Tom Evans MD, FAAFP, President and CEO at Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHC) | Des Moines, IA

Tom Evans, MD has been resident and CEO of the IHC since 2005. Dr. Evans received both BA and MA degrees from Drake University. He received his MD degree from the University of Iowa in 1983 and completed his Family Medicine residency at Broadlawns Medical Center in 1986. He practiced family medicine for 13 years before serving as Chief Medical Officer for the Iowa Health System from 1999 to 2005. Dr. Evans has served as President of both the Iowa Medical Society and the Iowa Academy of Family Physicians. He has also served on the delegations for both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Dr. Evans is a faculty member with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), the College of Medicine at Des Moines University, and the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Dennis Wagner MPA, Principal and Managing Director, Yes and Leadership | Alexandria, VA

Dennis Wagner is a national and international leader in quality improvement, hospital patient safety, organ donation and transplantation, social marketing and the environment. Dennis and teams that he has led have supported large public and private sector communities of practice in achieving unprecedented improvements and results. Dennis believes in committing to and achieving bold goals in work and in life. Over 33 years in federal civil service, Dennis has learned to respect and appreciate the ability of government to catalyze and support vibrant, rapid, results in national communities of practice. He has also been surprised and profoundly grateful to learn that U.S. civil servants have amazing careers that enable them to lead, support and contribute to major changes and improvements in our nation and the world. Dennis stated that he was privileged to be among the key leaders of a major initiative that has achieved unprecedented improvements in patient safety in United States hospitals, resulting in more than 87,000 lives saved and over $19 billion in cost savings. Dennis and two of his Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) colleagues were recognized as Federal Employees of the Year for this work.

Jennifer Brockman MHA, BSN, RN, Chief Clinical Program Officer at IHC | Des Moines, IA

Jennifer Brockman is chief clinical program officer at Iowa Healthcare Collaborative where she leads an organizational structure that supports quality improvement, patient safety, change management, data analytics, and achievement of strategic directives. Ms. Brockman has more than 20 years of clinical nursing experience in a variety of healthcare settings including acute and long-term care, quality management and infection prevention. She received a bachelor’s degree in science and nursing from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Walden University. Ms. Brockman has extensive experience designing and executing small and large scale clinical and population health strategies, statewide alignment strategies, and national provider networks.

Brian Dieter FACHE, President and CEO at Mary Greeley Medical Center | Ames, IA

Brian Dieter has served as president and CEO of Mary Greeley Medical Center since July 2008. Prior to that, he was the medical center’s chief financial officer for nearly nine years. Before joining Mary Greeley, he spent 10 years at Ancilla Systems Inc. at three affiliated healthcare organizations in financial leadership positions. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Indiana University in 1985 and his Master of Science degree in Administration from the University of Notre Dame in 1998. He is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and former board chair for the Iowa Hospital Education and Research Foundation (IHERF). Dieter is the treasurer of the Iowa Hospital Association. He also serves on the IHC and Health Enterprises boards. He is active in a variety of community organizations, including the Ames Chamber of Commerce, Ames Economic Development Commission, Rotary Club of Ames, and United Way of Story County.

Doug Krug SUS, Organization and Cultural Transformation Expert for Sustainable Profitable Growth, Institute for unLearning and Author for The Missing Piece In Leadership | Denver, CO

Doug is a thought leader in the area of creating and sustaining high-performance teams and organizations. He has written three books (two as co-author) on the power of transformation-in-thinking. The essence of Doug’s work is built around the premise that the core of what makes an effective and inspiring leader cannot be taught, not in the traditional sense - it has to be brought out from within. This includes 15 years as part of the Graduate Program at Johns Hopkins University, being part of executive development programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Navy, Booz Allen Hamilton, College of Southern Maryland, Medicare, The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Secret Service Academy as well as working with executive teams at General Electric, General Motors, National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, Lockheed-Martin, Avaya and Governor’s Cabinets in three states. For the last 20 years Doug has been designing and implementing effective national health AND care improvement initiatives. 

Anthony B. Coleman DHA, President and Chief Executive Officer at Broadlawns Medical Center | Des Moines, IA

Anthony (Tony) enlisted in the United States Navy, serving onboard warships in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. After completing two full sea tours, Tony was commissioned as a Naval Officer. While in graduate school, Tony worked in a rural South Carolina hospital where he discovered his passion for eliminating health disparities among vulnerable populations. During his tenure as a naval officer, Tony served in various roles of increasing responsibility, including department head, medical administrative officer onboard USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75) and CFO and executive board member at Naval Hospital Beaufort, South Carolina. Some highlights of his 20-year military career include earning the enlisted surface warfare specialist designation, surface warfare medical department officer qualification and the executive medicine additional qualifying designator. While in the military, Tony received a secretary of defense appointment to serve as a United States senate youth program military mentor and served as treasurer of the National Association of Health Services Executives, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the advancement and development of African American health care leaders and to elevate the quality of healthcare services rendered to minority and underserved communities. Tony is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds the dual distinction of being an Executive Development Program Fellow and Executive Diversity Scholar. He is also a marshall memorial fellow (MMF) of the German Marshall Fund.

Jade Perdue-Puli MPA, Acting Deputy Director with Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (CQuIPS) | Catonsville, MD

Jade has spent the past nineteen years serving as a catalyst for healthcare transformation in areas with the most vulnerable populations. Her government career began in the field of organ donation and transplantation at the Health Resources and Services Administration where she, as part of a dynamic team of dedicated professionals saved 15,000 additional lives by culling and spreading best practices of high performing organ procurement organizations and transplant centers. Using that knowledge, she joined the CMS, Quality Improvement Innovation Group where she has worked to improve healthcare quality in nursing homes, hospitals and vulnerable populations. Jade’s current role is Acting Deputy Director with AHRQ, CQuIPS.

Jeneen Iwugo, Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CCSQ) at CMS | Windsor Mill, MD

Jeneen Iwugo is deputy director of the CCSQ at CMS. She is the senior government executive accountable for leadership, management and operations of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality. Jeneen has 20 years of government leadership, resource management, quality improvement, communications and policy development expertise. Jeneen is an expert in implementing quality improvement techniques to develop and execute on innovative approaches to the evolving needs of the nation’s healthcare system. In her current role as CCSQ deputy director, Jeneen has executive leadership responsibility for CMS’ Quality programs including the agency’s Quality Improvement Networks, Quality Measurement development, Medicare Coverage and Analysis, Medicare Conditions of Participation and the agency’s Survey and Certification work. 

Joe McCannon MA, Team Lead Office of Climate Change and Health Equity (OCCHE) for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)/AHRQ | Culver City, CA

Joe McCannon works at the HHS/AHRQ as part of the team standing up the new OCCHE; he leads the office’s work to mobilize and support the health sector. He previously served in the Obama Administration as senior advisor to theadministrator at CMS and was part of the founding leadership team at the CMS Innovation (CMMI). Joe was also vice president at the IHI, where he led large-scale improvement initiatives including the 100,000 Lives Campaign, and he was the co-founder and CEO of the Billions Institute, an organization which has supported hundreds of foundations, governments and nonprofits in scaling effective innovations. He has consulted on the topic of large-scale systems change to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization and several nations, and he has taught graduate-level courses on large-scale change and quality improvement at the UPenn School of Social Policy and Practice and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Priya Bathija, Attorney, Adjunct Professor, Non-profit Trustee, Founder of the South Asian Bar Association of North America (SABA) Leadership Institute and Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at the American Hospital Association (AHA) | Chicago, IL

Priya Bathija is the vice president of strategic initiatives at the AHA where she leads AHA’s effort, The Value Initiative, which guides hospitals as they promote value and affordability. She also leads the organization’s work on maternal and child health, the societal factors that influence health and is a member of AHA’s Health Equity Strategies team. Priya is an adjunct professor at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law where she teaches healthcare payment and policy. She serves as a board member of Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, which provides free legal aid for low income residents in Cook County, and 2020 Mom, an organization aimed at closing gaps in maternal mental healthcare. She also serves as a board member for the SABA of North America and founded and facilitates the SABA Leadership Institute, a professional development program for mid-career attorneys that is now in its second year.