Agenda On Demand

Ben Sawyer is the President & CEO of SOAR Vision Group, a national technology company specializing in Community Health System Without Walls and Actionable Community Intelligence deployments.  SOAR is a partner of the Baldrige Foundation.   Ben’s expansive business career has included healthcare executive leadership positions, and the successful launch and commercialization of several business enterprises. A clinician and Lean black belt, Ben has significant patient flow and guided strategy deployment experience, having worked with many clients to achieve dramatic, sustainable operational improvement outcomes.  Ben is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and an active volunteer in his community, most recently supporting Gwinnett County’s on-going response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Barry Runyon is a healthcare provider analyst and researcher. His research agenda includes enterprise and point-of-care technologies and solutions such as interoperability, clinical communications and
collaboration, nurse call, interactive patient care, vendor-neutral archives and an operational and technology framework called the real-time health system.

Mr. Runyon has held lead architect and technical management positions with both consulting and vendor organizations and has been in the IT field since 1978, both inside and outside of healthcare. He was involved very early in the development of the HL7 standard. Prior to joining Gartner, he served as the Chief Technology Officer at the University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona.

Mike Leavitt is the founder of Leavitt Partners where he helps clients navigate the future as they transition to new and better models of care. In previous roles, Mike served in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush (as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Secretary of Health and Human Services) and as a three-time elected governor of Utah. Mike grew up in Cedar City, Utah, where his upbringing was rooted in the values of the American West, with its emphasis on hard work and common sense. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business while working in the insurance industry. In 1984, he became chief executive of The Leavitt Group, a family business that is now the nation’s second largest, privately held insurance brokerage. In 1993, Mike was elected governor of Utah. He served three terms (1993-2003). In 2003, he joined the Cabinet of President George W. Bush, serving in two positions: first as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2003-2005) and then as secretary of Health and Human Services (2005-2009). At HHS, he administered a $750 billion budget — nearly 25 percent of the entire federal budget — and 67,000 employees.

Before joining Central Logic, Angie spent 30 years in the healthcare technology space, holding leadership positions with a number of prominent healthcare firms, including The Advisory Board Company, Lawson Software, Healthland, and GeoAccess. She also served on and chaired the Central Logic board of directors.

A board-certified hospitalist practicing in the Salt Lake City area, Darin also served as a clinical advisor and technical developer at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. Previous to his work at Central Logic, Darin served as a physician knowledge engineer and interim Chief Medical Officer at TheraDoc.

care response to 12 major hurricanes making landfall in Florida and Louisiana, managed Louisiana’s response to the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic, led Louisiana’s effort to improve child immunization rates from ranking 48th in the nation to 2nd, successfully advocated the passage of major and historic health care reforms in both states and was recognized for his efforts in combating fraud and abuse in public health care programs. Levine has been recognized by Modern Healthcare magazine as one of the 30 Americans likely to have a powerful impact on health care in the next 30 years, and as an up-and-comer in the health care industry. His agency in Florida was the recipient of the TaxWatch Davis Productivity Award for its successful efforts to combat fraud and abuse. Levine was recently named to the East Tennessee Business Hall of Fame and Laureate by Junior Achievement.

Levine currently serves on the board of governors of the State University System of Florida, the governing body of Florida’s 12 state universities. He serves as chair of research and academic excellence and has served as chair of the Audit and Compliance Committee. He also served as the Chair of the Florida Higher Education Coordinating Council, a policy-setting body for public and private education in Florida. Most recently, he was appointed by the Governor of Tennessee to serve on the legislatively created Charter Commission for education and, separately, was asked by the Governor to serve on the Governor’s Health Care Modernization Task Force.

He received a bachelor’s degree in health sciences, a master’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in health sciences from the University of Florida, where he is recognized as a member of the University of Florida Hall of Fame. He is married to Laura, a nurse, and has two adult children.

Alexis Gilroy, a national leader in the telehealth industry, advises on complex transactional and health regulatory issues. Focused on transactions in the digital health sector for more than 15 years, Alexis pairs practical experience with a keen understanding of often novel federal and state regulatory requirements. She frequently develops and negotiates telehealth specific services and affiliation contracts and manages telehealth specific health regulatory and reimbursement matters for providers across the US.  Alexis speaks and writes extensively on matters involving digital health, including testimony before legislative and regulatory bodies. She served on the board of directors of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and is a member of the ATA College of Fellows. She was an appointee to the Maryland governor’s Telemedicine Task Force, member of the Federation of State Medical Boards’ workgroup on telehealth, leader of the American Bar Association’s Science & Technology Practice Group, and leader of the American Health Lawyer Association’s (AHLA) E-Health and Telemedicine Affinity Group.

private insurance exchanges; and as co-founder and CEO of Subimo, a pioneer in healthcare cost and quality decision support tools for consumers. Ann began her career in healthcare data and information as Senior Vice President at Sachs Group (now part of IBM Watson/ Truven Health). She also worked at a multi-hospital system in Minneapolis which is now part of Allina.

Ann’s ability to inspire and lead diverse teams has helped build both profitable organizations and innovation in the industry. Widely acknowledged as a thought leader, she presents at a range of professional meetings and conferences. She also maintains an active professional network and affiliations, including membership in the Healthcare Executive Leadership Network and Women Business Leaders of US Healthcare. Ann served on the Healthcare Advisory Council for UMB Bank and as an advisor to several start-ups. She was inducted in the Chicago Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame in 2016.

Ann’s involvement also extends to non-profit service organizations, including serving on the board of Round Earth Media, a non-profit organization focused on journalism (now part of the International Women’s Media Foundation).  She is a member of the Ambassadors Council for N Street Village in Washington, DC and currently serves on the board of Pathfinder International, a non-profit organization committed to country-led solutions to achieve universal sexual and reproductive health and rights.

William Craig Fugate served as President Barack Obama’s FEMA Administrator from May 2009 to January 2017.  Previously, he served as Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s Emergency Management Director from 2001-2007 and Governor Charlie Crist from 2007-09. Fugate led FEMA through multiple record-breaking disaster years and oversaw the Federal Government’s response to major events such as the Joplin and Moore Tornadoes, Hurricane Sandy, Hurricane Matthew, and the 2016 Louisiana flooding.  Fugate set a clear and compelling vision, mission, and priorities for FEMA and relentlessly drove the Agency to achieve better outcomes for survivors. FEMA’s effectiveness in dealing with more than 500 Presidentially-declared major disasters and emergencies under Fugate’s leadership restored the faith of the American people in the Federal Government’s ability to respond to disasters. Prior to his tenure at FEMA, Fugate was widely praised for his management, under Governor Jeb Bush, of the devastating effects of the 2004 and 2005 Florida hurricane seasons (Charley, Frances, Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Katrina, and Wilma). Craig currently provides senior level advice and consultation is the area of disaster management and resiliency policy through Craig Fugate Consulting LLC. Craig also serves as the Chief Emergency Management Officer at One Concern.

Wayne Brackin is the President and CEO of KIDZ Medical Services, Emergency Pediatric Services, and Air Medical Charters. KIDZ Medical serves hospitals and health systems across 7 counties in Florida and the Caribbean.  

 Previously, Brackin was EVP/COO of Baptist Health South Florida, where he was credited with being a champion and early adopter of advanced technology including telehealth solutions to maximize patient safety. He led the creation and development of the LifeGuard EICU, a telehealth answer to the shortage of critical care physicians. The EICU, considered the technological crown jewel of the System, provides AI monitoring and real time intervention of critical patients in 10 hospitals over a 175-mile span. He served as CEO of South Miami Hospital and Homestead Hospital, where he gained national recognition for his skill in disaster preparedness and recovery, creating one of the first permanent disaster preparedness divisions in American health systems.

 In 2016, he opened the Miami Cancer Institute, a 400 million dollar project that included several technological firsts, featuring Proton Therapy and an affiliation with Memorial Sloan Kettering. He is a member of the Board of Directors of The George Washington University Medical Faculty.  He is on the Board of the First National Bank of South Miami. He is the Founding Chair of the South Miami Children’s Clinic, a free pediatric clinic for disadvantaged children. In his spare time Wayne dreams of becoming a master gardener.

Prior to joining SOAR, Jennifer held leadership roles as the System Executive Director of Lean Six Sigma and Performance Improvement for WellStar Health System, Director of Lean Six Sigma consulting services for VHA Georgia (now Vizient Mid-South), and Consultant with the Advisory Board Company in D.C. Jennifer received her doctorate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and her master’s from Dartmouth College. She is a certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Prior to joining Baldrige, Dr. Dunsmore was a Principal Research Scientist with NORC at the University of Chicago where she designed and led applied intervention research projects to improve educational and health outcomes for children in high poverty communities.  This work intentionally engaged health systems, schools, and civic/religious organizations in collaborative and coordinated actions. One such project involved a $4.5 million federally funded initiative to improve early learning outcomes for rural children in five states (AZ, IL, NC, VT, WV) and engaged school, religious, health, and county leaders in collective actions with common success metrics.  Out of this work grew a set of tools and practices for capacity building approaches that communities can take to build integrated, coherent, and systematic approaches to solving key social problems.  In addition to academic appointments in several universities, KaiLonnie has also served as the Associate Director for the National Center for Literacy Education and Director of Literacy Initiatives with the Ball Foundation.  KaiLonnie has a passion for improving the lives of those most on the margin and brings her skills as a communicator, coach, researcher, writer, and collaborator to projects that build local capacity to own and support change.

Renee DeSilva is the Chief Executive Officer of The Health Management Academy (The Academy), a peer learning organization that brings together health system and industry leaders to collectively address healthcare’s biggest challenges and opportunities. As CEO, she is responsible for the organization’s strategy, business operations, growth, and talent management.

Prior to joining The Academy, Renee served as Chief Talent Officer of EAB, a leading provider of research, technology, and services to 1,300 educational institutions. At EAB, she was responsible for all talent-related functions, including recruiting, diversity and inclusion, employee experience, learning and development, and benefits. Renee also spent more than 15 years at The Advisory Board Company, where she most recently served as Senior Vice President of Organizational Performance, leading the company’s organizational design and change management initiatives.

Throughout her career, Renee’s passion for innovation, member service, and professional development has animated her work. Renee holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She lives in Virginia with her husband and three children.

Dr. Lisa Villarroel serves as the Medical Director for the Division of Public Health Preparedness at the Arizona Department of Health Services.  She received her Bachelors in Biology at Princeton University and her Doctor of Medicine at Northwestern University before getting her Masters in Public Health and becoming board certified in Family Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona.  At the Department she has served as the Medical Director for the Arizona emergency response to Ebola, Zika, Opioid and COVID-19 Crises.  She was a lead for the Arizona Opioid Prescribing Guidelines (2018), the Arizona Pain and Addiction Curriculum (2018), the Arizona Surge Line, and the Arizona Surge Staffing Initiative.  In addition to her work at the health department, she is an assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and a practicing locum tenens.     

She holds a J.D. from the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis and a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the Indiana University School of Business. Alvey is licensed to practice law in the State of Indiana, the State of Illinois, and in the District of Columbia Appeals Court and is an inactive Certified Public Accountant.

Epley is a Certified Emergency Manager with nearly 35 years in public safety response and administration, a nationally registered paramedic for over 30 years and a licensed police officer for 13 years, serving as a tactical paramedic at the Branch Davidian standoff, the Republic of Texas standoff and other high-profile Texas incidents.

and regional operations leadership teams providing operational oversight of the system’s business units. She is active in driving Advocate Aurora’s partnership and new growth strategies, creating a foundation for future system growth.  She also leads the system’s strategic capital planning process for large-scale growth initiatives and the business analytics and planning team.  Mary is responsible for the department management of AAH’s business development group, the department responsible for business strategy, growth, strategic partnerships, managed care strategy and contracting.

Prior Experience

Starting with Aurora 30 years ago in media relations, Mary served in numerous leadership roles throughout the years of rapid growth of Aurora as an integrated delivery system.  She has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies with system revenue accountability.  She has also served on numerous operational leadership teams and boards for AAH’s hospitals and medical groups.

Education, Awards and Professional Affiliations

Mary is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and is a graduate of the Administrative Fellowship Program with the Health Management Academy.

Rob McMurray is the Chief Financial Officer of Christiana Care and is responsible for the direction and oversight of all financial operations at Christiana Care. He also has oversight of supply chain operations.  He joined Christiana Care in 2008 as Vice President and Controller.

He is the board chair of the Delaware Center for Maternal Fetal Medicine, Inc., a Christiana Care subsidiary, and is on the boards of eBrightHealth ACO, Christiana Care Insurance Company, LTD, The Committee of 100, and is a member of the Audit Visiting Committee of the University of Delaware.  Rob was named 2020 CFO of the Year by the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Prior to joining Christiana Care, Mr. McMurray was a senior manager in the assurance practice in Ernst & Young’s Philadelphia office, specializing in health care.

Mr. McMurray received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Temple University and a master’s degree in business administration from Drexel University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

A practicing surgeon in the Division of Colorectal Surgery, Dr. Watson is a leader in applying health care technology to the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered medicine. A fourth-generation surgeon and faculty member at the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Watson practices nearly a third of his own clinical care using telemedicine to increase access and convenience for patients. He also plays a leading role in developing telemedicine strategy and technology across UPMC and is the past president of the American Telemedicine Association.

As vice president of Clinical Information Technology Transformation, Dr. Watson assists UPMC International in developing innovative health information technology solutions to address the needs of UPMC’s global partners and is part of a team leading the development of UPMC’s IT Advisory Services. He speaks frequently around the world on the transformation of health care as highlighted by his UPMC experience.

Dr. Watson attended Trinity College and subsequently received his master’s degree at the University of Oxford. After receiving his medical degree from Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, he completed his surgical training and a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery at UPMC, where he specializes in colorectal and inflammatory bowel disease surgery.