As a Senior Associate Medical Director for MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid and CHIP agency, Viveka Prakash-Zawisza, MD, MS, MBA, has been instrumental in advancing health equity throughout the commonwealth. After practicing as an obstetrician-gynecologist for five years, Viveka decided to return to school to study social policy, where she was inspired to join the public sector. Since joining MassHealth in 2019, Viveka has served as the agency’s clinical lead for member and community engagement, perinatal health, and gender-affirming care. She recently helped to design and implement new cov ..read more

With almost two decades in the public sector, Jon Fujii has risen through the ranks as a trusted leader for the Med-Quest Division, Hawaii’s Medicaid program. As health care services branch administrator, Jon leads a team of registered nurses, licensed social workers, and contract specialists to provide equitable and person-centered coverage to almost 400,000 Medicaid members. In his role, Jon oversees a range of programs, including the five health plans that serve more than 99 percent of Hawaii’s Medicaid members. He also manages the contract with the Community Care Services health plan that ..read more

Inclusive leadership involves intentionally creating environments that are supportive, appreciative, and representative of the various identities within a shared community or workplace. While ensuring diversity is an important factor in fostering inclusivity in bringing people together, it is not the only ingredient to spark creativity, innovation, and community. Inclusive leaders take actions to ensure that every person in an organization can thrive and belong — meaning they are understood, acknowledged, and empowered at work.  The Center for Health Care Strategies recently connecte ..read more

Health equity leaders face formidable challenges in their work to mitigate historical health inequities and narrow disparities across vast systems and populations. In leading these critical efforts, these professionals — across federal, state, plan, system, or community roles — may face many additional challenges, including limited resources, small teams, and competing organizational priorities. One way to address these barriers, and foster positive change, is to invite the voices and perspectives of expert advisors into the process. Technical health equity advisory committees can include indi ..read more

Kate McEvoy is a nationally recognized Medicaid leader with nearly three decades of experience. She spent nine years as Connecticut’s Medicaid director, overseeing medical, behavioral health, pharmacy, dental and transportation benefits for more than 850,000 Medicaid enrollees. Before then, much of her career was dedicated to long-term services and supports and aging policy. Across nearly 30 years, the policies and programs she has championed have improved the lives of millions. In her current role, Kate serves as the executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD ..read more

Medicaid leaders play a critical role in guiding their programs to meet the needs of the people they serve. State agencies, however, often face challenges finding and retaining employees, particularly senior leaders. Most senior Medicaid leaders are promoted from within, making the development of a robust pipeline of rising leaders essential for agency health and resilience. Medicaid agencies also increasingly recognize the need to better support the advancement of staff with backgrounds and identities that reflect the communities that agencies serve, including staff with personal experience w ..read more

Hamilton, NJ, January 18, 2024 — The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) today announced 15 public sectors leaders from across the country were competitively selected for the second class of the Equity Changemakers Institute. This leadership development program, led by CHCS, aims to bolster the capacity of public sector leaders who oversee state-led initiatives to advance health equity for millions of people. “An increasing number of public sector leaders are responsible for promoting health equity efforts within their agencies,” said Allison Hamblin, MSPH, president and CEO, CHCS. “By in ..read more

LEADER AT-A-GLANCE Name: Nonis Spinner Role: Director of Eligibility and Member Services, Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Indiana Medicaid agency State: Indiana Public Sector Tenure: 13 years CHCS Connection: Medicaid Pathways Program Nonis Spinner, Director of Eligibility and Member Services at Indiana Medicaid, shares tips on giving grace to oneself when things don’t go to plan. A countless number of things must go correctly on any given day to ensure a Medicaid program runs smoothly. The list of operational and policy tasks is long and requires coordination among several ..read more

LEADER AT-A-GLANCE Name: Matthew Ahern, MBA, MHA Role: Deputy Director, Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care State: Nebraska; formerly Utah Public Sector Tenure: 8 years CHCS Connection: Medicaid Pathways Program Matthew Ahern, deputy director at Nebraska Medicaid and formerly Assistant Director in the Bureau of Managed Health Care at Utah Medicaid, describes the challenge of leading from authenticity when there’s no clear right answer. Working in a state or territory Medicaid program is rewarding — it provides opportunities to make a real impact on the health and well-being of millions of ..read more

Managing change in leadership, policy, and operations is a common experience among Medicaid leaders in all states and at all levels. Lessons in Leadership, a series developed through support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, shares stories from public sector leaders across the country as they navigate the day-to-day operations, big picture planning, and unexpected twists and turns of leading within government agencies. The lessons they share can help support others in similar roles. Following are profiles in the series: Showing Up Authentically When Between a Rock and a Hard Place – Ma ..read more