Leadership

Sakshi brings over 8 years of experience in multiple domains such as Healthcare, Retail, and Advertising to AArete, currently leading Data Science and Analytics. She has solved complex Data and Analytics problems, while providing actionable insights for Fortune 20 companies. Prior to AArete, Sakshi was a Decision Scientist at Mu Sigma. Sakshi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, and a Master of Science Degree in Business Analytics from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Skip is responsible for all financial and operational functions within the organization, including the setting and implementation of controls and procedures enabling operational effectiveness and efficiency. With more than 25 years of experience in financial and operations roles, including serving as Chief Financial Officer for a global e-commerce retailer, Skip has extensive experience in SEC reporting, financial planning, resource allocation, and organizational development in large distributed organizations as well as smaller start-up firms. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Illinois State University and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Skip is a member of Financial Executives International and also serves as a Board Member of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls.

Tesi brings over nine years of experience within the Health Payer & Provider industries and Legal business solutions. She specializes in strategic profitability improvement, contract development, and LegalSPRINT. Tesi has supported clients with their most complex problems and opportunities including but not limited to network development strategy, market expansion, provider and payer contracting, and operational process improvement across a variety of markets. Tesi holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from DePaul University. 

Maulik is based out of AArete’s Chicago office and leads AArete’s Innovation and Advisory services. He is also responsible for driving AArete’s international growth strategy. Overall, Maulik comes with nearly 20 years of experience in Operational and Management Consulting across multiple industries working with Ernst & Young, Protiviti Consulting and Huron Consulting. He has experience leading advising Fortune 1000 clients on driving operational efficiencies and creating enterprise value. He has led large consulting engagements for clients delivering operational transformation, bottom line improvement, digitally enabled process efficiencies and organizational change, through fact-based data intensive analysis combined with domain expertise. Maulik holds a Master of Business Administration degree from S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), a bachelor’s in accounting and Finance from Mumbai University, and is a Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Six Sigma Green Belt. He was recognized by Consulting Magazine’s for their “35 under 35 – Rising Star of the Profession” award and was selected to the list of Top 50 Healthcare Consultants of 2021 by The Consulting Report. He is a published author and quoted industry expert in Managed Healthcare Executive, Chain Drug Review, ThinkAdvisor, American Pharmacists Association and Chain Store Age.

Kevin specializes in data analytics and mining, business process improvement, strategic sourcing solutions and leading strategic profitability improvement initiatives. His broad range of healthcare experience, including both the Provider and Payer side, makes him an integral member of AArete’s analytics team. Kevin has worked with large managed care organizations (MCOs) and hospitals to deliver cost savings results and operational and strategic business insight. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and was recognized as a Consulting Magazine “2019 Rising Stars of the Profession – Consulting’s 35 under the age of 35” award winner.

John is a highly experienced Managing Director responsible for leading AArete’s Technology Solutions group, advising clients on technology strategy, development and implementation with a focus on profitability improvement, cost reduction and increased operational efficiencies. With experience working cross-sector as a CIO / CTO for high profile organizations such as HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Harrods and Barclays, he gained a track record of creating key change capabilities for complex business demands through technology solution delivery. Prior to joining AArete, he founded technology consultancies and spent 10+ years directing his company’s technical management and product development strategies. John is a graduate of Sheffield Hallam University, where he completed Master programmes in Enterprise Systems Management and IT Management and is a member of the IET and IEEE.

SueEllen brings over seven years of experience in strategic profitability improvement with a refined focus in client revenue enhancement and efficient resource utilization. She has led several engagements leveraging predictive analytics tools to facilitate process re-engineering and strategic cost reduction within AArete’s Health: Payer and Health: Provider industries. SueEllen holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, a Post-Baccalaureate in Biology and Pre-Medicine from Loyola University of Chicago, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Chicago and a Lean Daily Management certification in Healthcare from the University of Michigan.

Polly Cash is experienced in Human Resources at high growth companies with a talent focus. She is responsible for leading and executing AArete’s people strategies including talent development, engagement, culture, total rewards, onboarding, offboarding and major HR annual processes such as performance evaluations, promotions, compensation adjustments and open enrollment. Prior to AArete, Polly worked in Human Resources at Strive Logistics (acquired by Redwood Logistics), a global industry leading third party logistics and supply chain management company offering multimodal solutions for clients of all sizes. Polly holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Business from Indiana University, Bloomington. Polly is also PHR certified and has completed the Professional Human Resources certification at DePaul University.

Michael offers 7 years of experience partnering with healthcare organizations across markets nationwide with a focus in strategic profitability improvement, performance analytics and network development, payment integrity enhancement, and process assessment and improvement. He represents AArete’s Health: Payer industry practice leadership and is committed to delivering success for MCOs and Commercial Health Plans. By aligning his client’s complex business needs with AArete’s solutions, Michael has worked towards generating multi-million-dollar financial returns and operational performance improvements within compressed timeframes for optimal ROI. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration and Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Mike brings over 20 years of financial expertise optimizing strategic operating plans and driving firm performance. His particular strengths are building decision support systems that add clarity to decision making, strategic profitability improvement, pricing and revenue enhancement, risk management, and international operations. Prior to joining AArete, Mike spent 18 years with The Boston Consulting Group originally serving as an International Finance Manager, then elevating to an Affiliate Controller and Senior Manager, 2.5 years as a Chief Financial Officer for Grenzebach Glier and Associates and two years as an independent Corporate Financial Consultant. Mike has an Executive MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, an MBA with a Finance concentration from DePaul University’s Charles H. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Valparaiso University.  He also serves as Treasurer on Board of Directors for Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, IL.

Mary is experienced in people operations, including resource management, talent acquisition, human resources, and workforce planning. In her time at AArete, she has focused on strategically building out processes and efficiencies to drive organizational excellence to prepare for growth. Mary acts as a conduit between identified gaps in our workforce and purposeful hiring plans, all through data driven decision making. As Talent Director, she finds great joy in creating meaningful roles that help our field team members, as well as the people team, thrive. Mary holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, Human Resource Management, from Loyola University Chicago.

With over 22 years of corporate strategy experience, Gary drives and sustains AArete’s strategy and vision amongst its continual, rapid growth. With experience in pharmaceutical, bio-pharmaceutical and medical devices with divisions of Johnson & Johnson, Gilead Sciences and his own company, DPN Solutions, he has worked in and led sales, sales management, Managed Care, marketing, operations and business and commercial development teams within North America. He managed and helped grow Janssen Pharmaceutical and Gilead Sciences into global organizations with multiple sales divisions and has developed an expertise in leading product launch preparedness delivering 16 successful product launches. Gary holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Marketing from Fordham University.

Dana brings nearly 30 years of leadership experience in marketing, serving in key roles across a variety of industries including financial services, healthcare, and enterprise solutions. Prior to joining AArete, Dana led business development for Women Corporate Directors, a global network of public company women board directors. Dana holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign and an MBA from Northwestern University – Kellogg School of Management. Dana is passionate about building purpose-driven brands and delighting clients. She lends her boundless enthusiasm to the firm’s marketing efforts both on behalf of our clients and to build global awareness of AArete consulting services.

Mike offers 6+ years of experience, primarily partnering with healthcare Payer organizations, with an additional year and a half prior experience in retail. He has focused on providing support to a variety of MCOs across multiple cost-reduction initiatives leveraging medical and operational unit cost analysis, complex vendor negotiations, sourcing strategies, Payment Intelligence™, process assessment and optimization, utilization management, and other non-labor cost reduction industry best practices. He has also supported advanced analytics projects across sports and consumer industries. Mike holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The University of Iowa, Tippie College of Business.

Jenifer Frawley brings more than 15 years of experience selling across several spaces including Healthcare Provider and Payer, Retail, and Federal, State and Local Government. Before AArete, Jenifer worked for NTT Data, Atos, and Creative Information Technology, Inc. as a Sales Director. Focused on Technology Sales, Jennifer is based in Nashville, Tennessee. 

Nilesh brings over 20 years of experience in analytics, business intelligence, software development, and quality assurance. With responsibility for the India team’s delivery and operations, he leverages his extensive experience to manage distributed project delivery in support of the overall offshore delivery operations for AArete’s technology solution clients. Nilesh has a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the Vishwakarma Institute of Technology in Pune, India and a Master of Engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati.

Darren has a deep history working at the nexus of healthcare and IT. He has a track record of fostering innovation, positivity, and inclusiveness in his previous roles. Darren has served on the advisory board for Virtual Health (a healthcare technology disruptor) and the board of directors for NASCO (healthcare payer technology provider for Blue Cross Blue Shield plans).

Prior to joining AArete, Darren served as chief information officer of Gulfside Healthcare Services. He has also served as executive vice president and chief information officer for WellCare where he was responsible for further advancing WellCare’s technology capabilities to support the company’s focus on growth and innovation. During his tenure at WellCare, Darren established a focus on innovation by creating the first Innovation Studio, which resulted in over 20 patent submissions. He was a member of the executive leadership team and reported directly to the CEO.

Previously, Darren spent more than 15 years with Anthem, formerly WellPoint, Inc., where he provided leadership for a broad variety of technology initiatives. Darren held roles of increasing responsibility, serving as a director, staff VP, VP and VP/CIO of Anthem’s commercial business unit. Darren also served as a senior project director with Access Systems, LLC and as a product manager with Reynolds and Reynolds.

Darren earned a bachelor’s degree in aerospace technology with a concentration in computer technology and an associate in applied science electrical engineering technology from Purdue University. Notably, in 2013, Darren was recognized as a Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leader, and in 2018 was honored by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as a CIO of the Year.

Giovanni Gomez has extensive healthcare experience, focusing on large private and government-sponsored payers enhancing financial performance and leading strategic and data-driven initiatives. He has led various engagements through risk adjustment and revenue management, payment integrity, contracting, and utilization management. Before AArete, Giovanni worked at a health insurance start-up company and the Governor’s Office supporting the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the State of Illinois. Giovanni holds an MBA in Healthcare Management from the Quinlan School of Business and a bachelor’s in Arts and Science from Loyola University Chicago.

Christine has a long history of partnering with organizations across the Healthcare and Legal industry.   She has a range of expertise within strategic profitability improvement, network development, project management, and process assessment and improvement. Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Saint Benedict’s in Global Business Leadership, and is in the midst of pursing her Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Minnesota-Carlson School of Business.

Paige has deep consulting experience across multiple areas with a focus on healthcare, strategic profitability improvement, and data analytics. She is a leader of the Health: Payer solution at AArete and has led multiple initiatives with commercial payers and managed care organizations nationwide. From assisting payers to enhance payment integrity initiatives to developing value-based care strategies, Paige excels in collaborating with stakeholders to drive savings and deliver results across any engagement. Paige holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business.

Duane brings more than 25 years of consulting experience helping organizations with various strategy, performance improvement and operational initiatives. As part of AArete’s Executive Leadership, Duane works closely with our industry and service line leads to drive growth while supporting innovation and solution development. Duane holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The Ohio State University.

Luke brings over 15 years of healthcare consulting experience to AArete, with an extensive background in hospital performance improvement, operations management and change management solutions through analytical analyses. Prior to joining AArete, Luke helped numerous hospitals and health systems improve financial, operational and clinical performance through his work at Tenet Healthcare, Huron Consulting Group and Prism Healthcare Partners. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Economics degree from Baylor University and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University.

Tyler has robust experience leading multi-year sourcing initiatives within Higher Education, Retail, Consumer Products, Transportation and Energy, achieving over $250M in strategic profitability improvement. He has over 10 years of sourcing experience and developing strategic solutions regarding innovation, automation, process improvements, and strategic programs integral in generating substantial strategic profitability improvement. He has completed projects in a multitude of sourcing categories including temporary labor, most facilities (material and services) areas, IT hardware and software, scientific supplies, supply chain/transportation, outsourcing and human resource benefits. Tyler holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and is a published author in Internet Retailer.

Priya joins AArete with 16 years of experience working in data and technology. She’s a data analytics master with deep history in the financial sector designing and delivering analytics solutions. Before joining AArete, Priya served as director of big data technologies for American Express. Priya is used to being the go-to person for an organization’s analytics needs. She has a demonstrated track record of helping companies make better, faster, more informed decisions by thoroughly analyzing their data and constructing custom, insightful, easy-to-understand, and highly visual analytics.

Lynn brings more than 30 years of business development and capture management leadership expertise to her role as Senior Director of AArete Federal. Lynn’s focus is implementing AArete’s go-to-market strategy to deliver data, digital transformation, IT Modernization, supply chain, healthcare and management consulting services that align with current federal agency challenges. She brings a strategic perspective to growth, business development, capture management and proposal development best practices. Her vast cross-industry STEM career includes revenue generating leadership roles for Fortune 50 IT companies like IBM, Oracle and Verizon and small government contractors delivering mission critical technology and management consulting solutions including  cloud, agile custom software development, customer relationship management, supply chain, telecommunications, financial, infrastructure, banking, healthcare, insurance, aviation and Reliance 21 Communities of Interest innovative technologies. 

Lynn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French from Connecticut College, multiple industry certificates, is a board member for the Baltimore Economic Leadership League and has trained hundreds of small innovative businesses and United States Veterans in the art of federal capture management, securing SBIR Phase I, II and Phase III funding, and commercialization.

Gaurav has more than 14 years of experience in the areas of supply chain management, strategic profitability improvement, and digital transformation. Prior to joining AArete, Gaurav worked with Booz & Co and Accenture Strategy to develop sustainable solutions to unique client challenges. He has worked with clients from various industries spanning across the US, Asia-Pacific, UK and Middle-East. He holds a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering from the Government College of Engineering in Pune and an MBA in Finance from University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business.

Ravi brings over 10 years of diverse experience for both payer and provider clients through revenue enhancement, strategic development and strategic profitability improvement perspectives. His expertise is focused on comprehensive performance improvement and leveraging deep data analysis to drive process redesign and policy implementation. He has led various solution deliveries through utilization optimization, contract management and Payment Intelligence™. Ravi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Sciences from Marquette University,  a Juris Doctor with a health law focus from Indiana University and is a published author in Medical Economics and ThinkAdvisor.

Prior to joining AArete in 2009, Jim spent 16 years as the Chief Operating Officer of White & Case L.L.P., a global law firm with 2,200+ attorneys operating in 30 countries with annual revenues in excess of $1.3 billion. From 2005 through 2008, Jim was simultaneously Chairman of the Executive Committee (Chief Executive Officer) of White & Case’s London Office with 400+ London-based attorneys. Prior to joining White & Case, Jim was Senior Vice President of Chemical Bank, a predecessor bank to J.P. Morgan Chase, with global responsibilities including financial and management accounting, income tax compliance and planning, and strategic financial planning. He also served on Chemical Bank’s Management Board. Jim has extensive global operations management experience and is a recognized leader in achieving successful change management in the legal services industry and global banking / capital markets.  He holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Loyola University Maryland, a Post-Master of Business Administration Certificate in International Finance from New York University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Jim was formerly a member of Financial Accounting Standards Board Task Forces.

Elizabeth has over 7 years of experience within the Health: Payer industry and specific expertise in Strategic Profitability Improvement. She has extensive background in strategic cost reduction, scaling payer operations for short- and long-term growth, and using data-driven insights to improve financial and operational performance. Her client successes have included supporting numerous health plans across multiple product segments drive initiatives that positively impact their bottom line while enhancing operational efficiencies through effective change management solutions. Elizabeth holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Loyola University Chicago and is currently pursuing her MBA from DePaul University.

Evan has a history of working within the transportation, Retail, Technology and Financial Services industries. Evan has led several engagements across multibillion-dollar organizations focused on cost and operational improvement, procurement enhancement, and technology innovation with specific expertise in both direct and indirect strategic sourcing, project management, and process improvement. Evan holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Finance from Indiana University. 

Leslie Lotano-Saba has more than 35 years of pharmacy experience, primarily in government programs with payers and PBMs. She is recognized for developing innovative and practical strategies that decrease costs and improve margin without compromising quality. Leslie established her own consulting firm, Saba and Associates, LLC, and has applied her extensive industry knowledge and expertise to assist health plans, PBMs, technology and clinical care organizations address strategic and operational issues, improving their performance.

Leslie’s previous experience includes Chief Operating Officer of Clinical Support Services, a medication therapy management company responsible for operational efficiency improvements and revenue growth; Senior Vice President for Amerigroup (acquired by Anthem), where she led the pharmacy program for one of the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care plans, managing state carve-ins, designing and implementing innovative cost savings solutions; Vice President of Pharmacy for Horizon NJ Health, the largest Medicaid managed care plan in New Jersey where she successfully insourced pharmacy benefits management, designed a Community Pharmacist Diabetes Initiative and a regionally and nationally recognized Asthma disease management program. Leslie also led operational improvement initiatives at NCS Healthcare (long term care), PSCNY (PBM) and Medco mail service pharmacy in New York.

Leslie serves as a member of the AMCP Public Policy committee and a member of the AMCP Medication Therapy Management Advisory Group. Leslie earned a Bachelor’s of Pharmacy degree from Albany College of Pharmacy and a MS in Healthcare Administration from Union College (Clarkson University) and attended the Wharton School Executive Management Program for Pharmacy Leaders. She is also a member of Women Business Leaders, AMCP and the American College of Healthcare Executives. 

Don lends over 7 years of consulting experience specializing in financial and operational improvements for healthcare payers and providers. With extensive experience in government sponsored programs, such as Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and Market Place, he uses a data-driven approach to develop innovative solutions to complex client demands. He has led a wide range of solution deliveries with a specific expertise in network optimization, payment integrity, utilization management and process improvement. Don holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Healthcare Administration from Indiana University.

John has over 30+ years of cross–industry consulting and operations improvement experience. He continues to provide profit improvement services to a range of companies including higher education, healthcare providers, healthcare payers, technology, retail, and other. His work includes strategic profitability improvement, revenue cycle improvements, gross margin improvements, process redesign, and technology implementation services. John has a particular focus on organizational change management supporting his clients in developing strategies for advancing their business to meet new business and regulatory challenges. He is a known innovator and driver of change that produces results by communicating to all levels of the organization. John has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management Information Systems from Pace University, is a member of HFMA and is a published author in Managed Healthcare Executive, CFO and Financial Executives.

Chris McGee leads AArete’s Global Financial Services (FS) Consulting Practice. AArete partners with FS firms to drive growth and boost competitiveness by optimizing digital and technology capabilities, risk management and cybersecurity solutions, strategic profitability initiatives, regulatory compliance, and M&A strategies.

Chris brings nearly 20 years of experience across the FS sector (e.g., retail, commercial, corporate, and investment banking, capital markets, securities, investment and wealth management, insurance, fintech). He is passionate about helping organizations and their people realize their potential, achieve their business goals, and deliver operational excellence. He has a strong track record of partnering with executive leaders driving strategic change across global businesses to solve complex operating model challenges and enable sustainable results.

Prior to AArete, Chris was a Global Director and Team Leader at Gartner, partnering with FS firms on client-centric innovations. He served as a trusted advisor to guide the planning and execution of FS business strategies through digital products and platforms and new technology-based solutions to enhance customer and client experiences across channels and geographies while also improving employee experiences.

Previously, Chris was a Director in PwC’s US Advisory FS Practice where he led management consulting engagements with multi-disciplined teams primarily supporting global FS firms to shape enterprise solutions. He managed global initiatives for clients including strategic business transformations, as well as risk management, compliance, and regulatory remediation programs.

Chris also advises start-up organizations on their product innovations. Most recently, he has served as an external strategic advisor to KeeperAI, which is a SaaS platform that enables the formation of deeper relationships to empower people to connect authentically and companies to retain employees via healthy work cultures. Chris earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia University completing the Executive Program at Columbia Business School in New York, NY and holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Finance and Marketing from Fairfield University’s Dolan School of Business in Fairfield, CT. Outside of the office, he values family, volunteerism, mentorship, and giving back to one’s community.

Loran offers 10 years of experience working alongside organizations to develop innovative strategies, increase operational efficiency and improve profitability. He has extensive strategic and operational experience and has led numerous enterprise-level engagements with Commercial Payers, MCOs and other health delivery organizations. Loran focuses on bringing the right combination of advanced data analytics and industry knowledge to develop tailored data driven solutions for his clients’ most complex problems. He has extensive expertise in strategic and financial planning, payer operations, network development, utilization management and process design improvement. Loran holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Skidmore College.

Jeremiah specializes in healthcare data analytics and has extensive technical development and project management experience with the world’s leading health insurance organizations. He has developed complex data warehouses and data modeling to enable actionable insights with tangible results for his clients. Jeremiah holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems / Computer Science from Elizabethtown College.

Madhav has been with AArete since foundation bringing over 20 years of experience in consulting across multiple industries. Over the past 10 years, he has led several large Health: Payer engagements in the areas of Cost of Care improvement, Fraud, Waste and Abuse (FWA), Targeted Ancillary Spend Review, Configuration Review and Pharmacy / Medical Crossover with a primary focus on over payment identification and recovery / reclamation. In addition, Madhav’s experience also includes the application of advanced data models to identify and score high risk members, leveraging Medical and Pharmacy claims data for risk stratification, care coordination and case management and designing and implementing customized Coordination of Benefits (COB) solutions. Madhav has also led several strategic profitability improvement and procurement turnkey engagements for clients in healthcare, financial services, professional services, manufacturing, law firms, media and entertainment and higher education. Madhav holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Nagarjuna University, a Master of Science degree from Osmania University and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and is a member of the Institute of Supply Chain Management.

Erica collaborates with healthcare clients on strategic profitability improvement, competitive analysis and utilization optimization while leading AArete’s Payment Intelligence™ initiative, which focuses on enhancing payment accuracy through data-driven insights. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Mark is a Managing Director and co-leader of AArete’s Healthcare Payer Practice.  He is responsible for the overall strategic vision and execution of AArete’s solutions for Payer clients.  He has extensive expertise leading a variety of engagements including medical and administrative cost reduction, process improvement, network development, M&A and others.  Mark has worked with payer clients for over 20 years, providing a wealth of experience to his clients.

Mark holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Cornell University, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and is a published author in CFO Magazine.

Bhrugu leads our Technology Services group advising clients on technology strategy and implementation with responsibility for the development of technology products, services, and solutions that enable AArete client service teams worldwide to drive client performance improvement and digital transformation programs. He directs an international team of designers, technologists, and MBAs in building and integrating commercial and open-source platforms in analytics, data engineering/big data, data science, custom application development, and UX/UI design.

Previously Bhrugu spent 14 years as the president of a self-founded, award-winning, global data analytics and digital transformation consultancy designing customer-facing systems, internal enterprise platforms, and data analytics products and solutions for Fortune 500 companies. His consulting and research interests lie in using design thinking and a product-not-application philosophy to build user-centric business apps, refactoring organizational design to manage a rapidly changing technology landscape, and developing customer-facing habit-forming products that help firms and agencies compete on superior digital experiences and advanced analytics. Bhrugu has an M.S. in Mechanical Systems & Design from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is also a General Partner in a PE/Investment firm focused on late stage technology startups and strategic investing.

Dominique lends nearly 20 years of extensive expertise in data migration and programming and applications development across a range of corporations and consulting firms and leads Data Engineering within AArete’s Center of Data Excellence (CODE).  She is a detail-driven problem solver that leverages business data and reporting insights to deliver high impact, measurable results. Dominique is proficient in SQL, SSRS, Power BI and SSIS and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Computing Systems from City, University of London, United Kingdom.

Dane has nearly 10 years of experience across a variety of industries including healthcare pharmaceuticals, healthcare payers, education and diversified industrial. He specializes in using data analytics to identify operational efficiencies leading to strategic profitability improvement. He has applied these skills as a lead in AArete’s pharmacy practice, assisting payers in designing their pharmacy programs, optimizing existing controls and negotiating with 3rd party vendors. In his career, he has negotiated $100M+ in vendor cost reduction and delivered an additional $100M in operational efficiency improvements. Dane holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and is a published author in Chain Drug Review.

Brian has over 6 years of experience in the retail and healthcare industries with specific expertise in project management leveraging market intelligence and data-driven analyses for strategic profitability evolvement. He has spent over 5 years specializing in healthcare strategic cost reduction initiatives, guiding payers through solutions related to claims configuration, contracting, and utilization management. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering from The University of Iowa with a Minor in Business Administration.

Santosh has over eleven years of healthcare consulting experience partnering with multi-facility hospital systems, medical groups, and multi-state payers. He has refined expertise in revenue cycle transformation, operating model redesign, strategic profitability improvement, systems configuration for payment accuracy, contracting and network development, and system conversions. By leading numerous end-to-end implementation engagements through customized phases, he has realized unique opportunities for each client, significantly improving their financial performance and enhancing operational efficiencies for sustainable results. Prior to AArete, Santosh worked at RSM US LLP and Huron Consulting Group. Santosh has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion from Carleton College, MN, a Healthcare Financial Professional (CHFP) Certification from the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA).

Annie Ray has over 7 years of combined experience in the healthcare and insurance industries with specific expertise in healthcare financial analysis and strategic profitability improvement initiatives. She has a range of healthcare experience, particularly in AArete’s Health: Payer industry, setting up care management programs, implementing clinical policy, providing network support, navigating M&A integration, and analyzing utilization for optimal cost while sustaining quality of care. Additionally, she has extensive experience in health care contracting across all lines of business across 25+ health plans. Annie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison in Finance, Investment and Risk Management & Insurance (RMI).

Scott has over 15 years of healthcare industry experience in consulting with extensive expertise in implementation projects for large health systems and complex consulting projects. He specializes in advanced analytics and modeling, regulatory requirements, pricing services, strategic planning and health systems revenue cycle. Scott has experience with multiple predictive modeling techniques as well as operational research / management science analytics such as time series forecasting, queuing theory, simulations and probability distributions. Prior to joining AArete, Scott worked in the healthcare practices of EY and Deloitte. Scott holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Indiana University, a Masters in Hospital & Healthcare Facilities Administration from Indiana University, and a Masters of Business Analytics from University of Notre Dame.

Shelly lends 10+ years of B2B and B2C marketing and business development experience across a range of industries including retail, hospitality, healthcare, and insurance. Prior to joining AArete, she directed digital marketing and creative production, from workflow optimization to stakeholder management, upon strategizing holistic go-to-market campaigns. Her passions are developing audience-serving content strategy, brand building through storytelling, and creative workflow optimization for elevated quality production at scale. Shelly holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications & Culture with a Minor in Educational Studies from Indiana University.

Julie brings consulting experience in both private industry and state government. She has assisted organizations improve processes and controls in order to identify and resolve Healthcare Fraud, Waste and Abuse (FWA). Julie is Certified as a Fraud Examiner (CFE), a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and also holds a Six Sigma Greenbelt and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) certifications. Julie holds a Masters in Management Studies from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business with concentrations in Finance, Marketing and Organizational Behavior, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting, Finance and Economics with a minor in Journalism from Mundelein College and is a published author in ThinkAdvisor.

Matt offers over 5 years of consulting experience, focused on analytics-driven solutions delivering measurable results across both the US and UK markets. With strong healthcare industry expertise, Matt helps drive AArete’s Payment Intelligence™ solution, navigating healthcare clients through issues related to payment integrity, value-based care, utilization management, medical management, and networks, with a focus on optimal patient outcomes and profitability. From assisting a health payer client in discovering $10M+ in cost savings, to identifying trends in social determinants related to patient outcomes related to Opioid abuse prevention, data has always played a key role in his success. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business.

Jeff brings 7 years of combined experience within the healthcare and retail industries as a leader of AArete’s Health: Payer practice. He has led numerous initiatives supporting cost reduction, operational improvement, and M&A integration with commercial payers and Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). Over a 3 year span, he has conducted rigorous analysis upon partnering with clients to develop tailored implementation strategies and has subsequently delivered over $100M in recurring annual savings. Jeff holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Prior to joining AArete, Paul began his career at Huron Consulting Group where he worked on corporate disputes and fraud investigations. With nearly 10 years of consulting experience across a variety of industries including extensive experience with healthcare payers, working with several large national payers, regional payers, and integrated health systems. He specializes in using data analytics to drive strategic decisions and operational improvements that result in significant bottom line improvement with minimal disruption to an organization. Paul directed and oversaw five engagements with state Medicaid Health Plans of 20M+ member payer that resulted in over $200M of savings and led an engagement with 4M+ member national Medicaid payer that achieved $25M of annual recurring savings through identification and implementation of unit cost, utilization management, and configuration opportunities. Paul holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business with concentrations in Business Economics & Public Policy and Finance and is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

Adam has been delivering results for 10 years in both healthcare payer and provider settings through revenue enhancement, strategic development and strategic profitability improvement perspectives. Adam has extensive experience leading Health Information System design and optimization engagements in addition to leading solution deliveries through utilization optimization, contract management and Payment Intelligence™. Prior to joining AArete, Adam helped variously sized hospitals and health systems improve financial and operational performance through his work at Huron Consulting Group. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems Engineering from the United States Military Academy.

Vikas previously worked at Sinai Health System in Chicago starting as a manager and elevating to a system director of technology services. He brings over 15 years of experience in healthcare IT, delivering technology solutions and process improvement.  Vikas is responsible for IT operations and strategy for implementation and integration of AArete’s technology platforms to meet both short- and long-term demands of the growing organization. His adaptive leadership and project management skills combined with his extensive experience in IT security and risk management sustains AArete’s IT compliance, security, and regulatory needs while following through to deliver innovative IT solutions.  Vikas has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from University of Illinois at Chicago.

Ashley has over 15 years of finance and accounting experience starting in public accounting with RSM and holding various roles in corporate controllership with small and large multi-national organizations. Prior to joining AArete, her most recent role was with RR Donnelley where she was the Director of Corporate Accounting and Reporting in the Corporate Controller’s Group. At AArete, her team is responsible for the day-to-day accounting functions as well as the monthly close and subsidiary consolidation with heavy involvement in financial and regulatory compliance.  Her strengths include technical accounting, financial analysis, problem solving and process improvement.  Ashley is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from The University of Iowa.

Konrad is a Chicago native with more than 7 years of experience delivering strategic cost reduction, profitability enhancement, and process improvement initiatives across healthcare payer and provider organizations. He is a results-oriented leader who effectively tackles complex problems, leveraging data analytics, market intelligence and holistic process changes. Prior to joining AArete, Konrad worked at Advisory Board Company and MilliporeSigma. Konrad holds a B.S. in Economics and Supply Chain Management from Marquette University.

John brings over 30 years of talent management experience from the professional services, financial services and healthcare industries and is responsible for leading and executing AArete’s human resource strategy. He started his professional career at Arthur Andersen providing audit services to clients before focusing on human resources. Over time, he honed his expertise and grew into leadership roles in first recruiting, then human resources and administration. Following Arthur Andersen, he diversified his experiences by serving as a regional Director of Human Resources at KPMG, Chief Human Resources Officer at William Blair and VP of Human Resources at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. John holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters of Management (MBA) from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Meena Taneja is a results-driven Data Engineering & Analytics professional experienced indelivering solutions for complex business problems involving large scale data sources, real-time analytics, and reporting solutions for Health care, Financial, Non-Profit, and Manufacturing domains. She has extensive experience in analyzing systems, stakeholder management, project management, and process improvements to increase productivity and reduce costs. Before AArete, Meena worked at Duck Creek Technologies (part of Accenture) implementing BI solutions for fortune 500 companies such as Aetna, Tesla, BCBS, and more. She has also worked at HCSC, US Bank,and JP Morgan Chase where she has implemented BI solutions. Meena holds a Master’s degree in engineering from University of Texas at Arlington.

Loren is the Chief Executive Officer of AArete LLC with a primary focus in creating and molding AArete’s business solutions, while also helping clients achieve short-term and long-term goals related to profit improvement. Before founding AArete, Loren was a Managing Director and Strategic Sourcing Practice Lead at Huron Consulting. Prior to Huron, he started the Strategic Sourcing services for Arthur Andersen, developing the methodology and refining the approach through numerous client engagements. He has extensive business and operations strategy experience, serving clients in the pharmaceutical, distribution, consumer products and business services industries globally. Specific areas of expertise include strategic profitability improvement, revenue cycle improvements, strategic sourcing, procurement transformation and pre- and post- merger value generation. In addition to Loren’s client focus, he also plays a significant role in thought leadership for the firm as the core of AArete’s Knowledge Management Center™ and driver of demonstrating the founding principles in his everyday work, exemplifying the passion for excellence with AArete’s personnel and clients and sustaining the firm’s unique culture. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Bachelor of Science from The University of Iowa, serves as a member on the Boards for the Center for Healthcare Innovation and the Friendship Senior Options Foundation.

Matthew brings 20+years of experience in sales and business development across multiple service industries to AArete.He offers extensive expertise in sustaining existing relationships and building new ones. He is a goal-focused sales/management professional with a tradition of performance excellence developing strategic plans, driving revenue growth and profitability, and coaching talented professionals. He has extensive experience organizing new business and implementing strategies that achieve financial objectives. His past experience includes The Walt Disney Company and Wyndham Worldwide. Recognized for a strong work ethic, sense of passion, exemplary integrity, honesty and thorough commitment to professional excellence. Matthew has a unique background built on a foundation of entrepreneurial drive and spirit.Integrity, combined with a constant pursuit of perfection and knowledge, makes anything possible.

Prior to joining AArete, Maria began her career at Arthur Andersen where she provided audit and consulting services to privately-held companies in a variety of industries including the transportation, professional services and non-profit sectors. She subsequently served as the CFO for a provider of global brand management solutions. With nearly twenty years of consulting experience, Maria is a leader in AArete’s Healthcare Payment Intelligence™ practice with a focus on configuration and overpayment analytics, including Healthcare Fraud, Waste and Abuse (FWA) and other payment integrity issues. She works closely with leading insurance payers to design and implement comprehensive solutions that are customized to align with each client’s unique business requirements resulting in the early detection, recovery and prevention of overpayments in healthcare claims. She couples her depth of business knowledge with her expertise in healthcare to create innovative solutions that are tailored to meet the challenges healthcare payers currently face. Maria holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The University of Iowa, is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and belongs to the Illinois CPA Society. Additionally, Maria serves as President Elect of the University of Iowa Professional Accounting Council, is an Executive Sponsor of AArete’s Women’s Initiative Network (WIN) and is also a member of the Women Business Leaders (WBL) of the U.S. Health Care Industry Foundation.

Justin has over thirteen years of combined experience leading client engagements focused on strategic direction, program management, and non-labor cost reduction with a primary focus within the healthcare and diversified industrial manufacturing industries. Within healthcare, he has diverse client experience with payer health plans, including enterprise-wide program management, cost reduction, provider/vendor contracting, and special projects. Justin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business with concentrations in Entrepreneurship & International Business with a minor in Spanish and is actively pursuing a Master of Business Administration at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School.

Mari brings more than 25 years of executive level leadership experience in Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) from risk-bearing, integrated large health systems to smaller start up IPAs and medical groups. Her areas of expertise include medical management, total cost of care analytics, utilization management, care management, network contracting, value-based contracting and compliance. She led teams toward highly efficient performance and quality by applying analytics, reporting and evidence-based medical outcomes. Mari holds an Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree from The University of Michigan and a Bachelor in Science degree in Biological Health & Biochemistry from The Pennsylvania State University. She was also a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator for over 30 years, has written published chapters and articles on wellness and self-management of chronic disease and has been serving on the Board of Directors for the Partners in Care Foundation since 2008.