Announcing the 2024 Engage Federal Health Honorees

Across the Federal sector there are promises to break down silos; claims of greater transparency; words like collaboration, communication and trust becoming part of what is required for forward movement.    

And across the Government contracting sector, within industry and within government, there are leaders who truly understand what it takes, who are setting an example that not only encourages engagement, but also motivates and pushes others on their teams and within their organizations to do the same. These leaders are empowering and changing how government and industry can work together. and doing so selflessly, without expectation for personal gain but instead, for the betterment of the industry.   

Continuing our commitment to shine a light on the good stuff, to spotlight those that are #doingitright, we are pleased to announce the 2024 Engage Federal Health Honorees. This list of individuals, who were nominated, evaluated, and selected by a panel of their peers, represents exceptional leaders from across government and industry who stand out from the crowd for their willingness to drive BOLD approaches and innovative engagement strategies while supporting a culture shift which values collaboration, open communication, transparency, and partnership between and across the Federal government and industry partner ecosystems across the Federal Health sector to include VA, HHS, Defense/Military Health, CMS and other related agencies.

This year’s outstanding leaders are:  

• Raghu Akkapeddi, CEO, Index Analytics 
• Anita Allen, Small Business Specialist, NIH and CMS/Department of Health and Human Services 
• Gil Alterovitz, PhD, Chief AI Officer, US Department of Veterans Affairs
• Milad Bahrami, Senior Vice President & General Manager – Civilian Health Solutions  Leidos 
• Srini Bayireddy, Founder, CEO, Navitas 
• Jess Berrellez, Executive Officer, Office of Digital Transformation, Food and Drug Administration 
• Joan Bishop, Sr. Vice President, Federal Health, HighPoint Global 
• Robert Betters, President/CEO of RB Consulting, Inc. (“RBCI”). 
• Quintus Brown, Partner Development Manager, Google 
• Paul Brubaker, Deputy Chief Information Officer/AMO at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
• Mark Canfield, Deputy Director, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
• Dave Catanoso, Director (A), Application hosting, Cloud and Edge Solutions at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
• Suzi Connor, Chief Information Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention   
• Chani Cordero, Chief Information Officer, Brooke Army Medical Center 
• Lee Ann Crochunis, Director, Applications Management Group at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
• Jason Cullum, Vice President of Digital Services, Element Solutions 
• Jonah Czerwinski, Head of U.S. Public Sector, Thoughtworks 
• Ivor D’Souza, Acting Director, Center for Information Technology, National Institutes of Health 
• Vid Desai, Chief Information Officer, FDA 
• Charles De Sanno, Executive Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton 
• Ariella Douglas, Deputy Director, Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, Department of Health and Human Services 
• Kevin Duvall, ARPA-H CTO/CIO (Acting) / HHS Administration for Children and Families CTO/CIO (Acting) 
• Keia Eaves, President & CEO of Olive Branch Innovations and Olive Branch Government Services 
• Rafael Fagundo, CEO at Sierra 7
• Melissa Fannin, Chief Growth Officer, Elevance Health 
• Michael Finkel, CEO, Sparksoft  
• Andrea Fletcher, Chief Digital Strategy Officer and Director of the Digital Service, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
• Maria Gaboury, Senior Account Executive, Business Development, InterSystems 
• Lisa Gardner, Vice President, Federal Civilian Solutions, Noblis 
• Nicole Gilbride, Chief Strategy Officer, Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Office of Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs 
• Eric Gonzales, Vice President, Growth & Client Development, Aptive Resources
• Lakshmi Grama, Associate Director, Dissemination and Digital Communication, NIH National Cancer Institute 
• Sharon Grimm, CEO at Snowbird Agility, Inc. 
• Derrick Heard, Director of the Office of Acquisition & Grants Management, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
• Joseph Hoffert, Chief, Solution Delivery Division/Chief, Risk Management Executive Division/CISO, Defense Health Agency
• Theresa Holder, Founder and CEO, Holder Strategy Group 
• Katie Holmes, CCSQ – ISGCCSQ – ISG, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
• Kenneth Howard, Director, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
• Shannon Jackson, Executive Director (SES), Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
• Mark Junda, Deputy, CTO Health Portfolio, Department of Veterans Affairs 
• Farhan Khan, Director, IT Operations and Delivery, Food and Drug Administration 
• Kendall Krebs, Deputy Executive Director, Infrastructure Operations, Office of Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs 
• Sonja Lemott, Chief Technology Officer, Program Executive Office, Defense Healthcare Management Systems (PEO DHMS) 
• Peter Levin, Co-Founder and CEO, Amida Technology Solutions 
• Joseph Lewis, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
• Jon Lipsky, Principal, J Michael Consulting 
• Reeba Magulick, Founding Senior Partner, d8 Group 
• Manish Malhotra, Chairman & CEO, Unissant 
• Aditi Mallick, Acting Director, Office of Minority Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
• Lucy Martin, Vice President of Growth at PingWind Inc. 
• Shelley McGuire, Owner, Shelley’s Events 
• April Nadeau, Senior Vice President, Sentar 
• Nancy Norton, Director, Office of Acquisition Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
• Michael Pafumi, Vice President, Federal Health Programs, ASRC Federal 
• David Park – National Account Manager, GSA Federal Acquisition Service – HHS 
• Jordan Parsons, Vice President, FDA & NIH Account Executive, ICF
• Todd Pantezzi, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at CVP (Customer Value Partners) 
• Mandy Peckham, President and CEO, BSR Consulting 
• Chanaka Perrera, Chief Technology Officer at LCG 
• Melinda Pitchford, Director of Business Development and Capture, Eleven09 
• Laura Prietula, Deputy CIO, Electronic Health Record Modernization Integration Office-EHRM IO, Veterans Affairs 
• Kim Pugh, Director of Software as a Services at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 
• Matthew Quinn, Science Director at Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) 
• Andrea Ramirez, Chief Data Officer, All of Us Research Program, National Institutes of Health
• Melissa Ramos, Customer Service Director, GSA 
• Sherrie Randall, Team Lead/Contracting Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention| NCMA Atlanta President-Elect 
• Susan Sharer, CEO, GOVTECH CONNECTS 
• Sumeet Shrivastava, President/CEO, Array Information Technology, Inc 
• Nadia Smith, Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for Veterans Health Administration, Digital Health, Veterans Affairs 
• Mike Snyder, CEO EM Key Solutions 
• Ned Struzziero, Vice President of Health IT  Sprezzatura Management Consulting, LLC 
• Swami Swaminathan, Chief Executive Officer, RELI Group
• Omari Teel, Vice President, Publicis Sapient Public Sector 
• Nathan Tierney, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Deputy Chief Information Officer and Chief People Officer 
• Frank Tucker, CEO MicroHealth 
• Anna Urman, Director: Strategic Outreach and Communications – OSDBU, Department of Veterans Affairs 
• Nick Vass, Vice President of HHS Programs, J29  
• Brent Weaver, Director, Data & System Group at Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
• Janet Webb, Vice President, Public Health, LMI 
• Raymond Wedgeworth, Director, Data Analysis and Systems Group, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
• Kathryn Wetherby, Deputy Director Marketplace IT Group, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 
• Jason Windsor, Vice President, Health IT, General Dynamics Information Technology 
• Dayna Wolter, Director, Federal Public Health Strategy, General Dynamics Information Technology 
• Robert Wood, Chief Information Security Officer, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services  
• Ryan Woodward, Chief of Operations, Infrastructure Operations, Office of Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs 
• Krista Yager, Chief Digital Officer at National Government Services 
• Hassan Zahwa, Ph.D., Partner, Guidehouse 

Congratulations to all of the honorees and thank you to all who participated in the process. 

Identified below are Six Key Characteristics that Make up an Engage FedGov Leader   

Exemplify Open Communication   

Whether through speaking at events, sharing on open platforms such as LinkedIn, or writing executive insight pieces that offer advice and insight, the engaged leader shares their thought leadership and is open to making public what they know to serve the greater good.   

Evidence of Mission Focus     

An engaged leader understands their mission focus is not turned inward to their specific organization but instead looks outward, to their stakeholders. This means taking and receiving lessons learned from others serving the same or similar communities. It means finding ways to engage stakeholders, vendors, and potential partners, to drive collaborative solutions with the users’ needs in focus.   

Execution as a Good Partner     

Engaged leaders prefer not to do a power dance, across tables or in the public eye. Being open, transparent, and authentic in who they are and what they want to achieve, these leaders demonstrate they are good and reliable partners. Being a good partner, these leaders are clear in what they say, understand their role and the roles of those around them, and they execute according to that.   

Engage with the Community     

Whether through industry days, networking opportunities, written content or collaboration in working groups, the engaged leader is part of the discussion, attending events, and being accessible and available. The expression “a rising tide lifts many boats” reminds everyone of something engaged leaders know – that there are opportunities for everyone and we do better when we work together. Whether it is as a mentor, an advisor, a board member, or a panellist, these leaders are familiar names and faces.   

Encourage Inclusivity     

Leaders who see the bigger picture are often surrounded by people who represent that bigger picture. Engaged leaders surround themselves with people who support and challenge them, with people who come from diverse backgrounds and with varied experiences. Engaged leaders encourage discussion, not for its own sake, but because they want the ideas brought forth from their diverse and inclusive team.   

Exemplify Innovation     

Whether it is through technology, culture, mission or approach, leaders that succeed do not stand still. Innovation signifies life, implies thought and forward movement, and is critical as the world becomes increasingly complex and challenging. Engaged leaders understand this, ask for big ideas and seek solutions that are focused on driving their organizations forward.    

#engagefedgov