Larissa Africa MBA, RN, CENP, FAONL, FAAN

Larissa Africa is a healthcare executive, strategist, and nationally recognized nurse leader known for driving organizational growth, workforce innovation, and transformational change across the healthcare industry.

She currently serves as VP of Healthcare Workforce Solutions at Ascend Learning where she leads strategic initiatives focused on workforce readiness, leadership development, and technology solutions.

Previously, Larissa served as President/ CEO of Versant Healthcare Competency Solutions, a national provider of nurse residency programs. She led the organization through strategic growth, successfully positioning the company for acquisition.

Larissa is widely published, presents internationally, and cofounded two nonprofit organizations, including SoloVeri, where she currently serves as CEO. She serves as a Deputy Editor of The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing and participates actively on several national boards and professional committees alongside interprofessional healthcare leaders.

Larissa is a Fellow of both the American Academy of Nursing and the American Organization for Nursing Leadership.

Katie Beach

As Vice President of People Operations, Katie is focused on understanding Nebraska Medicine’s strategic priorities and aligning people strategies to ensure the attraction, retention, and development of the talent needed for long-term success.

Today, Katie leads a dynamic team of 60+ professionals, all dedicated to delivering strategic workforce solutions. Her team drives key initiatives across Total Rewards, Wellbeing, Talent Acquisition & Sourcing, Employee Experience, Career Navigation, and Advisory Services. Prior to her time at Nebraska Medicine, Katie began her career in recruitment and leadership consulting before transitioning into human resources leadership in the manufacturing industry, where she spent nine years.

Katie holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications, with a concentration in Public Relations and Advertising, from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She’s certified through the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Executive Education Chief Human Capital Office Program, Society of Human Resources Management as a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and Strategic Workforce Planning Certification from the Human Capital Institute. 

Lisa Bodell

As epic change tests us daily, every leader and organization must urgently create new capacity – to adapt, to think, and to act on the work and priorities that actually matter. Easier said than done. People are drowning in the work of work and leaders are handcuffed by conflicting expectations and other hurdles. To meet this challenge, Lisa Bodell, the globally recognized expert and bestselling author of Why Simple Wins and Kill the Company, helps organizations fix what’s broken with work and leadership – the things that get in the way of building capacity and thriving in this environment.

Using her expertise, organizations and leaders are eliminating unnecessary complexity, restoring clarity, and creating the capacity leaders and teams need to perform, innovate, and thrive. Lisa is a trusted, non-threatening disruptor who shows organizations how to stop reacting to chaos and start redesigning how work actually gets done. She also helps leaders reclaim focus, lead with clarity, and replace burnout with momentum – so leadership becomes real again, not performative.

Lisa is the founder and CEO of FutureThink, a global innovation and simplification firm that partners with organizations such as Google, Netflix, Pfizer, SAP, AT&T, Citigroup, and the U.S. Department of National Intelligence. Since founding FutureThink in 2003, she has helped organizations challenge outdated models, eliminate friction, and simplify work in ways that drive speed, engagement, and sustained performance.

A bestselling author known for challenging the status quo while making change feel practical and human, Lisa encourages leaders to stop fixing people to do more work – and start fixing work to better fit people. Through powerful stories, interactive experiences, and real-world tools like “Kill a Stupid Rule,” she helps organizations turn clarity into action.

Lisa’s passion for simplicity is deeply personal. Raised in a family environment marked by instability and unpredictability, she learned early how to survive chaos – skills that fueled her success but eventually led to burnout. That experience shaped her belief that the answer isn’t learning to manage chaos, but eliminating it altogether. This perspective resonates strongly with leaders navigating relentless change and impossible expectations.

A sought-after keynote speaker ranked among the world’s Top 50, Lisa delivers high-impact talks that inspire leaders to lead with clarity, courage, and focus. Her work spans leadership transformation, simplification in times of upheaval, and reimagining innovation in an AI-powered world – always emphasizing that technology should amplify human thinking, not replace it.

Lisa began her career at Leo Burnett after earning her business degree from the University of Michigan, where she learned to merge strategic rigor with bold ideas. She has taught innovation at American University and Fordham University, delivered a popular TED talk, and serves on advisory boards including the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council and the Association of Professional Futurists.

Lisa Bodell doesn’t just talk about change – she helps organizations fix what’s broken, simplify what matters most, and build leaders and cultures ready for the future.

Heather Brace

Heather Brace is the Chief People Officer for Intermountain Health. 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 first-hand 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 enhancing 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 spearheading 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.

Ashley Carlucci DNP, MHA, CEN, CENP

ADr. Ashley M. Carlucci, DNP, MHA, RN, CEN, CENP serves as System Chief Nurse Executive at Allegheny Health Network (AHN), an integrated academic health system and subsidiary of Highmark Health. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for more than 6,000 nurses across AHN’s hospitals, ambulatory settings, and clinical service lines, advancing nursing practice, workforce strategy, and care delivery across the enterprise.

Known for her collaborative and relationship based leadership style, Dr. Carlucci is committed to building strong teams, developing leaders, and aligning nursing strategy with broader organizational goals. Her work focuses on advancing professional practice, fostering innovation in care delivery, and strengthening workforce sustainability while positioning nursing as a central driver of organizational excellence and patient outcomes.

A nationally recognized nurse executive and published author, Dr. Carlucci has presented at leading national forums, including the American Organization for Nursing Leadership, the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American Association for Physician Leadership, and Premier’s Breakthroughs Conference. Her writing has appeared in Nurse Leader, Nursing Management, Healthcare Executive, and Management in Healthcare, where she has explored topics such as self leadership, emotional intelligence, and collaborative care models.

In addition to her executive work, Dr. Carlucci has contributed to civic, healthcare, and nonprofit boards, reflecting a longstanding commitment to community leadership and service.

Dr. Carlucci is committed to elevating the voice of nurses, engaging frontline caregivers in shaping the future of care, and advancing nursing leadership as a driver of exceptional human caring.

Phillip Chang MD

As Chief Medical and Quality Officer, Dr. Chang is accountable for all aspects of providing, tracking, and measuring high-quality and safe care across the CommonSpirit Health ministry. He’s data-driven and has a proven track record of elevating quality and safety within complex healthcare systems. He’s focused on implementing evidence-based clinical standards across CommonSpirit and reducing variation. He also works in partnership with physician and advanced practice leadership to oversee physician and APP wellness, engagement, and professional development across the continuum.

Prior to joining CommonSpirit, Dr. Chang served as the Senior Vice President, Chief Medical and Quality Officer at Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, Texas. In this role, Dr. Chang helped lead the strategic direction and operational management of the organization’s enterprise-wide quality and safety programs, as well as the resources that support clinical quality and measurable excellence in patient safety.

Dr. Chang trained as a trauma and general surgeon and dedicated many years to operating room leadership as Operating Room Director, Vice Chair of Surgery for Operations, and Division Chief of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. In 2016, he transitioned out of the operating room and into a System Chief Medical Officer role at UK HealthCare at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Chang earned his medical degree at Eastern Virginia Medical School and a Master of Business Administration from Gatton College of Economics and Business in Lexington, Ky. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

Dr. Chang serves on the Vizient Quality and Accountability Steering Committee and is the Chair-Elect to the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Chief Medical Officers (CMO) Group Steering Committee. He has been recognized twice by Becker’s Hospital Review as one of “100 Hospital and Health System CMOs to Know, ” and most recently was recognized as one of Becker’s “55 Safety Experts to Know.”

Amanda Cresswell MSN, BSN, RN, NEA-BC

Amanda Creswell is a senior nursing executive with enterprise-level leadership experience spanning quality, safety, care delivery, and system strategy. She provides strategic oversight for nursing excellence, professional development, research, and inpatient care management, driving systemwide improvements in patient outcomes, workforce engagement, and operational performance. 

Ms. Creswell is recognized for leading large-scale transformation initiatives, including care model redesign, enterprise standardization, hospital operations, and workforce pipeline expansion. She has successfully advanced system throughput and care coordination strategies, reduced variability in practice, and strengthened nursing research and innovation, achieving significant gains in scholarly productivity and organizational performance. 

A collaborative and data-driven leader, Ms. Creswell is committed to high reliability, regulatory excellence, and digital innovation, aligning nursing strategies with broader organizational goals to delivery high-quality, patient=centered care. She is currently serving as Geisinger's Interim Chief Nursing Executive, providing executive leadership to align nursing strategy with organizational priorities and performance outcomes. 

Tammy Daniel DNP, MA, RN, NEA-BC

Tammy Daniel, DNP, MA, RN, NEA-BC, joined Baptist Health System in 2007.  She has worked at Baptist Medical Center South as the VP of Patient Care, Baptist Jacksonville as the Nurse Executive and VP of Patient Care, and in December 2018 she was appointed EVP and CNO for the Baptist Health System. Dr. Daniel has over 38 years of nursing experience with an emphasis in leadership and critical care. 

She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Marycrest College in Davenport, Iowa, a Master of Health Services Management degree from Webster University in Altamonte Springs, Florida, and her doctorate in Nursing Practice from Rush University in Chicago, IL.

Dr. Daniel is currently a member of the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the Florida Organization of Nurse Executives. She also has her Nurse Executive-Advanced Board Certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and is a graduate of the Johnson and Johnson/Wharton Fellowship program in 2011.  She was awarded Modern Healthcare’s 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives, and Beckers System Chief Nurse Officers to Know.  She was previously selected as one of the Great 100 Nurses of Northeast Florida.

Dr. Daniel is married. She has one son and three bonus children. She loves all athletic activities and played volleyball and basketball in college. Today, she enjoys spending time with her seven grandchildren and watching all of her family participate in sporting events.  

Robert Dent DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, ACC, FACHE, FAAN, FAONL

Alicia Dorsey

Alicia Dorsey is the lead Product Manager for StaffGarden, Ascend Learning's Nursing Professional Development platform, where she drives execution and delivery of the StaffGarden roadmap. In her role, Alicia partners closely with engineering, design, and client-facing teams to translate customer needs into well-defined requirements, prioritize the roadmap, and rigorously test and validate releases to ensure the platform consistently meets the quality and reliability clients expect. Alicia brings 15+ years of experience in digital health and analytics product leadership to her role. Prior to joining Ascend Learning, Alicia served as Director of Product Strategy, Care Delivery at Quartet Health, where she drove product development and go-to-market strategy for the company's entry into care delivery; at Amwell, where she led the development and commercialization of new product offerings for payer and employer markets; and at Teladoc Health. Alicia holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Vermont and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

Maureen Early RN, MSN, CPXP

Maureen Early is the VP of Patient & Customer Experience at Northwell Health's Long Island Jewish Medical Center, where she leads the hospital's Patient Family Centered Care, Concierge, Security, Volunteer, and Telecommunication departments. Over her career at Northwell, Maureen has driven system-wide improvements in patient experience, spearheading the rollout of the Culture of C.A.R.E. program to more than 6,000 staff members and delivering measurable gains across HCAHPS and OAS CAHPS domains, including communication, medication counseling, and discharge planning.

Prior to her current role, Maureen served as Director of Patient Care Services for Women and Newborn, overseeing a 400-person staff and a combined operating budget of over $14 million across Labor and Delivery, Mother/Baby, Women's Surgical, and Antepartum units. Under her leadership, the unit saw significant volume growth, dramatic improvements in exclusive breastfeeding and skin-to-skin rates, and Press Ganey patient satisfaction scores in the 90th percentile.

Maureen holds a Master of Science in Nursing from Adelphi University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, and is a certified AWHONN Fetal Monitoring Instructor.

Tricia Edwards BSN, RN

Tricia Edwards currently leads OhioHealth’s Nursing Professional Development and Advancement Program. With more than 20 years of experience in her healthcare career, she has served in a number of roles throughout the OhioHealth system including Learning Business Consultant, Experiential Learning Outcomes Manager and Clinical Nurse Educator. 

As an outcomes driven professional, she has led large-scale strategic initiatives including a redesign of OhioHealth’s nursing orientation and onboarding program, a systemwide return on investment strategy and the experiential learning simulation debriefing program. Tricia has a passion for learning and human-centered, influential leadership. 

Katie Eimers MSEd

Katie Eimers serves as UNC Health’s Chief Culture Officer. In this capacity, she works with leaders from across the organization to ensure that UNC Health is the best place for teammates to work and to create a place of belonging through a set of shared values.

Katie Eimers has been a key leader at UNC Health for more than 10 years. She first joined the UNC School of Medicine in 2011 as the Department of Pediatrics Vice Chair for Strategic Initiatives. In 2017, she was elevated to the role of Associate Dean for Administration within the School of Medicine, overseeing several key administrative functions including Human Resources, Information Technology and Space Planning.

From 2019 – 2023, she served as Chief of Staff to the Dean of the School of Medicine / CEO of UNC Health. In this role she was a key leader and resource for the system throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and on many other major initiatives.

Katie holds a Master’s in Higher Education Administration from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s from Ohio Wesleyan University. Katie and her husband, Sam, live in Durham with their two children, Lily and Nora.

Colby Faust MBA, NE-BC, CCRN

Colby Faust is a senior nursing executive with enterprise-level leadership experience spanning nursing operations, quality, patient safety, and system standardization. He provides strategic oversight for nursing practice, operational performance, and quality outcomes, driving systemwide improvements in patient care, workforce capability, and organizational efficiency.

Mr. Faust is recognized for leading large-scale operational and quality initiatives, including nursing practice standardization, capital and facility planning, workforce redesign, and technology innovation. He has advanced system accountability structures, reduced variability in nursing practice, and strengthened evidence-based and just culture frameworks, achieving measurable gains in patient outcomes and operational performance.

A collaborative and innovation-minded leader, Mr. Faust is committed to challenging the status quo, building frontline leadership capability, and aligning nursing operations with broader organizational goals to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care. He currently serves as System Vice President of Nursing Operations & Quality at Geisinger, providing executive leadership across nursing for the health system.

Nanne Finis RN, MS

Nanne M. Finis, RN, MS, was most recently the chief nurse executive for UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), a global provider of HCM, payroll, HR service delivery, and workforce management solutions.

At UKG, Finis applied her strong foundational knowledge of the global healthcare system to advance the application of innovative technology to create more meaningful and connected work experiences for all healthcare employees. A forty-year industry executive consistently focused on nursing and patient care delivery, Finis is passionate about building and leading a culture of innovation and collaboration across clinical, operational, and administrative environments, and has committed her career to driving improvements in the healthcare system.

Before joining UKG, Finis was nurse executive for TeleTracking Technologies, where she formed and led an advisory service optimizing patient flow processes and technology adoption at hospitals nationwide. Earlier in her career, Finis spent more than two decades at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in both clinical and progressive management roles. She then transitioned to Joint Commission Resources (JCR), the knowledge transfer subsidiary of The Joint Commission, where she designed and led the U.S. patient safety and quality consulting practice and operationalized the industry alliance strategy.

Finis has been extensively involved in leading initiatives with the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL) and has served on several national committees and task forces. 

Finis earned her master's degree in nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago and earned her bachelor's degree in nursing from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana. She also spent five years in Tokyo, Japan, attending the International School of the Sacred Heart (ISSH). 

Eric Flyckt MD

Eric Flyckt is a healthcare product executive, physician, and strategist with more than 15 years spent building digital health products that improve clinical, operational, and financial outcomes. His work focuses on the operational side of care delivery, the staffing, workflow, and leadership challenges that shape outcomes as much as any clinical decision.

He currently serves as VP of Product at Laudio, where he leads product strategy and development for a platform that helps nurse managers and frontline leaders manage, support, and retain their teams.

Previously, Eric held product leadership roles at The WiTT Group, Memora Health, AVIA, Jiff (acquired by Castlight), and Explorys (acquired by IBM), and began his career in healthcare strategy at McKinsey & Company.

Eric holds an MD from Stanford University School of Medicine and brings a clinician's perspective to the operational and workforce challenges that shape patient care. A dual US-Swedish citizen, he lives in Cleveland with his family and spends as much of the winter as he can on a snowboard.

CJ Floros

CJ Floros is Chief Operating Officer and a 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, he 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/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.

Nancy Gaden DNP, RN, FAAN

Nancy Gaden, DNP, RN, FAAN, is Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer at Boston Medical Center, the largest safety net hospital and busiest trauma center in New England. Since joining in 2014, she has led major initiatives including the clinical merger of two campuses, improvements in quality and engagement, and led the department to the hospital’s first Magnet Designation in 2021 and redesignation in 2026.  

Prior to BMC, Nancy held CNO roles at Hallmark Health System, St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, South Shore Hospital, and Milton Hospital. Nancy is a nationally recognized nursing leader, honored with awards such as the Living Legend by the American Nurses Association of MA (2024), DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award (2020), and inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (2023). She is past President of the New England Organization of Nurse Leaders and a frequent national speaker.

Nancy earned her BS in Nursing from the University of Rochester, her MS from Boston College, and her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Regis College. She has an appointment as an Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences and Education, Boston University Chobanian and Avedesian School of Medicine.

Mridul Ganesh MBA

Mridul Ganesh is the Head of Product and Engineering 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 and Company. He has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. 

Jason Hill MD

Dr. Hill is a healthcare leader with a passion for applying cutting-edge technologies and data-driven solutions to improve patient care and outcomes. He has a unique combination of clinical, academic, and technical expertise that enables him to bridge the gap between medicine and innovation.

He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science both obtained from Louisiana Tech University. He also holds a Masters of Medical Management from Tulane University. He obtained his M.D. at Louisiana State University Medical Center New Orleans and completed his Internal Medicine/Pediatrics residency at the University of Texas at Houston. He is board certified in Internal Medicine as well as Clinical Informatics.

Dr. Hill has served as one of the Associate Chief Medical Information Officer’s (ACMIO) at Ochsner Health, where he led system-wide projects involving transitions of care, artificial intelligence, decision support analytics, voice recognition, predictive analytics and patient access/throughput. He has also occupied the role of Innovation Officer, where he co-founded the AI center of excellence and works frequently with innovation team, known as iO (innovation Ochsner) at Ochsner Health. He has transitioned to the role of System Vice Chair of Hospital Medicine and Innovation, where he operates at the edge of operations and innovation, driving adoption and scale of new technologies across the Hospital Medicine service line.

Frank Ingari

As senior vice president of operations, Frank Ingari brings to his role a unique blend of leadership across healthcare, publishing, and technology, where he has built scalable platforms, aligned incentives, and turned data into actionable insights. His career includes senior roles at Nuna, TandigmHealth, Cure Forward, and NaviNet, as well as serving as co-founder/CEO of Lumeris and CEO of Essence Healthcare. Earlier in his career, he helped shape technology at Shiva and Lotus. A people-first leader, Frank is passionate about developing teams and empowering people to grow their careers.

Jeff Jones

Christopher Kerns MBA

Prior to founding Union and serving as its CEO, Christopher Kerns was Vice President for Executive Insights at Advisory Board, where he led all research aimed at senior executives across the entire health sector—which included overseeing and hosting Stay Up to Date (Advisory Board’s weekly webcast) and Radio Advisory (its podcast companion). He began his career as a healthcare financial analyst focusing on stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, and over the years expanded his expertise to span the entire industry.

He has led or overseen more research studies on healthcare policy and politics, health system M&A, capital allocation, investment strategy, revenue cycle, and supply chain than he’d prefer to count. You might have seen him quoted in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Modern Healthcare, and his work has been published by Harvard Business Review. He earned his MBA at the Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, and holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania. 

Matt Kurth MBA

Matt is the Deputy Chief People Officer for Northwell Health. In this role, Matt leads the HR 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, coordination, and alignment of our HR centers of excellence.

Since joining Northwell in 2016, Matt has served in a variety of 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 six years with Northwell, has led cross-functional teams amid challenging and evolving conditions.

Prior to joining Northwell, Matt spent seven years as a human capital services consultant for Baker Tilly, providing consulting expertise to Northwell and other organizations in healthcare and across a variety of 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.

Allison Massari CPAE 

Allison Massari knows that you have the power to transform lives. As an advocate for both patients and healthcare professionals, Massari has an intimate understanding of the demands and challenges of the medical profession, and compelling authority to address the current needs of the healthcare industry.

She experienced firsthand the critical value of receiving personalized health care from committed leadership teams and empathetic providers after surviving two life-threatening car accidents, one where she suffered second and third degree burns on over 50 percent of her body. In addition, raised by parents who were both clinicians—her father an otolaryngologist whose primary focus was on oncologic cases, and her mother a nurse who worked in the emergency department, operating room and even newborn nursery across her career—Allison grew up immersed in the healthcare field. Captivated by her parents' compassionate work, she shadowed her father in his practice and also worked in hospitals and medical office settings.

As she shares her riveting and courageous journey from absolute loss to a triumphant and hope-filled life, Allison shines light on how all healthcare professionals provide immense value to a patient who is suffering. In 2025 Allison was inducted into the Speaker Hall of Fame joining the top 1% of global keynote speakers. Her artistic storytelling and the profound lessons she learned inspire confidence and self-leadership, while elevating hearts and building resiliency within the challenges of the high-pressure healthcare work environment.

Vishal Mehta

Vishal Mehta is Vice President of Client Delivery and Operations at Laudio, where he is responsible for the end-to-end client lifecycle, including initial onboarding, technical and strategic deployment, and long term user support. Vishal brings 10+ years of experience in the SaaS industry to his role, having most recently served as Laudio’s Chief of Staff, leading strategy and internal operations. Prior to joining Laudio, Vishal spent time at Epic Systems leading enterprise EMR deployments as well as at Qualtrics, leading employee engagement initiatives in the financial services sector. Vishal holds a BA in Political Science and Communication Studies from the University of Michigan. 

Paula Menkosky M.A.

Paula Menkosky is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Mayo Clinic. A role she assumed in July 2022. Paula is responsible for Mayo Clinic’s people strategy and HR operations that attracts and retains a global workforce of over 80,000 employees. She is the administrative leader of the People and Culture Committee where she partners closely with Dr. Charanjit Rihal, who serves as the committee’s chair.

Paula began her work at Mayo Clinic in Rochester in 1996. She has held numerous leadership positions at Mayo Clinic, and prior to serving as Mayo Clinic’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Paula served as the Chief Administrative Officer for Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She also served as a member of the Mayo Clinic Board of Governors and Board of Trustees. 

Ms. Menkosky holds a B.A. in applied psychology from California State University, Long Beach; an M.A. in Industrial-organizational Psychology from California State University, San Bernardino; and an M.S. in Health Care Administration from California State University, Long Beach.

Deb Muro BSN, MS, CHCIO

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.  Prior to joining El Camino Health, she 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’s in Science Nursing Degree from Baylor University and a Master of Science Degree from Amber University.   Deb received the HMG Strategy Global Leadership Institute Award, YWCA Tribute to Women Leadership Award, the Orbie Bay Area CIO Of the Year,” Becker’s “CIO To Know” and Women Health Care Executives “2026 Innovation Leader of the Year.”    

Melodie Osborn MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC

Melodie Osborn, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, serves as the Chief Nurse Executive at Renown Health, where she leads the practice of nursing across the continuum, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care. As the executive nursing voice for more than 2,000 nurses, Melodie is dedicated to fostering an environment of excellence, professional growth, and consistency in nursing practice.

In 2023, Melodie partnered with the University of Nevada, Reno to create the Jerry Smith Academic Practice Partnership Program, an innovative workforce development initiative designed to expand access to nursing education and strengthen Nevada's future nursing workforce. To date, the program has provided 100% tuition support to more than 60 pre-licensure nursing students.

A recognized nursing leader, Melodie was honored as the 2024 Northern Nevada Nurses of Achievement Administrative Leader of the Year. She is passionate about advancing the nursing profession through leadership development, mentorship, education, and strategic partnerships that support the next generation of nurse leaders and caregivers.

Alicia Potolsky DNP, RN, NE-BC, DipACLM

Alicia Potolsky, RN, DNP, NE-BC, DipACLM, is the Associate Chief Nursing Officer at El Camino Health in Mountain View, California. With over 29 years of experience in nursing, Alicia has built her career on a foundation of leadership, innovation, and patient-centered care.

At El Camino Health, Alicia manages a wide range of nursing services, including critical care, emergency services, oncology, med-surg, float pool and behavioral health. She is responsible for driving key initiatives to enhance patient safety, optimize staff performance, and ensure the delivery of high-quality care. Throughout her career, Alicia has successfully led hospital-wide projects, including the integration of advanced technologies like electronic health record systems and artificial intelligence for early patient interventions.

A strong advocate for nursing education, Alicia has also played a vital role in mentoring and developing staff across multiple clinical departments. She has served in leadership roles in professional organizations, including chapter president for her local chapter of the Association of California Nurse Leaders.

Alicia also actively contributes to community service, currently serving on the Board of Sunnyvale Community Services. Alicia’s leadership and commitment to healthcare excellence continue to impact both her organization and the community she serves.

Jill Ragsdale

Jill Ragsdale is a seasoned C-suite executive with over 30 years of experience leading strategic transformation and culture change in complex healthcare systems. A forward-thinking HR leader, she brings expertise in human capital management, labor relations, organizational development, and workplace well-being.

Most recently, Jill served nine years as SVP and Chief People & Culture Officer at Sutter Health, where she advanced integration, drove cultural transformation, and elevated workforce engagement and effectiveness. She also previously served as CHRO at Mayo Clinic, where she standardized compensation, redesigned HR service delivery, and launched leadership development aligned with the Mayo Model of Care.

Jill chairs the board of WEAVE, a Sacramento-based nonprofit supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Iowa and is certified in Mediation and Conflict Resolution from UC Davis.

Sandeep Randhawa

As the first Chief People Officer for Renown, Sandeep Randhawa leads the Human Resources function and continues to develop the purpose-driven culture that supports the personal needs and well-being of Renown's more than 7,0000 exceptional physicians and associates. He oversees best-in-class talent management programs focused on hiring, training, and managing the performance of the workforce, ensuring that Renown's values are reinforced with every strategic objective.

Mr. Randhawa came to Renown Health from CommonSpirit Health where he served both as System Vice President for Human Resources Transformation and Integration, and as Southwest Division Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to that, he served as Vice President, Human Resources for Dignity Health in Northern California. Much of his leadership has been dedicated to serving healthcare organizations ranging from hospitals to ambulatory clinics to post-acute care sites and medical group enterprises throughout Arizona, California, Nevada and southern Utah.

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

Joel Ray is Chief Clinical Advisor at Laudio, where he brings a CNO perspective to a wide range of cross-functional initiatives and is a key contributor to Laudio Insights. With 42 years in healthcare and over 23 years in executive leadership roles, including Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Joel brings a wealth of operational leadership experience to Laudio. He understands the needs of executives and frontline leaders. He is passionate and pragmatic about empowering frontline leaders to focus on what matters most: building meaningful connections with their teams to enhance engagement and secure the delivery of high quality, safe care and an excellent patient experience. Previously the Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at UNC Rex Healthcare under his guidance, the hospital obtained its 4th Magnet designation, CMS 5 Star, and Leapfrog A ratings. He served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps, retiring with the rank of Colonel. He earned a BSN from Arkansas State University and MSN from Arizona State University.

Mandy Richards DNP, RN, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, NEA-BC

Mandy Richards is the chief nursing executive (CNE) and president of Children’s Health for Intermountain Health and serves as a member of the Enterprise Leadership Team.

She is responsible for the nursing practice across the health system and advancement of patient care, including oversight of all pediatric care with a focus on strategy and operations.

As CNE, Mandy has integrated nursing across the continuum of care, driving sustainable improvements in quality, patient experience, staff engagement, and labor efficiency.

Mandy joined Intermountain in January of 2023 from Hartford HealthCare in Hartford, Connecticut, where she served as chief nursing officer (CNO). Prior to then, she spent 15 years with Allina Health in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mandy completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice with a focus on Leadership, Systems, and Policy from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia, and a mini-MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She also received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.

Mandy was recently named among Becker’s Healthcare’s CNOs of hospitals and health systems to know in 2025.

Jamie Ridout RN, MSN, MBA, NEA-BC, CNOR, CASC

Jamie L. Ridout is a healthcare executive and perioperative nursing leader with more than three decades of experience in surgical services, ambulatory surgery, and clinical operations. She most recently served as System Vice President of Perioperative Nursing Practice for Geisinger Health System, overseeing surgical services across a multi-region system including trauma centers, community hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers.

Earlier, she served as Executive Director of Triangle Surgery Center and CEO/Administrator of Capital City Surgery Center, which Newsweek ranked the #1 ambulatory surgery center in North Carolina for three consecutive years (2021–2023). Her career also includes leadership roles with Duke Heart Network, Duke Regional Hospital, Saint Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta, and Duke Heart Center.

A lifetime member of AORN, Jamie has served as National Secretary, National Vice President, and National President-Elect (2026–2027), and previously led the North Carolina Ambulatory Surgery Center Association. A frequent national speaker on perioperative leadership and ASC operations, she has presented at AORN, Becker's ASC Review, and OR Manager conferences, and was named one of North Carolina's Great 100 Nurses.

Jamie holds an MBA from Elon University, an MSN from Duke University, and a BSN from West Virginia University.

Molly Rothrock MSML

Molly Rothrock is a Recruitment Manager at Geisinger with more than 20 years of talent acquisition experience in higher education and healthcare. Over the last nine years, she has focused on nursing recruitment, workforce strategy, and talent pipeline development. Molly holds undergraduate degrees in Labor and Employment Relations and Human Resource Management and an MS in Management and Leadership. She is SHRM-CP and Lean Six Sigma certified and is dedicated to advancing workforce solutions and empowering leaders' ability to drive success. 

Tina Santos MBA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPXP

Tina Santos, MBA, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, CPXP, is AVP, Orlando Health and Chief Nursing Officer at Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC), the system’s flagship 808-bed teaching hospital. She provides strategic leadership for nursing practice and the delivery of high-quality patient care. With more than 14 years of executive experience, she has advanced clinical outcomes and professional practice, helping ORMC earn Magnet® designation in 2023. Under her leadership, ORMC also achieved 17 AACN Beacon Awards for Excellence and the Emergency Department, a Level 1 Trauma Center, received the ENA 2024–2027 Lantern Award. She holds a BSN from UMass Lowell and an MSN and MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Mark Solazzo

Mark Solazzo retired from Northwell Health in January 2026 after 30 years, most recently as President of Strategic Initiatives and COO, where he oversaw all operations — including 28 hospitals, nearly 1,050 ambulatory sites, its research institute, and new venture enterprise — and led the largest private workforce in New York State, with more than 104,000 employees. He was responsible for integrating strategic planning into operations and ensuring coordinated, patient-centered service delivery across the system.

Before becoming COO in 2005, he served as chief of staff and chief administrative officer to CEO Michael J. Dowling, overseeing government relations and emergency preparedness efforts. Prior to joining Northwell in 1995, he spent 15 years in senior roles at the New York State Department of Social Services, where his work on the state's Child Assistance Program earned him Harvard's Innovations in Government Award.

He serves on numerous boards, including the American College of Healthcare Executives, The Health Management Academy, and Laudio's Strategic Advisory Group, and holds degrees from Fordham University and Union College (MBA, health system management).

Joel Vengco

Kelly Vaughn RN, MSN, NEA-BC

Kelly Vaughn, MSN, RN, serves as the Chief Nursing Officer for Nebraska Medicine. As part of this role, Vaughn is a member of the Nebraska Medicine Board of Directors. She began her career as a certified Nursing Assistant in 1998; moving on to staff nurse positions at Nebraska Medical Center. In 2009, Vaughn 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. Vaughn earned both her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from UNMC. 

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

Dr. Janice Walker is currently serving as the System Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer for the University of Florida Health Clinical Enterprises (UF Health). At UF Health, Dr. Janice Walker serves as the nursing expert for the UF Health Clinical Enterprise.  She is responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient care, while advancing workforce strategy, operational integration, and interprofessional collaboration. She previously served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer - Southeast Region of Advocate Health. She was 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. Before Advocate Health, Dr. Janice Walker’s previous experience includes System Chief Nursing & Chief Operating Officer roles at Baylor Scott & White Health (BSW) and Texas Health Presbyterian, Freeman Health System, Slidell Memorial Hospital, and National Park Medical Center (Tenet). 

Dr. Janice Walker is a national speaker on topics such as clinical recruitment & retention models, 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.  Dr Janice Walker’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. 

Catherine Wilkosz MSc, BSN, RN

Catherine Wilkosz, MSc, BSN, RN, is Vice President of Strategic Content Development at Laudio Insights, the research, analytics, and publication arm of Laudio. With a background in bedside nursing and healthcare management consulting, Catherine leads work that connects evidence‑based insights with real‑world leadership behavior to help organizations achieve operational goals through standardized, sustainable, and inspirational frontline leadership.

Prior to joining Laudio Insights, Catherine worked as an intraoperative nurse in leading academic medical centers and spent five years at McKinsey & Company, where she supported large‑scale health system transformations and healthcare workforce solution development. She holds a Master’s degree in Global Health Policy from the London School of Economics and earned her nursing degree from Case Western Reserve University.

Mauri Williams RN, MBA/MHA, NE-BC, CSSBB

Mauri Williams serves as Vice President and Clinical Nursing Informatics Officer for the UNC Health Care System. Mauri has more than 35 years of experience in nursing, management, operations, and performance improvement at UNC Health Care.

Williams provides nursing oversight on all UNC Health Care information systems that assist nurses and other clinicians in the delivery of optimal patient care, education and research. She works closely with the clinical and nursing leaders at each UNC Health Care entity to prioritize requests for the development and optimization of clinical workflows and support the development of UNC Health Care system-wide policies and procedures. 

Mauri is a Board Certified Nurse Executive, Certified Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Practitioner, and is subject matter expert (SME) on the Epic@UNC analytics team where she shares her expertise in data management, reporting and analytics. 

Mauri also holds a BSN in Nursing as well as a Master in Business Administration and Health Care Administration.

Angie Wright MSN-L, RN

Angie Wright is the Chief Nurse Executive for Brown University Health, she is serving in a dual role, as the systemwide strategic leader for nursing services and as the chief nursing officer for Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s, this role serves over 4400 RNs. This role collaborates with senior leaders and nursing staff to implement best practices to drive system-wide initiatives. Brown University Health system is comprised of 6 hospitals and over 1,620 patient care locations.
 
Angie has been a nurse leader since 2013, prior to her current role she was the Chief Nursing Officer at a Magnet-designated Medical Center in Arizona. Her leadership experience encompassed oversight of two academic medical centers, 32 ambulatory sites and a Cancer center. In that role she also led nursing Quality and Safety for the larger health care system that is made up of 31 hospitals in 6 different states. 

Angie has been recognized by Becker’s as a Hospital and Health System CNO to Know for 2023, and a Tucson Nurses’ week Fab 50 recipient winner in 2019. 

David Zambrana PhD, DNP, MBA, RN

David Zambrana, PhD, DNP, MBA, RN, is president and chief executive officer of Jackson Health System, one of the nation’s largest public academic health systems based in Miami, Florida. A transformational leader with more than three decades of healthcare experience, Zambrana began his career as a bedside nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital and has since held senior leadership roles across both public and private healthcare organizations.

Before being named CEO of Jackson Health System, Zambrana served as the system’s chief operating officer, responsible for day-to-day oversight of the system’s seven hospitals, vast ambulatory footprint, a network of urgent care centers, nursing homes, and physician practices.

Prior to rejoining Jackson in 2016 as CEO of Jackson Memorial, he was chief executive officer of University of Miami Hospital, where he also served as chief operating officer and chief nursing officer. Earlier in his career, he held executive leadership positions at Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis, Hollywood Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic Florida, and Delray Medical Center.

Zambrana holds a PhD in Nursing and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Miami, as well as an MBA and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Phoenix. He earned his nursing degree and license from Southern Adventist University in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A strong advocate for integrating academic research into clinical and operational practice, he serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies and has contributed to publications focused on hospital performance, patient safety, workforce engagement, and COVID-19 response.

His leadership and service have been widely recognized through numerous honors for his contributions to health care, nursing, and South Florida. Zambrana is actively engaged in civic and industry leadership. He serves as board chair of United Way Miami, first vice chair of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and as an advisory board member of both the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Studies and Miami Herbert Business School. Zambrana also participates on several national and state healthcare policy and strategy committees, including those of the American Hospital Association, America’s Essential Hospitals, and the Florida Hospital Association.