Organizational Design

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

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

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

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

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

Jon Brooks is a federal leader and U.S. Army Veteran with more than 20 years of experience supporting multiple agencies. At Aptive, Jon oversees a portfolio of health care-related projects and is responsible for the overall management of service delivery, quality, risk and cost control. He monitors and reports on the team’s financial performance, manages resources, builds key stakeholder relationships, leads project teams and mentors a learning culture across the enterprise.

Jon’s work in the industry includes project and program management experience leading large-scale, enterprise-level, transformative initiatives, including health care transformation, supply chain improvement/optimization and IT transformation. He has led teams of 50+ subcontractors and managed a $1.4B prime contract award, including a portfolio of 14 contract/task orders with over $30M in total contract value. Jon also led activities within the full business development lifecycle and designed go-to-market strategies.

In past roles, Jon has supported the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. He has built multi-year pipelines while leading pricing activities and coordinating strategic capture initiatives. Jon’s efforts led to exceeding profitability goals by over 75%, doubling service line headcount and revenue. He is a proven leader who has worked for top firms such as Rios Partners, IronArch Technology, and Deloitte and is highly skilled in developing meaningful relationships and strategic partnerships.

• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Supply Chain Professional, ASCM
• Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution, ASCM
• MBA, American Intercontinental University
• B.S., Business Administration, University of Arkansas