Elise Plakke is an award-winning designer and marketing and branding executive. She has a passion for connecting consumers emotionally to brands through elevated product experience. Elise has launched product lines at LLBean, JJill, Rue La La, Home Depot, Crestline and Crew Kids. She established brand assets for Trek Bikes and directed photo shoots with Lance Armstrong, which dramatically increased market share. In addition, she has re-branded large integrated health systems and directed on-location and studio photography internationally. Ms. Plakke received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa and completed a summer residency at Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Eisha holds a Doctorate of Education from Drexel University, combining academic rigor with practical experience to navigate the complexities of the grant process.

In her previous role, Eisha successfully managed portfolios exceeding $125 million, overseeing the development and execution of grant strategies, ensuring both financial and programmatic compliance, and leading proposal efforts to secure new funding opportunities. She has demonstrated strong leadership in managing RFP responses, building strategic partnerships, and ensuring compliance with federal and state regulations.

With expertise in contract negotiations, project budget management, and quality assurance, Eisha is well-versed in addressing the challenges faced by smaller organizations in the grant funding landscape. Focused on efficiency and collaboration, she is committed to optimizing grant processes and driving organizational growth through strategic planning, leadership, and resource management.

Jennice Hyden brings over 20 years of expertise in marketing, proposal management, and healthcare consulting, leveraging a unique combination of advanced training in proposal management, graphic design, and degrees in Health Sciences. Her strategic approach integrates marketing acumen with public health expertise, making her particularly adept at addressing the nuanced needs of complex projects. Shipley-trained and an active member of the Society for Marketing Professional Services, Jennice has a proven track record of crafting high-impact proposals that secure contracts in public health, behavioral health, and public-facing real estate sectors.

She excels in developing compelling narratives that resonate with clients, aligning proposals with their strategic objectives to drive measurable success. Throughout her career, Jennice has collaborated with architects, engineers, and contractors on transformative projects, including hospitals and medical office buildings. Adding a distinct dimension to her skill set, Jennice is also a licensed acupuncturist specializing in behavioral health. This unique perspective enables her to approach proposals holistically, crafting solutions that address the needs of vulnerable populations while ensuring operational and clinical excellence.

Cassie is a dedicated public health professional with a focused commitment to healthcare access and health equity. She has over a decade of diverse experience spanning health promotion, administration, project management, and leadership. Holding a master’s degree from East Tennessee State University in Community and Behavioral Health and a Master of Science in Applied Physiology from the University of Central Florida, Cassie brings a robust academic foundation to her practical experience. As a Certified Health Education Specialist, she is dedicated to advancing health literacy and fostering informed decision-making within communities. Her expertise lies in providing technical assistance, managing complex initiatives, and strategically improving public health programs. Cassie has a proven track record of success in spearheading strategic planning efforts, managing substantial grants and budgets, and directing collaborative projects. She is passionate about leveraging her skills and experience to make a meaningful impact in public health initiatives. Cassie is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, and is Fluent in Haitian Creole and Albanian. In her free time enjoys traveling, hiking, and re-watching Grey’s Anatomy episodes.

Katherine Zellner, MPH, is a public health researcher bringing her wealth of experience in needs assessment and designing, implementing, and evaluating new initiatives in healthcare technology and public health. Katherine has conducted human-centered research with clinicians to identify design needs and implement new technology to improve quality of care in a level one trauma center. She has also conducted health needs assessments with community leaders and members to identify focus areas for improvement in community health initiatives. Katherine also brings project management experience including monitoring and reporting key performance indicators.

Emnet Sisay is a public health researcher specializing in needs assessment, program evaluation, and health equity initiatives. She brings experience in analyzing COVID-19 transmission patterns at Harvard’s Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics and conducting spatial analysis of HIV prevention strategies in Malawi to identify high-risk communities. She has led research examining patient-provider communication barriers in sickle cell disease care and supported TB prevention initiatives in rural Ethiopia. At Initium Health, she conducts community health needs assessments to improve health outcomes in underserved populations. Emnet earned her Master of Science in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and holds bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Public Policy from Hamilton College.

Ivonne Hernandez is a project manager with over 10 years of experience in advertising and marketing. She has a passion for making extraordinary things happen for her clients and their customers, and enjoys building strong lasting relationships with them. She has served as the brand steward for well-known consumer packaged good companies at Perdue Farms. Ivonne led and managed the food truck and retailer activation programs for Petaluma Poultry in Sonoma County, CA as well as developed and implemented strategic brand objectives and tactical plans for Coleman Natural Foods. In addition, she has led the planning and implementation of hospital-based projects. Ivonne has managed and executed projects related to marketing campaigns as well as events for the opening of new hospitals for Penn State Health. Ms. Hernandez received her Bachelor of Communication with an option in Public Relations and a minor in Sociology from Millersville University.

With over 7 years of experience in crafting compelling and persuasive proposals, Sloan specializes in transforming complex concepts into clear, concise, and impactful narratives. Throughout  her career, she has worked with diverse clients in the healthcare field helping organizations secure funding, contracts, and partnerships. Sloan is adept at tailoring each proposal to the specific needs of the client while ensuring all compliance requirements are met and all submission guidelines are followed meticulously. She has a proven track record of contributing to successful proposal submissions that consistently win high-value contracts and funding. Known for her attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, Sloan is committed to delivering high-quality work on time and within budget.
Sloan has a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in writing and publication. 

Kevin Mauclair Simon, MD, is an Assistant in Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital, an Instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and a current Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University. Dr. Simon completed clinical fellowships in child & adolescent psychiatry and pediatric addiction medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School and completed general (adult) psychiatry residency at Grady Hospital / Atlanta VA Medical Center / Morehouse School of Medicine (Atlanta, GA). He graduated from SIU School of Medicine (Springfield, IL). Dr. Simon practices as a Child & Adolescent Addiction Psychiatrist serving patients & families who seek care through the Adolescent Substance Use & Addiction Program (ASAP) at Boston Children’s Hospital. In addition, Dr. Simon serves as the Medical Director of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, one of Massachusetts’s most respected human service agencies, supporting more than 6,000 children, youth, and families annually through a variety of high-quality services, including family-based outreach, care coordination, residential treatment, and community programming. As a researcher, Dr. Simon is the recipient of the National Institute of Drug Abuse – American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Physician-Scientist Career Development “K award” for research efforts focused on the intersections of substance use, mental health, and justice involvement. 

Monica is a graphic designer from a small border town called Laredo, Texas. She studied at Texas State University in San Marcos, earning a double major in Communication Design and Ceramics. After graduating, she made the move to Austin, Texas, where she’s been honing her craft for over eight years. Her professional journey has taken her through a diverse range of industries, including waterparks, coffee shops, health and wellness, rug design, newspapers, and smart locker technology. Each experience has shaped her ability to create meaningful and impactful designs.

David Stuckler is an experienced health consultant, bringing over a decade of experience of working with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, European Centre for Disease Control, among other institutions. He is currently a Professor at University of Bocconi in Milan and Jesus College, University of Cambridge.
David’s experience come primarily from leading large research teams. He has won over $10 million in grant funding from the Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, and Economic & Social Science Research Council. He is one of Web of Science Top 1% cited researchers and has written over 350 peer-reviewed scientific articles on global health in The Lancet, British Medical Journal and Nature in addition to other major journals. He is also an author of The Body Economic, published by Penguin Press and translated into over ten languages. His work has featured on covers of the New York Times and The Economist, among other venues. Foreign Policy named him one of the top 100 global thinkers of 2013.

Dr. Betancourt, Senior Vice President, Equity and Community Health at Massachusetts General Hospital is an internationally recognized expert in health care disparities and cross-cultural medicine, and the industry leader in improving the quality and value in the care of diverse, minority, and vulnerable populations. Joe advises health plans, health systems and government on approaches to eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Joe has worked directly with 45 large national and regional health plans, 100 hospitals, and 30 community health centers across 33 states—providing strategic and operations support.He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a practicing Internal Medicine physician. Joe was an Aspen Institute Health Innovator Fellow and has 50 peer-reviewed publications. He sits on the Board of Trinity Health, a large national health system and has served on several Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committees on this topic, including the one that produced the landmark report, Unequal Treatment. Dr. Betancourt received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, his medical degree from Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Following residency, he completed The Commonwealth Fund-Harvard University Fellowship in Minority Health Policy; and received his Master’s in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Thomas Felch, Principal & Senior Vice President LightBeam Health Solutions brings over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry working alongside providers, payors, and patients, with a proven ability to motivate and lead teams through complex and rapidly changing environments. His experience as a health system executive affords our clients with an inside-out perspective on every engagement. Thomas is adept at promoting change and collaboration among network and operations leadership and practice-based and centralized teams to advance enterprise-wide initiatives. He has led major technology deployments and change management processes, as well as engagements focused on process improvement and practice standardization and gain greater visibility into clinical, operational, and financial work flows. Thomas is a frequent speaker on operational leadership, the shift from volume to value, and provider and consumer engagement strategy. 

Dr. Selna, Chief Executive Officer at Quartz Health Solutions is an accomplished senior healthcare executive with over 25 years of progressive leadership roles in top-ranked integrated delivery networks including Geisinger, Sutter Health, and Centura Health; multi-state provider-owned health plans; BCBS plans; and start-ups focusing on information security and artificial intelligence. Dr. Selna’s was a chief architect of Geisinger’s ProvenCare methodology. He developed Sutter Health’s Data Governance and Master Data Management programs, which deployed innovative ambulatory staffing/collaboration models using EHR data to develop AI-based outcome prediction models. He also designed Sutter Health’s Bay-Area Accountable Care platform, using first-of-its kind in-home remote monitoring. Dr. Selna is passionate about transforming care and reimbursement models through the use of data, analytics, informatics and objectives-driven strategies.