AHLA Announces Fiscal Year 2025 Election Results and Leadership Appointments

President-Elect Designate

Christine L. White, Northwell Health Legal Affairs, New Hyde Park, NY 

Ms. White served on AHLA’s Board of Directors from 2017-2023 holding positions as Association Secretary and Chair of the Governance Committee. She previously served as a Vice Chair and then Chair of the Antitrust Practice Group from 2007-2016, and as a member of the In-House Counsel Program Planning Committee from 2016-2017.  

 

Board of Directors Elected to a Five Year Term

Gerald “Jud” E. DeLoss, Illinois Association of Behavioral Health, Springfield, IL 

Mr. DeLoss has been a member of the Association's Quality Council and served as Vice Chair and then Chair of the Health Information and Technology Practice Group from 2006-2012. Additionally, he served as Co-Chair and Chair of the Behavioral Health Task Force from 2013-2016.

 

Laura F. Laemmle-Weidenfeld, Jones Day, Washington, DC

Ms. Laemmle-Weidenfeld previously served as Vice Chair then Chair of the Fraud and Abuse Practice Group from 2008-2015, a Member of the Fraud and Compliance Forum Planning Committee in 2017, and most recently as a Member of the Journal of Health & Life Sciences Law Editorial Board from 2018-2022. 

 

Karen R. Palmersheim , Cigna, Pasadena, CA

Ms. Palmersheim previously served as the Chair of the Health Plan Affinity Group from 2014-2016, Vice Chair of the Payers, Plans, and Managed Care Practice Group from 2016-2020, and a Member of the Health Plans Law and Compliance Institute Planning Committee. 

Board of Directors Elected to a Second Term

• Carol Carden, PYA, Knoxville, TN
• Tizgel K.S. High, Prime Therapeutics, Brentwood, TN 
• Lisa Wilson, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Ellicott City, MD
• Avery Schumacher, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Strongsville, OH

Members-At-Large to AHLA Nominating Committee 

• Sharon F. Bridges, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, Bentonville, AR 
• Carol Carden, PYA, Knoxville, TN

Leadership Appointments 

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, University of California Office of the President, San Francisco, CA 
• Rudd Kierstead, Vice Chair, Veralon, Bala Cynwyd, PA 
• Tiana Korley, Vice Chair, DHHS Office of the Inspector General, Ann Arbor, MI 
• Elizabeth Trende, Vice Chair, Squire Patton Boggs, Columbus, OH 

Antitrust Practice Group 

• Lona Fowdur, Chair, Compass Lexecon, Reston, VA 
• Herbert Allen, Vice Chair, Honigman LLP, Washington, DC 
• Lisl Dunlop, Vice Chair, Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, New York, NY 
• Katharine O'Connor, Vice Chair, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Steve Vieux, Vice Chair, Bartko Zankel Bunzel & Miller, San Francisco, CA 
• Kristie Xian, Vice Chair, Jones Day, Washington, DC 

Behavioral Health Practice Group 

• Anna Whites, Chair, Anna Whites Law Office LLC, Frankfort, KY 
• Laura Ashpole, Vice Chair, Mindpath Health, Sacramento, CA 
• Christianna Finnern, Vice Chair, Winthrop & Weinstine PA, Minneapolis, MN 
• George Kendall, Vice Chair, McCarter & English LLP, Newark, NJ 
• Kirti Reddy, Vice Chair, Quarles & Brady LLP, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 
• David Shillcutt, Vice Chair, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Washington, DC 

Business Law and Governance Practice Group 

• Jed Roher, Chair, Delta Dental of Wisconsin, Inc., Stevens Point, WI 
• Ragini Acharya, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Denver, CO 
• Karen Kole, Vice Chair, ECG Management Consultants, Chicago, IL 
• Rachel Ludwig, Vice Chair, DLA Piper LLP, Washington, DC 
• Vinal Patel, Vice Chair, Chicago, IL 
• Jessica Stack, Vice Chair, TriCurve, New York, NY 

Fraud and Abuse Practice Group 

• Joseph Wolfe, Chair, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman PC, Milwaukee, WI 
• Stewart Kameen, Vice Chair, Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Washington, DC 
• Laura Morgan, Vice Chair, DHHS Office of the Inspector General, Washington, DC
• Allison Smith Newsome, Vice Chair, Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Jonathan Porter, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Washington, DC 
• 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 
• Elizabeth Harris, Vice Chair, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Washington, DC 
• Sarah Hellmann, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, St. Louis, MO 
• Jennifer Smith, Vice Chair, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 
• Mackenzie Wallace, Vice Chair, Thompson Coburn, Dallas, TX 
• Shalyn Watkins, Vice Chair, Holland & Knight LLP, Los Angeles, CA 

Health Information and Technology Practice Group 

• Elizabeth Hodge, Chair, Akerman LLP, West Palm Beach, FL 
• Heather Deixler, Vice Chair, Latham & Watkins LLP, San Francisco, CA 
• Jody Erdfarb, Vice Chair, Wiggin and Dana LLP, Stamford, CT 
• Adam Greene, Vice Chair, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, Washington, DC 
• Leeann Habte, Vice Chair, Best Best & Krieger LLP, Los Angeles, CA 
• 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 
• Bartt Warner, Vice Chair, VMG Health, Nashville, TN 
• Jamie Whitney, Vice Chair, Adelanto HealthCare Ventures, LLC, Austin, TX 

In-House Counsel Practice Group 

• Shawn Gilman, Chair, Providence St Joseph Health, Seattle, WA 
• Kelly Anderson, Vice Chair, Baptist Health, Louisville, KY 
• Peggy Barlett, Vice Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Madison, WI 
• Rachel Freyman, Vice Chair, MultiCare Health System, Nashville, TN 
• Alex Krouse, Vice Chair, Parkview Health, Fort Wayne, IN 
• Jamie McIntyre, Vice Chair, HealthCare Appraisers Inc, Boca Raton, 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, Centura Health, Centennial, CO 
• Dennis Hursh, Vice Chair, Hursh & Hursh PC, Middletown, PA 
• Gary McLaughlin, Vice Chair, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP, Los Angeles, CA 
• Christopher Smith, Vice Chair, Lash & Goldberg LLP, Miami, FL 

Life Sciences Practice Group 

• Benjamin Daniels, Chair, KORB Health Group, LLC, Scituate, MA 
• 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 
• Mara Smith, Vice Chair, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Mount Holly, NJ 

Medical Staff, Credentialing, and Peer Review Practice Group 

• Timothy Cahill, Chair, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP, Worthington, 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, KY 
• Amy Shulman, Vice Chair, Outten & Golden LLP, New York, NY 

Payers, Plans, and Managed Care Practice Group 

• Annie Shieh, Chair, Molina Healthcare, Anaheim, CA 
• Matthew Ehrlich, Vice Chair, McLaren Health Care, Flint, MI 
• Jennifer Michael, Vice Chair, Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Washington, DC 
• Sibel Ozcelik, Vice Chair, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, MD 
• Kathy Roe, Vice Chair, Health Law Consultancy, Chicago, IL 
• Christine Worthen, Vice Chair, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Boston, MA 

Physician Organizations Practice Group 

• Christopher Richard, Chair, Gilpin Givhan PC, Montgomery, AL 
• Mayo Alao, Vice Chair, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman PC, Indianapolis, IN 
• Jessica Belle, Vice Chair, Elevance Health, Denver, CO 
• Zubin Khambatta, Vice Chair, Holland & Knight LLP, Austin, TX 
• Adam Laughton, Vice Chair, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Houston, TX 

Post-Acute and Long Term Services Practice Group 

• Randall Fearnow, Chair, Quarles & Brady LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Mysty Blagg, Vice Chair, Shipman & Wright, LLP, Wilmington, NC 
• Denise Bloch, Vice Chair, Saint Louis, MO 
• Stefanie Doyle, Vice Chair, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Washington, DC 
• Alan Horowitz, Vice Chair, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, Evergreen, CO 
• Joseph Zielinski, Vice Chair, CarDon & Associates, Fishers, IN 

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 
• Neal Shah, Vice Chair, Polsinelli PC, Chicago, IL 
• Trent Stechschulte, Vice Chair, I Am Boundless, Inc., Columbus, OH 

Tax and Finance Practice Group 

• Albert Lin, Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Austin, TX 
• Katie Hickey, Vice Chair, Jones Day, Chicago, IL 
• Michael Kuczynski, Vice Chair, Polsinelli, Atlanta, GA
• Christine Keller, Vice Chair, Groom Law Group Chartered, Washington, DC 
• Nicholas Kump, Vice Chair, King & Spalding LLP, Sacramento, CA 
• Patrick Murphy, Vice Chair, Bricker Graydon LLP, Columbus, OH

Special Boards, Council, and Committee Leaders

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, Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman PC, Durham, NC 
• Jody Joiner, Member, Tenet Healthcare Corporation, Dallas, TX 

Dispute Resolution Service Council 

• Melissa Thompson, Chair, Robinson & Cole LLP, Boston, MA 
• Daniel Glassman, Member, K&L Gates, Irvine, CA 
• Kevin Khachatryan, Member, Husch Blackwell LLP, Los Angeles, CA 
• Cavender Kimble, Member, Balch & Bingham LLP, Birmingham, AL 
• Heather Miller, Member, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, Boca Raton, FL 
• Abraham Richlin, Member, U.S. District Court, Central District of California, San Dimas, CA 
• Christopher Sabis, Member, Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, PLC, Nashville, TN 

Dispute Resolution Service Review Board 

• Linda Michler, Chair, Bluffton, SC 
• Harry Dadds, Member, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, Georgetown, KY 
• Diana Kruze, Member 
• Glenn Waldman, Member, Waldman Law Firm PA, Fort Lauderdale, FL 

Early Career Professionals Council 

• Alé Dalton, Chair, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Nashville, TN 
• Viren Doshi, Vice Chair, Northwest Community Healthcare, Schaumburg, IL 
• James Huang, Vice Chair, Hogan Lovells LLP, Washington, DC 
• Robert Yates, Vice Chair, Berkeley Research Group LLC, Washington, DC 
• Olivia Benjamin, Member, Foley & Lardner LLP, Boston, MA 
• Emily Brodkin, Member, Hooper Lundy & Bookman PC, Boston, MA 
• Dylan Mason, Member, Cornelius, NC 
• Emily Palmer, Member, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Brian Smith, Member, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Waltham, MA 
• Claudia Stedman, Member, Snell & Wilmer LLP, Phoenix, AZ 
• Tyler Strobel, Member, Greenberg Traurig LLP, Greenwood Village, CO 
• Katarina Weessies, Member, Strategic Health Law, Chapel Hill, NC 
• Angela White, Member, Cleveland Clinic, Cincinnati, OH 
• Jeffrey Zopp, Member, Jackson Kelly PLLC, Charleston, WV 

Fellows Coordinating Council 

• Clifford Barnes, Chair, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Washington, DC 
• Michael Callahan, Member, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Elizabeth Mills, Member, Woodstock, IL 
• Alan Schabes, Member, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Cleveland, OH 
• Lisa Taylor, Member, Inglesino Taylor, Parsippany, NJ 
• Sidney Welch, Member, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Atlanta, GA 
• Eric Zimmerman, Member, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Washington, DC  

Journal of Health & Life Sciences Law Editorial Board 

• Susan Scheutzow, Editor-in-Chief, Southwest General Health Center, Berea, Ohio, OH 
• Douglas A. Blair, Member, BJC Healthcare, Saint Louis, MO 
• Kyle Fromm, Member, HALO Diagnostics, Sussex, WI 
• Gerry Hinkley, Member, Lake Arrowhead, CA 
• Barbara Hirsch, Member, Johns Hopkins Health System, Rockville, MD 
• Jacob Madden, Member, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, NY 
• Larissa Morgan, Member, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, Philadelphia, PA 
• Sheela Ranganathan, Member, O’Neill Institute for National Health Law, Washingotn, DC 
• David Rawi, Member, Johnson & Rawi, PC, Pasadena, CA 
• Kathryn Spates, Member, The Joint Commission, Washington, DC 
• Elizabeth Tucker, Member, Polsinelli PC, Saint Louis, MO 
• Stephanie Williams, Member, Food and Drug Administration, Glen Burnie, MD 
• Kristen Wilson, Member, Steptoe & Johnson PLLC, Wheeling, WV 

Women’s Leadership Council 

• Jennifer Nelson Carney, Chair, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Columbus, OH 
• Danica Sun, Vice Chair, Cleveland Clinic, Stuart, FL 
• Katie Tarr, Vice Chair, LBMC, Brentwood, 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 
• Alaina Crislip, Member, Jackson Kelly PLLC, Charleston, WV 
• Kelly Koeninger, Member, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP, Charlotte, NC 
• Richelle Marting, Member, Marting Law, LLC, Olathe, KS 
• Payal Shah, Member, Vituity, Chicago, IL 
• Apryle Swain, Member, IU Health, Indianapolis, IN 
• Keri Wood, Member, Spring Health, Barnhart, MO 

Program Planning Committee 

Advising Providers: Legal Strategies for AMCs, Physicians, and Hospitals 

• Manasa Gopal, Co-Chair, Columbia University, New York, NY
• Kristen Kim, Co-Chair, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
• Kristen Woodrum, Co-Chair, McGuireWoods LLP, Atlanta, GA 
• Marc Goldstone, Member, Wellpath, Nashville, TN 
• Amy Joseph, Member, Hooper Lundy & Bookman PC, Boston, MA 
• Hillary Kalay, Member, University of California, San Francisco, CA  
• Michael Lambert, Member, Oxford, MS 
• Joe Miller, Member, Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC, Washington, DC 
• Allison Petersen, Member, Integris Health, Oklahoma City, OK 
• Marissa Weitzner, Member, Nichols Brar Weitzner & Thomas LLP, Houston, TX

AI Program Planning Committee

• Alya Sulaiman, Chair, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Los Angeles, CA
• Tienne L.Anderson, Member, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
• Alaap B.Shah, Member, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Washington, DC

Annual Meeting Planning Committee

• Mark Kopson, Chair, Plunkett County, Bloomfield, MI
• David DeSimone, Member, Ohio Living, Allenwood, NJ
• Emily Grey, Member, Breazeale Sachse & Wilson LLP, Baton Rouge, LA
• Thomas Hawk, Member, King & Spaulding, LLP, Atlanta, GA
• Tizgel High, Member, Prime Therapeutics, Brentwood, TN
• Lindsey Lonevgan, Member, Navicent Health Inc.,Macon, GA
• Robert Wells, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Baltimore, MD
• Christine White, Member, Northwell Health Legal Affairs, New Hyde Park, NY
• Lisa Wilson, Member, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Ellicott City, MD

Fraud and Compliance Forum Program Planning Committee 

• John Kelly, Chair, Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Washington, DC 
• Yemi Adeyanju, Member, Providence St Joseph Health, Irvine, CA 
• Kristin Carter, Member, Johns Hopkins Health System, Mount Airy, MD 
• Felicia Heimer, Member, DHHS Office of the Inspector General, Washington, DC 
• Tony Maida, Member, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, New York, NY 
• William Mathias, Member, Bass Berry & Sims PLC, Washington, DC 
• Leia Olsen, Member, Ascension, Fox Point, WI 

Fundamentals of Health Law Program Planning Committee 

• Michaela Poizner, Chair, Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Nashville, TN 
• Nicholas Alarif, Member, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Washington, DC 
• Priya Bathija, Member, Nyoo Health, Falls Church, VA 
• Vanessa Burrows, Member, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Washington, DC 
• Thomas Spellman, Member, Fresenius Medical Care North America, Waltham, MA 

Health Care Transactions Program Planning Committee 

• Carolyn Metnick, Chair, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, Chicago, IL 
• Aimee DeFilippo, Member, Jones Day, Washington, DC 
• Renee Delphin-Rodriguez, Member, SCAN Health Plan, Long Beach, CA 
• Rowena Manlapaz, Member, UC Davis Health, Sacramento, CA 
• Glenn Prives, Member, Epstein Becker & Green PC, Newark, NJ 
• Ethan Rii, Member, Ice Miller LLP, Chicago, IL 

Health Plan Law and Compliance Program Planning Committee

In-House Counsel Program Planning Committee 

• Aletheia Lawry, Chair, Fountain Hills, AZ 
• Michelle Johnson Tidjani, Member, CommonSpirit Health, Troy, MI 
• Ted Lotchin, Member, UNC Health Care System, Morrisville, NC 
• Julia Michael, Member, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, CA 
• Hoyt Sze, Member, University of California, Oakland, CA 

Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues Program Planning Committee 

• Emily Cook, Chair, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Los Angeles, CA 
• Jocelyn Beer, Member, DHHS Office of the General Counsel, Washington, DC 
• Mimi Brouillette, Member, WMC Health, Valhalla, NY 
• R. Burris, Member, Polsinelli PC, Decatur, GA 
• Susan Harris, Member, Norton Rose Fulbright, Houston, TX 
• Charles Luband, Member, Dentons US LLP, New York, NY 
• Felicia Sze, Member, Athene Law LLP, San Francisco, CA 

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

• Emily Solum, Chair, Husch Blackwell LLP, Jefferson City, MO 
• Kirstin Sumner, Co-Chair, Brookdale Senior Living, Chicago, IL 
• Rachel Hold-Weiss, Member, Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, New York, NY 
• John Kresl, Member, Enlivant, Park Ridge, IL 
• Daniel Merriman, Member, Life Care Services, Des Moines, IA 
• Gabriela Sanchez, Member, Lane Powell PC, Portland, OR 

Tax Issues for Healthcare Organizations Program Planning Committee 

• Scott Schitter, Chair, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH 
• 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 
• Charles Wilhoite, Member, Williamette Management Associates, Portland, OR 

A Special Thank You 

AHLA thanks the following members of the Nominating Committee for their time, energy, and dedication to the nominating process: 

• Patricia A. Markus, Chair
• Faisal A. Khan 
• Mark S. Kopson
• Cynthia Y. Reisz 
• Asha B. Scielzo 
• Suzanne J. Scrutton 
• Thomas N. Shorter

And to AHLA's President-Elect, Asha B. Scielzo, for her tireless work on leadership appointments for fiscal year 2025.