The Third Annual
Medicaid Leadership Innovation Strategies

Marina Owen

Chief Executive Officer

CenCal Health

Marina Owen serves as Chief Executive Officer of CenCal Health, bringing over 20 years of experience in managed care and serving over 240,000 California Central Coast residents. She is the first woman and only fourth CEO in the organization's 42-year history. Owen oversees the strategic direction and administration of the local health plan, including the groundbreaking initiative California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal, known as CalAIM. Before becoming CEO in 2021, Owen was the COO of the Central California Alliance for Health, where she improved administrative efficiency.

Having previously worked at CenCal Health for over a decade as the Provider Services and Community Engagement Director, Owen has extensive knowledge of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties and prioritizes promoting health equity in its diverse communities. In addition to her role as CEO at CenCal Health, Owen serves on the Board of Directors for CommUnify, and serves as the Chair of the Local Health Plans of California Board of Directors, supporting California’s 17 Local Health Plans serving 10 million members. She also serves on the California Department of Health Care Services Stakeholder Advisory Committee, focusing on improving the Medi-Cal program and supporting its members.

A proud native of California's Central Coast, Owen holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara and completed the Executive Leadership Program at the University of California, Berkeley.

Jennifer Nuovo, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan

Jennifer Nuovo, MD is the Chief Medical Officer for Blue Shield of California’s Promise Health Plan, a managed Medi-Cal health plan doing business in San Diego County and as a subcontractor to LA Care Health Plan in Los Angeles. She has been in this role since October 2023.

Responsibilities include quality measures including HEDIS and CAHPS, provider effectiveness, implementation of Medi-Cal transformation including Enhanced Care Management, Population Health Management, Community Supports and expanding access to care through street medicine, telehealth, community, mobile and in-home health care.  She also oversees Utilization and Case Management processes and active engagement with the state regulators and County health agencies. Key accomplishments include capacity building, functional alignment, development of maternal/infant/child health equity program and guiding the health plan's behavioral health initiatives.

Past experience includes Chief Medical Executive roles at UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of California and Sutter Health Plan, as well as State Health Programs Medical Director Roles at Health Net of California. She practiced as an internist, endocrinologist and hospitalist in Sacramento and Seattle.

Chris Esguerra, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Health Plan of San Mateo

An experienced healthcare leader, Chris Esguerra, MD, MBA, FAPA, CHCQM has led systems transformation, program evolution, and public/private partnerships leading to outcomes meeting the quadruple aim of improving health, cost effectiveness, enhancing patient experience, and supporting provider well-being. He serves as Chief Medical Officer for Health Plan of San Mateo, a local community plan serving Medicaid and dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. He also advises nonprofits partnering in healthcare delivery, healthcare startups, and provider groups.

His experience encompasses health care provider and systems leadership, managed care operations, novel payment models, public-private partnerships, and health care transformation. He has led significant efforts around integration of care and services for a variety of populations, holistically addressing social determinants of health in healthcare delivery, and helping people remain and age in the community with appropriate long-term services and supports. He most recently served on a National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine committee that published Integrating Social Needs Care into the Delivery of Health Care to Improve the Nation's Health.

Dr. Esguerra is board certified in both Psychiatry and Health Care and Quality Management and is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians. He received his BS in Chemistry and Medical Degree from the University of Southern California. He completed his residency training in Psychiatry at San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Psychiatry Residency Training Program. He also received his MBA in business management from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Kristyn Greifer, MD

SVP, Chief Medical Officer

Sentara Health Plans

Dr. Kristyn Greifer has a dual role as SVP, Chief Medical Officer, Sentara Health Plans and SVP, Enterprise Care Management and Utilization, Sentara Health. Dr. Greifer’s role includes clinical oversight and leadership for utilization management, population health, quality, accreditation, and pharmacy operations for Sentara Health Plan as well as responsibility for all aspects and clinical program development in Care Management including Health Plan, Inpatient, Ambulatory and Clinical Integration. In addition, she leads the Sentara Health Physician Advisor Program and has responsibility for Behavioral Health at the health plan and across the health system. Dr. Greifer has more than 25 years of experience as a practicing internal medicine physician and leader in the industry with a passion for population health, value-based care, clinical improvement, and quality.

Prior to joining Sentara, she served as the VP, Chief Medical Officer, BayCare Health Plan and BayCare Physician Partners (CIN) in Clearwater, FL. Her previous experience also includes time as VP, Chief Medical Officer, Memorial Hermann Health Plan and Population Health in Houston; VP, Population Health Management, WellStar Health System, and Medical Director for Piedmont- Wellstar Health Plan in Atlanta. She spent 15 years at Kaiser Permanente in Georgia, most recently serving as Associate Medical Director for Resource Stewardship, Hospital and Acute Care.

Dr Greifer received her B.A. in Chemistry at Temple University, and completed Medical School and Residency at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the proud mother of 2 adult children and a fur baby.

Seiji Hayashi, MD, MPH, FAAFP

Interim Chief Medical Officer, Community Health Plan of DC Lead Medical Director for Government Programs

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

Dr. Hayashi is Interim Chief Medical Officer for the Community Health Plan of DC and the Lead Medical Director for Government Programs at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield that serves 3.5 million individuals and groups in Maryland and the Washington metropolitan area.

Dr. Hayashi was a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine’s committee that published the seminal report, “Transforming Health Care to Create Whole Health: Strategies to Assess, Scale, and Spread the Whole Person Approach to Health.”

Dr. Hayashi is board certified family physician and is an experienced leader in primary care, quality improvement, and health policy at the local and national levels. Prior to CareFirst, he spearheaded health services integration and transformation at two area federally qualified health centers. Hayashi's national health policy experience comes from his role as Chief Medical Officer for the Bureau of Primary Health Care at the Health Resources and Services Administration. He started his career at Georgetown University and at George Washington University teaching public health and conducting health policy research.

Hayashi has received a number of awards and honors, including the Samuel U. Rodgers, MD Achievement Award from the National Association of Community Health Centers. Dr. Hayashi graduated with honors in Studio Art from Vassar College, received his M.D. with Alpha Omega Alpha distinction from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed his family medicine residency training at the University of California San Francisco. He received his M.P.H. from the Harvard School of Public Health while a fellow with the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy.

Tracey Green, MD

Vice President, Clinical Innovation and Product Development

CareSource

Dr. Tracey Green joined CareSource in April of 2023 as Vice President, Clinical Innovation and Product.  Dr. Green works closely with subject matter experts across the enterprise to help us design and deliver on product development solutions and industry best practices.  Dr. Green came from Molina, serving as a Chief Medicaid Officer (CMO) and has held other nationwide Medicaid managed care leadership roles in population health, trauma transformation and health equity.  Dr. Green also served as the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services CMO and Division of Public and Behavioral Health State Health Officer in addition to working as a Family Practice Physician.

Christine Reiten

Vice President of Medicaid External Affairs

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Christine Reiten currently serves as the Vice President of Medicaid External Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. Christine (Chris) is responsible for growth, retention, member experience and plan performance of the BCBSMN Medicaid plans. She leads the mission to position Medicaid as the premier plan in the marketplace with a focus on strong external relationships with regulatory agencies, counties, and communities across the state to ensure our programs and services are meeting the needs of the Medicaid population. Chris rejoined Blue Cross in 2020, bringing more than 25 years of experience working with government program products. Prior to BCBSMN, Reiten served as senior director of state public programs for Medica in Minnetonka, Minnesota and was responsible for Medicaid and Special Needs Plans product strategy, growth, and overall product financial performance. Additionally, Reiten has held compliance leadership positions in government programs with Prime Therapeutics and Metropolitan Health Plan – Hennepin Health.

Chris holds a Reiten holds a B.A. in business from St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis.

Tiffany N. Davis, Esq.

Executive Director, Quality Improvement and Health Equity

HCSC

Alexandra (Ali) Fernández

Bureau Chief

Bureau of Long Term Care

Idaho Division of Medicaid

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Alexandra (Ali) Fernández is the Bureau Chief for the Bureau of Long Term Care under the Division of Medicaid. She has spent her career working for programs that support individuals with disabilities and the aging population, from direct service to policy analysis and program implementation.

Chris Barrott

Program Manager

Bureau of Long Term Care

Idaho Division of Medicaid

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Chris Barrott is the Program Manager for the Bureau of Long Term Care with the Idaho Division of Medicaid. She is managing the Duals programs for Idaho as well as the Quality Assurance program for the Bureau of Long Term Care. She has specialized in operational and systems development and contract management for over 25 years and loves the opportunity to find operational efficiencies that result in better outcomes for participants on Medicaid.

Nicole Evans, MSW, MBA

Senior Manager for Medi-Cal Maternal Infant & Child Health Equity

Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan

Nicole Evans, MSW, MBA, holds the position of Senior Manager for Medi-Cal Maternal, Infant & Child Health Equity at Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan. Since joining Blue Shield Promise in 2022, she focused on standing up the Medi-Cal doula benefit, which was added by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) in January 2023. Additionally, Nicole has been instrumental in developing a maternal, infant, and child health strategy for Blue Shield Promise’s Medi-Cal birthing members. Her prior roles include serving as the Black Infant Health Program Manager and Director of Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health at the City of Pasadena Public Health Department. Nicole has also held the position of Regional Office Manager at the California Department of Social Services Adoptions Services Branch and Federal Project Director at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and manager for the Fort Worth Healthy Start Program.

Nicole earned a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas. They have also completed coursework at the UCLA/Johnson & Johnson Community Health Institute.

Currently, Nicole serves on the Board of Directors of the Perinatal Advisory Council: Leadership, Advocacy, and Consultation (PAC/LAC). They previously served as a CityMatCH Executive Board member, on the Los Angeles County Medi-Cal Doula Hub Advisory Council, the Institute for Medical Innovation Midwifery Learning Collaborative, the Preconception Health Council of California (PHCC), and the National Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) Network Data Research and Evaluation team. They also served as a Texas Healthy Start Alliance Board member, on the Infant Mortality Network, and the Tarrant County Fatherhood Coalition in Fort Worth. Additionally, Nicole has been involved with the Pasadena Pacific Clinics, Early Head Start/Head Start Policy Council, the Los Angeles County and San Gabriel Valley African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Initiative, and the CityMatCH’s Equity Action Group.

Thomas Johnson

Executive Director

Alliance to Save America’s 340B Program

Thomas Johnson is the Executive Director of ASAP 340B. A native of Washington, DC, he brings 30 years of professional experience in the health care, nonprofit and association management space. Mr. Johnson served for nine years as President and CEO of Medicaid Health Plans of America (“MHPA”), a trade association representing health plans in the Medicaid business. In his role at MHPA, he led advocacy efforts involving the Affordable Care Act, as well as other policy issues affecting the Medicaid managed care industry. Mr. Johnson was President and CEO of the DC Hospital Association. Mr. Johnson also served as the Vice President of Compliance and External Affairs with DC Chartered Health Plan, a Medicaid health plan in Washington, DC, and as Senior Advisor to the Gorman Health Group, a consulting firm focused on assisting government-sponsored health plans. Mr. Johnson was also a staff Director with the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and legislative director with the Medical Society of the District of Columbia. Mr. Johnson has also served on a number of boards and commissions. He is the Chair of the Board of the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and serves on its Board.

Jim Milanowski

CEO

Genesee Health Plan

Jim Milanowski has over 22 years experience in the management of mental health, substance abuse, behavioral health managed care and medical care coverage programs. Mr. Milanowski currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Genesee Health Plan (GHP), administering a community based indigent health care plan. The health plan has covered over 70,000 Genesee County residents since 2001. Since the start of enrollment into Affordable Care Act in 2013, GHP has conducted outreach and enrollment sessions with over 15,000 Genesee County residents. The health plan received the 2015 Pinnacle Award from the Michigan Association of Health Plans for this effort. As a strong advocate, his expertise includes working to reduce racial disparities, uncompensated care, and the impact of chronic disease. During his leadership, Genesee Health Plan has received the national quality award from URAC for Best Practices in Patient Empowerment and Protection, the Greater Flint Labor Council's Community Partnership Award and the Robert M. Pestronk Excellence in Public Health Award. He is a founding member of the Health Net Collaborative, and a member of the Greater Flint Health Coalition Access, Dental and Medical Group Visit Committees.

He is the Treasurer of the Michigan Association of County Health Plans and is on the Board of Directors for the Genesee Community Health Center. Mr. Milanowski received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Spring Arbor University and his Master's of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University. He is a limited-licensed psychologist in the state of Michigan, and has extensive counseling experience with adult, child, and adolescent populations.

Lauryn Walker

Chief Strategy Officer

Virginia Center for Health Innovation

Lauryn is the Chief Strategy Officer for Virginia Center for Health Innovation (VCHI) and co-lead of the Virginia Task Force on Primary Care. Prior to joining VCHI, Lauryn served as the Interim Chief of Population Health and Senior Advisor to the Chief Actuary and Chief Strategy Officer for North Carolina Medicaid, where she focused on reforms to integrate behavioral health and physical health. Lauryn also served as the Senior Advisor for Chief Deputy and Chief Health Economist at Virginia Medicaid, supporting the development of the Office of Value-Based Purchasing (VBP), the Office of Quality and Population Health, and the Office of Data Analytics. Prior to working directly with states, Lauryn conducted Medicaid policy evaluations, and research on Medicaid expansion and financial incentive programs. She also served as a health fellow for the U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader. Lauryn was a critical care nurse at Johns Jopkins Hospital, and remains a member of the Virginia Medical Reserve Corps. She earned her BSN and MPH from Johns Hopkins University and her PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Genevieve M. Kenney, PhD

Institute Fellow

Health Policy Division

Low-Income Coverage, Access, and Affordability

Urban Institute

Genevieve M. Kenney, PhD, is an Institute Fellow in the Health Policy Division at the Urban Institute. She is a nationally renowned expert on Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and health insurance coverage; health care access and quality; and health outcomes for low-income adults, children, and families. She has played a lead role in several Medicaid and CHIP evaluations that used quasi-experimental methods, including multiple congressionally mandated CHIP evaluations, and has conducted state-level evaluations of the implementation of managed care and other service delivery reform initiatives and policy changes in Medicaid and CHIP. Currently, she is leading a project focused on health equity and Medicaid that involves working with a community advisory board. Her prior work has used mixed methods to examine Medicaid expansions for pregnant women, parents, and children; Medicaid family planning waivers; and a range of policy choices related to Medicaid and CHIP. She earned her PhD in Economics and MA in Statistics from the University of Michigan.

Purva Rawal, PhD

Former Chief Strategy Officer

CMS Innovation Center, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Purva Rawal, PhD, is a nationally recognized leader in value-based care with academic, government and private sector experience. Most recently, she was the Chief Strategy Officer at the CMS Innovation Center. She spent a decade in policy research and business strategy consulting on value- based payment and health system transformation. She was an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University. In 2016, she published The Affordable Care Act: Examining the Facts and has written for recognized publications including Journal of the American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, and Health Affairs. Dr. Rawal served as professional staff on the Senate Budget Committee during the Affordable Care Act and as an advisor to Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT). Dr. Rawal received her B.A. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

Matt Salo

Founder/CEO

Salo Health Strategies

Matt Salo is the founding member of Salo Health Strategies, a boutique health care consulting firm in the Washington DC area that specializes in strategic advice, health care policy, Medicaid market development and relationship building across 56 states and US territories. The firm capitalizes on decades of experience working with state and federal government officials as well as the full spectrum of Medicaid and broader health care stakeholders ranging from health plans, providers, pharmaceutical companies, foundations, and consumer groups.

Matt is the founding Executive Director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD), having started the association in February 2011, and worked in that role until he stepped down in August 2022. The organization represents the state government leaders in each of the 56 US states and territories responsible for administering the Medicaid program. His roles included creating a permanent community for state leaders to share best practices, develop technical assistance, invest in leadership development, and formulate a strong unified voice for states in communication with Congress, the Administration, and other key national stakeholders. He built the organization from an initial staff of one to a full-time complement of ten staff and an operating budget of more than $3 million.

Matt formerly spent 12 years at the National Governors Association, where he worked on the Governors’ health care and human services reform agendas. His major accomplishments included getting legislation passed that guaranteed state control the entire $250 Billion tobacco Master Settlement Agreement for the states, which resulted in Forbes Magazine naming NGA one of the nation’s top ten most influential lobbying organizations. He also worked to get legislative approval of more than $100 billion in state fiscal relief during the Great Recession; and in bringing bipartisan groups of Governors together on multiple occasions to reach agreement on Medicaid reform proposals, ultimately serving as the backbone for the Deficit Reduction Act of 2007. Matt was a substitute teacher for two years in the Alexandria City public school system before joining the DC health policy world. He holds a BA in Eastern Religious Studies from the University of Virginia, and is still trying to find ways to explain how that got him to where he is today. Matt is a nationally recognized expert in Medicaid, state government, health care reform, federalism, long term care. He was recently named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the 500 most influential people in Washington DC. He is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance (NASI), and was recently recognized by the National Academy of State Health Policy as its 2022 Academy Award Winner for a lifetime of contributions to health policy.

Matt has extensive experience in public speaking before audiences up to 1500 people, is frequently quoted in major mainstream news media and health care trade press, and has guest lectured at GWU, Duke, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Virginia.

Kris Vilamaa

Partner and Chief Growth Officer

Mostly Medicaid

Kris Vilamaa is a Partner and Chief Growth Officer for Mostly Medicaid. Mostly Medicaid is one of the premier Medicaid consulting and marketing entities in the country, using best-in-class HHS expertise to help state and county government agencies, health plans and solution providers to navigate a wide variety of challenges. Kris was recently named one of the Top 50 Healthcare Consultants and Leaders of 2022 by The Consulting Report. Kris has led consulting engagements in twenty-three different states with hundreds of clients in his career. His experience includes improving existing solutions, bringing new solutions to market, driving innovation, growth strategy development, change management, policy assessments and operational assessments.

Kris is a national thought leader on information technology in behavioral health and the use of data in integrated care models to improve care. As a consultant, he has also served as the CEO of HealthCare Perspective and Director of Behavioral Health for Germane Solutions. Prior to entering consulting in 2015, Kris served in state government for fifteen years, the last three as the Chief Information Officer for the Alabama Department of Mental Health.

Andrew C. Bledsoe

Deputy Executive Director

Office of the Inspector General

Kentucky Health Information Exchange

Mr. Bledsoe’s 17 years in healthcare has focused on supporting the adoption of health information technology with a focus on assisting rural healthcare organizations. Andrew currently serves as the State Health Information Technology Coordinator for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and is appointed as the Deputy Executive Director for the Office of the Inspector General where he oversees the strategic planning and daily operations for the Kentucky Health Information Exchange (KHIE).  Andrew is a graduate of Morehead State University with an MBA in Business Management and in his spare time is an apprentice baker and bartender.

Anne Santifer

Director, Office of Health Information Technology

Arkansas Department of Health

Anne Santifer is Director of the Office of Health Information Technology. Anne has nearly 13 years of experience in the operations, development, and policy supporting Medicaid quality improvement programs. She is experienced in program management, value-based programs and data and information technologies supporting health care and social service programs.

Justin Villines

Health Information Technology Policy Director

Office of Health Information Technology

Arkansas Department of Health

Justin Villines is an Arkansas native and currently serves as the Health Information Technology (HIT) Policy Director for the  Office of Health Information Technology  that oversees the State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE), Arkansas’ only statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE). He has 17+ years combined experience in Health Information Exchange, EMR/EHR systems, Public Health and Community Education, practice transformation, healthcare consulting, project management, teaching, and federal/state service.  He has extensive knowledge in practice transformation health initiatives and has led the implementation of Health Information Exchange (HIE) efforts throughout Arkansas to support Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), Practice Transformation efforts in Arkansas and nationwide, Clinically Integrated Networks (CIN) and Arkansas Medicaid PCMH program. He also teaches the Masters of Health Administration and Masters in Management and Leadership as an Adjunct Professor at Webster University- Little Rock Metro Campus and as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Park University at the Little Rock Air Force Base.

In his previous roles with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS)  he has worked on PCMH transformation, published 7 Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) teaching modules for the UAMS Family Medicine Residency programs and as a quality assurance coordinator he evaluated performance improvement requirements for The Joint Commission and The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Serving in the US Army for 8 years with two combat tours in Iraq, he received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management (BSM) and a Master Degree in Business Administration (MBA) with emphasis in Healthcare Management. He is presently working on his DrPH in Public Health – Community Health Promotion and Education

Ankit Patel

Vice President – Payer Partnerships and Growth

Lucina

Ankit Patel leads Payer Partnerships and Growth at Lucina, where he is responsible for driving strategic collaborations with health plans to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. He specializes in scaling models that align financial incentives with better clinical outcomes, particularly in Medicaid populations. Ankit’s work focuses on leveraging data and predictive analytics to help payers address disparities, reduce preventable complications, and achieve measurable improvements in maternal health.