Partner Spotlight: Advancing Person-Centered Aging-in-Place Innovations in Community Integration

She design strategies for implementation of Medicaid-financial long- term services and supports programs across all markets and line of business. Analyze existing and new policies, guidance, and processes across state and federal government entities to assess impact on organization’s LTSS programs.

Patricia was the Director of the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) for the Maryland Department of Health. In this position she was responsible for DDA's transformation of supports and services, including all federally and state funded programs, and oversight of all community provider agencies. Under her leadership at DDA she was committed to enhancing all services with a strong focus on self-direction, and community employment options for person with developmental disabilities and implement the guiding principle of Employment First that all people who want to work can work and contribute to their community when given opportunity, training, and supports that build upon their unique talents, skills and abilities. She has worked in the disability field for over 30 years and started her career as a direct support professional and job coach. She has held various positions in Louisiana, the District of Columbia, and Maryland.   Her experience includes the development and implementation of Person-Centered and Personal Outcomes training; the development and implementation of policies, procedures and performance measures to ensure quality enhancement; the management of community based residential services; and, the transition of people from institutions to community based services.  Her focus on the person has been a guiding  principle throughout her career. Her varied experience has been beneficial in program transformation and systems change to a more person-centered service delivery system that integrates the best practices that enable people with disabilities live fully integrated and meaningful lives.

Dr. Serena Lowe has spent the past 25 years furthering public policies that promote the socioeconomic advancement of low-income working families, individuals with disabilities, older adults, children, asylum seekers and other at-risk populations. Serena has served in a variety of leadership roles in the fields of public policy reform, systems change and commercial planning, working for a Fortune 100 global biopharmaceutical company, a top 20 national lobbying firm, two foreign governments, two national nonprofit organizations, Congress, and the federal executive branch.  Most recently, Serena served as the Senior Director of LTSS & Community Life at CareSource, focused on advancing cutting-edge technologies and high-impact home and community-based services that support people with complex health to live, work and thrive in their communities.

Prior to CareSource, Serena served as the Senior Policy Advisor at ACL and was the chief HCBS Liaison to CMS, responsible for working with all 50 state Medicaid agencies and their sub-operational entities on the implementation of the 2014 federal HCBS regulation; expanding community options through various Medicaid 1915/1115 authorities; aligning policies, practice and payment toward evidence-based person-centered models of service delivery; and co-leading the initial work behind the CMS HCBS Recommended Quality Measure Set and the National Center for the Advancement of Person Centered Planning and Systems. Serena completed a B.A. in International & Public Affairs at Westminster College; an international studies program at Cambridge University and the London School of Economics; two graduate degrees (M.P.H. in International Health Policy and M.A. in International Development Policy) from George Washington University; and a PhD in Public Administration from American University.