Suicide Prevention Awareness Month: The Road Ahead

Clive Ballard is responsible for the continued advancement of Aptive’s Veteran health services, providing strategic direction that ensures Aptive’s cutting-edge health care solutions and capabilities remain firmly focused on Veteran-centered outcomes.

With more than 20 years of commercial and federal management consulting experience, Clive brings a wealth of experience in the design, planning and implementation of strategic plans, management system frameworks and other mechanisms focused on continual improvement, mission enhancement and operational efficiency—particularly in the health care and hospital settings. Through his work with numerous federal clients, Clive has led delivery of, and served as a technical advisor for, national strategy, policy and guidance; program evaluation and performance measurement; multi-stakeholder working groups and technical advisory committee facilitation; and enterprise-wide program implementation efforts.

Prior to joining Aptive, he was a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Operations Transformation practice, leading efforts across federal health accounts and within the Quality, Safety and Improvement Offering.

• M.S., Project Management, The George Washington University
• BSc, Biological Sciences, The University of Edinburgh
• Business Strategy Certificate, McKinsey Academy
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Kay Bagchi provides leadership in client service delivery across Aptive’s Veteran health account for capabilities and solutions in strategic planning, program and project controls, enterprise-wide program integration, program evaluation, Congressionally mandated reporting, governance, data analysis and organizational change management support. Kay has more than 20 years of consulting experience spanning federal government clients such as the Veterans Health Administration, the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, General Services Administration and commercial clients in the finance and health sectors. She leads Aptive’s Mental and Special Population Health Capability Group.

• M.A., Professional Communication, Clemson University
• M.A., English, Calcutta University
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)
• Certified Agile Scrum Master

Abby Rosenberg helps clients address challenges, implement organizational improvements, communicate effectively and improve health care access and equity. With nearly 15 years of federal consulting experience, Abby leads technical assistance, health education, research and evaluation and program management projects, using data to drive decision-making and impact. She supports projects for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Defense Health Agency and Department of Health and Human Services.

• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• MPS, Georgetown University
• B.A., Communications, University of Maryland

Ari Friedman has over 15 years of experience managing complex federal projects, with in-depth policy research and programmatic assessment knowledge and the ability to shape and direct implementation of project activities across national organizations. A proven expert in building and leading project teams within high-pressure environments, he brings expertise in measuring outcomes, process improvement, data management, qualitative and quantitative performance analysis, report development and executive briefing and legal analysis. Ari leads a team of more than 80 management consulting professionals within Aptive’s Veterans Health account providing program management, assessment and implementation support for several high-profile Veterans Health Administration initiatives, in addition to supporting emerging and urgent priorities.

• Member, The Bar of Maryland
• Member, The Bar of the District of Columbia
• J.D., St. Thomas University School of Law
• B.S., Finance, Syracuse University

Brian LoVecchio is a business strategist and operations leader with over 20 years of experience leading large-scale transformation programs with federal government clients and global Fortune 500 companies. At Aptive, he oversees a portfolio of projects related to health technology, particularly electronic health record modernization. Brian’s focus is on ensuring successful project delivery, maintaining contractual compliance and promoting growth within his team. Drawing on his extensive consulting background, Brian leads business development activities that expand Aptive’s portfolio with new clients.

Brian’s experience spans a range of areas, including digital product development and management, merger integration, strategy development and implementation and business process redesign. His expertise in management, business strategy, financial advisory and data governance models has contributed to national digital product launches for large commercial companies, provided operations and restructuring guidance for multiple large federal agencies and program offices, and managed the implementation of large-scale technology platforms for both large federal agencies and financial services companies.

• MBA, Finance and Strategy, University of Rochester
• B.S., Business Management, SUNY Geneseo

Dr. Sanders has 16 years’ experience leading public health and health care initiatives in the public sector. She has led high-impact projects centered around several preeminent health concerns, including suicide prevention, mental health, emergency preparedness and response, women’s health, Veteran and Service member health, childhood obesity and rural health.

Dr. Sanders has demonstrated subject matter expertise in secondary research, program evaluation and measurement, strategic planning, program management, health information management and revenue cycle management, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, health communication, change management, performance improvement, technical assistance and translational science. She has applied these skills in her support of several clients, including the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Defense Health Agency (DHA), Department of State (DOS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

• DrPH, Leadership, University of Illinois at Chicago
• MPH, Epidemiology, University of Toledo College of Medicine
• B.S., Movement Science, University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)

Yessenia “Yessie” Castillo is an accomplished health professional, consulting executive and program leader. She leads the growth and operations for Aptive’s Civilian Health account.

Yessie leads Aptive’s efforts with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and other federal health care projects. She supports business development activities, including strategic planning and solutioning related to program evaluation, implementation, measurement, public health, mental health, suicide prevention and substance use disorder.

A results-driven self-starter with a proven background in the academic and federal health care sectors, Yessie has over 18 years of experience, particularly in public health, evaluation and data analytics. In previous roles, she supported several Veterans Health Administration (VHA) contracts, primarily focused on mental health and suicide prevention, including evaluating the national rollout of the Women’s Health Transition Training, President’s Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS), VHA’s Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Clinical Decision Framework, Creating Options for Veterans’ Expedited Recovery (COVER) Commission for VHA and supported the VHA Primary Care Services Office for Post Deployment Health Services.

• Candidate, DrPH, Diverse Populations and Health Equity, Mercer University
• MPH, Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health
• B.S., Cognitive Psychology, Duke University
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• HRSA Building Education and Student Training in Maternal and Child Health Fellowship