2017 Summit

For over 30 years, Dr. Amy Schwartz has used her training as a cognitive psychologist to humanize technology and has applied her expertise in Human-Centered Design across a wide range of challenges and a multitude of domains. For the last 20 years, Amy worked at IDEO, the world-renowned design and innovation firm, where she founded the design research group in the Chicago studio, served as the global design lead for the IDEO health practice, and led the design research for some of IDEO’s most innovative and successful designs including the award-winning Lifeport Kidney Transporter (which won the IDSA Design of the Decade award and is in the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art), Medtronic StealthStation surgical navigation system, Bayer Contour glucose meters, and Sherwin Williams’ ColorSnap in-store color selection system. She has worked with a wide variety of clients from startups, to industry giants like Baxter, Eli Lilly, and Ford as well as clients in the governmental and public sectors such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Amy excels in helping clients and design teams find unmet needs with “design energy” to frame problems in new ways that inspire innovative design solutions in complex multi-stakeholder ecosystems. Learn more about Amy and her work.

SHEILAH P. CLAY is the President and CEO of Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO). This Detroit-based $24 million nonprofit human service organization strives to improve lives and communities in southeast Michigan. NSO provides support and mental health treatment services for older adults, children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and homeless adults, in addition to integrated health services. NSO also provides psychiatric crisis intervention and stabilization, youth leadership, violence prevention, workforce development, supportive housing development, and training services to individuals and families. NSO’s historic Bell Building, opened in 2012, is the largest permanent supportive housing development in the State of Michigan and is home to 155 formerly homeless adults. Ms. Clay is a member of various local boards including Partners 4 Health, Michigan League for Public Policy, Opportunity Resource Fund, Judith D. Jackson Scholarship Fund and a national board, Leadership Women. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Shining Light Eleanor Josaitis Unsung Hero Award, the Nonprofit Leadership Award from the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, Board Service Award from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago-Detroit Branch, and the Michigan Chronicle’s Women of Excellence and Who’s Who in Black Detroit. She is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., and Word of Faith International Christian Center. This Detroit native is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and Wayne State University, Leadership Detroit, and Leadership America.

CONTESSA RUDOLPH, MSA, is a public health professional with 15+ years of increasing responsibility and experience in health administration, promotion, wellness, and disease management programs. She has significant experience implementing and managing diverse projects (population health, obesity prevention, infant mortality, child safety, employee wellness, healthy community engagement and design, supplemental nutrition) in health and human services. Ms. Rudolph has extensive knowledge of principles and practices of services related to public health and possesses a familiarity with complex health problems, disease etiologies, and preventive strategies. In her current position, Ms. Rudolph manages the day-to-day operations of Partners 4 Health, a start-up non-profit human services agency designed to develop, implement, and evaluate policy, system, and environmental interventions to support healthy lifestyles. Her enthusiasm for taking on new challenges has led to renewed customer relationships and a reputation for project success. Ms. Rudolph is also experienced in researching, managing, and writing grant programs.

GREG MOORE, JD, co-chairs Dickinson Wright’s Behavioral Health Care Practice Group. Mr. Moore has been a consultant and practicing health care attorney since 1991. During his entire career, he has focused on representing and counseling providers of all types and sizes including behavioral health care provider companies, facilities, and networks. He has been recognized as a thought leader and innovator when it comes to the integration of behavioral and physical health care. With 25 years of experience serving clients in the industry, his practice covers the full spectrum of regulatory, transactional, and litigation services. In January 2009, Mr. Moore created a Behavioral Health Care Law focused Practice Group, the first of its kind in a national law firm. The group continues to guide their behavioral health care clients through the highly nuanced Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The group continues to be leaders in educating and counseling clients as parity and the integration of behavioral health and physical health take center stage.

WENDY VARNELL, LCSW, is Chief Strategy Officer at LifeWorks. She is responsible for planning and implementing agency strategic initiatives and makes recommendations for programmatic and operational improvement. In collaboration with the Board of Governors, Ms. Varnell develops agency research projects and ensures execution. She manages a variety of high-impact special projects. In addition, she hires, trains and supervises the Chief Program Officer, Director of Research & Evaluation, the Chief Compliance Officer and the Director of Public Grants. She represents LifeWorks at national conferences, professional associations, relevant boards/committees, and other local initiatives. Ms. Varnell was the 2010 Austin Area Research Organization McBee Fellow, served on the Waterloo Counseling Board from 2009-2012, was a member of Leadership Austin, and received the 2003 Field Instructor of the Year award from the University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work. She is currently on the board of The College for Behavioral Health Leadership, a national organization focused on the development of leadership in the mental health and substance use prevention and treatment fields. Ms. Varnell has a Master’s of Science in social work from The University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s of arts in general studies, with equal emphasis in psychology, sociology and child development and family relations from The University of Arizona at Tucson. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and has worked at LifeWorks since 1992.

DR. ELIZABETH SCHOENFELD earned her PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin and has over 10 years of experience in research design, evaluation, and statistical modeling. She serves as the Director of Research & Evaluation at LifeWorks, where she manages a variety of high-impact special projects, conducts research on LifeWorks’ target population, oversees the development of agency metrics for its 17 programs, and utilizes data to help guide the strategic vision of the organization. Dr. Schoenfeld has presented her work at both national and international conferences, and she has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals. Her work has been featured in U.S. News & World Report, Psychology Today, and the Hogg Foundation’s Mental Health Daily, among other notable outlets.