AHLA Announces Fiscal Year 2026 Election Results and Leadership Appointments

President-Elect Designate 

Robert Gerberry, Summa Health System, Akron, OH 

Mr. Gerberry served on AHLA’s Board of Directors from 2019-2025 holding positions as Association Secretary and Chair of the Governance Committee. He previously served as a Vice Chair and then Chair of the In-House Counsel Practice Group from 2012-2018. 

 

Board of Directors Elected to a Five-Year Term 

Dionne C. Lomax, Affiliated Monitors, Inc., Boston, MA 

Ms. Lomax previously served as Vice Chair and then Chair of the Antitrust Practice Group from 2016-2023.  

Kristen McDermott Woodrum, McGuireWoods LLP, Atlanta, GA 

Ms. McDermott Woodrum served as a Member and then Chair of the Physicians and Hospitals Law Institute Program Planning Committee from 2016-2024. She previously served as a Vice Chair of the Behavioral Health Task Force from 2013-2016. Most recently, Ms. McDermott Woodrum served as a Co-Chair of the Advising Providers Conference Planning Committee. 

 

Board of Directors Elected to a Second Term 

• Ritu K. Cooper, Hall Render Hillian Heath & Lyman PC, Washington, DC 
• Emily Grey, Breazeale Sachse & Wilson LLP, Baton Rouge, LA 
• Julie E. Kass, Walmart Health, Bentonville, AR 

Members-At-Large to AHLA Nominating Committee 

• Trent Stechschulte, I Am Boundless Inc, Worthington, OH 
• Emily B. Grey, Breazeale Sachse & Wilson LLP, Baton Rouge, LA 

In this brief video message, incoming AHLA President Mark Kopson extends a warm welcome to new appointed leaders for the 2025-2026 program year.

CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEES 

Advising Providers Planning Committee 

• Manasa Gopal, Co-Chair, Columbia University, New York, NY 
• Allison Petersen, Co-Chair, Integris Health, Oklahoma City, OK 
• Marc Goldstone, Member, Wellpath, Nashville, TN 
• Hillary Kalay, Member, University of California, San Francisco, CA 
• Michael Lampert, Member, Ropes & Gray LLP, Boston, MA 
• Marissa Weitzner, Member, Nichols Weitzner Thomas LLP, Houston, TX 
• Bradley Cunningham, Member, Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, DC 
• Vic Domen, Member, DLA Piper LLP, Great Falls, VA 
• Albert Hutzler, Member, HMS Valuation Partners, Nashville, TN 

AI Conference Planning Committee 

• Alaap Shah, Chair, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Washington, DC 
• Tienne Anderson, Member, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 
• Carolyn Metnick, Member, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Julie Simer, Member, Providence St Joseph Health, Irvine, CA 
• Jeffery Smith, Member, Office of the National Coordinator, Washington, DC 

Annual Meeting Planning Committee

• Christine White, Chair, Northwell Health Legal Affairs, New Hyde Park, NY
• Robert Gerberry, Member, Summa Health System, Arkon, OH
• John E. Kelly, Member, Barnes & Thornburg, Washington, DC
• Rowena Manlapez, Member, UCSF Health, Sacramento, CA
• Michael Paulus, Member, King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta, GA
• Annie Shieh, Member, Molina Healthcare, Anaheim, CA
• Hoyt Sze, Member, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, San Francisco, CA
• Lisa Wilson, Member, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Ellicott City, MD

Fraud and Compliance Forum Planning Committee 

• Tony Maida, Chair, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, New York, NY 
• Kristin Carter, Member, Johns Hopkins Health System, Mount Airy, MD 
• Felicia Heimer, Member, DHHS Office of the Inspector General, Washington, DC 
• David Lazarus, Member, Foley Hoag LLP, Boston, MA 
• William Mathias, Member, Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Washington, DC 
• Leia Olsen, Member, Ascension, Fox Point, WI 
• Donald Yoo, Member, UCLA Health, Los Angeles, CA 

Fundamentals of Health Law Planning Committee 

• Nicholas Alarif, Chair, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Washington, DC 
• Vanessa Burrows, Member, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Washington, DC 
• Joan Killgore, Member, Polsinelli PC, Saint Louis, MO 
• Thomas Spellman, Member, Fresenius Medical Care North America, Waltham, MA 
• Wedad Suleiman, Member, Radiology Partners, Canton, MI 

Health Care Transactions Planning Committee 

• Glenn Prives, Chair, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Newark, NJ 
• Danielle Bangs, Member, Veralon Partners, Bala Cynwyd, PA 
• Lona Fowdur, Member, Econic Partners LLC, Washington, DC 
• Elizabeth Kastner, Member, TriHealth Inc., Columbus, OH 
• Ethan Rii, Member, Ice Miller LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Jeanne Vance, Member, Weintraub Tobin, Sacramento, CA 

In-House Counsel Planning Committee

• Aletheia Lawry, Chair, Savas Health, Fountain Hills, AZ
• Julia Michael, Member, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, CA
• Dwayne Leslie, Member, Adventist HealthCare Inc, Gaithersburg, MD
• Lindsey Lonergan, Member, Newnan, GA
• Brian White, Member, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC

Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues Planning Committee 

• Charles Luband, Chair, Dentons US, New York, NY  
• R. Burris, Member, Polsinelli PC, Atlanta, GA 
• Susan Harris, Member, Norton Rose Fulbright, Houston, TX 
• Felicia Sze, Member, Athene Law LLP, San Fransico, CA 

Long Term and Post-Acute Care Law and Compliance Planning Committee 

• Kirstin Sumner, Chair, Brookdale Senior Living, Chicago, IL 
• Rachel Hold-Weiss, Member, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, New York, NY 
• Daniel Merriman, Member, Life Care Services, Des Moines, IA 
• Gabriela Sanchez, Member, Ballard Spahr LLP, Portland, OR 
• Richard Cheng, Member, Ritter Spencer Cheng PLLC, Addison, TX 

Tax Issues for Healthcare Organizations Planning Committee 

• Scott Schitter, Chair, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH 
• Catherine Bernard, Member, Sanford Health, Sioux Falls, SD 
• Michael Fine, Member, Wyatt Tarrant & Combs LLP, Louisville, KY 
• Alicia Janisch, Member, Deloitte Tax LLP, Detroit, MI 
• Andrew Kloeckner, Member, Baird Holm LLP, Omaha, NE 
• Jennifer Noel, Member, Christiana Care Health Services, Wilmington, DE 
• Preston Quesenberry, Member, KPMG LLP, Takoma Park, MD 

COUNCILS AND SPECIAL BOARDS 

Development and Advancement Council 

• Lindsay Holmes, Chair, Amazon.com Inc., Alexandria, VA 
• Andrea Ferrari, Member, Pinnacle Healthcare Consulting, Boca Raton, FL 
• S. Craig Holden, Member, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Baltimore, MD 
• Clevonne Jacobs, Member, Creating Equity PLLC, Durham, NC 
• Jody Joiner, Member, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, Dallas, TX 

Dispute Resolution Service Council 

• J. Abraham Richlin, Chair, U.S. District Court/Central District of California, San Dimas, CA 
• Mary Clare Bonaccorsi, Member, Polsinelli PC, Chicago, IL 
• Daniel Glassman, Member, K & L Gates LLP, Morrisville, NC 
• Kevin Khachatryan, Member, Husch Blackwell LLP, Los Angeles, CA 
• Heather Miller, Member, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Boca Raton, FL 
• Lisa (Melissa) Thompson, Member, Robinson & Cole LLP, Providence, RI
• Glenn Waldman, Member, Waldman Law Firm PA, Fort Lauderdale, FL 

Dispute Resolution Service Review Board 

• Linda Michler, Chair, Linda A. Michler, Esquire, Bluffton, SC 
• Harry Dadds, Member, Georgetown, KY 
• Diana Kruze, Member, ADR by Diana, San Francisco, CA 
• Patricia Nolan, Member, Dallas, TX 
• Glenn Waldman, Member, Waldman Law Firm PA, Fort Lauderdale, FL 

Early Career Professionals Council 

• Alé Dalton, Chair, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Nashville, TN 
• Emily Brodkin, Vice Chair, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Boston, MA 
• Viren Doshi, Vice Chair, Silver Cross Hospital, Schaumburg, IL 
• Robert Yates, Vice Chair, Berkeley Research Group LLC, Washington, DC 
• K. Tyler Dysart, Member, King & Spalding LLP, Atlanta, GA 
• Samantha Hawkins, Member, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC, Washington, DC 
• Dylan Mason, Member, Fox Rothschild, Charlotte, NC 
• Emily Palmer, Member, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Tyler Strobel, Member, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Greenwood Village, CO 
• Mitchell Surface, Member, Maynard Nexsen PC, Birmingham, AL 
• Emily Walden, Member, NERA Economic Consulting, Washington, DC 
• Katarina Weessies, Member, Strategic Health Law, Chapel Hill, NC 
• Angela White, Member, Children's National Health System, Cincinnati, OH 
• Jeffrey Zopp, Member, Jackson Kelly PLLC, Charleston, WV 
• Avery Schumacher, Early Career Delegate to Board of Directors, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Columbus, OH 

Fellows Coordinating Council 

• Clifford Barnes, Chair, Epstein Becker Green, Washington, DC 
• Timothy Adelman, Member, Luminis Health, Annapolis, MD 
• Elizabeth Mills, Member, Woodstock, IL 
• Alan Schabes, Member, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Cleveland, OH 
• Lisa Taylor, Member, Inglesino Taylor, Parsippany, NJ 
• Teresa Williams, Member, University of Oklahoma College of Law, Norman, OK 
• Eric Zimmerman, Member, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Washington, DC 
• Christine White, Member, Northwell Health Legal Affairs, New Hyde Park, NY 

Women’s Leadership Council 

• Jennifer Nelson Carney, Chair, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Columbus, OH 
• Alaina Crislip, Vice Chair, Jackson Kelly PLLC, Charleston, WV 
• Katie Tarr, Vice Chair, LBMC, Nashville, TN 
• Kathryn Taylor, Vice Chair, ECG Management Consultants, Knoxville, TN 
• Annapoorani Bhat, Member, PYA, Charlotte, NC 
• Kelly Champney, Member, The University of Vermont Health Network, Burlington, VT 
• Barri Dean, Member, Hooper Lundy & Bookman PC, Washington, DC 
• Kelly Koeninger, Member, Novant Health, Charlotte, NC 
• Richelle Marting, Member, Marting Law LLC, Olathe, KS 
• Fatima Naeem, Member, Naeem Law Firm PLLC, Texas City, TX 
• Payal Shah, Member, Vituity, Rio Rancho, NM 
• Apryle Swain, Member, IU Health, Indianapolis, IN 
• Ramona Thomas, Member, Planned Parenthood of Orange/San Bernardino, Anaheim, CA 
• Keri Wood, Member, Spring Health, Barnhart, MO 

PRACTICE GROUPS 

Academic Medical Centers and Teaching Hospitals Practice Group 

• Michelle Brennfleck, Chair, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Pittsburgh, PA 
• Allison Cohen, Vice Chair, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Washington, DC 
• Margia Corner, Vice Chair, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, San Francisco, CA 
• Rudd Kierstead, Vice Chair, VMG Health, Bala Cynwyd, PA 
• Tiana Korley, Vice Chair, DHHS Office of the Inspector General, Ann Arbor, MI 
• Elizabeth Trende, Vice Chair, United Network for Organ Sharing, Richmond, VA 

Antitrust Practice Group 

• Herbert Allen, Chair, Honigman LLP, Washington, DC 
• Adam Acosta, Vice Chair, White & Case, LLP, Washington, DC 
• Jonathan Elsasser, Vice Chair, Clifford Chance US LLP, Washington, DC 
• Katharine O'Connor, Vice Chair, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Jeffrey Oliver, Vice Chair, Baker Botts LLP, Washington, DC 
• Kristie Xian, Vice Chair, Jones Day, Washington, DC 

Behavioral Health Practice Group 

• Kirti Reddy, Chair, Quarles & Brady LLP, Milwaukee, WI 
• Christianna Finnern, Vice Chair, Winthrop & Weinstine PA, Minneapolis, MN 
• Alicia Macklin, Vice Chair, Hooper Lundy & Bookman PC, Los Angeles, CA 
• Michaela Poizner, Vice Chair, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Nashville, TN 
• David Shillcutt, Vice Chair, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Washington, DC 
• Shalyn Watkins, Vice Chair, Holland & Knight LLP, Los Angeles, CA 

Business Law and Governance Practice Group 

• Jessica Stack, Chair, TriCurve, New York, NY 
• Ragini Acharya, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Denver, CO 
• Jeremy Belanger, Vice Chair, Studebaker Nault, Canton, MI 
• Karen Kole, Vice Chair, ECG Management Consultants, Chicago, IL 
• Rachel Ludwig, Vice Chair, DLA Piper LLP, Heathsville, VA 
• Vinal Patel, Vice Chair, Kirkland & Ellis, Chicago, IL 

Fraud and Abuse Practice Group 

• Stewart Kameen, Chair, Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Washington, DC 
• Brandon Helms, Vice Chair, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman PC, Troy, MI 
• Laura Morgan, Vice Chair, DHHS Office of the Inspector General, Washington, DC 
• Jonathan Porter, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Washington, DC 
• Allison Smith Newsome, Vice Chair, Shaker Heights, OH 
• Matthew Westbrook, Vice Chair, Proskauer Rose LLP, Washington, DC 

Health Care Liability and Litigation Practice Group 

• Oren Rosenthal, Chair, SCAN Health Plan, Los Angeles, CA 
• Rachel Freyman, Vice Chair, MultiCare Health System, Tacoma, WA 
• Michelle Meloche, Vice Chair, Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice LLC, TROY, IL 
• David O'Neal, Vice Chair, Parker Hudson Rainer & Dobbs LLP, Atlanta, GA 
• Jennifer Smith, Vice Chair, Wright Lindsey & Jennings LLP, Rogers, AR 
• Danica Sun, Vice Chair, Cleveland Clinic, Stuart, FL 

Health Information and Technology Practice Group 

• Adam Greene, Chair, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Washington, DC 
• Andria Adigwe, Vice Chair, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, New York, NY 
• Jody Erdfarb, Vice Chair, Wiggin and Dana LLP, Stamford, CT 
• Aastha Farr, Vice Chair, SCAN Health Plan, Lakewood, CA 
• Amy Joseph, Vice Chair, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, Boston, MA 
• Jennifer Kreick, Vice Chair, Haynes and Boone LLP, Dallas, TX 

Hospitals and Health Systems Practice Group 

• Faisal Khan, Chair, Modivcare, Shaker Heights, OH 
• Hayley Coley, Vice Chair, Norton Rose Fulbright, Washington, DC 
• David Crapo, Vice Chair, Gibbons PC, Mount Arlington, NJ 
• Alison Hollender, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Dallas, TX 
• Jacquelyn Papish, Vice Chair, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Washington, DC 
• Joseph Wolfe, Vice Chair, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman PC, Milwaukee, WI 

In-House Counsel Practice Group 

• Shawn Gilman, Chair, Providence St Joseph Health, Seattle, WA 
• Alissa Fleming, Vice Chair, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Charleston, SC 
• Milada Goturi, Vice Chair, Thompson Coburn LLP, Washington, DC 
• Alex Krouse, Vice Chair, Parkview Health, Fort Wayne, IN 
• Anna Lozoya, Vice Chair, Central Texas Community Health Centers, Austin, TX 
• Jamie McIntyre, Vice Chair, Stout, Lake Worth, FL 

Labor and Employment Practice Group 

• Tiffany Buckley-Norwood, Chair, Trinity Health, Livonia, MI 
• Jenna Brofsky, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Kansas City, MO 
• Thomas Donohoe, Vice Chair, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman PC, Denver, CO 
• Dennis Hursh, Vice Chair, Physician Agreements Health Law, Middletown, PA 
• Sarah Skubas, Vice Chair, Jackson Lewis PC, Avon, CT 
• Christopher Smith, Vice Chair, LashGoldberg, Miami, FL 

Life Sciences Practice Group 

• Mara Smith, Chair, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mount Holly, NJ 
• Kristen Chang, Vice Chair, McGuireWoods LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Mary Kohler, Vice Chair, Kohler Health Law, PC, Thousand Oaks, CA 
• Luis Lanz, Vice Chair, Quarles & Brady LLP, Phoenix, AZ 
• Danielle Sloane, Vice Chair, Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Nashville, TN 
• James Wabby, Vice Chair, AbbVie Inc, San Diego, CA 

Medical Staff, Credentialing, and Peer Review Practice Group 

• Tim Cahill, Chair, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, Columbus, OH 
• Laura Alfredo, Vice Chair, Greater New York Hospital Association, New York, NY 
• Richard Barton, Vice Chair, Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, San Diego, CA 
• Robert Blaisdell, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Boston, MA 
• William George, Vice Chair, CommonSpirit Health, Lexington, IL 
• Amy Shulman, Vice Chair, Outten & Golden LLP, New York, NY 

Payers, Plans, and Managed Care Practice Group 

• Kathy Roe, Chair, Health Law Consultancy, Chicago, IL 
• Katie Koss, Vice Chair, Wiseman Ashworth Trauger Law Group, Nashville, TN 
• Shana Logue, Vice Chair, Berkeley Research Group LLC, Austin, TX 
• Jennifer Michael, Vice Chair, Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Washington, DC 
• Jamie Ostroff, Vice Chair, California Medical Association, Sacramento, CA 
• Christine Worthen, Vice Chair, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Washington, DC 

Physician Organizations Practice Group 

• Christopher Richard, Chair, Gilpin Givhan PC, Montgomery, AL 
• Amy Bolian, Vice Chair, Nashville, TN 
• Jamaal Jones, Vice Chair, Jones Health Law PA, Miami, FL 
• Zubin Khambatta, Vice Chair, Holland & Knight LLP, Austin, TX 
• Adam Laughton, Vice Chair, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Houston, TX 
• Neerja Razdan, Vice Chair, Memphis, TN 

Post-Acute and Long Term Services Practice Group 

• Randall Fearnow, Chair, Quarles & Brady LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Denise Bloch, Vice Chair, Saint Louis, MO 
• Brittney Cafero, Vice Chair, Reed Smith LLP, Philadelphia, PA 
• Brian Danaher, Vice Chair, Benchmark Senior Living LLC, Waltham, MA 
• Stefanie Doyle, Vice Chair, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Washington, DC 
• Emily Solum, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Jefferson City, MO 

Regulation, Accreditation, and Payment Practice Group 

• Hilary Isacson, Chair, Sutter Health, Sacramento, CA 
• Lynn Barrett, Vice Chair, Barrett Law, PA, Windermere, FL 
• Jesse Berg, Vice Chair, Lathrop GPM, Minneapolis, MN 
• Louis Metcalfe, Vice Chair, Chambliss Bahner & Stophel PC, Chattanooga, TN 
• Kaitlin Nucci, Vice Chair, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman PC, Indianapolis, IN 
• Neal Shah, Vice Chair, Polsinelli PC, Chicago, IL 

Tax and Finance Practice Group 

• Albert Lin, Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Austin, TX 
• David Block, Vice Chair, Groom Law Group Chartered, Wake Forest, NC 
• Katie Hickey, Vice Chair, Jones Day, Chicago, IL 
• Michael Kuczynski, Vice Chair, Polsinelli PC, Atlanta, GA 
• Nicholas Kump, Vice Chair, King & Spalding LLP, Sacramento, CA 
• Patrick Murphy, Vice Chair, Columbus, OH