Navigating Opportunities for Medicaid Payment for Evidence-Based Programs

Sharon R. Williams is the founder and CEO of Williams Jaxon, Consulting, LLC, a business development and training firm focused on support for community organizations, government agencies and health organizations serving Medicare/Medicare consumers. Sharon’s experience includes executive leadership in both the traditional health care and the Home and Community Based Services industries.  She is a seasoned and results oriented executive with a passion for the delivery of high quality, culturally competent, comprehensive and cost effective health care services for publicly funded consumers. Sharon was CEO at CareSource Michigan, a top 100 ranked health plan with Medicaid and Medicare product lines.  Additional leadership experiences include Vice President roles at Coventry, Amerigroup and OmniCare.  She has also served as COO for one of the nation’s leading Area Agencies on Aging.

Kathleen Zuke was privileged to grow up with eight loving grandparents and developed a passion for supportive services for older adults as a caregiver for her grandfather. She has been a Senior Program Manager with the Center for Healthy Aging since 2015. In this role, she works collaboratively with community-based partners across the country to identify, implement, and sustain evidence-based programs that support older adults in staying well and aging in the community, including chronic disease self-management education, falls prevention, and behavioral health. She has a Master’s degree in Public Health from Hunter College and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Laura B. Plunkett is a Senior Program Specialist with the Center for Healthy Aging at the National Council on Aging. In this role, she works with chronic disease self-management education and fall prevention grantees across the country to provide information, support, and resources to strengthen, expand, and sustain the delivery of evidence-based programs. Prior to joining NCOA, Laura spent four years at an Area Agency on Aging in North Carolina, where she coordinated the implementation of evidence-based health promotion programs in 12 counties. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Bachelor of Social Work from North Carolina State University and a Master’s degree in Public Health from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her professional interests include the integration of community-based services and health care, the sustainability of evidence-based programs, and continuum of care efforts.