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Presenter Biographies
Presenter bios are posted alphabetically by last name.
Session: A New Player in the Rural Health Network: Home Care Cooperatives
Liz Bailey is Executive Director of the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) and she has served in this role for six years. Since her arrival at CDF, Ms Bailey has been a strong advocate for achieving raised awareness of the cooperative business model by engaging in serious outreach to those in the public policy community who have a shared interest in community and economic development. Prior to joining CDF, Ms. Bailey’s public policy career combined government service at both the state and federal level with private sector and non-profit program management experience. Before joining CDF, Ms. Bailey’s public policy career included federal service as a senior political appointee at the Department of Defense during the Clinton Administration, as well as service in staff and management positions in the administrations of four Wisconsin governors. Ms. Bailey received a BA in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and an MPA from the University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
Pre-Conference Workshop: Rural Health Works: A Model for Health Networks
Gerald Doeksen is Director of the National Center for Rural Health Works. He is also a Regents Professor and Extension Economist with Oklahoma State University. He has been a pioneer in developing tools to measure the economic impact of the health sector on a local community. His work with the National Center develops tools and conducts train-the-trainer workshops in states to train professionals on how to apply these tools at the local level. During the past three years, he has conducted workshops in over 45 states. The workshops teach the economic impact tool, the community engagement process (including community health assessment), and the health feasibility studies. He has made over 350 regional, national and international presentations. He has published extensively in Health Journals and other publications on this topic. He has also received many awards including the 2002 RUPRI Distinguished Serve Award and the 2003 Priester Award. In 2006 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Agricultural Economics Association and the Bonnie Teater Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Rural Development Center
Session: Strategies for Riding Through Change
Sharon Felts has spent 15 years helping others navigate personal and organizational change, from line staff to leadership, initially as a training manager at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville and most recently, as an independent training consultant residing in Amarillo.
Sharon holds a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Eastern Kentucky University and a master’s degree in education/guidance and counseling from the University of Louisville. She has earned certifications from The Change Cycle Series, Dynamic Dimensions International, True Colors, and the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Sharon serves on the boards of several local Amarillo non-profits and as community outreach liaison for the Amarillo Breast Center of Excellence.
Recently, Sharon joined forces with other breast cancer survivors and The Change Cycle Series to develop and launch a non-profit organization dedicated to support and educate breast cancer survivors and their professional and personal caregivers with proven effective, efficient and timely life skills to use as they cope with the changing conditions brought about by diagnosis, treatment and survivorship issues inherent to medical life changes.
Pre-Conference Workshop: Diversified Resource Development Strategies for Health Networks
Amy Forsyth-Stephens is the owner of Forsyth-Stephens Consulting, LLC, a new NCHN Business Partner. Forsyth-Stephens Consulting specializes in development consulting to rural and charitable health organizations, mental health organizations, and other non-profits serving disenfranchised individuals.
Amy most recently served as Chief Development Officer of a national health care non-profit. Prior to that, she was Executive Director of the Free Clinic of the New River Valley and the Mental Health Association of the New River Valley over a 13-year period of extraordinary growth. She was recognized as local Citizen of the Year twice, in 1998 and again in 2007, for her work in strengthening the health care safety net of rural Southwest Virginia. Amy is featured in the 2004 book, The Faces of Public Health, which recognizes 25 individuals across the nation for their effort, energy and accomplishment in the field of public health.
Over her career, Amy has personally written and won 27 program grants and proposals totaling millions from federal and state government sources, private foundations, and corporate entities. She has negotiated major contributions from large international corporations and authored nine successfully funded competitive grants from the US Department of Health and Human Services. Amy is known for her ability to transform creative ideas into fundable initiatives, and for designing programs that endure.
Session: Roadmap for Creating a Successful HIT Network
Terry has directed the National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) since its inception in 1990 as the Minnesota Center for Rural Health. Terry has more than 29 years experience working with rural health care providers and communities. He leads all of the federally funded projects at the Center. Terry serves as Chair of the National Rural HIT Coalition and co-leads the HIT Regional Extension Center for MN and ND. He led the development of two rural health networks, the Community Health Information Collaborative (CHIC), a HRSA Office of Rural Health Rural Health Network grantee, and the Northern Lakes Health Consortium, a network of clinics, hospitals and long term care facilities in northeast MN. He twice served as president of the National Cooperative of Health Networks (2008 and 2010), and has worked with rural health providers in more than 35 states. He also is the lead of the Regional Extension Center for HIT for Minnesota and North Dakota for The Center, and speaks nationally about rural HIT.
Terry is an adjunct professor at St. Scholastica and the University of Minnesota, Duluth Medical School. He received his Master of Public Administration from Shippensburg University and a Bachelor of Arts, History/Journalism from the University of Minnesota.
Terry Holland: Keynote Speaker
Terry Holland was a professional bull rider for twenty years as a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Terry’s rodeo travels took him all over the United States and Canada. Terry won championships at great rodeos like Cheyenne, Wyoming, San Antonio, Texas and Forth Worth, Texas, as well as qualifying for six trips to the prestigious Texas Circuit Finals.
Terry was the 1987 Mesquite Rodeo Year End Bullriding Champion. He has made television appearances on CBS’s 48 Hours, CBN’s 700 Club, and bullriding coverage on ESPN, TNN, and OLN. Terry served four years as the color commentator on the Outdoor Channel’s coverage of PRCA Rodeos and Championship Bullriding.
Terry, wife Debbie Jo, and daughter Khakie Jo own and operate a cattle ranch in Carthage, Texas. The Hollands raise prospective rodeo bulls as well as feeder cattle for market. Terry also manages Mighty Bucky, Inc., a company that manufactures exercise equipment for rodeo athletes. Since his retirement from active competition, Terry now travels the country as a motivational speaker. Terry has recently authored and published his first book entitled What a Ride, relating his experiences in and out of the arena as a professional rodeo cowboy.
Session: Assisting your members without getting “Bucked Off”!
Chris Hopkins, a native of San Diego, has worked in Healthcare for over 22 years. His healthcare career started out in the finance department at University of Utah Health Sciences Center in Salt Lake City where he managed the CDM and Decision Support Departments. Chris worked for Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health Systems in their Montana affiliates as Director of Patient Financial Services and as VP of Operations and as a Hospital Administrator for a critical access facility. Currently Chris is Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Montana Health Network. Chris is responsible for bringing new service lines to the network and providing increased services at reduced costs for the rural facilities in Montana. Chris also oversees the education program which is an extensive clinical education program operating in Montana and North Dakota.
Chris has a bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University, Arcata California and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Utah.
Session: Assisting your members without getting “Bucked Off”!
Dave Johnson, Director of Member Relations & Business Development for RWHC, has been immersed in the world of healthcare since birth. Being the oldest child of a Cardiac Cath Lab Manager and Hospice Nurse always made for interesting dinner conversations, including death and pace makers. And despite swearing off everything “gross” at the age of 10, Dave has worked in healthcare for the last 20 years. In his current role with RWHC, Dave is responsible for assisting RWHC’s 35 member hospitals in developing new services that will add value to their current operations. Dave has also worked as an Administrator and Business Development Specialist in the long term care arena. He has a Bachelor’s from Appalachian State University and an MBA from the Edgewood College School of Business.
Session: Accountable Care Organizations and Networks
Heman A. Marshall III practices primarily in the areas of health law, general corporate and antitrust. His areas of concentration include, but are not limited to, assisting his clients in the complex area of federal and state regulatory schemes such as Stark II, state and federal anti- kickback laws, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement issues, managed care negotiations, physician-hospital contracting, joint venture efforts, and antitrust issues.
He has served as the Coordinator of the firm's Health Law Practice Section since its inception in the early 1980's, and was the initial Chairman of the Virginia Bar Association Health Law Section upon its founding. He has also served as the Chairman of the Virginia State Bar Health Law Section and the Virginia State Bar Antitrust, Franchise and Trade Regulations Section, and is currently a member of the Governing Counsel of the Virginia Bar Association Health Law Section.
He is currently a member of the Virginia State Bar and Virginia Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the ABA Health Law Section serving on several of its special committees, and the American Health Lawyers Association. He is listed in the "Best Lawyers in America" under the categories of both Health Care Law and Antitrust, "Virginia's Legal Elite," "Virginia's Super Lawyers" and numerous Who's Who publications including Marquis' Who's Who in American Law. He was recently made a member of "Outstanding Lawyers of America" and is a fellow of both the Virginia Bar Foundation and the American Bar Foundation.
Session: Closing Speaker, The National Rural Health Perspective
Alan Morgan serves as Chief Executive Officer for the National Rural Health Association. He has been with the National Rural Health Association since 2001. Mr. Morgan has more than 20 years experience in health policy development at the state and federal level. He served as staff for former US Congressman Dick Nichols and former Kansas Governor Mike Hayden. Additionally, his experience includes tenures with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists and with the Heart Rhythm Society where he established a Washington, DC based government affairs office. Prior to joining NRHA, he served as a federal lobbyist for VHA Inc.
Mr. Morgan’s health policy articles have been published in: The Journal of Rural Health, The Journal of Cardiovascular Management, The Journal of Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology, Cardiac Electrophysiology Review, and in Laboratory Medicine. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from University of Kansas and a master's degree in public administration from George Mason University.
Session: You’ll never break a horse if you stay sitting on the fence – Sustainability through calculated risk
Toniann Richard, executive director of the HCC, has spent the last three and a half years helping to improve the delivery of health care for Lafayette County's vulnerable population. The HCC, a non-profit, rural health network dedicated to serving all of Lafayette County, provides leadership in securing comprehensive services across the continuum of care.
Toniann has over 12 years of experience in non-profit, and several years experience working with community networking. In the last two years, her expertise as been instrumental in successfully implementing and launching the following many funded programs -- many of which were introduced to the County for the very first time.
Session: You’ll never break a horse if you stay sitting on the fence – Sustainability through calculated risk
Beverly Santicola, 2010 Purpose Prize Fellow, has over 25 years of experience in management, including 20 years within the nonprofit sector. She has generated over $22 million dollars in grant funding over the last ten years for health care, disaster relief, technology, elementary/secondary education, economic development, and labor-management cooperation. Between 2001 and 2005 Santicola authored more than 35 award winning grant proposals to provide breast cancer screening, diagnostics and treatment for 9,000 low-income, uninsured women in Texas. As a fund development consultant, Santicola consulted with the Asian American Health Coalition of Greater Houston from December 2003 to May 2006 and helped to establish the HOPE Clinic – a FQHC Look Alike in southeast Houston. Beverly Santicola has demonstrated ability to develop, lead, manage, sustain and grow nonprofit organizations.
As Executive Director of a nonprofit organization in Ohio from 1989-2001, she led the organization’s growth from a $25,000 annual budget to over $500,000 and developed expertise in teambuilding, quality improvement processes, problem solving, and small group facilitation. Projects led by Santicola won numerous state and national awards. Beverly Santicola founded U.S. Government Grants, a woman-owned national grant writing training and consulting business in Houston Texas in 2001. In this business she works with a team of other national women-owned businesses that have generated more than $100 million for their clients. She has trained more than 2,500 nonprofit organizations throughout the United States including professional development courses for state and federal agencies, cities and towns, schools, colleges, universities, churches, hospitals, health care service providers, and other nonprofit organizations. Santicola is a highly sought after public speaker and has presented for various events sponsored by the American Academy of Medical Administrators, Indiana State Office of Rural Health Roundtable, US Department of Health & Human Services, National Community Tax Coalition, Western Regional Counterdrug Trainer Center, PGA TOUR, National WIC Association, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Houston Grant Writers Network, Wayland Baptist University, US Bank-Government Banking Division, Chicago Public Schools and Westcon Group.
Session: Roadmap for Creating a Successful HIT Network
Sally Trnka, Program Coordinator II, has been with The National Rural Health Resource Center (The Center) since 2009 and coordinates educational events, including workshops, conference calls, teleconferences, and meetings. She provides support and educational resources to networks nationwide, and recently created a national database of rural hospital networks for the purposes of technical assistance and education. She also works to develop tools and resources related to health networks. Sally has done work at both the state and national level with the Veterans Administration, and currently works with the Regional Extension Center for HIT for Minnesota and North Dakota at both the hospital and network level.
Sally received bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.
Session: A New Player in the Rural Health Network: Home Care Cooperatives
Ms. Leonila Vega, Esq., is the Direct Care Alliance’s first Executive Director and she has established the organization as the national advocacy voice for the more than three million direct care workers in the U.S. Under her leadership, DCA has launched various programs and has been a strong advocate for legislative fixes to the issues facing direct care workers. Ms.Vega is a civil rights attorney specializing in elder and disability law. Prior to becoming Executive Director of the Direct Care Alliance, Ms. Vega developed and enforced advocacy procedures for older adults and direct care workers involved with the Wisconsin Innovative Family Care Waiver Program. She was appointed by then-Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle to the Independent Living Council, elected twice to serve as its Chair. Vega is a founding member of the Eldercare Workforce Alliance and served as co-chair for the subcommittee on the direct care workforce. She also serves as co-chair of the Carework Network. A native of Mexico, Vega moved from her rural hometown to California, where she attended the University of California – Irvine. She has a law degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
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