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National Alliance Staff

National Alliance team members share a passion for igniting change to improve health and healthcare in America. Together with coalitions, employers/purchasers, policy makers, trade groups, physicians, scientists, innovators, and other allies, we are driving health, equity and value.

Shawn Gremminger

Shawn Gremminger

President & CEO
Known for his wide-ranging policy expertise, and government relations experience, Shawn Gremminger brings to the National Alliance a successful record of working with coalitions, employers and other healthcare purchasers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders toward the mission of achieving high-quality, affordable, equitable healthcare.

Shawn was most recently senior vice president at Reservoir Communications Group where he led communications and public affairs strategy and execution on a range of relevant issues, including 340B and the drug supply chain, employer-sponsored insurance regulations, and Medicare payment. He has a strong history of healthcare advocacy and public affairs with employers, plans, hospitals, and consumer organizations. Shawn was previously director of health policy for the Purchaser Business Group on Health, a member of the National Alliance, where he ran efforts to improve quality and affordability for consumers and healthcare purchasers through federal policy. He has held senior leadership roles at Families USA, and America’s Essential Hospitals. Shawn began his career as a lobbyist for the Children’s Hospital Association. He achieved a Master of Public Policy from George Washington University in Washington and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA.

Margaret Rehayem

Vice President
Margaret Rehayem is an experienced healthcare leader who brings care and enthusiasm to her role with the National Alliance. As vice president, she provides leadership for national initiatives that support member collaboration, helping coalitions leverage regional efforts at the national level to drive health, innovation, equity and value. Her focus has been in health and wellbeing, total person health, and various areas in delivery and payment reform such as hospital pricing, drug management, and high-cost claims.

Margaret has over 20 years’ experience working with employers in various areas of healthcare strategic planning. She has developed and executed projects with continuous improvement frameworks, national employer roundtables, and multi-stakeholder learning collaboratives that support organizational improvement and business/community partnerships. She also oversees a number of grant activities that have included national organizations such as CDC Foundation, Patient-centered Outcomes Research Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and United Health Foundation. She serves as a main contact for member coalitions, fostering relationships and supporting regional coalition members through networking and capacity building. She also helps drive the direction of the organization’s National Health Leadership Council and engages with public and private employers of different industries through the National Purchaser Leadership Council (NPLC). She also coordinates the Health Equity Advisory Council that meets throughout the year.

Margaret is a national speaker on a number of healthcare topics including business performance and leadership, health benefits, medical and pharmacy drugs, biosimilars, employee engagement, and organizational culture, and the impact of health equity, social needs, and wellbeing in organizations.

Before joining the National Alliance, she was on the leadership team at the Midwest Business Group on Health, a leading business coalition in Chicago. Early on in her career, she created and managed an award-winning employee health and wellness program for 11 years at a community college. She has been involved with various advisory boards including with the National Health Council, the Innovative Value Initiative, and the Act4Biosimilars. She has been an adjunct faculty professor since 2008 and most recently taught corporate health and entrepreneurship at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Christina Bell

Director, Healthcare Strategy
Christina Bell is director of healthcare strategy with 15+ years of experience emphasizing program and project administration in a healthcare environment. In her role, she leads strategic initiatives that address healthcare system challenges, issues and opportunities in delivery and system reform, health equity, and total person health and wellbeing.

As a former vice president of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health (PBGH), Christina held responsibilities for executing and ensuring implementation of PBGH’s overall strategic direction. She served as the architect for educational programming, projects and business development framework to improve understanding and aid in decision making with regard to equitable access, healthcare quality, cost containment, and employer choice in the PBGH market region and nationally. Christina serves on the PCORI HIIP Advisory Board, Heinz Endowment Economic Security Investment Advisory Council, and the Professional Women’s Network Advisory Board.

Christina is a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Health Value Advisor, and holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a master’s degree in health administration.

Maria Cornejo

Director, Operations
Maria Cornejo, director of operations, has been with the National Alliance since 1996. She oversees day-to-day operations of the National Alliance and manages the full range of administrative, logistical and operational duties in a wide variety of program areas including human resources, accounting, budgeting, board liaison, information technology, and program development. Maria is a Washington, DC native and is bilingual (English and Spanish).

Jean Hanvik

Director, Communications
Jean Hanvik is the communications director, responsible for supporting the organization’s mission. She provides strategic leadership; cultivates relationships with member coalitions; strengthens networking and capacity building opportunities; and helps coalitions share best practices and learnings.

As a senior leader in the health and benefits marketing and communications community, Jean has a well-rounded career in corporate (UnitedHealthcare) and consulting (Willis, Towers, Watson; SGH Communications, Inc.) environments, serving public and private employers. She has worked exclusively in health and benefits, specializing in communication strategy development; health improvement and chronic condition education; health literacy skill building; market research; and corporate, marketing, and benefits communications.

Jean has won numerous awards for her work, including IABC and PRSA Awards of Merit and Excellence; the BE Wyatt Award for Excellence in Revenue Generation; the NCQA Excellence in Communications citation; Silver Mature Media National Award; and Crystal Clarion Awards from Women in Communications. She holds a double-major bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Karlene Lucas

Director, Development and Program Management
Karlene Lucas is responsible for affiliate membership and event management. She has more than 12 years’ experience working with employers in the areas of value-based benefit design, diabetes, asthma and wellness initiatives.

Karlene has been published in several healthcare journals, notably Health Affairs for her work on an innovative value-based benefit design program in diabetes. Prior to joining the National Alliance, she was the director of education and demonstration projects for the Florida Health Care Coalition (FLHCC). FLHCC is the only business coalition in Florida representing nearly two million covered lives. Its clinical quality Initiative has been recognized locally, statewide and nationally by ABC World News Tonight, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.

Karlene holds a BS in Cardiopulmonary Sciences from the University of Central Florida and an MBA from Nova Southeastern University.

Amanda Green

Manager of Healthcare Initiatives
Amanda Green is the manager of healthcare initiatives and is responsible for supporting strategic initiatives that address issues and opportunities in health system reform and health and wellbeing.

Amanda has been published in several healthcare journals, notably the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy. Prior to her role at National Alliance, Amanda was a research associate at the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC). In this role, she was responsible for leading and supporting research projects related to the essential role of bio-pharmaceuticals in the healthcare delivery system. She also spent time working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, on the Epidemiology Workforce Branch and holds community-based intervention experience from her time working at the Florida Department of Health.

Amanda holds a master of science in public health from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and dual bachelor’s degrees in public health and international relations from the University of Miami.

Cary Conway

PR and Communications Advisor
Cary Conway is responsible for developing external communication materials and media relations. She has served as a consultant for National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions since 2004.

Cary has consulted since 1999 and previously served in a variety of communication roles for Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector (now Freescale Semiconductor). Before joining Motorola, Cary managed public relations for an advertising and marketing agency and also held positions with a Dallas public relations firm.

Cary speaks on a variety of communications, media training, and public relations topics. She holds a BS in journalism/public relations from the University of Kansas.

Learn more about what we do

Share the passion for driving change to improve health and healthcare in America. See how delivery and payment reform; total person health; and health policy are embedded at the National Alliance.