Speakers & Faculty

Thomas Alflen is the founder of Oddity.ai, an AI company built on years of applied computer vision research and now dedicated to helping human service organizations protect vulnerable people in care environments. Long before AI became a mainstream topic, he was working at the forefront of applied computer vision, building systems that recognize high-intensity human behavior in real-world settings.

Today, he focuses on helping providers supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities understand and responsibly adopt AI. Through Oddity.ai, he works with organizations to layer real-time behavioral alerts onto existing camera systems, helping staff identify moments such as aggression, self-injurious behavior, and restraints sooner.

Thomas regularly speaks about how vision AI works, how algorithms are trained, and how these technologies can be deployed with privacy by design. His mission is to make AI practical, understandable, and trustworthy for organizations working to create safer, more independent lives for the people they support.

Michael Arevalo, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience in evidence-based treatment and quality improvement across diverse clinical settings, including community mental health organizations, private practice, university counseling centers, and major healthcare systems like the VA and Kaiser Permanente. As Director of Clinical Strategy at Core Solutions, Inc., he leads the integration of clinical best practices into the company’s EHR platform, collaborating with product, engineering, and AI teams to develop data-driven solutions that enhance clinician workflows and patient care. He also defines quality metrics, ensures regulatory compliance, and develops training programs to optimize digital health tools.

With 20 years of expertise in IT strategy, application management, and program management, Chief Information Officer (CIO) Karen Baker leads Qualifacts’ corporate systems, security, and infrastructure. Previously, she transformed the technology infrastructure and user experience at Savista, and held senior roles at nThrive and MedAssets, spearheading program management initiatives during periods of acquisition and growth. Karen holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.

Mike joined Little Friends, Inc in January 2016 as a Board member and in March 2017, was asked to come out of retirement and serve as the President/CEO. He has been doing this for nearly the past six years.

Prior to joining Little Friends, Mike spent his career in the for-profit sector. Graduating from Millikin University in 1979, Mike started his career with IBM Data Processing in sales. He left IBM to join a family business in 1984 and within 3 months was running a $40 MM company. Over the next 30 years, Mike ran four different manufacturing businesses as President/COO, three privately owned companies and one owned by private equity. Two of the four businesses grew to be in excess of $100MM in revenues, and one just shy of $90MM.

Throughout his career, he has been involved with multiple boards of organizations, including being an Emeritus Trustee of Millikin University that includes having served two years as Chairman of their Board. Currently, besides being CEO of Little Friends, he serves as Chairman of the Board for a global company headquartered in Australia, President of his Country Club, and Chairs the City of Naperville Advisory Commission on Disabilities. In total, he is active with nine organizations as a board member today. Mike’s background until joining Little Friends has not been in social service. Rather, his story today comes from his experiences running different organizations and how these lessons apply to social service.

Jeremy S. Brown, LPC, is Vice President of Technology and Impact at Talbert House, a multi-program nonprofit behavioral health provider in Cincinnati, Ohio that serves mental health, addiction treatment, and child and family populations. He brings more than two decades of behavioral health experience to the role, with a career that has progressed from direct clinical and case management work to residential program leadership and hospital administration, including service as Assistant Chief Executive Officer at Summit Behavioral Health. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Miami University and a master’s degree in clinical counseling from Xavier University.

In his current role, Jeremy leads Talbert House’s work to turn everyday technology into operational capacity without adding headcount, pairing tools already inside the agency’s Microsoft 365 license with AI built in Microsoft Copilot Studio. At the 2026 Technology and Analytics Institute, he presents “AI That Pays Off: Where CEOs Are Seeing Real ROI and Where They’re Not.”

Paul Carpenter is the co-founder and head of product and technology for BoundaryCare, a platform that uses real-time data and thoughtful design to help individuals gain and maintain independence while relieving stress from their caregivers. Paul spent over ten years working as an engineer at top technology companies until his own family’s experiences pushed him and his father Scott – a college professor and former technology entrepreneur – to tackle the challenges of caregiving head-on. At BoundaryCare, he applies methodologies for continuous improvement drawn from his technology background to power his vision for making BoundaryCare the most inclusive and comprehensive solution for individuals, families, and providers.

Joseph Donnelly is Vice President of Client Transformation at GrandCare Systems, where he leads growth, strategic partnerships, and market expansion for person-centered assistive technology and remote support solutions. A longtime healthcare technology executive, Joe has held leadership roles with organizations including Current Health, Kyruus, and athenahealth, helping healthcare and provider organizations adopt innovative technologies that improve care delivery and outcomes. Today, his work is focused on helping organizations use technology to expand independence, strengthen person-centered supports, and address the growing workforce challenges facing disability services.

Kevin Eccleston, MPA, CReC, CPMC-T is an innovative and results-driven healthcare executive with nearly 30 years of diverse leadership experience across strategic design, operational excellence, financial execution, and multi-site service expansion. Throughout his career, he has led transformative initiatives that scale healthcare services, enhance revenue streams, and position organizations for long-term success in competitive markets. Mr. Eccleston’s passion lies in advancing community health solutions and engaging a passionate and dedicated workforce, while implementing person-centered care models that make a lasting impact. Known for building high-performing teams, securing critical funding, and ensuring financial sustainability, he brings a strong, mission-driven approach to every endeavor—always focused on delivering measurable results and meaningful change.

With nearly a decade of experience in project management and operational leadership, Hannah is dedicated to driving innovation in service delivery for adults with disabilities. 

Melissa Fox is a nationally recognized healthcare executive and systems strategist leading the transformation of community-based health systems through innovation, data, and emerging technologies. As Chief Operating Officer of Acenda Integrated Health, she oversees enterprise-wide operations spanning more than 150 programs across the state of New Jersey, including child welfare, behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, crisis services, supportive housing, and population health initiatives designed to address the social drivers of health.

Fox is widely recognized for building nimble leadership structures that align operational strategy with value-based care, health equity, and financial sustainability. Throughout her career, she has led complex organizational redesigns across various healthcare disciplines, launched integrated care models to expand services for vulnerable populations, and implemented data-driven performance systems to improve outcomes while strengthening organizational resilience.

A recognized national voice on healthcare transformation, Fox has advised and presented for organizations including Open Minds, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Public Health Association, and the USDA among others. She has contributed to initiatives addressing the opioid epidemic as a public health crisis, and advanced conversations on telehealth equity and violence prevention, including framing gun violence as a public health issue through science-driven community engagement. She serves on multiple advisory and academic boards, including the Rutgers Center for State Health Policy External Advisory Committee and the Peirce College Human Services Advisory Board. Additionally, she serves as the Chair for the Healthy NJ 2030 Access to Quality Care action team, and the Chair of the Board for the Center for Health Equity & Wellbeing, New Jersey’s first public health institute.

Her work focuses on helping healthcare organizations redesign care delivery through operational innovation, advanced analytics, and emerging technologies that improve access, strengthen financial sustainability, and produce measurable outcomes. She is a leading advocate for viewing artificial intelligence as organizational infrastructure rather than simply another technology investment, helping healthcare leaders build AI-enabled systems that augment workforce and processes while preserving the human relationships at the center of care.

An addiction psychiatrist, Dr. Gastfriend has held clinical, research, technology development, and policy roles. At Harvard, he directed Massachusetts General Hospital’s Addiction Research Program. As VP at Alkermes, he directed scientific communications on Vivitrol. His research led most U.S. states to endorse the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) Criteria. His 150 publications include The ASAM Criteria and Addiction Treatment Matching. His ASAM Criteria CONTINUUM® software is being adopted nationwide. He has consulted to the governments of Belgium, China, Iceland, Israel, Norway, Russia, and the US.

Tom Grant was appointed Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer for Woods System of Care in March, 2016.  Mr. Grant engages in short and long-range strategic and operational growth planning for the organization. He brings more than 20 years of finance and strategy consulting experience to the organization. Prior to coming to Woods, he ran his own management consulting firm specializing in efficiency initiatives, leadership, strategic planning, turn-arounds, and business development needs of both non-profit organizations and for-profit businesses. In this role, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for Archway Programs in New Jersey.

Before launching his own company, he held similar management consulting positions with a number of business development companies. Mr. Grant has counseled clients on a wide range of topics including process optimization, cash flow management, fund raising, structure, best practices, profitability and pricing arrangements. He also has worked as an emerging markets analyst in Thailand, Hong Kong, and a number of South American countries. Mr. Grant holds an MBA from the Darden School of Business of the University of Virginia and a bachelor’s degree from Davidson College.

Adam Klein, LPC, is Vice President of Growth & Sales at MapHabit and a Licensed Professional Counselor with more than 20 years of leadership experience across behavioral health, managed care, quality improvement, case management, and program innovation. Beginning his career working directly with children and families in therapeutic foster care, Adam has remained passionate about designing and implementing programs that improve outcomes for individuals with complex behavioral, cognitive, and developmental needs.

Today, Adam works with health plans, provider organizations, schools, and state agencies to expand the use of assistive technology that promotes independence, reduces caregiver burden, and supports better health outcomes. He is especially passionate about helping organizations translate innovative technology into sustainable, person-centered care models. He is also passionate about helping organizations responsibly leverage technology and artificial intelligence to improve care delivery while keeping individuals and families at the center of every solution.

What Adam enjoys most is spending time in the community with providers, caregivers, and families and hearing firsthand how technology is making a meaningful difference in people’s daily lives. He is incredibly proud to be part of the MapHabit team and the organization’s mission to empower individuals through practical, evidence-based innovation.

Outside of work, Adam enjoys spending time with his family, cheering on his son at sporting events (and occasionally teaming up for video games), and exploring new restaurants and TV series with his wife. 

Dr. Steven Klein is a compassionate and highly accomplished physician-scientist specializing in addiction medicine. Dr. Klein is dedicated to advancing innovative, evidence-based approaches to support recovery for teens, young adults, and individuals facing relapse challenges. Dr. Klein’s mission is to transform addiction treatment by harmonizing genetic science, clinical expertise, and a steadfast dedication to recovery-centered compassion.

Yisroel Len is the Director of Data Analytics at Pesach Tikvah Hope Development Inc, CCBHC in Brooklyn, where he leads the strategy and implementation of systems that improve data quality from the point of collection through final reporting.

Data does not simply live in a database, it lives at the messy intersection of people, processes, and technology, where fields are mislabeled, requirements change mid-year, and temporary workarounds become permanent. Yisroel’s work has focused on closing that gap through workflow redesign, data engineering, and analytic tools that address data quality problems at their source while also managing them downstream.

Yisroel has presented for the National Council for Mental Wellbeing on the CCBHC data analytics lifecycle as part of a SAMHSA-required webinar for CCBHCs nationwide. A strong believer in collaboration across CCBHCs, he also developed the open-source CCBHC Quality Measurements Python package.

He writes about the realities of building healthcare data and reporting infrastructure at stevesgroceries.substack.com

Matthew Prete started his career at Sigmund as a Senior Software Engineer. He was the lead engineer in the development of Sigmund’s industry-leading revenue cycle management system for behavioral healthcare and addiction treatment. Over the years, Matthew has been integral in the design and development of all Sigmund software, helping to push our technology in a fast-paced environment. Matthew was promoted to Chief Product and Information Officer to oversee all Application Development for VSS Medical Technologies as well as data center operations.

With more than 30 years of experience building and managing healthcare data and software businesses, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Josh Schoeller leads Qualifacts with a track record of transformative growth, innovation, and market leadership. Prior to Qualifacts, he held executive roles at Elsevier, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Enclarity, and FICO, consistently driving the development and success of groundbreaking healthcare solutions.

With more than 13 years of experience in behavioral health leadership and as a licensed professional counselor, Chris Seigel is a systems-focused executive known for building high-performing, regulation-ready service lines across numerous environments. As Chief Program Officer for Mental Health & Substance Use Services, Queen of Peace Center and Saint Louis Counseling, two ministries of Catholic Charities of St. Louis, he provides oversight of a multi-site continuum of care spanning residential and outpatient treatment, supportive housing, community-based therapy, psychiatric services, medication-assisted treatment, and more than 100 school-based locations across 11 counties. 

He maintains program-level accountability for operational performance, financial sustainability, workforce stability, and quality governance across the service line. Chris led the enterprise-wide implementation of the AI-powered clinical documentation tool to move his organization from manual notes to measurable performance gains. By aligning technology with governance, compliance oversight, and operational discipline, he reduced administrative burden, strengthened documentation integrity, and expanded access capacity without compromising clinical standards.  

He now leads ongoing efforts to evaluate and implement AI systems that enhance client access, strengthen screening and assessment processes, and drive measurable improvements in outcomes across the continuum of care. His work demonstrates how responsible AI adoption can transform documentation from a regulatory requirement into a strategic lever for efficiency, scale, and sustainable impact. 

Sheetal Sood is a visionary technology executive and the Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer for Cohen Veterans Network (CVN). With a distinguished career dedicated to the digital transformation of the healthcare industry, Sheetal oversees the strategic implementation and optimization of CVN’s entire enterprise architecture ranging from clinical information systems and advanced data analytics built on a secure platform.

A recognized expert in the fields of AI/ML, cybersecurity, and information governance, Sheetal bridges the gap between complex technical infrastructure and patient-centric care. Her leadership is defined by a unique ability to leverage emerging technologies to drive organizational efficiency and clinical excellence, marking her as a premier authority in digital health security and strategy.

Sheetal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering and maintains an elite tier of professional certifications, including CISSP, CHC, and CIPP/US

Margery Stanton is the President & COO of BestSelf Behavioral Health, where she has been part of the team for over 15 years. Across that time she has held a range of roles, each deepening her understanding of the agency’s mission and the people it serves. Beyond BestSelf, Margery is an adjunct professor at the University at Buffalo, where she is committed to supporting the next generation of behavioral health practitioners. At the heart of her work is a single goal: empowering everyone to be their BestSelf.

Jim co-built a nationwide enterprise, maximizing quality of patient care and reduced costs in hospitals, that was acquired by a Fortune 500 healthcare company. Following this successful endeavor, he made his most consequential, long-term career change. The human services organization supporting people with IDD in community-based settings—where he sat on the Board of Directors—asked Jim to step up as their CEO. He decided to immediately and simultaneously tackle the most pressing challenges, which he came to understand as largely endemic to the industry overall: the poor nutrition/health of people supported along with haphazard compliance regarding person-centered choice; inexperienced, high turnover staff; and budget-strapped operations. Jim noted that these various needles hadn’t moved much—and certainly never in tandem—despite attempts over many years by a host of status quo “solutions.”

Jim quickly concluded that little in a group home day occupies as much time, passion, cost, and safety concern as does food. So a key priority centered on mealtime and its associated linkages. Within 18 months of Jim’s tenure, the organization received one of the first-ever, 4-year CQL accreditations and was financially robust for the first time in over a decade, with much healthier consumers. This transformation and its possibilities planted the seed for Mainstay, Inc. and its My25 brand . . . a holistic, integrated approach to Food as Medicine, tailored for people with specialized needs on a person-centered basis via digital supports.

Building strategic partnerships and collaborations with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), professionals from the Feinberg School of Medicine, Walmart, SNAP officials, and legislators, Jim pioneered My25’s launch and growth. The company now spans 37 states, with a suite of digital Food as Medicine products, as a for-profit commercial enterprise among the nation’s leading human services/healthcare organizations for tens of thousands of people in waiver, ICF, and supported/independent living settings.

Fueled by Mainstay’s highly-respected team, proprietary software—and now A.I. integration—Jim is focused on forging a broader base of partners to positively impact more individuals, stakeholders and funders. He recognizes amplified, broad-based need for simultaneous outcomes regarding clinical health, social health, engagement, education, operational efficiency, food (and additional) cost reduction, and Medicaid savings contribution. Jim often credits My25’s overarching success to the actionable data Mainstay tracks and trends in real time and “. . . figuring out how to stem the leakages long getting in the way of sustainable, affordable nutrition/preventive health on a person-centered basis for this vital population—not just the 5% most unwell, but a majority.”

Jim is a graduate of both Davidson College where he received his BA in Economics and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management where he received his MBA. Jim lives in the Chicago area with his wife, who helps catapult Mainstay forward as its COO and co-founder. Three adult children each live a stone’s throw away; they often meet up with Jim on the golf course, but are honor bound to promise no snickering at his short game.  

Ross is an experienced executive and revenue leader, passionate about driving growth while making a positive impact on society. As the Chief Executive Officer of Clinically AI, Ross is at the forefront of integrating AI into health care to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical documentation. He is dedicated to leveraging technology to solve real-world problems faced by behavioral and physical health care professionals. By automating administrative tasks, Ross helps clinicians focus more on patient care. Committed to advancing medical technology while upholding the highest standards of privacy and compliance, Ross is leading efforts to transform health care documentation and improve clinician well-being.

Dr. Michael Zelman is a licensed psychologist and Executive Vice President at Enki Health Services, Inc., a Los Angeles Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) contract provider serving children, youth, and adults across a range of clinic and community-based programs. With over 25 years of community mental health experience, he spearheaded an AI-informed documentation process, partnered with LACDMH to build a countywide adult level-of-care system and led the implementation of evidence-based practices. He also directed organization-wide telehealth adoption during the pandemic and worked with his EHR vendor and county partners to launch the LOCUS, LACDMH’s adult level-of-care measure. To address the shortage of clinicians, Dr. Zelman has partnered with a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at UCLA to support a Public Health minor that is launching Fall 2026 with the goal of increasing the mental health workforce by reducing educational debt in exchange for clinical service. Before joining Enki in 2005, Dr. Zelman was an Assistant Director and staff psychologist at a county contracted Day Treatment program for four years. His interests include access to care, responsible clinical uses of AI, workforce development, and behavioral-health policy.

Dr. Zelman is active in professional leadership: past Chair of the California Psychological Association’s Division IV (Psychologists in Public Service) and Chair-Elect of Division VI (Technology, Media, and Artificial Intelligence); Adult Mental Health Policy Chair on the ACHSA Board of Directors; and a member of APA and the San Gabriel Valley Psychological Association. He also serves as Vice President of the Pasadena Police Foundation and advises the Board of Directors of LooperRoom, an Orange County-based mental health tech startup.

Joseph P. Naughton-Travers, EdM, Senior Associate, has more than 30 years of experience in the health and human service field. In this tenure as senior associate with OPEN MINDS since 1998, he has served as lead of dozens of client initiatives, served as editor of OPEN MINDS publications, and is the author of many groundbreaking articles and presentations.

Mr. Naughton-Travers brings to OPEN MINDS a broad range of experiences in private and public sector delivery of behavioral health and social services. He started his career as a behavioral health clinician, working in both child welfare and community mental health clinic settings. Subsequently, Mr. Naughton-Travers held a senior business operations management position for a psychiatric hospital system and its community mental health clinics.  Later, he was vice president of a firm specializing in information systems and billing and receivables management for community-based mental health programs.

Since joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Naughton-Travers has developed business solutions for provider and professional organizations, state and county government, technology companies, and venture capital firms. His primary areas of expertise include strategic planning and metrics-based management, electronic health record (EHR) and technology selection and implementation, operations improvement, and corporate compliance. For the past decade, over half his consulting practice has focused on aiding organizations in technology selection and implementation, including all aspects of strategic technology planning, functional specifications development, request for proposal development, vendor selection, and contracting.

He has written numerous articles, including “Winning the Human Resource Wars: Tried, True and New Strategies for Behavioral Health and Social Service Organizations,” “Five Pillars of Management Competency,” “Data Driven Decision Making: Moving to an Organizational Measurement Culture,” “Survival of the Smartest: What is Your Organization’s Information Literacy IQ?,” and “Strategic Human Resource Management: Aligning Compensation with Employee Performance and Organizational Strategy.” Mr. Naughton-Travers is also a nationally recognized speaker, having conducted hundreds of executive and professional executive training events around the nation.

Mr. Naughton-Travers received his Bachelor’s degree from Miami University of Ohio and his Masters’ of Education in Counseling Psychology from Boston University.

Monica E. Oss, M.S. is the founder of OPEN MINDS and serves as its chief executive officer, executive editor of its publications and websites, and executive lead of its consulting engagements. For the past three decades, Ms. Oss has led the OPEN MINDS team and its research on health and human service market trends and its national consulting practice.  She is well known for her numerous books and articles focused on the strategic and marketing implications of the evolving health and human service field – and its focus on the verticals of the field serving consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs.

Ms. Oss has extensive experience in developing and implementing growth strategies for a wide array of organizations in the field. She has expertise in industry trend analysis, reimbursement and rate setting, and creating actionable plans for market success. In her role, she has led numerous engagements with state Medicaid plans, county governments, private insurers, and health plans, service provider organizations, technology vendors, neurotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and investment banking firms – with a focus on the implications of financing changes on delivery system design.

Prior to founding OPEN MINDS, Ms. Oss served as an executive with a nationally managed behavioral health organization, responsible for market development, actuarial analysis, and capitation-based rate setting. She also held a position as vice president of the U.S. risk management and underwriting division of an international insurance company.

Ms. Oss has been the keynote speaker at the conferences of dozens of national associations and has been published in a wide range of professional journals and trade publications. She has provided Congressional and state legislative testimony on issues as diverse as the financial impact of parity and payer medication access policies.

Ms. Oss has led a range of industry research and consultation initiatives, serving as principal investigator on research projects that include the examination of national managed care enrollment and service patterns, development of provider rate structures for government entities, creation of return-on-investment models for technology investments; design of performance-based compensation models within public and private health plans; and analysis of the economic impact of changes in benefit design, adoption of evidence-based practices, and new technologies.

Rachel Steinmetz brings broad experience in the health and human service field to the OPEN MINDS team. From operations management to marketing strategy, Ms. Steinmetz has been involved in almost every aspect of management in her career.

Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Steinmetz was the Director of Operations for Funnel Lab, an internet marketing solutions firm. In that role, she designed revenue generating strategies including lead generation and customer engagement. She also developed their automation solutions, including operationalizing AI-driven text bots to enhance customer interactions. Ms. Steinmetz was also responsible for mulit-channel marketing strategy and strategy implementation including email, SMS, and social media automation.

Previously, Ms. Steinmetz was the Chief Operating Office for Housing for Health, Orange County, a non-profit organization aimed at ending homelessness by addressing physical and mental health needs. As COO, she led all aspects of operations, including human resources, program development, and organizational management. This including implementing measures to enhance organizational efficiency, ensure regulatory compliance across multiple platforms and electronic health records. She also successfully cultivated robust partnerships with external partners.

Before Housing for Health Orange County, Ms. Steinmetz held roles supporting strategic communications and public policy initiatives in the behavioral health space. As Communications Coordinator for Be Well Orange County, she supported a county-wide initiative to improve access to compassionate mental health care through infrastructure investment and cross-sector collaboration. Her responsibilities included public relations, event planning, business development, research, vendor coordination, and managing the organization’s web and social media presence. As Senior Project Manager at Principle Strategic Advisors, a consulting firm focused on public policy and executive leadership, Ms. Steinmetz led multi-stakeholder initiatives, developed detailed project roadmaps, and coordinated efforts across municipalities, healthcare agencies, and community-based organizations.

In addition to her institutional roles, Ms. Steinmetz brings over a decade of experience consulting with nonprofits, small businesses, and mission-driven entrepreneurs. Her expertise includes business operations, digital marketing, workflow automation, and web strategy; working with clients to streamline systems, drive engagement, and scale sustainably.

Ms. Steinmetz earned a Bachelor of Arts in English/Creative Writing from DePaul University.