Speakers

Aayat Ali is a UX Designer based in California at the Digital Service at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Aayat focuses on helping public administrations leverage Human-Centered Design practices at the intersection of public health, urban planning, and social services.

Previously, Aayat worked on jail/prison reentry and homelessness programming at L.A. County’s Department of Health Services. She believes in cultivating a world where the government can work better only when we design with and not for people.

Rick Allen is a Principal Content Designer at Coforma, an agency that designs creative solutions and builds technology products that elevate human needs. He has over 15 years of experience working on the web as a brand and content strategist and information architect. At Coforma, he works with government agencies, nonprofits, and cause-based organizations on UX writing and content strategy to create human-centered content that's easy to find, use, and understand.  
Prior to Coforma, Rick owned an independent content strategy consultancy to create valuable, meaningful user experiences that help organizations to create and maintain content that works. He has also taught graduate-level courses in digital publishing and led remote and on-site web writing and content strategy workshops for international audiences. 
Creating useful, usable digital experiences is what first attracted Rick to content strategy, but what continues to inspire him is the potential for content to make meaningful connections with audiences and improve people's lives.

Brandy Barnette has worked for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for 8 years.  She began her career at CMS as a government team lead for the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment within the Division of Quality Assessment Systems and Surveys. In that role, she helped coordinate the collaboration between the development organizations and the business owners for accurate updates to the MDS assessment as indicated in the final rule.  She joined the Division of User Experience and Support Services in October 2021.

Cupid Chan is the CEO of Pistevo Decision. He is a seasoned professional who is well-established in the industry. Cupid has been a consultant for years providing solutions to various Fortune 500 companies and the public sector. In addition to being on the Board of Directors and Technical Steering Committee (TSC) in Linux Foundation ODPi, he is the Chairperson of the BI & AI committee of LF AI and Data. Through these roles, he regularly publishes best practices and industry standard whitepapers with other industry leaders. His recent 2022 publication explores the background and vision of combining AI, BI, and Data in a practical way to help businesses leverage these emerging technologies. 
Cupid is a Senior Fellow and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maryland College Park. He was also the Chairperson of Architecture and Co-Chair of the Logical Data Model for The Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization (MISMO), responsible for managing engineering disciplines, providing overall technical direction, and supporting all MISMO products for the mortgage industry. 

Shelagh Cully is a Senior UX Designer, currently working on a Master's degree in Human Computer Interaction, with a focus on accessible design solutions. Shelagh began her career in UX design after consulting with the Smithsonian Institution’s Digital Learning Lab in 2015 on modernizing web accessible content for early education programs. Shelagh moved into Cyber Security in 2016, as part of a development team where she managed the design system for a large-scale, global learning management system, providing 508-compliant solutions.

At Ventera, Shelagh works as the UX Team Lead to support Human-Centered Design goals for CMS/CCSQ’s Enterprise Systems and Services (ESS).

Dr. Tyler Cymet is the Provost and Vice President for the proposed Maryland College of Osteopathic Medicine at Morgan State University.  Dr. Cymet is a Yale trained Internist and disaster medicine expert who recently served as Medical Director for the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital and served as National President of DOCARE International where he set up processes and succeeded in opening global health outreach clinics in Nicaragua and Guatemala. He has done groundbreaking research on disaster medicine care and the education process.   

While most people know Dr. Cymet from his appearances and stories contributed to Untold Stories of the ER, and the Dr. Know Show, he has also written eight books which include two dictionaries, and 97 peer-reviewed research papers.   

Clinically, he provided primary care for 18 years, worked in Emergency Departments throughout Maryland and is currently at the University of Maryland Capital Region Emergency Department. 

Melissa Eggleston is a User Experience Researcher and Educator based in North Carolina at the Digital Service at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Melissa’s background in user research is focused on inclusive and trauma-informed experiences and has influenced projects across the Treasury Department, Department of Labor, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration. 

Marty Gage is a generative research pioneer, Vice President of User Experience Research at human experience firm, Lextant, and author of User Experience Research: Discover What Customers Really Want. At Lextant, Marty leads a team that defines people’s desired experiences for leading brands such as P&G, ConAgra, Kohler, HP, Whirlpool, Ford, GM, Stellantis, Honda, Lowe’s, GE, GSK, Pfizer, Kimberly Clark, Meta, and Nationwide. 

Marty’s academic audiences include The Ohio State University, Arizona State University, and Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where he and Lextant colleague, Spencer Murrell, collaborated with SCAD on a course and certificate in “Design Research and Insight Translation.” 

Elizabeth Goodman is the Vice President of Design & Strategy, A1M Solutions. Elizabeth is a researcher, designer, and writer with over 20 years of professional experience, with deep experience in design for emerging technologies and healthcare. At A1M Solutions, she focuses on bridging policy and design perspectives to find new opportunities for public health. Before joining A1M, she served as 18F’s Director of Design and led early-stage design for login.gov. Elizabeth has a PhD from UC Berkeley’s School of Information and a master’s from New York University’s Interactive Telecommunications Program. She is a co-author of the widely used textbook Observing the User Experience (Morgan Kaufman) and Designing Connected Products (O’Reilly).

Mana Hayashi Tang is a Senior UX Researcher with over 10 years of experience in mixed-methods research, education, and science writing. She has worked with government agencies, IT companies, and academic research institutions, and has a PhD in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis. Her expertise is in the sociocultural dimensions of user experiences, human-technology interactions, and human relationships with the environment.

At Ventera, she conducts research in a cross-functional product team to improve user experiences of CMS/CCSQ’s Enterprise Systems and Services (ESS), including Program Resource System (PRS 2.0) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Mana advocates for cultivating a reflexive research mindset towards problem solving, with the goal of creating inclusive cultures for knowledge sharing. 

Crystal Morse has been with Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, a nonprofit health care improvement organization and the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Montana, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. Pacific Territories of Guam, American Samoa and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, since 2017. She has advanced regional efforts in patient and family engagement in improving health care and in quality improvement in clinics, critical access hospitals, prospective payment systems (PPS) hospitals, nursing homes and other targeted health care settings. Crystal convenes and facilitates collaboration to promote sharing and learning among health care communities, and she has spoken at state, regional and national events and conferences, including being spotlighted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for leading infection prevention efforts in Wyoming as part of Project Firstline. Crystal holds a Master's degree in Health Services Administration, is a board-certified social worker, and maintains her certification in case management. 

Prior to joining Mountain-Pacific Quality Health, Crystal served subacute and acute care facilities for most of her career. Crystal’s experience within health systems has fueled her passion to advocate for the “voices from the field.” 

Kristine brings 25 years of expertise in the Medicare and Medicaid healthcare IT industry. Kristine began her career as a data analyst supporting program integrity and is devoted to improving government healthcare programs and policy. Kristine lives in Chico, California, an area that has been deeply impacted by climate change. Kristine founded A1M Solutions in 2018 as an Economically Disadvantaged Woman Owned Small Business focusing on the intersection of Human Centered Design, Policy and Data for historically underinvested communities.

Hyorim Park is a Senior UX Researcher with over 10 years of experience working with government and IT companies. She holds a master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction from Georgia Tech. Hyorim’s journey as a UX professional began with a keen interest in how people interact with IT gadgets (including mobile phones, electrical devices, and home appliances) to accomplish their daily tasks in LG electronics. Through these experiences, she has invented UX patents for user interactions that are customized for foldable and rollable displays, as well as other technological form factors. Currently, Hyorim is a Senior Researcher at Ventera, where she conducts quantitative and qualitative research on how user experiences can be improved based on research findings and recommendations, with a focus on HARP (HCQIS Access Roles and Profile) and MFT/FileCloud in CMS/CCSQ’s Enterprise Systems and Services (ESS). Her goal is to make digital products and technology easy to use and accessible to everyone so they can accomplish tasks easily and efficiently. 

Mathias Rechtzigel is a Design Technologist and Educator based in Minnesota at the Digital Service at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Mathias’s background at the intersection of design, technology, and education has influenced projects across the Treasury Department, Bureau of the Fiscal Service, Federal Reserve, and CMS. 

Karlene Stecchi has more than 15 years of experience leading IT solutions and strategies for major commercial and federal clients, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Since joining Tantus in 2009, Karlene has been a driving force behind Tantus' strategy – helping to evaluate and adopt emerging technologies, IT strategy development, and organizational readiness for emerging technology adoptions.  

Karlene is committed to developing the next wave of Federal contracting leadership - and is actively involved in American Council for Technology and Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC), where she previously served as Industry Chair and Vice Chair for the Voyagers Leadership Program. She is a founding member of Chief DC, an organization designed for senior women leaders, and is a regular panel speaker on topics related to women in IT.   

Dr. Ward has been serving as Chief of the Division of Occupational Physical and Rehabilitative Medicine at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital since 1999. He founded Seton Pain & Rehabilitation Centers, and eventually merged his practice into National Spine & Pain Centers. He currently serves as Medical Director for National Spine & Pain Centers (Saint Agnes office), providing comprehensive pain management and rehabilitation.

Dr. Ward studied medicine at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (Midwestern University), where he graduated with three graduation departmental awards for excellence. He completed his Business of Medicine Training as part of his overall desire to practice cost efficient and outcome optimized physiatry and pain management services, and patented the Joint Monitor to allow quantification and data-driven understanding of musculoskeletal joint replacement decision-making and improved patient outcomes with real time feedback loops.  

Dr. Ward is an active physician and patient advocate and has performed peer reviews for the Maryland Board of Physicians and provided expert witness testimony for Maryland and Delaware’s State Attorney's Office.  He is currently the medical advisor for Baltimore City’s Worker's Compensation Claims Management TPA, Sedgwick.