Smart Home Expo: Empowering Independence Through Technology

Cindy Ehlers, MS, LCMHC, serves as the Chief Operations Officer for Trillium Health Resources.  She is focused on improving access to health and affordability through emerging analytics and innovative solutions. She leads several major components of Trillium, overseeing the strategy and innovation for Trillium along with member services, care management, network operations, and innovative development. Trillium Health Resources is a leader in innovation for behavioral health and IDD and the life-long support needed by these populations in NC.

Cindy is a champion for the implementation of evidence based practices.  Cindy has developed a robust department within Trillium focused on approaches that address opportunities for health and health disparity throughout eastern NC. She has worked as a public servant for the past 32 years.  Cindy has developed many programs and services in behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities across more than half of North Carolina, overcoming rural barriers and many health disparities to meet the service needs of the BH-IDD population.

Cindy offers a unique perspective in her role as an Executive in the NC system, as she is both a parent and professional. Cindy has six children- several who have special needs; she was a therapeutic foster parent and is an adoptive parent.  Cindy understands the system from the perspective of the MCO, from the inside out, and as a parent of children with special healthcare needs from the outside in.  Her lived experience is unique to find in healthcare at this level in an organization.  Trillium is the only health plan in the state with a parent who has been a foster parent and adoptive parent and is the parent of children with IDD on the Executive team of the organization.

Brian Hart is the CEO of Smart Living Systems and ShiftAbility, a Cincinnati-based agency focused on assisting I/DD agencies in transforming from typical caregiving models to technology-first models of service.  He has made it his mission to push the boundaries of what options exist for adults with disabilities.  He is never satisfied and believes there is always a better way to increase the independence of others and break down the systemic barriers that hold them back. He has been at the forefront of expanding services through the use of technology enabled supports and community clusters of services. Through his work, Brian has been able to assist agencies across the country to implement technology first and remote support to increase the number of individuals they support. Brian believes that technology enabled support is the solution to the problems facing I/DD and Mental Health support agencies, and he is excited to be at the forefront of assisting agencies in this change.

Laura is a co-founder and CEO of GrandCare Systems, a touchscreen and sensor-based technology platform designed to improve independence and enhance remote supports for individuals living with disabilities and older adults. She has over 20 years of experience in the remote monitoring and connected health industry. In 2015, she founded LMC, a boutique marketing and consulting agency with a technology and senior housing niche. Laura has been featured in Forbes magazine for social media, was a 2012 “Top 40 under 40”, Top 100 Women in M2M in Connected World, and a recipient of the ‘Flame Award for Innovation and Leadership’ in 2011. She was a 2020 Rotarian of the Year, WI Innovation Awards finalist, and a 2022 Women in Consumer Technology Legacy recipient. She frequently volunteers with the Carlsbad Rotary and Cal State San Marcos business program. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two boys, and three dogs.

Scott Feldstein is the director of US Sales and Training at GrandCare. In addition to 20 years of experience in technology, Scott has studied psychology, religion, education and computing. He holds a master’s in education from Marquette University.

Tom Keating, Ph.D., is the founder and CEO of Cognitopia, home of the Cognitopia Platform for Self-Determination for individuals with cognitive disabilities, including tools for IEP self-direction, goal management, task analysis, and team coordination. He is also a Courtesy Research Associate in the Computer and Information Sciences Department of the University of Oregon. Tom has been focused for the past 30 years on research and development of self-management and community living applications for individuals with cognitive disabilities including autism, intellectual disabilities, traumatic brain injury, and cognitive decline due to aging. He developed the Picture Planner™ visual calendaring system and the ScanDo video modeling application and has been principal investigator on over 25 federally-funded technology development projects with over 10 million dollars in funding. His perspective in all of his work has been strongly influenced by his experience of over 30 years as a caregiver for a brother who experienced autism.