Senior leaders

John Arnold

Director of Member Engagement

John Arnold is the Director of Member Engagement for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. He is responsible for the leadership, direction, and implementation of the strategic vision to educate and connect members to all services and supports.

Arnold works to collaborate with enterprise call centers, population health, and behavioral health staff to ensure health plan requirements and cultural competencies are met, and that the member’s voice is included as part of the feedback loop to enhance member satisfaction with plan support. He is also responsible for member communications and materials, including member education, member advocacy, support for enrollment and eligibility functions, health education, analysis of action plan disenrollment rates, grievance tracking and reporting, and member satisfaction.

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Tonya Carter

Manager, Special Investigations Unit

Tonya Carter is the Manager of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. She has more than 20 years of investigative experience.

Prior to joining AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Carter worked for another Ohio Medicaid managed care organization as Senior SIU Investigator and Program Integrity Officer. She has also been a Special Agent for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation, working as a lead investigator in the Intelligence Unit.

After her 16 years with the state, Carter served for three years as an employment law investigator for a private law firm. She also held the position of Operations Manager at a local transportation company.

Carter is a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) and an Accredited Health Care Fraud Investigator (AHFI). Carter studied Criminal Justice and Organizational Communications at Capital University.

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Lauren Chisholm, LISW-S

Transition Care Manager

Lauren Chisolm is the Transition Care Manager for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. Throughout her career she has supported children, adolescents, adults, and their families.

Chisholm previously worked at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center as a Clinical Case Manager in the Psychiatric Emergency Services department. She has worked with two county agencies in the state providing crisis intervention services. While at OSU Wexner Medical Center, Chisholm also provided supervision in her appointed role as Instructor ― Practice for Psychiatry and BH through the College of Medicine at The Ohio State University.

Chisholm holds a master’s degree in social work and is a licensed independent social worker with supervisory distinction within the state of Ohio.

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Carmen Clutter

Director of Population Health

Carmen Clutter is the Director of Population Health for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. She is an experienced leader in the development and implementation of local and state community health initiatives, with a priority on at-risk populations.

Clutter has most recently served as Deputy Director at the Ohio Department of Aging, where she directed and coordinated home- and community-based initiatives, programs, and services to support the health and well-being of at-risk older Ohioans and caregivers. Clutter holds a Master of Science in clinical nutrition, is a registered dietitian nutritionist, and serves on the State Medical Board of Ohio’s Dietetic Advisory Council.

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Amy Daggett

Director of Provider Network Management

Amy Daggett is the Director of Provider Network Management for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. She is responsible for provider network development and contracting.

Daggett will not only help her team focus on building a robust, accessible network, but also play a significant role in our health value optimization process.

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Erin Davis, LISW

Behavioral Health Administrative Director

Erin Davis is the Behavioral Health Administrative Director for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. Her professional history includes engagement in health administration, management, advocacy, and population health promotion.

Davis has multiple years of experience working in community mental health and managed care serving individuals with both mental health and substance use needs. She is a licensed independent social worker with supervisory designation and received her Master of Social Work from The Ohio State University.

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Ashley Sweeny Davis

Director of Contract Performance

Ashley Sweeny Davis is the Director of Contract Performance for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio.

Davis joined AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio in November of 2022 after holding several key senior leadership roles in state health and human services agencies. She holds a master’s degree in wellness management and is a registered dietitian nutritionist.

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Diana DeFelipe, JD, CPA, CFE, CHC

Chief Compliance Officer

Diana DeFelipe is the Chief Compliance Officer for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. In this role, she works with senior leadership to establish a strong organization and a good working relationship with the Ohio Department of Medicaid.

DeFelipe has over 20 years’ experience in compliance, including 10 years in health care compliance supporting managed care programs. Early in her career, she supported Medicare Advantage plans for other managed care organizations and soon became the Compliance Officer for their dual-eligible plans in New York and New Jersey.

DeFelipe later served as the Chief Compliance Officer for Trusted Health Plan’s Medicaid plan in the District of Columbia and assisted CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield in establishing its managed care programs upon its acquisition of Trusted Health Plan.

DeFelipe has a law degree and is a certified public accountant. She is also a certified fraud examiner and is certified in health care compliance.

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Laurie Greco, PhD

Behavioral Health Clinical Director

Dr. Laurie Greco is the Behavioral Health Clinical Director for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio.

Prior to joining the company, Dr. Greco held leadership positions in the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system and at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC). As Director of Pain Management Services at the Columbus and Cincinnati VA medical centers, she was responsible for leading organizational change initiatives to transform the culture of pain care and address the opioid crisis in veteran populations.

Most recently, Dr. Greco served as Vice Chair of Behavioral Health at OSUWMC, where she was responsible for overseeing behavioral health services and training in integrated primary care and specialty care clinics, in addition to establishing and directing OSU’s Interdisciplinary Pain Clinic and Immigrant-Refugee Health Clinic.

Dr. Greco earned a doctorate in clinical psychology from West Virginia University and completed her residency in clinical health psychology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

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Mark R. Grippi

President, Chief Executive Officer

As Market President for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Mark Grippi serves as CEO of all operations in Ohio, ensuring alignment with the Ohio Department of Medicaid Next Generation of Medicaid Managed Care person-centered vision.

In his 25 years of health care leadership, Grippi has held positions including Chief Operating Officer, Regional Director, and Director of Network and Sales at several leading managed care organizations, and he spent nearly a decade in the long-term care industry as a nursing home executive director. He remains committed to improving outcomes by reducing administrative burden and focusing on culturally relevant health care delivery models.

Grippi earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from Heidelberg University.

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Suzette Heitkamp

Chief Financial Officer

Suzette Heitkamp is the Chief Financial Officer for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. She is responsible for financial operational and strategic activities, including local accounting, finance, budgeting, financial reporting, regulatory reporting, and reconciliation activities.

Prior to joining AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Heitkamp served as Director, Financial Systems and Reporting for another Ohio Medicaid managed care organization. She is a finance leader with over 15 years of finance and health care experience. She also has 10 years of expertise in government health insurance programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace products.

Heitkamp has worked in two large Ohio hospital systems, in roles that included decision support, business analytics, and cost analysis.

She earned a Master of Public Administration from University of Dayton and holds a Bachelor of Science in business management.

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Patricia Lyons, PhD, LISW-S

Health Equity Director

Patricia Lyons is the Health Equity Director for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. She has a rich history of utilizing a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens to dive into public health policy, healthcare analytics, and clinical research to identify and improve social determinants of health.

Most recently, Lyons worked with a leading managed care organization as director of its Social Determinants of Health Innovation Center. Prior to that, she served as Health Equity Program Manager at Columbus Public Health, where she designed and implemented education and training for health and social service providers to address disparate birth outcomes for African American/Black mothers and improve the delivery of maternal healthcare services.

During Lyons’ 16 years with Nationwide Children’s Hospital, she held positions such as Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Ohio, where she was responsible for the statewide child abuse prevention campaign Pinwheels for Prevention, and led the community-based Behavior Health Services team, providing 24-hour crisis management focused on reducing hospitalization and increasing family stability and safety.

Lyons earned a Bachelor of Arts in rehabilitation counseling from Wilberforce University, a Master of Social Work from The Ohio State University, and a doctorate in public health from Walden University. She serves as an active and immediate past president for the National Association of Black Social Workers’ Columbus, Ohio, chapter. She is a member of the American Public Health Association and an active member and past president of the College of Social Work Alumni Society at The Ohio State University.

Lyons led the development of the Commission on Black Girls and was the lead author of the inaugural Report on the Quality of Life of Black Girls in Columbus, Ohio, envisioned by retired Columbus City Councilmember Priscilla R. Tyson. Lyons is a 2021 Hall of Fame inductee of the College of Social Work at The Ohio State University.

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Peter “Chuck” Madden, DDS

Dental Director

Peter “Chuck” Madden is the Dental Director for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. He comes to the Medicaid managed care organization from the Good Samaritan Free Health Center, where he served as Dental Director, building dental operations from start-up to the largest free dental clinic in Ohio.

Dr. Madden’s work also includes dental consulting in community health settings, including Hamilton County Public Health, where he developed a countywide strategic dental plan.

Dr. Madden’s achievements span 25 years as a private dental practitioner and 14 years of local and international dental mission work. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Notre Dame and his Doctor of Dental Surgery at The Ohio State University.

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Kelly McConnell

Chief Information Officer

Kelly McConnell is the Chief Information Officer for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. In addition to managing information services, she works with our shared services to implement all data and technical needs for the plan. 

She has 16 years of Medicaid managed care experience in the Ohio market. She previously served as the Manager of Provider Network for another managed care plan. McConnell also has experience in healthcare reporting, claims, call center, and project management, and she has helped to implement several key Ohio Medicaid programs and initiatives. McConnell achieved her project management professional certificate in February of 2018.

She has a passion for volunteering and logged many hours volunteering her time to organizations that help support our mission and vision, including the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) Family Center, Furniture Bank of Central Ohio, Mid-Ohio Food Bank, and Children’s Hunger Alliance.

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Heidi Peterson, MSN, RN, NHDP-BC

Care Coordination Director

Heidi Peterson is the Care Coordination Director for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. She previously worked in care management and utilization management for another managed care organization. In addition to her work in managed care, Peterson also worked in the public health, behavioral health, and quality.

Peterson has a passion for assisting people and communities that are often underserved so that they can have their needs met and reach their goals. She is a member of the Ohio Military Reserve and has been on state active duty serving the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic to make sure the most vulnerable citizens of Ohio are being taken care of, tested, and vaccinated.

Peterson is a registered nurse and a certified national healthcare disaster professional. She has a master’s degree in nursing leadership and management.

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Michelle Phillips

Director of Provider Network Operations

Michelle Phillips is the Director of Provider Network Operations for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. Phillips has worked in managed care for over 20 years across both payer and provider organizations. She has held operational leadership roles within new business implementation, ACO operations, value-based payment, and provider network management.

Phillips has a passion for process improvement and driving innovation in healthcare. She holds two bachelor’s degrees in business administration and human resource leadership and an MBA with a concentration in healthcare.

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Steven Spalding, MD

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Steve Spalding is the Chief Medical Officer for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. He is responsible for developing and implementing the market population health, quality, care management, disease management, transition of care, utilization management, provider and community engagement, network efficiency, and value-based contracting strategies.

Prior to joining AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Dr. Spalding served as the Vice President of Population Health and Director for the Center of Pediatric Rheumatology at Akron Children’s Hospital. He has also served as Chief Medical Officer at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Medical Director for Enterprise Analytics and Business Intelligence at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Spalding earned his medical degree from the Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and completed his categorical pediatric residency and fellowship in pediatric rheumatology at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

He serves as a board member for Countryside Food and Farms and is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northeastern Ohio Medical University.

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John Stearns

Grievance and Appeal Director

John Stearns is the Grievance and Appeal Director for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. He is responsible for ensuring that all grievances and appeals are processed in accordance with standards and the company’s policies and procedures. He also serves as a liaison between the plan and state.

Stearns has worked in the health care field for over 11 years. He is driven by integrity, hard work, and commitment, and he takes pride in creating a positive experience for our members, with the goal of providing value and personalizing the right communication to the right people, at the right time.

Prior to joining AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Stearns served as a member advocate for a major health plan in Columbus.

Stearns earned a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the University of Cincinnati and a Bachelor of Arts in social media design from Franklin University. He also serves as a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., a national Black fraternity focused on achievement in every field of human endeavor.

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Dan Vickers

Chief Operating Officer

Dan Vickers is the Chief Operating Officer for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. He is responsible for member engagement, information systems, provider network operations, and contract management requirements from the Ohio Department of Medicaid.

Vickers has more than 18 years of experience in managed care, including eight years in the Ohio Medicaid market, and has expansive knowledge of health plan operations, network development, contract negotiations, and provider and member relations. He has worked with numerous Fortune 500 managed care organizations during his career.

Prior to joining AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Vickers served as Director of Health Plan Operations, Regional Director of National Vendor Contracting, Director of Reimbursement, and Director of Provider Contracting for multiple managed care organizations.

Vickers earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in management information systems and a Masters of Business Administration from Marshall University, home of the Thundering Herd.

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Bill Walters

Director, Provider Services

Bill Walters is the Director of Provider Services for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. He has more than 20 years of leadership and service experience.

Prior to joining AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio, Walters was Manager of Provider Services at another managed care organization. He is a people-focused and results-oriented leader. He is also known for his superior relationship-building, strong communication skills, training, issue resolution skills, and collaboration, which makes him a perfect fit to work with our providers to empower those in need, especially the underserved and the disabled, across their full life journey.

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Jhera L. Woodard, MBA/HCM, MSN, BSN, RN, CPHQ

Quality Improvement Director

Jhera Woodard is the Quality Improvement Director for AmeriHealth Caritas Ohio. She has worked in managed care for 20 years assisting with prior authorization, concurrent review, appeals, large liability pricing, coding/risk adjustment, and quality.

Woodard worked as a clinical registered nurse for four years before moving into managed care. She has been a certified professional in healthcare quality for six years.

Woodard earned a Bachelor of Science in nursing from Youngstown State University. She received a dual master’s degree from the University of Phoenix: a Master of Business Administration in health care management and a Master of Science in nursing.

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