Speaker Bios

Jeff Whitehorn - Keynote

Whitehorn Coaching & Consulting

Jeff Whitehorn is a former 25-year hospital CEO with HCA Healthcare. He founded Whitehorn Coaching & Consulting in 2018 and now serves as an author, national speaker, and executive coach. He earned his BS degree from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN and his MBA from the University of Alabama. Jeff is a Lifetime Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is certified as an executive coach by the International Coaching Association (ICF) and a certified team facilitator by Association of Talent Development (ADT). Jeff is the author of Leadership Treasure: 25 Bits of Gold Discovered From 25 Years as a CEO. He and his wife reside in Brentwood, TN.

Barbara Khozam, Keynote

Speaker, Trainer, Patient Experience Consultant

As the founder of Barbara Khozam Speaking and Consulting, Barbara is an internationally recognized speaker and trainer having delivered over 1900 presentations to 75,000 people in 12 countries on Customer Service, Patient Experience, Leadership, and Communication.

In 2019 Barbara was chosen as the Top Customer Service Consultant of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals. Also in 2019, Barbara was awarded the CSP® (Certified Speaking Professional™) from the National Speaker’s Association. Barbara is one of only three women in the world to have achieved BOTH this designation as well as the Toastmaster Accredited Speaker designation. In 2021, Barbara achieved the Certified Patient Experience Professional “CPXP) designation from the Patient Experience Institute.

In her spare time, you can find her on the beaches of southern California playing the best sport ever invented: Beach Volleyball!

Abraham Gage, MBA, MS, FACHE, FHFMA
System VP, Strategy & Business Intelligence, UofL Health

Abraham Gage has 15 years of diverse experience in the healthcare industry across the United States, working with payors, medical device manufacturers, and providers.  He is a board-certified medical practice executive with the American College of Medical Practice Executives and is a Fellow of both the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

He works as the Vice President of Strategy & Business Intelligence at UofL Health and is an adjunct professor with UofL's Graduate School of Business where he teaches graduate-level analytics and management courses.  He holds an undergraduate degree from BYU, an MBA from Duke University, and a Masters in Analytics from the University of Louisville.  

Brian K. Garver - Senior Vice President, KeyBridge Medical Revenue Care

Brian Garver is a passionate business leader in the Healthcare Revenue Cycle space with over 20 years of leadership experience. Brian is also nationally recognized as an expert facilitator and speaker focused on Patient Experience, Organizational Culture and Business Leadership. In his presentations, Brian delivers actionable content with an engaging, compelling message that will inspire new, thoughtful changes within your team.

His ability to touch each and every attendee with humor, emotion, empathy and care have made his presentations nationally recognized and highly sought after. His powerful speaking engagements have taken him across the country from New York to Los Angeles with many stops in between.

Brian resides in Lima, Ohio and is an active member of the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM) and the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). He also hosts the live podcast series… “The Revenue Cycle Rundown”.

Jade Kinder RN, MSN, FASHRM, CPHRM

Jade Kinder is a seasoned healthcare professional with over 25 years of experience in healthcare risk management and medical malpractice. Jade joined Curi in January 2023 following the acquisition of Michigan Professional Insurance Exchange (MPIE). At MPIE, Jade served as a Claims and Risk Management Consultant.

At Curi, Jade coordinates the defense of client physicians, hospitals, and healthcare professionals. Jade is responsible for investigating and managing claims, including speaking with clients and claimants, providing coverage analysis, assigning and working with defense counsel to ensure proper case management, and negotiating resolution.

Away from work, Jade enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and exploring the outdoors—from boating and camping to Jeep off-roading adventures.

Susie Lawrence

Susie Lawrence is the Founder of Susie Lawrence Coaching and a transformational leadership coach, speaker, and veteran of the tech and talent world with over 25 years of experience in sales, leadership, and executive coaching. She helps high-achieving professionals lead with confidence, communicate with impact, and create high-performance cultures built on empathy and accountability.

Melissa Macchia JD, Partner - Taft Law

Melissa is co-chair of Taft’s Employment and Labor Relations practice group and a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice group. She focuses her practice primarily in the areas of employment-related matters and litigation, as well as complex commercial litigation. Melissa has successfully handled a variety of significant matters involving employment disputes, restrictive covenant and trade secret claims, litigation arising from mergers, acquisitions and other strategic transactions, commercial contracts, and shareholder disputes.

One focus of Melissa’s practice is on employment law, with a particular emphasis on the prevention and defense of employment-based litigation. She has represented governmental and private clients in workplace discrimination litigation, policy formulation, and employment-related investigations. Melissa routinely advises clients on issues surrounding employment-related agreements and restrictive covenants, best practices in hiring, discipline and terminations, reductions in force, wage and hour matters, employee compensation, medical leave, and accommodations.

Melissa also negotiates employment-based contracts and issues in connection with mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions. She also frequently provides clients with in-house training on workplace best practices, harassment, medical leave, and conducting internal investigations.

Melissa is recognized as one of the “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers in America® for litigation – labor and employment and as a Rising Star by Indiana Super Lawyers for employment and labor. She was also selected as a 2024 Forty Under 40 honoree by the Indianapolis Business Journal and was the winner in the law category at the 2021 Best & Brightest Awards.

Cory Meadows JD, Vice President Medical Affairs Kentucky Medical Association

Cory Meadows is the Deputy Executive Vice President and Director of Advocacy at the Kentucky Medical Association.  Meadows joined KMA in 2011 and since that time has been responsible for managing the Association’s legislative advocacy efforts and legal activities.  He also speaks on a number of topics related to physician practice management, medical/legal issues, access to care, compliance, and the current state of the health care industry.  Prior to joining KMA, Meadows practiced law in both the public and private sectors and served in several key positions within the Fletcher Administration.

A native of Clay City, Kentucky, Meadows earned an undergraduate political science degree from the University of Kentucky and a law degree from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville. 

Ashkan Nikou, Head of Security Bluegrass Orthopaedics

Ashkan Nikou is a licensed Security Officer and Professional. Ashkan is in his 8th year in the US Army, currently as a Captain. He has a degree in Criminal Justice with a background in Homeland Security. He has been in security for 8 years with both management and leadership experience. He is dedicated to providing top-tier security and skills to protect his personnel and patients. 

Gisela Plazas - NFP Healthcare Leader – Property & Casualty Risk

Gisela brings over 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, specializing in liability and driven by a deep commitment to client advocacy. She supports healthcare organizations in navigating complex regulatory environments and crafting proactive, forward-thinking risk strategies.

Gisela’s approach balances protection and practicality—promoting transparency and common sense in the design of customized insurance programs. Gisela focuses her advocacy on:

• Educating clients on emerging liability exposures in healthcare settings across the U.S.
• Developing innovative strategies for risk transfer and retention
• Simplifying liability planning to protect both reputation and financial health

Tabby Shaw – CEO, Path Forward IT

Based in Cincinnati, Tabby has grown with Path Forward IT for 14 years. Starting in an entry-level account management role, she rose through the ranks to become CEO in 2022. Tabby now leads the company’s nationwide and global expansions while championing women in IT through mentorship and leadership. Like a true The Office protagonist—think Pam’s determination mixed with Jim's sense of humor —Tabby combines experience, vision, and a passion for growing inclusive teams that make a real impact

David Stewart – President, Path Forward IT

Workshop Descriptions

KEYNOTES:

Unleashing the Power of Agile Leadership and Other Critical Leadership Lessons They Don’t Teach You in School - Jeff Whitehorn

In today's rapidly evolving and often unpredictable world, traditional leadership models are increasingly challenged to keep pace. This presentation explores the critical shift towards agile leadership – a dynamic and adaptive approach that empowers individuals and teams to thrive in complexity and drive impactful results. In addition, other critical leadership lessons they don’t teach in school, but are crucial for success, are revealed and explored. Proven action steps that a leader can take in order to overcome these unforeseen challenges are provided and discussed.

Learning Objectives:

1. Core principles of agile leadership will be explored and discussed
2. Recognize benefits of adopting agile leadership for individual leaders, teams, and the   organization.
3. Discover an additional eight untaught leadership lessons and carry away a toolbox of tips, strategies, and ideas to overcome possible obstacles

How to Deliver an Extraordinary Service Experience - Barbara Khozam

Everyone in healthcare knows that patients have choices. And with companies like Amazon entering the arena, there are more choices than ever. The best healthcare organizations realize that the quality of experience a patient receives on each visit and with each caregiver can improve patient outcomes, increase positive online reviews/survey results and create long-term loyalty! So why let customer service sit on the sideline.

Session Objectives
In this session you will discover:

• The rationale for extraordinary service
• A 4-step customer service workflow to get your team to deliver a consistent experience to every patient, every time
• Proven strategies to deal with patient complaints
• And more

It’s no longer good enough to simply meet patient expectations. Patients who are merely satisfied with a service will remain flexible but will switch doctors and medical groups after only one bad experience. It’s, therefore, more important to create exceptional patient experiences – a story that they can share
with their friends and family. Master trainer, Barbara Khozam, will use humor and interactive techniques to guide your participants into learning easy-to-implement lessons that not only create delighted patients and employees, but exceptional results as well.

GENERAL SESSIONS:

Culture CPR: Administer Immediately to Invigorate Culture and Boost Employee Retention - Jeff Whitehorn

In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, the quest to retain key talent has never been more intense. Whether it’s the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, or The Big Quit, high employee turnover has become one of the most powerful barriers to success for leaders and their teams. What is the first action you can immediately take to stop the exodus of your staff? Focus on culture. It’s the foundation for employee retention, and it can be your competitive advantage. Throwing money at short-term employee recruiting tactics will not yield long-term results. It’s time to implement “Culture CPR,” a proven strategy that invigorates culture, develops leaders, and boosts employee retention. Jeff Whitehorn, a former 25-year hospital CEO, delivers an energetic, engaging, and motivational presentation as he reveals the three critical components of Culture CPR and action steps a leader must take immediately. He is a national speaker, healthcare executive coach, and the author of: Leadership Treasure: 25 Bits of Gold Discovered From 25 Years as a CEO. He and his wife reside in Brentwood, TN.

Learning objectives:

• Reveal the three critical components of “Culture CPR” in order to help leaders know where to focus their time, energy, and resources to improve culture and boost employee retention
• Discover specific leadership skills needed that leaders must utilize and develop so they can improve culture and boost employee retention
• Develop a toolbox of tips, strategies, and ideas for the leader to implement immediately in order to retain employees and reduce turnover
•  

Hot Topics in Healthcare: Panel Session with IMGMA & KMGMA Board Members

Legislative Updates for Kentucky and Indiana - Cory Meadows and Cindy Kirchofer

BREAKOUT SESSIONS:

Healthcare Risk 101: Property and Casualty Essentials - Gisela Plazas

 Learning Objectives:

• The foundations of risk : a healthcare industry overview
• Understanding emerging liability risks in healthcare
• Post-covid litigation: retrospective review

Revenue Strategies for Challenging Times - Brian Garver

Uncompensated care, employee burnout, and inefficiencies are just a few of the fires healthcare organizations are battling. Join us for an insightful master class that dives into practical, impactful strategies to weather these challenges. Discover how small adjustments can drive significant results, from improving patient access and retention to unlocking the full potential of your revenue cycle team. Learn how to leverage modern technologies and implement root cause analysis to optimize your processes.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the financial pressures affecting healthcare organizations.
• Learn actionable revenue strategies to improve financial performance.
• Optimize revenue cycle management through development and technology.

The Empathy Edge: How Compassionate Leadership Builds High-Performance Cultures - Susie Lawrence

• The science behind empathy and its link to retention, performance, and psychological safety
• How to balance compassion with clear boundaries and tough decisions
• The most common empathy traps—and how to avoid them
• Tools to lead with emotional intelligence, especially under pressure
• How to model the behavior you want to see, without burning out

Hot Topics in Employment Law - Melissa Macchia

Navigating Workplace Accommodation and Leave Laws: The FMLA, ADA, and PWFA.

Description: We will review the instances when the FMLA, ADA, and PWFA apply in the workplace and how to evaluate requests for medical leave and other medical-related accommodations.

Verbal Judo: Tactics to Diffuse Conflict - Ashkan Nikou

Conference Handouts