Feby Abraham PhD

Feby Abraham is the Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer at Memorial Hermann Health System. In this role, Feby is responsible for leading strategy and strategic planning for the organization and driving its strategic investments, corporate development, strategic market insights, and innovation efforts.

Feby has more than 20 years of experience in the health care sector. Prior to joining Memorial Hermann, he served as a partner at McKinsey & Co., where he worked for nearly 12 years advising private equity funds across sectors, including healthcare. Before joining McKinsey in early 2008, Feby worked as a research investigator with a focus on data analytics and mathematical modeling at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). Feby holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on applied mathematics from Rice University and has a  Bachelor of Technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

Feby sits on the board of Memorial Hermann’s joint ventures, including its partnership with GoHealth Urgent Care and with Accentcare on home health & hospice. He also serves as an independent director at CapitalRx, a next generation tech-enabled pharmacy benefit management company, as well as Hamilton Health Box, which is a disruptive mobile and on-site clinical model designed for small- and medium-sized employers as well as rural communities. Recently, he has been named for two consecutive years one of Modern Healthcare’s Top Innovators of 2023 and 2024.

Payal Agrawal Divakaran MBA

Payal Agrawal Divakaran is a Partner at .406 Ventures, where she co-leads the healthcare investing practice. .406 Ventures is a Boston-based venture capital firm with over $1.4B under management. Since its founding in 2005, .406 Ventures has never wavered from its strategy of investing in early-stage enterprise-focused startups in healthcare, data + AI, and cybersecurity. Every member of the firm has deep operating or investing experience in these segments.

.406’s world-class founders and digital health companies are transforming healthcare technology and care delivery. Payal leads .406’s investments in AristaMD, Diana Health, Equip, FamilyWell, Heartbeat Health, Humata Health, Nema Health, Nomad Health, OncoveryCare, and Wellist. She also supports Better Life Partners, Laudio, Redox, Wayspring, and WelbeHealth.

Before joining .406 in 2015, Payal co-founded a company called SpotRocket while at Harvard Business School (HBS). Prior to that, she worked at Eventbrite, Spectrum Equity, and JP Morgan. Payal received her MBA, with distinction, from Harvard Business School, and her BS in electrical engineering and minor in management from MIT. Payal is a Boston native and Boston sports fan. She and her husband and two kids live in Brookline.

Dale Beatty DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAONL, FAAN

Dale Beatty is the Chief Nurse Executive and Senior Vice President at Stanford Health Care, a premier academic health system and the flagship hospital for Stanford University. With twenty-three years of Chief Nurse Executive experience, Dale has advanced high performing organizations and has served on multiple boards. He has extensive experience with ANCC Magnet and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Dale is the Immediate Past President for the Association of California Nurse Leaders; a recipient of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and the University of Illinois’s Leadership Recognition Award for 2015; and the recipient of the UIC College of Nursing Outstanding Alumnus Award for 2021. Dale was also recognized by US News and World Report’s Top 10 Hospital Chief Nursing Officers in 2022. Stanford Medicine is the first and only Sigma Practice Chapter in the world.

Dale has a BSN from Ohio Wesleyan University, an MSN with distinction from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is also board certified as a Nurse Executive Advanced by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and is certified as a Dr. Jean Watson Caring Science, Caritas Coach. Dale is a fellow in both the American Organization for Nursing Leaders (FAONL) and the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN).

Alastair Bell MD, MBA

Alastair Bell oversees the comprehensive system strategy and operations of BMCHS' entities, including BMC, Boston Accountable Care Organization, Clearway Health, and the WellSense Health Plan.

Prior to joining BMCHS in 2012, Alastair was a leader in the North American payor and provider practice at McKinsey and Company, advising a range of national and international healthcare organizations and leading large-scale transformation programs. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Oxford, his Master of Arts in physiology from the University of Cambridge, and his Master of Business Administration with distinction from Harvard Business School. Alastair currently serves as co-chair of the board for the Boston Children’s Chorus.

Steve Bello PA

A veteran health care administrator at Northwell Health, Stephen Bello, PA, is regional  executive director of Northwell Health's Eastern Region (Suffolk County and eastern  Nassau County) where he helps drive strategic, operational and quality initiatives.

He previously served as executive director at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream,  responsible for the day-to-day operations and strategic plans for the 284-bed hospital,  which includes plans to renovate the emergency department. Mr. Bello was also vice president and administrator of Northwell Health Physician Partners, Northwell’s multi specialty group practice of more than 2,300 physicians.

Mr. Bello was integral in expanding the health system’s cardiac services, including helping  to establish South Shore University Hospital’s heart surgery program, and unifying the  cardiac surgery programs of North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center. He began his career at Northwell in 2003 as a cardiothoracic physician assistant at North Shore University Hospital. 

Holding a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, Mr. Bello graduated from the Physicians Assistants Program at Cornell Medical College. He subsequently joined  Winthrop University Hospital as a cardiothoracic physician assistant, and he recently received a Master of Health Care Delivery Science from Dartmouth's Tuck School of  Business.

Gretchen Berlin RN

Gretchen Berlin is a senior partner and leader in McKinsey’s healthcare, public sector, operations, and organization practices, drawing on her in-depth experience in the healthcare industry to serve clients.

A registered nurse by background, Gretchen leads McKinsey’s Federal healthcare work, as well as work on frontline-workforce and clinical transformation topics. She also leads McKinsey’s North America Women & Families initiative.

Heather Brace

Heather Brace is the Chief People Officer for Intermountain Healthcare. She is responsible for Intermountain’s engagement culture for more than 65,000 employees spanning across seven states. Heather has strategic oversight for talent management and development, recruitment, human resources service delivery, total rewards, culture enhancement, learning and development, and integrating diversity and inclusion in the employee culture.

Heather joined Intermountain in 2000 and has had a successful leadership journey. She is a first-generation graduate and is a working mom of two teenage boys. Heather took advantage of programs like tuition reimbursement, daycare, mentoring, and leadership development to support her own career growth, and knows firsthand the importance of how an organization can shape and support an employee’s ambitions and goals. She leads with this perspective in a way to give back to so many who have supported her journey. Since assuming the role of Chief People Officer in August 2018, Heather has overseen large-scale reorganizations of departments and service lines, benefit additions and transformations, and enhancements to the employee experience. 
 
Heather is a champion for employees and places great emphasis on the employee experience. She has created a more transparent culture of listening and action among employees. Under her leadership, Intermountain has expanded employee education opportunities, developed a remote work strategy, created programs like the Intermountain Food Box program, PTO donation, and the Caregiver Assistance Fund to help employees in need, expanded benefits like parental leave and infertility coverage, strengthened partnerships with local Utah businesses, and increased the minimum wage—and much more. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Heather played a critical role in keeping employees working, safe, and well. She created benefits like COVID Pay to help caregivers impacted by COVID-19 illness or school or daycare closures and spearheaded cross-country partnerships with healthcare systems in New York surging with COVID-19 patients. Heather is passionate about empowering leaders and employees at every level to meet their full potential on behalf of Intermountain’s mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible.

Heather received both her Master’s degree in Health Services Administration and Health Promotion and Education, and her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of Utah.

A.G. Breitenstein JD, MPH

A.G. Breitenstein is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Folx Health, the first company to provide customized medical treatment and care specifically for the needs and goals of the queer and trans communities through telemedicine services. AG also serves as a board member of WellSky and previously served on Vim, LetsGetChecked, and Buoy Health. She previously was a co-founder and partner at Optum Ventures and a co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Humedica, serving as Chief Product Officer of Optum Analytics after Optum acquired Humedica in 2013. Prior to Humedica, AG was a director at Leerink Swann, a leading healthcare investment bank. She also co-founded the non-profit Institute for Health Metrics (IHM); served as co-chair of Governor Charlie Baker’s Digital Health Data Working Group; and served as chair of the Massachusetts Work Group on the Privacy of Medical Records. AG began her career as an attorney and as the founding director of the Health Law Institute which focused on the health needs of LGBTQIA+ youth working the streets of Boston.

AG received a MPH from Harvard University, a JD from the University of Connecticut, and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

Gretchen Brown MSN, RN, NEA-BC

Gretchen Brown serves as the Chief Nursing Information Officer at Stanford Health Care. She brings a myriad of experiences, having held significant roles including the implementation of Clinical Inpatient Access, a throughput hub, and acting as an interim Associate Chief Nursing Officer for Inpatient Services. Her leadership expertise encompasses a wide range of areas such as emergency medicine, psychiatry, inpatient services, and the emergency department.

In 2019, Gretchen played a pivotal role in the launch of Stanford Health Care’s state-of-the-art hospital tower. As the primary clinical representative for Patient Care Services, she integrated technology and operations. Furthermore, Gretchen led the initiative to introduce an innovative model of care, Acuity Adaptable care, to Stanford Health Care. This model has since revolutionized care delivery by offering flexible patient-centric care and improving operational efficiency.

Throughout her career, Gretchen has consistently incorporated technology, showcasing her commitment to advancement and innovation. After a successful hospital opening, she began
shifting her attention purely to informatics. Today, Gretchen oversees multidisciplinary initiatives, focusing on enhancing electronic health record systems and managing clinical technology platforms, always with the goal of improving patient care and the workplace for our providers and clinicians.

Karen Clements MSB, MHCDS, RN, FACHE

Karen Clements has over 30 years of experience in healthcare and nursing leadership. She holds master’s degrees in business from Husson University and HealthCare Delivery Science from Dartmouth College. Her experience is rooted in decades of nursing leadership and operational excellence as a Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services.

Karen’s strength in building teams and organizational structure is the foundation of excellence. She is well known for her mentoring and coaching skills that positively impact culture and patient care and improving performance around large scale, complex, multi-dimensional change.

Karen as served on the Board of Governors for the American College of Healthcare Executives and is well versed in the national issues impacting healthcare today.

Karen has successfully led large teams in both a union and non-union environment, most recently as the Chief Nursing Officer of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Northern Light Mercy Hospital. With her strong leadership, these hospitals have maintained a union free environment and strong culture of trust. Karen built her foundation and style of leadership while serving in the Army Nurse Corps and is deeply committed to patient care and employee experience.  

Tanya Content SHRM-CP, PHR

Tanya Content is System Vice President of Talent at UNC Health. A passionate, solutions-oriented leader who utilizes Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, she oversees strategy and planning; project/portfolio management; culture, engagement and retention; service center; and communications. Tanya is driven to mold the future of how HR delivers service to the business by establishing proactive approaches advancing the HR operational model and improving teammate experience. She is committed to developing teams during times of change by establishing trust through integrity and transparency, most recently demonstrated by her work during the pandemic and her leadership of the organization’s people and culture strategy, UNC Health for Me.

With more than 30 years in the healthcare, manufacturing, and engineering industries for domestic and global organizations, Tanya has a proven ability to influence stakeholders and cross-functional teams to drive results and productivity. Tanya is certified as a Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-CP, PHR) and holds a BA in Office Management from Oklahoma Christian University.

Rowell Daniels PharmD, MS, FASHP

Rowell Daniels currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for the University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North Carolina overseeing all acute and ambulatory hospital services. In his 25 years at UNC, Rowell has served in numerous roles including Director of Pharmacy for UNC Hospitals and Executive Associate Dean for the University of North Carolina, Eshelman School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill. Rowell also served as the inaugural System Vice President of Pharmacy Services for the UNC Health Care System. While he’s now moved to a non-pharmacy role, he continues to hold an Associate Professor of Clinical Education title within the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.  

Rowell received his Bachelors and Doctor of Pharmacy Degrees from the University of Georgia. He also completed a two-year specialty residency and Masters degree program in Health System Pharmacy Administration at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics. After his residency training, Rowell worked as Associate Director of Pharmacy at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.  

As the UNC Health Care System Vice President for Pharmacy, Rowell focused on enhancing pharmacy services across the health system to benefit patient care. His other work included the development of a centralized UNC Shared Services Center to help support the strategic pharmacy initiatives of the UNC Health Care System. Under his guidance, the UNC Hospitals, Department of Pharmacy received eight American Society of Health-System Pharmacy Best Practices Awards.    

In his UNC Hospitals COO role, Rowell is responsible for a broad number of clinical and operational areas that span both the inpatient and ambulatory environments across a number of campuses. As an advocate for improving operational excellence to support staff and providers and the patients they serve, Rowell’s areas of practice interest include disciplined execution, transitions of care, enhanced clinical practice models, performance improvement, health care finance, and promoting the growth of staff through personal development plans. 

Tim Darling MBA

Tim Darling is a co-founder of Laudio and also serves at President for Laudio Insights. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare technology, Tim has a passion for using data and analytics to serve the challenges facing healthcare organizations.

Prior to Laudio, Tim was on the leadership team of a healthcare education analytics company and also spent seven years as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. Tim holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon and BS degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Sondra Davis MSM, SHRM-SCP

Sondra Davis serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer for North Mississippi Health Services. She is responsible for managing recruitment, retention, education, employee health, compensation, and benefits for the organization’s employees.

Sondra previously worked at Centura Health System in Denver, Colorado, where she served as Regional Vice President for Human Resources for the Denver and Mountain markets, comprised of nine hospitals and numerous freestanding emergent/urgent care centers, outpatient centers, and provider practices. She previously served as Vice President for Human Resources with Harnett Health System, based in Dunn, North Carolina, where she also provided leadership for several operational and support services in addition to her human resources scope.

Sondra has more than 20 years of experience in varied settings, with most of that experience in rural healthcare markets. A native of Colorado, she spent more than 15 years living and working in North Carolina and Georgia. Sondra holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs, and a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Troy University in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Sondra is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources by the Human Resources Certification Institute, and has a history of strong involvement in her professional organizations and communities.

CJ Floros

CJ Floros is a co-founder, Chief Operating Officer, and board member at Laudio. He has spent more than a decade focused on operationalizing the delivery of solutions that result in long-term, sustainable outcomes in healthcare.

Prior to Laudio, CJ was Chief Development Officer at APS, a platform used by more than 30% of healthcare executives to identify potential clinical risk. CJ has over 20 years in leadership roles covering business and corporate development and finance. He is a recognized thought leader speaking frequently at industry conferences and associations, as well as webinars. He has successfully provided leadership to early stage and middle market companies, resulting in top and bottom-line growth from inception to exit. He started his career as an audit and assurance accountant at Deloitte.

CJ has a BS in Accounting and Finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.

Mridul Ganesh MBA

Mridul Ganesh is a co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Laudio, responsible for designing and building the Laudio platform. Mridul has over a decade of experience creating digital healthcare products in different contexts, helping health systems make better strategic decisions, enabling businesses to provide high-quality healthcare benefits to their employees, improving healthcare quality through better education, and now at Laudio, empowering healthcare leaders to drive organizational outcomes. He thrives on the creative process of finding simple solutions to complex problems.

Mridul started his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. He has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Daniel Gross DNSc, MSN, RN

Daniel L. Gross (Dan) served as a progressive healthcare leader with four decades of healthcare experience. His career predominately was at Sharp HealthCare (Sharp) in San Diego, California. Sharp is a nationally recognized $5B net revenue, not-for-profit integrated health care delivery system. For the past 14 years Dan served as the health system Executive Vice President. Dan's key responsibilities included oversight of Sharp’s four acute care hospitals, three specialty hospitals, Clinical Effectiveness, Global Patient Services, Government Relations, Strategic Campus/Facility Development, and Physician Services.

Dan began his career at Sharp in 1979 as a clinical nurse at Sharp Memorial Hospital.  Over the years, he served as Clinical Nurse IV, Director of Patient Care Services, Regional Director of Critical Care, Regional Director of Patient Care Services, and System Vice President of Clinical Services. Prior to his role as Executive Vice President, Dan was Chief Executive Officer of the Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus for 11 years where he had oversight of three hospitals, an outpatient surgery center, home care services, and two senior centers.

Dan is a past member of the American Hospital Association (AHA) Board of Trustees, California Hospital Association (CHA) Board of Directors, Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties (HASD&IC) Board of Directors, California Health Care Foundation Board of Directors, American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Board of Directors, Trauma Care Association of America, San Diego Senior Community Board of Directors, and San Diego Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Dan serves as adjunct faculty for San Diego State University (SDSU), University of San Diego (USD), and University of California at San Diego. Dan has served as an advisor to San Diego Connect, Crisi Medical Systems, Orbis Education, Launch Factory, Laudio, and other businesses.

Dan's awards and honors are numerous and include the SDSU Alumnus of Distinction Award from the College of Health and Human Services and the USD Author E. Hughes Career Achievement Award. In 2002, Dan was named the American Heart Association Volunteer of the Year, and in 2003, he was named the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by Independence Community College, Kansas.  In 1998, 2007, and 2011, Dan received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial County.  He was also the recipient of the California Health Foundation and Trust 2010 Walker-Sullivan Health Care Fellowship.  In 2012, Dan received the CHA’s Award of Merit, and in 2017, he received the AHA’s Board of Trustees Award.  

Dan has and continues to serve on numerous boards, is a seasoned speaker and lecturer, and is engaged in numerous local and national mentoring relationships. His advisory work has also included working with organizations bringing new products and business opportunities to market.  

Dan received his Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Wichita State University, his Master of Science in Nursing Administration from San Diego State University, and his Doctor of Nursing Science from University of San Diego.

Kelly Hancock DNP, RN, NE-BC, FAAN

K. Kelly Hancock is the first-ever Executive Vice President and Chief Caregiver Officer at Cleveland Clinic and the holder of the Rich Family Chief Caregiver Chair. Kelly leads strategic development and implementation of all aspects of caregiver engagement for Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000+ caregivers, both in the United States and internationally with a focus on enhancing the health system’s unique team-based culture. She advises in areas such as leadership, coaching, employee relations, talent acquisition, compensation, organizational design and change, performance management, learning development, and more. She also oversees daily operations for the human resources and nursing teams. 

Previously, Kelly was Executive Chief Nursing Officer for Cleveland Clinic health system and Chief Nursing Officer for the main campus, a dual role she held for nine years. She has served Cleveland Clinic health system, its patients, and communities for over three decades. 

Besides earning her Master of Science and Bachelor of Science in nursing from Ursuline College’s Breen School of Nursing, she holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Chamberlain College of Nursing. She is a member of the Fellows of the American Academy  of Nursing. She is also a board-certified Nurse Executive through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, and the Honor Society of Nursing – Sigma Theta Tau International. 

Kelly serves on numerous boards and committees and has received many awards and honors, including the Becker’s Hospital Review 84+ Chief Human Resource Officers and Chief People Officers To Know 2024, Saint Joseph Academy 2023 Medaille Shield Award Honoree, Smart Business 2022 Smart Women Awards Progressive Woman Award Honoree, LinkedIn Top Voices in Frontline Healthcare, 50+ Hospital and Health System CNOs to Know, Crain’s Cleveland Business 2018 Notable Women in Healthcare, and the Ursuline College Distinguished Nursing Alumnae Award. 

John Howard MD, MPH, JD, LLM, MBA

John Howard is the Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Administrator of the World Trade Center Health Program in the US Department of Health and Human Services.

John was first appointed NIOSH Director in 2002 during the George W. Bush Administration and served in that position until 2008.

In 2009, John worked as a consultant with the US-Afghanistan Health Initiative. In September of 2009, John was again appointed NIOSH Director. He was reappointed for a third six-year term in 2015, and a fourth term in 2021.

Prior to his appointments as NIOSH Director and WTC Health Program Administrator, John served as Chief of the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the State of California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency from 1991 through 2002.

John earned a Doctor of Medicine from Loyola University of Chicago; a Master of Public Health from the Harvard University School of Public Health; a Doctor of Law from the University of California at Los Angeles; and a Master of Law in Administrative Law and Economic Regulation, and a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management, both degrees from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

John is board-certified in internal medicine and occupational medicine. He is admitted to the practice of medicine and law in the State of California and in the District of Columbia, and he is a member of the US Supreme Court bar. He has written numerous articles on occupational health, policy, and law.

Qualenta Kivett JD

Qualenta Kivett is the Executive Vice President and Chief People and Talent Officer of Tampa General Hospital System. Qualenta is responsible for leading Tampa General Hospital’s human resources department, where she focuses on the voice of team members and an evidence-based strategy to provide support and enhance engagement. Before joining Tampa General, Qualenta served as the Market Vice President, Human Resources, and Chief Human Resources Officer for CHI St. Vincent, a multi-hospital health system located in central Arkansas, a part of the CommonSpirit Health System. Prior to that role, she worked at Medical University South Carolina as the Associate Chief People Officer, responsible for not only Human Resources, but also HR mergers, acquisitions, growth, and integration.
 
Qualenta earned her JD degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock-William H. Bowen School of Law after receiving BA degrees in Spanish and Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Matt Kurth

Matt is the Deputy Chief People Officer for Northwell Health. In this role, Matt leads the HR Enablement & Operations function and has additional responsibilities related to the design and implementation of strategic HR and people-related initiatives. This includes further advancing the overall HR operating model to help ensure the success of our ambitious people strategy and guiding the continued development and coordination of our HR teams.

Since joining Northwell in 2016, Matt has served in various HR leadership roles, overseeing areas such as project management, change management, career and performance development, and most recently, operations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he oversaw significant aspects of Northwell’s response to staffing and many other team member-related impacts, including coordination of our team member vaccination operation. Throughout his eight years with Northwell, he has led cross-functional teams amid challenging and evolving conditions.

Before joining Northwell, Matt spent seven years as a human capital services consultant for Baker Tilly, providing consulting expertise to Northwell and other organizations across various industries. Matt holds a Master of Business Administration degree in strategic HR management from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and he is a recent graduate of Northwell's High Potential development program.

Travis Mills

On April 10, 2012, United States Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills of the 82nd Airborne was critically injured on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan by an IED (improvised explosive device). As a result of the blast Travis suffered the loss of both arms and both legs. He is one of only five quadruple amputees from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Enduring a grueling rehabilitation program, Travis committed himself not only to recovery, but to fatherhood and to giving back to the veteran community any way he could.

In September 2013, Travis and his wife Kelsey founded the Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit organization formed to benefit and assist post 9/11 veterans who have been injured in active duty or as a result of their service to our nation. Critical to the foundation’s mission is for the veteran’s family to be included, not just the vet. Through the foundation, the veteran and their family receive an all-inclusive, all-expenses paid, barrier-free vacation to Maine where they spend time with Travis and his family, and participate in adaptive activities, bond with other veteran families, and enjoy much- needed rest and relaxation in Maine’s great outdoors.

Travis’s story has been featured extensively on local and national news including The Ellen DeGeneres Show, NBC, CBS, Fox News, The O’Reilly Factor, CNN and countless other outlets.

Joseph Mitchell MD

Joseph Mitchell is the President of Franciscan Children’s. He also serves as an Executive Vice President at Boston Children’s Hospital. 

Before joining Franciscan Children’s, Joseph was a partner with McKinsey & Co in Boston for 14 years. During that time, he worked with a variety of clients across healthcare, focusing on healthcare providers. He served as one of the leaders of the North American healthcare provider practice.

Joseph trained in the Harvard Urology residency program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and completed an NIH research fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He earned his MD from Washington University in St. Louis after graduating from Stanford University with a degree in history.  

Joseph served on the Franciscan Children’s Board for three years before becoming the organization’s president. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston and previously on the Board of the March of Dimes in Massachusetts.

Deb Muro

As the CIO for El Camino Health, Deb Muro has transformed and improved the consumer and patient experience through innovative and creative partnerships in the Silicon Valley.   With more than 25 years of combined nursing, clinical, healthcare and technology experience, Deb has held various healthcare IT leadership positions focused on the delivery and realization of premier technology solutions and best practices.  Deb has served at the executive level within health care organizations leading enterprise wide digital transformation spanning multiple acute care hospitals, outpatient facilities, ambulatory clinics and community networks.   In her current role at El Camino, she is responsible for leading technology strategy, digital experience, innovation, information services, clinical engineering, and cybersecurity while re-defining services and products to meet today’s unique healthcare environment.       

Ms. Muro holds a Bachelor in Science Nursing Degree from Baylor University and a Master of Science Degree in Human Relations and Business from Amber University.   Deb received the HMG Strategy 2023 Global Leadership Institute Award, Becker’s Healthcare “100 Community Hospital CIOs to Know” and an Orbie Awards “Bay Area CIO” and Iowa Technology Association “Women of Innovation” Award” finalist.  

Rosanne Raso DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, FAONL

Rosanne Raso is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Nursing Management, a trusted resource for frontline leaders with a global circulation, and is a member of the Core Leadership Team of the Marian K. Shaughnessy Nurse Leadership Academy. Previously she was the Chief Nursing Officer for the Magnet-designated NewYork-Presbyterian’s Weill Cornell campus, a top-ten hospital in the United States, the Chief Integration Officer for NYU Langone-Brooklyn, and the Nurse Executive at Lenox Hill Hospital. As an experienced nurse executive, Rosanne is a national leader in improving the practice environment for staff, enhancing patient safety, and advancing nurse leadership.

Rosanne's contributions to nursing are numerous. Rosanne authors rousing monthly editorials and has over 150 publications with over 500 citations. She was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in November 2018 and as a fellow of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) in January 2021, and was recently elected to AONL’s board. Rosanne's ongoing published research is primarily regarding relational leadership and healthy work environments.

Rosanne graduated from Staten Island Community College and began her nursing career as a critical care nurse. She earned her BSN from the State University of New York at Albany, an MS in nursing from Wagner College in Staten Island, and her DNP from Case Western Reserve University. She was the Chief Nursing Officer for over 20 years in several hospitals in the New York metro area. With her extensive experience in nursing and nurse leadership, she has lectured throughout New York, the United States, and internationally.

Throughout her career Rosanne has received numerous awards and recognitions including the Partner in Patient Safety award from Precision Dynamics Corporation and Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare, a New York State Legislation Resolution for her nursing leadership from State Senator Golden, the Phoenix Award from the New York Organization for Nursing Leadership (NYONL), a New York State Nurse of Distinction Award from The New York Hospital, and Lifetime Membership from the New York City Chapter of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).

Rosanne is an adjunct professor for Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. She was the co-founder and past President of the Brooklyn Nursing Partnership, a collaboration of education and practice leaders focused on increasing nursing capacity in Kings County, NY. Rosanne is a past President of NYONL, the New York City Chapter AACN and the Greater New York Nassau Suffolk chapter of NYONL. She has been appointed to committees of AONL, the American Academy of Nursing and AACN.

Rosanne's board work includes Nurses Education Funds Inc. (NEF), a national non-profit organization dedicated to furthering graduate nursing education. She has created an NEF scholarship in perpetuity in memory of her brother, Philip D. Raso.

Joel Ray COL, USAF, NC, MSN, RN, NEA-BC

Joel Ray has over 40 years of nursing experience. Previously, Joel was the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at UNC Rex Healthcare. While under his guidance, the hospital received its 4th Magnet designation, CMS 5 Star, and Leapfrog A ratings. UNC Rex was also recognized by Nursejournel.org as one of the top hospitals in the country for nurses to work.

Before joining UNC, Joel served 26 years in the US Air Force Nurse Corps, retiring with the rank of Colonel, and earning numerous military awards and decorations. Additionally Joel has received the Triangle Business Journal Health Care Hero Award and Veterans Award in 2018. Joel has a BSN from Arkansas State University, MSN from Arizona State University, and holds a Nurse Executive Advanced board certification from the American Nursing Credentialing Center.

Cheryl Reinking DNP, RN, NEA-BC, DipACLM

Cheryl Reinking has been with El Camino Health for 35 years. Cheryl has served in numerous positions in her career including clinical nurse, case manager, clinical manager, nursing director and vice chief of clinical operations before becoming the enterprise Chief Nursing Officer in 2013.

In her role of CNO, Cheryl oversees the nursing division with over 2000 nurses and support staff. Cheryl is the Chair of the Pathways Home Health and Hospice Board of Directors. She also serves on the board for the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation and on the advisory board for the Illinois Wesleyan University School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Cheryl is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, American Organization of Nurse Executives, and the Association of California Nurse Leaders.

Under Cheryl’s leadership, El Camino Health earned its fourth consecutive Magnet designation, and is only one of two hospitals in the region to achieve this honor. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Cheryl led El Camino Health's incident command center.

Cheryl received the Silicon Valley Women of Influence Award in 2013, TWIN award in 2011, and The Distinguished Alumni Award from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2017. Cheryl completed a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) in December 2020 at University of San Francisco.

Russ Richmond MD

Russ Richmond is Chief Executive Officer and a co-founder of Laudio, where he is also Chair of the Board. He is a physician entrepreneur with experience building digital health companies such as Laudio, Advanced Practice Strategies, Objective Health, Verisk Health, and D2Hawkeye, as well as counseling large payers and health systems while with McKinsey & Co.

In addition to his role as CEO at Laudio, Russ also serves on the Mass General Brigham AI Fund Investment Committee. He completed his internship in internal medicine and pediatrics at the University of Michigan, earned his MD from the University of Cincinnati, and earned a BS in Biology from the University of Michigan. Russ lives in Newton, MA with his wife and three children.

Betty Jo Rocchio DNP, RN, CRNA, CENP, EBP-C

Betty Jo Rocchio has served as Mercy’s Senior Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive since October 2020. Previously, she was the Chief Nursing Optimization Officer beginning in April 2018. Betty Jo joined Mercy in August 2013 as Vice President of perioperative services. Prior to joining Mercy, Betty Jo held several leadership positions in the Mount Carmel Health System in Columbus, Ohio. These included Chief Nurse Anesthetist, System Director of Surgical Services, and Vice President of Nursing and Chief Nursing Officer.  

Betty Jo has a passion and drive toward technology and analytics to assist nursing and clinical teams in patient care to drive optimal outcomes. She understands that collaboration in the industry, often outside of healthcare, produces unrivaled impact. Clinical innovation produces results when applied to solving healthcare’s biggest problems. In her tenure at Mercy, she has worked with a software company to co-develop an automated inventory management system to reduce nurse workload while adopting scanning technology to improve efficiency in an operating room. She has also collaborated to achieve HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) Stage 7 status with the development of a perioperative dashboard driving reduction in variation in the surgical patient with Epic data sets. Betty Jo has launched a nursing workforce strategy that includes matching patient demand and a “GIG” nursing workforce with a modern-nurse focused company that has the platform to support efficient and effective deployment for the flexible needs of a multi-generational workforce. Most recently, she has focused on AI to support the changing needs of the clinical workforce in her top initiatives: workforce, workflows, and work environment.

Betty Jo holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and an associate in business administration from the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Steubenville, Ohio. She started her career in direct patient care as a registered nurse (RN) in the intensive care unit; returned to school to become a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) and at the same time earned her master’s degree in health sciences at LaRoche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Betty Jo holds certifications in executive nurse practice (CENP) from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and evidence-based practice (EBP-C) from the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute of Evidence-based Practice in Nursing and Healthcare at The Ohio State University. Most currently, she obtained a doctor in nursing practice (DNP) in the nurse executive track at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Betty Jo is an accomplished speaker and has written publications in support of nursing practice and operations, technology, supply chain, and analytics. 

Bill Santulli

Bill Santulli's accountabilities include a $15.4B operating budget and a delivery system in the eastern third of Wisconsin and Chicagoland that includes 27 hospitals, over 400 clinics/ambulatory sites, and the region’s leading post acute service. He helped to lead the integration of Advocate Aurora when the organization was formed in April 2018. Bill has been a leader within Advocate Health for 22 years with more than 35 years of healthcare leadership experience.

Previously, Bill served as Chief Operating Officer of Advocate for 19 years and during his first two years with Advocate as President of Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.

Prior to coming to Chicago, Bill held executive roles at New England Medical Center in Boston, Iowa Health System in Des Moines, UniHealth America in Los Angeles, and Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Washington.

Bill currently serves as the Chair of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He also serves on the boards of Renovo Solutions and Movn Health. In 2018 he served as Chair of the Illinois Hospital Association, a board he served on from 2012 – 2022.

Bill has a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from the University of Minnesota, a Master’s Degree in Sociology/Health Services Research from the University of Florida, a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, and is an ACHE Fellow.

Bill and his wife Liz reside in Hinsdale, Illinois. They have five children and seven grandchildren.

Rosemary Sheehan

Rosemary Sheehan serves as the EVP and Chief People Officer for Hartford HealthCare,  which is Connecticut's most comprehensive health care network and largest private  employer. With nearly 500 locations serving 185 towns and cities — includes two tertiary level teaching hospitals, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital  and trauma center, three community hospitals, a behavioral health network, a  multispecialty physician group, a clinical care organization, a regional home care system, an  array of senior care services, a mobile neighborhood health program and a comprehensive  physical therapy and rehabilitation network. 

Ms. Sheehan oversees HHC’s people strategies and the teams and work focused on  patient/customer experience, colleague engagement, organizational development, colleague  and provider talent acquisition, university relations, talent management and development, colleague benefits and services; rewards and recognition, well-being, human resources  operations, health equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging, project management, and  continuous performance improvement. 

Prior to HHC, Ms. Sheehan served as the CHRO for Mass General Brigham, an integrated  healthcare system comprised of 12 hospitals and 4 physician organizations, Healthcare at  Home and Mass General Brigham Health Plan. Mass General Brigham is the largest private  employer in Massachusetts with 82,000 employees and a complex labor environment  consisting of 29 bargaining units.  

In this role Ms. Sheehan led Mass General Brigham’s overall human resources strategy,  talent acquisition, leadership development, diversity and inclusion, organizational design  and cultural development, employee education and development, compensation and  benefits, HR operations and technology, employee relations and labor strategy. As CHRO,  she transformed the function, culture, and impact of HR across the system in support of its  business goals and strategies as well as the needs and aspirations of its employees across  the system.  

Prior to her role as the CHRO of MGB, Ms. Sheehan served as the Vice President of Revenue  Cycle Operations (RCO) at MGB, which processed gross patient service revenue of over $13 billion and cash collections of $6 billion for all Hospitals. In addition to her operational role,  she was the Executive Director of the Partners eCare project, responsible for implementing  and governing Epic’s revenue and clinical system across MGB. 

For over thirty years, she has served in a variety of leadership roles in healthcare including,  among others, as the Executive Director of the Professional Billing Office of the  Massachusetts General Physicians Organization. She has also served in leadership roles at  Caritas Norwood Hospital in Norwood, MA. Ms. Sheehan has extensive experience in  healthcare revenue cycle operations, staff development and leadership, new business  development, regulatory compliance, and complex project management.  

Ms. Sheehan earned her BA degree in Chemistry at Assumption University, and her MBA in  Management at Babson College. She also serves as the Chair of the Board of Big Brothers  Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts and a proud Big Sister.

Mark Slyter DSc, FACHE

During Mark Slyter’s 27-year career, he has achieved progressive healthcare experience at leading health systems and hospitals including Dignity Health, Phoenix, AZ, General Health System, Baton Rouge, LA, Mississippi Baptist Health Systems, Jackson, MS, Baptist Health System, Jacksonville, FL, and Greenville Hospital System, Greenville, SC. Mark has a traditional career progression as the executive operations leader in small (56-bed), medium (146-bed), and large (651 bed) hospitals, including ACS Level I Trauma, and then advancing to serve as the CEO in multi- hospital, tertiary, and academic health systems. Mark has developed and led statewide Integrated Delivery Networks as large as 9,000 physicians, 200 facilities, 72,000 commercial lives, and 270,000 Medicaid lives.

Janet Tomcavage MSN, RN

Janet Tomcavage currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Nurse Executive for Geisinger Health. In this role, she has accountability for Geisinger’s Nursing Institute including strategic planning, nursing practice, professional development, research, education partnerships, risk adjustment, and well-being. This includes aligning nursing services across the care continuum and testing new nursing care models in both the inpatient and ambulatory space. In addition, Janet leads care management, Geisinger at Home, and the organization’s efforts focused on advancing illness.

Janet has spent her career focusing on population health initiatives that drive transformation to support the Triple Aim. Geisinger’s ProvenHealth Navigator was an industry leader in redesigning primary care and embedding care management services directly alongside primary care providers. More recently, she led the first efforts to address social determinants of health including food insecurity and transportation and developed hospital system changes related to post-acute utilization. Her current work extends those models in the delivery of new care team models in the home that supports clinical, social, and palliative care services for the most vulnerable populations.  

Janet earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bloomsburg State College and her Master of Science in Nursing from Misericordia University. She has co-authored many publications on patient-centered primary care, diabetes, case management, and the expanded role of nursing in healthcare. Janet has lectured nationally on successfully driving transformation within healthcare and leveraging population health to achieve high quality and affordable healthcare.

Janet was the first nurse at Geisinger to win the Pennsylvania Nightingale Award for clinical excellence in an advanced nursing role in 1994. She is an active member and has served in various leadership roles in the American Nurse Association, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Alliance of Community Health Plans, the American Hospital Association’s post-acute work team, and the CMS Executive Leadership Council of the Strategic Innovation Engine. 

Michael Vaccaro DNP, RN, BSN, MHA/MBA, CENP

Michael Vaccaro currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Nursing for Novant Health and the Chief Nursing Officer for Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center. Michael has responsibility for Novant Health’s inpatient acute care nursing.

Prior to his role of senior vice president, Michael served as the VP Market Chief Nursing Officer for Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center, Novant Health Matthews Medical Center, Novant Health Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital, Novant Brunswick Medical Center and Novant Health Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket medical Center. In this role he supported nursing operations across Novant Health with a focus on patient safety, quality initiatives and outcomes, project management, financial management, staff and patient experience.

Prior to his role of vice president of nursing for Novant Health, Michael served 7 years as the senior director of nursing for Women’s and Children’s services at Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center.  He was responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and supporting the strategic plans for Presbyterian Women’s Center and Presbyterian Hemby Children’s Hospital. Michael led many initiatives that improved the overall experience patients and families receive when they enter Presbyterian’s doors.  He worked collaboratively with clinical and support areas of the hospital, focusing on all aspects of the healthcare experience.  

Michael previously served as the nurse manager of pediatric services at Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital.  He began his career as a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit at Presbyterian Hemby Children’s Hospital after receiving his Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  He also completed a dual master’s degree in healthcare administration and business administration from Pfeiffer University. He is certified in Executive Nursing Practice through AONE, American Organization of Nurse Executives. He recently received his Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

Michael is an active member of the Charlotte community, serving on the executive board for the Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte.  He is also involved in the North Carolina Nurses Association. In February, Michael was awarded the 2019 UNC-Charlotte School of Nursing Alumni Chapter Distinguished Alumni Award.  He is also the recipient of NCNA’s Nurse Leader of the year in 2012 and was one of Charlotte Business’s Journal 40 under 40 in 2013.  He is a graduate of Disney Institute’s service excellence program, where he focused on development of organizational culture and customer satisfaction.  His community involvement also includes being a graduate of the second class of the Community Building Initiative Leaders Under 40 class.  

Michael and his wife, Marian (who is also a nurse), have two children, Ella and Nolan.  In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, running and doing triathlons.  

Kelly Vaughn MSN, RN

Kelly Vaughn serves as the Chief Nursing Officer for Nebraska Medicine. As part of this role, Kelly is a member of the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors.

Kelly began her career as a certified nursing assistant in 1998, moving on to staff nurse positions at Nebraska Medical Center. In 2009, Kelly moved into leadership as an associate nurse manager for the Adult Progressive Care Unit. She went on to manage the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, and later Endoscopy Services before assuming the role of Surgical Services Director in 2015. She most recently served as Vice President of Operations, leading Bellevue Medical Center.

Kelly earned both her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Janice Walker DHA, MBA-HCM, BSN,RN, NEA-BC

Janice Walker is Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for the Southeast Region of Advocate Health and is responsible for providing strategic leadership for all nursing and other designated patient care functions and services for Atrium Health, which comprises the entirety of Advocate Health’s Southeast Region. Janice joined Advocate Health in 2024. Her previous experience includes System Chief Nursing & Chief Operating roles at Baylor Scott & White Health (BSW) and Texas Health Presbyterian in Texas, Freeman Neosho Hospital in Missouri, Slidell Memorial Hospital in Louisiana, and National Park Medical Center (Tenet) in Hot Springs, Arkansas. 

Janice is a national speaker on topics such as clinical recruitment & retention modules, transformational nursing leadership traits, service bundle care to increase patient satisfaction, and driving quality through accreditation programs to promote care of at-risk population patients. Janice’s work has been published on driving to zero patient harm, tactics for strong candidate-centric nursing recruitment and retention, workplace violence, interdisciplinary team dialogue, driving service scores through such programs as open visitation, hard-wiring service, and patient advocacy service councils.

Janice holds a Master of Business Administration – Healthcare Management, a doctorate degree in Health Care Administration focused on executive female healthcare leadership traits, and is a Johnson & Johnson Wharton Fellow.

Michele Zanini

Michele Zanini is the co-founder of the Management Lab, a firm dedicated to developing knowledge, technology, and tools to support breakthrough management innovation. The goal: to help large organizations become more daring, resilient, creative, and inspiring places to work.

Michele is co-author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling book, Humanocracy: Creating Organizations as Amazing as the People Inside Them, and his work frequently appears on the pages of the Harvard Business Review, the Financial Times, the McKinsey Quarterly, Fast Company, and Fortune.

As an advisor, Michele has led change initiatives in many of the world’s most admired companies. He helps clients build break-out strategies and enlarge their entrepreneurial and creative edge.