HERO Board of Directors

John Harris, MEd 
Chairman of the Board, HERO

John Harris has recently established a new company called Performance pH, which uses a variety of people oriented strategies to help companies improve business performance.  Previously he  served as Chief Well-Being Officer and Vice President Innovations, Healthways, Inc.  He was formerly an Executive Vice President of Axia Health Management, which was acquired by Healthways in late 2006.  John is currently serving as the Chairman of HERO, the Health Enhancement Research Organization. 
 
John was the co-founder of Harris HealthTrends, an entrepreneurial corporation specializing in the prevention of disease and the reduction of health care costs, and served as its Chief Executive Officer for over 18 years.  Through the development of multiple sales channels, Harris HealthTrends developed a base of over 100 clients and helped shape the prevention industry into what it is today.  
  

LaVaughn Palma-Davis
Senior Director for University Health and Well-Being Services
University of Michigan
Vice Chairman of the Board, HERO

 LaVaughn Palma-Davis, MPH is the Senior Director for University Health and Well-Being Services at the University of Michigan. Her responsibilities include wellness and risk reduction services, employee assistance programs, occupational health clinical services, ergonomics, occupational therapy and return to work services, and community health promotion outreach. LaVaughn is responsible for approximately 85 employees who provide services to the University of Michigan as well as to over 300 other employers in Southeastern Michigan. She was recently asked to lead the implementation of a five year strategic plan for health and well-being services for all U-M employees, dependents and retirees with the goals of improving health status and containing health care costs. LaVaughn received her B.S. in Health Education from the University of Dayton in 1978 and her Master's Degree in Public Health Education from Central Michigan University in 1981.
  

Bob Soroosh, MBA
Director, Benefits
Affinia Group
Secretary-Treasurer of the Board, HERO

Bob Soroosh, MBA, is Director of Benefits for Affinia Group Inc., a leading manufacturer of automotive components. Bob earned his Executive MBA from the University of Colorado, and completed a BA in Communications at Baylor University.

Bob is the primary architect of Affinia’s Partners in Health integrated benefit plan, which in its first year of implementation achieved both a reduction in medical and drug costs (in excess of 15%) and an improvement in the health risk profile of people covered under the plan. Affinia’s consumer-driven health plan (administered by Definity Health) and its health management plan (provided by StayWell Health Management) are linked together by a Covenant. Employees who sign the Covenant agree to participate in a StayWell screening and risk assessment. As an incentive, they receive a $1,000 lower annual premium for their medical and drug coverage.

Prior to Affinia, he held management positions with the Clevite division of Dana Corporation, as Vice President of Organizational Development and Director of Training. During his twenty-year tenure there, Bob led several organizational development and training initiatives. As Director of Training, he is the author of numerous training programs, and has conducted educational seminars in the USA, Canada, and the UK.
   

K. Andrew Crighton, MD
VP, Human Resources & Chief Medical Officer
Prudential Financial
Immediate Past Chair of the Board, HERO

Dr. Andrew Crighton is chief medical officer of Prudential Financial, which is the FORTUNE 64 corporation. In this role he manages Health and Wellness with oversight of domestic and international employee health and safety issues; as well as Prudential’s medical clinics; fitness facilities; Employee Assistance and Return to Work programs; and Work/Life vendors.

Andy is a Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Seton Hall University, serves on the board and executive committee of the New Jersey Arthritis Foundation and is co-chair of the Newark, New Jersey Cancer Initiative. He is a member of the American College of Physicians, American College of Physician Executives, and American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

His interest lies in total health management including health care effectiveness and its interaction on productivity in a corporate environment.
     

Jerry V. Noyce
HERO President & CEO

Jerry became the President and CEO of HERO in April 2010 as the result of a national search to find the successor to retiring president and CEO Bill Whitmer. 

Prior to joining HERO Jerry joined HFC in 2000. Under his leadership HFC has become a premier provider of health management and fitness services to employers, the health care industry, and individual consumers. To achieve this he expanded HFC’s business base; recruited key executives from the health care, health management, and wellness industries for HFC’s Board of Directors and Executive Staff; and facilitated HFC’s acquisitions and integrations of the Health & Fitness Division of Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc. and HealthCALC businesses.

Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2006, Jerry serves on The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In this capacity he advises the President, through the Secretary of Health and Human Services, about physical activity, fitness, and sports, and recommends programs to promote regular physical activity for the health of all Americans. The Council's programs, projects, and public information materials/campaigns emphasize the importance of regular physical activity, including sports participation, for Americans of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

A graduate of University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, Jerry has more than 25 years of management experience in the health and fitness industry. Prior to joining HFC he served as CEO of the Northwest Racquet, Swim & Health Clubs, where he grew the organization from three clubs to the largest single-city chain of health clubs in the United States. An avid tennis player, Mr. Noyce professionally coached the men’s tennis team at the University of Minnesota from 1983 to 1997.
   

David R. Anderson, PhD
Senior VP & Chief Health Officer
StayWell Health Management

David Anderson, PhD, is Senior Vice President and Chief Health Officer for StayWell Health Management, a leading national provider of health management programs and services. David is the primary architect of StayWell’s health risk assessment and targeted health behavior-change intervention models. He continues to oversee the scientific and technical refinement of the Company’s risk-assessment, behavior-change, and cost-impact estimation programs. He has conducted groundbreaking evaluations of the effectiveness and cost impact of StayWell programs, including several landmark studies of medical claims impact.

Prior to StayWell, David held management and consulting positions with Control Data Corporation. During his ten-year tenure there, he played a major role in creating one of the first successful corporate health management programs. David began his career as Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point.

He is Editor of the Population Health Strategies section of the American Journal of Health Promotion. A licensed psychologist, David has published many professional papers and speaks regularly on health management issues. David earned his PhD in Social Psychology from the University of South Dakota, and completed a post-graduate business administration program at the New York University Graduate School of Business.
       

David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA
Assistant Executive Director
American Psychological Association

David Ballard, PsyD, MBA, currently serves as Assistant Executive Director for Corporate Relations and Business Strategy for the American Psychological Association (APA). In this capacity, David designs and directs efforts related to health and well-being in the workplace, educates the business community about the value of psychological services, works to enhance psychology’s position in the health care marketplace, and provides research and development and strategic consultation to help psychologists build, manage, market, and diversify their practices. David also spearheads the APA Practice Directorate’s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award, a national program designed to recognize organizations that make a commitment to programs and policies that foster employee health and well-being while enhancing organizational performance.

Before coming to APA, he worked for a community-based mental health agency in Philadelphia, where he conducted clinical and forensic assessment of juveniles with regard to amenability to treatment, violence risk assessment, sexual abuse, and other psycholegal issues. David served as the agency's HIPAA Privacy Officer, chaired the Compliance Committee, and provided consultation regarding budget, finance, contract, and policy issues. David has provided research and consultation services to government agencies, medical schools, and universities in the areas of public health, prevention, and health care finance and has experience in management, marketing, consumer research, and professional event planning.

David received his PsyD in Clinical Psychology and his MBA in Health and Medical Services Administration from Widener University and completed concentrations in organizational and forensic psychology.
    

Victoria George
National Executive Director, Program Evaluation, HealthWorks and Product Innovation
Kaiser Permanente

Victoria George is the National Executive Director, Program Evaluation, HealthWorks and Product Innovation for Kaiser Permanente. She is responsible for evaluating Kaiser Permanente’s workforce wellness programs and pilot projects. The workforce wellness programs are designed to support employer efforts to improve the health and productivity of their employees. Vicki also represents Kaiser Permanente in a number of external forums dedicated to research and improvement of the health care industry.
 
Vicki joined Kaiser Permanente in 1994 and has held a variety of leadership roles. Most recently she served as Executive Director of Customer Analytics and Reporting. Previously Vicki was the Vice President of Quality for Northern California where she oversaw and managed Kaiser Foundation Hospital/Health Plan and The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) quality processes and functions to achieve high quality patient care outcomes. She was also the Managing Director of TPMG Quality and Operations Support.
 
Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Vicki was the co-founder and Executive Director of the Pacific Business Group on Health where she launched one of the most successful business coalitions in the US.
     

Ron Goetzel, PhD
VP, Consulting & Applied Research
Truven Health Analytics  and Emory University

Ron Goetzel, PhD, is the VP of Consulting & Applied Research for Truven Health Analytics and Research Professor - Emory University - At Truven and Cornell, Ron is responsible for leading research projects and consulting services focusing on the relationship between health and well-being, and work related productivity. He is nationally recognized and widely published in the areas of return-on-investment (ROI), data analysis, program evaluation, outcomes research, and health and productivity measurement. Ron has served as Principal Investigator for projects supported by Medicare, NHLBI, and CDC, as well as dozens of business organizations, including HERO. Ron was previosly with Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems. He has doctoral and MA degrees in Applied Social Psychology from New York University.

Ron is also President and CEO of The Health Project, which is responsible for the C. Everett Koop National Health Awards.  Since 1994, The Health Project has been the premier organization that identifies and recognizes exemplar health promotion programs.  The Health Project is dedicated to improving Americans’ health and reducing the need and demand for medical services through good health practices. 
    

Kristine A. Holbrook, M.Ed.
SVP, Employee Health & Wellness Services
MediFit Corporate Services

Kristine Holbrook, M.Ed. is a Senior Vice-President of Employer Health and Wellness Services for MediFit Corporate Services.  In this role, she advises clients on the development, implementation, and evaluation of employee health management programs.   

Prior to joining MediFit, Kristine managed a hospital-based wellness program, and worked overseas with the federal government managing a comprehensive health promotion program for 14 military communities.  Over the past 18+ years, her efforts have resulted in numerous industry-wide health and wellness programming honors and awards for her clients and employers.  Kristine is the Charter President for the HERO Association, a HERO Innovation Committee member, and Health Promotion Advocates Texas State Leader.  She formerly served as a Business and Industry Awards evaluator with the Association for Worksite Health Promotion (AWHP), was a Region II Membership Chair, and oversaw the annual General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award for V Corps in Frankfurt, Germany. 

Kristine received her Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Akron, and a Masters in Education degree from Cleveland State University.  She completed her internship with The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. 
      

Fikry Isaac, MD, MPH, FACOEM
Vice President, Global Health Services
Johnson & Johnson

Fikry Isaac, MD, MPH, FACOEM is the Vice President, Global Health Services, Johnson & Johnson.  Dr. Isaac leads the development of health & wellness strategies, policies, guidelines, and services worldwide (Occupational Medicine, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Wellness).

Fikry has been with Johnson & Johnson since 1989, and for the past 10 years, he has been driving the comprehensive Total Health programs that have reduced the Company’s healthcare costs and improved the health of employees.  He also serves as the Chief Medical Officer, Wellness & Prevention, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson Company.  In this role, he provides Health Management expertise, strategic direction and supports customer acquisition and lead generation.  In addition to his MD, he received his degree of Master of Public Health in Occupational Medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin in May 2001 and is a Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine where he chairs the Pharmaceutical Section and the Corporate Health Achievement Award.  Dr. Isaac is the industry Co- chair of the Life Science and Innovation Forum- APEC. He also serves on several boards including the Partnership For Prevention, the Global Health & Benefits Institute and the Games for Health editorial board
      

Ronald Loeppke, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACPM
Vice Chairman
US Preventive Medicine, Inc.

Ron Loeppke, MD, MPH, FACOEM, FACPM is Vice-Chairman of U.S. Preventive Medicine (USPM), and serves as co-chair of the company’s International Advisory Board. USPM provides primary, secondary and tertiary prevention services for employers, health plans, and government entities as well as directly to consumers.

He is Board Certified in Preventive Medicine; Fellowship trained in Occupational Medicine and is a Fellow of both the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) and the American College of Preventive Medicine, (ACPM). Dr. Loeppke is chairman of the Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) and is a member of the Board of Directors of ACOEM. He also serves as Co-Chairman of the ACOEM Section on Health and Productivity, which is actively involved in defining and establishing measurement criteria for research in health and productivity initiatives, as well as assimilating input from practice experts in the field, employers, corporate medical directors, employer coalitions, pharmaceutical companies, the provider community and other key stakeholders on the frontlines of the health and productivity arena.

Ron previously worked with Alere as EVP of Health and Productivity Strategy. Alere acquired Matria Healthcare in 2008, where he had been EVP and Chief Strategic Officer. Matria had acquired CorSolutions in 2006, where Dr. Loeppke was the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Strategic Officer and EVP.  Prior to that, Dr. Loeppke was the Founder, President and CEO of the Health and Productivity Corporation of America (HPCA), headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee. HPCA provided health and productivity services to employers for their employees, dependants, and retirees. In 2003, HPCA was acquired by CorSolutions.

He was also the Chairman of the Department of Occupational Health and Preventive Medicine providing clinical and consultative services at the Greeley Medical Clinic, a large multispecialty physician group practice in Colorado. Dr. Loeppke was on the medical staff of the Occupational Medicine section of the National Jewish Hospital and Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine in Denver, Colorado.
     

Seth Serxner, PhD, MPH
Chief Health Officer and Senior Vice President of Population Health
OptumHealth Care Solutions

Seth Serxner brings the breadth of his experience in academia, industry and consulting to his role as chief health officer and senior vice president of population health for OptumHealth Care Solutions. His versatile skill set ensures processes and outcomes that improve health for clients in all markets.
 
Seth’s deep knowledge of behavior change, population health and measurement allow him to visualize and deliver on program innovation. He has more than 25 years of experience in health and productivity management and has published more than 30 articles.
 
Seth came to OptumHealth from Mercer’s Total Health Management specialty, where he served as partner and senior consultant for nine years.  During his tenure there he established himself as a national expert on behavior change, program design and measurement.
 
He spent a decade each in academia and private industry before becoming a consultant. He was vice president of research at StayWell, where he established the industry-leading market research program for developing and marketing consumer health materials and programs. He has held academic positions with the University of Hawaii Medical School, the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and the University of California, Irvine.
 
Seth earned a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate from the University of California, Irvine, where his research focused on health promotion and disease prevention in social ecology.
   

Jeffrey A. Warren, MPA
Senior Advisor
Gardant Global

Jeff Warren, MPA, has over thirty years of health care experience that includes government, hospital administration, pharmaceutical marketing, philanthropy and consulting. Prior to forming his consulting practice, Jeff was a Senior Advisor to the National Pharmaceutical Council. Previously, Jeff was responsible for Strategic Marketing and Media Relations for Pfizer Health Solutions. Earlier in his career, he served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development for Cathedral Healthcare System. During his time with Cathedral, Jeff was a National Program Director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Jersey Health Services Development Program.

His past experience includes tenure as Vice President, Corporate Development with Hackensack Medical Center and as the first Executive Secretary of the New Jersey Hospital Rate Setting Commission. He is past President of the Board of Gilda’s Club, Northern, NJ, and is currently a member of the board of The Adler Aphasia Center. He also serves on the Editorial Task Force Committee of American Medical Group Association’s “Group Practice Journal.” Jeff has a Masters Degree (MPA) in Health Policy, Planning and Administration from the Wagner School of Public Service at NYU.
      

Lilly Wyttenbach
Vice President, Benefits
Goldman, Sachs & Co

Lilly is a Vice President in the Americas Benefits Group within the Human Capital Management Division.  She joined Goldman Sachs in 2000 and for the past 13 years has focused on implementation and delivery of Wellness and Benefit programs to enhance the health and performance of the people of Goldman Sachs.  For over a decade, she had various responsibilities overseeing Wellness initiatives and operations including supporting the design and implementation of the Wellness facilities at the firm’s global headquarters. 
 
Currently, Lilly is responsible for managing the US Health and Insurance team and health and welfare offerings including benefit plans, insurance products and pre-tax programs across the U.S. as well as strategy development and plan design. 
 
Lilly received her M.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from New York University and B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University.