Findings Analysis and Insights

Dr. Tara Fannon is a human-centered design researcher and educator with 13 years of experience developing and leading high-impact projects in the U.S. and abroad. Her work in education, non-profit, government and corporate sectors has led to actionable changes in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion; disability accessibility; mental health care access; workplace equity; and environmental sustainability. Throughout her career, Dr. Fannon has published widely and earned grants, fellowships and awards for her research and writing capabilities, including Excellence in Leadership as a market research team leader. Her love of teaching and learning is complemented by a love for mentorship and seeing team members flourish. At Aptive, Dr. Fannon leverages these passions along with intellectual curiosity and creativity, and an ability to build relationships to lead and support the research team and serve clients. Her skills, passions and exposure to different markets enable her to work collaboratively across diverse needs and interests to deliver teams and clients compelling data-driven insights and recommendations.

• PhD, Sociology, National University Ireland, Galway
• M.A., Sociology of Health and Medicine, University College Dublin, Ireland
• B.A. Honors, Sociology, University College Dublin, Ireland

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

James Tessier is responsible for leading Aptive’s growing health informatics practice, working with government and commercial entities to apply data science, augmented intelligence and analytics to transform health care operations and improve patient outcomes. James is a trusted advisor who seamlessly uses health informatics principles to support the research and development of innovative customer solutions.

James is an informatics leader with broad health care experience. As a 25-year Veteran of the U.S. Navy, James has provided surgical nursing, informatics and leadership expertise in a variety of settings both inside and outside of the United States and at sea, providing combat medical support and surgical capability to combatant commanders. His last role in the Navy was as the Chief Health Informatics Officer for Navy Medicine. In his post Navy career, he held a variety of roles in support of informatics initiatives within the U.S. State Department, Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. Most recently, James was the Chief Digital Officer for XVIVO Services, a surgical practice focused on organ recovery for heart and lung transplantation.

• M.S., Medical Informatics, Northwestern University
• B.S., Nursing, University of Portland
• Registered Nurse
• Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems

Michelle is an accomplished healthcare quality and project management professional and brings a wealth of knowledge in patient safety, quality, High Reliability Organization principles, survey readiness, performance measurement, process improvement and quality reporting for agencies, including Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and The Joint Commission. She has an extensive background in supporting and acting as a data analyst and quality reporting subject matter expert in several electronical medical record implementations and upgrades. Michelle leverages her demonstrated knowledge and experience to support the Veterans Health Administration tackle some of their toughest challenges, such as addressing employee burnout, and improving a culture of safety and becoming a high reliability organization.

• MPH, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• B.S., Biology, Seton Hill University
• Project Management Professional
• Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality

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

Jay Callow is a sustainability-focused strategic engagement and program management expert with more than a decade of experience managing multidisciplinary programs for agencies across the federal government, such as the Department of Energy, Department of Defense, Office of Personnel Management and Department of Veterans Affairs. He has successfully led cross-functional teams to deploy innovative solutions that serve clients in the areas of strategic and operational communications, organization development, data analysis, media relations, human capital analysis, change management, digital transformation, technical writing, research and industrial-organizational psychology. As a servant leader with a strategic vision and collaborative approach, Jay oversees a diverse project portfolio. He mentors team members, supports business development efforts, implements emerging technologies to enhance project effectiveness and spearheads initiatives to drive client satisfaction.

Jay’s professional experience includes briefing climate strategy implementation plans to Congress; positioning energy and finance executives as dynamic thought leaders; building brands and stakeholder relationships; developing impactful keynote speeches; engaging with media to generate positive press coverage; executing communication campaigns and web strategies; facilitating enterprise-wide transformation initiatives; delivering culture-shifting workforce engagement products and activities; and fostering partnerships between government, industry and academia.

• M.S., Sustainability Management, American University
• B.A., Communication Studies, University of North Carolina Wilmington
• Business Strategy Certificate, McKinsey Academy
• Project Management Professional, Project Management Institute
• Communication Management Professional, Global Communication Council
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate, University of South Florida Muma College of Business

Kim Kinser is a communications and public relations expert with over 18 years of experience advising executives, leading teams and executing strategic communication plans. She has worked across various sectors, including government, healthcare, non-profit and higher education, providing guidance on communications, social media and public relations matters. Kim has a proven track record of leading cross-functional teams, executing global communication strategies and facilitating partnerships.

During her career, Kim has created communications and PR plans for 9.5 million beneficiaries, led teams in reporting and measuring communications effectiveness and ensuring successful client delivery, contractual compliance and contract growth. She manages a direct portfolio of projects across the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Transportation and Energy and supports contract growth within the Human Experience account by performing business development and capture activities in alignment with the account’s portfolio.

Kim’s work has appeared on the White House blog and featured as a best practice in Charlene Li’s book “Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead.”. She has held previous roles with Deloitte, Humana, CALIBRE Systems and the American Cancer Society.

• B.A., Public Relations, Western Kentucky University
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)
• Business Strategy Certificate, McKinsey Academy

Taylor Wood is an experienced communication and change management strategist dedicated to building and leading proactive teams that go above and beyond for her clients. She oversees a portfolio of communication and marketing teams across several government agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Office of Personnel Management. In this role, Taylor focuses on growing and expanding Human Experience’s event management capability and enhancing Aptive’s recruitment marketing services through implementation of technical solutions.

Throughout her career, she has focused on learning various leadership styles and techniques to help others achieve success. Taylor is passionate about training others to lead with empathy and foster positive working relationships, enabling teams to provide exceptional service to clients. In previous roles, Taylor has led numerous communication teams and enterprise-wide transformation initiatives for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Department of the Navy, VA, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Energy.

• Secret Security Clearance
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Prosci Certified Change Management Practitioner (CCMP)
• M.A., Strategic Communications, American University
• B.A., Communication Studies, West Virginia University