ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ

Andrew Lepkoske

Vice President, Growth, Lucerna

Andrew Lepkoske has recently joined Lucerna as their Vice President, Growth and leads their national expansion in the hospital and health system vertical. He most recently served as the National Sales Director for Medxcel, a healthcares support services management company, Prior to that he served as President and CEO of eHealthScreen a Jacksonville based nurse outreach and engagement company. His healthcare career began in 1993 in hospital operations and transitioned to managed care contracting after earning his master’s degree from the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ in 1998. Beginning in 2005, Andrew began selling hospital support services for several organizations on a regional and then national level. Following these roles, he ventured into value-based care software sales before taking his role at eHealthScreen.

Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of South Florida and is a veteran of the US Army. In addition, Andrew currently serves as co-Chair of the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ MHA Advisory Board.

Lee Bowers, MHA

Senior Vice President, Florida Blue and President of Florida Blue Medicare

Lee Bowers is Senior Vice President, Florida Blue and President of Florida Blue Medicare. Bowers joined Florida Blue in September 2023. In this role, Bowers is responsible for the continued strategic development, launch, and ongoing operations of the enterprise’s Medicare company.

Bowers has more than 30 years in the health care industry. Most recently, Bowers was with Sunshine Health Plan, a Centene Company, serving as the Senior Vice President Medicare, Long-Term Care and Network. Over his career in health care, he has also held leadership and other positions at Humana, Wellcare, Health Care Microsystems, Eckerd Lifecare, Shands, and St. Luke's Hospital/Mayo Clinic. Additionally, Bowers served as a Naval reservist. He has also been an adjunct instructor for both St. Thomas University and the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ.

Throughout his career, Bowers has been active in community organizations. He is currently the Chair of the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ College of Health Advisory Board and previously served as a Board Director at the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County.

Bowers holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in economics and a Master of Health Administration from the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ

Waqas Ahmed, MD, FACP

Founder & CEO American TelePhysicians, CURA4U, NeuroX, SHIFA4U, Speaker at United Nations on Telemedicine, Nephrologist

Dr. Waqas Ahmed is an international speaker on digital health & telemedicine as well as founder & CEO of American TelePhysicians, a physicians-led digital healthcare organization, which is mothership to multiple global healthcare projects. He has been named among Top 20 CEOs of Telemedicine companies in 2020 and has an honor of being invited by United Nations for their high-level meetings on Digital Healthcare and since then has hosted multiple events at United Nations forum on Digital Health. He has also been a member of the World Bank/IFC and WHO think tank team on digital healthcare.

His company American TelePhysicians has digital healthcare projects in multiple countries including USA, Pakistan, Nigeria and Australia. These projects such as CURA4U utilize digital technology & specialty physicians services to bring affordable and convenient healthcare delivery at doorstep.

Dr Ahmed is a graduate of King Edward Medical University Pakistan and is currently based in Jacksonville Florida USA, where he also practices as a Nephrologist and Hypertension Specialist.

Nicole Bradberry

Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of Board Florida Association of ACOs

Nicole Bradberry is the Founder and CEO of the Florida Association of ACOs. The Florida Association of ACOs (FLAACOs.com) is the premier professional organization for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) throughout Florida which provides education and collaboration in the fee for value healthcare space. She is also the Managing Partner of Sunflower Health Advisors, a consulting group focused on helping start-up companies. Previously Nicole was the Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of MIND 24-7. MIND 24-7 runs Mental Health Crisis and Express Centers with a focus on immediate access, quality care and the understanding that mental health and substance abuse drive significant health cost. Prior to MIND 24-7, Nicole was the Co-Founder and Managing Parter for Cura Health Management which creates and manages ACOs and other risk-based contracts. She was also the Executive Director for ACO Health Partners, a Cura fully owned MSSP ACO based in Florida. Cura Health Management is a value-based enablement company which provides services to Providers in value-based healthcare payment models.

Kyle Dorsey, FACHE

Hospital President, Baptist Medical Center South

Kyle W. Dorsey, FACHE, serves as hospital president of Baptist Medical Center South, responsible for the operational and strategic direction of the hospital that serves the fast-growing South Jacksonville and North St. Johns area.

From April 2021 until August 2021, Dorsey served as the interim president of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville. From 2017 to 2021, he served as the vice president of operations at Baptist Jacksonville and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, responsible for numerous clinical and non-clinical areas. He first joined Baptist Health in 2014 as the Assistant Administrator of Clinical and Support Services at Baptist South.

Prior to joining Baptist Health, Dorsey was a Health System Administrator for Duke University Health System. Dorsey has a Master’s in Health Administration from the College of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science from the School of Allied Medical Professions, both at The Ohio State University.

Dorsey is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Board of Directors at Jacksonville Speech and Hearing Center, Lifesouth Community Blood Center, the North Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ Health Administration Advisory Board. He has received numerous health care awards, including being named one of Modern Healthcare magazine’s 25 Emerging Leaders, as well as to the 2019 list of “Rising Stars under 40” by Becker’s Hospital Review.

Michelle Fredenburg, PT, DPT, CSRS, LSVT

Director of Quality Assurance & Reimbursement

Michelle Fredenburg serves as the Director of Quality Assurance & Reimbursement at Cypress Village, where she is responsible for overseeing case management and authorization processes within the Healthcare Center. In this capacity, she also collaborates with various departments to enhance quality assurance measures and elevate the CMS 5-star rating.

Michelle commenced her career in 2008 as a staff physical therapist at Innovative Senior Care by Brookdale in Sun City West, Arizona, where she specialized in treating patients with diverse musculoskeletal and neurological disorders, including joint replacements and Parkinson’s Disease. She progressively advanced through roles as Team Lead and Outpatient Coordinator before assuming the position of Director of Therapy Services at Cypress Village Health Care Center in 2011.

She obtained her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis in 2007 and holds certifications as a Certified Stroke and Rehabilitation Specialist as well as a LSVT BIG certification in Parkinson’s Disease care. In 2024, she was part of the winning team for InnoTank, an LCS initiative aimed at integrating innovative technology to enhance care and operational efficiency within the healthcare sector. Michelle currently services on the OneEHR Advisory Committee at LCS where she works to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of LCS electronic health record systems and workflows.

In her personal time, Michelle enjoys spending quality moments with her daughter, reading, and practicing yoga.

Kevin Kline

Senior Director, Enterprise Accounts, Medtronic

Kevin Kline provides support and strategic insights for healthcare systems nationwide. His main role is to create collaborative and productive relationships between Medtronic and its supply chain, clinical service line, and senior administrative leader customers. He provides a single-point-of-contact for leadership in his partner health systems, aligning Medtronic’s fifteen businesses in one clear customer-centric fashion, by developing a deep understanding of the healthcare system’s needs, priorities, and values. Prior to his current role, Kevin specialized in the field of Spine and Pain Management, having responsibility for a wide range of therapies. These include novel opioid delivery technologies, implantable therapies, and procedural innovation that all center around the goal of providing minimally invasive, opioid-sparing solutions for acute, chronic, and cancer pain.

Kevin also serves as Board President for Casa David (). Casa David is a non-profit organization that aims to offer support for the educational, spiritual and physical needs of family members of hospitalized patients, who travel from afar to hospitals in Honduras and Guatemala.

Kevin is a graduate from Stetson University with a BS in Finance and a minor in Information Systems.

Scott Kashman

President/CEO, Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside

Scott Kashman, MHA, FACHE, is the CEO for Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside. Scott brings thirty years of experience in healthcare strategy, hospital operations, ambulatory care and physician partnerships. His leadership focuses on leveraging the team's skillsets, data analytics and technology to drive innovation and outcomes. He is committed to the health and well-being of each individual as the foundation to building high-performing teams.

He most recently served as Market President & CEO, for St. Dominic Health Services & St. Dominic Hospital, the only Catholic Health system in the state of Mississippi. Prior to St. Dominic's, he served as the Chief Officer of Hospital Operations for Lee Health in Florida, overseeing their four hospitals and $1.5B in net revenue.

A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Scott began his career in healthcare as a psychiatric counselor. He has a Master of Health Administration from Tulane University. He served as faculty for Tulane’s Health Market Analysis course and co-authored the book, Mindful Healthcare: Healthy Team, Healthy Business. He was one of the chapter authors for the ATD Talent Development and Training in Healthcare Handbook.

Scott and Jenny have three adult children, two in Florida schools and one in New York law school. Scott enjoys running, biking, swimming and time with family and friends.

Pete M. Long-Innes

COO, HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital

Pete has served as the Chief Operating Officer at HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital since March of 2021.

HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital is a 411-bed acute care facility recognized as a Top Hospital in Quality by The Joint Commission, ranked as one of America’s Top 100 Hospitals by Healthgrades, ranked #2 in the state for critical care, and a recipient of all of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines Recognition Awards. HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital is a part of the HCA South Atlantic Division and is located in Orange Park, FL. Prior to HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital, Pete served as Chief Operating Officer at Frankfort Regional Medical Center in Frankfort, KY. During his time there he oversaw the creation of a Bariatric service line, multiple capital improvement projects, and partnered to improve clinical outcomes and patient experience.

Pete began his career at HCA Healthcare in 2009, starting as an Emergency Room Technician at Reston Hospital Center. He moved on to roles of increasing administrative responsibility at the HCA Capital Division office, starting with the Strategic Planning and Development team. Pete then transitioned to roles at both Chippenham and Johnston-Willis Hospitals (CJW) where he led multiple capital improvement and growth projects, including the construction of the TriCities Freestanding Emergency Department.

LeeAnn Mengel, RN, MBA, CPC, CMPE, FACHE

Vice President/Administrator, Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center

LeeAnn Mengel, RN, MBA, CPC, CMPE, FACHE is the Vice President/Administrator of Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is responsible for both strategy and operations of the cancer center.

LeeAnn received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Florida State University in 1984 and began her career at Baptist Health as a pediatric oncology nurse. Her interest in business led her to receive her master’s in business administration from Jacksonville University in 1990. LeeAnn accepted an opportunity within Baptist to work on the for-profit arm of Baptist, HMS. Her role included physician recruitments, contract negotiations, and assisting in the development of the employed physician program.

In 1992, LeeAnn served as a Clinical Director in San Francisco, developing a primary care program for the underserved throughout California. On returning to Jacksonville, she became a partner at LBA Healthcare Consulting Services, providing numerous healthcare consulting services for 10 years. In 2010, she returned to Baptist as the Administrator of Baptist Specialty Services. In 2013, she transitioned to Administrator for the Oncology Service Line for Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, responsible for strategic planning, business development, and quality improvement plans for all cancer-related programs. LeeAnn was a key stakeholder in launching the MD Anderson relationship and planning the BMDA program and new facility.

Groundbreaking on the new Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center was June 23, 2016, with the first patients seen on September 4, 2018. LeeAnn assumed the role of Vice President of the Cancer Center in December 2018, collaborating to grow the cancer center and expand services. LeeAnn is a member and fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a board-certified member of the Medical Group Managers Association. She serves on various boards and has past involvement with the Ronald McDonald House and Elder Source.

Kris Roberts, RHIA, MRMC

Chief Operating Officer, Brooks Rehabilitation – Inpatient and Home Health

Kris has served as the chief operating officer for Brooks Rehabilitation, Inpatient and Home Health divisions since 2020. In her role she is responsible for strategy and operations for 3 Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospitals and a 23 county Home Health agency.

Kris began her career with Brooks Rehabilitation in 2003. She started in the outpatient division as the health information manager. After a series of promotions, she took on new responsibilities as the system vice president of revenue cycle and shared services. In 2015, she led the integration of the AmeriCare Home Health acquisition, which increased Brooks’ service area to 23 counties in Northeast Florida and increased the number of patients served in the home health division by 60%. She moved on to roles of increasing responsibility as the Senior Vice President for the Brooks Home Health division. She was then promoted to chief operations officer for Inpatient and Home Health divisions in 2020.

As COO, her teams completed the addition of the 60-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital on the Bartram Campus, as well as a 10 bed expansion and renovation of the 170-bed University campus inpatient rehabilitation hospital. This increased Brooks capacity to serve more patients by an additional 50%.

Kris has a bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management from Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. She received her Medical Rehabilitation Management Certification and is credentialed as a Registered Health Information Administrator. She is also the current chair of the Rehab Council for the Florida Hospital Association.

Eric Ross, RN

Principal & Chief Strategy Officer

Eric Ross is the Principal & Chief Strategy Officer with Two Twelve Benefits, an employee benefits firm workings with organizations of all sizes. He initially moved to Jacksonville in 2001 to attend the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ, where he graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice as well as a minor in Psychology. 

He started his health care journey as a firefighter/paramedic, where he quickly realized his love for patient care. During his time as a firefighter he obtained a second degree in Fire Science Management, as well as a third degree in Nursing from the Florida State College of Jacksonville, eventually leading him to the next stage of his career as a registered nurse. 

While forever grateful for his time on the fire truck, ambulance, and emergency room, Eric quickly realized his passion for patient care extended to include a desire to make an indelible impact in the healthcare industry in Duval County at-large. A self-proclaimed firefighter-turned-registered nurse- turned “EntrepreNurse,” Eric has not only worked in but started, grown, scaled, and sold businesses in complex case management, managed care, pediatric and adult home health care, and now health insurance. 

Eric also hosts a local radio show and podcast titled “What the Health Just Happened?” where he brings on a variety of guests to discuss all things healthcare, community, business and life in hopes to educate, and share a laugh or two, with the guests and listeners. 

Matthew Thompson, MD, FACEP

Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Telescope Health

Dr. Matthew Thompson is a board-certified emergency physician, telehealth innovator licensed in all 50 states, and the co-founder and CEO of Telescope Health, a national virtual healthcare and technology company that removes barriers and improves access to care. Both he and Telescope Health are the recipients of multiple awards, including Jacksonville’s 40 under 40, Tech Leader of the Year, AWS Health Equity Innovation Grant, Innovation on Fire, and Community Impact Awards.

Through his leadership, Telescope Health has partnered with some of the largest national benefit administrators, physician groups, and healthcare organizations in the country to provide care navigation, price transparency, analytics, and virtual care solutions to patients nationally. Locally, Dr. Thompson has built partnerships with the City of Jacksonville and key non-profit organizations to remove barriers to care in at-risk populations. He is an eternal optimist and an innovative problem solver who helped the City of Jacksonville provide testing and virtual care for over 45,000 members of the NE Florida community during the pandemic. That same optimism has fueled his continual desire to fix many of the problems faced by patients in the emergency department.

Deborah Williams

Vice President Human Resources, Shared Services GuideWell Florida Blue

John Wagner

Vice President for Value-Based Care Growth and City Council, Jacksonville Beach

John Wagner, MHA, is Vice President for Value-Based Care Growth for Lucerna Health. As one of the original graduates of ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ’s MHA program, he has developed into a visionary healthcare executive specializing in the strategies of value-based care, product innovation, provider integration, reimbursement, revenue enhancement, value optimization and execution. He has a broad range of experiences gathered from over 20 years spent with Florida Blue (payer) with a focus on reimbursement, product and strategy; starting the healthcare partnership division within Walgreens, Inc. with a focus on innovative healthcare partnerships and standing up three of the first wave of ACOs (retail health/healthcare partnerships), Citra Health Solutions / ACO Health Partners as VP of Clinical Programs and Executive Director of our ACO (value-based capabilities and physician ACOs), Berkley Research Group where he started their Value Based and Managed Care practices, then transitioning to and leading revenue optimization for Flagler Health+ (hospital system) before joining Lucerna Health as VP, Value Based Care Growth. John leverages his deep industry knowledge and relationships to drive Lucerna’s value-based growth strategy and support product development. In the rare moments that John is not talking about value-based care, he serves on the City Council for Jacksonville Beach, or he can be found rooting for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Karen G. Waters, MBA

Hospital Associate Administrator, Mayo Clinic (Florida)

Karen Waters is the Hospital Associate Administrator for Mayo Clinic in Florida. She is responsible for executive oversight of operations in the hospital including the Departments of Hospital Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine, Radiology, Pharmacy, Nutrition Services, Respiratory Therapy and the Hospital Command Center.

Karen began her career with Mayo Clinic in 2004 as a Financial Analyst. Following her service in the finance department, she assisted in the launch of the Department of Planning Services at Mayo Clinic in Florida by serving as the first on-site Planning Analyst. After the strategic planning role, Karen began her career in Administration as an Operations Manager for the Department of Primary Care and Regional Medicine as well as, the Division of Nephrology/Hypertension. She then spent a year working on a practice redesign strategic initiative aimed at optimizing the outpatient practice, after which she returned to the Department of Primary Care and Regional Medicine as the Operations Administrator. In early 2020, Karen rotated into a hospital focused role as the Operations Administrator for Critical Care Medicine, the Care Transitions Clinic and the Hospital Command Center at Mayo Clinic in Florida. In the summer of 2022, she moved into her current assignment.

Karen is a Jacksonville native who earned her Masters of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration, Banking and Finance, from the ÀÏ°ÄÃÅ×ÊÁÏ. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross North Florida Region.