2019 Speaking Faculty

Dr. Marleece Barber is Director of Health, Wellness and Employee Health and Life Insurance Benefits. She also serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Lockheed Martin Corporation. She is responsible for designing, developing, and executing a health and productivity strategy that includes wellness and preventive care for over 100,000 employees.

Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, she was employed by Deere & Company where she created wellness programs and initiatives that emphasized the importance of risk factor reduction in the prevention of chronic disease. She was also the Director of Global Safety, ensuring that appropriate standards were met and programs deployed to prevent workplace injuries.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Dillard University; a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry; and a Master of Science from Harvard University School of Public Health. Dr. Barber serves on the Board of Directors of the National Business Group on Health and is an inaugural member of the Institute of Medicine’s Public-Private Partnerships for Global Health and Safety Committee. She is also on the Board of Director’s for the Leapfrog Group.

The wife and mother of two children is also a talented singer and songwriter of inspirational music.

A graduate of the Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Dr. Batiste completed his residency in Internal Medicine and post-graduate training in Cardiology at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine. He subsequently received training in Interventional Cardiology at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center. He is board certified in Internal Medicine-Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology.

Dr. Batiste has served as the Chief of the Department of Cardiology at the Riverside Medical Center since 2008. During his practice, he has performed numerous coronary interventions and pacemakers. His passion remains practicing preventive “holistic” Cardiology, in particular; plant-based nutrition, daily exercise, and stress reduction.

During Dr. Batiste’s tenure as Chief of Cardiology he was instrumental in developing the Integrative Cardiovascular Disease Program; a multi-disciplinary program that focuses on aggressive secondary prevention in cardiac patients. The program includes an accredited Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, a multi-disciplinary heart failure team that includes clinical pharmacists and nurses. Also included is monthly physician led lifestyle lectures and cooking demonstrations entitled the “CATH LAB” Cooking Alternative To Health.

Dr. Batiste successfully led a pilot to develop a technology based virtual cardiac rehab program at his local Riverside Medical Center and now serves as physician lead for the regional Kaiser Permanente Home Based Cardiac Rehab program.

Dr. Batiste also serves on several professional and community-based boards, including the 2018-2020 President of the Inland Empire Chapter of the American Heart Association, Health Director for the Kansas Avenue SDA Church, American College of Cardiology Nutrition Work Group, and Board Member of Oakwood University Alumni Association of Southern California. Dr. Batiste has received awards from the Riverside Medical Association Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award in 2018, KP Physician Exceptional Contribution Award in 2017, NAACP Community Leader in 2016, Derrell Thomas Foundation Health Professional of the Year in 2015, Kansas Avenue Eagle Award for Excellence in Medicine in 2013, and Oakwood University Alumnus of the Year in 2009.

Vince Brigandi, Director, U.S. Benefits Strategy, leads the delivery of Amgen Inc.’s health, well-being, and retirement programs to more than 10,000 U.S.-based Amgen staff members. Founded in 1980, Amgen is a leading, global biotechnology company serving patients from its headquarters in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Prior to joining Amgen in July 2018, Vince spent more than a decade in roles of increasing responsibility administering benefit plans, including numerous plan mergers resulting from corporate actions taken by his employer in the oil and gas industry. Upon joining Amgen, Vince assumed responsibility for the company’s benefit plan administration and has since accepted the challenge to incorporate value-based insurance design into Amgen’s benefit programs.

Vince holds a both a Master’s of Business Administration degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. He also maintains a Certified Financial Planner designation since 2002.

Erica’s advanced degree in Health Communications has allowed her to gain extensive knowledge on the dynamics and complexities of the health care environment, as well as in media, community, government, investor relations, crisis communication, and employee communication. Before working exclusively on the development and oversight of customized employee wellness programming, Erica worked as a community nutritionist counseling families of diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

In her career as a Health and Wellness Navigator at Medical Care Development Inc., Erica has worked with her team in the Public Health sector to build and administer customized health and wellness platforms. Through this work, Erica has gain a vast amount of knowledge and experience in designing successful, comprehensive, employee wellness programs.

Erica is very enthusiastic and passionate about employee wellness, nutrition, and communications, and is thrilled to be able to have the opportunity to work within her local communities to help improve the health and wellness of State of Maine employees.

Currently, Joseph is the Director of Health and Wellness for Suffolk Construction where he leads, designs and implements a comprehensive, multi-year health & wellness strategy to promote the success and retention of employees on a national scale across the organization.

Prior to taking this role, Joseph spent seven years in five distinct positions with the nonprofit arm of Suffolk Construction, Scholar Athletes, where he helped build and grow the organization from initial stages to serving over 4,000 high school students across Massachusetts providing youth development programming.

Joseph began his career as a professional hockey player after graduating from Tufts University, playing in Lyon, France and Neuss, Germany.

Joseph holds certification as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Corporate Wellness Specialist, Corporate Athlete Trainer™ and Corporate Mindful Leader.

Nina Dickerman’s drive for career choices for nearly 30 years has been deeply rooted in nurturing relationships, triaging issues, curating resources and implementing new innovative programs to make a difference for individuals when integrating home and work. Nina’s current role with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as the Work/Life Program Manager provides opportunities to create new and strengthen current benefits that support dependent care and self-care needs of faculty and staff.

Prior to joining Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Nina has enjoyed 9 years being a part of the leadership teams that developed innovative well-being programs for the Longwood Medical area faculty and staff. She was the Work/Life Program Manager at Harvard Medical School, The Harvard TH Chan School of Public, and the Dental School of Medicine supporting faculty and staff. Nina also held positions at organizations that were on the cutting edge in Work/Life benefits offered to employees. At Work/Family Directions (WFD) she provided consultation and child care referrals to employees who worked at fortune 500 companies, and was an adjunct instructor at Wheelock College inspiring the next generation of professionals in a growing field.

Nina holds a Master’s of Science in Human Development and Family Support from Wheelock College (Boston, MA) and a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Business with a minor in dance from Ithaca College (Ithaca, NY and Ithaca College London Center).

Mr. Neil Goldfarb is President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH, www.gpbch.org), which brings together employers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Southern New Jersey who are committed to improving the health of their employees and the safety, quality and value delivered by the healthcare system. GPBCH represents over 1.5 million covered lives nationally. Before founding GPBCH in 2012, Mr. Goldfarb spent over 30 years in healthcare research, quality improvement, and management positions. As Associate Dean for Research in the Jefferson College of Population Health, he was responsible for leading the school’s research agenda, while concurrently serving as Director of Ambulatory Care Performance Improvement for Thomas Jefferson University’s faculty practice plan. His previous positions include Executive Director of a quality improvement consulting firm, and Vice President of Health Services for the Philadelphia region’s first Medicaid managed care plan. Mr. Goldfarb has authored over 60 articles in the peer-reviewed literature. Mr. Goldfarb is active in the governance of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, and founding co-Director of the College for Value-based Purchasing of Health Benefits.

Shonna Poulin Gutierrez is the Wellness Coordinator for the State of Maine within the Office of Employee Health and Benefits. Serving over 32,000 health plan members has provided her an opportunity to focus on benefit strategy and the connection to well-being. She is passionate about working with a team to provide data driven wellness approaches. She has developed strategies for a completely customizable health and wellness platform that has led to great success and a reduction in employee and retiree health risk factors.

She has over 15 years in the Public Health sector, previously working for community based health- focused organizations, and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. She holds a degree in Community Health and an advance degree in Organizational Management. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist and alumni of the Daniel Hanley Center for Health Leadership.

Karen joined Raytheon in 2013 as the Senior Wellbeing Manager. In this role she is responsible for the Wellness, Work-life and EAP programs for Raytheon’s 60,000+ domestic and global employees. Karen has worked to build a large network of wellness leads and champions to bring the wellbeing message and resources to the employees.

Prior to joining Raytheon, Karen was the Director of Prevention and Wellness at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. She was responsible for leading a team of wellness consultants providing data driven and evidence based solutions to clients.

Karen has a BS is in Food Science and Dietetics from University of Rhode Island and a MBA with a concentration in Organizational Behavior from Suffolk University. In her work experience she has focused on the value of employee’s health and wellbeing to the bottom line to maximize her influence.

With nearly 30 years of employee benefits, compensation and HR operations, Karin has a passion for total-person wellbeing. Living and working in the hyper competitive Silicon Valley environment she is experienced in making great things happen with a limited budget and has a knack for utilizing creative approaches to drive successful outcomes.

When Karin joined Samsung Semiconductor in 2014 she was responsible for creating the Samsung wellness program from the ground up. The program has grown in leaps and bounds from basic email communications and fitness center promotion to over 200 wellness-related events and activities per year including, stress management, financial learning, fitness & nutrition, and social wellbeing. The wellness program plays a key role in the organization’s Great Place to Work initiatives. Karin leads a core team of colleagues who support the program, including 2 registered dietitians and 4 full-time fitness center staff. In partnership with the team, the Wellness Program has developed several chronic disease related educational series designed to help employees understand their conditions and how to manage their nutrition and exercise to improve their lives. Karin is also part of the Samsung Regional Wellness Task Force for the U.S. working on implementing a shared wellness portal for all U.S. employees.

Karin has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management – Human Resources from San Diego State University and a master’s degree in Human Resources from University of San Francisco. She is an active member of the American Heart Association’s Workplace Wellness Group in Silicon Valley. Karin is also a key contributor on the Samsung Corporate Social Responsibility team and finds great fulfillment and purpose in their efforts to build a stronger community.

Dr. Wade Larson is on a personal mission to help individuals and companies overcome mediocrity and achieve their best. With a background in HR, leadership, wellness and talent development, Wade has worked with hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals as a consultant and HR Executive to develop programs that help them do more, achieve more and be more. A recent article in Forbes highlighted his approach to continuous improvement as he shares in his recently published book titled Doing HR Better by encouraging HR leaders to find new ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness in core human resource processes. Dr. Larson is owner and principal of Larson Leadership Consulting which specializes in business consulting, employee surveys, training and development, and serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Wagstaff, Inc., a global manufacturing leader in the aluminum industry. He also serves as an executive board member for the Inland Northwest Council of Boy Scouts of America and for Quest Oracle Community.

Dr. Claire Levesque is Chief Medical Officer for Commercial Products at Tufts Health Plan and is responsible for clinical leadership, medical management, and medical cost containment. She is committed to forming strong partnerships with providers to develop programs that are member-centric and that promote the high quality and innovation that is integral to Tufts Health Plan.

Dr. Levesque is a board certified neurologist who received her MD from the University of Vermont and completed both her residency and a fellowship at the University of Virginia. Dr. Levesque specialized in the care of patients with dementia, intellectual disabilities and behavioral issues. Before starting at Tufts Health Plan eight years ago, she was assistant professor of neurology at Boston University, founding and managing partner of a practice in the Boston area, president of the medical staff at a long-term acute care facility and chief of neurology at a community hospital. Dr. Levesque has also published journal articles, book chapters and short stories.

Michelle is a Senior Benefits Consultant on the Sun Life Employee Benefits team and has been with Sun Life for almost five years. Michelle supports the administration and communication of health and welfare plans including their wellness program, myWellness Rewards through Virgin Pulse.

Maureen McCluskey is a Health and Wellness Disease Education Specialist with experience in corporate health and disease management initiatives. She has been responsible for the planning, implementation, organization, delivery and evaluation of outcomes based wellbeing and disease management programs. These programs have supported the culture of health in large companies like JP Morgan Chase, American Express and various companies she has consulted.

Maureen holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from Saint Xavier University and a Master’s in Health Communication from Governor State University.

She has spoken at several national conferences and was features in Corporate Wellness Magazine for leveraging innovative strategies into disease education and has co-authored papers on condition management and the workplace in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and the Journal of Population Health Management.

In her current role at MVP Health Care, Deborah is the Associate Director of Clinical Account Management. She and her team are responsible for the planning and execution of both worksite and community well-being programs across New York State and Vermont. The team utilizes data analysis and comprehensive planning to assist stakeholders in building a total culture of well-being in the communities they serve. Deborah’s previous experience includes 10 years in leadership roles in Human Resources and Health Benefits Administration. She holds a graduate degree in Health Promotion Management as well as a bachelor’s degree in economics and is a registered nurse. Deborah’s work with The New York State Mentoring Program focuses on creating supportive mentor relationships for students at risk of dropping out of school.

Sarah Bassler Millar counsels public, private and nonprofit companies and organizations on managing and administering health and welfare benefits, retirement plans and non-qualified plans. She is Chair of the firm’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Group.

Sarah guides clients on the design, implementation and operation of benefit plans to ensure consistency with plan terms and compliance with ERISA and tax code requirements. She also advises on fiduciary governance matters, including current best practices and the implications of the prohibited transaction rules. When counseling clients, Sarah focuses on identifying solutions that not only effectively manage identified compliance issues, but also take into account the client’s employee recruitment and retention goals.

As leader of the practice group’s Health Care Reform Team, Sarah assists clients across industry sectors develop strategies related to compliance with the Affordable Care Act. Her leadership and extensive experience provide a framework for advising clients on overall administrative compliance, documentation, and implementation.

Among the issues that Sarah counsels on are assessing the impact of employer shared responsibility provisions and implementing effective and compliant wellness programs. Sarah is regularly invited by clients and other organizations to speak and present on health care reform as it relates to employee benefits.

Jason Morgan is a Global Health and Wellness leader with broad expertise in Strategic Design, Program Implementation, Business Development and Account Management. Jason has a distinguished track record of developing, delivering, enhancing and managing global and domestic employee wellness initiatives in Fortune 500 companies as well as serving as a subject matter expert for corporate health & wellness consulting.

Within his roles of creating strategic direction for corporate wellness programs, he has the unique skill set of establishing the global corporate strategy and delivering employee wellness programs worldwide at Mars, Inc.

Given his natural ability with people and his confident, energetic, and outgoing nature, he has built and managed highly effective teams, mentored numerous colleagues and clients, and established a solid reputation as an industry leader.

Jason seeks to transform the approach to corporate health & Wellness by empowering and inspiring individuals and organizations to take action with effective strategies that will look not just at health, but overall happiness as well.

Morgan K. O’Brien is president and chief executive officer of Peoples Natural Gas Company LLC, affiliated utilities serving approximately 740,000 customers in southwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. In that capacity, he is responsible for the company’s strategic, operational and financial performance.

Since joining Peoples Natural Gas, O’Brien has reestablished the 100 plus year old company in western Pennsylvania. The company has significantly grown its employment in the region and has brought nearly 300 new jobs back to the region and created a high performing Customer Service Center in Pittsburgh. In addition, he has orchestrated the largest infrastructure improvement and modernization project in the company’s history. The company has committed to a multi-year multi-billion dollar investment program to meet the growing energy needs of the region and that will dramatically improve the environmental impacts to the region and in particular the quality of air in the region. During his tenure as CEO, the company has dramatically improved its safety record improving to the top quartile of AGA gas utilities. In May 2011, Peoples TWP, formerly T.W. Phillips Gas and Oil Co, was purchased and became a sister company to Peoples Natural Gas. And in December 2013, Peoples acquired Equitable Gas. And most recently, Peoples acquired Delta Gas in Kentucky. With these acquisitions, Peoples is now the largest natural gas distribution company in Pennsylvania and serves thousands of customers in West Virginia and Kentucky as well.

O’Brien has positioned Peoples as a true community partner and champion. The company invests and partners with many organizations that drive economic development and improve the quality of life in the region. Under his leadership, Peoples’ mission is to make the lives of all its customers better. To that end, its vision of going above and beyond customer expectations is now becoming a key part of the company’s day to day operations. This means exceeding expectations on every phone call and service call, and being more compassionate with customers who have challenges affording their energy bills. This culture is consistently on display as Peoples’ employees volunteer their time and resources for charitable causes throughout the year.

Prior to joining Peoples Natural Gas in February 2010, O’Brien served as President and CEO of Duquesne Light Holdings from September 2001 to January 2010. At Duquesne Light, O’Brien refocused the company as a solidly performing electricity utility and community partner. Duquesne Light became the top performing electric utility in safety and customer service under O’Brien’s leadership. O’Brien joined Duquesne Light in 1991, holding several senior executive positions before becoming CEO. Prior to his tenure at Duquesne, he served in various management positions at PNC Bank and major accounting firms.

A Pittsburgh native, O’Brien earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and master’s degree in Taxation from Robert Morris University. O’Brien is active in civic organizations throughout the region, including the Board of Trustees of his alma mater. He also serves on many boards, some which include the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, The Pittsburgh Foundation, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Western PA Chapter. Morgan also sits on the Board of Directors of Matthews International and HFF, Inc. both publicly traded companies.

Cynthia Ring has served in a variety of Leadership roles within Human Resources over the last twenty-five years. Her current role is as Chief People Officer at Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare where she serves to champion a People and Business Strategy. Prior to joining Harvard Pilgrim, she served as Vice President of Human Resources & Patient Experience at Central New England HealthAlliance Hospital. Prior to joining HealthAlliance Hospital in 2012, Ms. Ring served as Executive Director of Human Resources for Commonwealth Medicine/ University of Massachusetts Medical School. She also served as Director of Human Resources for Lifespan, Rhode Island’s largest health system for over ten years. In addition, she spent ten years in financial services, consumer goods and high tech in a variety of leadership positions within business operations.

She was instrumental in implementing several workforce investment and development programs as well as talent acquisition strategies. Over the last six years, she received special recognition from the Stepping-Up Program, JobClubRI and the Governor’s office for her work in establishing an innovative career ladders program and her commitment to community workforce investment and development programs. She is committed to community service and corporate responsibility and serves on many non-profit Boards.

Ms. Ring holds a masters degree in business administration from Bryant University, and an undergraduate degree in English from Framingham State University.

Christine holds a Bachelors degree from California State University Los Angeles and a Masters in Business Administration from Pepperdine University. Her nursing career began in 1978 after graduating from the Los Angeles County Medical Center School of Nursing.

Prior to joining Kaiser she held a number of inpatient and ambulatory positions at Saint Luke’s in Pasadena, California and Cedar Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. At Cedar Sinai, she worked as a Cardiac Rehab nurse and also served as the Coordinator for the Department of Cardiology.

Christine served as a Department Administrator in Panorama City as her first role in Kaiser. She has moved through a number of roles of increasing responsibility at the regional level. These include business consulting, the formation of the business optimization team and oversite for a number of departments. In her current role as Associate Quality Administrator, Christine is responsible for the oversight and strategic direction of some key areas of the organization. This includes genetics, prenatal planning, the regional reference lab and the Center for Healthy Living. Her experience in organizational development and quality operations is extensive.

In 2017, Christine was asked to build a scaled version of Home Based Cardiac Rehab based on the results of a successful pilot at our Riverside location. She oversaw the development of standard protocols and workflow for all sites within the region in addition to hiring the nurse case managers tasked with executing the program. One of the key goals for the service was a consistent approach and quality application in all cardiology department sites. Kaiser launched the program in April 2017 in our San Diego location and deployed the program in 11 additional departments through November 2017. She continues to lead the strategy for the service from its inception into a mature service that will serve over 5,000 patients in 2019.

Christine also sits on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses.

Mary Ryan RN, BSN is a Quality Management and Population Health (QMPH) RN Specialist at Quartz Health Solutions in Madison, Wisconsin. Mary has over 35 years of nursing experience as a manager, educator and clinician in Emergency Services and Primary Care. With a focus on improvement and innovation in the customer experience, Mary has garnered national recognition for her work.

Mary currently leads the Quartz MobileBackSM program managing program enhancements, outcome measurement, promotion and integration into Primary Care and Employer Wellness Programs.

A native of New Hampshire, Dr. Kimberly Townsend is President and Chief Executive Officer of Loretto, a continuing care system located in New York, with assets in skilled nursing, housing, managed care, short-term rehabilitation and medical adult day services. She is also the author of “Lifecircle Leadership: How Exceptional People Make Every Day Extraordinary.”

She initially pursued a print journalism degree at Boston University’s School of Public Communication, but in her junior year, she dropped out of college, got married and started a family.

She was a stay-at-home mom for 9 years, home-schooling her three daughters, and jokes about an initial aversion to schooling, which she eventually overcame. Finding herself in the position of being a single-mother, she ventured on an educational journey that today, is demonstrated in her receiving several degrees: a BS and MBA from the Whitman School of Management, her JD from Syracuse University College of Law, her MPA from the Maxwell School of Public Administration and most recently her Doctorate in Executive Leadership from St. John Fisher College.

Prior to joining Loretto, Dr. Townsend was the Associate General Counsel and Senior Director of Government Affairs for Welch Allyn, Inc. where she spent years successfully lobbying for healthcare reforms. She shares leadership lessons in the courses she teaches as an adjunct professor at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, as well as the Syracuse University College of Law.

Kimberly Townsend, EdD, JD, MPA, MBA, CPA, GPHR, is a role model for anyone who wants to make positive change in the world. Like many women, she’s juggling the demands of family and the pressures of a full-time job, while still finding time to volunteer and better the community. She’s inspired by making a sustainable difference in people’s lives and seeing her company and her community prosper.

Dr. Townsend is passionate about living a purposeful, connected life. She is driven by a deep desire to improve herself personally, her company, and her community, through her philosophy of Lifecircle Leadership and pragmatic altruism. She invites others to reconsider their approach to business and life and hopes they discover, as she did, that being and doing good is good for business.