Technology’s Role in Making America Healthy Again: A Discussion on Mental Health & Substance Use Care

Dr. Mark Atalla serves as the Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT, Policy at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He leads efforts to advance technology-driven health policy, focusing on ways digital tools and intelligent systems can enhance behavior change, lower healthcare spending, and strengthen delegated financial risk models.

Dr. Atalla brings extensive experience from a large, distributed healthcare organization with more than 2,000 clinics nationwide, as well as leadership roles across pharmacy benefit management, community pharmacy, and hospital pharmacy operations.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Atalla served as a Senior Advisor at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for Innovation, where he led key Medicare Advantage and Part D initiatives at the CMS Innovation Center—including the Part D Senior Savings Model, Part D Payment Modernization Model, and Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model.

Dr. Atalla has also held operational roles at Medco/Express Scripts and Fresenius. He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree from the University of Florida and an MBA from Yale University.

Dr. Quinn Bastian is a clinical psychologist who has led mental health informatics for the Veterans Health Administration since 2019. In this role, he directs VA’s mental health informatics strategy and has served as the primary lead for all mental‑health–related components of VA’s accelerating transition to the Federal (Oracle) Electronic Health Record. He also serves as the Capability Business Owner for VA’s portfolio of software solutions, mobile applications, and other technologies that enhance the provision of mental health and substance use disorder care to more than two million Veterans each year. Before joining VA Central Office, Dr. Bastian directed mental health, substance use, suicide prevention, and homeless programs at the Mann‑Grandstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Washington. Prior to joining VA, he served on active duty as a U.S. Navy psychologist, providing care for sailors and Marines and leading mental health and SUD programs at Naval Hospital Jacksonville and Naval Health Clinic Pearl Harbor. Dr. Bastian holds graduate degrees in psychology, business administration, and marriage and family therapy.

Kirsten Beronio currently serves as a senior advisor to the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors where she advises state mental health commissioners regarding federal funding and policy developments with a focus on Medicaid. She also leads technical assistance projects to support state behavioral health agencies on various topics including quality improvement and financing issues. 

 Kirsten previously served as the Senior Advisor on Behavioral Health for the Center for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Services at CMS. In this role, she led policy development on high profile topics including implementation of parity in Medicaid, Certified Behavioral Health Clinic reimbursement and coverage issues, mental health and substance use disorder focused section 1115 demonstrations, and Medicaid coverage of peer supports.  

Before joining CMS, she was the director of the behavioral health division in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation at HHS. In this position, she advised HHS leaders and managed a team of analysts overseeing contracts with research firms on mental health and substance use disorder issues.  

Kirsten’s experience includes serving as Director of Policy and Regulatory Affairs for the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare where she advised psychiatric health systems and addiction treatment providers on Medicare and Medicaid regulatory changes and quality improvement programs. She also previously served as Vice President for Federal Policy and Advocacy for Mental Health America and as Medicaid and CHIP Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee.   

She recently founded an independent consulting practice, Kirsten Beronio Strategies, LLC and is affiliated with Capstone Solutions Consulting Group. Kirsten received her law degree from Georgetown University and graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University. 

Stephanie Brown serves as the President & Executive Director of CRISP DC, the District of Columbia’s designated Health Information Exchange, where she leads strategic initiatives to advance secure sharing of clinical, social, and public health data across the region. She oversees the development of digital health tools that integrate these data sources, strengthens District‑wide reporting systems, manages complex grants and contracts, and ensures compliance with federal and local data-sharing standards. Through her leadership, CRISP DC delivers actionable insights that empower clinicians, public health agencies, and community organizations to improve outcomes and support care across the District.

Before joining CRISP DC, Stephanie built a career at the intersection of public health, academic research, and care delivery. At the University of Pennsylvania, she designed behavioral economics-based patient engagement interventions using text message nudges, gamification, and incentive strategies. She supported patient centered medical home transformation at Columbia Medical Practice and advanced chronic disease care management at Healthy Howard in Maryland. She began her career contributing to population health program development at Cooper University Hospital’s Urban Health Institute in Camden, New Jersey. Her professional experience spans hospital systems, private practices, local health departments, and nonprofit organizations, reflecting a long‑-standing commitment to data‑-driven public health and care‑-delivery solutions.

Stephanie holds an Master of Public Health and a Master in Law from the University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Psychology from Drexel University.

For more than a decade, Kathryn Burgum has worked alongside policymakers, healthcare and treatment industry leaders, tribal leaders, community organizations, people with felony convictions and families to change how America understands and responds to addiction.

Her work is grounded in lived experience – personal and professional – and shaped by years of engagement at the state and national level.

For eight years, as First Lady of North Dakota, she championed eliminating of the stigma addiction with her groundbreaking initiative Recovery Reinvented – using the power of storytelling to change perceptions and inspire recovery.  Sharing stories of how lives – including hers, have been impacted by addiction.  This approach worked.  North Dakota is the first state in the nation to measure the stigma of the disease of addiction.  Through Recovery Reinvented and the grassroots efforts of communities, stigma was reduced by 20%.

Kathryn has seen firsthand the life saving, life changing, benefits of approaching addiction as a life long, chronic, relapsing, treatable brain disease versus current treatment where addiction is considered an episodic condition and treatment usually starts at crisis levels.  This approach to care is fragmented and people often fail at achieving recovery because of gaps in care and insurance coverage.

When addiction is addressed with the same seriousness, continuity of care, and accountability as other chronic diseases, lives are saved and outcomes improve—leading to greater stability for families, stronger communities, and a nation restored.

Her work is personal.  Like millions of Americans, Kathryn’s life has been shaped by her own addiction and recovery and that experience informs every conversation, recommendation and commitment she makes.  She believes recovery is possible on a national scale and complex systems can change.

The Great American Recovery initiative was created through Executive Order by President Trump January 29, 2026.  It is a White House-led effort focused on transforming the nation’s approach to prevention, treatment, and long-term recovery from the chronic disease of addiction.

Kathryn currently serves as Co-Chair of Great American Recovery along with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  She is also White House Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery.

Kenneth R. Callahan III (Ken) serves as the Senior Counselor for Policy for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In this role he oversees all major policy initiatives for the Secretary which includes the recently finalized information blocking crackdown, the withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO), overseeing the largest deregulatory initiative in HHS history, ensuring patients have better price transparency and much more.

Callahan served in the first Trump Administration when he finished as the Chief of Staff for the Deputy Secretary in the Immediate Office of the Secretary (IOS). The Deputy Secretary’s office plays the role of Chief Operating Officer. In this role, Callahan was responsible for executing the HHS/CMS payment rules and the allocation and distribution of $175 billion from the Provider Relief Fund. He also played major roles in department wide initiatives such as telehealth expansion during COVID-19, Stark and Anti-kickback reform, the Rural Health Action Plan, Interoperability rules and launching LymeX – the largest public-private partnership to combat Lyme disease in history. In addition, Calahan helped lead negotiations with the WHO in 2019 that resulted in them in agreeing to promote private-public partnerships for the first time. In between, the first and second Trump administration he did healthcare consulting, regulatory analysis for healthcare providers, digital health, medical device and home health companies.

He began his career on Capitol Hill working for Congressman David Joyce (R-OH), then the Republican National Committee before joining HHS in January of 2018. Callahan received his BA from Ohio Wesleyan University and his Masters in Health Administration from Cornell University. In his free time he is an avid traveler, having visited all 50 states and 45 countries.

Holly Carman is the Senior Compliance Manager for Qualifacts Systems, which includes the CareLogic, Credible, and InSync EHR platforms. Throughout her diverse and accomplished career, she has maintained a focus on the intersection of technology standards, clinical quality metrics, and consumer voice and choice. Holly is an officer on the Qualifacts AI & Data Governance Committee and keeps active with the evolving regulatory landscape of the healthcare IT ecosystem. As a skilled presenter, she hosts a regular “Behavioral Healthcare Industry Update” webinar series for Qualifacts customers, entering its 10th year of uncomplicating and educating on federal and state regulatory and legislative topics.

Holly is a steadfast and engaged advocate for disability rights, recovery networks, foster youth, and equitable access for all. She chooses the southern coast of Maine as home for her and her family, where her passion for both horses and hockey is the norm, depending on the season.

Christopher D. Carroll, MSc, serves as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use (PDAS) at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In this capacity, PDAS Carroll will provide overall leadership of mental health and substance use disorder treatment, prevention, recovery services; agency policies, programs, and operations, including budget; and, intragovernmental and public affairs. He has over thirty-five years’ experience leading behavioral health organizations. His expertise in payment systems, innovative program and policy development, and advancing legislative intent have improved mental health and substance use service provision at the federal, state, and local levels. Mr. Carroll has an extensive background in health economics, behavioral health administration and financing, public health program implementation, organizational management, and behavioral health systems operations.

Since 2004, Mr. Carroll has held a variety of positions within SAMHSA advising senior leadership on health policy and program development, strategic planning, organizational alignment, and legislative issues. Most recently, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary. As SAMHSA’s Director of Health Financing and Systems Integration, Mr. Carroll advised SAMHSA Administrators, Assistant Secretaries, and senior HHS leadership; led internal and external engagements that maintained valued public and private sector relationships; and shaped the agency’s activities to advance public and private financing of behavioral health services. Mr. Carroll also served as Senior Advisor for Behavioral Health to the Director of the Centers for Medicaid and CHIP Services providing guidance on implementing and coordinating complex and high-priority behavioral health initiatives.

Prior to his work at SAMHSA, Mr. Carroll served in the private sector as Director of Behavioral Health Operations for the Sisters of Mercy Healthcare Network for 15 years. Mr. Carroll received his B.Sc. in Organizational Management from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas and M.Sc. in International Health Economics and Policy from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy.

Tim Clement is the Vice President of Federal Government Affairs at Mental Health America. Tim drafts legislation, works with Congress, and partners with federal regulatory agencies, all for the purpose of advancing substantive and impactful mental health policy. Tim has been working in mental health policy and advocacy for over ten years, previously working for the American Psychiatric Association and before that the Kennedy Forum.  

Nathaniel Z Counts, JD, serves as the Chief Policy Officer for The Kennedy Forum, a national mental health non-profit, as well as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. In his position with The Kennedy Forum, he advances a public policy agenda aimed at ensuring access to effective and responsive services and supports, within a population health framework that focuses on prevention and upstream drivers of health. In previous roles, Nathaniel served as Senior Policy Advisor for Mental Health to the Commissioner of Health for the City of New York, where he advised on innovative financing, policy, and research strategies for achieving the city’s mental health goals. He received his JD cum laude from Harvard Law School.

Pete Croughan, MD, is an Internal Medicine physician with a background in health policy, state level administration, and addiction medicine. He grew up in Crowley, Louisiana. He then attended Yale University and majored in the History of Science and Medicine. Afterward, he worked in health policy research at PolicyLab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He later attended UCSF for medical school.

In 2017, he took time away from his studies to serve as Policy Director for the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), where he spearheaded a statewide cancer strategy, analyzed state funding for graduate medical education, and led the development of the Hepatitis C pharmaceutical payment subscription model. In 2018, he became Chief of Staff for Dr. Rebekah Gee and LDH, where he was responsible for policy development, quality improvement, communications, external affairs, and legislative strategy.

In 2020, he returned to clinical practice to complete his Internal Medicine residency, with a concentration in Primary Care, at Massachusetts General Hospital. Since completing his training, he has worked as a rural addiction medicine physician at the Acadiana Area Human Services District in Lafayette and his hometown of Crowley, where he cares for patients with substance use disorders.

In January of 2024, he returned to the Louisiana Department of Health, where he currently serves as Deputy Secretary. In this role, he oversees the Offices of Public Health, Behavioral Health, Aging and Adult Services, Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, Disability Determination Services, and Emergency Preparedness.

He and his wife, Allie, an LSU General Surgery Resident, enjoy spending their free time outdoors, watching Saints and LSU football, and playing with their two daughters.

Dr. Michelle P. Durham, MD, MPH, DFAPA, DFAACAP is a triple boarded physician with national certification in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Adult Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine. She is the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute where she provides guidance and expertise to ensure the Institute’s work is grounded in contemporary, innovative, and evidence-based medical knowledge. She works closely with physicians and other clinicians across the organization to develop policy and practice guidance that reflect the needs and realities people and families face when affected by mental health and/or substance use issues.

Dr. Durham has worked in a large public hospital serving individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues who are disproportionately impacted by trauma, poverty, mental health, substance use and family disruption.  She has extensive experience across a continuum of mental health treatment settings including psychiatric emergency departments, mobile crisis teams, in home and outpatient clinics and pediatric integrated care. She provides expert evaluation and testimony for forensic civil and criminal cases. She has practiced in public and private settings serving both children and adults. She is dedicated to advancing health equity and ensuring mental health treatment is equitable and accessible to all. She continues to practice clinically seeing children, adolescents and their families struggling with mental health issues and is an Associate Consultant with Lorio Forensics providing comprehensive psychiatric evaluations for those impacted by the carceral system.

Dr. Durham previously served as the Vice Chair of Training & Education at Boston Medical Center (BMC) Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Pediatrics at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. While there she also served as principal investigator for SAMSHA and HRSA funded grants as well as the co-investigator for TEAM UP for Children, a privately funded initiative to bring integrated care to FQHCs. Currently, she is voluntary Clinical Associate Professor of Clinical Sciences at the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine.

She received her medical degree from Louisiana State University in New Orleans, Louisiana, completed her general psychiatry residency training at Boston Medical Center and her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center in New Haven, Connecticut where she was also elected Chief Resident. She received her master’s in public health concentrating in health policy and management from the Emory Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to completing her medical education, she worked as the Assistant Director for the Center of Excellence on Health Disparities at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

As a clinician, educator, and scholar, she has received numerous awards, including the SAMHSA Minority Fellowship through the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Massachusetts Psychiatric Society Presidential Award, APA Excellence in Service and Advocacy, and Boston Magazine’s Top Docs in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. For her contributions and dedication to the field of psychiatry, Dr. Durham has been appointed a Distinguished Fellow of both the APA and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She has testified for the U.S. Senate HELP and Finance Committees to advocate for increase funding, workforce issues, access and parity in mental health and substance use treatment.

Dr. Jason Funderburk serves as the Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT, at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He leads efforts to advance technology-driven health policy, with a focus on transforming how artificial intelligence enhances medical imaging to improve the healthcare delivery workflow.

Dr. Funderburk is a seasoned healthcare leader with more than 20 years of experience driving innovation and operational excellence across academic, private, and Veterans Affairs hospital systems. Previously, as Chief of Staff for the Salt Lake City VA Healthcare System, he helped ensure high-quality care for over 70,000 veterans each year while advancing informatics, clinical research, and regional healthcare operations.

Dr. Funderburk brings a multidisciplinary background that includes an MD from Louisiana State University School of Medicine, an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from NYU Stern, and a Master of Science in Bioinformatics from the University of Utah, enabling him to bridge clinical practice and strategic leadership in his daily work.

Maeghan Gilmore is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness. In this capacity she oversees the association’s federal legislative and regulatory policy agenda. Previously, Maeghan worked with local governments for over 14 years on behavioral health, health, human services, and justice policies and programs. Prior to joining ABHW, Maeghan was the program director for health, human services and justice at the National Association of Counties. She previously served as the Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Directors.

Ms. Gilmore received a B.S. in Health Education from Western Michigan University and a Masters of Public Health, health policy concentration, from The George Washington University.

Tracy Gruber is the Executive Director of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) since July 1, 2022, following the merger of the state’s health and human services agencies. Unanimously confirmed by the Senate in February 2021, she began as Executive Director of the Utah Department of Human Services in January 2021. Appointed by Governor Spencer J. Cox, Director Gruber implements policies focused on measurable outcomes that
ensure opportunities for all Utahns to lead safe and healthy lives.

Previously, Director Gruber served as Director of the Office of Child Care at the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) and as Senior Advisor for Utah’s Intergenerational Poverty Initiative, championing programs to end cycles of intergenerational reliance on government services. Her public service earned her recognition as one of Utah Business’s Most Influential Women in 2024 and the 2017 “Government Official of the Year” from the Utah
Community Action Partnership.

Gruber brings diverse legal and administrative perspective, with a background including legislative analysis and directing Utah’s New Lawyer Training Program. She serves on the Governing Board of the American Human Services Association and previously chaired the National Association of State Child Care Administrators. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Chicago-Kent School of Law, she lives in Salt Lake City with her husband, Andrew, and their two adult children, enjoying Utah’s iconic outdoor recreation.

Steve Herron is a veteran healthcare technology executive with over 30 years of experience advancing clinical and operational innovation. As Senior Director, Continuum of Care at Oracle Health, Steve leads the strategic development of integrated technology for behavioral health, post-acute care, and rehabilitation services.  A recognized leader in the evolution of specialized healthcare IT, Steve’s work focuses on the critical intersection of interoperability, policy, and patient outcomes. He is dedicated to creating unified care models that bridge the historical gap between physical and behavioral health data, and enhancing care transitions to support whole-person wellness.  Steve has been a vocal advocate for utilizing emerging technologies to meet public health mandates.  Steve is a graduate of Miami University, and holds an MBA from Ohio University.

Patrick J. Kennedy is an internationally recognized leader in mental health, addiction, and brain health policy, known for translating values, law, and evidence into operational systems of accountability. His career reflects a sustained commitment to ending discrimination, advancing health equity, and building institutions that deliver measurable outcomes across government, civil society, and the private sector. 

During his 16 years representing Rhode Island’s First Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kennedy emerged as a leading voice on mental health and addiction. He is best known as the lead sponsor of the landmark Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, passed with bipartisan support and signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 3, 2008. The law fundamentally reshaped access to care by requiring insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorders to be no more restrictive than coverage for physical health conditions. 

Beyond parity, Kennedy authored and co-sponsored dozens of bills addressing neurological and psychiatric disorders, including the Positive Aging Act, Foundations for Learning Act, National Neurotechnology Initiative Act, COMBAT PTSD Act, and Alzheimer’s Treatment and Caregiver Support Act. He served on the House Appropriations Committee and key subcommittees overseeing health, education, labor, human services, and veterans’ affairs—providing deep experience across statutory, regulatory, and budgetary systems. 

In 2013, Patrick and his wife Amy founded The Kennedy Forum, the strongest demonstration of his ability to execute on a public-interest value proposition: ensuring that laws achieve their intended impact. Under his leadership, The Kennedy Forum moved beyond advocacy to develop practical, scalable tools that enable governments and institutions to assess performance, identify gaps, and drive reform. These include Parity Track, the Parity Resource Guide for Addiction & Mental Health, and the Member’s Guide to Mental Health Parity—tools that translate complex statutory and regulatory obligations into actionable guidance for policymakers, regulators, employers, and advocates. 

Kennedy is the author of the New York Times bestseller A Common Struggle and the founder or co-founder of several national initiatives and organizations, including Don’t Deny Me, One Mind, and Psych Hub. In 2023, The Kennedy Forum launched Alignment for Progress, a national 90/90/90 by 2033 initiative to expand screening, access to evidence-based care, and sustained recovery. 

In 2024, Kennedy joined Healthsperien as a Partner. In 2025, he launched the Center for Behavioral Health, along with Action for Progress and Invest for Progress, expanding his bandwidth to execute healthcare system transformation.  The Center for Behavioral Health is focused on transforming behavioral health with a coordinated strategy grounded in data and driven by broad-based, collective action with interconnected pillars.  Action for Progress is a member organization with a collective policy agenda that includes federal lobbying for behavioral health for the benefit of all members with the goal of healthcare system transformation.  Invest for Progress is an initiative where venture capital companies along with their targeted portfolio companies and subject matter experts focus on specific behavioral health concentrations (SUD, SMI, Youth Mental Health, Autism/IDD, with more lo follow) to develop models of excellence and payment reform with regional test beds to inform CMMI. 

He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Amy, and their five children. 

Dr. Rowland Illing serves as Chief Medical Officer and Director of Global Healthcare and Life Sciences for Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this role, he oversees strategy and engagement for healthcare and Life Sciences customers worldwide, encompassing providers, payors, and health technology companies. His work centers on leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence to drive innovation in health equity and sustainability, while also enabling healthcare organizations to optimize their data utilization for improved efficiency and patient outcomes.

An Academic Interventional Radiologist by training, Dr. Illing was previously Director of the Interventional Oncology Service at University College Hospitals London. He holds positions as Honorary Associate Professor at University College London and Visiting Professor of Informatics and Imaging at Oxford University. His professional affiliations include membership in the Royal College of Surgeons of England, fellowship in the Royal College of Radiologists, senior fellowship in the UK’s Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management, and membership in the Leadership Consortium of the US National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Illing maintains an active presence in academia through ongoing presentations and publications in the field.

Sam Kaardal serves as the Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT, Interoperability. Mr. Kaardal joined ONC in August 2025 and prior to that he spent seven years working in the U.S. House of Representatives. Most recently, Mr. Kaardal served as the Republican staff director for the Subcommittee on Technology Modernization of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. In this role, Mr. Kaardal and his team were responsible for executing congressional legislative and oversight authority over IT at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs including, but not limited to, healthcare IT and advancing interoperability goals regarding veterans’ healthcare data.

Mr. Kaardal holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and upon graduation he received his commission in the United States Army Reserves through the Reserve Officer Training Program. He served as a logistics officer in the Army Reserves for eight years in positions that include company commander, company executive officer, battalion staff officer, and brigade staff officer.

Dr. Thomas Keane serves as the ninth National Coordinator for Health IT. An engineer and physician, Dr. Keane previously served in ONC and also as a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of HHS. Among other duties, he was an administrator of the COVID-19 Provider Relief Fund and lead the development of the AHRQ National Nursing Home COVID Action Network. Dr. Keane worked as a finite element software developer and enterprise software engineer prior to training as an interventional radiologist.

Roger D. Klein, M.D., J.D., is the director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). He is a board-certified molecular pathologist and attorney who was formerly Chief Medical Officer of OmniSeq, Inc., a tumor profiling company that was acquired by LabCorp. Dr. Klein continued in a similar capacity at LabCorp helping to ensure the successful integration of the company. While at OmniSeq, he oversaw the company’s Knowledge Informatics/Data Analysis group.  

Dr. Klein has been medical director of molecular pathology at several academic institutions, including Cleveland Clinic, where he oversaw molecular oncology and germline genetic testing. In addition, he has served as a medical, strategic, and regulatory consultant in the biotechnology, clinical laboratory, diagnostics, healthcare, artificial intelligence, medical device, and investment industries. A leading figure in the field, Dr. Klein has advised the Departments of Health & Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and has held leadership roles on and participated in numerous professional society committees at the Association for Molecular Pathology, the College of American Pathologists, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute, and the American Medical Association. He is a former Co-Chair of CDC’s Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention (EGAPP) Working Group.  

He has served as a mentor with the NYU Stern School of Business’ Endless Frontier Labs startup incubator, a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Law, Science and Innovation at Arizona State University Law School, an expert on FDA and Health with the Regulatory Transparency Project, a Policy Advisory to Heartland Institute, and a member the Board of Advisors of the Liberty & Law Center at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. He has over 60 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, has been a member of several editorial advisory boards, and has received numerous professional and community awards.  

Colin LeClair joined Connections Health Solutions in 2019. Colin brings 20 years of experience implementing value-based healthcare delivery systems and improving healthcare access for our nation’s most vulnerable patients.

Prior to joining Connections Health Solution, Colin led business development, product development, and implementation for ConcertoHealth, growing revenue more than 8x over 4 years. Prior to ConcertoHealth, Colin was the P&L leader for OPTUMCare’s ACO business in California. Under his leadership, OPTUM’s ACOs led the nation in healthcare quality, medical cost savings, and patient outcomes.

Prior to Optum, Colin held a range of progressively expanding leadership roles at several of the nation’s most successful private equity-backed managed healthcare organizations, including WellCare Health Plans, Bravo Health, and HealthSpring.

Colin holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the Walter A. Haas School of Business at The University of California at Berkeley.

Kevin Mallot leads the human services organization at Netsmart, fostering collaboration across clinical, development, and product teams to set the strategic direction. He ensures that technology solutions and professional services are purposefully designed to meet evolving client and market needs, shaping the organization’s vision and impact in the field. His focus on strategic alignment helps human services providers thrive in emerging models of care including value-based reimbursement. Since joining Netsmart in 2012, Kevin has held several roles across client alignment and service delivery.

With more than 25 years of experience in business leadership, operations, client services and information technology, Kevin has built a strong foundation in guiding organizations through complex transformation. Prior to Netsmart, he held staff and leadership positions at Accenture and Maryville Consulting Group providing thought leadership to clients in healthcare, telecommunications and financial services.

Kevin earned a bachelor’s degree in business and finance from the University of Notre Dame. He is also the co-founder and an executive board member of the Kansas City Children’s Assistance Network (KC CAN!), a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting community projects that promote education, safety and hope for children.

Doc Marshall is a physician, devoted father, grandfather, and U.S. Senator for Kansas. As a 5th-generation farm kid growing up in Butler County, Doc Marshall became the first in his family to attend college. After graduating from Butler County Community College, he received his Bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University and his Medical Doctorate from the University of Kansas. 

Doc Marshall practiced medicine in Great Bend for more than 25 years and served in the Army Reserves for seven years. As an OB/GYN, he delivered more than 5,000 babies, giving him a deep appreciation and passion for the sanctity of life and an intimate understanding of the healthcare system. During his time in medicine, Doc Marshall was more than a physician. For 25 years, he was a business owner who signed a paycheck every other week for a practice that grew from 5 people to eventually more than 300. 

Faith and community continue to be pillars in Doc Marshall’s life. He and his wife, Laina, taught Sunday school for over 25 years, and he served as an elder, deacon, and board chairman of his church. He has coached numerous community and youth sports teams and is a proud Rotarian, having served as a past District Governor for the service organization. He also has a passion for the outdoors and spends as much time as possible at his family’s farm, the Quivera National Wildlife Refuge, and Cheyenne Bottoms. 

Doc and Laina have been married for 42 years and are the parents of four children and have five grandchildren. 

Prior to joining DBH as the agency’s Chief Advisor and Deputy Director of the Office of Community and Family Resiliency in 2024, Director Tia Marcel Moretti served as Founder and CEO of the Ohio Institute for SUD Excellence, a nonprofit organization focused on improving quality outcomes in addiction treatment. She previously served as Assistant Vice President of Behavioral Health Integration at CareSource and has worked in community-based mental health and addiction services for over 25 years. 

She has held leadership roles within the Office of Governor Mike DeWine as Deputy Director of RecoveryOhio, where she coordinated major statewide investments in prevention and behavioral health, and at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, where she helped lead policy efforts addressing the opioid crisis. Director Moretti is a licensed social worker, an Ohio Certified Prevention Consultant, a recipient of the Columbus Public Health Spirit of Public Health Award, and a passionate advocate for systems coordination and resiliency. She is also a mother of four and brings powerful lived experience that fuels her commitment to this work. 

Matt Muma is senior counsel, health policy, for the American Benefits Council, a Washington D.C.-based employee benefits public policy organization advocating for employer plan sponsors. Matt leads the Council’s work on federal regulations and litigation affecting employer-sponsored health benefits, assists Council members on a wide range of health policy compliance matters and contributes to the Council’s state-level advocacy efforts.

Prior to joining the staff of the Council, Matt served as legislation counsel and health team leader for the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT). In that role, he developed health-related tax legislation and played a key role in drafting provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 and the SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022.  Previously, Matt served as an Attorney-Advisor in the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of the Benefits Tax Counsel and worked in private practice, focused on employee benefits. He earned his bachelor’s degree from McGill University and his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Ashley Newton is the Chief Executive Officer of Centerstone’s Institute and the Executive Director of Centerstone’s federally certified Patient Safety Organization, which exists for the sole purpose of conducting activities to improve patient safety and quality of care. She directs all clinical research, program evaluation, clinical education, clinical informatics and decision support, and implementation science activities, as well as quality and patient safety programming. Newton has more than 19 years’ experience in behavioral health service delivery and healthcare leadership, and more than 9 years’ experience in healthcare research leadership and clinical transformation efforts.

Tim serves as the Behavioral Health R&D Lead at Epic.  In this role, he leads product strategy and roadmap development for the Behavioral Health module, overseeing clinical workflow design, customer engagement, and the integration of emerging technologies into Epic’s BH suite.

Tim’s current focus includes evaluating AI-driven tools for behavioral health intake, triage, and care delivery, and assessing how Epic can continue to contribute to improving access and quality of BH care, both in the United States and abroad.  Informed by evolving regulatory policy and the challenges facing behavioral health providers, he engages with clinicians, health system leaders, and industry partners to understand emerging needs and translate them to product development.

With a background in computer science, Tim brings a technical perspective to the complexities of EHR adoption in behavioral health settings – including interoperability standards, substance use privacy regulations, and access to care. He is focused on how technology and AI can serve to connect behavioral health and whole-person care, advancing a more integrated, accessible system for patients and providers.

Susy Postal, DNP, RN-BC, is the Chief Health Informatics Officer for the Indian Health Service (IHS), where her focus bridges information technology (IT) with health care to promote quality patient care and improved outcomes. She co-leads IHS’s continued telehealth expansion to meet the agency’s needs both during and post COVID-19 public health emergency. Dr. Postal supports various national quality initiatives and IHS reporting needs. Dr. Postal supports data utilization to report and guide healthcare decision making. She is an IHS alternate member on the HHS Data Governance Board with a focus on data usage and data culture. She sponsors the IHS Quality Measure Advisory Board and the National Council of Informatics and leads IHS’s National Quality Payment Program workgroup. Dr. Postal reviews federal policies and addresses areas of impact for IHS federal, tribal, and urban programs. She represents IHS on over 17 IHS workgroups and 10 national committees. Before her service at IHS, she spent 28 years at the National Institutes of Health and pursued a nursing career focused on psychiatric and intensive care and informatics. She earned a Doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Maryland and is a Jonas Scholar.

Anne Santifer is the Executive Director of the Office of Health Information Technology, which oversees SHARE HIE. Anne has over 15 years of experience in the operations, development, and policy supporting Medicaid quality improvement programs. She is experienced in program management, value-based programs and data and information technologies supporting health care and social service programs.

John Snyder serves as the Chief Data Officer and the Acting Director of the Office of Planning, Analysis and Evaluation at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He leads agency-wide efforts in strategic planning, performance management, data governance, and innovation to strengthen HRSA programs and operations. Dr. Snyder oversees HRSA’s data strategy and analytic initiatives, using data to improve program oversight, inform decision-making, and better serve priority populations. Dr. Snyder earned his BS, MS, and MD from the University of Massachusetts, an MPH from UNC Chapel Hill, and completed his residency and Chief Medical Residency at Brown University. Prior to HRSA, he held leadership roles in medical education at Johns Hopkins Hospital and UNC Chapel Hill. He is the author of two books and numerous journal articles and maintains a part-time primary care clinical practice.

Sarah Steverman, Ph.D., M.S.W. is the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare’s vice president of quality and regulatory affairs. In this role, she is responsible for developing regulatory solutions and policy recommendations that support and promote quality behavioral healthcare services nationwide. 

Sarah advances NABH’s advocacy priorities through monitoring legislation and regulations that affect the behavioral healthcare industry and providing strategic direction about essential programs and initiatives in the federal regulatory environment. She also manages NABH’s Quality Committee and Behavioral Health Services within General Healthcare Systems Committee. 

Sarah came to NABH from HHS’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), where she supported behavioral health policy research and coordination as a social science research analyst. Before joining ASPE, Sarah served as a social behavioral scientist administrator at the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Prevention Research Branch, where she focused on prevention research in healthcare settings and research on policies and environmental strategies to prevent substance misuse. 

Prior to her work in government service, Sarah worked at Abt Associates, where she specialized in behavioral health policy, research, and dissemination of evidence-based interventions. She has also served as a public health analyst at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and led policy efforts at Mental Health America and the National Conference of State Legislatures. 

Sarah began her career working in direct service with individuals with mental health conditions. She earned both her master’s and PhD in social work. 

Nate is Health IT Specialist for Policy and Planning with the Innovation in Behavioral Health Model in the Division of Health Innovation and Integration at CMMI. He has worked on regulatory and legislative digital health policy for over 15 years in D.C. at several national provider and patient mental health organizations, including as Policy Program Manager and EHR Committee Co-Chair at The American Psychological Association; as Deputy Director of Digital Health at The American Psychiatric Association, where he staffed the Committee on Mental Health IT, the Committee on Telepsychiatry, and developed APA App Advisor; and, prior to coming to CMMI, as Vice President of Alliance Development at Mental Health America. He holds a BA (Lycoming College) and an MA (George Mason University) in psychology. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-tatro/