The Top 25 Women Leaders In Healthcare Software Of 2021

The Healthcare Technology Report is pleased to announce The Top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare Software of 2021. From innovative platforms to facilitate research and development, to tools for physician recruitment and credentialing, to ubiquitous electronic health record (EHR) systems and telehealth applications, this year’s awardees are developing software products and services that are not only helping to update legacy systems but are also directly impacting outcomes for patients and providers.

These women leaders have been integral in anticipating the unique needs of healthcare systems, companies, and professionals, recognizing the necessity for interoperability, security, and usability within embedded and frequently complex digital infrastructures. Notably, they have also contributed meaningfully to the growth of their organizations, in many cases leading to marked increases in revenue during their tenures.

Coming from both healthcare and technology backgrounds, the accomplished women on this year’s award list are using their specialized expertise to help inform best practices for their companies as well as the broader healthcare software industry. They are also working to share their knowledge on a global scale via conferences and papers, media outlets, non-profit organizations, and other avenues, contributing to worldwide efforts to make healthcare more agile and accessible. Please join us in recognizing the accomplishments of The Top 25 Women Leaders in Healthcare Software of 2021.

 

1. Diana Benli
Company: Cognizant
Title: Chief Product Officer, TriZetto® Healthcare Products

Diana Benli is the Chief Product Officer for TriZetto® Healthcare Products at Cognizant. She has overall responsibility for the realization of the software product solutions strategy for Cognizant’s Healthcare Business. In her role, she empowers the talented TriZetto® product teams to envision high-quality, integrated software solutions that help organizations enhance revenue growth, drive administrative efficiency, improve cost and quality of care, and improve the member and patient experience. Over 200 million U.S. individuals are administered on TriZetto® solutions today. Benli also leads the Strategic Product Committee and sponsors the Women Empowered Healthcare & Life Sciences Council at Cognizant.

Benli has over 30 years of experience in healthcare, working in the provider and payer segments and for clinical and software technology organizations. She is a frequent healthcare industry event speaker and has written her own synopsis called “Product Think: Moving from Projects to Products to Platforms.” She was also highlighted in 280 Group’s e-book “Trailblazing Women in Product Management.” In addition to her current roles, she is also a member of Chief NYC, a private network designed to strengthen women’s leadership journeys, and the TSIA Advisory Board for XaaS Product Management. Benli received a Bachelor of Science degree in IT and computer science and an Associate of Science degree in applied sciences.

 

2. Susan Denman
Company: Johnson & Johnson
Title: Vice President, Corporate Business Technology

Susan Denman is the Vice President, Corporate Business Technology for Johnson & Johnson, the largest and most broadly based healthcare company in the world. Headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the company has been a household name for the past 130 years. It operates through three segments: Consumer, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Devices. But its primary focus is products related to human health and well-being. Notably, Johnson & Johnson is also considered to be one of the world's most valuable companies, which includes some 250 subsidiary companies with operations in 60 countries and products sold in over 175 countries. In 2018, Johnson & Johnson was ranked No. 37 on the Fortune 500 list of the largest U.S. corporations by total revenue.

Denman has been working for Johnson & Johnson for over two decades, after first coming on board in 1997. She began as a product director but quickly began moving up the ranks, serving in various corporate positions including vice president of marketing for the company's $2.3 billion Baby Franchise in over 175 markets worldwide. After a brief stint at Sanofi as vice president and chief marketing officer, Denman returned to Johnson & Johnson. In January 2020 she began her executive role as CIO where she is responsible for managing and successfully implementing the information and computer technology systems of the healthcare giant. Denman received her Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and German from Duke University. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania.

 

3. Doozie Sparrow
Company: GE Healthcare
Title: Vice President of Customer Digital Experience

Doozie Sparrow is the Vice President of Customer Digital Experience at GE Healthcare, a subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate General Electric. By itself, GE Healthcare is a diversified healthcare and life sciences company that works in over 160 countries globally. The firm was incorporated in New York in 1994. As a leading global medical technology and digital solutions innovator, GE Healthcare enables clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications, and services — all supported by its proprietary Edison intelligence platform. In 2020, the revenue for GE Healthcare totaled a staggering $18 billion.

Sparrow joined GE Healthcare in 2013, where she spent nearly six years as vice president of asset performance management for its Digital Services Technology team before being selected for her current executive position where she now plays a key role in the strategic development of the organization's aim to improve healthcare through digitization. Before GE Healthcare, Sparrow spent over 16 years at Affinion Group, holding various senior and executive roles throughout her successful tenure. Sparrow started her career as a programmer and analyst at Commonwealth Clinical Systems. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in computer information systems from Western Michigan University.

 

4. LaShonda Anderson-Williams
Company: Salesforce
Title: Senior Vice President

LaShonda Anderson-Williams is currently the Senior Vice President of the Pharma Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Team at Salesforce, one of the first global companies to successfully employ cloud-based software. Founded in 1999, Salesforce has since grown into one of the largest U.S. companies by revenue. Among its many offerings, Salesforce gives healthcare providers the tools they need to create meaningful connections with their patients and handle case management with ease. The platform can also provide a collaborative environment for life sciences companies in areas such as medical devices or pharmaceuticals to accelerate innovation and provide insights into sales.

Since joining Salesforce in January 2021, Anderson-Williams has been responsible for leading the pharma vertical and is focused on working with healthcare and life sciences organizations to drive innovation. Before that, she spent 15 years with Microsoft and almost 10 years at IBM in various leadership roles. While at IBM, Anderson-Williams was recognized with several key leadership awards, including IBM’s most admired Golden Circle and Global Golden Circle awards, given only to the top 5% of sales contributors in the company. She has also been featured in Forbes Magazine, Pharma Voice, and other media outlets. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing from Texas Woman's University.

 

5. Shally Pannikode
Company: Humana
Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Healthcare Services

Shally Pannikode is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Healthcare Services at Humana, Inc. Humana is a health insurance company headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Originally founded in 1961 as a nursing home operator, the company pivoted into owning and managing hospitals, then to health insurance plans in the 1980s. Currently, Humana is one of the largest healthcare insurers in the U.S., providing insurance for millions of people, with annual revenues in the tens of billions. In 2020, the company ranked #52 on the Fortune 500 list. Pannikode joined the company in 2020 from WellStar Health System, where she had been chief information and digital officer. As a senior executive at Humana, Pannikode is responsible for advancing the company's healthcare services through technology and innovation.

Pannikode is an accomplished IT executive with over 20 years of experience in leading business growth initiatives through technology strategies and innovations for established companies such as Anthem, Amerigroup, and Keane, Inc. In addition to her role at Humana, Pannikode is a Chairwoman for the Freedom Council for the Alliance for Freedom Restoration and Justice, a non-profit organization created to end human trafficking. Throughout her distinguished career, Pannikode has been the recipient of numerous leadership awards and honors, including Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2018 Women Who Mean Business Award. She holds an engineering degree in computer science from Bharathiar University as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

 

6. Maria Lensing
Company: McKesson
Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer for Infrastructure, Engineering, and Operations

Maria Lensing is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Infrastructure, Engineering, and Operations at McKesson Corporation. Founded in 1828, the company is considered one of the oldest operating businesses in the U.S. McKesson distributes healthcare systems, medical supplies, and pharmaceutical products. It is also one of the world's largest healthcare companies. In her current role, Lensing is responsible for developing McKesson’s technology stack vision, strategy, and architecture that is fundamental to the firm's future business portfolio for data and digital technologies.

Previously, Lensing spent most of her career at AT&T in a number of technical and engineering roles. This includes serving as the chief of staff to the CEO for AT&T Business, where she oversaw all operations and business planning for the $70 billion business unit. She also worked at Rockwell Collins, where she was responsible for global IT operations and solution delivery across all business segments. Lensing holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and a Master of Science degree in engineering management from Christian Brothers University. On top of that, she completed an Executive Education program at Harvard Business School and is actively involved in many local and national nonprofits.

 

7. Karen Kobelski
Company: Wolters Kluwer
Title: Vice President and General Manager of Clinical Surveillance Compliance & Data Solutions (CSCD)

Karen Kobelski is Vice President and General Manager of the Clinical Surveillance Compliance & Data Solutions (CSCD) business unit at Wolters Kluwer, Health. With over 25 years of experience, Kobelski oversees an innovative healthcare software solutions business focused on improving patient care and making clinical data interoperable and actionable to customers across the healthcare ecosystem. In this role, Kobelski is driving innovation in clinical surveillance software solutions by marrying artificial intelligence with deep domain expertise to help hospital clinicians rapidly identify and treat “at-risk” patients. These include Sentri7, which enables opioid and antimicrobial stewardship programs, and POC Advisor, an early detection solution for sepsis.

Kobelski is also responsible for a portfolio of clinical data quality solutions offered by Health Language that uses artificial intelligence to improve clinical information’s accessibility and interoperability. Under her leadership, Sentri7 won “Best in KLAS” multiple years for excellence in helping healthcare professionals improve patient care. Her organization was recently awarded Frost & Sullivan’s 2021 New Product Innovation Award for Virtual Care for CSCD’s innovative mix of clinical surveillance solutions. A Six Sigma Black Belt, Kobelski holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University.

 

8. Julie Lee
Company: Workday
Title: Vice President of Healthcare Services

Julie Lee is the Vice President of Healthcare Services at Workday Inc. Launched in 2006, Workday is a cloud-based software vendor that specializes in human capital management and financial management. Among the many industries it serves, Workday offers healthcare providers the tools needed to drive efficiency and performance. Leveraging machine learning technology, the company helps healthcare organizations scale to growth, adapt to reform-driven changes, improve operational efficiencies, cultivate the right talent, and even implement new business models. In 2020, Fortune magazine ranked Workday at #5 on its Fortune List of the Top 100 Companies to Work For.

Lee has had a tenure of nearly a decade at Workday, having started at the company as business development manager. As her experience grew, so did her positions, eventually becoming Vice President of the company's Healthcare Services team. Before Workday, Lee spent more than six years as director of consulting services sales at SAP, the German multinational software giant. She also held leadership positions at companies such as Oracle, Guidance Solutions, Neoforma.com, PeopleSoft, Inc., and Ernst & Young. Lee holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Georgia and a Master of Business Administration degree from Emory University.

 

9. Leslie Selby
Company: Epic Systems
Title: Vice President and Sales Executive

Leslie Selby is a Vice President and Sales Executive at Epic Systems, one of the largest providers of health information technology, used primarily by large U.S. hospitals and health systems. Epic was founded in 1979 and was originally based in Madison, Wisconsin, later moving its headquarters to a large campus in the suburb of Verona, Wisconsin in 2005. The privately held company offers products tailored to address various aspects of medical systems operations, including population health management, patient engagement, and revenue cycle management. Since the federal government established electronic health record incentive programs in 2009 to promote the adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) through meaningful use of the technology, Epic has seen its client base grow substantially. As of January 2020, the company has around 10,000 employees globally and generates about $2.9 billion in annual revenue. Remarkably, Epic reports storing medical records for more than 250 million people.

As a Vice President at Epic, Selby has her hand on the pulse of the EHR giant. She has spent her entire professional career in the private sector with Epic, first coming on board in 2001. Among her many responsibilities include serving as Sales Executive for the company's U.S., U.S. Federal, Canada, U.K., and Australia territories. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in public administration, political science, and government from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

 

10. Dani Feore
Company: IBM Watson Advertising
Title: Vice President and Head of Industry Sales - Pharma, Consumer Healthcare & CPG

As Vice President and Head of Industry Sales for IBM Watson Advertising, Dani Feore leads sales for the pharma, consumer healthcare, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) verticals. IBM Watson Advertising uses the world's leading artificial intelligence (AI) technology to unlock data and insights and help marketers make better decisions. It offers trusted, insight-driven media, data, and technology solutions that can be deployed across a brand's entire marketing strategy to help drive results. With more than 30,000 client engagements, Watson is being applied by leading global brands across a variety of industries to transform how people work.

In her current executive role, Feore leads the teams focused on advertising partnerships within display, programmatic, data, and tech disciplines across all digital properties for the pharmaceuticals, consumer healthcare, and CPG industries. She assumed this position in 2016. Previously, Feore spent over 16 years at The Weather Company, an IBM Business, where she oversaw sales efforts to provide cross-platform solutions integrating TV, digital, and mobile solutions. She joined Weather as an account executive in 2000 after working in sales at TV Guide. Feore holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and media studies from St. John’s University.

 

11. Jennifer MacGregor
Company: Allscripts
Title: Vice President of International Operations

Jennifer MacGregor is the Vice President of International Operations at Allscripts, a global leader in the domain of healthcare IT. A U.S. company, it offers healthcare providers, hospitals, and doctors access to electronic health record technology and practice management systems. The company was founded in 1981, with its main headquarters based in Chicago, Illinois. Later on, an additional operations office was established in Raleigh, North Carolina. To date, its network has more than 180,000 physician users and has products in 2,700 hospitals and 13,000 extended care organizations.

In her international leadership role at the company, MacGregor is responsible for strategic sales, international market segment management, and international sales operations. In total she has worked for Allscripts for the past 16 years, serving in a variety of roles. Previously MacGregor was the company's managing director for its Canadian operations and before that led the Allscripts Professional Services organization across all three regional business teams, where she was responsible for services sales, driving client satisfaction, and creating a consistent methodology throughout the regions. MacGregor began her career with Allscripts in 2005 as a practice manager, focusing on computerized physician order entry, outcomes measurement, and clinical adoption. Before Allscripts, she began her career as a research associate in a medical genetics lab, pursuing her passion for human genomics discovery. MacGregor holds both a Bachelor of Science degree in biological sciences and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Calgary.

 

12. Deb Cupp
Company: Microsoft
Title: Corporate Vice President of Enterprise and Commercial Industries

Deb Cupp is the Corporate Vice President of Enterprise and Commercial Industries at software giant Microsoft. Since it was founded, Microsoft has grown into one of the most successful tech firms in the world and has experienced years of storied success. From 2017 to 2020 Microsoft was the largest software and programming company worldwide by net sales, reporting sales revenue last year that reached $138.6 billion. In her present position, which she assumed in 2018, Cupp's vision is for Microsoft to be the digital transformation leader for the company's customers, including many in the healthcare industry. She oversees strategic customer relationships for large global industries.

Prior to her current position, she held the positions of corporate vice president of enterprise strategic initiatives and corporate vice president of strategy and programs. She joined Microsoft from SAP, where she had most recently served as managing director and SVP of SAP Success Factors North America. In addition to her duties at Microsoft, Cupp serves as a Board Member for Avanade, the leading provider of innovative digital and cloud services, business solutions, and design-led experiences on the Microsoft ecosystem. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Richmond as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from Saint Joseph's University.

 

13. Tracy Byers
Company: Change Healthcare
Title: Senior Vice President & General Manager Enterprise Imaging

Tracy Byers is currently the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Enterprise Imaging at Change Healthcare, a leading healthcare technology company. Established in 2007, Change Healthcare provides an ecosystem to manage healthcare providers’ services. More specifically, Change Healthcare's enterprise imaging solution suite provides a secure platform portfolio to streamline workflow while improving performance. In addition, the use of cloud-native technology provides its customers with the major advantages of efficiency, agility, and cybersecurity. The company is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, with more than 89 additional locations throughout the world. In January 2021, UnitedHealth Group's OptumInsight unit agreed to acquire Change Healthcare in a deal valued at $13 billion.

Since beginning her tenure at Change Healthcare in 2019, Byers has been responsible for driving growth, expanding market share, and advancing the company's position as a transformational leader in the imaging market. The senior executive has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare technology industry. Prior to Change Healthcare, Byers developed a strong track record of success growing companies in a variety of executive leadership roles at IBM Watson Health, Philips Healthcare, Agilent Technologies, Hewlett Packard, and GE. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Lehigh University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Northeastern University.

 

14. Emily Milsovic
Company: Illumina
Title: Vice President of Business Operations and Chief of Staff

Emily Milsovic is the Vice President of Business Operations and Chief of Staff at Illumina, the world's leading genetic sequencing company. Illumina, which controls roughly 90% of the market for genetic sequencing machines in the U.S., provides a line of products and services that serve the sequencing, genotyping, gene expression, and proteomics markets. Customers include genomic research centers, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, clinical research organizations, and biotechnology companies. By 2014, Illumina's technology had reportedly reduced the cost of sequencing a human genome to $1,000, down from a price of $1 million in 2007.

When Milsovic joined the Illumina team in September 2020, she brought with her around twenty years of professional experience in the healthcare sector. Before Illumina, Milsovic served as the chief marketing officer for Tektronix, Danaher’s industrial spin-off, a $1 billion manufacturer of scientific devices for testing and measuring. Before that, she spent over a decade in senior and executive positions at Thermo Fisher Scientific. In addition, Milsovic also led global marketing and commercial strategy for Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, a Fortune 500 science and technology innovator. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and economics from Wellesley College. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious Wharton School.

 

15.Ritu Shrivastava
Company: ArisGlobal
Title: Chief of Staff

Ritu Shrivastava is the Chief of Staff at ArisGlobal. ArisGlobal’s SaaS-based drug development platform, LifeSphere®, helps to automate all the core functions of the drug development lifecycle. Headquartered in the United States with offices in Europe, India, Japan, and China, ArisGlobal brings 30 years of deep expertise to its solutions, which have helped hundreds of global life sciences companies bring their products to market quickly and safely. In her role, Shrivastava is responsible for driving initiatives and programs for the CEO and leadership team by providing operational and strategic governance across cross-functional departments. She has been integral in monitoring and measuring metrics and facilitating key improvements for the organization.

Shrivastava brings over 20 years of experience to her role, with specialized expertise in sales enablement, cross-functional process integrations, presales and bid management, business performance metrics, quality assurance, and internal auditing and risk management. Prior to her current role, she served as a business planning manager at software giant Oracle and as an associate consultant at IT mainstay Tata Consultancy Services. Shrivastava received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from NIT Bhopal and completed an executive management program at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

 

16. Lisa Ashby
Company: Carestream Dental
Title: Chief Executive Officer

As Chief Executive Officer of Carestream Dental—which offers technology, software, clinical, and patient solutions for dental practices—Lisa Ashby leads the company in its mission to transform dentistry, simplify technology, and change lives. Ashby started as the leader of the Dental business at Carestream Health in April 2015. When that business unit became the freestanding digital dental technology company Carestream Dental in 2017, Ashby led the charge in transforming it from a capital equipment-oriented business to a full-fledged software, integration, and digital solution company. Ashby’s “outside in” view of supporting customers and employees served the company well in 2020 when it virtualized all customer operations in just 12 hours to ensure Carestream Dental could still be responsive to customer needs during COVID-19 lockdowns around the world.

Ashby has more than 25 years of corporate business experience and has held leadership positions at Cardinal Health, Allegiance, and Baxter Healthcare. In addition to her current role, Ashby is a past board member of BioOhio and AdvaMedDx and has served in multiple non-profit organizations benefitting local and national communities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in public policy, computer science, and psychology from Duke University.

 

17. Julie Walker
Company: symplr
Title: Chief Strategy Officer

Julie Walker is the Chief Strategy Officer, spearheading both strategy and corporate development for symplr, a leading provider of healthcare governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) and business optimization solutions. She works with key industry and business leaders to define strategies and identify growth opportunities for symplr in the quickly evolving healthcare landscape. She also leads the company’s M&A strategy, overseeing the execution and integration of strategic acquisitions and partnerships – most recently API Healthcare, ComplyTrack, TractManager, and Phynd – into symplr’s portfolio.

Previously, Walker successfully led symplr’s Workforce Management and Access Management business segments, transforming both into customer-focused, high-performing portfolio areas for symplr. Prior to joining symplr, Walker held senior roles at ProviderTrust and at the National Healthcareer Association, a division of Ascend Learning – both privately held SaaS healthcare technology companies. She is a driven and accomplished executive leader with a proven track record in the healthcare technology and the security and risk consulting sectors. She is a strategic thinker with an entrepreneurial spirit and a passion for tackling complex challenges. Servant-accountable leadership has been core to her success. Walker earned a bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso University and a master’s degree from Lipscomb University.

 

18. Laurie McGrath
Company: Tecsys
Title: Chief Marketing Officer

Laurie McGrath has built her career on creating awareness around supply chain best practices. As an executive leader in the healthcare technology space, her focus on thought leadership through traditional and digital media has served instrumental in equipping progressive supply chain organizations with first-mover advantage in the adoption of innovative technology. With the clarity she brings to complex supply chain innovations, McGrath helps usher the bleeding edge into the mainstream, helping to forge contemporary healthcare supply chain best practices.

McGrath’s decades of diverse supply chain experience have had a tremendous impact on the healthcare industry. She has served at the front lines of supply chain software provider go-to-market strategy at multiple leading healthcare organizations, architecting the introduction of then-early adopter technologies like ASP, cloud, and RFID. McGrath has held leadership roles across a number of supply chain organizations including HighJump (now Korber) and Intalere (now Vizient), currently serving as Chief Marketing Officer at Tecsys. Her capacity to translate supply chain innovation into pragmatic value drivers has broadly advanced the healthcare supply chain execution industry. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baldwin-Wallace College and completed a mini-MBA program at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

 

19. Sara Jane Bresee
Company: MasterControl
Title: Managing Director of APAC

As Managing Director of APAC, Sara Jane Bresee is charged with increasing market share in China, India, and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region and for ensuring that MasterControl partners worldwide and customers in Asia are successful and well-supported. During her time as EVP of marketing and channel, Bresee rebranded and repositioned MasterControl. Her work strengthened MC's digital demand foundations to enable double-digit growth. She also managed international sales through the indirect channel with a specific focus on China and India growth. In her last role as CMO for Morpho Detection, she architected the digital transformation and brand makeover for this world-class security manufacturer.

Bresee brings more than 20 years of experience in integrated marketing both on the client side and with the global agency MRM//McCann. Before joining the agency, she worked for several world-class brands including FranklinCovey where she repositioned and relaunched ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People’ training product. Additionally, she worked for Intel Corporation and Ford Motor Company. Bresee is a Chicago native and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and French from Michigan State University.

 

20. Stefanie Giddens
Company: QHR Technologies
Title: Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management

Stefanie Giddens has over 15 years of marketing experience and is the Senior Director of Marketing and Product Management at QHR Technologies, a Canadian company whose interactive healthcare solutions empower 18,000 providers and over a million patients. Giddens builds high-performing teams to ensure alignment with corporate objectives, efficient department operations, and consistent delivery of results, and she drives QHR’s mission to unite Canadian healthcare.

Last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic stretched all aspects of healthcare to their limits, QHR provided Medeo virtual care at no charge to support Canadian physicians. This resulted in an immediate surge in demand. Not only did Giddens meet this challenge head-on, leading the teams responsible for user experience, product launches, product management, and messaging, branding, and positioning, but she also guided the development and launch of Accuro Engage, a suite of new virtual care features designed to make safer, more convenient care delivery possible in unprecedented conditions. Giddens’ formal education includes a Bachelor of Journalism degree, an Associate of Arts degree, and certifications with the Sauder School of Business, IFIC, and the Justice Institute.

 

21. Cheryl Michael
Company: CentralReach
Title: Chief Product Officer

Cheryl Michael is CentralReach’s Chief Product Officer, leading the future of the end-to-end platform. With 20+ years of healthcare technology experience, Michael has a proven track record of advancing healthtech platforms forward and driving innovative solutions to the provider market. The healthtech veteran has extensive experience with product development, legacy growth, and expansion, including an ability for building teams that deliver world class customer experiences, and she constantly explores ways to innovate and evolve the workflows of the teams and products she manages. Michael has also launched a variety of solutions at CentralReach that stand to change the way that applied behavior analysis clinicians run their practice and work with their clients with autism.

Prior to CentralReach, Michael was EVP of product management and engineering at Envera Health. She also held strategic product roles at Evolent Health, Picis, and GE/Agility HealthCare Solutions. Named a “Top 25 Leading Women Entrepreneurs in New Jersey” by Leading Women Entrepreneurs & Business Owners, Michael has built her career on optimizing product management practices and delivering innovative healthcare technology solutions. Her ability to enhance healthcare solutions continues to advance CentralReach’s end-to-end software that helps its customers produce superior outcomes for their clients. Michael holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

 

22. Lisa Romano
Company: CipherHealth
Title: Chief Nursing Officer

Lisa Romano RN, MSN is the Chief Nursing Officer of CipherHealth, a proven technology solutions leader committed to enhancing communication and care throughout the patient journey. CipherHealth empowers healthcare organizations to foster meaningful connections to ensure the best possible outcomes for staff members, patients, and their loved ones. Romano is responsible for clinical strategy and developed a best practice approach to purposeful rounding and post-discharge outreach. Using data to drive improvement, she works with hospitals to optimize workflows, configurations, and question sets designed to support improved quality, safety, and clinical outcomes. She is a strong advocate for more effective discharge planning and providing patients and families with a way to escalate care needs post-discharge. She also helped develop CipherHealth’s COVID-19 Crisis Response Solutions & Vaccine Communication Bundle.

Prior to joining CipherHealth, she served as the chief nursing officer for Skylight Healthcare and TeleTracking Technologies. She built a clinical consulting division for TeleTracking and spent 19 years at Lehigh Valley Health Network as an ICU nurse and administrator of patient logistics and transfer center. She holds a seat on the Beryl Patient Experience Solutions Advisory Board and is an inductee of the Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society. She received her RN & Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from East Stroudsburg University and her Master of Science degree in nursing from DeSales University.

 

23. Angie Franks
Company: Central Logic
Title: Chief Executive Officer

Angie Franks is Chief Executive Officer of Central Logic, which works with health systems to ensure that acute and complex patients get the right care in the right location, orchestrating the steps in that process to ensure no delays in care. She has instilled Central Logic with the virtues of grit and focus, with an emphasis on company growth and alignment with clients’ objectives. By partnering with health systems to take the pain and friction out of a complex patient logistics process, Central Logic has helped its health system clients serve more patients and drive significant financial outcomes—while also supporting better patient outcomes and satisfaction.

Franks has more than 25 years of high growth, technology leadership experience. Her areas of healthcare IT expertise include orchestration of health system operations, clinical and financial information systems, enterprise resource planning, telemedicine, and Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions. Franks has served in executive leadership roles at The Advisory Board, Healthland, Lawson Software, and GeoAccess. She is on the board of directors at Medical Alley, the United Hospital Foundation, and the Pinky Swear Foundation. Franks earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in education from St. Catherine University.

 

24. Feyzah Abdelmoumen
Company: Pomelo Health
Title: Vice President of Human Resources

Feyzah Abdelmoumen is the Vice President of Human Resources at Pomelo Health, one of the fastest growing companies in healthcare management and patient engagement software in North America. The company's full platform of products is designed to improve clinic productivity, efficiency, and communications with patients. Spanning over the last two decades, Abdelmoumen has a proven record of leading numerous human resources initiatives, driving efforts around company culture, employer branding, and design and implementation of processes, as well as recruitment at all levels.

From start-up to scale-up, Abdelmoumen has spent the better part of her considerable career growing HR departments in multiple industries by solidifying organizational structure in hyper-growth stages. Notably, she played a vital role in growing Luxury Retreats’ team internationally both prior to and during its acquisition by Airbnb. A recent cancer survivor herself, she insisted on working from the hospital while receiving treatment, so that she could continue contributing to Pomelo’s mission of improving access to care. She is a dedicated volunteer and passionate activist for Elizabeth House, a local charity where she shares her experience to inspire young girls. In 2012, she received a certificate in Human Resources Management from UQAM, Université du Québec à Montréal. In June 2021 she will receive a certificate in Human Resources Leadership from Cornell University.

 

25. Sofia Elizondo
Company: Brightseed
Title Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer

Sofia Elizondo is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Brightseed, a bioscience tech startup located in San Francisco, California. Brightseed discovers new plant-based nutrients that clinically address chronic conditions. The team has developed a computational search engine, Forager, which can identify plant compounds that can be instrumental in returning nutrition to food. Just last year, Brightseed raised $27 million in growth financing, bringing the company's total funding to $52 million since its 2017 launch.

Elizondo has an impressive background in consumer packaged goods (CPG), pharmaceutical, and technology companies. She co-founded Brightseed on the belief that not only do plants have the answers for many people who are suffering but that we also have the advanced machine-learning technology to find them now. Before founding Brightseed, Elizondo worked for food tech companies Hampton Creek and Exo Protein; was a member of the BCG Henderson Institute; and was a special advisor to the United Nations Global Compact. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.