Forum Speakers
(Preliminary list... Additional speakers will be added soon)
Speakers are listed in order of appearance.
(Pre-Forum Employer Workshop Facilitator)
Lester J. Morales
Founder & CEO
Next Impact
Lester Morales
Lester is a career long innovator and disruptor in the human capital and employee benefits arena. Understanding that employers, and their advisers, needed something new, Lester founded Next Impact to support the education and expansion of innovative cost containment health benefit strategies later coined Transparent Health Benefits (THB)
Prior to entrepreneurship, Lester served as Chief Growth Officer for Willis’ Human Capital Practice, one of the largest insurance brokerages in the world. In this role, Lester led over 200 consultants in 40 + offices as part of a $350,000,000 practice. During a previous eight-year stint at Willis, Lester was a top five consultant nationally. Between assignments at Willis, Lester served as National Vice President of Sales for Healthstat, a leading provider of worksite/ nearsite clinics.
Lester received a BS in Risk Management & Insurance from Florida State University. He is a highly sought-after speaker and has spoken a National SHRM and RIMS conferences, industry events such as EBN, BenefitsPro, and the +You Powered Symposium and is a frequent article contributor to Industry publications. Lester launched his own podcast, Impact Healthcare, where he interviews innovators about the strategies that are impacting the health benefits industry. Additionally, in May of 2020, Lester’s mission-based story was featured in Forbes Magazine outlining his outlook on disrupting the current approach to employer-sponsored health benefits after his family suffered financial ruin because of medical expenses.
Jon R. Rankin
President & CEO
North Carolina Business Coalition on Health
Jon Rankin
Jon leads the North Carolina Business Coalition on Health (NCBCH) as President and CEO. Prior to this, he spent over 25 years leading benefits and total rewards at various large employers, after having served as an officer in the US Army.
Jon earned his Master of Systems Management from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wichita State University.
He received designation as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from HRCI, as well Certified Benefits Professional (CBP) and Certified Compensation Professional (CCP) from WorldAtWork. Additionally, he currently holds life and health insurance licenses with the State of North Carolina.
Jon enjoys collaborating on health issues with his wife a Registered Nurse of Oncology (OCN) and his son, a US Army major with an master’s degree in hospital administration.
(Legislative Update)
Melissa H. Weaver, J.D.
Partner
Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP
Melissa Weaver
Melissa is a Partner with Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP, in the Raleigh and Greensboro, NC offices, where she focuses her practice on employee benefits law and executive compensation. She has experience representing employers of all sizes with respect to benefits and compensation matters, both in law firms and as in-house benefits counsel for a multinational corporation.
Melissa also now serves on NCBCH’s Board of Directors as Legal Counsel.
She received her J.D. from the University of Virgina School of Law.
(Legislative Update)
Erin M. Barker, J.D.
Associate
Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP
Erin Barker
Erin is an associate in the Greensboro, NC office of Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP. She focuses her practice on labor and employment, employee benefits, and executive compensation matters. She has experience advising employers on adopting and amending retirement and health and welfare plans; conducting employment and benefit due diligence in corporate M&A transactions; complying with ERISA, ACA, the IRC, the FLSA, Title VII, the ADA, and other federal and state employment- and benefits-related laws; responding to U.S. DOL, IRS, and EEOC investigations and penalty assessments; and negotiating and drafting employment agreements, severance agreements, equity incentive plans, employee handbooks, and other employment- and benefits-related arrangements.
Erin received her J.D. summa cum laude from the Campbell University School of Law where she also served as Executive Editor of the Campbell Law Review.
(Women’s Health Strategies)
Carla L. Eckhardt Taracena, MSc
Vice President of Clinical Operations
Visana Health
Carla Eckhardt Taracena
Carla is the Vice President of Clinical Operations at Visana Health, where she is at the forefront of steering the company’s focus on providing comprehensive women’s health care.
Carla is a seasoned senior manager with over 30 years of dynamic leadership experience in non-profit, academic, and for-profit healthcare organizations. Carla’s career mission of serving women and empowering them to take control of their health journey.
Having earned an MSc in global management from the Robert Kennedy College business school in Zurich and a BA from Yale University, Carla’s educational background equips her with a comprehensive understanding of global dynamics that inform her domestic health care delivery leadership.
With a commitment to women’s reproductive health, Carla has co-authored publications and has been dedicated to ensuring women worldwide have access to safe, high-quality care.
(Pharmaceutical Strategies)
Bridget Mulvenna
VP, Business Development
Capital Rx
Bridget Mulvenna
A dedicated and passionate leader, Bridget brings over 30 years of experience in supply chain, operations and finance in both retail and institutional pharmacy settings.
Prior to Capital Rx, Bridget held multiple roles with both Omnicare and Erickson Senior Living where she led pharmacy operations, served as key account manager, established an on-site pharmacy model, chaired the Pharmacy and Therapeutics committee and led pharmacy-related procurement initiatives that generated nearly $30 million in savings in just over 9 years. She served on the fiduciary committee at Erickson Senior Living, where she led multiple PBM procurement projects.
Bridget attended University of New Orleans, is an Army trained Pharmacy Technician and
graduated from the US Army Center of Excellence at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX.
(Weight Management Strategies)
Markyia Nichols , M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Ciba Health
Dr. Markyia Nichols
Dr. Markyia Nichols aka “Dr.Kyia” is a board-certified Ob/Gyn and Functional Medicine Expert with over 15 years of experience who is committed to helping her patients to heal the root cause of their health and wellness issues.
She received her undergraduate degree in Biology and Spanish from Johns Hopkins University, completed her medical training at the University of Maryland at Baltimore and completed her Ob/Gyn residency training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. She has received fellowship training in Functional Medicine through the Academy for Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine.
Dr. Kyia is a true Marylander and lover of blue crabs, the Ravens football team and nature. You can often find her on her yoga mat out in nature, taking a hike in the woods, or eating crabs at the beach
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Nichols is excited to offer her expertise in functional “root cause” medicine, sexual health and wellness, and hormonal health, empowering clients get to the “root” cause of their dis-ease and thereby helping to achieve reversal, and optimal health.
As the demands for quality health care and preventive health increase, it is the perfect time to offer services that will truly revolutionize the way we practice medicine and assist in treating the “whole” person.
