Speakers

Vic Aufiero is responsible for overseeing and leading the strategic development and implemention of HANYS’ advocacy, policy and education strategies on issues related to managed care, payer/provider relationships and the broad spectrum of hospital and health system-based behavioral health services. She participates in collaborative efforts with HANYS members and advocates on their behalf with regulators, lawmakers and policy leaders.

Aufiero is a board member of the Holy Cross Club of Eastern NY. Prior to joining HANYS in 2014, she was a staff attorney at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP. Previously, Aufiero was the public policy director at NAMI-NYS.

Aufiero has a Bachelor of Arts from the College of the Holy Cross and a Master of Studies in environmental law and Juris Doctorate degree from Vermont Law and Graduate School. She is a member of both the Massachusetts and New York Bars.

Cristina Batt oversees all of HANYS’ federal government relations and advocacy activity, working with lawmakers and HANYS’ members to advance the association’s legislative and regulatory agenda.

Before joining HANYS, Batt served as vice president, federal relations, for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. In that role, she expanded the profile of IHA’s Washington office and advanced IHA’s advocacy agenda, including successfully securing federal approval of a comprehensive redesign of the state’s provider assessment program.

Batt served nearly eight years in the office of U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), and as senior policy advisor she managed his health portfolio on the Energy and Commerce Committee. After leaving Capitol Hill, Batt spent three years managing the federal relations portfolio for the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and four years as a program analyst at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focusing on HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis prevention and workplace safety. She graduated from Hamilton College.

As a healthcare quality consulting firm with over 200 clients nationwide, SMB specializes in artificial intelligence applications in healthcare clinical and operational performance improvement for healthcare systems and leadership development for administrators, physicians and trustees. Through SMB, Berkowitz has also developed a successful chief medical officer one-on-one advisory program for new and experienced CMOs. Dr. Steven Berkowitz has over 30 years of experience in executive healthcare management and consulting.

Previously, Berkowitz was the chief physician executive and president of the medical group for Northern Light Health, a nine-hospital system in Maine. For 13 years before that, he was the chief medical officer of St. David’s Healthcare, a six-hospital system in Austin, Texas, and the chief medical officer for the Central and West Texas Division of HCA Healthcare. He was chairman of the board of Capital Area Providers, a 501(a) Texas medical foundation with over 800 participating physicians. In 2008, St. David’s won the Texas Award for Performance Excellence and in 2014 was the national Malcolm Baldrige award recipient.

Before these positions, Berkowitz was national practice leader for physician services with the Hay Group. He was a senior executive for Harris Methodist Health System serving as medical director of the HMO and chief medical officer for the integrated delivery system. He was medical/executive director for The Travelers in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 2014, Berkowitz was appointed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry to serve as chairman of the board of the Texas Institute for Health Care Quality and Efficiency.

He has served on the boards of the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care, the Texas Hospital Association, the Texas Health Care Information Council and the Texas Association for Healthcare Quality.

Berkowitz is board certified in internal medicine and a prominent national speaker and writer in the healthcare arena. As a consultant, he specializes in healthcare quality improvement.

Berkowitz was awarded a Fellowship in the American College of Cardiology in 2016.

Congressman Tim Bishop works with clients to develop policy, provide communication channels with the executive branch and advocate directly for clients with the legislative branch.

Bishop entered the private sector after serving as a member of Congress (D-NY) on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Education and Labor Committee for 12 years. He was also the Ranking Member of the Water Resources and Environment subcommittee for four years, and a recognized expert on higher education policy. Bishop maintains excellent relationships on both sides of the aisle and with the New York congressional delegation.

He worked at Southampton College for 29 years, including 16 years as the Campus Provost. In addition to his work at Envision, he is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at The College of the Holy Cross (his alma mater). Bishop served for five years as a director of the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation and is currently a director of the Suffolk County Water Authority.

Donna Budak brings nearly 30 years of fundraising experience, including more than two decades leading high-performing foundation teams within major health systems, and currently serves as executive advisor for the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy. Most recently, she was vice president and chief philanthropy officer for CommonSpirit Health’s St. Luke’s Foundation, where she oversaw development strategy across 15 Texas hospitals and helped launch a major campaign for its academic medical center. Her expertise spans enterprise strategy, capital campaigns, board governance, physician engagement and executive alignment. Previously, she held senior roles in Chicago-area health foundations and advanced through leadership positions at Ascension foundations, building deep experience in system integration and philanthropic growth.

Budak began her career in arts and education fundraising. She holds degrees from Thomas Jefferson University and Indiana Wesleyan University, and remains an active leader in the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and other professional and community organizations.

Vikki Choate is a long-tenured Huron coach and consultant who has helped well over 100 healthcare organizations improve quality and patient safety; public quality and patient safety rankings, ratings and grades; patient experience; and operational and financial performance.

As Huron’s quality, safety and high reliability executive leader, Choate serves small rural, community, regional, large system and academic healthcare settings across the U.S. and Canada. She works actively with healthcare governing bodies to understand, embrace and effectively operationalize their fiduciary responsibility to provide governance and oversight of the quality and safety of care their institutions provide.

Choate is well known for her practical approach to optimizing performance by translating strategic imperatives into actionable steps that inspire and engage senior leaders and organizations to place the quality and safety of care as their top priority.

Strategic Advisor
NRC Health

Advisor
The Governance Institute

Ryan Donohue is a nationally recognized expert on healthcare consumerism, brand strategy, trust and patient experience. He helps leaders at any level understand how consumer expectations are transforming industries and what brands must do to remain trusted, competitive and relevant.

Donohue is the newly minted CEO of Golden Advisory, a healthcare-focused strategic firm serving health systems big and small. He possesses two decades of experience in healthcare brand strategy, marketing and strategic planning. He advises NRC Health and serves as faculty and strategic advisor to The Governance Institute.

Donohue has worked with many top health systems and hospitals to understand the changes resulting from a more consumer-centric healthcare climate. He continues to research how consumers make decisions and how providers can move to the leading edge in consumer and patient engagement and retention.

He has authored many publications on the topic of consumerism including “The New Payer: What Makes the Healthcare Consumer Tick?” and “The Curious Case of the Healthcare Consumer.” His research culminated in the book, “Patient No Longer: How You Can Lead the Consumer Revolution of Healthcare,” now in its second edition.

Michael Dowling is one of healthcare’s most influential voices, taking a stand on societal issues such as gun violence and immigration that many healthcare leaders shy away from. As CEO emeritus, he serves Northwell Health in an advisory capacity, supporting the advancement of key public health initiatives, and focusing on teaching and writing.

Dowling served as Northwell’s first president and CEO for more than 23 years before transitioning to his role of CEO emeritus in October 2025. His tenure was characterized by significant growth, industry innovation and a steadfast commitment to enhancing health for all.

Dowling has been honored with many awards over the years. In 2024, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland presented him with an Honorary Fellowship, the organization’s highest honor that recognizes those who have made significant contributions and who can inspire future generations of surgical leaders. In 2020, he received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad, which recognizes individuals for their contributions to Ireland and to Irish communities abroad, presented by the President of Ireland. He also received an honorary fellowship of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and is a board member of the Foreign Policy Association.

In addition, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and several honorary degrees from Fordham University, University College Dublin (Ireland) and the prestigious Queen’s University Belfast.

In 2025, TIME recognized Dowling as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Global Health. In 2020, he received the Deming Cup from the Columbia Business School and was ranked No. 1 on Modern Healthcare’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare in 2022. He also chairs the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Before joining Northwell in 1995, Dowling served in New York state government for 12 years. He held several leadership roles, including director of health, education and human services; commissioner of social services; and deputy secretary and chief adviser to former Gov. Mario Cuomo. Dowling was previously a professor of social policy and an assistant dean of Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Services.

Dowling is a respected author of multiple books, covering both critical healthcare topics and his life story. His works include “Leading Through a Pandemic” (2020) on Northwell’s COVID-19 response, his 2020 memoir “After the Roof Caved In,” and the co-authored “The Aging Revolution” (2024) and “Health Care Reboot” (2018), which explore geriatric health advancements and broader trends in American medicine, respectively.

Thomas Hallisey formulates and executes HANYS’ state and federal health information technology regulatory and legislative advocacy agenda. This includes working with government agencies, lawmakers and other organizations to advance HANYS’ HIT agenda on behalf of New York’s hospitals and health systems.

Hallisey’s career includes extensive HIT work in the hospital setting, beginning as an application analyst at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Connecticut, and then working at several hospitals in New York state. He served as director of information services at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, then as vice president, information management, and chief information officer at Cortland Regional Medical Center. Next, he joined Menusguide.com, a startup company, as chief technology officer, and served as CIO for United Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Most recently, he was executive IT adviser and CIO at Hartman Executive Advisors, an IT consulting firm.

Hallisey serves as a trustee on the board of directors of Columbia Memorial Health and is an adjunct assistant professor at Downstate Health Sciences University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut. He has an ITIL v.3 Foundation Certification and is an affiliate of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and Healthcare Information Management Systems.

As executive director of HTNYS, Nick Henley is principally focused on assisting healthcare board members through education, communications and advocacy. In this role, Henley works directly with the HTNYS board and oversees HTNYS’ advocacy and educational initiatives.

As HANYS’ vice president of external affairs, Henley is point person for interacting with the senior leadership of hospitals and health systems across the state. He directs HANYS’ member services, including industry-leading member engagement efforts, analysis of healthcare system and market trends, and development of strategic public policy.

Henley also leads HANYS’ political action efforts, serving as treasurer of HANYS’ influential state and federal political action committees. He took on these roles in 2015 after working in the association’s governmental affairs division for ten years, including serving as director of governmental affairs.

Before coming to HANYS in 2005, he worked at the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy in Albany and in various capacities at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany. Henley graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and from the School of Public Health at the State University of New York at Albany with a Master of Public Health concentrating in health policy and management.

Chair
Olean General Hospital

Trustee
Kaleida Health

Dr. Muhammed Javed is currently chair of the Olean General Hospital Board and is a trustee of Kaleida Health. He has served on the health system’s board since the inception of the Upper Allegheny Health System in 2009.

Javed established a Nephrology Practice in Olean, New York, more than 19 years ago and was instrumental in the establishment of the Marie Lorenz Dialysis Center at Olean General Hospital, where he currently serves as medical director. The Dialysis Center provides life-sustaining treatment to patients in the Twin Tiers who are suffering from end-stage renal disease. Javed is also medical director of Divita Bradford Dialysis.

He has held various leadership positions at both Olean General Hospital and Bradford Regional Medical Center. Javed serves as assistant medical director and physician advisor at Olean General Hospital. He has been president of the Olean General Hospital medical staff, chairman of the department of medicine and has served on numerous other hospital committees. To enhance his leadership capabilities, he completed the process for national certification as a certified medical staff leader. He has served as president of McKean County Medical Society. He is a clinical assistant professor at State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine, teaching resident physicians at Olean General Hospital’s family medicine residency program and is three-time winner of the program’s “best teacher award.”

He is a current member of The Physician Leadership Board of Optimum Physician Alliance, an independent practice association of more than 500 Western New York primary care physicians and specialists and serves as the chair of its quality committee. Javed has long been active in the local community. He is currently a board member of the Olean/Bradford YMCA.

Javed completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in nephrology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

Former CEO
Jefferson Health

Dr. Stephen Klasko is a pioneering healthcare innovator who bridges traditional academic medicine with generative AI, digital medicine and entrepreneurship.

His transformative career includes serving as dean of two medical colleges, as a health system CEO and as a university president. He led Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health from 2013 to 2022, during which it became the fastest-growing academic medical center in the nation, expanding from $1.5 billion to $10 billion in revenue.

He also facilitated a merger between a 200-year-old health science university and a top-five design university focused on the "design of the human experience in healthcare," creating the first dual MD-Masters of Design program.

Over the past decade, he has been recognized as the second most influential person in healthcare by Modern Healthcare, listed among the top 25 most creative people in business by Fast Company, and named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young.

His book with Hemant Taneja, CEO of General Catalyst, “Unhealthcare: A Manifesto for Health Assurance,” has become a must-read guide for anyone interested in healthcare transformation.

In his current roles at General Catalyst and as a public board chair for Teleflex and DocGo, Klasko continues to drive revolutionary change in healthcare and higher education, establishing himself as a visionary leader at the intersection of medicine, technology and innovation.

CEO Emeritus
Grinnell Regional Medical Center

Todd Linden is dedicated to improving the well-being of individuals and advancing the Quadruple Aim of healthcare: enhancing patient experience, improving population health, reducing costs and supporting caregiver well-being. Linden Consulting partners with governing boards and executive leadership teams nationwide to strengthen governance practices, facilitate strategic planning and board development, and build high-trust relationships among boards, medical staff and administrative leadership.

Under Linden’s leadership, Grinnell Regional Medical Center gained national recognition for innovation in quality, safety and healing environments, with features in The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He retired from Grinnell Regional Medical Center after 24 years as president and CEO, where he was named CEO Emeritus. Earlier in his career, he served as administrator of Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson, Iowa (1989-1994), a system providing the full continuum of care including acute care, long-term care, skilled nursing, independent living, hospice and home health.

He has received numerous honors, including the University of Iowa’s Outstanding Alumni Award, the Iowa Hospital Association’s Excellence in Leadership Award and AHA’s Board of Trustees Award. Linden has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and participated in special conferences on healthcare and economic development with Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

Linden has served on the boards of the AHA, Grinnell College, AHA Health Forum, University of Iowa College of Public Health and National Rural Advisory Committee for HHS.

He is also an adjunct professor and executive-in-residence in the department of health management and policy at the University of Iowa College of Public Health and serves as faculty for the American College of Healthcare Executives, where he has taught in the CEO Boot Camp and served on the editorial board of Frontiers of Health Services Management. Linden is an advisor to governWell™, a nationally recognized organization focused on governance excellence, and a member of Pivot Health Advisors.

Linden holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Iowa and is a fellow of ACHE.

Karen Madden is an experienced healthcare leader specializing in rural health and policy development and implementation. In her current role, she works to improve access to quality healthcare services for rural populations, supports healthcare providers in rural areas and promotes the development of innovative healthcare delivery models. She has been recognized for her contributions to rural health at both the state and national levels.

Madden is a native upstate New Yorker and proud alumnus of the State University of New York, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from SUNY Oswego and a master’s degree in public affairs and policy from the University at Albany.

Trustee
Loretto

Chair Emeritus and Professor, Emergency Medicine
Upstate Medical University

Dr. John McCabe is professor and chair emeritus in the department of emergency medicine at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. From May 2009 until January 2017, he served as CEO of University Hospital and senior vice president for hospital affairs at Upstate Medical University.

McCabe received his MD from the Upstate Medical College of Medicine in Syracuse in 1979. He completed a residency in emergency medicine at the Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. Following the completion of residency training, he joined the staff as an assistant and then associate professor of emergency medicine at the Wright State University School of Medicine. McCabe developed a research program and research laboratory for emergency medicine research at Wright State University.

In 1987, McCabe joined the faculty at State University of New York Upstate Medical University as the associate director of critical care and emergency medicine. In 1991, an academic department of emergency medicine was formed and McCabe became the founding chair. He was instrumental in developing the residency program in emergency medicine at Upstate, which began in July 1992. He served as chair of the department of emergency medicine until 1996.

From 1996 to 2001, McCabe served as vice president and vice dean for clinical affairs at Upstate Medical University. He was responsible for oversight of the clinical system, including the University Hospital, ambulatory practice sites, and forming relationships with other hospitals and healthcare facilities in Central New York. He was responsible for the coordination of academic activities within the clinical science departments of the College of Medicine.

McCabe has practiced emergency medicine at University Hospital and the Veterans Administration Medical Center. He previously served as the director of hyperbaric medicine at University Hospital, Syracuse. He was also the founding fellowship director of the training program in undersea and hyperbaric medicine at University Hospital.

In 2004, McCabe again assumed the position of chair of the department of emergency medicine at the Upstate Medical University. He served in this capacity until 2009 when he assumed the position of University Hospital CEO. In this role, he oversaw the opening of the Golisano Children’s Hospital, the construction of the Upstate Cancer Center and the acquisition of Community General Hospital.

McCabe’s research interests have covered numerous aspects of emergency medicine including the treatment of Hemorrhagic Shock, cardiac resuscitation and the care of patients in the pre-hospital environment.

From 1985 to 1993, McCabe served as editor-in-chief of the international medical journal Resuscitation, which is devoted to all aspects of cardiac arrest, cardiac resuscitation and acute cardiac disease.

McCabe served as president of the Ohio Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians and served on the National Board of Directors of the College. He held all offices in ACEP, including president from 1993 to 1994. He served as a trustee on the American Board of Emergency Medicine from 1996 to 2006 and held all offices within the organization, including president of the board from 2004 to 2005. Representing emergency medicine, he was elected to the board of directors and executive committee of the American Board of Medical Specialties and served as board chair from 2011 to 2012.

McCabe has previously served as vice chair of the board of directors of the Academic Group, a member-owned professional liability insurance company providing medical malpractice insurance solutions to academic faculty. He served as an honorary board member from 2009 until 2017.

Currently, he serves as vice chair and trustee for Cazenovia College, on the Board of Managers for Loretto and as a board member emeritus at the Syracuse Rescue Mission.

Dr. James McDonald has served as New York State Commissioner of Health since January 2023. As commissioner, he leads one of the nation’s largest and most complex public health agencies, overseeing efforts to protect and improve the health of New Yorkers across the state.

Under his leadership, DOH has strengthened and modernized New York’s public health system following the COVID-19 pandemic, reinforced its commitment to health equity, expanded public health preparedness efforts, and advanced science-based public health policy and communication. McDonald has also led initiatives focused on maternal and child health, healthcare access, overdose prevention, infectious disease response and strengthening trust in public health information.

Before joining DOH in July 2022, McDonald served at the Rhode Island Department of Health from 2012 to 2022 in multiple leadership roles, including interim director of health, chief administrative officer of the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, medical director for the COVID Unit, medical director for the Division of Healthcare Quality and Safety and medical director for the Drug Overdose Prevention Program. He also served on the governor’s Task Force on Preventing Overdose Deaths.

McDonald holds faculty appointments at the University at Albany School of Public Health and the Brown University School of Public Health. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, completed his pediatric residency in the U.S. Navy and completed his preventive medicine residency through the State University of New York. He earned his Master of Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Siena College.

Board certified in both pediatrics and preventive medicine, McDonald’s career has included service as an officer in the U.S. Navy, private practice in rural communities experiencing healthcare shortages and service with the Indian Health Service in the Navajo Nation, where he served as medical director of outpatient medicine in Chinle, Arizona.

In May 2024, Siena College awarded McDonald a Doctor of Humane Letters degree in recognition of his exemplary achievement, leadership and commitment to humanitarian ideals.

Doug Morse is a former rural hospital CEO, network system executive and lifelong rural healthcare zealot. He knows hospitals and clinics are engines that drive a community way of life. Today, he helps hospital c-suites and boards grow their organizations and rally stakeholders through entrepreneurial strategic planning and leadership training.

He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Luther College and Master of Business Administration and Master of Health Administration degrees from the University of Iowa. The author of “You Got This: How to Make Big Decisions at Small Hospitals” and “Calming the Whirlwind: Become More Strategic and Take Control of Your Day”, Morse was twice recognized as a college faculty Teacher of the Year and was recognized with the Iowa Hospital Association Young Executive Achievement Award.

Amy Nickson oversees HANYS’ state-level legislative, regulatory and administrative priorities and related analyses and programs. She joined HANYS in 2018 as vice president, governmental affairs. Nickson’s extensive experience in the government and legislative arena allows her to navigate the complexities of state government and work to advance New York’s hospitals and health systems’ state-level priorities.

Nickson previously served as vice president, policy and external affairs, at Community Health Care Association of New York State. Before that, Nickson spent 10 years at the Department of Health, most recently as assistant commissioner of the Office of Governmental and External Affairs. In that role, she was responsible for advising the commissioner of health and senior officials in the governor’s office and the Division of the Budget on policy matters. Nickson also served as a key representative in executive budget development and annual negotiations with the Legislature. Prior to this, she served as deputy director of DOH’s Office of Governmental Affairs. Before joining DOH, Nickson spent a decade in the New York State Assembly, where she served as a legislative analyst working on a variety of human services-related issues. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Richmond.

Laura Palmer advocates on behalf of HANYS’ post-acute care members and seeks to drive meaningful change to improve the care of older adults.

She has nearly 20 years of experience working in aging and long-term care and brings a unique perspective to the way that New York cares for older adults. Beginning her career as a skilled nursing facility social worker and managing the day-to-day well-being of nursing home residents, she rose to department director and managed a team of social workers, coordinating facility admissions and working closely with hospital partners to ensure a smooth transition from the acute to post-acute care setting.

In 2014, she transitioned to DOH where she worked under the director of the division of long-term care and was selected to help lead the development of an aging and long-term care team under the direction of the state health commissioner. This team led to the creation of DOH’s Office of Aging and Long-Term Care.

During her time at DOH, she helped to advance aging and long-term care priorities, including the statewide Master Plan for Aging. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Palmer joined HANYS as director of regulatory affairs and in the fall 2024 moved into the role of senior director of post-acute and continuing care services. Palmer holds a master’s degree in social work from the State University of New York at Albany.

Director, Community Health Policy
HANYS

Kristen Phillips is responsible for developing educational programs for trustees, including HTNYS’ signature event, the Annual Trustee Conference. She is also responsible for planning the annual workshop for executive assistants and board coordinators. Phillips also serves as director of community health policy for HANYS, where she manages the association’s community health agenda, including policy development, advocacy and educational programming.

Before joining HANYS, Phillips worked for 14 years in various roles at LeadingAge New York, an association that represents not-for-profit and public continuing care providers. In her most recent role as vice president of education, she oversaw the development of all educational programming, including multiple annual conferences, in-person seminars and audio conferences aimed at keeping long-term care professionals informed and providing continuing education credits.

Phillips holds a Master of Public Administration degree in healthcare policy and management and public management from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Siena College. She attended the Empire State Society of Association Executives Leadership Academy from 2014 to 2015 and earned her Certified Association Executive credential through the American Society of Association Executives in 2015.

Tom Quatroche leads advocacy in Albany and Washington, D.C., on behalf of New York’s nonprofit and public hospitals, health systems and post-acute and continuing care providers and the patients they serve. He oversees all of HANYS’ work, including its educational programs, policy and data analysis, quality improvement initiatives and nationally engaged for-profit business services.

Prior to joining HANYS in 2026, Quatroche spent more than 20 years at Erie County Medical Center Corporation, where he was appointed president in 2015, followed by CEO and president in 2016. In these capacities, Quatroche provided leadership for over 3,800 staff members at ECMC, Terrace View Long Term Care facility and additional outpatient locations. His responsibilities included all strategic initiatives of the corporation, including affiliations with Great Lakes Health of Western New York, Kaleida Health, University at Buffalo and many other community organizations important to the corporation’s strategic direction. He previously served as ECMC’s senior vice president of marketing, planning and business development from 2004 to 2015.

Quatroche has served on HANYS’ board of trustees since 2016 and was its chair in 2020; that year, he also served as a member of the New York Medicaid Redesign Team II, was co-lead of the Western New York Vaccine Hub established to drive regional COVID-19 vaccine distribution and uptake, and served on New York’s Health Care Administrative Simplification Workgroup. In 2026, Quatroche was named a member of New York’s FutureWorks Commission. He is a former board member of America’s Essential Hospitals and served as its chair from 2025 to 2026.

HANYS, in partnership with the American Hospital Association, presented Quatroche with the 2025 New York State Grassroots Champion Award. He has been recognized for several consecutive years in the New York publication City & State, both on the Health Care Power 100 and Trailblazers in Health Care lists. He has also been a featured presenter at healthcare conferences regarding various policy issues, including federal healthcare reform.

Quatroche received his bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from the State University of New York College at Fredonia, a master’s degree in student personnel administration from Buffalo State University and his doctorate in higher education – educational leadership and policy from University at Buffalo.

Kathleen Rauch has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare quality, patient safety, and regulatory and accreditation compliance. Working in the acute care setting, she has served as a lead on initiatives for adopting the Just Culture methodology, achieving zero preventable harm and implementing strategies to improve performance on value-based payment programs. Rauch has been published in the Journal of Healthcare Quality and has served as a presenter at regional conferences where she has shared readmission reduction strategies. As vice president of HANYS’ QARI division, Rauch provides strategic direction, planning, coordination and oversight for development and execution of HANYS’ quality and patient safety agenda. She oversees numerous quality improvement grant projects, directs the formulation of advocacy and education strategies for HANYS’ quality agenda, collaborates with HANYS’ members, advocates on their behalf with regulators and policymakers, and develops collaboratives and other educational resources. She holds a Master of Science in healthcare quality and safety from Thomas Jefferson University.

Karen Roach develops and implements HANYS’ regulatory reform agenda, including an ongoing initiative to streamline the Certificate of Need process. Her other focus areas include health planning, emergency preparedness and HANYS’ rural constituency. Roach regularly attends meetings of state policymaking bodies, including the Public Health and Health Planning Council and the Rural Health Council, and assists in coordinating testimony to both councils on regulatory and health planning issues. Before joining HANYS in 2002, she had 15 years of experience writing and editing for newspapers, electronic media and government agencies.

Roach holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and a master’s degree in public health from the State University of New York at Albany.

Steve Stallmer possesses a unique combination of government experience, campaign strategy, association management and public relations skills that he uses to navigate complex legislative and regulatory processes for his clients. Over the past six years at Envision he has represented a variety of corporate and not-for-profit clients at the state and federal levels, focusing on transportation, healthcare and environmental issues. 

Stallmer has over 20 years of political and legislative experience, working with four different members of the New York congressional delegation, culminating as a chief of staff. Stallmer was vice president for government affairs and communications for a statewide trade association, where he lobbied the New York State Legislature and congressional delegation on construction, tax, labor and regulatory issues. He also served as the spokesman for the statewide group and worked closely with state and federal agencies.