Staff
The professionals who join Alicia Smith & Associates come as individuals...each bringing a different perspective and experience, each possessing special skills, curiosities, intellects...
We have our researchers who dive into data, retrieving gems of information for the team to use...
Then there are our organizers who enter the most chaotic of situations and create an elegant sense of order...
We have our social issue devotees and our policy wonks; technical whizzes and eligibility gurus...
Alicia Smith & Associates is an array of ages, colors, genders, personalities... bonded by the same motivation- to contribute what's best in each of us to find comprehensive and strategic solutions. So whether your project needs the personal approach or is more data driven hand it to us at Alicia Smith & Associates and watch our team in action.
Diverse, yet like-minded. That's the concept.
That's Alicia Smith & Associates
Alicia C. Smith, J.D.
Ms. Smith brings almost 30 years of policy expertise and nationally recognized facilitation, consensus building, negotiation and relationship management skills to the firm's clients.
Ms. Smith has worked with more than 20 states on the planning, design and implementation of Medicaid State Plans, Section 1115 Waivers, and innovative solutions for expanding health care access to the uninsured. Ms. Smith has also partnered with private sector providers to improve their position in Medicaid and other health and human services programs.
Ms. Smith spent her early career in a variety of positions in state government, including director of Florida's Medicaid program, General Counsel to the state's Department of Human Resources, and Assistant Secretary for Program Planning, also with the state of Florida. She later spent nine years directing human resources policy at the National Governors' Association (NGA) where she worked on a broad range of policy issues including labor and employment, welfare reform, and health care issues. While at the NGA, Ms. Smith also negotiated federal legislation that expanded the flexibility of the Medicaid program and reformed the delivery of healthcare across the country.
Prior to founding Alicia Smith & Associates, LLC, Ms. Smith was the managing partner of another D.C. based consultancy.
Ms. Smith received her J.D. from Florida State University and her M.S. and B.S. in English from the same institution.
Marcia Morgan
Ms. Morgan has a distinguished, 27-year record in the public sector with a career history of being appointed to organizations experiencing dynamic change due to legislation or policy shifts at the state and federal government levels. Ms. Morgan has demonstrated unwavering commitment, professional competence and great versatility in the administration and management of complex government programs in five executive cabinets and two constitutional offices. Ms. Morgan is uniquely qualified to assist clients in meeting policy objectives while providing operational expertise and sound analysis to support policy and program changes in evolving and challenging state and federal government venues.
Prior to joining AS&A, Ms. Morgan served in a number of management and policy positions with increasing decision-making authority and visibility. As Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Cabinet for Health Services (CHS) for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Ms. Morgan was responsible for the operations of a multi-faceted, $5+ billion health care agency of 4,200 employees that encompassed Medicaid, Public Health Departments, Mental Health & Mental Retardation Services including state operated hospitals and residential facilities, Certificate of Need, Aging Services and The Commission for Women's Mental and Physical Health.
During and prior to her tenure as Secretary of CHS, Ms. Morgan:
- Served as the Governor's healthcare advisor to the National Governors Association (NGA).
- Led the Cabinet through a reorganization and business process reengineering initiative.
- Established an Olmstead Compliance Plan for the Commonwealth of Kentucky; the Plan incorporated an integrated network approach for the maintenance and establishment of a full array of services providing viable choice for Kentuckians.
- Implemented a consensus forecast approach to the Medicaid budget utilizing linear regression analysis and econometric models to support budget construct in conjunction with traditional utilization, expenditure and eligible population data.
- Was a key player in the Cabinet's Managed Care Development Team. The Team was charged with implementing regional not-for-profit partnerships under a 1115 demonstration waiver. The team's duties included RFP development, evaluation of proposals, contract negotiations and public relations.
- Helped develop and implement Kentucky's Children Insurance (K-CHIP) Program pursuant to Title XXI of the Social Security Act.
Ms. Morgan also served as director of the Office of the Public Accounts, Division of Performance Audit, director of unemployment insurance in the Workforce Development Cabinet, assistant deputy attorney general, as well as in the Natural Resources Cabinet — all with the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Ms. Morgan received her Bachelors in General Studies — major in Political Science, minor in History — from the University of Kentucky.
Juan M. Montanez, M.B.A.
Mr. Montanez has an accomplished operations, financial and information technology background with 12 years of experience leading major initiatives in strategic planning, financial planning and analysis, information technology (IT) planning and systems design, business process and organizational design, and project management. With the addition of Mr. Montanez, the firm has expanded its core services to encompass IT planning and business process engineering.
Prior to joining AS&A, Mr. Montanez served as Executive Consultant with the Georgia Technology Authority. While reporting to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the state of Georgia, Mr. Montanez led an authority-wide business process reengineering (BPR) initiative that resulted in a new business model and management structure for the organization, and in the implementation of new processes and tools that greatly improved organizational productivity and responsiveness.
Mr. Montanez also served as Director of Strategic Research and Analysis with the Georgia Department of Community Health. In that role, Mr. Montanez developed and implemented a new set of processes and tools to forecast and interpret changes in the demand for Medicaid and State Employee Health Plan services. This service demand and cost forecasting system greatly enhanced management's understanding of the factors driving increased costs in these programs. Mr. Montanez was a member of the department's Leadership Team, along with the department's Commissioner, Medicaid director and CIO.
Mr. Montanez also has extensive provider experience. As Director of Financial Planning and Manager of IT Planning with PROMINA Health System, one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the Atlanta metropolitan area, Mr. Montanez was responsible for pricing strategy for a major hospital system and implemented a zero-based budgeting process and toolset that reduced budgeting cycle time and provided greater visibility into the system's operations. He also successfully managed large IT initiatives, developed the methodology and processes for justifying major capital and IT investments, and oversaw the formation of a large data center that operated more than 20 major systems.
Mr. Montanez received his M.S. in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his B.S. in Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Susan R. Mathieu, M.P.P.
Ms. Mathieu has a strong background in health policy and has worked for some of the most prestigious academic and research institutions in the country.
Prior to joining AS&A, Ms. Mathieu worked as a research associate at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute, where she contributed to a variety of projects and partnered with other institutions such as the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). In one project, Ms. Mathieu evaluated efficiency-promoting strategies employed by private health plan purchasers with a discussion of potential applicability to public programs. In another project, Ms. Mathieu examined the experiences of organizations and individuals that had recently changed pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) and analyzed how such transitions may impact beneficiaries under the Medicare Part D program. Other major accomplishments while working at Georgetown included participation in the development of a chart book for the National Governors Association — the chart book highlights health care issues that states will need to consider as their populations age — and the publication of several data profiles for a series on chronic conditions.
Prior to her research work, Ms. Mathieu worked for the Government of the District of Columbia in the Office of the City Administrator and in the Department of Health's State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA). While at SHPDA she was responsible for developing content for the Long-Term Care, End-State Renal Disease, and Transplantation Services sections of the State Health Systems Plan, a document designed to be the blueprint for improving health care delivery in the District.
Ms. Mathieu received her Master of Public Policy from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute and her B.A. in History from Middlebury College.
Leena Hiilivirta, J.D.
Ms. Hiilivirta has almost fifteen years of experience in health policy and related consulting. She has worked with several states in the development, implementation and evaluation of Medicaid programs for acute care, behavioral health and long-term care services. These projects have involved helping states resolve program design issues, researching and drafting issue papers, writing solicitations and contracts, drafting waiver requests, conducting readiness reviews, and performing monitoring and evaluation activities.
Specific projects led by Ms. Hiilivirta have included: helping a state amend its 1915(c) waiver and develop a self-directed care waiver; working with a state to amend its Section 1115 demonstration program; assisting a state to finalize and negotiate a Section 1115 HIFA waiver; working with a state to increase federal funding for the juvenile justice system; assisting a state in developing a new taxonomy of mental health services; and conducting an external quality review of a state's Medicaid MCOs.
Prior to joining AS&A, Ms. Hiilivirta was a Corporate Manager at a health care consulting firm that specializes in Medicaid programs.
Ms. Hiilivirta received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A in Psychology from Haverford College.
Deidra B. Abbott, M.P.H.
Ms. Abbott has nearly twenty years of experience in public health policy development and program implementation at the federal and state levels and in the private sector.
Prior to joining AS&A, Ms. Abbott worked for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a Technical Director in the Division of Benefits and Coverage (Center for Medicaid and State Operations). In this capacity, Ms. Abbott provided oversight for federal policy development, implementation and coordination of community-based long term care programs, services and supports for aged and disabled persons. Ms. Abbott also provided technical assistance and support to state Medicaid directors and staff in the development and implementation of community-based long term care programs and services. She also led the initiative to revise the process used to review and approve state requests for home and community- based services waivers and to redesign and automate the application process. .
Ms. Abbott received her Masters degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Jennifer Roldan Verges
Ms. Verges is an accomplished leader and a learning and development specialist, with a background in quality assurance, customer service operations, project management, and training.
Prior to joining ASA, Ms. Verges worked as a Quality Assurance and Training Manager for Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) in Tallahassee, Florida. There, she managed training efforts for three contracted clients and was responsible for the delivery and ongoing support for more than 150 employees, including customer service representatives, remote field agents, managers and supervisors. She also facilitated focus groups for management and employees to establish and implement quality assurance policies, procedures and objectives.
As a Learning Development Consultant at ACS, Ms. Verges trained employees for Florida's first Medicaid Reform Choice Counseling project, which included successful completion of certification, examination and oral evaluation. She also provided business analysis to clients and collaborated with senior leadership in order to provide the highest degree of training to meet their specific needs.
Ms. Verges received a B.S. in Marketing as well as a B.S. in Entrepreneurship from Florida State University. She is also a Certified Professional Values Analysis.
Jessica Osborne
Ms. Osborne has been a champion of children's issues for the past 17 years, with experience that covers contracting, program development, child welfare service delivery, oversight and management in a variety of settings.
Prior to joining ASA, Ms. Osborne worked as Director of Operations for the Safe Children Coalition in Sarasota, Florida. Her duties there covered a broad array of child welfare services: working with all federal, state and local laws, rules and procedures affecting project participants; providing administrative management and oversight to all activities related to Interstate Compact on Placement of Children (ICPC), courtesy supervision referrals, and adoption subsidies; serving as liaison to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the state's Developmental Disabilities agencies and foster parent organizations; assessing family needs and risks; and training child welfare staff.
Ms. Osborne's outstanding leadership abilities were acknowledged by the State of Florida when top officials tapped her for participation in the state’s Child Welfare Leadership Program.
Ms. Osborne has a B.A. in Social Work and Psychology from the University of South Florida and is certified in Child Protection from the State of Florida.
David Parrella
Mr. Parrella brings more than 20 years experience in the healthcare sector highlighted by a focus on program development, implementation, and advisement. Before joining AS&A, since March of 1987, Mr. Parrella was employed in the Connecticut Medicaid program. During that time he served in many leadership positions finally settling in his most recent role as the Director of the Medical Care Administration in February, 1997. In that capacity, he was the longest serving Medicaid Director in the nation.
During his employment service with the Medicaid program, Mr. Parrella was responsible for a number of different programmatic areas including Medical policy, Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS), and Third Party Liability (TPL). He led the design and development of revenue maximization initiatives of the states hospital disproportionate share program (DSH) and targeted case management (TCM). Mr. Parrella subsequently developed the Connecticut AIDS Drug Assistance and the AIDS Insurance Assistance Programs. In 1995, Mr. Parrella led the development and implementation of the Connecticut Access Medicaid Managed Care Program, now known as HUSKY Part A. Mr. Parrella was a key participant in the design of Connecticut’s HUSKY Plan for uninsured children under Title XXI of the Social Security Act. He also managed the roll-out for the Governor’s Charter Oak Health Plan for the uninsured.
Mr. Parrella is a 1972 graduate of Yale University and completed graduate study in anthropology at the University of Oregon and the University of Connecticut. During his doctoral program Mr. Parrella spent four field seasons in Peru working with a health development project sponsored by the United Nations and the Wenner Grenn Foundation for Scientific Research. He is committed to expanding access for the uninsured and improving the health status of low income and minority populations, including Native Americans. Prior to coming to the Medicaid program, Mr. Parrella served as the Health Director for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.
Mr. Parella is the two-time Chairman of the National Association of State Medicaid Directors (NASMD). In that capacity he has served on numerous national health policy forums and recently led the successful effort to impose a moratorium on several Medicaid regulatory changes proposed by the administration.
Mr. Parrella is married to Brenda Parrella, and has two children, Rosanna and Daniel, and two step-children, Samuel and Rose.
Jason Coleman
Mr. Coleman comes to Alicia Smith and Associates bringing 12 years of experience gained through involvement in various facets of technology companies, including quality assurance, applications development, network and software architecture, product management, customer service, and operations management. Mr. Coleman has a proven track record of proficiency in analyzing new environments and envisioning structures and systems to create or improve efficiency while achieving goals quickly and effectively.
As a former entrepreneur, Mr. Coleman’s high level vision, well rounded experience, and understanding of many aspects of business and technology have allowed him to achieve professional success. Most recently, Mr. Coleman served as a service manager and member of a six person service team for a start-up VOIP provider. His management responsibilities included leadership in customer service, technical support, ‘Green to Gold’ contract support and guidance, number porting, and as a development liaison.
Prior to his career in service management, Mr. Coleman worked closely with the CEO of a mobile documentation company where he helped to guide the organization into becoming a profitable production company.
Under the direction of Mr. Coleman, the company was able to provide speech-to-text services for email and business documentation via cell phone, featuring human transcriptionists. Mr. Coleman also designed a network and software architecture, guided development through product completion, and led the company transformation from a software development shop to a profitable, subscription-based production company.
With these combined experiences and several others, Mr. Coleman will make many significant contributions and serve in a key role at ASA developing and implementing health information systems and electronic health records as well as assist in the client navigation of Medicaid’s tech challenges. Additionally, Mr. Coleman will assist states to conduct MITA assessments as well as develop MMIS products and advance planning in MMIS development.
Mr. Coleman attended New College in Sarasota, FL and majored in Philosophy.