A snapshot of the Department Management team [Jan. 2008]

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team
Carrie Downing
Director of Legislative and External Affairs
Carrie Downing is the Director of Legislative and External Affairs. In this capacity, she serves as the Georgia Department of Community Health's (DCH) liaison to the Georgia General Assembly and is responsible for monitoring legislation impacting the Department, as well as the direction of the Department's legislative goals and agenda.
Prior to joining DCH, Ms. Downing worked in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Office of Enterprise Communications. In 2003, she served in the Office of the Secretary for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) working closely with the corporate sector, the White House and the public health community. Ms. Downing also served in the White House in 2002 as Deputy Associate Director of Cabinet Affairs. Ms. Downing has also worked in the HHS Office of Legislation where she served as liaison to congressional offices.
Ms. Downing received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Georgia.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team
Dr. Carladenise Armbrister Edwards
Chief of Staff
Dr. Carladenise Armbrister Edwards is the Chief of Staff at the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). Dr. Edwards acts as the principal advisor to the Commissioner on all major policy and management issues and initiatives.
Prior to her position with DCH, Dr. Edwards was the executive director of the South Florida Health Information Initiative, a regional health information organization aimed at improving health care quality, access, and efficiency through technology. Previously, she served as the vice president of Williams, Stern, and Associates, a firm that specializes in health and human services research and evaluation. Also, she was a member of the leadership team in the Disabled and Elderly Health Programs Group of the Center for Medicaid and State Operations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Edwards holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and Masters of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She also has a doctorate in medical sociology from the University of Florida.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team
Nancy Goldstein
Director of the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP)
Nancy Goldstein serves as the director of the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP). As director of SHBP, Ms. Goldstein is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of SHBP, which provides health insurance coverage to state employees, school system employees, retirees and their dependents.
Prior to joining DCH, Ms. Goldstein was the director of national accounts for Great-West HealthCare in Denver, Colorado. From 1998 2002, Ms. Goldstein served as AT&T Broadband's director of health and welfare benefits covering over 40,000 employees nationwide. In 2004, she managed the employee benefits trust for the Farm Credit Council Services, which is comprised of agricultural lending institutions covering 10,000 employees nationwide. She also has over 10 years of experience with (former) Prudential Healthcare in Atlanta.
Ms. Goldstein holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration/ finance from the University of Florida.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team
Debbie Hall, MSHCA
Chief Operating Officer
Debbie Hall is currently the Chief Operating Officer for the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). DCH is responsible for ensuring the availability of health care for more than two million people and administers the Medicaid and PeachCare for KidsTM programs, and State Health Benefit Plan . Issues related to agency operations, health care procurement and grants, grantee/vendor monitoring, statewide health care initiatives, interactions with providers, human resources and process improvement initiatives claim substantial portions of her workday. Ms. Hall's responsibilities include Human Resources, Office of Health Initiative Programs, Procurement and Grants, Georgia Volunteer Physician Program, State Office of Rural Health, Non-Emergency Transportation, Grantee and Vendor Management, and Support Services.
Previously, Ms. Hall was the Regional Director for Southern Home Care Services, a division of Rescare, Inc., a periodic, in-home services organization for people with disabilities and the elderly. In her role as Regional Director, she held responsibility for all business functions (budgeting, recruitment, operations, community outreach, provider relations) for markets in Atlanta and Athens, Georgia.
Prior to that, Ms. Hall was the Director of Operations for Visiting Nurse Health System, Inc., (VNHS) a diverse provider of post-acute services, including homecare, hospice, infusion therapy, respiratory therapy, medical equipment and supplies. At VNHS, which had over 1000 employees and $70 million dollars in revenues, Ms. Hall was responsible for purchasing, contracts, inventory control, telecommunications, project management, materials management, support services and special projects.
She is a member of Leadership Dekalb; a non-profit community based training ground for future leaders in the public sector. Ms. Hall is active member of Berean Christian Church in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Ms. Hall received her Bachelors Degree from the University of Virginia and her Masters Degree in Health Care Administration from Mercer University. She is married to Lonnie Hall of Fayetteville, North Carolina and is the mother of four: Harrison (25); Carrington (21); Michelle (16); and Hamilton (7). They reside in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team

Rhonda M. Medows, MD, FAAFP
Commissioner

Dr. Rhonda Medows, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health, was appointed by Governor Sonny Perdue in December 2005. She leads an $11 billion agency responsible for the purchasing, planning and regulation of health care for over 2.1 million Georgians. As the implementation of several major health care initiatives for Georgia's Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids and State Health Benefit Plan progresses, Dr. Medows is committed to improving health care delivery systems, and subsequently, the health outcomes of members, empowering health care consumers to make responsible decisions about their health and health care coverage, and ensuring the financial integrity and viability of the state's largest health care programs.

Prior to her appointment, Dr. Rhonda Medows served as the first Chief Medical Officer for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Region IV Office located in Atlanta. The Atlanta Regional Office serves the eight southeastern states i.e. Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. This Regional Office provides essential day-to-day functions for Medicare, Medicaid, and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). In addition, CMS regional offices maintain oversight of the survey and certification of nursing homes and continuing care providers (including hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies (HHAs), end-stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities, hospices).

From 2001 through 2004, Dr. Medows served as Secretary for the State of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration. In this position, Dr. Medows was responsible for an organization with a total operating budget of $14.3 billion and that consisted of 1,600 employees located in 11 district offices across the State. This umbrella organization administers Florida's Medicaid program for 2.3 million people. It licenses and regulates 22,000 entities including health care facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and clinical laboratories. The Agency also regulates the State's > 25 health maintenance organizations and houses the State's Center for Health Care Statistics, which publishes health care data and research. In addition, Dr Medows served as the Governor's lead on policy development for health care industry issues.

Dr. Medows practiced medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. She has also served as a Corporate Medical Director for Blue Cross Blue Shield in Florida; as the Chief Medical Officer for a multi-State Disease Management Company; and as a Clinical Director of a large pharmaceutical company. Dr. Medows received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Cornell University and her Medical Degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. She completed Family Medicine Residency training at University Hospital at Stony Brook in New York and is Board Certified in Family Medicine. Dr. Medows is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Her teaching appointments were as Assistant Professor, University of Florida, Department of Family Medicine and Assistant Professor, Florida State University Medical School.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team
Harold "Sonny" Munter
Chief Information Officer
Sonny Munter is serving as the Chief Information Officer at the Georgia Department of Community Health. In this capacity, Mr. Munter oversees the Medicaid fiscal agent and the pharmacy benefit managers for both Medicaid the State Health Benefit Plan.
Mr. Munter has led all aspects of Information Technology including: Applications Development, Business Continuity and Recovery, IT Infrastructure, Voice and Data Telecommunications, IT Security and Help Desk throughout his 30-year career. Mr. Munter has additional health care IT experience serving as the Vice President of IT for a $2 Billion Medicaid HMO, CIO for a Medicaid Eligibility company, Vice President of IT for a Health care Analytical Services company that developed Claim Editing and Physician Profiling software for MCOs and HMOs.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team
George C. Panos
Acting Inspector General
George Panos, Acting Inspector General, Office of Inspector General, started with the Department of Community Health in January 1999. Prior to working with DCH, he was employed with the Federal government 38 years. From 1976 through 1998, he was a Criminal Investigator with the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health & Human Services and for the Social Security Administration. During his federal law enforcement career he conducted investigations involving Medicare, Public Health Service, Social Security programs, and the Supplemental Security Income programs. He retired from the federal government.
George attended the University of Alabama in Birmingham and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team
Carie Summers
Chief Financial Officer
Carie Summers is the Chief Financial Officer at the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). Ms. Summers is responsible for directing financial strategy, planning and forecasts for DCH.
Prior to her position with DCH, Ms. Summers was the Policy Coordinator for the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget and was responsible for making policy and fiscal recommendations to the Governor regarding DCH, Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health, and the Georgia Cancer Coalition. Ms. Summers has also served as the Budget Director for the Georgia Department of Medical Assistance and as a Management Analyst in the Georgia Department of Audits.
Ms. Summers has a BS in Business Administration with a major in Management from the University of Florida. She is married to Scott Summers.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008

A Snapshot The Health Insurance Partnership
A SNAPSHOT OF THE
Department Management Team
Mark D. Trail
Chief, Medical Assistance Plans
Mark D. Trail is serving as the Chief of the Medical Assistance Plans, in the Georgia Department of Community Health. As Director of the State Medicaid agency, Mr. Trail is responsible for all Medicaid policy and eligibility, as well as the state SCHIP program, PeachCare for KidsTM. The combined programs provide health care coverage to over 1.7 million Georgians, with expenditures exceeding $7 billion dollars. He has worked for over 30 years in a variety of health care fields, serving in both the public and private sectors.
Mr. Trail attended Georgia State University, Atlanta, Ga. receiving a Masters degree in Community Counseling. He serves as an Adjunct Faculty member for the College of Pharmacy, University of Georgia
Mr. Trail served on the Institute of Medicine's, Committee on Crossing the Quality Chasm: Adaptation to Mental Health and Additive Disorders. He has served in the following capacities: Georgia Public Health Association President; National Association of County Behavioral Health Directors Board of Directors; the State Board of Nursing Home Administrators; and most recently on the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Medicaid Directors.
Mr. Trail is married to Carol and has three children. He is active in his church and community and enjoys riding motorcycles.

2 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, Ga 30303 w www.dch.georgia.gov

January 2008