2025 HASD&IC Annual Meeting

Dimitrios Alexiou, FACHE
President & CEO
Hospital Association of San Diego & Imperial Counties
Dimitrios Alexiou, FACHE, is the President and CEO of Hospital Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties (HASD&IC), a non-profit trade association representing hospitals and health systems. Mr. Alexiou joined the Hospital Association in December 2014. As President/CEO of HASD&IC, Dimitrios provides leadership, representation, advocacy, and acts as an advisory on behalf of over 38 hospitals and health systems in the 2-county region. He also serves as a Board Advisor to the California Hospital Association Board of Trustees.

Kirsten Barlow, MSW 
Vice President, Policy 
California Hospital Association 
Kirsten Barlow joined the California Hospital Association as Vice President, Policy in December 2021, where she manages behavioral health policy issues. Over the three prior years, Kirsten established an independent consulting practice providing policy, finance, and strategic expertise to clients, including: Aurrera Health Group; the National Alliance of Mental Illness – California; and the California Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and Public Conservators Association. She previously served as lead lobbyist and then Executive Director for the County Behavioral Health Directors Association.

Nadia Privara Brahms, MPA 
Acting Director, Behavioral Health Services 
County of San Diego HHSA
Nadia Privara, MPA, is the Acting Director of Behavioral Health Services (BHS) for the County of San Diego, Health and Human Services Agency. Prior to this position, Nadia served as the Assistant Director and Chief Strategy and Finance Officer for BHS where she led major initiatives including departmental reorganization, change management, development of the Optimal Care Pathways model, innovative provider partnerships, and the County’s implementation of behavioral health payment reform. Nadia holds a master’s degree in public administration from San Diego State University.

Tucker Bryant 
Poet, Entrepreneur, Keynote Speaker
Tucker Bryant is an entrepreneur, innovation strategist, and nationally renowned poet. After nurturing his craft at Stanford University, Tucker went on to become a lead Product Marketing Manager at Google where he discovered the potential of the creative tools poets have relied on for millennia to drive innovative leadership in the corporate world. After a decade in Silicon Valley, Tucker left Google to challenge leaders to unlock creativity, collaboration and competitive advantage using The Poet’s Keys™. His performances have garnered millions of views online.

Martha Crowe, MA 
Research Associate, Adjunct Professor 
San Diego State University Institute for Public Health 
Martha Crowe is a Research Associate and Medical Writer with the Institute for Public Health (IPH) at San Diego State University (SDSU), where she has been since 2013. She also teaches courses in the SDSU School of Public Health and Weber Honors College. Martha specializes in community-based, qualitative research that helps tell the unique stories of people in the community. She has worked with organizations small and large conducting program evaluations and community health needs assessments, as well as designing, implementing, and assessing professional development curricula.

Claire Hick, MHA, FACHE 
Principal 
Health Management Associates 
Claire Hick is a seasoned health care executive with more than 15 years of experience in strategic health care management, including growing behavioral health hospitals, medical/surgical hospitals, and physician practices. With a proven history of achieving growth and operational excellence at the C-suite level, she is committed to empowering team members and partners to deliver exceptional care to the patients and communities they serve. Claire specializes in key performance indicator (KPI) growth, organizational expense opportunities, and business and service line development.

Eric Lucas 
Managing Director 
National Practice Leader, Hospital & Health Systems
Baker Tilly
Mr. Lucas has worked in the health care finance industry since 1996. He serves health care organizations with government reimbursement matters and helps lead the firm’s Health Care Consulting Provider Reimbursement Enterprise Services. Eric’s areas of expertise include regulatory compliance, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, accounts receivable valuation and analysis, government financial reporting, and revenue cycle management. Eric has significant experience with advocacy groups related to major reimbursement matters, has represented hospitals in media discussions, and was a pioneer member in the California Medi-Cal Provider Fee development team. 

Michelle Millerick, MPH
Vice President, Federal Policy
California Hospital Association
Based in Washington, DC, Michelle is Vice President of Federal Policy at the California Hospital Association (CHA). She brings over 12 years of experience working with and for hospitals at the state and federal level in government affairs and public policy roles with specific expertise in Medicaid, public payer reimbursement, and health insurance coverage policy. Prior to CHA, she led the Medicare Advantage and insurer accountability work for the American Hospital Association as the director of health insurance policy.

Leticia Plancarte-Garcia, MSW, MPA 
Director of Behavioral Health Services 
Imperial County 
Leticia Plancarte-Garcia has been with Imperial County Behavioral Health Services (ICBHS) since 1991, progressing through roles such as Mental Health Rehabilitation Specialist, Program Supervisor, Behavioral Health Manager, Deputy Director, Assistant Director, and now Director. Throughout her career, Ms. Plancarte-Garcia has remained dedicated to improving behavioral health services by implementing innovative programs and expanding care for individuals of all ages. Her leadership has strengthened behavioral health initiatives and enhanced access to critical services in the community.

Felicia Y Sze 
Managing Partner 
Athene Law, LLP
Felicia Sze is a respected leader in health care and health policy in California. She serves as a trusted advisor to boards and C-suite executives to health care providers to identify solutions to challenging and high-profile issues. She founded Athene Law, LLP with a vision for the firm to partner with its clients to support their mission in ensuring the provision of health care services to Californians. Ms. Sze is a nationally-recognized expert in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement matters, focusing on both the managed care and fee-for-service delivery systems.

Ryan Witz 
Executive Director 
District Hospital Leadership Forum
Ryan Witz is a seasoned health care finance executive with more than 15 years of leadership experience in Medicaid policy and reimbursement. His career spans state government, trade associations, integrated health systems, and consulting, providing him with a comprehensive and practical understanding of Medicaid. Currently, Ryan serves as Executive Director for the District Hospital Leadership Forum (DHLF) and as a Senior Manager at SCA Consulting. In these roles, he develops federal and state reimbursement policy for California’s district hospitals and advises health care organizations on complex Medi-Cal issues.