Rise

Kaitlin Bates Manager, ARHOME Quality

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Charlotte Black Principal

Oak HC/FT

Charlotte Black, a Principal at Oak HC/FT, joined the firm in 2021 and focuses on growth equity and early-stage venture opportunities in healthcare.

Charlotte serves as a Board Member at Remodel Health and a Board Observer at Bloom, Harmony Cares, Imagine Pediatrics, Indigo, Reveleer, Rialtic, and Trovo Health.

Earlier in her career, Charlotte was a Senior Associate at Lightyear Capital, where she focused on healthcare financial services investment opportunities. She has also held roles at MBF Healthcare Partners and Piper Jaffray.

Charlotte has been named to the Rising Stars of Venture Capital (Business Insider). She also serves on the Board of Directors for Phaidon.

Charlotte received a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Chicago.

Bennett Borden Founding Partner and CEO

Clarion AI Partners

Bennett Borden is an experienced attorney and data scientist, advising multinational clients on data privacy, security and regulatory compliance. One of few people in the legal industry who is both a data scientist and an attorney with an active AI and algorithm verification testing practice, he is a leading authority on developing insight out of massive volumes of data, whether to help clients monetize and productize data, develop AI systems and algorithmic models in a legal and ethical manner or conduct discovery and internal investigations. In 2020, Borden won an "Innovative Lawyers" award by the Financial Times for his "stand out expertise in data analytics and machine learning."

Laura Carroll

Lived experience expert, Rural storyteller, Social drivers of health champion

Alan Coker

Lived experience expert and Board member

Informed by his lived experience undergoing two major operations and receiving homecare following discharge, Alan Coker advocates for better consumer experience, patient rights, and support of the healthcare workforce. He is particularly passionate about helping people with mental health challenges and has a deep love for the deaf community. Alan serves in a variety of roles related to healthcare, health equity, mental health, substance abuse, suicide prevention, and patients' rights. He is a member of the Husky Advisory Workgroup, the CFAC Consumer Family Advisory Council, Connecticut's Ahead Advisory Committee, Certificated Community Behavioral Health Clinics Steering Committee, the INSPIRE Core Team, and serves as a Board Member for Advocacy Unlimited and Amplify of CT (formerly North Central Mental Health Agency). When he isn't busy serving in advocacy and advising roles, Alan loves writing poetry and songs and relaxing through music.

Deb Curry Risk Adjustment Programs Director

Medical Mutual

Deb joined Paramount Healthcare in May 2013, which was bought by Medical Mutual of Ohio in 2024, and oversees the Risk Adjustment, Coordination of Benefits, and Subrogation departments.

Prior to her position with Paramount she had 21 years’ experience working with the State of Ohio workers’ compensation program, both for the government and a contracted managed care organizations. She came to Paramount with extensive knowledge in medical coding, provider billing and education, Medicare payment methodologies, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.

Deb attended The University of Toledo for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees and currently holds a Masters of Business Administration with major in Healthcare Systems Management. She is an active member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Certified Documentation Integrity Practitioner (CDIP), and Certified Coding Specialist, physician based (CCS-P). Deb is also an active member of the America Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and is a Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC). Additionally, Deb is a member of RISE and holds certificates as a Risk Adjustment Practitioner (RAP) and Advanced HCC Auditor (AHCCA).

Deb is a Board Member of the University of Toledo Health Information Administration Advisory Board and Health

Carrie Graham Research Professor and Director, Medicare Policy Initiative

Georgetown University

Jessica Graves ARHOME Quality Program Coordinator

Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Katharine Iskrant President

Healthy People, Inc.

Katharine is the President of Healthy People, an NCQA-licensed HEDIS audit firm and CMS Data Validation firm. She is a member of NCQA’s Audit Methodology Panel and NCQA’s HEDIS Data Collection Advisory Panel. Katharine has been a Certified HEDIS® Compliance Auditor since 1998 and has directed more than two thousand HEDIS audits.

Previously, as CEO of the company Acumetrics, Katharine provided consultancy services to NCQA which helped their initial development and eventual launch of the NCQA Measure Certification Program.

Katharine is a frequent speaker at HEDIS conferences. 

She is featured on an NCQA podcast, discussing the HEDIS Electronic Clinical Data System Measures:
https://blog.ncqa.org/inside-h...

She received her BA from Columbia University and her MPH from UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She is a member of the National Association for Healthcare Quality and is published in the fields of healthcare and public health.

Katherine Kasabuske VP, Health Equity

MHS Health

Jenn Kerfoot Chief Strategy and Growth Officer

DUOS

Jenn is a visionary healthcare leader with deep expertise in Medicare Advantage and Value-Based Care. She leverages her extensive background in healthcare policy, regulation, and business development to drive strategic growth and innovation at DUOS, developing tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of Medicare Advantage plans. A seasoned podcast host, Jenn regularly explores critical issues like the looming threat of Medicare insolvency, the challenges of financing care for an aging population, the impact of rising healthcare costs, and disparities in care access. With previous leadership roles at FarmboxRx, Excelera Health, and NationsBenefits, Jenn has a proven track record of navigating complex healthcare regulations and aligning strategies with market demands. Beyond her executive role, she is a recognized thought leader and advocate for progressive healthcare practices, advising venture capital and private equity firms on investments in transformative healthcare solutions. Jenn’s pragmatic optimism and relentless problem-solving approach are key to her success in fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in healthcare.

Rachel Kern SVP

First Trust Capital Partners

Donna Malone Director, Risk Capture

Mass General Brigham

Donna Malone, CPC, CRC, AAPC Approved Instructor, AHCCA, RAP, RISE Fellow: Director Risk Adjustment with Mass General Brigham in MA, Adjunct Professor with MassBay Community College, Chair of the RISE Risk Adjustment Academy HCC Coding Faculty Advisory Group as well as content developer RISE designations and workshops, and 2022-2025 AAPC National Advisory Board. Donna has over 28 years’ experience (Payer, Provider System and Vendor) in healthcare with primary focus on Value-Based Care.

Donna has also served as President of the Watertown AAPC Chapter (2017-2022) and Education officer (2016)

Donna speaks nationally for RISE, AAPC and AHIMA

She also received the 2021 MaHIMA Champion Award

Scott Migdole Assistant Clinical Professor

Yale University School of Medicine

Abby Miller Levy Managing Partner

Prime Time Partners

Melissa Newton Smith Founder, Senior Advisor

Newton Smith Group

For more than a decade, Melissa Smith has been at the forefront of leading Medicare Advantage and Star Ratings teams. As the founder of Newton Smith Group and a Senior Advisor to Oliver Wyman, Melissa is a widely recognized thought leader and healthcare strategist. Her proven track record of success lies in developing comprehensive enterprise-wide solutions that enhance Star Ratings, quality performance, health outcomes, and the overall member experience.

Melissa excels in crafting strategic and tactical solutions to meet client needs, forging productive partnerships across internal teams and external vendors, and improving performance on various quality measures.  Her unique background in business, finance, regulatory compliance, and healthcare quality provides clients unparalleled access to healthcare strategy, quality performance, and revenue optimization.

As the former Chief Consulting Officer at Healthmine and Senior Vice President at Gorman Health Group, Melissa's leadership spans across prestigious organizations like Cigna-HealthSpring and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Graduating from Purdue University, Melissa began her career at KPMG, LLP and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Neil Patel Health Policy Director, The Medicare Policy Initiative

Georgetown University

Dionne Stalling

Lived experience expert and Founder/Executive Director

With over a decade of formal advocacy experience and a lifetime of lived experience, Dionne L. Stalling is a beacon of empowerment and resilience in the realm of health advocacy. As the Founder and Executive Director of Rare and Black, her life's work is dedicated to amplifying the voices and experiences of Black individuals navigating the complex landscape of rare diseases. Dionne brings an unwavering commitment to inclusivity and justice and is a driving force behind initiatives that strive to ensure equitable healthcare access for all. As a living testament to her mission, Dionne courageously battles not just one, but nine rare conditions with grace and determination. Her journey as a health advocate is deeply personal, stemming from her own experiences navigating a healthcare system often fraught with disparities and neglect. Beyond her role with Rare and Black, Dionne is a former Washington University Community Research Fellow, alumni of the Camden Coalition’s National Consumer Scholars program, Consumer Advisory Council member with the Center to Advance Consumer Partnership, and serves as a principal at Athari Strategies, a pioneering health equity consulting firm. In all she does, Dionne leverages her wealth of experience and expertise to drive meaningful change on a systemic level, working collaboratively with organizations to dismantle barriers and foster inclusive healthcare practices.

Shannon Wilson Vice President of Population Health and Health Equity

Priority Health

Shannon Wilson is the first-ever vice president of population health and health equity for Priority Health, a Michigan-based health plan. In her role, she is responsible for the growth and development of Priority Health’s population health strategy, inclusive of health plan quality. Wilson also has oversight for health equity efforts, ensuring that achieving health equity is foundational to all health plan functions. To complement this work, Wilson serves as the executive director of the Total Health Care Foundation, a charitable organization committed to addressing social needs and determinants in southeast Michigan.

Wilson is a public health leader who has devoted her career to studying the intersection between health and race. She is focused on improving health care experiences for vulnerable populations and improving health and well-being for all residents across the state of Michigan.

Ari Yampolsky Founding Partner

Whistleblower Partners