HPC Advisory Council

Dr. Christopher Andreoli is a practicing vitreo-retinal surgeon and forward-thinking healthcare leader. Drawing on years of clinical experience, he brings deep medical expertise to his role as CEO of Optum New England, where he is responsible for shaping the strategic direction and clinical vision of a regional care delivery organization. His leadership is defined by a strong commitment to fostering clinical environments that prioritize patient-centered care and attract, support, and develop top medical talent.

As CEO of Optum New England, Dr. Andreoli leads a care delivery network anchored by three well-established physician groups. Atrius Health and Reliant Medical Group are multi-specialty practices with deep roots in Massachusetts’ tradition of value-based health care. Together, they serve nearly one million adults and children across 40 locations in the eastern and central parts of the state. In Connecticut, ProHealth Physicians is a primary care group that delivers care to more than 325,000 patients. Its 251 clinicians practice across 53 locations, serving nearly 10% of the state’s population. Within this framework - three organizations united by a shared commitment to clinical excellence, patient-centered care, and clinician collaboration - Dr. Andreoli is committed to designing population health programs and services that deliver high-quality care while using resources efficiently.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Andreoli served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Transformation Officer at Atrius Health, where he was responsible for innovation, digital health, clinical operations, and real estate strategy. Over the course of 15 years with the organization, he held a range of clinical and operational leadership positions, including Chair of Surgical Specialties, Chief of Ophthalmology, and Medical Director of Commercial ACO Programs.

Dr. Andreoli earned both his undergraduate and medical degrees from Boston University. He completed his residency in ophthalmology and fellowship in vitreo-retinal surgery at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the MIT Sloan School of Management. In addition to his executive responsibilities and clinical practice, he remains active in research and teaching through academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Caitlin Beresin has over 15 years of lobbying, government, legal and health care experience in Massachusetts. She currently serves as Director of U.S. State Affairs at Johnson & Johnson (J&J), a position she began in 2021. Prior to joining J&J, Caitlin worked at ML Strategies, where she represented a range of industries and clients, and before then held legal roles in the Massachusetts House Committee on Ways & Means and the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Recovery in the State House, leading and shaping legislative proposals in the health care space. Before beginning her work in the State House, Caitlin practiced criminal defense for a small firm on the South Shore and coached field hockey at Milton Academy.  

Caitlin obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English and Minor in Psychology at University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she played for the NCAA Division 1 Field Hockey Team. She later graduated Cum Laude from the New England School of Law. She resides in Dorchester, MA with her husband and two children. She is passionate about animal rescue, having adopted two dogs from a local non-profit organization and continues to support them by fostering dogs when time permits.

Aimee Brewer is President and Chief Executive Officer of Sturdy Health, an independent, non-profit integrated health care system based in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Sturdy Health provides comprehensive health care services to communities in Southeastern Massachusetts and neighboring Rhode Island through its acute care hospital and 26 medical office locations. 

Prior to Sturdy, Aimee served as President of the Healthcare Group of NorthBay Health in California during which time she was named Congressional Women of the Year for her exceptional work as a key leader in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. While in California, Aimee served on the Board of Partnership Health Plan, was Board Chair of Solano Coalition for Better Health, a Board Member and Section Chair of the California Hospital Council, and a Board Member of Touro University. Prior to joining NorthBay, Aimee held several leadership positions within HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's leading providers of health care in 21 states and the United Kingdom.

Currently, Aimee serves on the Board of Trustees of Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA), as an Advisory Council Member of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) and Region 1 State Delegate of the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board. Within the community, Aimee is a Corporator of the Hockomock Area YMCA, a Corporator of Bristol County Savings Bank, and a member of the Wheaton College Community Council. 
A Simmons University alumnus, Aimee earned a bachelor’s degree with a triple major in biology, chemistry, and sociology of health. She received a master’s degree in public health, emphasizing policy and management, from the University of New Hampshire.

A New England native, Aimee's return to the region has been both professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling.

Pat joined the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MassBio) in October of 2025. As Director of Policy, he helps facilitate the execution of MassBio’s core state and federal government affairs policy priorities and legislative advocacy efforts by developing strategic positioning and messaging related to the core policies of MassBio’s member companies. Pat is responsible for developing materials to support MassBio’s advocacy, monitoring policy issues relevant to the Massachusetts life sciences innovation ecosystem, and analyzing state and federal legislation and regulations that impact the life sciences sector.

Before joining MassBio, Pat held roles in both the Executive and Legislative branches at the State House, most recently in Governor Maura Healey’s Legislative Affairs Office, where his responsibilities included reviewing legislation and serving as liaison between the Governor’s Office and the House and Senate. Pat holds a B.A. in Political Science from UMass Amherst and an M.P.A. from UMass Boston.

Christopher Carlozzi was named Massachusetts State Director of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) in June 2017. 

Prior to being named State Director, Carlozzi spent the last nine years as NFIB Grassroots Manager working with small business owners in Massachusetts and the other five New England states. Here he learned firsthand from business owners the issues directly impacting their businesses. Carlozzi was responsible for educational programs, membership advocacy and raising awareness on vital small business issues such as healthcare, taxation, regulations and labor matters. He worked to involve NFIB members across New England in the legislative process. Aside from his State Director role in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he oversees NFIB’s state programs in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maryland, and Delaware. 
 

The Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR) is a public policy organization comprised of CEOs and Senior Executives from large employers across Massachusetts. The mission is to strengthen the state’s long term social and economic vitality with the goal of making Massachusetts a highly desirable place to do business in a global economy. As President & CEO, JD is responsible for developing and implementing MBR’s agenda on public policy matters, and works collaboratively with opinion leaders, policy makers and other stakeholders on their implementation.

JD has worked in and around Beacon Hill for more than 30 years. In the Legislature, he was the Chief of Staff to the House Committee on Commerce and Labor, and was the education issues analyst and Deputy Budget Director for the House Committee on Ways and Means. After working as both a budget analyst and Assistant to the President at the University of Massachusetts, JD worked as the Legislative Director for State Treasurer Shannon O’Brien and then as Issues Director for the O’Brien-Gabrieli gubernatorial campaign in 2002.

He joined MBR in 2004 after serving as Legislative/Issues Director for the Early Education for All (EEA) Campaign, where he was responsible for developing and driving legislative support for EEA’s legislation and agenda which included the creation of the Massachusetts Board and Department of Early Education and Care. He served on the Board for 10 years, 5 as Chairman.

JD serves on the Boards of Lever, a start-up incubator based in Berkshire County where he grew up, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, and Science from Scientists. He also is on the Advisory Boards of ReadyNation and CEO Action for Racial Equity.

JD holds a Master’s in Public Affairs from the McCormack Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Public Policy and Telecommunications Writing from Syracuse University. He lives in Arlington, MA with his wife Lori and two daughters, Sadie and Tessa.

Dr. Cheryl Clark is the inaugural Executive Director and Senior Vice President of the Institute For Health Equity Research, Evaluation, and Policy, Inc., of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. She is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is also an inaugural member of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission Advisory Council.

Michael Curry, Esq. is President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers (Mass League), which represents 50 health centers, serving over one million patients out of 285 practice sites across the Commonwealth. The Mass League provides clinical, advocacy, workforce, data, legal and compliance support for its members. He brings over 35 years of experience and results in civil rights advocacy, health reform and health equity. He is a current, nationally elected (4-term) member of the National NAACP’s Board of Directors (2014-present), the Regional Administrator for two State Conferences of the NAACP, and the Past President of the Boston Branch of the NAACP (2011-2016). 

He has been named annually as one of the Boston Business Journal’s Power 50 Movement Makers since 2022, one of Boston Magazine’s 150 Most Influential Bostonians since 2023, one of Boston’s Most Influential Men of Color by Get Konnected! and a Bostonian of the Year in 2021, along with his member health centers, by the Boston Globe and Boston Magazine. Recently, the New England Black Law Students Association also recognized him as one of the 57 Most Influential Black Attorneys in the Northeast, and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce inducted him into their list of Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.

Dr. Curry earned a Bachelor of Arts from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from New England School of Law. Dr. Michael Curry holds an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Curry College (2022), an Honorary Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from Labouré College (2022), an Honorary Doctorate from William James College (2023), and recently received his 4th, an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (2025).

Joe-Ann Fergus is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA). Dr. Fergus’ dissertation research area of interest explored the relationship between nurse manger leadership and staff nurse empowerment and retention. She received her Master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston in Dispute Resolution and Negotiations and has worked as a labor representative and contract negotiator at the MNA, advocating for improved work environments for nurses and improved patient safety. 

Joe-Ann teaches continuing education courses on dispute resolution for existing staff nurses, lectures senior nursing students in several nursing programs providing guidance in their transition from the classroom to the work environment, and functions as a mediator and facilitator for managing disputes among staff and between staff and their employers. Dr. Fergus also serves as an Adjunct professor at UMass Boston where she teaches an undergraduate Leadership course. 

As Chief Community and Health Impact Officer, Juan Fernando Lopera advances Beth Israel Lahey Health’s efforts to improve health outcomes by eliminating barriers to care, expanding access for all, and deepening community investments that address social determinants of health.

Before joining Beth Israel Lahey Health, Juan Fernando served as Vice President of the Public Plans Division and Business Diversity Officer at Point32Health, where he oversaw the Rhode Island Medicaid business, as well as marketing, community engagement and system-wide equity and inclusion initiatives. He previously served as Point32Health’s Director of Health Services and led medical cost management, provider contracting strategies, and analytics. Earlier in his career,

Juan Fernando served as Director of Affordability Strategies at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and in the Strategy & Operations practice at Deloitte Consulting.  
Juan Fernando co-chairs the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association’s Health Equity Committee and co-founded and chairs the Health Equity Compact. He is also a trustee of Stonehill College and a member of The Boston Foundation’s Latino Legacy Fund. He earned his undergraduate degree from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.  

Valerie Fleishman is Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA), where she leads strategic initiatives, innovation advancement, and new business development, positioning its members at the forefront of healthcare transformation. In this role, she spearheads statewide programs to expand and support the healthcare workforce, and promote innovations in digital health, artificial intelligence, health equity, and new models of care.

Valerie is an accomplished healthcare executive with over two decades of leadership experience driving innovation, policy, and transformative change across the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem.

Prior to joining MHA, Valerie served as Executive Director of the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation (NEHI), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing healthcare innovation and policy. She led the organization’s growth from a regional think tank into a trusted, national voice in health policy. Under her leadership, NEHI became a platform for cross-sector collaboration, convening coalitions of payers, providers, biopharma, medtech, patient groups, policymakers, and other leaders to tackle complex issues of patient safety, public health, healthcare spending, and health IT.

Earlier in her career, Valerie held leadership roles in management and strategy consulting. At Scient Corporation, she was a director in the Health and Wellness Practice, driving digital health solutions. Previously, she worked at Arthur D. Little, where she developed business strategies for high-tech ventures and earned the firm’s Presidential Award. Valerie has also been honored with the Boston Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” award. She is deeply committed to community and civic service and serves on multiple boards.  

Valerie holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Harvard University. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband and two children.  

Tim Foley is a senior executive and strategist with more than 20 years of experience leading in dynamic, diverse and complex organizational environments. He has helped to build teams and lead people driven by a common strategic mission with proven results, and established deep relationships with key leaders in the Massachusetts political, health care, and public policy arena.

Tim serves as Vice President of Government Relations at UMass Memorial Health. Prior to joining UMass Memorial, Tim spent more than 20 years at 1199SEIU, where he served as Executive Vice President and Massachusetts Division Director. He also worked as a campaign manager and mobilization coordinator for gubernatorial and state senate campaigns, and with other organizations including Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Massachusetts Coalition for Adult Education.

Throughout his career, Tim has been a recognized and trusted leader in advocating for health care workers and all working families, shaping health care policy and funding, enhancing workforce strategies and investments and building coalitions to support a common public policy agenda.

As Vice President and Chief Equity Officer, Mimi is responsible for engaging and partnering with agencies and leaders in our communities and throughout the Commonwealth to develop and drive a health-informed community equity agenda. In this role, Mimi leverages NeighborHealth’s role as a leading health care provider to facilitate collaboration amongst NeighborHealth and multiple health and human service agencies, ensuring that the health center integrates community feedback into its strategic response to systemic and prevailing health equity gaps in our neighborhoods.

In her 30-plus year career in healthcare administration, Mimi has worked with underserved and marginalized populations and fought for health equity, anti-racism practices, and social justice both as a provider and a person of color in the executive ranks. Before coming to NeighborHealth, Mimi was the Chief Clinical Officer at Charles River Community Health Center, where she brought her equity experience to the forefront of clinical operations.

In her previous role at HealthLinc Community Health Center, as the Chief Behavioral Health and Addiction Officer, she developed programs in partnership with communities to promote healthy living, address chronic illness, and provide treatment for addiction. She focused on combating institutional biases, increasing access to care, eliminating disparities, and improving outcomes for patients living in diverse and low-income communities.

Mimi is a catalyst for social change with a career focusing on disrupting the cycle of trauma, transforming the healthcare system, and developing systems to promote racial healing and ensure an individual’s right to opportunities for positive development. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker and active clinician. She holds a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, a Master of Arts in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago, Crown Family School of Social Work, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Chicago.

Dr. Christopher Garofalo was born and raised in Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester in 1998 and completed his family medicine residency at Hahnemann Family Health Center in Worcester in 2001. He has practiced in Massachusetts since graduation and co-owns his private family medicine practice with locations in North Attleboro and Attleboro. He is board certified and provides primary care for newborns to centinagereans and also provides obstetric care and deliveries for pregnant people. Dr. Garofalo has been actively involved in patient and physician advocacy through his work with the Massachusetts Medical Society and the American Medical Association. He lives in North Attleboro with his wife, Margot, who is also a family medicine physician, and his 2 children.

Audrey Morse Gasteier serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, the Commonwealth’s official Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance Marketplace. The Health Connector provides health and dental coverage to approximately 350,000 Massachusetts residents and promotes enrollment in comprehensive health coverage to the Massachusetts public in accordance with its responsibilities under state and federal health reform laws.

Prior to her appointment as Executive Director in March 2023, Gasteier served as the Health Connector’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief of Policy and Strategy, leading strategy and operations, program and health insurance product design, policy research, government affairs, and outreach and communication efforts aimed at engagement with members and the public. Gasteier is also an instructor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to joining the Health Connector in 2012, she served as Director of Health Systems Policy at the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, where she led health coverage research initiatives and implementation of employer-related elements of state health reform. Gasteier also served as a Policy Analyst at the Association of Community Human Service Agencies in Los Angeles, California. She holds an MS in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a BA from Mount Holyoke College.

Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett is a family medicine physician and a national voice in health equity. She has spent her career working to make health care - especially primary care - more equitable, trustworthy, and effective. She serves as Vice Chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and is an Associate Professor at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. She is a Health Innovators Fellow at the Aspen Institute — a highly competitive fellowship that catalyzes leaders to improve U.S. health care — and a recent Associate at Harvard’s Center for Primary Care. She also serves as a communications fellow at the Primary Care Collaborative, a national, bipartisan policy organization.

Dr. Gergen Barnett trained at Yale University School of Medicine and conducted research at the National Institutes of Health before completing a fellowship on group prenatal care for women in low-income communities. Since joining Boston Medical Center (BMC) in 2009, she has held a series of leadership roles there: chief resident, Director of Integrative Medicine, Medical Director, Residency Director, and now Vice Chair.

For more than two decades on the front lines of full-scope primary care, her clinical work has centered on behavioral health, preventive medicine, trauma-informed care, women’s health, reproductive care, post-incarceration medicine, and group medical visits.

Her research focuses on innovative care models that address chronic disease, physician burnout, and medical mistrust in historically marginalized communities — designed in partnership with the people they aim to serve. As principal or co-principal investigator, she has led grants from MassHealth (addiction training for family medicine residents), Pfizer (the efficacy of Paxlovid in high-risk children), the CTSI (best practices for hospital-based youth advisory boards), PCORI (integrative medicine group visits for chronic pain), and the NIH (restorative justice and storytelling as pathways to healing medical mistrust). 

Dr. Gergen Barnett is a frequent commentator in local and national media and an accomplished writer whose op-eds and scholarship illuminate solutions to some of the most pressing challenges in American health care. She advises on local and state policy addressing health inequities and on national policy shaping primary care delivery. Her work is grounded in a single conviction: that advancing equity, rebuilding trust in medicine, and strengthening primary care are inseparable from the project of building a healthier, more just future.

Tara Gregorio is the President and CEO of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association (MSCA), representing more than 400 nursing facilities, assisted living residences, residential care facilities, and continuing care retirement communities across the Commonwealth. Under her leadership, MSCA advances policy solutions to strengthen access, quality, workforce development, affordability, and payment adequacy in long term and post-acute care.

Gregorio also serves as Executive Director and Treasurer of the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving long term care through education, research, and quality initiatives, including awarding nearly $100,000 annually in academic scholarships. 

She serves on numerous state and national boards, commissions, and advisory groups focused on modernizing long term care, addressing the workforce crisis, improving care transitions, and strengthening the sustainability of the sector.

Jon Hurst has served as President and CEO of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM) since 1990. As CEO of the 4,000-member statewide trade association, Hurst manages the member services, education and public affairs of the organization. RAM was organized in 1918 as the Voice of Retailing in Massachusetts, and today represents stores and restaurants of all types and sizes. Hurst also serves as Chairman of the Board of the MA Retail Merchants Workers Compensation Group, Inc., a non-profit group organized by RAM in 1991. He also heads the Retailers Association of Massachusetts Health Insurance Cooperative, the first non-profit small business health insurance cooperative authorized in 2012 by the state. Hurst has served on various state advisory boards, including roles with the Economic Development Planning Council, the Statewide Healthcare Quality Advisory Committee, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission Advisory Council, the Governor’s Merged Market Advisory Committee, the Unemployment Trust Fund Commission, and the Workforce Competitive Trust Fund Advisory Committee. Hurst has served on numerous non-profit boards, including the Beverly YMCA, Beverly Main Streets, the National Retail Federation, and also served as Chairman of the National Association of State Retail Association Executives. Prior to serving at RAM, Hurst worked in public affairs roles for the Hershey Foods Corporation and the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, as well as at the Ohio House of Representatives. Hurst graduated from the Ohio State University in 1981. Hurst and his wife Jan have three grown sons and reside in Beverly, Massachusetts.

As the Executive Director for the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA), Andrew Jackmauh is responsible for setting the agency’s vision and priorities, and oversees strategic initiatives related to data governance, resource allocation, policy development, and stakeholder engagement. He ensures that CHIA’s mission as the Commonwealth’s primary hub for health care data and the primary source of health care analytics supports the policy development needs of policymakers and the health care ecosystem in Massachusetts.  

Andrew has been at CHIA since its inception in 2012 and served as Chief of Staff from 2018 to 2026. Prior to joining CHIA, Andrew worked at the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, where he played a key role in the Expanded Gaming Act and expansion of access to broadband internet throughout the state.

Andrew earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Boston and a Master of Public Administration from UMass Boston’s McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, where he was a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration. 

Jake Krilovich has served as CEO of the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts since January 2022. With over a decade of experience in health policy and advocacy, Jake has a proven track record of leading initiatives that enhance care services and influence health policy at the state and national levels.

Jake collaborates closely with the board of directors to set the Alliance's goals, strategic direction, and policy frameworks. He initially joined the Alliance in 2017 as the Director of Legislative & Public Affairs, where he was instrumental in advancing legislative initiatives on reimbursement and strengthening stakeholder relations.

His commitment to health advocacy was further demonstrated during his tenure as the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at the National MS Society's Greater New England Chapter, focusing on key policy issues that impact individuals with multiple sclerosis.

Jake's experience extends to his time at ZERO - The End of Prostate Cancer, where he managed government relations and coordinated operations, significantly contributing to the organization's mission to end prostate cancer. His early career included legislative experience in the U.S. House of Representatives in the office of Representative Tim Walz and for State Senator Karen Spilka.

Jake holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Dr. Mauch brings organizational leadership, operations management, evaluation research, and strategic consulting experience gained in private and public sector enterprises to inform social, economic, and health policy research and reform actions at MAMH. 

Her prior service in the nonprofit and private sectors includes ten years as Senior Fellow/Principal at Abt Associates, Inc. Dr. Mauch was Chief Administrative Officer for Comprehensive NeuroScience, Founding President and Chief Executive Officer for Magellan Public Solutions, Founder and President of Integrated Health Strategies, Homelessness Policy Project Director at MAMH; and Executive Director of Cambridge Somerville Community Residences. Dr. Mauch worked in government, with insurers, and for health foundations, providing specialty health plan services or policy, evaluation, and implementation assistance in multiple states across the US. Work addressed insurance benefits, service delivery, housing affordability, and financing reforms targeted to individuals with complex health risks and conditions, including publications addressing integration of behavioral health and primary care in government insurance markets and integration of low demand housing and behavioral/health services in solving chronic homelessness. Skilled in linking large data sets to advance accountability, clinical and cost improvements, she contributed to designing system solutions for government and private sector clients’ compliance with legal and regulatory reforms to address complex health and human service needs. 

Dr. Mauch has a lengthy career in public service. She presently serves as Court Monitor for the U.S. District Court of Western Washington, addressing forensic, health, and housing services reforms at the intersection of the health, disability, and criminal legal systems. Dr. Mauch’s prior service includes Special Master for the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia; Executive Director of the Rhode Island Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals; Assistant Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, leading Divisions of Mental Health, Drug Rehabilitation, and Forensic Medicine; and Policy Expert on Homelessness for NIMH and SAMHSA. 

Dr. Mauch is a published author of government and foundation reports, book chapters and journal articles on the organization, financing, and delivery of healthcare and housing to vulnerable populations. She has served as a volunteer officer of several governing boards, including a health care conversion foundation, a national youth development and prevention organization, an urban elementary and middle school, a federal agency, and state and legislative commissions addressing health promotion and prevention, behavioral health and criminal justice, accessible housing and homelessness, health policy, and health care access and affordability initiatives. She is a member of the CEO Alliance for Behavioral Health Reform. Dr. Mauch holds a PhD in Social Policy from the Heller School at Brandeis University.

Eileen McAnneny formed the Employer Coalition on Health (ECOH) in 2024 after a long career in public policy. ECOH is a coalition of employers advocating more affordable commercial health insurance. As ECOH’s President, McAnneny represents ECOH members on Beacon Hill, conveying the impact that the cost of health insurance has on their cost structure, competitiveness and ability to offer a generous benefit package.

Prior to leading ECOH, McAnneny served as the President of the of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) from 2015 until 2022. Founded in 1932, MTF is widely recognized as the state’s premier public policy organization dealing with state spending, tax and economic policies, providing high quality research and non-partisan analysis to Beacon Hill, the media and across the state.

McAnneny is also the Executive Director of Government Relations for Encore Boston Harbor and Principal of EPM Consulting LLC.

Ms. McAnneny, an attorney, with more than 30 years of government relations, public policy, advocacy and managerial experience in both the public and private sectors in Massachusetts. She held executive level positions at the Massachusetts Society of CPAs, serving as its President and CEO; at Fidelity Investments as a Director of Public Policy; and at Associated Industries of Massachusetts as its Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Associate General Counsel, where she focused on health care and tax policy issues for the employer community. In recognition of her expertise, McAnneny has served as an appointee on several government commissions.

Ms. McAnneny worked in the public sector a staff attorney for the Joint Committee on Revenue of the Massachusetts legislature, playing a key role in numerous significant tax policy changes, including reforms to the corporate tax code, an overhaul of the Appellate Tax Board, amendments to DOR’s administrative practices, and updates to unclaimed property collections.
In 2018, McAnneny served as the Vice Chair of the Governor’s Commission on the Future of Transportation, a body charged with planning for a 21st century transportation infrastructure. She is former Board member of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, the Cooperative Central Bank, the New England Legal Foundation and the Massachusetts Health Quality Partnership and a current Board member of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston and a Commissioner of the Group Insurance Commission.

Ms. McAnneny is a cum laude graduate of Tufts University from where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and earned her juris doctorate in law from Suffolk University Law School. Ms. McAnneny has volunteered her time as a writing coach at Citizen Schools, a Junior Achievement and confirmation teacher at St. Mary’s parish in Melrose and the BBJ’s Mentoring Monday and Career Spring.

Nancy McGovern is Director of Healthcare and Retirement Advocacy for the Mass Retirees Association, where she leads the Association's healthcare policy, insurance, and legislative advocacy efforts. She provides strategic policy analysis and guidance on healthcare affordability, insurance design, Medicare, and public sector health benefits, working collaboratively with policymakers, healthcare organizations, state agencies, and other stakeholders to improve access to affordable, high-quality healthcare. Her work includes analyzing healthcare policy, cost trends, and emerging research to inform advocacy strategies, public education, and system-level discussions while translating complex health policy into practical guidance for retirees, policymakers, and other stakeholders.

Nancy is also the founder of Ally for Care Patient Advocacy, an independent practice that gives her direct insight into how healthcare policy, insurance design, and affordability affect patients and families navigating the healthcare system. A Board-Certified Patient Advocate, she brings nearly two decades of experience in healthcare policy, legislative affairs, and consumer advocacy, offering a unique perspective that bridges health policy with the real-world experiences of patients and retirees. She holds a master's degree in Political Science from Suffolk University, a Graduate Certificate in Patient Advocacy from the University of Miami and is a member of the Public Sector Healthcare Roundtable.

Carlene Pavlos is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance (MPHA), a statewide public health organization that promotes a healthy Massachusetts through advocacy, community organizing, and coalition building. MPHA does this work in partnership with base-building organizations and allies who share our commitments to dismantle structural racism and address other root causes of health inequities. MPHA identifies their priorities by listening to the voices of those most impacted by health inequities and therefore focus on the fundamental building blocks of good health, like clean air and water, reliable public transportation, stable housing, healthy food, equitable public health services, and more.

Prior to joining MPHA in April of 2018, Carlene spent nearly 20 years at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, completing her time there as the Director of the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention. As the Bureau Director she oversaw the Department’s work in the areas of violence prevention and services, suicide prevention, child fatality review, unintentional injury prevention, oral health, school and adolescent health, reproductive health, nutrition and physical activity, tobacco control and prevention, chronic disease prevention and health systems transformation.  

Carlene brings to her work a commitment to social justice and addressing the root causes of health inequities – including racism, misogyny, homophobia/heterosexism, classism, and transphobia. She also has extensive experience working with incarcerated women, a population at particular risk for violent victimization and its associated health impacts.  Carlene has a B.S. from Lafayette College and a Masters of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.

Lora M. Pellegrini, Esq., has been President and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans (MAHP) since February 2010. Under her leadership, MAHP has focused on providing access to high-quality, affordable, and equitable health care for all Massachusetts residents. During her tenure at MAHP, Lora has served as a member of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s Advisory Council, and on the Legislature’s 2017 Special Commission on Provider Price Variation. She was also appointed by Governor Baker to the Digital Health Council and the Merged Market Advisory Council. Most recently, Lora was appointed by Governor Healey to serve on the Health Care Affordability Working Group and she also serves on the Administration’s Primary Care Task Force.

Prior to joining MAHP, Lora was the Vice President of Government Affairs and Community Relations at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, where she oversaw over $1M in community giving annually. She also worked on the staffs of Governors Deval Patrick and Michael Dukakis, and as an assistant attorney general. Lora has a special interest in issues of importance to women and girls. Lora is a Board Member of the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus (MWPC), a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting women to elected and appointed office where she served four years as the organization’s president. She is currently a Board Member of Dedham Savings Bank. In October 2019, Lora was awarded the Abigail Adams Award from the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus for her years of service to the MWPC. In 2018, she was awarded the Women’s Bar Association’s Lelia J. Robinson Award, the organization’s most prestigious award which recognizes women who, like Robinson, are pioneers in the legal profession, experts in their fields and have made a difference in their community. The WBA recognized Lora’s work to ensure that Massachusetts women have access to contraceptive coverage as part of their insurance coverage when that coverage was threatened federally. Lora was named to the Boston Business Journal’s (BBJ) 2017 and 2018 Power 50, the BBJ’s list of the 50 most powerful individuals in Boston-area business. She was also named as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Boston by Boston Magazine. 

Lora holds a BA from Wheaton College and a JD from the New England School of Law.

Lauren Peters is the founding President of the Massachusetts Payer Provider Partnership (MP3), a nonprofit convening local health plans and health systems to improve healthcare affordability and access.

Before launching MP3, Lauren served as Executive Director of the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA), the independent state agency that serves as the hub for Massachusetts' healthcare data and analytics. Earlier, as Undersecretary at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), she oversaw programs and policy across agencies including the Department of Public Health and MassHealth — playing a central role in the state's COVID-19 response and advancing reforms in long-term care, primary care, and behavioral health.

Lauren previously served as Associate General Counsel and Director of Healthcare Policy at the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, and held earlier roles at the Health Policy Commission and the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

She earned her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, concentrating in health and biomedical law, and holds a bachelor's degree with honors from William Smith College.

Christine Schuster, RN, MBA, has served as President and CEO of Emerson Health for 21 years. Prior to joining Emerson, she was President and CEO of Quincy Medical Center and Athol Memorial Hospital and served as COO of the Extended Care Division at Tenet Saint Vincent Healthcare System. Earlier in her career, she was a health care consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ms. Schuster serves on the Boards of Directors of the Massachuetts Health and Hospital Association (MHA), MA Value Alliance, MHA Solutions, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and UnisLink. She also chairs the MA Council of Community Hospitals and serves on the MA Health Policy Commission Advisory Council and the Riverside Partners Clinical Advisory Council. She is a Middlesex Bank Corporator and an International Women’s Forum member.
In 2024, Ms. Schuster received the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award. Her other honors include the MA Health Council Champion of Health Award, the Foundation for MetroWest Community Leadership Award, and the American College of Healthcare Executives Distinguished Service Award. She is also a five-time recipient of the American Hospital Association Grassroots Champion Award.

From 2017–2025, Emerson Health was recognized by The Women’s Edge and The Boston Globe as one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in MA. Ms. Schuster was also named to Boston Magazine’s “150 Most Influential Bostonians” list from 2023–2026 and recognized by Becker’s Healthcare in its “Women Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know” and “Community Hospital CEOs to Know” lists.

Ms. Schuster earned an MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston University.

Alex Sheff is Senior Director of Policy and Government Affairs at Health Care For All (HCFA). Alex’s work focuses on health care affordability, social determinants of health, delivery system reform, prescription drugs, health care for older adults, and oral health integration. Before joining HCFA, Alex served as the Senior Program Manager for Medicaid Strategies at Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners HealthCare), where he led the development and operation of their Medicaid Accountable Care Organization. He also previously served as the Senior Health Policy Advisor to U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, where he oversaw her health care portfolio and worked on passage of legislation such as the Affordable Care Act and the Excellence in Mental Health Act. He holds a B.A. from Vassar College, and an M.P.A. from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Joseph M. Shields, Esq. is the founder and President of Transparency Rising, a national nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization serving as a catalyst for pharmacy-benefit transformation and advancing competition, innovation, and trust across the nation’s healthcare and pharmaceutical supply chains.

Founded in 2023, Transparency Rising is a nationally recognized coalition of more than 22 pass-through pharmacy benefit managers and aligned healthcare companies serving over 20 million covered lives. As an impactful platform for market solutions, it connects policymakers, purchasers, investors, manufacturers, technology companies, and pharmacy-benefit innovators to accelerate new models, partnerships, and scalable alternatives.

Under Joe’s leadership, Transparency Rising has empowered true net-cost and pass-through pharmacy-benefit companies to scale, establishing the model as a national market standard. Its work has supported landmark reforms enacted through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, and Joe has provided testimony, legal analysis, and policy guidance to the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, and other federal and state leaders.

Joe previously served three Governors in New York and New Jersey as a senior executive and trusted counsel. He earned his law degree from Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and graduated cum laude from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.  

Matt serves as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC), a quasi-independent state agency. GIC provides health insurance and other benefits to 460,000 members, including employees, dependents and retirees of the Commonwealth and a variety of state and local public entities. GIC is the largest purchaser of health insurance in Massachusetts. Under Matt’s leadership, the GIC has prioritized efforts to advance affordability, health equity and access to behavioral health services.

Before joining the GIC in 2020, Matt was First Deputy Commissioner at the Division of Insurance (DOI), serving as a close advisor to the Commissioner on all agency matters, including priority interagency initiatives focused on health care cost containment and behavioral health.

From 2009-2018, Matt represented Harvard Pilgrim Health Care before federal and state regulatory and administrative bodies, as well as the U.S. Congress. Earlier in his career, Matt served three terms on the Salem City Council, a decade in early childhood education policy and advocacy, and spent a year of service in the Bronx, NY as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.

Matt holds a BA in political science from the College of the Holy Cross, and an MBA in Health Care Management from Boston University Graduate School of Business (now the Questrom School of Business).

Monica Vohra, MD, MPH, is a primary care physician and the Chief Medical Officer of DotHouse Health, a federally qualified health center in Boston. As the CMO of DotHouse, Dr. Vohra is responsible for leading the delivery and quality of primary care, oral health, eye care, behavioral health, and enabling services. Dr. Vohra has over 12 years of experience providing primary care services at federally qualified health centers.

A committed advocate for health equity, Dr. Vohra chairs the Health Equity Committee for the Boston Accountable Care Organization (BACO), is a member of Boston’s Live Long and Well Advisory Council, is a member of the Health Equity Compact and served on the Governor’s Carney Hospital Task Force. In 2026, she joined the Board of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and serves as the Chair for their Clinical Issues Committee.  

In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Vohra has a background in health policy. She served as Medical Director at MassHealth for 3 years, where she focused on expanding Medicaid services to justice-involved and gender-diverse individuals and helped shape telehealth policy during the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Dr. Vohra is a board-certified internist. She received a Master of Public Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a Doctor of Medicine from Morehouse School of Medicine. 

Harry Weissman is the Executive Director of the Disability Policy Consortium (DPC), a Massachusetts nonprofit that advances the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities through community organizing, participatory research, and policy advocacy. He joined DPC in 2018 as a community organizer and later served as Director of Advocacy before stepping into the Executive Director role. Harry has helped lead statewide advocacy efforts, including the passage of wheelchair repair reform legislation, and co-founded the Paul W. Spooner Generational Leadership Summit, an annual gathering that brings together disability advocates across generations. He is committed to ensuring people with disabilities help shape the policies and practices that affect their lives.

Erika Wilkinson is the Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA). She oversees the company’s regulatory policy and implementation within Massachusetts, in addition to member and account contract development.  

Prior to joining BCBSMA, Erika was a health care policy and budget analyst and counsel for the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Ways and Means. She is a graduate of New York University and received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law with a Health Law Concentration. 

Steven Winn, Ph.D. is a seasoned leader in the behavioral health field. As president and CEO of Behavioral Health Network (BHN), he leads the organization’s efforts in the development and delivery of high quality, integrated services for those challenged by mental illness, substance use, or intellectual disabilities. With headquarters in Springfield, BHN services individuals and families across Massachusetts, serving more than 40,000 individuals annually and employing over 2,400 people.

Steve’s extensive career has included a unique blend of clinical, operational and academic roles which allow him depth and breadth of perspective on the challenges of our times. He joined BHN in 1995 as Vice President and Director of the Child Guidance Clinic, and took on increasing responsibility over time, assuming roles of Senior Vice President, then Chief Operating and finally Chief Executive Officer in 2020. Hallmarks of Steve’s approach to service and leadership are his focus on innovation and his commitment to collaboration. His well-established partnerships with local and statewide funders, key partners and stakeholders as well as his drive for creative solutions has guided BHN’s growth and success.

Prior to joining BHN, Steve was a staff psychologist at the University of New Mexico Children’s Psychiatric Hospital, where he also taught in the Department of Psychiatry. He earned his Master’s in Developmental Psychology and a Ph.D. in Clinical and Developmental Psychology, both from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Steve went on to complete his fellowship at Yale University’s Child Study Center and is a licensed clinical psychologist in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.