Speakers

Jeff Alexander, Director of Business Development, Avow, Inc.
Jeff Alexander has been helping others access healthcare for over 30 years.  Nearly half of that time has been spent marketing to seniors, primarily hospice. Jeff and his team have facilitated growth for Avow year over year.  Jeff’s approach to data analysis and its presentation has been a cornerstone of that growth.

Carla Armstrong, Director of Philanthropy, Gulfside Healthcare Services
Carla Armstrong, Director of Philanthropy at Gulfside Healthcare Services, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) with more than 30 years’ experience in non-profit fundraising and business development. Carla holds a B.F.A. in Dance from The Juilliard School and Certificate in Nonprofit Management from The University of Tampa.

Jason Bring, Partner, Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Is a hospice attorney with over 25 years of experience. Serves on the Board of Georgia Hospice and most recently served on the NAHC Board.

JoAnn Bross, LCSW, ACHP-SW, Director of Social and Volunteer Services, Gulfside Healthcare Services
JoAnn Bross is Director of Social and Volunteer Services for Gulfside Healthcare Services. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Qualified Supervisor for Clinical Licensure in the State of Florida and awarded Advanced Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care in Social Work from the National Association of Social Workers.

Alyssa Cadwalader, MA, RN, MT-BC, CSSBB, Vice President of Continuous Improvement, Empath Health
Alyssa Cadwalader, MA, RN, MT-BC, CSSBB, is the Vice President of Continuous Improvement at Empath Health. With extensive experience in quality improvement and Lean Six Sigma, Alyssa leads enterprise-wide process improvements, clinical education, accreditation, and infection prevention. She is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt and a board-certified music therapist, dedicated to enhancing quality and customer experience through visionary leadership and innovative methodologies.

Erick Casillas, Director of IT, Gulfside Healthcare Services
Erick Casillas, the Director of IT at Gulfside Healthcare Services, has over 20 years of experience in IT healthcare and engineering. He excels in SharePoint solutions, migrations, automation, and integrating advanced IT systems within healthcare environments, with the goal of significantly improving patient outcomes and streamlining processes.

Brett Culp

Brett Culp is an acclaimed filmmaker and social entrepreneur whose work has inspired audiences around the world. He is the personal cinematographer for Hollywood stars, music icons, beloved authors, hall of fame athletes, and royal families. His films have been featured on Netflix, Apple TV, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. With his uplifting documentary film Legends of the Knight, Brett pioneered a ground-breaking approach to community building and relationship-driven engagement.

Catherine Dehlin, RN, BSN, CHPN, Senior Hospice Consultant, Confidis Consulting, LLC.
Catherine is a senior leader in hospice and palliative care, currently serving as a consultant with Confidis Consulting, LLC. With extensive experience in overseeing hospice organizations, she specializes in optimizing clinical practices, integrating innovative technologies, and enhancing quality care. Catherine is dedicated to delivering sustainable, patient-centered solutions in the healthcare industry.

Brianna Delarosa, Vice President Organizational Development & Learning, Empath Health
Brianna Delarosa, Vice President of Organizational Development and Learning at Empath Health, leverages her social work and psychology background to drive leader development, academic partnerships, and colleague education. Since joining Empath in 2005, she has advanced through key roles, shaping learning strategies and fostering a culture of growth and continuous improvement.

Shannon Cooper, VP of Quality and Education, Treasure Coast Hospice
With over 15 years of experience in hospice and home care, Shannon has held several key leadership roles at Treasure Coast Hospice since beginning her career in 2009. As the Vice President of Quality and Education, she leads the organization’s comprehensive quality program, including achieving Joint Commission Accreditation and driving strategic initiatives that enhance patient care and operational excellence. Throughout her career, Shannon has held pivotal positions, including Director of Quality and Education, Director of Inpatient Services, and Program Manager for Patient-Centered Value-Based Care and Community Care Program Manager. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Florida Atlantic University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Administration from Indiana University. Shannon’s commitment to quality, education, and patient-centered care continues to shape and advance the mission of Treasure Coast Hospice.

Joanne Eason, President, Five Wishes.
Joanne Eason is a Senior Advisor for Five Wishes, an advance care planning program created by the national non-profit, Aging with Dignity. She works with the more than 40,000 partner organizations to assist in starting conversations with various audiences regarding discussions and documentation about medical care prior to a serious illness. She assists with program development, outreach and distribution of millions of Five Wishes documents annually.  Joanne has more than 30 years of communication experience – centered primarily in the health and insurance industries – and provides strategic counsel on how best to implement the Five Wishes framework. She has led national crisis communication programs, rebranding programs for several health organizations, and counseled executives on effective communications.

JJ Jarrell, Senior Consultant, The Krizner Group.
Certified Leadership Coach, John Maxwell Company Respected Leadership Expert in Cultural Improvements & People-Centric Leadership.

Jennifer Kennedy, VP, Quality, Standards, & Compliance, CHAP.
Dr. Jennifer Kennedy is the Vice President for Quality, Standards, and Compliance at CHAP and is a nationally recognized hospice expert. She has more than 35 years of experience as a leader and nurse in diverse healthcare settings and has worked in hospice and palliative care for the last 25+ years.

Ted Kennedy, Ed.D., Disaster Preparedness and Response, SME.
Ted Kennedy is a Senior Emergency Management Specialist with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and currently serves as the Branch Chief for Operational Planning in the Planning Division of the Office of Strategy, Planning, Policy and Requirements, under the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR). He has served in various emergency preparedness and response positions in the ASPR since 2006 including an assignment for over a year as the Operations Division Director.

Elizabeth Kerns, Chief Digital Innovation Officer, Gulfside Healthcare Services.
Elizabeth Kerns has served as the CIO at Gulfside Healthcare Services for the past two years, bringing with her 35 years of experience and advanced education in information technology and digital transformation leadership. She excels in leveraging data and technology, combined with best practice processes, to achieve strategic objectives.

Irene Hernandez, Senior Business Development Executive, MissionCare Collective
Irene Hernandez the Business Development Executive at MissionCare Collective, is a dynamic sales and healthcare professional with a decade of experience in finance and a deep passion for improving care delivery. With a background as an EMT and caregiver, she brings firsthand insight into the challenges of frontline care, fueling her commitment to innovative workforce solutions in home care and hospice. Specializing in recruitment, retention, and employee engagement strategies, Hernandez builds strong industry relationships to help organizations navigate today’s workforce challenges.

Igal Ladabaum, CEO, Hospi Corporation.
Igal is a seasoned medical device entrepreneur and executive,  and the CEO and co-founder of Hospi Corporation. As such he is well versed in matters of compliance and best practices in the hospice industry.

Patty Mathews, Director of Quality, Chapters Health System
Patty Mathews holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration and is certified as a hospice and palliative care nurse, as well as a professional in healthcare quality. With over 20 years of dedication to hospice care, she is a passionate nurse leader committed to promoting accessibility to high-quality, patient-centered hospice care. Patty is always ready to engage in meaningful hospice conversations to enhance care standards.

Allison E. Maughn, CFO, Gulfside Healthcare Services, Inc.
Allison Maughn is the Chief Financial Officer at Gulfside Healthcare Services, where she oversees financial strategy & planning, financial operations, revenue cycle, and organizational credentialing. With over two decades of experience in Hospice and Home Health Finance, Allison has been a collaborative partner in driving the company’s growth and profitability. The added value she has brought to Gulfside Healthcare Services, Inc. in the last several years is her demonstrated ability to translate operations to dollars, regulatory changes into operational procedures and data into the financial storytelling needed to support the organization. Her educational background includes an MBA from Webster University, a BBA in Accounting from Stetson University in Florida and two HFMA certifications. She has served on committees within the industry and is also a member of the Florida Institute of CPAs, Health Financial Management Association (HFMA) and the Home Care and Hospice Financial Managers Association (HHFMA).

Mike Parkin, Director of IT Security CISO, Chapters Health System
A dedicated security leader with a demonstrated history of working in the health care industry. Skilled in organizational security, risk management, HIPAA, and IT infrastructure management.  Obtained a Master of Science (MS) focused in Cybersecurity as well an MBA in IT Management.  Alphabet soup of certifications include CISSP, CISM, CHISL, GSTRT, CEH, and CHFI.  Mike has helped build Chapters Health’s information security function and develop a Risk based audit function using HITRUST as Chapter’s guiding framework.

Lea Pascotto, Manager of Supportive Care, Avow.
Lea Pascotto is a dedicated professional with a rich background in education and counseling, currently serving as an integral member of the Avow team for the past four years. Pascotto holds a pivotal role as she manages the bereavement program.

Markie Rodgers, Director of Revenue Cycle Management, Gulfside Healthcare Services
Markie Rodgers is a seasoned Revenue Cycle Management professional with over 20 years of expertise in hospice, home health, and physician services. A hands-on leader, she excels in optimizing front and back-end processes, implementing new technologies, and enhancing operational efficiency. Currently serving as Director of Revenue Cycle Management at Gulfside Healthcare Services, she specializes in financial strategy, compliance, and performance analytics. Markie has a proven track record of streamlining workflows, improving revenue capture, reducing bad debt, and ensuring regulatory compliance while leading high-performing teams to exceed organizational goals.

Eric Scharber, Executive Vice President, SimiTree
Eric is an Executive Vice President, leading all talent acquisition and employee retention efforts. He oversees executive search, management recruiting, interim management, as well as advisory services related to talent acquisition and retention. After founding Exact Recruiting in 2005, Eric led the firm to become the top recruiting and executive search entity for the this industry, serving clients across the U.S. and placing more than 3500 professionals since inception. Eric is a regular speaker nationally on the topics of Employee Retention and Recruitment, Building Culture and Leadership Development.

Kimberly Skehan, RN, MSN, Vice President, Accreditation, Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP)
Kim is a Registered Nurse (RN) with over 30 years of hospice and home health clinical, management, regulatory, survey and consulting experience in hospice clinical operations, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Kim is nationally recognized and highly respected by state, federal and industry leaders and has served as a liaison to state and federal regulatory agencies and legislators to facilitate collaboration regarding issues affecting the home care and hospice industry. As Vice President of Accreditation for Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP), Kimberly oversees the Accreditation Organization survey team. Her vast experience enables her to effectively guide and support providers in the home health and hospice industry as they navigate the complex accreditation survey process. Kim serves as a regulatory/survey expert on national association committees (NHPCO and NAHC). She is also a member of the Connecticut Association for Healthcare at Home, where she previously served as the VP for Clinical & Regulatory Services. In addition, Kim serves on the Board of Directors for the Home Care Association of Florida (HCAF).

Annalise Smith, MHSA, CFRE, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Avow Hospice, Inc.
Annalise serves as chief philanthropy officer for Avow Hospice. She has a master’s degree in health services administration, is a certified hospice administrator, holds a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and earned her CFRE in 2021.

Renée Stoeckle, Vice President, Marketing, Culture + Communication, Empath Health.
Renée Stoeckle is the storyteller behind Empath’s mission, keeping its message strong and its culture thriving. As Vice President of Marketing, Culture + Communications, she ensures every word reflects heart, strategy, and radical empathy. From PR to colleague engagement, she leads with purpose-amplifying voices and fostering connection. Off the clock, you’ll find her lost in a book, striking a yoga pose, or coaxing life from her ever-hopeful garden.

Bernadette Smith, Vice President of Marketing, IntellaTriage
Bernadette Smith serves as the Vice President of Marketing at IntellaTriage, where she oversees comprehensive marketing strategies and operations and provides education and thought leadership for hospice and home health providers nationwide. Bernadette has over a decade of experience in this industry. Prior to joining IntellaTriage, she led marketing and communications at QIRT, now McBee Associates, and served as Managing Director of the LTC100 Intelligence Group at Lincoln Healthcare Leadership. She is vice-chair of the Philanthropy Advisory Council for NHPCO and chairperson for NAHC’s HHFMA Women in Leadership sub-committee.

Steven J. Vancore, President, VancoreJones Communications.
Steven J. Vancore is the President of VancoreJones Communications, a Tallahassee-based strategic communications firm handling a wide variety of communication challenges for clients including crisis communications and crisis management. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Business and his Master’s degree in Marketing Communications from Florida State University. Throughout his career, he has overseen numerous strategic and public relations, marketing and government affairs projects in throughout the country. Mr. Vancore also has over 25 years of experience conducting research into voters and consumer behavior; conducting polls and focus groups throughout the country.

Linda L. Ward, President and CEO, Gulfside Healthcare Services, Inc.
Linda Ward, President and CEO of Gulfside Healthcare Services, Inc., holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work and Healthcare Administration. She has 40 years of healthcare experience and executive leadership in acute care, long-term Gulfside Hospice care, skilled home health care and palliative care, along with executive administrative experience in operations, leadership, strategic planning, sales, and marketing. Linda speaks nationally and locally on the topics of Leadership, Organizational Management, Operations and Financial Recovery, Customer Loyalty, Marketing Success, Alzheimer’s, Disease, Hospice and Palliative Care. Linda is a member of many healthcare organizations, and serves on several community Boards.

Jessica Zan, Senior Director for Clinical Implementations, MyDirectives
Jessica Zan, RN, BSN, MAMFC, is Senior Director for Clinical Implementations at MyDirectives. As an advance care planning (ACP) subject matter expert, she supports MyDirectives’ customers by providing strategic guidance on workflows, training, governance, and technical considerations for effective ACP deployment. Jessica is deeply committed to empowering individuals to take an active role in their healthcare through transparent conversations, better documents, and improved access to documentation. As an ACP innovator, she pioneered a groundbreaking ACP program for a major health system in Oklahoma. This led to a leadership role with Epic applications before bringing her expertise to MyDirectives. She offers a unique blend of clinical nursing expertise, a passion for ACP, and IT proficiency to speak publicly about successful ACP, and to help health systems develop robust ACP programs that prioritize patient-centered care.