Kevin M. Coleman is America’s #1 Empowerment Coach, Trainer, and Speaker! He is also the Founder and CEO of KMC Empowerment, LLC where he provides executive coaching, empowering speeches, and professional development training to make individuals and organizations successful. Kevin has been leading training for Executives, Division Chiefs, Branch Chiefs, Mid-Level Managers, Supervisors, Team Leads, and Journeymen for over 30 years. Kevin has vast experience speaking for all levels of audiences from four (4) to four thousand (4,000). Kevin briefly served his country in the military and is a disabled veteran. Kevin has been recognized as a winner of the BIG Region XI President Leadership Award and was awarded the Virginia Professional Leadership Award. KMC Empowerment has helped individuals, groups, and organizations reach exponential growth through coaching, training, team building, and strategic planning. However, what Kevin is most proud of is his three daughters, one grandson, and wife of 34 years.
Deborah Curry, MBA, RHIA, CCS-P, CRC Director of Risk Adjustment and Recoveries
Promedica
Deb joined Paramount Healthcare in May 2013 and oversees the Risk Adjustment, Coordination of Benefits, and Subrogation departments. Prior to her position with Paramount she had 21 years’ experience working with the State of Ohio workers’ compensation program, both for the government and a contracted managed care organizations. She came to Paramount with extensive knowledge in medical coding, provider billing and education, Medicare payment methodologies, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.
Deb attended The University of Toledo for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees and currently holds a Masters of Business Administration with major in Healthcare Systems Management. She is an active member of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) and is a Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA), Certified Coding Specialist, physician based (CCS-P), and an AHIMA-approved ICD10-CM Trainer. Deb is also an active member of the America Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) and is a Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC). Also, Deb is a member of RISE and holds certificates as a Risk Adjustment Practitioner (RAP) and Advanced HCC Auditor (AHCCA).
Additionally, Deb is a Board Member of the University of Toledo Health Information Administration Advisory Board, Health and Human Services Alumni Affiliate at The University of Toledo, and Health Information Technology Advisory Committee at Owens Community College.
John Matthew Douglas (JohnMatthew), with nearly two- and one-half decades of diverse healthcare industry experience, tireless work in social determinants of health (SDoH) offers perspective many may have not considered. Meaning social determinants of working life condition, community violence, entrepreneurship & economic empowerment, and a new definition of competitive market collaboration bent towards achieving the heavy lift of effectively addressing social determinants of health and sustainable community impact. JohnMatthew understands that we are the sum of our parts - as a person, and as a people. Disparities in access to, and availability of resources are as important to our national health as disparities in our own bodies. JohnMatthew has elevated himself to a national and even global presence in the field of Social Determinants of Health and is founder of LinkedIn’s first in class “Social Determinants of Health & Education collaborative group.
More than theories and academics, JohnMatthew talks the talk and walks the walk as demonstrated in his numerous community efforts. JohnMatthew’s beliefs and values are well-founded and his desire to help others knows no bounds which he has demonstrated time and again within his local community while supporting and collaborating with other national community leaders and organizations as well. His notable accolades stem from his work with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), the iPressForward mentorship program which JohnMatthew founded, and more recently The Lonely Entrepreneur, LLC (501c3). He received the Mission award from LLS, special Congressional Recognition from Congressman Chris Gibson, a New York State Senate Citation from Senator Neil Breslin, and additional citations from Assemblymen Tony Jordan and John McDonald. In addition, in 2020 JohnMatthew was awarded the Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield “Whole Health Hero Award” for his efforts in SDoH and health equity. He has also received a Stakeholder's (National Points of Light Affiliate) GOBY award for Community Mentorship.
A US Army veteran, JohnMatthew is a graduate of State University of New York and has proven himself a lifelong learner and agent of change. He is also the author and lead author on several noteworthy Social Determinants of Health publications and consults regularly. JohnMatthew has worked for several of the country's largest companies and organizations, notwithstanding recently consulting with Vanity Fair Magazine. His education and personal experiences have led him to pursue and promote upstream Social Determinants of Health. The social determinants of health were created by the WHO with the aim of identifying the main causes of global health crises.
Jeffery Erdman Associate Executive Director for Programs
Illinois Public Health Association
Jeffery Erdman, a nationally recognized public health program director and evaluator, currently serves as the Associate Executive Director for the Illinois Public Health Association, where he oversees IPHA’s grant programs focused on community engagement.
Prior to his tenure at IPHA, Mr. Erdman coordinated numerous community engagement programs and evaluation projects for the Illinois Department of Public Health and related public health organizations.
Mr. Erdman has 30 years of experience in the public health programming field, including decades of experience implementing social determinants of health, health equity, HIV/AIDS/STI, and revenue generation programming for local health departments, community-based organizations, and other healthcare providers.
Besides these accomplishments, Mr. Erdman has been honored with awards from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the American Association for World Health, and the Society of Professional Journalists, and he has been published in various journals and periodicals for work he completed as a research specialist at IDPH, Northwestern University and the Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Administration Hospital.
Meet Dr. Andrea Garraway! She is a mental health psychotherapist who specializes in substance abuse recovery. Throughout her career, she has dedicated herself to understanding the human mind and helping individuals overcome adversities. As a facilitator and an author, her presentations focus on resilience-building techniques and strategies for improving professional and psychological well-being. With a compassionate and empathetic approach, Dr. Garraway helps audiences achieve work-life balance by offering actionable insights and practical strategies. She delivers content that inspires and motivates while equipping the audience with tangible tools and techniques for success. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Garraway actively engages in mental health advocacy efforts. She believes in reducing stigma and promoting open conversations about mental health and recovery, contributing to a more compassionate and understanding society. Learn more about her at garrawaycounseling.com
Elizabeth (Liz) Greason is the founder and owner of Waypoint Intercultural, LLC. After growing up in Bridgton, Maine, she lived in the Middle East for many years, where she taught students from around the world at the American University in Dubai, with a focus on effective intercultural communication. Since returning to the United States, Liz has applied her knowledge of the Middle East and Islam, intercultural competence, and intercultural communication to help individuals and organizations navigate the many “differences that make a difference” in our world today, so they can act in equitable, welcoming ways.
Holding degrees in Women and Gender Studies, with focus areas of intersectional feminism, from Mount Holyoke College and Reed College, Liz was trained by the late Dr. Janet Bennett at the Intercultural Communication Institute, and is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI). Her facilitation and training style is informed by both understanding the complexity of our individual identities and experiences, as well our shared humanity. Specifically, Liz’s approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion work is grounded in a deep understanding of intersectionality and in Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS), later adapted by the Intercultural Development Inventory to quantify where an individual or organization is on the continuum of understanding and leveraging difference.
This process of helping individuals and organizations figure out where they are along this continuum and providing the appropriate support for where they are in their journeys, is what Liz and Waypoint Intercultural specialize in. Liz lives in Portland, Maine with her family.
Rene Hurtado was born and raised in El Paso and has over 25 years of experience in healthcare operations and public policy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Mr. Hurtado has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors of healthcare delivery systems along the U.S.-Mexico border. He has designed communication initiatives in different areas of public health to include trauma & crisis communications, children’s outreach and poison control centers. He has also led marketing and public affairs initiatives for one of the largest hospital systems in El Paso, where he designed multi-media communications initiatives for various healthcare product lines including pediatrics, kidney transplant and oncology. In the area of public policy and government relations, he served as Director of Public Affairs for Spectrum Communications where he advocated for effective telecommunications legislation.
He currently serves as Chief of Staff for Emergence Health Network, the designated mental health authority for El Paso County responsible for designing and maintaining the public mental health/developmental disability service delivery system for the region to include crisis services and suicide prevention. He oversees community affairs, human resources, training & education, and government relations.
Mr. Hurtado also works and has held leadership positions with various community agencies. He has served as chair of the public relations committee for the Paso Del Norte Health Foundation and chair of the government relations division for the Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce. He also volunteered with Leadership El Paso, Creative Kids and various community agencies. Mr. Hurtado is a graduate of the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund Leadership Program, Leadership El Paso and the El Paso Creative Cities Leadership Group.
Recently Mr. Hurtado was appointed to One Fund El Paso, which provided guidance and resources for victims of the El Paso August 3rd 2019 Walmart Shooting and has advocated for increased access to mental health services as a result of this tragic mass shooting.
Brigitte Lamberson Health Equity Principal Program Manager
Blue Shield of California
Brigitte Lamberson serves as the Health Equity Principal Program Manager at Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan.
Brigitte supports the design and implementation of strategies and programs to ensure health equity is prioritized and addressed for more than 500,000 Blue Shield Promise Health Plan Medi-Cal members.
Brigitte completed her Master of Public Health from the University of Southern California, and Bachelor of Science in Health Science from California State University, Long Beach. She has extensive experience working with diverse populations in community-based organizations, county public health agencies, managed care, and federally qualified health centers for the last 15 years. Brigitte is regarded as a public health expert with a vested interest in health equity.
Brigitte’s experience ranges from working in Case Management, Health Education, Project Management and most recently as Director of Clinical Quality Improvement for a national health plan. Brigitte has directed NCQA Accreditation activities; managed Quality Improvement programs; Health Education, Cultural and Linguistics, Language Assistance programs; and serves as a thought leader in collaboration with the California Department of Health Care Services.
Brigitte, a native of Los Angeles, California, remains connected to the community and is a servant at heart, dedicating time to volunteer on evenings and weekends. Outside of the office, Brigitte enjoys spending time with her family exploring local farms, botanical gardens, and museums throughout Southern California.
Nate Lucena is the Chief Strategy & Analytics Officer for Rex Wallace Consulting, where he specializes in helping health plans achieve their Quality Improvement performance goals through data-driven and equity-focused strategies. He began his career spending over a decade in academic research, specializing in the neural bases of schizophrenia, brain aging, Alzheimer’s Disease and human cognition. Nate has been published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology and Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, and regularly presented research findings at industry conferences.
Nate shifted into a managed care career at Centene Corporation, where he built and led an Enterprise Quality Analytics and Data Science team specializing in data strategy, QI initiative outcomes studies, member-level predictive modeling of experience and clinical outcomes, and performance forecasting. Additionally, he was the key analytics lead in the development of an award-winning QI Health Equity Analysis Model, incorporating stratified reporting and advanced statistical modeling to help health plans identify health disparities and drivers in HEDIS and CAHPS. He went on to lead Ratings Improvement Strategy, National Vendor Management, and Quality RFP/Business Development for Medicare, Medicaid, and Marketplace lines of business.
Core to Nate’s work across the academic and corporate sectors is a deep commitment to creating diverse workplaces rooted in equity and inclusion through measurable action. His commitment is evidenced by leadership roles in the Washington University LGBT Advisory Board, co-creator and leader of the SafeZones training program for faculty and staff departments, co-Presidency of Centene’s cPRIDE employee inclusion group, and participation in numerous equity-focused community groups. This equity focus is the primary lens through which he helps managed care organizations bring disparity reduction to the forefront of their QI strategic focus.
Nate has Master’s degrees in Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience/Aging from the College of William & Mary and Washington University in St. Louis.
Amanda Rivera Senior Diversity and Inclusion Specialist
Moffitt Cancer Center
Amanda Rivera is currently a Health Equity Educator for the Health Equity Train the Trainer Program at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL. Her understanding of the importance of health equity began in 2011 after the untimely & preventable passing of her grandmother. This event was the catalyst for her pursuit of a B.S. in Public Health from the University of South Florida (USF) in 2015. During her time in undergraduate school, she was a research assistant at USF Morsani Diabetes Center. Both her time in school and role as a research assistant fortified her passion for culturally competent & holistic approaches to healthcare, as well as the life-changing impact of educational interventions.
In 2018, directly after graduating with her B.S., she followed her passion for educational interventions by serving in NCCC AmeriCorps for two years as a middle school P.E. teacher in Ybor City. After serving in AmeriCorps, she became a full-time Spanish teacher for 7th and 8th graders at the same non-profit private middle school. Her time in education provided her with hands-on experience in understanding the impacts of Social Determinants of Health, specifically the benefits of investing in quality education for our future generations.
In 2022, Amanda graduated with her Master of Public Health at USF concentrating in Global Health Practice and Humanitarian Assistance. Her program taught her the skills to implement quality public health programs created by and for the people. Public health interventions are only as good as their connectedness to the community. She is passionate about equitable access to healthcare and services for every human being—Zip codes should not determine outcomes.
Dr. Bahar Sedarati is a physician executive with diverse experience across the continuum of care, including private medical practice, medical group management, integrated delivery system, and the payers.
She is a national expert and a physician trainer in both inpatient and outpatient clinical documentation (CDI), Medicare risk adjustment (MRA) coding as well as utilization management (UM) with an MCG Utilization and Case Management Certification. Her niche is in training clinicians on harvesting data to achieve precision in chronic disease management, cost savings, excellence in quality measures and pay per performance.
Dr. Sedarati provides guidance on administrative and clinical excellence, work-flow efficacy and electronic health records proficiency. She has created intelligent and innovative tools assisting clinicians to succeed in the value-based care as well as the on-demand care spaces.
Dr. Sedarati has over two-decade of experience in education, and academic medicine. She is the author of multiple nationally and internationally recognized medical review books and is a faculty at university of California, Irvine, UCI.
Dr. Sedarati is Board Certified in Internal Medicine (ABIM), and the Fellow of Collage of Urgent Care Medicine. She is a Certified Physician Executive and holds Six Sigma black belt and green belt certificates.
Avatar Simpson is a Senior Sustainability Consultant at Agendi, a boutique sustainability consulting firm based in New York City. He supports organizations across industries on their climate strategy, from calculating carbon emissions and measuring climate risk to effectively publicizing their initiatives. Prior to Agendi, Avatar worked in urban planning and developed initiatives to support livability in cities through improving active and public transportation networks.
Janice loves to dig deep into issues and identify solutions to complex healthcare problems and challenges. Her background is in aging services and public health, looking across the lifespan to address complicated social and healthcare needs and applying health equity principles. Since starting with Spring Street, her focus has been working with health plans to address social drivers of health to advance innovation, programming, and services.
Prior to joining SSX, Janice developed and led many initiatives in the public health sector. Her work has included projects pertaining to aging and disability issues, hospital care transitions, 1115 waivers, and programs for veterans, including a Veteran Directed Care Program. She has worked with large hospital systems to implement services to address social needs.
Janice has a Doctorate degree in Gerontology from the University of Kentucky and a Biology degree from Texas Woman’s University.
