The National Medicaid Leadership Center is led by a dynamic faculty dedicated to supporting Medicaid and human health services leaders. Faculty includes staff from the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) and external partners with extensive experience in leadership development. This group includes former Medicaid directors, senior executives, and subject matter experts with deep Medicaid policy and leadership development expertise, as well as extensive experience working with individuals, teams, and organizations. Together, they offer practical insights, strategic guidance, and real-world perspectives that reflect the evolving needs of today’s Medicaid programs.
Learn more about our faculty:
Mark Larson, Senior Vice President, Leadership and Capacity Building
Mark Larson provides overall strategic direction to the National Medicaid Leadership Center in addition to serving as a core faculty member. His passion is helping public leaders succeed. Whether working as an individual leadership coach or with executive teams or organizations planning how to increase their agility and capacity, he is driven by an appreciation of the creativity and commitment of people who serve others. As a former Medicaid director from Vermont, he understands the challenges leaders face but marries this with a curiosity for exploring together what success looks like for each person, team, or organization.
Lauren Moran, MPP, Director, Leadership and Capacity Building
Lauren Moran oversees the National Medicaid Leadership Center’s programming and strategy, working to strengthen how Medicaid leaders and their key partners learn, collaborate, and drive impact across the country. As a faculty member, she is committed to creating meaningful learning environments rooted in people’s creativity, experiences, and the power of peer connection. She is deeply invested in supporting public sector leaders as they grow so they can continue strengthening their impact in ways that matter to them and the communities they serve.
Kamala Allen, MHS, Senior Vice President, Program and Strategic Planning
Kamala Allen oversees strategic planning services for the National Medicaid Leadership Center. She leverages her formal training in strategic management and change management to facilitate public sector agencies and nonprofit organizations — within and outside the Medicaid ecosystem — through strategic planning processes. Her work engages the individuals served and results in clearly articulated strategic plans that not only identify goals, but that include the measurement and monitoring plans that are essential to their successful attainment. Kamala holds a certificate in strategic management from Georgetown University, and in change management from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.
Patsy Freeland, MPH, MBA, Senior Program Officer
Patsy Freeland manages state-based policy and leadership training programs for the National Medicaid Leadership Center. She develops learning experiences that blend evolving Medicaid policy insights with operational best practices, and she frequently facilitates trainings to support deeper engagement. She is most energized by working with Medicaid professionals to expand their skills and grow in their roles.
Priti Khanal, MPH, Senior Program Officer
Priti Khanal shapes leadership development experiences that help public sector professionals grow, connect, and lead with greater intention. She brings an inclusive, equity-centered presence to every room, balancing voices, drawing unexpected connections across ideas, and holding space for participants to think more clearly about their challenges and aspirations. Her approach is rooted in generous listening, a deep conviction that leadership lives in everyone, and that forward-moving change is made by all of us.
Disha Williams, MPH, Senior Program Officer
Disha Williams leads leadership development programming for senior Medicaid leaders. She brings a thoughtful, relationship-centered approach, creating space for participants to connect with and learn from their peers and apply leadership skills to the complex realities of Medicaid.
Jenna Abel, MTS
Jenna Abel is a leadership coach dedicated to helping leaders build influence, communicate with intention, and guide their organizations through change. Since 2010, she has served as a trusted thought partner to executives and senior leaders as they strengthen decision-making and translate strategy into action. Jenna was part of the founding coaching cohort at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of the executive coaching program at Emory Goizueta School of Business.
Emily Eelman, MPP
Emily Eelman focuses on building technical Medicaid knowledge and leadership skills for emerging state leaders. She has firsthand government experience, having served as a federal official at the Office of Management and Budget and as a state Medicaid official in Colorado and Rhode Island. She completed Brown University’s Leadership and Performance Coaching Certification Program in 2025.
Tiffany Enos, MA, ACC
Tiffany Enos has extensive experience supporting inclusive practices across higher education and nonprofit organizations. An Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation, her coaching style reflects a genuine understanding and appreciation for lived experiences, navigating complex systems, and inclusive leadership.
Mike Feinson, MBA
Mike Feinson is a leadership coach and strategy facilitator with experience across health care systems, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. A Certified 360 Coach and American Management Association faculty member, he brings a practical, real-world approach to helping leaders build alignment, navigate complexity, and develop the capacity to lead change.
Cathy Liang, MBA, PCC, CPACC
Cathy Liang is a leadership coach specializing in supporting purpose-driven leaders reclaim balance, amplify their voice, and build leadership rooted in their values. With a background in health care, public health, and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, she brings compassion, strategic insight, and an equity lens to support leaders in creating real, lasting change. She is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation.
Brett Penfil, MFT, MPH, PCC
Brett Penfil has deep experience supporting frontline through C‑suite leaders in health care settings. With her background in public health, organizational consulting, and psychology, Brett focuses on both the individual and the context in which they work. She previously served as Director of Coaching at the UCSF Center for the Health Professions and is a Professional Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation.
Jen Steele, MPA
Jen Steele has over 25 years of state Medicaid service, including four years as Louisiana Medicaid Director. With extensive expertise spanning eligibility, policy, financing, and managed care, she provides a comprehensive, lifecycle-based approach to Medicaid, from program design through implementation and ongoing optimization. Jen is also an alum of the CHCS’ Medicaid Leadership Institute.
Ania Wertz, PhD, PsyD
Ania Wertz is a leadership coach with professional training as a licensed clinical psychologist and holds a doctorate in history. Her long-standing scholarly interest in human emotional and social complexity shapes her understanding of how organizations function and how people thrive within them.
Doug Wysockey-Johnson, M. Div., ACC
Doug Wysockey-Johnson is a leadership coach working primarily with health care leaders and clinicians. His areas of interest include leadership, culture, peer support, burnout recovery, and helping people in health care reconnect with their sense of calling. He is an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) through the International Coaching Federation.
