CIVICA - Key Persons
Allan Coukell is Senior Vice President Public Policy, Civica & President, Civica Foundation. He is responsible for public policy for Civica and CivicaScript, and oversight of Civica's 501 (c)(3) Foundation, which raises funds to help make essential medications such as insulin available and more affordable. Allan has testified before Congress on the topics of drug shortages and high drug prices and is often a resource for government teams developing federal and state policy designed to benefit patients.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Health Care - Drug Pricing, Arnold Ventures
Andrea Noda develops and oversees strategic investments in drug pricing reform. Before joining Arnold Ventures, she worked at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for more than a decade, providing quantitative analysis and technical assistance to Congress on federal healthcare legislation. Andrea's work at CBO focused on a variety of healthcare issues including Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug reimbursement and coverage, and the provision of Medicaid services to the elderly and people with disabilities.
Previously, Andrea worked at Avalere Health where she provided analytic, strategic and managerial support on projects for healthcare industry clients related to Medicare and Medicaid. At the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, she worked on a variety of research projects related to the Medicare prescription drug benefit.
Andrea holds a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University and a bachelor's degree in social policy from Northwestern University.
Job Titles:
- Site Vice President and General Manager
Site Vice President and General Manager Bouwien Smits is leading the startup of Civica's first sterile injectable manufacturing facility in Petersburg, Virginia. She brings over 25 years of industry experience, including working with aseptic products and injectable drugs, as well as critical expertise in facility and equipment qualification, system implementation, and process validation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President & Lead Futurist, SSM Health
As Senior Vice President & Lead Futurist at SSM Health, Carter Dredge provides strategic leadership for SSM Health's continued transformation from a traditional, fee-for-service system to one focused on creating value and managing the health of populations. Carter oversees the areas of enterprise strategy and planning, business development, advanced analytics, virtual medicine, population health, and value-based care across the organization's four-state system. Before joining SSM Health, he served as Assistant Vice President and Administrator for Home Care Services at Intermountain Health. Prior to that, he was the Director of Healthcare Transformation/Population Health at Intermountain, where he led the innovative strategy development for multiple major enterprise clinical and insurance-related functions.
Carter holds a bachelor's degree in business management/corporate finance from Brigham Young University, and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Cornell University, where he also currently teaches a graduate-level course on alternative healthcare payment design.
Job Titles:
- Lead Architect and Board Chair of Nonprofit Generic Drug Company
- SVP and Chief Strategy Officer, Intermountain Health and Chair, Civica Rx Board of Directors
Dan Liljenquist is the lead architect and Board Chair of nonprofit generic drug company Civica Rx. Civica was established to reduce chronic generic drug shortages and price gouging, which have negatively impacted patient care for over a decade. Dan's commentary on generic drug market issues was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (Addressing Generic Drug Market Failures-The Case for Establishing a Nonprofit Manufacturer) and informed Civica Rx's mission to ensure that essential generic medications are available and affordable to everyone.
Dan is Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Intermountain Health, where he also oversees Intermountain's Enterprise Initiative and Market Intelligence & Planning Offices. Prior to joining Intermountain, Dan served in the Utah State Senate and was nationally recognized for his work on Medicaid and public-sector pension reforms. He is a former strategy consultant with Bain & Company, Inc. Dan received his JD from the University of Chicago Law School and his BA in Economics from Brigham Young University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Trinity Health
Daniel J. Roth leads Trinity Health's clinical operations, community health and well-being, insurance, and risk management and Trinity Information Services (TIS). His oversight of clinical operations includes care clinical activities across the continuum and initiatives related to patient safety, quality care improvement, patient experience, and care redesign. He also provides executive leadership for TogetherCare, Trinity Health's instance of Epic, Trinity Information Services and health informatics.
His leadership of community health and well-being initiatives focuses on addressing social influencers of health, health equity, and implementing programs to improve health in the communities we serve.
Daniel joined Trinity Health in 2015 to support the strategy for alternative payment models, including full risk. Prior to joining Trinity Health, he served as chief medical officer for Mercy Health and President of Mercy Health Physicians in Cincinnati, Ohio and spent eight years as a full-time attending physician in internal medicine. He has received numerous awards for health care innovation, outreach and patient safety. He is a member of the American College of Physicians, the Truveta Board of Directors, Trinity Health Integrated Care, and Trinity Assurance Ltd. boards, and the Penn Medicine Palliative and Advanced Illness Research Center External Advisory Board.
Daniel earned his undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and his medical degree from the University of Michigan. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and served as chief medical resident at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.
Job Titles:
- Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer
Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer Debbi Ford brings more than 25 years of experience in corporate communications and public relations agency environments. Debbi's experience includes communications leadership roles in biopharma/healthcare, high tech, energy, government and hunger relief.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer, Mayo Clinic
Dennis E. Dahlen, CPA, MBA serves as Chief Financial Officer of Mayo Clinic, a $12 billion enterprise that includes clinical practice, research and medical education operations. Prior to Mayo Clinic, he held the same position at Banner Health, an $8 billion integrated healthcare delivery system in Phoenix, after serving in several other executive positions from its inception in 1999.
Dennis has served or is currently serving on the boards of InvisionAZ, Greater MSP, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Phoenix, Sonora Quest Laboratories, Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center, University of Arizona Health Plan and MediSun. Most recently, he completed his term as chair of the board of directors for the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. Dennis earned a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from Minnesota State University, Moorhead, and a bachelor's in accounting from the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
Job Titles:
- Chief Quality and Regulatory Affairs Officer
Chief Quality and Regulatory Affairs Officer Donna Gulbinski is a transformational leader across an ever-changing landscape. Her expertise spans worldwide regulatory, quality, compliance and operations experience across vaccine, biological, pharmaceutical and device technologies. Donna is an operational partner to deliver exceptional quality, compliance and business performance. She brings a strong technical foundation and a passion for developing future leaders - all for the betterment of the patients we serve.
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Executive Vice President
- Physician
- Executive Vice President, System Chief Medical Officer, Providence
Dr. Hoda Asmar serves as the Executive Vice President, System Chief Medical Officer for Providence. In her role, she leads Quality & Safety, Nursing, Physician Leadership, Pharmacy, Laboratory, Behavioral Health and Acute Care Clinical Performance Groups. In partnership with operational division leaders, she also oversees systemwide Patient Care Progression and Perioperative Services optimization initiatives.
Dr. Asmar has served as a physician leader and care transformation executive dedicated to creating optimal experiences and outcomes for patients for the past 20 years. Prior to Providence, she was the Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Adventist Health, Roseville, California. In this role, she led clinical strategy through initiatives aimed at implementing population health strategies, maximizing the efficiency of clinical operations, continuously improving patient engagement, and enhancing quality and safety outcomes. Prior to her tenure at Adventist Health, Dr. Asmar held senior leadership roles at Baptist Memorial Health Care in Memphis, Tennessee, Comprehensive Pharmacy Services (CPS), and Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Dr. Asmar earned her M.D. at St. Joseph University Medical School in Beirut, Lebanon, and holds an MBA in integrative management from Michigan State University. She has served as a public health leader in rural communities, a National Baldrige examiner, Chair of the Board of Directors for the American Association for Physician Leadership and a Board member of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Her clinical background is in internal medicine and infectious diseases, and she is a Certified Physician Executive.
Job Titles:
- Blue Cross of Idaho in 2017 As Vice President of Provider Partner
- Chief Innovation Officer, Blue Cross of Idaho
Drew Hobby is focused on ensuring Blue Cross of Idaho is a leading innovator across the industry. This includes responsibility for the organization's healthcare economics, IT, and strategy teams, as well as supporting provider partners.
Drew joined Blue Cross of Idaho in 2017 as Vice President of Provider Partner and Payment Innovation, where he led provider network functions including efforts to shift from a fee-for-service provider payment model to value-based payments. Before being promoted to his current position, he also served as Senior Vice President of Healthcare Economics, tasked with one of Blue Cross of Idaho's top strategic priorities: making healthcare more affordable for clients and members. Drew came to Blue Cross of Idaho from WellCare Health Plans, Inc., in Tampa, Florida, where he served in numerous roles, including as Vice President, Medicaid Network Management, where he was responsible for the national Medicaid network strategy.
Drew earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Process Management from Indiana University.
Chief Financial Officer Eamon Fitzmaurice joined Civica from Novartis Gene Therapies (previously named AveXis) where he served as Controller, Global Technical Operations shortly after joining the company as Plant Controller in 2018. Prior to Novartis, he was Plant Manager for two years at a Purdue Pharma Oral Solid Dosage facility.
Eamon previously worked at Novartis Vaccines where he led the U.S./global vaccine finance organization through the sale of Novartis Vaccines to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), including through the deal closure and integration with CSL. Prior to Novartis Vaccines, he spent 23 years with Merck in Finance and Operations (Production & Operational Excellence). Eamon holds a B. Commerce from University College Cork, Ireland and a CMA from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in London, UK.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System
- Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer ( COO ) for the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System
Erin Asprec is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. She joined the organization in 2002 as Director of Business Development and progressed through roles of increasing responsibility across the healthcare system, including Executive Liaison to the President and CEO before being named CEO of the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute where she oversaw the Institute's Texas Medical Center (TMC) campus construction.
Erin went on to serve as CEO of Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital, a role that expanded to include the Memorial Hermann Pearland Medical Complex. In 2015, Erin was promoted to Senior Vice President/Regional President of Memorial Hermann's South Region, where she led the integration of acute hospitals representing nearly 1,000 licensed beds, and nearly four dozen ambulatory care sites. In 2017, her role expanded again to include responsibilities as Chief Transformation Officer. Prior to her current role, in 2018 Erin assumed oversight of the Memorial Hermann's TMC location and Children's Hospital.
Erin has been active in both the Texas Hospital Association (THA) and American Hospital Association (AHA), serving on the THA Council on Policy Development and as a delegate to the AHA Regional Policy Board, and currently serving on the Executive Committee and Board of the THA. She is a member the Texas Hospital Association, San Jose Clinic, Civica Rx and POSSE Boards. Erin earned a Master in Health Administration degree from Saint Louis University and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin.
CivicaScript President Gina Guinasso is extending the successful Civica Rx model to the outpatient setting to dramatically lower the cost of select high-cost generic medications for individuals and families across the country. Prior to Civica, she was Senior Vice President of Commercial and Medicare Formulary Contracting Strategy at OptumRx, a UnitedHealth Group company, where she led the day-to-day rebate negotiations for all internal and external pharmacy benefit management clients across all lines of business including commercial, Medicare part D, managed Medicaid and fee for service Medicaid. Gina's team was responsible for formulary strategy development and execution of manufacturer agreements for both pharmacy and medical benefit products and oversaw both traditional rebate and value-based contracts.
Job Titles:
- Chief Manufacturing and Supply Chain Officer
Chief Manufacturing and Supply Chain Officer Jay Benson has 30 years of experience within the biopharmaceutical industry, including clinical and commercial manufacturing, global strategy development, and tech transfer and commercialization of new therapies. Prior to joining Civica, Jay was with Thermo Fisher Scientific, most recently serving as the Vice President of Global Operations for the Clinical Diagnostics Division and prior to that he held the role of Vice President/General Manager North America Operations, Biologics.
Jennifer Spalding - Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Officer
Job Titles:
- Chief Commercial Officer
- Chief Compliance Officer
- General Counsel
Chief Commercial Officer, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer Jennifer Spalding provides oversight of the Commercial, Legal, Compliance and Business Development organizations. Jennifer has extensive experience in complex licensing, contracting, healthcare compliance and crisis management.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, CommonSpirit Health
Kathleen Sanford, DBA, RN, FACHE, FAAN, is the Executive Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) for CommonSpirit Health. Her 40 years of experience in healthcare includes staff nursing, middle management, chief nurse executive, hospital administrator, and strategy executive roles. In addition to acute care leadership, she has worked in long term care; founded, initiated and managed a Medicare-certified home health agency; built and managed urgent care services; and managed employed physician office practices. Prior to joining CommonSpirit, Dr. Sanford served as CNO for Catholic Health Initiatives where she served as the executive leader for several clinical groups, including the national pharmacy enterprise.
A former Army officer, Colonel Sanford retired as Chief Nurse and acting State Surgeon/Medical Commander of the Washington Army National Guard. She served as the 2006 President of the American Organization of Nurse Executives and, in that role, participated in the Tri-Council for Nursing. She has served on the American Hospital Association Board in addition to multiple regional and local boards. She is currently editor-in-chief for Nursing Administration Quarterly (NAQ).
A former newspaper and healthcare journal columnist, Kathleen also authored management book, Leading with Love and co-authored healthcare management book, Dyad Leadership in Healthcare: When One Plus One is Greater than Two. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from University of Maryland/Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing, Master of Arts degree in human resources management from Pepperdine University, Master of Business Administration degree from Pacific Lutheran University, and Doctorate in Business from Nova Southeastern University. She is a Fellow in the Wharton School of Business Nursing Administration Program, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Job Titles:
- Chief Human Resources Officer
Chief Human Resources Officer Kristopher (Kris) Weidling brings extensive strategic HR leadership experience in global life sciences to his role at Civica where he is responsible for initiating innovative human capital management strategies and aligning HR best practices and processes with organizational objectives. In his role, Kris has accelerated transformation through leadership, attracting and developing the best talent and building a culture of engagement, agility, and innovation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor for Policy at Peterson Center
- Senior Advisor, Policy, Peterson Center on Healthcare
Mairin Mancino serves as Senior Advisor for Policy at Peterson Center on Healthcare. She brings over 20 years of experience in healthcare consulting, health policy analysis, health plan and health system issues, strategic planning, and public policy.
Prior to joining Peterson, Mairin served as Senior Director, Business Ventures and Innovation at NORC at the University of Chicago where she helped build the healthcare strategy department and worked to leverage NORC's diverse social sciences expertise and research assets to help healthcare clients meet their policy and business objectives. Prior to joining NORC, Mairin was System Director of Policy and Advocacy at Summa Health in Akron, Ohio, responsible for local, state and federal policy and government affairs. At Summa, she played an instrumental role in securing internal and external support, grant funding and community partnerships to launch a novel emergency department opioid use disorder medication assisted treatment (MAT) program with wrap-around social determinants of health support services.
Before Summa, Mairin worked in policy research and healthcare consulting, including as Vice President at Avalere Health where she delivered policy and strategic support to health plans, provider organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, health IT companies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and investors. She joined Avalere as an inaugural member of the organization's practice group serving institutional investors by providing health policy interpretation and guidance. Mairin graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College with a degree in American studies.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President / Chief Business Development and Strategic Relationships Executive, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals ( KFHP / H )
Michael Rowe leads growth efforts and manages strategic relationships to support long-term, sustainable performance, working with Kaiser Permanente's health plan, hospital and physician leadership on new growth opportunities with the goal of making high-quality, affordable healthcare available to more of the country through strong connections with like-minded organizations. He is accountable for driving the identification, assessment, and negotiation of new and expanded relationships to extend the reach of Kaiser Permanente's model of integrated care and coverage.
Mike joined Kaiser Permanente in 2010 as the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance for the Northern California Region of KFHP/H. He has been an instrumental part of the Northern California leadership team that continues to produce exceptional performance in quality, growth and financial strength. Prior to Kaiser Permanente, he spent a number of years in senior financial roles with health systems including Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and Allina Health System. Mike serves on the boards of Mercy Health in St. Louis, BroadJump and Civica. He has previously served on the boards of Mercy/Bon Secours Health System and St. Joseph Health System.
Mike earned a Bachelor in Business Administration degree in Accounting and Management and a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance and Accounting from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a Fellow in the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
President and Chief Executive Officer Ned McCoy has been with Civica since its founding. In past roles as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Development Officer, he has provided day-to-day oversight for Civica's growing manufacturing efforts, including the building of Civica's state-of-the-art essential medicines manufacturing facility in Petersburg, Virginia, expected to be operational in 2024. He has led efforts to secure manufacturing partnerships for nearly 80 sterile injectable medications that hospitals use daily, helping Civica supply essential medicines and address chronic drug shortages, unpredictable price inflation, and predatory pricing.
Job Titles:
- Chief Research & Development Officer
Chief Research & Development Officer Scott Gochnour brings extensive experience in developing and optimizing product performance and providing technical, quality and regulatory leadership to introduce quality products to market. Prior to joining Civica, he was Senior Vice President for Global Generic Research and Development (R&D) for Teva Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Scott held similar R&D leadership positions with Allergan, Actavis, Watson Pharmaceuticals and TheraTech for over 30 years in various research, product development, process engineering and management positions in R&D and production operations.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
- Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association ( BCBSA )
Sean Robbins serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. In this role, he is responsible for shaping and driving the story of how Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies answer the needs of local communities, providing healthcare coverage for 115 million members across America.
Sean brings over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors as a healthcare professional at the intersection of business and government and leads national efforts to shape public policy. He leads a diverse portfolio that includes BCBSA's Washington, D.C. office overseeing government relations and public policy, and the Association's communications and marketing teams, and oversees clinical affairs and strategic partnerships.
Prior to joining BCBSA, Sean held other influential, executive positions within healthcare, including President of Regence Blue Shield of Idaho, a $350M health plan serving nearly 200,000 members. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business and a Master of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Job Titles:
- President and Chief Executive Officer of West Health
- President and Chief Executive Officer, West Health, the Gary and Mary West Foundation and the West Health Institute
- Vice Chair of Civica 's Board
Shelley Lyford is President and Chief Executive Officer of West Health, the Gary and Mary West Foundation and the West Health Institute. Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health is a family of nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations using a combination of applied medical research, policy, advocacy and outcomes-based philanthropy to improve healthcare for seniors and lower costs to enable them to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services. She played a critical role in helping establish the Foundation in 2006.
Shelley has spearheaded the development of innovative healthcare delivery systems that serve as national care models of excellence, and the first of its kind Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center to ensure low-income seniors have access to high-quality, affordable dental care integrated with health and wellness services. In 2019, she was appointed for a three-year term as a commissioner on the California Commission on Aging, advising the state's governor and legislature, along with federal, state, and local agencies, on issues, policies, and regulations that affect California's seniors.
In addition to serving as the Vice Chair of Civica's board, Shelley also serves on the Gary and Mary West Senior Dental Center, Gary and Mary West Foundation, Generations United, and San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation's boards. She holds a master's degree in international relations and political economy from the University of San Diego.
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer ( CFO ) and Executive Vice President of Nashville
- Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, HCA
William B. Rutherford is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Executive Vice President of Nashville, Tennessee-based HCA, the nation's leading provider of healthcare services. As CFO, William has management responsibility for the company's Treasury Department, Office of the Controller, Information Technology, Government Programs, Development, Investor Relations, Parallon and HealthTrust Purchasing Group. A 30-year veteran of HCA, he joined the company as a Staff Auditor in 1986. He served the company in a variety of roles, including Director of Operations Support and CFO for the Georgia Division. From 1996 to 2005, he was CFO for the Eastern Group which comprised approximately 90 hospitals with $12 billion of net revenue.
In 2005, William left HCA to establish a training and education company which led to work with several private equity ventures. He served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Psychiatric Solutions, a behavioral health services provider, before returning to HCA in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer of the Outpatient Services Group, responsible for company-wide operations of freestanding outpatient facilities to include ambulatory surgery centers, diagnostic imaging and cancer center operations, as well as physician services to support both hospital and outpatient strategies.
Prior to his current appointment, William served as COO of the Clinical and Physician Services Group. He is a board member of the Students Taking a Right Stand (STARS) and past board member for the Center for Non-Profit Management and YMCA Joe C. Davis Outdoor Center. William received a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance from the University of Tampa and is a Certified Public Accountant.