitions helping hundreds of companies lower costs and stabilized renewals.

Prior to co-founding Axial Benefits Group, Mr. Rodgers founded its predecessor company, Atlantic Benefits, in 2003. He also founded The Staffing Exchange (TSE) in 2012, a successful healthcare purchasing coalition dedicated specifically to the Staffing industry. He has had over 22 years of experience and held senior consulting positions at Hays Companies, William Gallagher Associates, and Marsh & McLennan. Mr. Rodgers is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts School of Engineering. He is a former Massachusetts high school wrestling state champion and collegiate wrestler. He is an avid national speaker on the Affordable Care Act and has become known as one of the nation's experts on the topic of its compliance. He is the former Chairman of the Boston Board of Directors for the March of Dimes and has been involved with the development of corporate programs for the both Friends of Boston's Homeless charity and various local Habitat for Humanity Chapters. He lives in Concord, MA with his wife and family, where he is also a town meeting member.

Olivia Ross is an Associate Director with the Pacific Business Group on Health responsible for the operation and expansion of the Employers Centers of Excellence Network (ECEN). The ECEN is a national, multi-employer initiative that identifies and provides employees access to high quality surgical care through prospective bundled rates. Before joining PBGH, Olivia spent four years managing several projects at Northwestern University. Her work with the Chicago Pediatric Patient Safety Consortium and the Transplantation Outcomes Research Collaborative focused on risk assessment, improving clinician communication and teamwork. Olivia holds an MPH from UCLA and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Adam V. Russo, Esq. is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Phia Group LLC; an experienced provider of health care cost containment techniques offering comprehensive claims recovery, plan document and consulting services designed to control health care costs and protect plan assets. The Phia Group’s overall mission is to reduce the cost of plans through its recovery strategies, innovative technologies, legal expertise, and focused, flexible customer service.

Attorney Russo is also the founder and managing partner of The Law Offices of Russo & Minchoff, a full-service law firm with offices in Boston and Braintree, MA. Attorney Russo’s practice is devoted to representing employers, plan fiduciaries, third-party administrators and carriers in employment and employee benefits matters throughout the United States. He is a frequent speaker and author on health care and employee benefits topics at webinars, conferences and seminars across the country.

Attorney Russo obtained a Juris Doctorate degree from Suffolk University Law School and a Masters Degree in Finance from the Frank Sawyer School of Management at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. He also acquired an undergraduate degree from Suffolk University, where he double majored in Political Science and Public Relations. He was recognized by Suffolk University with the 2005 Outstanding Alumni Achievement Award.

Attorney is on the Self-Insurance Institute of America, Inc. (SIIA) Board of Directors, the Board of the Massachusetts Association of Health Underwriters (MAHU), and the Board of Directors at JFS of Metro-West, a non-profit agency that provides social services, elder care, adoption services, and domestic violence assistance. Attorney Russo is admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Adam and his wife Kelly have four wonderful children named Soli, Maeve, Samuel and Shae. In addition to spending his spare time with his family and friends, Adam enjoys watching his beloved Cleveland Indians baseball team.

Michael Sheehan is the Sales Director of National Accounts Sales & Service for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross), the largest private health plan in Massachusetts and one of the largest independent, not-for-profit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in the country. The company has more than $7 billion in revenue, serves nearly 3 million members, and is rated among the nation’s best health plans for overall member satisfaction and quality.

Michael helps clients optimize their human capital and benefits strategies with a focus on multiyear strategic planning, data analytics, and population health strategies. His primary responsibility includes the overall development of client relationships as well as development and management of relationships with national consulting and brokerage firms.

In addition to his work with Blue Cross, Michael is also involved with Consortium Health Plans, made up of a subset of Blues plans across the country with a shared focus on national account delivery, as a member of their Sales Leadership Committee. In this role, Michael is engaged in strategy and implementation of national initiatives designed to increase the competitive advantage of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans across the country.

Michael began his career in health and benefits consulting. He is a graduate of Providence College’s Health Policy and Management program and has continued his involvement with Providence College as an alumni board member within the school of business. He is an active member of the Big Brother program.

Mr. Snyder has served as a school district Treasurer since 1996. He has served Fairbanks Local Schools in Milford, Ohio; North Union Local Schools in Richwood, Ohio; Cuyahoga Falls City Schools in Cuyahoga Falls Ohio; and Hudson City Schools in Hudson, Ohio before moving to Mayfield City Schools in 2006. He has over 23 years of experience in both the private and notfor- profit environments.

Mr. Snyder holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Toledo, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Ashland University, and is a Certified Public Accountant. Awards he has received include the GFOA Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting, the ASBO International Certificate of Excellence, and the Ohio Auditor of State Award with Distinction.

Mr. Snyder is a member of the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO), Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA), Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), and the Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Mr. Snyder and his wife Colleen have two daughters and live in Kirtland.

T. J. Tedesco is co-founder of, and VP Customer Experience for VIVIO Health, a specialty drug management company providing better outcomes at lower costs. For two decades prior to VIVIO Health, T. J. led a branding, marketing and user experience services agency serving the healthcare industry. He and his team served more than a hundred companies, a third for more than three years and six for a decade or longer. He also was a partner at Synepta Group, a healthcare IT accelerator exclusively serving early-stage health tech companies. Early in his career he was a salesperson for several companies, but started in corporate finance with a Fortune 100 tech company.

T. J. has a BA in English from Grinnell College and was valedictorian of his MBA class at Northeastern University. He’s a founding board member of the Build Haiti Foundation and when not living the VIVIO life, can often be found on a local hockey rink.

David Yoder is currently the Executive Director of Integrated Care Management at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s Federal Employee Plan (BCBSA FEP). There, he oversees the care management functions for over 5.3 million federal employee health Plan members. His responsibilities include Analytics, Provider Network relations, Case and Disease Management responsibilities, Medical Policy Development and oversight of the Pharmacy Programs. The combination of these responsibilities allows the program to design member intervention programs in a holistic manner, preventing duplication and helping close gaps in patient care.

Over the past 6 years he has brought an analytical perspective to the deployment of both disease and care management programs, incorporating outcomes metrics overall as well as operational efficiencies. He also is directing the implementation of the Programs Patient Center Medical Home initiatives, overseeing the rollout for FEP Members in all 38 Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans.

David has over 18 years experience working primarily in Health Plan Pharmacy venues at various health Plans on the East Coast before joining the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. He has a particular interest in Care Management program design that incorporates all aspects of patient care, including Pharmacist interventions and alternative provider arrangements.

David received his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Maryland and his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Baltimore.