VP of Specialty/Infusion Operations
Fairview Pharmacy Services
Tim Affeldt, PharmD serves as the Vice President of Specialty/Infusion Operations at Fairview Pharmacy Services. Mr. Affeldt is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, College of Pharmacy. He joined Fairview Pharmacy Services in September 2013. Prior to being a VP, he was the Director of Specialty/Infusion Operations. During his time with Fairview, he has provided overall strategic direction and leadership to the Specialty and Mail Order pharmacies, Infusion Center pharmacy, Home Infusion, Compounding pharmacy, Specialty Clinic and Discharge pharmacy, Facilities and Shipping/Receiving. He is a former Pharmacy Alumni Society board member, mentor to first year students and preceptor for APPE leadership rotations for the College of Pharmacy.
Mr. Affeldt has chaired and served as a member on multiple committees and is a current member of the National Home Infusion Association Board (Past Chair), the National Home Infusion Association Government Affairs Committee, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation MinnDakotas Chapter Board (Board of Chancellors), the Health System Owned Specialty Pharmacy Alliance Board (Vice President) and the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy (GAC Committee).
Vice President Supply Chain
UCHealth
Richard is the Vice President Supply Chain for UCHealth. He leads the supply chain shared service to deliver people centered supply chain services at the optimum value for our care community in Colorado. Prior to working at UCHealth, he was the SVP for PennState Health responsible for building the first shared service supply and clinical engineering function.
Richard has also worked in the Supply Chain at Intermountain Healthcare. He was faculty at the University of Phoenix for 17 years. He has also worked for Siemens and 3M Health Information System developing commercial IT products. He is a graduate of the University of Phoenix with an MBA and the University of Utah with a degree in computer science.
Political Commentator, Professor of Public Policy, Author, and Political Strategist
Paul Begala is a political commentator, a professor of public policy, an author, and political strategist. He is a commentator for CNN, where he is part of the political team that has won both an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award. In addition to appearing on-air, Paul writes commentary for CNN, which is the world’s most-read news organization website. Over the years, he has also been a frequent guest on Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO.
Begala is a Scholar with the University of Virginia Center for Politics and has previously taught at three universities: The University of Texas at Austin, where he taught in the School of Journalism; the University of Georgia, where he taught in the School of Law; and Georgetown University, where he was an Affiliated Professor in the McCourt School of Public Policy. He is also a regular guest lecturer at the National War College.
Begala is the author of six books about politics, several of which were New York Times bestsellers. In the 1990’s he helped his friend John F. Kennedy, Jr. launch the political magazine George and wrote the “Capitol Hillbilly” column.
Begala served in 1992 as a senior strategist for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign and as Counselor to the President in the White House, helping coordinate policy, politics, and media. Before working for Pres. Clinton, Begala worked on Capitol Hill and advised campaigns across America. In 2012 he played a crucial role in the Obama-Biden re-election campaign. He has also done campaign work overseas, including in Israel, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and Africa.
Begala is a Distinguished Alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin, where he received his bachelor's degree in Government and his law degree. Paul was the student body president at UT and remains a loyal Longhorn fan. In his free time, Paul enjoys hunting, fly fishing, and working on his farm. Most of all, Paul loves spending time with his wife, Diane, and their four sons
Founder and advisor
LeAnn R. Born Advisory Solutions
LeAnn Born is the founder and advisor of LeAnn R. Born Advisory Solutions, where she advises suppliers, providers, GPOs, and other industry partners about the healthcare supply chain. As a supply chain thought leader, she helps clients drive strategies focused on improved population health, enhanced care experience, reduced cost, workforce well-being, and advanced health equity. Her background includes three decades of executive leadership of major health system supply chain services, program development with group purchasing organizations, and guidance to medical suppliers on effective sales strategies with customers. Before her consulting practice, LeAnn served as Vice President of Supply Chain at Fairview Health Services/M Health Fairview, Vice President of Contract, Program Services and Customer Contracting at Novation (now Vizient), and several positions leading up to interim Vice President of Supply Chain at Allina Health. Clients rely on her expertise in a range of situations, from resolving urgent needs to long-term strategic planning.
SVP, Supply Chain
Banner Health
Doug joined Banner Health in 2002 as Vice President of Supply Chain Services. Prior to joining Banner, he served 17 years in Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership positions with Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in Utah, Oregon, Tennessee, and Texas.
His focus is on supply chain cost discipline, utilization improvement, multi-facility operations, and value analysis. His goal is to optimize network value for patients, payers, providers, and suppliers using a fully integrated and vertical supply chain model.
For the 10th consecutive year, Banner Health’s Supply Chain Services has achieved a position in the Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25. This annual ranking done by Gartner — a global research and advisory firm — ranks Banner Health’s supply chain at #6 in the Top 25.
Doug has successfully transitioned the delivery and management of the supply chain from a multi-individual hospital perspective to a centralized, high-performance corporate supply chain service center for 30 hospitals.
Doug holds his BS from Utah State University, MBA from Belmont University, and Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB) from Purdue University. He has published articles in Modern Healthcare, Journal of Healthcare Contracting, COO Magazine, HFMA, Healthcare Finance News, Supply Chain World, and was recognized in Becker’s Hospital Review and The Journal of Healthcare Contracting’s Top People to Watch.
In 2020, Doug was inducted into the Bellwether League – the Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership Hall of Fame, recognizing the Top 1% of Healthcare Supply Chain Leaders.
Banner’s Supply Chain was selected as the Healthcare Purchasing News (HPN) Supply Chain Department of the year for 2021, noting exceptional pandemic preparedness/response, vertical supply chain capabilities, including internal distribution of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, surgical kit packing manufacturing and sterilization operations, pharmacy robotics, and mail-order prescription services.
Associate Professor of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management
University of Tennessee
Dr. Randy V. Bradley is an Associate Professor of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management at the Haslam College of Business at The University of Tennessee. He is also EVP, Digital Transformation in Life Sciences for Bio Supply Management Alliance (BSMA) and Principal Owner of RV Bradley, LLC.
He holds a Ph.D. in Management of Information Technology and Innovation, an M.S. in Management Information Systems, and a B.S. in Computer Engineering, all from Auburn University.
Dr. Bradley is a preeminent thought leader and highly sought-after speaker for professional and corporate conferences and events. Dr. Bradley has 20+ years of industry experience as a consultant and healthcare supply chain and IT strategist and researcher. His expertise includes digital business transformation, supply chain digitalization, and the strategic application of business analytics and IT in the supply chain, with an emphasis on the healthcare sector.
President & CEO
Capstone Health Alliance
Tim Bugg is the President and CEO of Capstone Health Alliance where he leads the affiliate corporation of the WNC Health Network on its journey to bring the former Group Purchasing Program of the Network to new heights and offer greater value to its entire membership.
Prior to joining the WNC Health Network in 2007, Tim was a part-time contracted employee for the Network for several years while serving as the Director of Materials Management in one of the Network’s member hospitals.
He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Montreat College, is a Certified Materials and Resource Professional, a member of the Council of Supply Chain Executives, a current member of the HSCA Board of Directors, served eight years on the Board of Directors of the NC Chapter of AHRMM, serving as President in 2005 & 2006, is a past member of the AHRMM Membership and Chapter Committee, and is intricately involved in various aspects of the Premier sourcing process.
Chief Operating Officer
Yankee Alliance
Amy Campbell, Yankee Alliance’s Chief Operating Officer, recommends, develops, and drives company-wide initiatives in support of Yankee Alliance’s corporate goals with a focus on member value and revenue growth. She is responsible for the strategic direction and execution of the Contracting, Analytics, Information Technology, Marketing, Business Development, Program Management and Human Resources functions in support of the achievement of Yankee Alliance’s corporate goals. Amy also acts as Yankee Alliance’s Chief Compliance Officer, directing all aspects of the organization’s legal affairs.
Amy has over twenty-five years of Human Resources and Operational experience in varied industries. She has been in a leadership role at Yankee Alliance for twelve years.
Amy has a Master of Arts degree in Industrial & Organizational Psychology from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire.
Policy and Supply Chain Strategy
FMOL Health System (Retired)
Chris Chandler currently oversees Policy and Supply Chain Strategy at FMOLHS Health System. Over thirty years of patient care, pharmacy benefits management, contract procurement, quality assurance, regulatory standards, and informatics experience in the pharmacy supply chain. Structured and led U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) formation of the National Pharmacy Benefits Management Strategic Health Group, Quality Assurance Team for the Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy, and supported Pharmacy Supply Chain and Regulatory Standards Adoption with the Office of Informatics & Analytics Bar Code Resource Office, GS1 US and Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System (FMOLHS) for traceability and compliance for Unique Device Identification (UDI) and Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA). Professional activities included the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy, American Society of Health System Pharmacists, Healthcare Transformation Group (HTG) and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Packaging and Distribution Committee 2010-2020.
Executive Director of Supply Chain Operations
Cleveland Clinic
Sarah Charai joined Cleveland Clinic as the Executive Director of Supply Chain Operations in August of 2023. In this role, she leads a team of 500 employees who support supply chain operations at Cleveland Clinic sites including an Inventory Management Center of Excellence. Sarah has over 20 years of healthcare experience developing, executing and managing system-wide supply chain strategy for large IDNs. She began her career in strategic sourcing and then stepped into progressive leadership roles on the operations side of the house. She counts mentorship, her team’s career growth and advancing women leaders among her professional pride points.
Professor of Practice, Department of Supply Chain Management
Arizona State University
Hitendra is a Professor of Practice in the Supply Chain Management department at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University where he teaches supply chain management, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Hitendra is also the faculty director of MS in Entrepreneurship program.
Before joining ASU, Hitendra has had extensive experience as a global business professional with EY, A.T. Kearney, and Microsoft, and subsequently as a successful entrepreneur where he built a sustainable reverse logistics company.
Hitendra now sits on advisory committees of many start-ups, co-chair of the Southwest Valley Chamber Logistics & Supply Chain Committee in Phoenix, Vice President, Global Manufacturing Research Group, Faculty Affiliate at the Walton Sustainability Program, and an active speaker at various conferences.
A celebrated author, Hitendra is featured in ASU Experts directory and is the face of ASU when it comes to topics including global supply chain strategy, global logistics, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and digital supply chains.
Director of Trade Relations and Market Access
Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy
Elizabeth Cherry, PharmD, MMHC, CSP, is the Director of Trade Relations and Market Access at Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy in Nashville, TN. In this role, she collaborates with key stakeholders within the healthcare industry to create and implement solutions that capitalize on the contribution Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy is uniquely qualified to give to its patients and partners. Dr. Cherry has gained both clinical and operational experience in several pharmacy outlets including independent, hospital, and specialty pharmacy. Dr. Cherry received her doctorate from Lipscomb University College of Pharmacy and completed the Master of Management in Health Care program at the Owen School of Business at Vanderbilt University.
Group Vice President, Strategic Sourcing
Premier, Inc.
As Group Vice President of Strategic Sourcing, Pam Daigle is responsible for the non-food, non-pharmacy areas of Premier’s GPO portfolio, including Medical/Surgical, PPI, Purchased Services, IT, Facilities and Construction, Lab and Imaging sourcing as well as highly committed and special programs/strategic initiatives. With more than 30 years of experience in healthcare supply chain and surgical services, Pam has also served as Director of Strategic Sourcing, Senior Director of Performance Groups and Vice President of Strategic Sourcing and Performance Groups at Premier.
Clinical Associate Professor
Arizona State University
Brett Duarte is a clinical associate professor in the department of supply chain management, and the faculty co-director for the business analytics program. He joined the supply chain department at the W.P. Carey school of business in 2017. Prior to joining Arizona State University, Dr. Duarte worked as a master black belt at IBM for 12 years. He was responsible for driving process improvement and optimization using lean six sigma and business analytics. His research interests are in lean six sigma, quality management, simulation and optimization of supply chains.
Managing Partner
Excelerant Consulting
Dave possesses an expert understanding of product commercialization from a sales standpoint. He is intimately familiar with the complexities and intricacies of working with group purchasing organizations (GPOs) and integrated delivery networks (IDNs). With his experience, he has rich connections within all major GPOs and IDNs. He is highly respected in the healthcare industry and has a proven track record of developing go-to-market strategies that produce meaningful sales growth and profitability.
Principal
Deloitte Consulting
Ms. Franck is a Principal in Deloitte’s Supply Chain and Network Operations practice and has over 18 years of experience leading supply chain transformation and optimization projects in the areas of inventory management, warehouse and distribution management, and transportation planning. This includes deploying a number of point solutions, assets, and technology-enabled platforms to solve her health care client’s most complex and challenging problems and reduce supply chain risks.
Ms. Franck has successfully strengthened the capacity of global health organizations, various commercial companies, and government agencies. Her demonstrated experience in improving supply chain resiliency and transforming business processes over the last 18 years includes formulating business strategies; streamlining supply chain business processes; implementing large-scale technology solutions, logistics management and transportation planning systems; and building workforce capacity through developing target operating models and capacity building programs.
Manager of Value Analysis
Froedtert Health
Jessica Gehrke, RN, MBA, MHA, is the Manager of Value Analysis at Froedtert Health. In her present position, she has been instrumental in establishing and executing a comprehensive Value Analysis program across the system. Jessica leads a dedicated value analysis team and service line value analysis teams and drives Froedtert toward a clinically integrated supply chain model.
With over two decades of experience in healthcare, Jessica has held diverse roles, including ICU/Trauma nurse, Organ Donation Coordinator, and Strategic Procedural Contracting Manager, reflecting her deep expertise and broad-based understanding of healthcare.
Executive Medical Director
Monument Health
Deepak Manmohan Goyal, MD MBA is an Internal Medicine trained Board Certified Physician who is currently an Executive Medical Director at Monument Health in Rapid City, SD. He has his master’s in business training from University of Massachusetts.
He is a key executive for leading a significant number of system-level initiatives like financial clearance process, value analysis/enhancement, quality improvement, denial management and presumptive charity care processes. He has been Chairman of Utilization Review Committee at Monument Health for last 5 plus years.
With more than 23 years of progressive responsibilities in various medical fields, Dr. Goyal’s diverse medical experience spans general and trauma surgery and orthopedics as house officer, emergency services, primary care, hospitalist services and Physician leader in various administrative and executive roles. He has served as Medical Director, Chief of Staff, and Program Director in the past. Dr. Goyal has been a national speaker at prestigious conferences like ACMA, AHRMM, HFMA, GHX and IDN on various key topics related to health care management.
VP of Operations
Vanderbilt Health Purchasing Collaborative
Tony Gribble is Vice President, Supply Chain and is responsible for the day-to-day operations, sourcing and contracting, data intelligence, and client management for The Vanderbilt Health Purchasing Collaborative. Tony also served as Director, Supply Chain and responsible for the sourcing and contracting, and data intelligence for multiple health systems throughout the country. Tony has held multiple roles within health systems to Client Executive for MedAssets and Vizient Inc. Tony also has additional experience within the consulting space, where he served as Senior Consultant working with the Naval Education Training Command as an Information Assurance Officer. Tony holds two Bachelor’s degrees: Management Information Systems and Management.
Vice President Supply Chain - Enterprise Strategic Sourcing
Jefferson Health
With over 17 years of clinical experience, coupled with more than 15 years of consulting and Supply Chain experience, Michelle brings a unique perspective to healthcare Supply Chain. Michelle is the Vice President Supply Chain-Enterprice Strategic Sourcing at Jefferson Health, supporting Value Analysis and Strategic Sourcing & Contracting for the health system.
In addition to her years of clinical experience within the Radiology and Cardiovascular service lines, Michelle has expertise and experience in many areas of Supply Chain, including strategic sourcing and contract category management, physician engagement and alignment, cost containment and margin improvement, mergers and acquisitions, procurement and new hospital construction. She also has her Master’s degree in Organizational Change Leadership, with extensive experience in healthcare project management.
Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management
North Carolina State University
Rob Handfield is the Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at North Carolina State University, and Executive Director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative. Handfield is considered a thought leader in the field of supply chain management and is an industry expert in the field of strategic sourcing, supply market intelligence, and supplier development. Handfield has published more than 120 peer reviewed journal articles and is regularly quoted in global news media. He served on the Joint Acquisition Task Force during COVID which led to published articles on the shortages of PPE in the Harvard Business Review and the Milbank Quarterly Journal and led a NIIMBL research team studying distribution of test kits during the pandemic. He was also invited to serve on the Biden White House Counsel of Economic Advisors in January 2022 and has worked with many companies through the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative for several years.
Director of Contract Lifecycle Management and Contracting Performance
BJC Health System
Amanda Hausmann serves as the Director of Contract Lifecycle Management and Contracting Performance at BJC Health System, a premier Midwest academic health system. In her role, Amanda focuses on establishing and ensuring compliance to organizational best contracting policies, standards, and procedures. With nearly a decade of experience in negotiating high stakes deals as a former in-house defense attorney and BJC’s IT Sourcing Director, Amanda specializes in securing favorable contractual arrangements while minimizing organizational risk.
Amanda holds degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Saint Louis University School of Law. As a founding member of the Women of Supply Chain organization at BJC and a member of the Ntracts Advisory Council, Amanda is dedicated to fostering professional growth and advancing industry contracting standards.
System VP, Supply Chain and Sustainability
Avera Health
Sara Henderson is System Vice President of Supply Chain and Sustainability for Avera Health, an integrated health system comprised of more than 300 locations in 100 communities across the Upper Midwest.
Sara has 20 years of experience in finance, supply chain and healthcare leadership. She supports a transparent, metrics-driven approach to supply chain management while developing and aligning key stakeholders, including healthcare administrators, physicians and clinicians, to develop solutions for deployment across the organization for the benefit of the patient. She leads the supply chain category management and strategic sourcing, contracting, purchasing, distribution center, courier, inventory management and hospital supply chain operations. Within the scope of supply chain contracts includes IT software and equipment, medical equipment and building service agreements and non-clinical and select clinical purchased services categories.
Senior Vice President of Pharmacy Member Services
Vizient, Inc.
Joel A. Hennenfent is the Senior Vice President of Pharmacy Member Services at Vizient, Inc. The Pharmacy Member Services team strategically partners with our members and are responsible for delivering value driven through our pharmacy solutions. He was previously the Vice President of Pharmacy and Professional Health Services at University Health in Kansas City, Missouri. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees at St. Louis College of Pharmacy, completed a Pharmacy Practice (PGY1) Residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Saint Louis University. Joel is a Past President of Missouri Society of Health-System Pharmacists (MSHP), Past President of St. Louis Society of Health-System Pharmacists (STLSHP), and Past Chair of MSHP Research & Education Board. Moreover, he was the 2013 ASHP Council on Therapeutics Chair, 2015-2017 ASHP Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists Executive Committee Director-at-Large, a 2014-2018 and 2015-2019 ASHP Foundation Pharmacy Forecast Advisory Committee member, the 2012 MSHP Pharmacist of the Year, and 2015 MSHP Foundation Garrison Award Recipient. Joel is currently serving as ASHP Delegate for Missouri, member of ASHP Pharmacy Executive Leadership Alliance (PELA) Advisory Panel, ASHP Formulary Submission Toolkit Steering Committee, Editor for the ASHP Pharmacy Competency Assessment Center, and Board of Trustees Member at University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis.
Director, 340B Center of Excellence
SSM Health
Holly Herring, PharmD, BCPS, is the Director, 340B Center of Excellence, at SSM Health which includes 12 covered entities and two hemophilia treatment programs. Holly is a clinically trained pharmacist by background with leadership experience in hospital and clinical pharmacy operations, and the 340B Drug Pricing Program. She is focused on improving patient outcomes through innovative healthcare delivery and expanding clinical services to the vulnerable and underserved by optimizing the 340B Drug Pricing Program.
Holly attended The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy, where she received her Doctor of Pharmacy and completed a PGY-1 and PGY-2 Pharmacy Residency.
One of her greatest passions is leadership- she enjoys mentoring and developing leaders through encouragement and accountability.
Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Management
Trinity Health
Ed Hisscock is the Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at Trinity Health, a leading catholic healthcare ministry and a Healthcare Supply Chain Practitioner. Ed has spent over 25 years serving in the supply chain and IT disciplines with fortune 50 companies, healthcare supplier and healthcare provider organizations. Ed has founded two healthcare companies and personally served over 100 healthcare provider organizations in the US and Europe. Ed holds an engineering degree in electronics, a Bachelor’s degree in behavioral science, and a Master's degree in supply chain from Michigan State University.
Director of Operations South Region
UCHealth
Paul Holbert serves as the Director of Supply Chain Operations for the Southern Colorado (SOCO) market at UCHealth, which includes 6 Acute Care hospitals, an ASC and an offsite warehouse. Prior to joining UCHealth, Paul spent 20 years in healthcare distribution between Cardinal Health and Owens & Minor, Inc. He earned his Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification while at Cardinal Health. Paul is passionate about process improvement and building a learning culture.
Originally from New York, he and his family moved to Colorado in 2017. Paul holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Capella University and a Graduate Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He is also a Marine Corps Infantry Veteran.
Paul lives in the South Denver area with his wife, daughter, their dog Scout and his In-Laws. Outside of work, he enjoys BMX riding, hiking and camping with his daughter, spending time in his garage gym, reading, listening to music and volunteering as a PTO board member.
Vice President, Supply Chain Clinical Resources & Analytics
Ardent Health Services
Rebecca Holt, RN, MBA is the VP, Clinical Resources & Analytics with Ardent Health Services. She has over 35 years of health care experience.
Rebecca has a strong critical care background; her experience includes both pediatric and adult cardiovascular procedure recovery. In addition, she has managed CV Service Lines, Supply Chain Procurement and Value Analysis Teams, and national GPO clinical portfolio support.
Rebecca earned her nursing degree from Bluefield State College and her MBA from King University.
Chief Supply Chain Officer
Scripps Health
Cecile Hozouri is the Chief Supply Chain Officer at Scripps Health. Her areas of responsibilities are: Strategic Sourcing, Procurement, Clinical Performance Analytics, Supply Chain Technologies, Accounts Payable, Clinical Value Analysis and all hospital and clinic supply chain distribution and supply chain operations across the Scripps Health system. Before working at Scripps La Jolla, Cecile worked in Healthcare IT and within the top two Big 4 Consulting firms for over 10 years. Cecile holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems; She is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, and has a Master’s of Business Administration degree
Director of System Pharmacy Formulary Management & Clinical Programs at Sutter Health
Sutter Health
Sophia Humphreys is the Director of System Pharmacy Formulary Management & Clinical Programs at Sutter Health. She is a dedicated leader with 20 plus years of pharmacy leadership experience, in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Utilizing strategic planning, clinical innovation, and operational excellence, she consistently achieves company goals while seamlessly integrating with the company’s overall vision. She builds consensus among cross-functional divisions, multispecialty physician groups, executive leadership teams, and information technology groups within large multistate health systems. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated excellence in communicating and forming partnerships with physicians, from CMOs to front line providers, as well as other internal and external customers. This work has resulted in improved patient outcomes, streamlined physician workflows, and outstanding financial performance for her employers.
Vice President, Supply Chain
Intermountain Healthcare (Retired)
Brent Johnson has been a successful and well recognized supply chain leaders in healthcare. He has over 30 years experience developing supply chain strategies for major companies in 3 industries.
From 2005 to 2015 Brent was Vice-President of Supply Chain at Intermountain Healthcare, creating an industry “Top 25 Garner” Supply Chain Organization that achieved over $700 million in savings over ten years. In 2012 Intermountain Healthcare opened a new $50M 325,000 sq. ft. Supply Chain Center considered on of the best in the industry.
In 2014 Brent was inducted into the Bellwether League. In August 2015 AHRMM named Brent the recipient of the 2015 George R Gossett Leadership Award. In 2022 he received the Chuck Lauer Award from the IDN Summit. He has served on several boards including the AHRMM Board from 2012-2015, SMI Board from 2011-1015 and the Amerinet/Intalere Board from 2011 to 2016.
Brent and his wife Leila celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2024. Since retirement they have spent 18 months in Oaxaca, Mexico as service missionaries for their church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). They have four children and nineteen grandchildren.
Vice President, Supply Chain Operations
LifePoint Health
As vice president for LifePoint Health’s supply chain operations, Jay Kirkpatrick provides strategic oversight for the management of all medical-surgical supplies, services and equipment for the organization. In his role, he leads the development of supplier/distributor relationships, oversees facility-based materials management activities, develops supply improvement and standardization initiatives and provides direction on acquisitions-related transition and due diligence processes.
Jay has been a leader in the healthcare supply chain space for more than 30 years. Before joining LifePoint Health in 2019, he served as regional chief executive officer for HealthTrust, where he oversaw group purchasing relationships with 17 healthcare systems with a total spend of $10 billion. Prior to that, he served in several roles for HCA Healthcare, including CEO of Nashville Supply Chain Services.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business: Production & Operations Management and Procurement Management from Miami University and a Master of Business Administration from Eastern Kentucky University. A Certified Materials Resource Professional (CMRP), he is a past president of the Association for Health Care Resource & Materials Management (AHRMM) and the recipient of both the AHRMM George R. Gossett Leadership Award and the GHX Supply Chain Leadership Award.
Independent Pharmacy Consultant & Columnist
With her strong leadership skills and breadth of experience, Bonnie is a recognized industry leader in forging effective alliances between hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical companies and distributors and has spoken extensively in these areas as well as written columns on finance and reimbursement in pharmacy that have had a positive influence on pharmacy practice nationally.
Additionally, she consults in this area of practice, has presented the Reimbursement Update session at the ASHP Midyear for several years as well as working on Reimbursement issues with the ASHP Leadership Conference, ACCC, ACE, ASCO, Cancernet-US, IDN, state and local societies and multihospital groups. Bonnie authors 16 columns/year and has published an online multi-module self-teaching reimbursement course. Bonnie is the 2015 OSU Latiolias Leadership Award recipient.
She lives in Boulder and Breckenridge, CO where she’s the Past President of the National Repertory Orchestra Board of Trustees and served on the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance Board of Directors.
VP, Chief Medical Officer
Legacy Health
Dr. Cameron Klug, MD is the Vice President and Hospital Chief Medical Officer for the Willamette Region at Legacy Health (Portland, Oregon), overseeing two hospitals and an outpatient health center. He is a graduate of Saint Louis University School of Medicine, completed his residency at Denver Health Medical Center, and is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine. He has held both clinical and academic appointments at Oregon Health and Science University. He has served as an ED Medical Director at a community hospital, has experience serving on the board of a physician-owned corporation, and has been involved in clinical value analysis at Legacy Health since 2022. He has a strong background in clinical instruction, leadership and mentoring. Dr. Klug's administrative work extends to system-wide initiatives and quality improvement programs, with a commitment to excellence in patient care and medical education.
Director of Sourcing & Transformation – Supply Chain
Froedtert Health
Jack Koczela, MBA currently serves as the Director of Sourcing & Transformation – Supply Chain at Froedtert Health in Milwaukee Wisconsin. He is a visionary and passionate healthcare leader with deep experience in Supply Chain, Analytics and IT at highly complex, academic healthcare institutions. In his role at Froedtert Health, he directs and controls all aspects of supply chain contracting and digital strategy. Jack is a Bellwether Future Famer (Class of 2020), GHX Healthcare Hero (2022), and was named among the 2023 Ten People to Watch by the Journal of Healthcare Contracting. He is an experienced leader for major system initiatives including value analysis improvement, enterprise system implementations, M&A activities, and supply chain transformation. Jack enjoys leading and working with highly engaged, diverse, and cross-functional teams dedicated to delivering results and delighting customers. Jack received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Partner
Medical Strategies International
Ken Kuiper is a Partner with Medical Strategies International, a 25-year organization helping supplier clients with their Corporate Accounts and go to market strategies, including sales force development. Ken started his career with Picker International, a manufacturer of Imaging Equipment and distributor of imaging supplies. He rose from sales representative to VP of Marketing and National Accounts. From there, Ken worked with Diagnostic Imaging, a division of PSS World Medical, as a Corporate Director and VP of Corporate Accounts.
Ken has been involved in many industry associations, including the Federation of American Hospital, where he has participated on the Exposition Committee that puts this annual meeting together for suppliers and GPO/IDN and government Providers to network and share industry trends and best practice ideas.
Project Manager
Langlois & Associates LLC
Michael T. Langlois currently serves as a Healthcare Supply Chain Resource for Langlois & Associates, LLC. He has been under contract as a project manager for AdventHealth in Altamonte Springs, Florida since August 2016.
Prior to starting his own consulting LLC in 2016, Mike served as Senior Vice President of Supply Chain for Beaumont Health from January 2015 – March 2016. Beaumont was a not-for-profit organization, located in Southeast Michigan, with net revenues of $4.1 billion and consisting of eight hospitals with 3,337 beds and 168 outpatient sites. Beaumont is now part of Corewell Health. Prior to his promotion to Senior Vice President of Beaumont Health, Langlois served Beaumont Health System, at that time, a three-hospital IDN, as its Vice President of Supply Chain from November 2008 through December 2014.
Mike has also held the positions of Interim Vice President of Material Management at Resurrection Health Care in Chicago (2010), Senior Vice President for Daudlin, DeBeaupre and Company (2008-2009), and Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for Ascension Health (2001-2008). He began his career at St. John Health, where he was employed for nearly 25 years.
He is a member of the Advisory Boards of the IDN Summit, the Bellwether League Foundation and Wayne State University’s Healthcare Supply Chain Initiative.
Langlois earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wayne State University and a Master of Science degree in health services administration from Central Michigan University.
SVP, Spend Management Delivery
Vizient, Inc.
Lara Latham is the Senior Vice President, Spend Management Delivery at Vizient, Inc. where she leads the national team responsible for helping Vizient members maximize the value of every dollar they spend.
Prior to joining Vizient, she was the Vice president Healthcare Systems for Stryker, with responsibility for strategic account management within the group purchasing (GPO), health system and Government segments. With an objective to build long term sustainable relationships, the team was focused on exploring innovative partnerships to deliver clinical, operational and financial value.
Lara’s 20+ years in healthcare include a variety of management and leadership roles at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and as a member of the Healthcare Consulting practice at Ernst & Young, where she was part of teams focused on IDN strategy and hospital operational improvement.
Lara earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Northwestern University and her Master of Public Health degree from The George Washington University.
VP, Pharmacy
Ovation Healthcare
Chris is a graduate of Drake University with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and completed a Pharmacy Practice Residency (PGY1) at Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital and a specialized residency in Health System Pharmacy Practice Administration (PGY2) at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Prior to joining the Ovation team, Chris served as the Senior Director for Pharmacy Innovation at HealthTrust and was Executive Director of Clinical Services for ROi.
He has served in roles including Clinical Coordinator, Pharmacy Director and Associate Chief for Pharmacy Operations in both the private and federal sectors.
Partner
Excelerant Consulting
With over three decades of healthcare industry and hospital experience. Jeff is a recognized thought-leader in various aspects of hospital supply chain, purchased services, hospital operations, facilities and construction, and capital equipment. His primary role at Excelerant is to be a “growth engine” for clients seeking to expand their footprint with greater access to the market and stakeholders within. Jeff offers a unique perspective and is well-connected throughout the industry, having worked in clinical settings within world-class hospitals, and multiple Integrated Delivery Networks [IDN] and Group Purchasing Organizations [GPO]. Prior to Excelerant, Jeff was VP-Strategic Supplier Engagement at Premier, Inc., overseeing the Facilities, Construction and Environmental Services portfolio. He also led Premier’s Purchased Services team, dedicated to finding cost savings without compromising value for Premier members. Jeff is an active member and presenter in AHRMM, FAH, IDN Summit, and serves on the board of the ACE Summit, and holds double bachelor’s degrees in healthcare administration and business administration.
Principal
BGR Group
Ryan Long is a Principal with BGR Group and works with clients in both the Health and Life Sciences and Commerce Practices. He has vast experience in policy areas including health, trade, technology, and veterans’ affairs. He possesses a rare combination of both policy expertise and superior knowledge of House process and dynamics after two separate tours of service on Capitol Hill.
Ryan previously served as a Principal with BGR Group from 2013 to 2017. He focused primarily on Health and Life Science clients before returning to Capitol Hill to lead the Republican staff of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He then served as Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel to the Speaker where his portfolio included health, technology, and trade policy.
Ryan also served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee from 2004 to 2013 as the FDA Counsel and then as Chief Health Counsel. Prior to that he served as a Legislative Correspondent for former Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) and for former Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) from 1999-2004, first as a Legislative Assistant then as his Legislative Director.
Director
Supply Chain Executive Consortium
Tom Maher currently runs the Arizona State University Supply Chain Executive Consortium (SCEC).The SCEC partners with supply chain industry leaders to bring value to our students, faculty and our member companies through a variety of engagement opportunities, talent acquisition, research, innovation and curriculum enhancements. Tom joined ASU in October of 2023 after recently retiring from Dell Technologies. Tom started with Dell in 1998 and completing 25 years of service as the Senior Vice President for Global Service Parts. Mr. Maher was responsible for service parts life cycle support in 160+ countries where his team manages over 1000 parts depots. Mr. Maher’s global responsibilities include: planning, procurement, distribution, custom services, returns, test, repair, inventory management, supplier management and parts disposal. Mr. Maher’s organization supports all Dell Technologies hardware service offerings for each of Dell Technologies Lines of Business. Mr. Maher’s organization provided support for customer offerings ranging from: CIS, Depot and Next Business Day to Onsite Parts and a variety of Same Business Day solutions.
Prior to joining Dell Mr. Maher was with Vanstar where he held various positions in after market service parts support. Tom sits on the Non-Profit Advisory Boards for CARISCA, Code4Dev, Pay it Forward 9/11 and YILI. Tom also sits on the Advisory Boards of PyxTech and KetteQ.
Tom is married to Alexia, and has three children: Oceane, Everest and Orion. Tom and his family live in Austin, TX.
Tom holds a B.A. degree from Villanova University.
America's First Female Combat Fighter Pilot; U.S. Senator and Representative (2015-2020); Author
Colonel (ret) Martha E. McSally is a pioneering combat-proven leader, inspiring speaker, and celebrated author.
McSally is a compelling example of overcoming adversity and fear to achieve extraordinary feats. Losing her dad at the age of 12 and surviving sexual abuse and assault, she persevered to become the 1st woman in U.S. history to fly a fighter jet in combat and command a fighter squadron in combat. Along her journey, McSally had to overcome significant obstacles including U.S. law prohibiting women from flying combat jets. She persevered, held onto her dreams, continued to excel, and shattered glass ceilings.
During her 26-year military career, McSally deployed six times to the Middle East and Afghanistan, flying 325 combat hours and earning the Bronze Star and six Air Medals. As a commander of her A-10 squadron, she oversaw $500M in assets and $40M in annual resources and was responsible to deploy her unit worldwide with just 24-hours’ notice. McSally was deployed to Saudi Arabia on 9/11 and became a key leader in planning and executing initial air operations in Afghanistan. As a Colonel, she was hand-picked as initial cadre to stand up U.S. Africa Command from scratch, building a complex organization with limited time and resources. She then led oversight of all African continent operations, including counterterrorism and disaster relief. This experience built on her expertise in strategic planning, process creation/improvement, knowledge management, logistics, and operations.
Colonel McSally is a values-driven trailblazer who demonstrates courage and integrity in her leadership, even when coming at a personal cost. She bravely took on the Pentagon in an 8-year battle to overturn discriminatory policies towards servicewomen deployed to Saudi Arabia—and won. McSally knows how to build excellent teams founded in camaraderie, trust, and the ability to perform under pressure when the stakes are extremely high. She now takes these lessons from the cockpit and the skies of Afghanistan to equip your team to reach maximum potential as high performing individuals and significantly contributing teams within your organization.
McSally holds a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University’s JFK School of Government, a Masters in Strategic Studies from the Air War College where she graduated #1 in her class out of 261 senior military officers, and is a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. As a continuation of her service to our country and others and commitment to not walk by a problem, she served four years in the U.S. House of Representatives and two years as a U.S. Senator, which is not the focus of her writing. (She often quips it was the least interesting thing she has done in her life!) She is the author of Dare to Fly—Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up, which motivates readers to overcome fear and adversity to achieve their full potential. McSally lives in Tucson, AZ where she enjoys hiking with her rescue Golden Retriever Boomer, running, and paragliding.
Through determination, discipline and grit, McSally has run over a dozen marathons, won three national military triathlon championships, and competed in two Ironman triathlons including the grueling Hawaii Ironman world championship where she won the women’s military division and placed 12th in the world in her age group. She also summited many peaks including Mt Kilimanjaro (highest mountain in Africa at 19,340 ft) and Mt Blanc (highest in Western Europe). She is a force of nature who inspires you to find your courage and fly!
Vice President Supply Chain
Fairview Health Services
Sofya Mikhelson provides senior leadership and strategic direction in Supply Chain Management for Fairview Health Services, ensuring the development of strategies, policies and practices that are consistent with and supportive of Fairview’s mission, vision, values, goals, and strategic plans; that are reflective of the environmental realities of the community, and consistent with federal and state employment law. She is accountable for centralized administration of sourcing, contracting, value analysis, logistics, procure-to-pay, vendor management, and business enterprise system support teams.
She has over 20 years of experience in contracting. She directed contracting for supply, equipment, purchased services, IT, and provided oversight for supply chain services and ERP system support. Her collaborative approach extends internally and externally, working closely with stakeholders to meet system-wide needs, achieve cost savings targets, and implement product conversions. She excels in coordinating process improvement activities and advising executive leadership on contracting and procurement matters.
Chief Customer Officer
Capstone Health Alliance
Yolandi Myers joined the Capstone Health Alliance Executive Leadership team in 2021 as Chief Customer Officer. Her key responsibilities include driving strategic engagements across the breadth of the Capstone membership, collaboration across group alliance partnerships, and expanding the Capstone Membership. Myers has almost two decades of operational experience within the healthcare group purchasing industry and brings a customer-centric perspective focused on achieving supply chain cost reduction through superior service delivery and innovative Member Service initiatives. Myers holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from The Pennsylvania State University. Throughout her career she has led diverse cross functional teams and has proven successful partnerships throughout the industry to deliver tailored solutions across the business continuum in customer service, business development, team dynamics, process improvement, operations management, marketing, and strategic planning. Myers resides in the Cleveland, Ohio area with her husband and two teenage daughters.
Director of Operations North Region
UCHealth
Justin Mynatt is the Director of supply chain Operations for UCHealth Northern Colorado, overseeing 550 acute care beds and other non-acute modalities. Justin has served as the supply chain director for 2 years, with 17 years in total with the UCHealth supply chain.
Vice President, Pharmacy Practice & Portfolio Services
Premier, Inc.
Sudha Narayanaswamy has over 20 years of experience in helping health systems navigate challenges and priorities in pharmacy practice and the pharmaceutical supply chain. As part of Premier’s pharmacy leadership team focused on member relations and GPO value, Sudha serves as a resource to hospital pharmacy administrators to help address our members’ top health-system priorities ranging from rising drug costs to advocacy concerns.
Prior to her 16+ years tenure in group purchasing, Sudha began her career as a Clinical Coordinator after completing a specialty residency in Geriatrics at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center (KJMC), Brooklyn, New York, and worked in a similar capacity at St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Jersey. She is a graduate of St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, where she received both her Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Pharmacy degrees, and is board certified in psychiatric and geriatric pharmacy practice.
CEO
Mountain Independent Hospital Alliance (MIHA)
Janelle Nelson, RN, BSN, MBA, is CEO of Mountain Independent Hospital Alliance.
The facilitator of her passion: Connecting for Success! Janelle’s experience includes over 30 years of healthcare industry interactions with key stakeholders: patients, patient’s families and caregivers, providers, care teams, leaders, vendor and supply partners, and payers.
Janelle is grateful for 48 years of life experiences including connecting ideas, people, lessons learned, knowledge, education, communication, listening, coaching, and being coached.
Her soul fills when success is achieved through connection, sharing ideas, best practices, and meaningful innovative communication.
Janelle is a transformational leader through being “in it”, asking curious questions, seeking innovation, and disrupting the status quo with new ideas. She intentionally incorporates laughter, humor and brings a positive outlook and high energy every day!
Research Vice President Healthcare Supply Chain
Gartner
Eric O'Daffer is a Research VP in the Gartner Healthcare Supply Chain group. Mr. O'Daffer's focus is on the end-to-end healthcare supply chain, starting at the point of patient care looking back. He focuses most of his time with providers and how they best manage all the components of supply chain. This involves both their internal processes as well as best practices for partnering with their suppliers to optimize patient outcomes at the best delivered cost possible. Eric has written over 100 research notes on the healthcare supply chain, delivered 40+ conference presentations and taken over 4000 individual advisory calls with healthcare providers. He leads Gartner’s Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 program and IDN Supply Chain Benchmarking Program.
Director - Pharmacy Procurement & Inventory Management
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Michael is currently serving as the Director of Pharmacy Supply Chain for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Their team serves the department and enterprise in directing and assisting in coordination of pharmacy procurement, sourcing, contracting, AP/AR, Health IT support and operational logistics. Their team champions the cause to drive value for VUMC and works with leadership in hospital, clinic, retail and specialty to provide effective and efficient service and support.
He has been at Vanderbilt 32 years and prior to this role, served in pharmacy operations as a staff pharmacist in each area of the hospital and opened the VMG Clinic pharmacy which now serves over 260 clinics and grew into his current role. He serves on the Apexus Advisory Council, Vizient Oncology Council and Supply Chain Optimization Committee and the SupplyLogix Advisory Council.
Michael earned his BS in Pharmacy from Auburn University and his MBA from New England College. He stays busy with his wife and four children and loves all outdoor activities including trail running, mountain climbing/hiking and all water activities.
Vice President, GPO & Operations
Premier, Inc.
Anna Ormiston is the Vice President of GPO & Operations at Premier, Inc., where she spearheads supply chain optimization initiatives. With a strong background in AI-driven analytics and contract intelligence, she leads efforts to enhance purchased services programs. Anna also manages national sourcing for Services & Technology, as well as Facilities & Construction. Her achievements include expanding Conductiv's contract portfolio and launching its first GPO focused on third-party services. Before Premier, Anna provided strategic sourcing guidance at MD Buyline and secured significant savings in her role at MedAssets. She holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Texas Tech University.
Vice President, Spend Management
The University of Kansas Health System
As Vice President of Spend Management, Ms. Ott is responsible for building strong teams and driving operational excellence in a learning environment that accelerates value for the organization. Ms. Ott has a robust clinical background in cardiology and radiology, working more than 20 years in the cardiac cath lab and interventional radiology.
Ms. Ott formed five functional areas of Supply Chain for The University of Kansas Health System: Clinical Supply Optimization (CSO), Distribution and Logistics (D&L), Business Applications and Analytics, Procurement and Strategic Sourcing. Each team is involved in making sure the health system gets the right product, at the right price at the right time while maintaining the integrity of patient and staff safety.
System Director of Clinical Value Analysis
UofL Health
Laura L Polson, BSN, RN-BC, CVAHP is currently the System Director of Clinical Value Analysis for UofL Health, affiliated with the University of Louisville in KY. Laura has been in nursing nurse for 44 years and has expertise in critical care, ER, OR, cardiac surgery and artificial heart, quality, risk, value analysis, cardiac cath and electrophysiology areas. Since joining AHVAP in 2004, she has served on multiple committees and been both a Northeast Region Director and the 2020 “Pandemic” President. Laura sits on the Premier GPO Value Analysis Committee and is one of the editors and co-authors of the Premier Value Analysis Guidebook.
Director of Supply Chain Operations
UCHealth
Matt Putman serves as the Director of Supply Chain Operations for the Anschutz Academic Medical Center at UCHealth, which oversees a 1,000-bed inpatient hospital, outpatient pavilion, and other non-acute modalities. Having served in other roles within the UCHealth organization, Matt has been in Supply Chain for over eleven years.
Originally from Nebraska, he moved to Fort Collins in 2001. He graduated from Hastings College (NE) in 2001 after enjoying an athletic career of playing football as a Tight End and competing on the track & field teams throwing Discus and Hammer. His undergraduate degrees were in Sports Medicine and English. In 2013, he graduated with an MBA from Colorado State University. Matt is working on completing an Educational Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, emphasizing Healthcare Administration.
Matt is married with two very active sons. Together, they enjoy outdoor activities, events through the Scouts BSA organization, and traveling.
Principal
Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC
Jason Reddish is a principal at Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville PC. He has focused on the 340B federal drug discount program for over a decade. His practice involves regulatory compliance, dispute resolution, and transactional matters. He negotiates 340B-related agreements, including those involving covered entities, contract pharmacies, administrators, payers, and others. He also works with covered entities, particularly focusing on grantees, to develop compliant policies and procedures and to audit current operations. He guides 340B covered entities through the 340B audit process, disputes unfair or unjust audit findings, assists covered entities with responses to HRSA and manufacturer inquiries, and prepares self-disclosures and corrective action plans.
Founder and CEO
Jevan Consulting
Lisa (Thakur) Risser is the Founder and CEO of Jevan Consulting. An esteemed leader with a legacy of nearly three decades in healthcare financial and operational management, Lisa leverages her wealth of experience and proven success, committed to offering unparalleled expertise in healthcare financial and operational consulting, executive leadership, and education and training.
Vice President Pharmacy Services
Yankee Alliance
Bob Ritchie is the Vice President of Pharmacy at Yankee Alliance in Andover MA where he is responsible for strategy, pharmacy contracting and member support. He received his BS in Pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and his MBA from Northeastern University. Bob has spent much of his career, about 30 years, in hospital pharmacy operations as a staff pharmacist, pharmacy manager and director of pharmacy.
In 2018, Bob’s interest in the business of pharmacy led him to transition out of operations and into pharmacy contracting and supply chain, taking a position with one of Boston’s largest healthcare providers as the Director of Pharmacy Contracting and Business Strategy.
In 2019 Bob came to Yankee as the Director of Pharmacy Operations and was eventually promoted to VP of Pharmacy.
Publisher
Healthcare Purchasing News
As the former owner, publisher, and executive editor of multiple healthcare publications in healthcare supply chain, clinical laboratory and diagnostics, and healthcare IT platform, I focused on the coverage and evaluation of products and services as well as processes and regulation. Kristine is now Publisher Emeritus and continue to be passionate about ways to better our healthcare delivery systems. That includes research projects on global healthcare systems operations and evaluating quality control workflows and processes and ongoing education. Kristine continues to work with organizations that could benefit from her skills.
Kristine joined Endeavor Business Media in 2018 after selling her companies to them. Her roles with Endeavor included SVP Special Projects to the Endeavor Management Team, Group Publisher Healthcare Group and Executive Vice President/Executive Editor. Kristine was integral in creating Healthcare events for EBM: Lab Directors Summit, Infection Prevention Directors Summit and the OR Directors Summit. She lead the Healthcare editorial and sales teams as well as support teams in IT, graphics, marketing and audience development. She was also responsible for budgeting and finance for the Healthcare Group.
Prior to joining Endeavor, Kristine was the President/Executive Editor/Owner of KSR Publishing, Inc. and NP Communications, LLC for 18 years for 6 National B2B jounals and web content provider for webinars, newsletters, forums and podcasts. Prior to that I was VP Operations & Acquisitions over 13 publications and Group Publisher of the Healthcare group for 25 years.
Director of Operations Metro Denver
UCHealth
Michael Scaggs is the Director of Supply Chain Operations for the central region of UCHealth in Colorado. He joined UCHealth in 2021 and brings over 20 years of supply chain management and operations experience across a variety of industries. He supports three hospitals, surgery centers, and various clinics throughout the front range.
Michael hails from Missouri, where he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and MBA from Western Governor’s University. He currently resides in Littleton, where he spends what time he can outdoors, doing general dad stuff with his wife, three daughters, and two dogs.
Co Director, Supply Chain Resilience Initiative
Arizona State University
Eugene Schneller earned his Ph.D. at New York University (Sociology). He was awarded the honorary Physician Associate (PA) degree from Duke University and the honorary Doctor of Learned Letters from the A.T. Still University. He held faculty and research scholar positions at Duke University Medical Center, Union College (New York), Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, Columbia University and the Arizona Graduate College of Public Health. His research focuses on health care policy, best practice adoption, supply chain purchasing strategy design and governance, IDN mergers and supply chain integration. Schneller is Co-Executive Director (Interim) at CAPS Research and Co-Director of the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative at ASU. His text, Strategic Management of the Healthcare Supply Chain, continues to provide guidance for the development of fully integrated supply chain organizations (FISCOs) – a model that has led to the design of supply chains for both commercial and government supply chain improvement efforts.
SVP, Transformation & Operations - Spend Management
Vizient, Inc.
Bill Selles is Senior Vice President, Transformation & Operations, Spend Management. In this role, Selles is focused on transformation efforts across the Spend Management Business Unit. He has responsibility for optimizing operational performance and overseeing programs, services and operational functions that support the delivery of category-based solutions across the continuum of care.
Selles joined Vizient with a wealth of experience in supply chain leadership across multiple industries, including healthcare providers, health insurance and retail. He has a proven record of driving complex strategic negotiations, establishing strategic partnerships, implementing operational changes and leading logistics and operational processes. Selles is highly skilled in leadership development, including building diverse and successful teams and aligning front-line team members with organizational strategy.
Prior to joining Vizient, Selles served as senior vice president of supply chain for Corewell Health, where he successfully developed and led the system’s supply chain strategy, with full accountability for non-labor spend across the 21-hospital system.
VP, Medical Device Management
HealthTrust Performance Group
Chris has 20 years of healthcare leadership experience in medical device PPI management, value-based initiatives, technology development, supply chain transformation, and digital acceleration. Previously, Chris was President and CEO of Surgio Health, a startup venture focused on the digital tracking of surgical assets in the OR and the sterile processing department. He also co-founded a relational mapping technology called MedTechIntel that has over 100,000 physician profiles, and has years of experience in sales and sales management for Stryker.
He has presented at numerous healthcare forums on topics that include digital healthcare transformation, innovative technologies & data integration, service models for the OR, strategic alliance of GPOs, shifting reimbursement models, and the future of supply chain delivery.
Principal
Barbara Strain Consulting LLC
Barbara Strain is the Principal of Barbara Strain Consulting. Her extensive healthcare experience delivers insights to assist providers and suppliers in reaching their value driven strategic goals.
Previously, Barbara was the Director of Value Management at University of Virginia Health where she collaborated with executive leadership, physicians, clinicians, and suppliers across the care continuum establishing the value improvement infrastructure. She also directed Supply Chain Operations, Surgical Supply, Equipment and Linen Distribution. Professionally she is a founding member and past president of AHVAP- Association of Healthcare Value Analysis Professionals and is active in AHRMM- Association of Healthcare Resource & Material Management.
She is a 2021 Honoree of the Bellwether League Foundation’s Hall of Fame for Healthcare Supply Chain Leadership and serves as Chair of their Board of Directors Barbara frequently shares her insights on healthcare value, supply chain, and the med tech industry on panels and podcasts.
AVP Support Services
Ochsner Health
Howard J. Terrell is the AVP of Support Services for Ochsner Health. He oversees Partner Relationships as a contract liaison for Purchase Services. Prior to joining Ochsner Health Howard spent 20 years with Sodexo Healthcare as the Vice President of Operations supporting the Southeastern United States. His career has focused on operational execution, positive end user satisfaction, and strong financial acumen.
Mr. Terrell is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala where he was a (4) Varsity Football Letterman. He is also member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
Howard is a native of Mississippi.
During this downtime he enjoys family time, outdoor sports, a good John Grisham read, and playing with their White German Sheppard Saint Roosevelt.
AVP Outpatient Pharmacy Services
OU Health
Jacqueline Thatcher, PharmD, BCPS, is the Assistant Vice President of Outpatient Pharmacy Services at OU Health. With a diverse background in pediatrics, adult internal medicine, ambulatory care, and pharmacy supply chain, Jacqueline brings extensive expertise in both clinical and operational pharmacy. Her role encompasses overseeing retail and specialty pharmacies, the 340B program, and ambulatory clinical pharmacy services. Jacqueline earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Jacqueline is passionate about advancing the practice of pharmacy to ensure exceptional patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and positive working environment. She thrives on the challenge of identifying problems and collaboratively developing solutions with her team. Additionally, she finds great reward in teaching and mentoring pharmacy students, contributing to the growth and development of future pharmacy professionals.
Director, Medical Device Contracting
Mayo Clinic/Captis
Jane Torzewski RN, MN, MBA is a Director on the Medical Device Contracting team at Mayo Clinic and is responsible for managing a team of Category Managers who negotiate contracts in the physician preference arena for Mayo Clinic and Captis; which is the largest member aggregation under the Vizient umbrella. Jane has been employed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota for 29 years, spending many years as a Staff Nurse on a variety of in-patient and out-patient units. Jane joined Mayo Clinic’s Supply Chain Management Value Analysis team in 2010; supporting operational activities on the Mayo Clinic Arizona and Florida campuses and moved to the Medical Device Contracting team in 2016.
Jane has a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Nursing from Augsburg Collage, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Winona State University, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
VP Purchasing & Contracting
Fairview Pharmacy Services
Sara Turnbow serves as the Vice President of Pharmacy Purchasing and Contracting for Fairview Pharmacy Services, which supports pharmacy purchasing for a health system consisting of 11 hospitals, over 60 clinics, and specialty, home infusion, and retail pharmacy services. She earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from North Dakota State University, completed a residency at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, and spent two years at the University of Wisconsin–Madison completing a fellowship focused on outcomes research. Additionally, she obtained a Master's degree from the University of Minnesota in the School of Public Health. Before her current role, Dr. Turnbow successfully ran a group purchasing organization for seventeen years and has contributed her expertise to Fairview for the past three years.
Senior Director of Supply Chain
Legacy Health
Angelique Vuilleumier is the Senior Director of Supply Chain at Legacy Health. She is a supply chain leader with a background of public speaking, coaching, and training/motivating hundreds of employees, rebuilding and innovating in the healthcare supply chain arena, she has been a trusted leader for 26 years. She started on the supplier side of healthcare working for GE Healthcare and Medline Industries where she managed international supply chain and distribution. She then moved to the provider side of healthcare in 2010 working for Providence Health & Services, AdvocateAurora Health, MedStar Health, and now Legacy Health. Angelique has rebuilt distribution relationships from the ground-up, completed point of use and ERP implementations, rebuilt 2 clinical value analysis programs, successfully implemented strategic sourcing tools to increase category management and service line structure, and has received several business awards.
Senior Director, Strategic Sourcing
AllSpire Health GPO, LLC
James Wallick is the Senior Director, Strategic Sourcing at AllSpire Health GPO, LLC, a regional GPO supporting 56 acute hospitals, 2800 non-acute locations with total supply spend of approximately $8B. Prior to joining AllSpire Health GPO, Jim spent over 30 years in various healthcare roles, running sourcing, contracting and value analysis for hospitals, contract management/account management with a medical device manufacturer, healthcare consulting and worked for two of the national GPO’s. Jim earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Temple University and graduated Summa cum Laude from West Chester University with a Master’s degree in Business Administration.
Founder & Executive Coach
Supply Chain Sherpas
As a values-driven c-suite executive, Joe brings a unique 25-year track record of leading both supply chain transformations and commercial transformations across three industries.
Joe served in progressive supply chain leadership roles and business development roles for Corporate Express and Foodbuy before choosing healthcare after the tragic loss of both parents. Joe served as Intermountain Healthcare’s Chief Supply Chain Officer until late 2016, building an extraordinary talent bench and ultimately helping the team become Gartner’s #1 ranked Healthcare Supply Chain. Joe also served as Pensiamo’s EVP of Operations as he helped commercialize UPMC’s Supply Chain.
In January 2018, Joe courageously left the safety net of corporate leadership roles to more intentionally honor his healthcare purpose and entrepreneurial spirit. Joe founded Supply Chain Sherpas, which is a leadership development and education firm serving both health system supply chain teams and supplier commercial teams. Sherpas also offers structured comprenesive education pograms, mentoring programs, mastermind programs, advisory board programs, and executive coaching services.
Joe is passionately committed to helping aspiring and incumbent leaders lean into their extraordinary potential.
SVP Supply Chain
Novant Health
Mark Welch is the senior vice president of supply chain at Novant Health, where he oversees all non-labor spend, supply chain logistics, operations, procurement, sourcing, and clinical supply chain engagement across the enterprise. Welch has made several significant contributions to the organization resulting in cost savings, innovative initiatives, and team member retention.
Welch is Board Chair for MNS Network LLC, a collaboration of three large integrated networks working together to reduce supply chain cost by leveraging volumes, spend, and experience.
Since beginning with Novant Health in 2005, Welch has served in various roles, including the roles of Vice President Supply Chain Operations, Vice President Novant Health Logistics Center, and Vice President Strategic Sourcing.
Welch has led the organization’s supply chain division through great transformation. The evolution has come through innovative solutions to common industry challenges like organization, delivery, and value-based thinking.
One critical component has been relationship building and the development of a model that empowers front-line leaders to nurture those relationships with vendor partners and internal customers. Providing this enhanced structure, improved flow and empowerment for leaders has increased retention.
Welch’s approach to value-based thinking is rooted in partnership with vendor sales executives and is transparent about Novant Health’s purchasing goals. He has also transitioned his mentality from a price-based model to a focus on savings and quality.
Welch is also committed to pricing integrity, these open conversations with vendor partners have resulted in the opportunity for stronger vendor partners to achieve aligned goals. Benefits come in the form of discounted pricing and vendor loyalty throughout the sourcing cycle.
In 2012, Welch partnered with the chief medical officer (CMO) to develop a clinical variation reduction team to examine how variation affected spending – an innovation and partnership that has both strengthened the team and stood the test of time. As a result, the organization was well-positioned to withstand the pandemic due to the strong foundation laid by the program.
Under Welch’s leadership, Novant Health has reduced contracted supply chain general ledger expense by 12-15% annually, with the total supply chain savings impact over the past seven years exceeding $500 million. With a focus on supplier diversity spending,
Welch’s team surpassed the $1 billion spend mark in 2019 and is on track to exceed $2 billion in the next five years.
Welch earned his Business of Administration degree from Ohio State University and master’s degree in healthcare administration from Pfeiffer University.
College Professor, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Internationally Known Keynote Speaker
Damon West, M.S. Criminal Justice, is a college professor, internationally known keynote speaker, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Coffee Bean: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change, which Forbes’ listed in the “Top Twenty Books You Need to Read to Crush 2020.”
His autobiography, The Change Agent: How a Former College QB Sentenced to Life in Prison Transformed His World, vividly tells how he transformed the pot of boiling water that is a Texas maximum-security prison into a pot of coffee.
At 20 years old, he was a Division 1 starting quarterback at the University of North Texas, when he suffered a career-ending injury. He turned to hardcore drugs to cope with the disappointments of life. After graduation, he worked in the United States Congress, was a national fundraiser on a U.S. Presidential campaign, and eventually trained to be a stockbroker for the United Bank of Switzerland (UBS). One day at UBS, he was introduced to methamphetamines; he became instantly hooked—and the lives of so many innocent people would forever be changed by the choices he made in order to feed his insatiable meth habit.
After a fateful discussion during his incarceration with a seasoned convict, Damon had a spiritual awakening. He learned that, like a coffee bean changing with the application of heat and pressure, he was capable of changing the environment around him. Armed with a program of recovery, a renewed faith, and a miraculous second chance at life, Damon emerged from over seven years of prison, a changed man. His story of redemption, grit, and determination continues to inspire audiences today.
The Coffee Bean message has inspired thousands. Damon’s clients include such companies as Walmart, AIG, Chick-fil-A, Southwest Airlines, and sports teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Timberwolves, Clemson, Alabama, and Georgia. The U.S. Army has even incorporated the #BeACoffeeBean mindset into their resilience training. Damon’s story has been featured both nationally and globally.
He is passionate about the Coffee Bean message and loves sharing how it changed his life and how it can change yours, too.
Senior Manager
Deloitte Consulting
Claudia Wierzbicki is a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Supply Chain & Network Operations practice and has over 15 years of experience healthcare consulting. Claudia’s work focuses on helping her clients with a variety of supply chain issues, from sourcing and procurement to inventory management and warehouse and distribution management.
Claudia collaborates with senior clients on complex healthcare and supply chain topics to create value for her customers, resolve multifaceted problems, and move the client’s mission forward. Her proven experience in improving supply chains and transforming businesses includes developing supply chain operating models, streamlining supply chain business processes, implementing large-scale technology solutions, leading strategic sourcing initiatives, leading inventory optimization initiatives, integrating supply chain functions post M&A, etc.
Assistant Vice President
University of Miami Health System
Mike is the Associate Vice President for the University of Miami, the University of Miami Health System, and the Miller School of Medicine. This is an inaugural position to join two distinct organizations…academic and healthcare into one enterprise Supply Chain supporting south Florida. He is responsible for an enterprise supply chain to include warehouse operations, distribution, mail services, fleet services, transportation, and supply chain application education & training.
A leader and expert in Supply Chain with a focus on transportation and logistics, he brings 28-years of experience to lead the University Miami teams. Mike started his career with United Parcel Service (UPS) at an entry of level of unloading trucks to supervising transportation and supply chain operations throughout Wisconsin. He also served as an International Brotherhood of Teamster Union representative for 12-years. Mike is a champion of transformation at both tactical and strategic levels.
Partner
HealthCare Links
Kathy Wozniak, OT (Occupational Therapist) has spent over 30 years in the Healthcare Medical Device Industry. She has held various senior management positions including Vice President of Sales, VP National Accounts and Director of Marketing in the Orthopedic, Wound Care and the Human Biologics market. She has built and led Sales, Marketing, and National Accounts teams that routinely met and exceeded corporate growth objectives.
She is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy, speaks fluent Polish, and has a passion for volunteer work, including Big Brother’s Big Sister’s, American Red Cross, Keep Sedona Beautiful, Project C.U.R.E. Arizona, Duet, Founder of WIHOP (Women in Healthcare of Phoenix), and Board President and Founder of Project Fill the Need, a 501(c)3 Food Pantry in the VOC.
In her free time, Kathy enjoys spending time with her family and friends boating, water skiing, playing pickleball, and hiking the beautiful Red Rocks of Sedona.
Chief Operations Officer
Advantus Health Partners
As chief operating officer for Advantus Health Partners, John is responsible for the overall success of the supply chain, including production planning, inventory management, integrated logistics and consulting services that provide customized solutions to complex challenges faced in health care. John leverages his experience to consult and augment partner and supplier strategy. With more than 25 years of experience as a health care operator, John is recognized for his strong track record of maximizing efficiencies and reducing costs while delivering high quality services and products.
Prior to joining Advantus Health Partners, John was vice president of supply chain and support services operations at Intermountain Healthcare, where he led the organization to reach a “Masters” designation in the annual Gartner Healthcare Supply Chain Top 25 list from 2017-2021. John also received the Gartner “Power of the Profession” award for diversity and talent in supply chain operations.