 Patrick
Kennedy, former U.S. Congressman from RI
Congressman Patrick Kennedy served 16 years in the U.S.
House of Representatives and is predominantly known as
the author and lead sponsor of the Mental Health Parity
& Addiction Equity Act of 2008. This dramatic piece of
legislation provides tens of millions of Americans who
were previously denied care with access to mental health
treatment.
Congressman Kennedy has authored and co-sponsored dozens
of bills to increase the understanding and treatment of
neurological and psychiatric disorders, including the
National Neurotechnology Initiative Act, the Genomics
and Personalized Medicine Act, the COMBAT PTSD Act, and
the Alzheimer’s Treatment and Caregiver Support Act.
Congressman Kennedy is a winner of the American College
of Neuropsycho-pharmacology Distinguished Service Award,
the Society for Neuroscience Public Service Award, the
Autism Society of America Congressional Leadership
Award, the Depression and Bipolar Support Paul Wellstone
Mental Health Award, and the Epilepsy Foundation Public
Service Award. |
Erin Barfels
Chief Human Resource Officer
ARAG®
 As
Chief Human Resource Officer at ARAG, Erin Barfels has
executive responsibility over all of the people
strategies of the organization including workforce
planning, compensation and benefits, organizational
development and internal brand distinction to execute
and deliver on business objectives.
Erin brings nearly 15
years of experience in a variety of industries to drive
cultural change and execution of organizational
objectives.
At ARAG, Erin has
effectively utilized her leadership role to inspire the
culture, values, benefits and individual growth
opportunities making ARAG an exceptional company, where
individuals can enjoy a rewarding career while making a
difference in the lives of ARAG’s customers.
Erin’s strong yet caring
leadership style is instrumental in driving team member
satisfaction. Her efforts to provide team members with
world class benefits, community outreach support,
individual growth plans and educational benefits has
established ARAG as a “Best Places to Work in Insurance”
Company1 two years in a row. This recognition is
especially meaningful as it is based on employee
feedback regarding satisfaction with the organization.
Erin earned a bachelor’s
degree in psychology and a master’s degree with an
emphasis in human resource management from Iowa State
University.
Joseph L.
Murgo
SVP and General Manager
SRC, an Aetna Company
 Joe
is Head of SRC and brings nearly 30 years of
senior-level general management, finance, operations,
strategic planning, project management, health care IT
and marketing health care experience to this important
role.
Most recently, Joe served
as Executive Director of North American Health care for
Tata Consultancy Services, one of the world’s largest IT
firms based in Bombay, India. Other previous leadership
roles include: Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer for Hospital Partners of America, a
private equity backed, start-up hospital company; Senior
Manager And Practice Leader for Cap Gemini Ernst & Young
LLP's Southeast managed care consulting practice;
multiple Sales And Marketing Executive roles and
President/General Manager roles for some of the nation's
largest payers such as Maxicare, Aetna and CIGNA, with
responsibility for P&Ls in excess of $500M; and Chief
Marketing Officer for a new venture-based company he
helped start up, introducing cosmetically-tinted soft
contact lenses into the U.S. marketplace.
Joe has a Bachelor of
Science degree from Georgetown University.
Mark
Parabicoli
Managing Director, Auto & Home Voluntary Benefits
Liberty Mutual
 Mark
Parabicoli has been with Liberty Mutual for 18 years working in
the Affinity Marketing and Claims arena. Mark’s current role in
the Affinity Marketing department is securing and maintaining
partnerships with employer groups in order to incorporate our
auto and home products into members’ voluntary benefits programs
offered to their employees.
Prior to transitioning in
January 2009 to his current position, Mark was the Manager of
Examining and Quality Assurance for the Claims Department. In
this roll he managed a team that acted as technical consultants
for the national Claims field operations for complex and
high-exposure claims. His Examining team also monitored and
managed large exposure litigated files, including class action
lawsuits. Mark’s Quality Assurance teams monitored the quality
of ongoing Claims work product so that a consistent product was
delivered to our customers with superior quality service, while
also remaining complaint with all state claims handling
regulations.
Mark earned his Bachelors of
Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts in
1990.
Paul D. Sari
Executive Director
HSA and Corporate Prepaid Business Development and Client
Management
J.P. Morgan
 Paul
is responsible for Sales and Account Management within the
Consumer Directed Healthcare and Prepaid Card groups. Prior to
joining J.P. Morgan, Paul worked for both Bank of America and
Mellon Financial in sales, relationship management and product
management roles across a variety of retirement and benefits
related businesses. Prior to entering the private sector, Paul
served as an Infantry Officer in the US Army’s 75th Ranger
Regiment. Paul has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from The
Citadel and a Masters in Business Administration from the SC
Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.
Barry
Schilmeister
Partner
Mercer Health & Benefits
 Barry
is a Partner in Mercer's Health and Benefits business, working
with both Mercer's Norwalk and New York consulting offices. He
has been involved in insurance, benefits and actuarial work for
over thirty years: over twenty years in group benefits
consulting-the last sixteen with Mercer-preceded by twelve years
as an insurance company actuary, primarily involved in health
care programs.
Barry is a Fellow of the
Society of Actuaries, and a Member of the American Academy of
Actuaries. As an actuary and senior consultant at Mercer, he
advises large employers on the structure and financing of their
group benefit programs. Projects cover the full range of
benefits, active employees and retirees, insured and self-funded
arrangements, managed care, single option and flexible benefits,
traditional and non-traditional programs. Barry is the New York
spokesperson for Mercer's National Survey of Employer-Sponsored
Health Plans, the largest survey of its kind.
Barry has been quoted in such
publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time,
Crain's New York Business and Newsday on a variety of
benefit-related issues. He has appeared on CNBC, Business Week
TV, the NBC Nightly News and the Fox Business Network,
discussing the cost of employer-sponsored health care and trends
in active and retiree medical benefits.
Education: University of
Michigan, Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics, Statistics, Actuarial
Science.
Joan
Smyth
Partner
Mercer Health & Benefits
 Joan
Smyth is a Partner in the New York office of Mercer
Health & Benefits and is the office sales manager for
New York City and Long Island.
Joan has over 20 years
experience in the industry, working with mid-sized employers in
the design and implementation of benefit programs. Her focus is
on strategy, long term solutions and enhancement of overall
benefit offerings, as well as cost control, and she is a
frequent speaker at industry events. Before joining the firm in
1993, she was vice president at a regional brokerage firm, and
was previously with The Equitable Life (now AXA). She also has
experience in the interior design, fashion and electronics
industries.
Joan graduated from The Queen's
University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with honors in English
Literature and Language.
David
Tinkelman, M.D.
Vice President of Health Initiatives
and Medical Director for FitLogix and QuitLine programs
National Jewish Health
 David
Tinkelman is a physician, an executive and a researcher.
Currently he serves as Professor of Pediatrics and Vice
President of Health Initiatives at National Jewish Health in
Denver, Colorado, a position he has held since 1995. During his
tenure at National Jewish, Dr. Tinkelman created and served as
the Medical Director of the Disease Management programs. These
include the “Quit Line”, a smoking cessation telephonic and
Internet program serving various United States markets and, most
recently, FitLogix, a new multi-media weight management program
with special capabilities for co morbidities, such as diabetes
and cardiovascular disease.
Active in medical research and the author of over 135 journal
publications and book chapters focusing on asthma, COPD and
allergy, Dr. Tinkelman has more recently expanded his research
to include socioeconomic issues in healthcare. He is a past
president of the Joint Council of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology
and a past Editor of the Journal of Asthma. He is the
co-editor of four textbooks related to respiratory disease. |
