LEAVITT PARTNERS - Key Persons
Amy Comstock Rick has over 30 years of experience leading organizations, executing strategy, transforming organizational culture, building consensus, and advocating policies across constituencies.
In her role as principal at Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company, she leads the Medicines Development Modernization Initiative and advises on federal health care policy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), drug development and research educational convenings, and patient engagement initiatives.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Amy served as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI), a multi-stakeholder, educational non-profit organization dedicated to providing topical and timely materials to inform public policy, law, and regulation regarding food and drug law. She was also previously CEO of the Parkinson's Action Network (PAN), a Washington D.C.-based national nonprofit focused on educating the public and government leaders on better policies for research and therapy development and an improved quality of life for people living with Parkinson's disease.
Amy served as president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, on the NIH Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke's Advisory Council, and on the boards of directors of the National Health Council and the American Brain Coalition. Before joining PAN, she was the Senate-confirmed director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and the associate counsel to the President in the White House Counsel's Office.
Amy received a Bachelor of Arts degree in American history from Bard College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan. She also serves on the board of directors of Research!America.
Anne Marie Lauterbach is a principal based in Washington, D.C. In her role, Anne Marie provides policy counsel and analysis to clients with matters involving regulations, legislation, and business implications.
Anne Marie's experience includes developing strategic messages and policy positions for Capitol Hill, administration, trade associations, and corporate audiences.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Anne Marie was a vice president for a consulting firm's health and biosciences group. She also spent five years with a top-5 lobby firm in Washington, D.C., while completing her law degree in the evenings at the George Mason University School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2010. Anne Marie also worked in the government and legal affairs office of Novo Nordisk in Washington, D.C., and as a congressional aide to Rep. Michael Ferguson of New Jersey.
In 2004, Anne Marie served as a policy research assistant on the Bush-Cheney campaign after graduating, with distinction, from the University of Virginia. Anne Marie also was an assistant to the chief of staff for House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX-26).
Anne Marie received her law degree from the George Mason University School of Law and a bachelor's degree in government from the University of Virginia.
Bill Snyder is a principal at Leavitt Partners associated with the Washington, DC office. He has 25 years of experience in the fields of insurance and managed care. Bill advises clients on matters related to health reform, compliance and program integrity.
Before joining Leavitt Partners, Bill served as Medicaid Director for the State of South Dakota from 2017 - 2021, where he oversaw a $1B annual budget and lead a team responsible for ensuring 125,000 vulnerable people have access to medications and medical, dental, and long-term care. He also helped to expand value-based purchasing through initiatives like quality incentives for Health Homes and ensured compliance with CMS and other state and federal regulations. Before holding that position, Bill led payment integrity teams for various UnitedHealth Group companies over nearly a decade. He has also held roles in a boutique consulting firm and served as a senior director of clinical services at HMS, a technology and analytics company providing population health management solutions.
Bill graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a master's degree in business administration. He also earned an MA in public policy at the University of Chicago, as well as an MS in healthcare economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Clay Alspach is a principal based in Washington, D.C. Clay specializes in health care policy and advocacy related to the Food and Drug Administration, health information technology, Medicare Parts B, C, and D, Medicaid, private health insurance, and the Affordable Care Act.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Clay served as Chief Health Counsel for Chairman Fred Upton of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. During seven years with the committee, he managed, provided strategic direction, and served as the principal representative for the committee on all of its health care-related work. Clay spearheaded legislative initiatives that successfully reformed the SGR (MACRA), reauthorized FDA user fees (FDASIA), and established a national system for drug supply chain security (Drug Quality and Security Act). Clay also led the committee's legislative accomplishments on biopreparedness and security, public and private medical research, controlled substance and DEA matters, and several other public health initiatives. Most recently, Clay led the committee's work on the 21 st Century Cures Act.
Prior to this service for the committee, Clay clerked for the Honorable Ronald L. Buckwalter of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and worked as a litigator in private law practice. He also worked as a legislative clerk at the committee from 1999 to 2000 under Chairman Thomas J. Bliley (R-VA).
Clay received his bachelors of arts cum laude from the University of Richmond and holds a juris doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.
David Lee is a director based in Washington, D.C. David provides policy counsel and analysis to clients on issues related to regulations, legislation, and business implications. His work is focused on issues related to government payers, including Medicare and Medicaid, health care reform and other provider issues.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, David served as director of Regulatory Affairs and Policy for the National Rural Health Association where he directed advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and with administrative agencies on issues related to rural hospitals, clinics, health centers, and other providers. Before working at NRHA, David served on the staff of Senator Robert F. Bennett.
David received his B.A. at Utah State University in law and constitutional studies while minoring in Spanish. He received his juris doctorate from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth M. Wroe is a principal based in Washington, D.C. In this role, Liz advises clients on federal and state health care policy and strategy, and develops and manages complex, multi-sector alliances. Liz most recently served as Chief Counsel and Director of Outreach and Coalitions for Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) of the U.S Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labors, and Pensions (HELP). During her time at the committee, Liz served as a senior advisor to Senate Republicans on their effort to reform the Affordable Care Act. She led HELP Committee efforts to develop bipartisan legislation to stabilize the individual insurance market, expand the use of state innovation waivers, and give consumers more flexible health plan options. Liz was previously Health Policy Director for U.S. Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Judd Gregg (R-NH). In this role, Liz led Committee efforts related to the Affordable Care Act, including conducting budget reconciliation compliance analysis and litigating issues before Senate Parliamentarians.
Eric Marshall is a principal based in Washington, D.C. Eric advises complex health care coalitions on health policy and provides consulting services to drug and device companies. Eric is an industry specialist in the areas of domestic and international supply chain security; drug, device, and diagnostics regulation; and health care compliance.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Eric was an associate with the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, counseling health care and life science clients on regulatory, compliance, and transactional matters. Eric also has experience as counsel to self-funded Taft-Hartley health and welfare funds, particularly with regard to requirements of the Affordable Care Act.
Eric graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Minnesota Law School and has a bachelor's degree in economics and finance from the University of Northern Iowa.
Job Titles:
- Chief Health Counsel for Chairman
Job Titles:
- HMA President and Co - Chairman
Jay Rosen founded HMA in 1985 and today, as HMA president and co-chairman, continues to directly engage in shaping the strategic vision for the firm, leading its growth, serving clients and inspiring innovation across the spectrum of publicly funded health care programs.
Jay is a nationally recognized expert in health policy, health economics and health finance. He directs a variety of major projects for public and private sector clients.
Prior to launching HMA, Jay served as the director of planning and policy development for the Michigan Office of Health and Medical Affairs. In that capacity, Jay supervised a broad program of health policy research and analysis.
Jay earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in philosophy from Michigan State University and taught undergraduate classes in ethics, logic and the history of philosophy.
He serves on the board of directors for several healthcare companies and organizations.
Jeremy Bahr is a principal at Leavitt Partners. Jeremy's work focuses on developing solutions that intersect value and strategy within the life sciences sector. Jeremy is a key leader with our private equity, data and analytics and technology clients. He helps oversee key strategic engagements-building brands, delivering insights, and leading business transformations.
Jeremy has more than two decades of global experience leading change and driving growth in life sciences companies. Before joining Leavitt Partners, Jeremy ran his own consulting business, serving clients in pharma, health tech, data and analytics, and private equity. Prior to his consulting work, Jeremy was the Chief Business Officer of Photocure-the Bladder Cancer Company, responsible for global branding and marketing, corporate strategy, and business development. Previously, Jeremy was Vice President at UCB Pharma where he led Commercial Data and Analytics globally and the Commercial Operations team in North America. He also spent many years in senior roles at Pfizer, leading large teams in marketing, sales, strategy, innovation, and analytics.
Early in his career, Jeremy spent five years as a consultant at McKinsey and Company where he focused on growth strategy in high tech and biotech companies and was a member of McKinsey's Marketing, Private Equity, and Healthcare practices. He also served clients in retail, CPG, finance, energy, and manufacturing. At different times, Jeremy has also been an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, and worked in government, education, and non-profits.
Jeremy earned his master's degree in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. Jeremy earned two bachelor's degrees from Brigham Young University, in molecular biology and political science.
Josh Trent is a managing principal based in Leavitt Partners' Washington, D.C. office. Josh has more than a decade and a half of experience in the federal government-from the White House, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House on Capitol Hill.
In his role at Leavitt Partners, Josh develops and manages multi-sector alliances and advises clients throughout the health care sector on federal health care policy and strategy. He specializes in public insurance under Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, commercial health insurance, the 340B program, and the Affordable Care Act.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Josh served as Chief Health Counsel for Chairman Greg Walden of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives. In that role, Josh was the lead House staffer for the landmark legislation to combat the opioid crisis, The SUPPORT Act (P.L. 115-271). He also led the House's work to reauthorize The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, which was eventually enacted the following year (P.L. 116-22).
Josh previously served under both Walden and Chairman Fred Upton as Deputy Chief Health Counsel. In this role, he played a key part in crafting the Medicaid, Medicare, and state Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provisions in the House's Bipartisan Budget Act (P.L. 115-123), and he led the House's work to enact the longest extension of the CHIP in the history of the program (P.L. 115-120). Previously, as Professional Staff under Chairman Upton, Josh assisted in the development and passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (P.L. 114-198) and the sweeping law to advance the discovery, development, and delivery of cures and treatments, The 21 st Century Cures Act (P.L.114-255).
Prior to working in the House, Josh served for five years as Health Policy Advisor for U.S. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK). In that role, Josh was involved in the legislative process leading to the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.
Before coming to Capitol Hill, Josh spent six years in the administration of President George W. Bush, including three years as an executive recruiter in the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House helping identify and recruit individuals for senior Administration roles. He also spent a year and a half as deputy director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Josh received his bachelor of arts from Union University and received his master's degree in international politics from the University of Bath in Bath, England.
Kyle Levin is a director at Leavitt Partners based in Washington, D.C. In this role, Kyle is primarily responsible for advising clients on health coverage issues, including Medicare, Medicaid, commercial health insurance, the Affordable Care Act, and health insurance exchanges.
Before joining Leavitt Partners, Kyle was the director of health policy at UPMC Health Plan, where he developed and implemented payer-focused policy and government affairs strategies on topics including Medicare Advantage, price transparency, prescription drug pricing, and prior authorization. Before working at UPMC, Kyle worked on behalf of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, a national trade association representing nonprofit health plans. He also previously advocated on behalf of the American Physical Therapy Association, focusing on provider reimbursement, coverage determinations, and regulatory policy. Kyle also served as an assistant counsel at the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.
Kyle earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and received a bachelor's degree in history from Tulane University.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director With the Washington
Laura Lewandowski is a director with the Washington, D.C. office. Laura supports Leavitt Partners' business development and marketing efforts, in addition to working with new clients and alliances. Laura's work focuses on health policy matters affecting the payer and provider communities.
Before joining Leavitt Partners, Laura spent five-years leading and assisting global health care business development teams in seeking new opportunities for revenue growth, leading client success teams, and collaborating with internal and external organizations to expand brand awareness. Laura previously worked in the Leavitt Partners Chicago office, serving as a strategy consultant. Prior, Laura served as a senior consultant and project manager for various health care trade associations, including the American College of Surgeons and BlueCross BlueShield Association.
Laura received her bachelors in English from Concordia University Chicago and a master's in public policy with a concentration in health care and economics from Northwestern University. She is also certified in Health Economics and Policy from The London School of Economics.
Laura Pence is a director based in Washington, D.C. In this role, Laura advises complex health care coalitions and provides policy counsel and analysis involving regulations, legislation, and their implications for healthcare stakeholders. Laura brings strong expertise in public health and commercial insurance.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Laura served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in several capacities, including Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation. In these roles, Laura served as an advisor to the secretary and liaison to Congress on public health and FDA issues. Laura played a leading role in the federal response to the opioid crisis and the bipartisan confirmation of Dr. Stephen Hahn, former Commissioner of Food and Drugs, as well as the department's work on the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Before working at HHS, Laura was a Health Policy Advisor to U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Chairman Lamar Alexander, where she helped lead Committee efforts on the bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act as well as landmark mental health and opioid legislation.
Laura received her B.A. from Charleston Southern University in business administration. She received her master's degree in professional studies in political management from George Washington University.
Mark Hendrickson is a senior director based in Washington, D.C. He advises health care coalitions and provides policy counsel and analysis on regulation and legislation. Mark has experience in preparing reports for, drafting regulatory comments to, and testifying before the FDA.
Before joining Leavitt Partners, Mark was the Senior Director of Sciences and Regulatory Affairs at Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), a trade association for generic pharmaceuticals. He was also an industry negotiator for multiple user fee agreements between the FDA and industry, a role in which he managed several industry working groups focused on pharmaceutical supply chain security and DSCSA implementation.
Mark received his B.A. from Miami University and holds an M.S. in regulatory science from the University of Maryland.
Matt Gallivan is a disruptive, results-oriented health care leader with more than a decade of experience in business and health policy. He is currently a director with Leavitt Partners, where he manages forward-leaning health care coalitions that are focused on solving complex challenges through consensus federal policy.
He previously was Director of State and Federal Regulatory Affairs for 3M Health Information Systems, where he analyzed a changing regulatory landscape, advised the division on business strategy to drive greater revenue growth, and guided State Medicaid offices with policy options to drive better patient outcomes, lower costs, and increase efficiency.
From 2017-2018, Matt served as Health Policy Director for Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), where he oversaw the Senator's health policy work for the Senate Finance and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committees. This work included authoring comprehensive health reform legislation and managing the Senator's bipartisan price transparency working group. In 2017, Matt was named an Emerging Health Care Leader by Politico.
From 2011-2017, Matt oversaw the Ways and Means health portfolio for Congressman Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and managed the House Medical Device Caucus.
Matt received his M.B.A. from the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business with a concentration in health care management. He holds a B.A. in political science and Arabic from the University of Notre Dame.
Matthew (Matt) Hughes is a senior director affiliated with the Washington, D.C. office. Matt advises complex health care coalitions and provides policy counsel and analysis involving regulations, legislation, and their implications for health care stake holders. Matt has over 20 years of experience at the intersection of public policy, government relations, and membership recruitment and association management.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Matt was the vice president & Minnesota managing director of Cooperative Network, where he directed Minnesota member relations, government affairs strategy, and policy issue response and development, strategic communications development, and general business operations. He also previously served as a senior policy advisor to Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, and as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Legislation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Leavitt during President George W. Bush's administration. Matt also served as Legislative Assistant in the offices of Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho and former Congressman Mark Kennedy of Minnesota, in addition to working as a Committee Administrator and Research Consultant in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Matt received a bachelor's degree in management from Saint John's University.
Melissa Pfaff is a director based out of the Washington, D.C. office. Melissa provides policy guidance to clients on a range of public health issues and the federal authorizing, budget, and appropriations processes. Her work focuses on mental health and substance use disorders, public health preparedness and response, biomedical research, and other issues of public health importance.
Melissa has more than 15 years' experience in the United States Senate. Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, she served as Senior Health Policy Advisor on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee under Ranking Member Mike Enzi, Chairman Lamar Alexander, and Ranking Member Richard Burr. During her nearly 12 years on the HELP Committee, she worked with bipartisan member staff, agencies at the Department of Health and Human Services, and stakeholders on numerous legislative initiatives related to public health, including legislation to strengthen U.S. public health and medical preparedness and response (Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013; PREVENT Pandemics Act), advance biomedical research and innovation (21st Century Cures Act), and improve access to mental health and substance use disorder services (Mental Health Reform Act; Title I, Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023).
Prior to her time on the Senate HELP Committee, Melissa worked at Boston University School of Public Health as a data manager and statistical analyst for global health projects. Additionally, she served in Senator Judd Gregg's personal office and under his leadership as a professional staff member on the Senate Budget Committee.
Melissa received a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and a master of public health degree from Boston University School of Public Health, with a concentration in international health.
Michael O. Leavitt is the founder of Leavitt Partners where he helps clients navigate the future as they transition to new and better models of care. In previous roles, Mike served in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush (as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and Secretary of Health and Human Services) and as a three-time elected governor of Utah.
Mike grew up in Cedar City, Utah, where his upbringing was rooted in the values of the American West, with its emphasis on hard work and common sense. He earned a bachelor's degree in business while working in the insurance industry. In 1984, he became chief executive of The Leavitt Group, a family business that is now the nation's second-largest, privately-held insurance brokerage.
In 1993, Mike was elected governor of Utah. He served three terms (1993-2003). In 2003, he joined the Cabinet of President George W. Bush, serving in two positions: first as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (2003-2005) and then as secretary of Health and Human Services (2005-2009). At HHS, he administered a $750 billion budget - nearly 25 percent of the entire federal budget - and 67,000 employees.
He led the implementation of the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program. The task required the design, systematization, and implementation of a plan to provide 43 million seniors with a new prescription drug benefit. By the end of the first year, enrollments exceeded projections, prices were lower than projected, and seniors expressed high levels of satisfaction.
Mike's strategic ability can be seen in his redesign of the nation's system of quality and safety standards for imported goods. In the spring of 2006, President Bush assigned him to lead a government-wide response. Within months, he commended a major strategic shift in U.S. policy on import regulation and trade.
A pattern of innovation runs throughout Mike's career. When he was elected governor, Utah's major freeway system was dangerously inadequate. Taking what some thought was a significant political and financial risk, Mike instigated a design-build system, creating cost and quality incentives between the state and its contractors. The project was finished in half the originally projected time and well under budget.
Mike is, at heart, an entrepreneur. As governor, he organized a group of his colleagues to form Western Governors University. At WGU, degrees are earned based on competency rather than credit hours. WGU now has more than 60,000 students who reside in each of the 50 states and several foreign countries. Enrollment is growing at 35 percent a year. In November 2008, TIME magazine named WGU "the best relatively cheap university you've never heard of."
Mike is a seasoned diplomat, leading U.S. delegations to more than 50 countries. He has conducted negotiations on matters related to health, the environment, and trade. At the conclusion of his service, the Chinese government awarded him the China Public Health Award - the first time this award has ever been given to a foreign government official.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Director
- Principal
Patricia Doxey is a director at Leavitt Partners, where she leads client engagements and cultivates client relationships. Patricia brings strong expertise in public health strategy, health equity, and data visualization, working with a number of private and public stakeholders across the industry. Patricia also leads Leavitt Partners' corporate training program, implementing a skills-based, context-driven methodology that focusses on developing key competencies.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Patricia was a managing editor and project manager for Diplomatic Language Services. In this role, Patricia provided quality control and pedagogical review of target language material. She also managed production/editing workflow and designed curriculum and project templates. While she was obtaining her bachelor's and master's degrees, Patricia was a writing instructor and writer.
Patricia received her bachelor's in English from Brigham Young University and a master's in English from the University of Florida.
Job Titles:
- Principal
- Professor of Practice at the University of Minnesota Law School
Ralph Hall is a principal and works in association with the Washington, D.C., office. In this role, Ralph provides consulting services to clients in the areas of FDA statutes and regulations, regulatory compliance, as well as health care policy and legislation, and particularly the application of those regulatory systems to the medical device industry.
Ralph's rich background with drug and medical device regulation and corporate compliance matters makes him one of the nation's foremost experts. Ralph previously served as counsel at Faegre Baker Daniels where he provided legal services, including FDA-related matters, corporate compliance, the design and implementation of multiple cross-disciplinary, corporate legal strategies, corporate law department organization and management, and general corporate counseling. Ralph has also served as General Counsel for Guidant CRM and Chief Compliance Officer for Guidant.
Ralph furthermore serves as a Professor of Practice at the University of Minnesota Law School. He received his B.A. from Indiana University and his juris doctorate from the University of Michigan where he was a Weymouth Kirkland Scholar.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Principal
Rebecca Nielsen is a managing principal at Leavitt Partners, where she designs and oversees major strategy and public health engagements. She aids both public and commercial clients in strategy development, assessing new markets, and identifying opportunities for service expansion. Rebecca has aided payer, provider, HIT, telecom, and other entities in strengthening their market position within healthcare. She also leads Leavitt Partners work in diabetes and cancer prevention. Rebecca has been invited to speak or moderate on a variety of topics including social determinants of health investing, chronic disease prevention in a value context, and advancing evidence-based programs.
Prior to joining Leavitt Partners, Rebecca held a variety of positions within UnitedHealth Group. As senior director of Specialty Analytics and Management Products at Ingenix, Rebecca built the strategic and financial business case for flagship cancer analytics products. She also held roles within Optum: as Optum's program officer, Rebecca monitored top business priorities and risks for the Optum executive team and executed strategic projects for Optum's CEO. Rebecca oversaw a $70 million portfolio of care coordination products as an Optum product director. In her first role at UnitedHealth Group, Rebecca was a director of business development at Ingenix, and supported the unit's M&A activity. Prior to joining United, Rebecca consulted for Hemedex, a Cambridge-based medical device company. She began her journey in healthcare in the R&D lab of Research Medical (now Baxter International) and her first foray with consulting was with New York firm, Katahdin Consulting, Inc.
Rebecca holds a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University and a master of business administration from Harvard Business School.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Leadership Team
Rich McKeown co-founded Leavitt Partners and served as the firm's first CEO from 2009 - April 2017.
In previous roles he served as chief of staff for Mike Leavitt at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). At HHS, he directed and coordinated the activities of the largest department in the federal government, serving as the Secretary's day-to-day manager for a department that employed 67,000 people and had an annual budget in excess of $840 billion. He also led the negotiations between China and the FDA regarding Drug, Device and Food issues which led to landmark agreements in 2008 and paved the way for the placement of US-FDA offices around the world. From November 2003 until January 2005, Rich served as senior counselor and chief of staff to Administrator Leavitt at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Job Titles:
- CEO, Leavitt Partners Collaborative Advocates