Healthcare takes up a big portion of the federal government’s paramount priorities, especially amid the health crisis that shook the world over the last few years. The federal sector works with various healthcare leaders, executives, and organizations to improve the health outcomes of citizens and residents through world-class products, services, and solutions.
What are the major healthcare programs of the federal government?
The United States federal government has finalized six major healthcare programs to ensure the public receives the treatments, drugs, and medical care addressing their illness, injury, or disability. These health programs include:
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- State Children’s Health Insurance Program
- Department of Defense TRICARE and TRICARE for Life programs
- Veterans Health Administration (VHA) program
- Indian Health Service (IHS) program
On top of these major programs offered by the government nationwide, plenty of other health systems are available for citizens and residents on the local, state, and federal levels. These programs are developed and deployed through various health agencies. Agencies included are the Department of Human and Health Services (HHS), the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration, and more.
Globally, the United States government works with organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The goal is to create relevant programs and policies and bring positive health outcomes for allies, partners, and developing nations.
Unveiled in this article are remarkable healthcare leaders and leaders to follow in 2023.
Healthcare Leaders to Follow in 2023
Note: The following list features esteemed industry leaders selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of their accomplishments, including their strategic vision, demonstrated impact on the industry, innovative contributions, and leadership prowess. However, this is in no way an exhaustive list. The industry is filled with talented professionals making significant contributions, warranting close attention for their achievements and potential impact.
Melissa Fannin, Chief Growth Officer at Elevance Health
Melissa Fannin brings a wealth of experience in the health sector, encompassing over two decades. She boasts a comprehensive background having different master’s degrees in health informatics, project management, healthcare administration, and nursing and health policy. Since June 2022, she has been serving as the Chief Growth Officer at Elevance Health.
Fannin began her professional journey at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), where she served as the Healthcare Insurance Specialist for over ten years. In 2008, she led several large IT investments at FDA as the Project Manager before holding senior management positions in the private sector for companies such as Clifton Gunderson, UnitedHealth Group, KPMG, Maxim Healthcare Services, CNSI, AM, and Anthem.
Elevance Health’s Chief Growth Officer Duties and Responsibilities
Elevance Health’s Chief Growth Officer is responsible for managing growth activities, seeking more opportunities, and improving the current line of products and services. Melissa Fannin has been pivotal in the expansion of the company in the healthcare landscape, particularly in its national government services.
Bobby Saxon, Vice President and Strategic Account Executive for HHS at Leidos Health Group
Bobby Saxon joined Leidos’ Health Group as the Vice President and Strategic Account Executive for the Department of Human and Health Services (HHS) in January 2023. He was appointed to the position to further empower the company’s relationships with the health sector and bolster overall growth across the enterprise.
As a retired military colonel who held over three decades of increasing responsibilities, Bobby Saxon has built a comprehensive portfolio and a commendable career in information assurance, security clearance, and military operations. Before joining Leidos, he served as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for the Office of Information Technology at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for more than two years.
Leidos’ Vice President and Strategic Account Executive for HHS Duties and Responsibilities
As the Vice President and Strategic Account Executive for HHS, Bobby Saxon holds crucial duties in IT leadership, medical software sales, and consulting. He has been a notable figure in improving the health outcomes of the nation by leading complex organizations responsible for developing industry-leading solutions in the federal landscape.
Vishal Tulsian, Senior Vice President of Health, State and Local, and Financial Management at SAIC
Vishal Tulsian has amassed over ten years of executive experience at SAIC, initially joining as the Vice President of Commercial and State and Local in August 2013. He has held increasing responsibilities, spanning federal financial governance and health outcomes improvements. As of November 2020, Tulsian’s official role is the Senior Vice President of Health, State and Local, and Financial Management at SAIC.
Tulsian started his professional journey as a Marketing and Business Analyst of the Human Services Group at AMS. He subsequently served as the Manager of Financial Reporting of the Public Sector Group, during which he improved the profitability and minimized the weaknesses of the company. Tulsian’s stellar performance earned him executive positions at CGI, where he held various financial duties for over nine years.
SAIC’s Senior Vice President of Health, State and Local, and Financial Management Duties and Responsibilities
SAIC’s Senior Vice President of Health, State and Local, and Financial Management manages a diverse portfolio in the health, defense, and civilian sectors. Vishal Tulsian oversees account management, client satisfaction, sales, and quality standards. Additionally, he is responsible for resolving complex issues, especially in the financial division of the company.
Steve Sousa, Senior Vice President of Health and Social Services at CGI Federal
Steve Sousa has been with CGI Federal since March 2001. During his tenure, he has supported multiple federal healthcare agencies, expanded the company’s healthcare lines of business, and propelled growth across its broad client base. Mr. Sousa has been serving as the Senior Vice President of Health and Social Services at CGI Federal.
Earlier in his tenure, he was the Director and Program Manager—a position he held for more than 13 years. Gaining a deep understanding of the federal healthcare priorities, he became the Vice President of Consulting Services in 2014 and Senior Vice President of Consulting Services and Health and Social Services Practice Lead in 2018.
He was a recipient of a Federal 100 award, a Pinnacle Award finalist in 2020, and named as among the Top Health Care Execs to Watch in 2021 and 2022 by WashingtonExec.
CGI Federal’s Senior Vice President of Health and Social Services Duties and Responsibilities
The leadership team headed by Steve Sousa is responsible for federal regulatory compliance, business development, project management, healthcare policy, and strategic planning. As the CGI Federal’s Senior Vice President of Health and Social Services, he has a portfolio valued at over $150M in annual revenue ($3.5B in contract value). He oversees 700 professionals to support expected continued growth.
Mr. Sousa’s team supports clients in the Department of Health and Human Services, including all of its components: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Indian Health Service (IHS), the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Defense Health Agency (DHA).
Jordan Parsons, Vice President and FDA and NIH Account Executive at ICF
As the Vice President and the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health Account Executive at ICF, Jordan Parsons is armed with a wide range of expertise in public health, the public sector, and the federal government. She has held the position since April 2022, bringing with her over 15 years of comprehensive experience.
Parsons began her professional career as the Program Planning and Control Analyst at Sikorsky Aircraft. In this capacity, she expanded his skillset in process improvement, earned value management, and project management across the civilian, health, and federal markets. These experiences landed her leadership roles at Booz Allen Hamilton, Suntiva, and LMI.
ICF’s Vice President and FDA and NIH Account Executive Duties and Responsibilities
The primary duty of the Vice President and FDA and NIH Account Executive is to support the federal civilian customers in their account strategy and management of public health programs. Jordan Parsons’s deep domain mastery and digital transformation expertise allow her to navigate the creation of comprehensive solutions to achieve successful mission outcomes for the public health programs of their customers.
Zaki Saleh, Senior Vice President of Health and Civilian Market at LMI
Zaki Saleh is a distinguished industry veteran for health and federal civilian, boasting over two decades of strategy development, profit generation, and cultural changes across different federal consulting companies. He has assumed the role of Senior Vice President of Health and Civilian Market at LMI since August 2022.
Saleh’s long-standing commitment to the federal health market propels him as a trusted professional, supporting multiple organizations, such as the Red Cross National Capital Region and Executive Mosaic’s 4×24 healthcare leadership group. He continues to pioneer the practical implementation of health policies, advanced technologies, and management.
LMI’s Senior Vice President of Health and Civilian Market Duties and Responsibilities
As the Senior Vice President of Health and Civilian Market, Zaki Saleh handles profit and loss management, growth and development, and project delivery and execution. His responsibilities also cover overall customer satisfaction and business development functions, particularly in the federal civilian and health priorities of the company.
Thomas Bonina, President of the Health IT Operating Group at Koniag Government Services
Thomas Bonina is a highly commended executive for his broad scope of qualifications in federal sales, business development, services solution, project management, and executive leadership. He boasts over three decades of comprehensive experience in the federal health sector in his current role as the President of the Health IT Operating Group at Koniag Government Services.
Bonina started as a Project Engineer at Boeing, during which he managed several projects worth up to $35 million. His initial seven-year experience boosted his capabilities and landed him management positions at Lockheed Martin, Unisys, NCR Corporation, Booz Allen Hamilton, Vangent, Edmond Scientific Company, and Accenture.
Koniag Government Services’ President of the Health IT Operating Group Duties and Responsibilities
Assuming the lead management position for the Health IT Operating Group of Koniag Government Services, Thomas Bonina leads a team of experts and professionals in providing transformative services to federal health agencies. He plays a crucial role in the modernization of legacy systems, improvement of health data security, and clinical research support for the growth of the health IT business.