NAMD Board Members

Melisa Byrd is the Senior Deputy Director / Medicaid Director of the Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF). Throughout her career, Byrd has demonstrated strong leadership in public health administration, health care reform implementation, and program management across multiple states. In her current position, she advises on major policy and budget issues related to DHCF’s health care programs, leveraging her comprehensive background in both public and private health care sectors.

Melisa brings extensive health care policy expertise developed through her roles at the National Governors Association, as Policy Advisor to Louisiana’s Department of Health where she led insurance expansion efforts and post-hurricane health care rebuilding efforts, and as a Senior Consultant with Health Management Associates.

Melisa also currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Medicaid Directors. She has been a member of the Board since 2022.

Cheryl J. Roberts is the Director of the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS), which serves 2.1 million Virginia’s citizens with a $20 billion annual budget. She leads and supports the Department’s Executive Leadership Team, DMAS staff, programs, contracts, operations, and finance in their mission to provide access to health care coverage and high-quality health care. She has extensive experience in population health, managed care delivery systems and operations. Previously, she was the Deputy for Programs and Operations at DMAS, as well as health plan executives in both the Medicaid and commercial sectors. Cheryl is a graduate of the City College of New York and Rutgers University School of Law. She serves as the Governance Committee Chair for the National Association of Medicaid Directors. She is also on the executive committee for the National Association of State Health Policy.

Ms. Lisa Lee has over 20 years of experience with Medicaid programs.   Much of her career was spent in Kentucky State government with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services.  While at the Cabinet, Ms. Lee served in a variety of roles within the Department for Medicaid Services, including Member Services Representative, Director of Provider Services, Policy Analyst, Deputy Commissioner, and Commissioner.  In addition, Ms. Lee served as the Program Director for the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) for approximately 14 years.  During her tenure as KCHIP Director, she led a successful outreach campaign that resulted in coverage of an additional 60,000 eligible children within Medicaid and KCHIP.   In addition, Ms. Lee was instrumental in expanding Medicaid Services to childless adults in Kentucky as well as assisting with the creation of Kentucky’s successful state-based exchange, kynect.

Ms. Lee retired from state government in 2016 and worked as a healthcare consultant for three years before returning as the Commissioner for the Department for Medicaid Services. Shortly after returning to her current position, a public health emergency was declared due to COVID-19.  Under Ms. Lee’s leadership, the state of Kentucky was a leader in the nation in terms of Medicaid enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the national level, she participates in several workgroups aimed at improving the health of children and delivers a variety of presentations related to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Ms. Lee was one of six Medicaid Directors chosen to participate in the Medicaid Leadership Institute (MLI) class of 2022.  The MLI is a prestigious executive training opportunity for Medicaid leaders across the country.

Ms. Lee currently serves as a member of the Child and Family Health Steering Committee for the National Association of Health Policy and was elected President of the National Association of Medicaid Directors In April 2024.

Lee Grossman was appointed as Wyoming’s Medicaid Director in February 2023. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Home & Community Based Services Administrator for the Wyoming Department of Health, where he directed Wyoming’s Medicaid waiver programs serving individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Lee has over thirteen years of experience in state government working in Medicaid executive leadership, delivery system design, policy management, and home and community-based services. Lee holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Wyoming.

Henry Lipman serves as the Medicaid Director for New Hampshire and has been in that role since November 2017.

His relevant professional experience includes serving as a Hospital CFO, Board Chair of the NH Hospital Association, Board service for an FQHC and CCRC. As a hospital CFO he dealt with complex financial transactions, testified in federal court on financial and reimbursement matters involving Medicaid, and testified for the US Department of Justice in the Anthem-CIGNA Merger trial.

His educational background includes an MBA from Boston University, and BS in Health Care Management & Policy from the University of New Hampshire and is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Executives. He was the New Hampshire Business Review 2012 Financial Executive of the Year for Not-for-Profits.  In his hometown of Laconia, he served as a City Councilor and Council Chaired the Finance Committee for nine terms.

Emma Sandoe is the Director of Oregon’s Medicaid program. Prior to joining Oregon, Sandoe was the Deputy Director of Medicaid Policy at North Carolina Medicaid and has previously served as the spokesperson for Medicaid and HealthCare.gov at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and worked on ACA coordination at the Department of Health and Human Services Budget Office. She received her PhD in Health Policy focusing on Medicaid from Harvard University, MPH at the George Washington University, and undergraduate degrees from University of California, San Diego.

Stacie brings over ten years of experience in Medicaid and health care policy from the public and private sectors. Most recently, Stacie served as a principal at a national consulting firm, advising numerous state and local governments, health care providers, hospitals, health insurers, and non-profit organizations on ways to achieve their goals in Medicaid and the individual market. Stacie also held key leadership roles in Minnesota’s Medicaid agency, including serving as chief of staff, where she oversaw the agency’s legal, compliance, communications, and legislative divisions, and as director of federal waivers and policy, where she helped oversee the implementation of federal regulatory changes and multiple state health care reforms and initiatives. Stacie also has knowledge of state Medicaid financing from her time as an administrator for the health and human services budget committee at the Minnesota Senate and experience in advocacy and public policy from previous roles representing the priorities of a large safety-net hospital and the health care needs of clients served by legal aid. Stacie holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Arkansas in Little Rock and a master’s in public health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Bill Hanna was appointed as Wisconsin’s Medicaid Director in January 2024. Most recently Bill served as Wisconsin’s Deputy Medicaid Director. He has 15 years of Medicaid expertise at both the state and local levels, including previous work at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Dane County and Portage County Human Service agencies, and the DC Department of Health Care Finance. Bill was a Regional Director of Growth and Strategy at UnitedHealthcare supporting Medicaid HMOs in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida. He holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Georgia and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Lawrence University.

Sarah Aker serves as the Executive Director of the Division of Medical Services, overseeing North Dakota’s Medicaid program and serving more than 130,000 North Dakotans each year. Prior to joining North Dakota’s Medicaid program, Sarah served as the Medicaid Director in South Dakota. Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and political science from the University of South Dakota. Sarah’s previous experience includes a leadership and advocacy role with the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations and various leadership roles in the South Dakota Medicaid program in the South Dakota Department of Social Services.

Stephanie McGee Azar was appointed as Commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency on May 1, 2012 by Governor Robert Bentley.

While serving as Commissioner, Azar continues in her position of General Counsel with the Agency, a role which she has served since March 2010.

A native of Dutton, Alabama, Azar received her Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Political Science from the University of Alabama in 1992, and in 1995 graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law. Prior to joining the Agency in 1999, she was employed with the Montgomery law firm of Thorington and Gregory where she specialized in estate planning and corporate law.

Janet Mann serves as the Deputy Secretary of Programs and State Medicaid Director for the Arkansas Department of Human Services.  The Program includes Medicaid, Aging, Substance Abuse & Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Provider Services & Quality Assurance, Eligibility, Child Welfare and Youth Services.  The programs serve approximately 1 of 3 Arkansans annually with a total budget of an estimated $11 billion dollars.

Prior to this role, Janet has over twenty years of experience in healthcare and healthcare finance in state government and the corporate sector.  This includes several roles at Arkansas DHS as Chief Financial Officer and Division Director of Medical Services as well as the Deputy Administrator for Mississippi Medicaid.  In addition, she has worked in the private sector consulting with multiple states Medicaid agencies on finance, reporting, managed care, program integrity, organizational assessments and eligibility.  Janet holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Alabama and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Ryan Moran (he/him) currently serves as Deputy Secretary for Health Care Financing and Medicaid Director for the Maryland Department of Health. In this role, Moran serves as a key member of the Maryland Department of Health’s leadership team. He oversees the state’s commitment to its Medicaid program, serving more than 1.7 million Marylanders receiving critical acute, outpatient, and behavioral health services.

Previously, Ryan served as Chief Executive Officer, Whitman-Walker Health System, a community-centered enterprise committed to advancing social justice and equality through health. Ryan’s leadership was integral in positioning Whitman-Walker as the nation’s leader in LGBTQ+ inclusive care, advocacy, research, policy, and education.

Ryan has also served as Assistant Vice President, Care Transformation for MedStar Health’s four hospitals in the Baltimore region. In this role, Ryan’s chief responsibility is to improve the health and wellbeing of local patient populations and communities. Ryan oversaw nearly $130M in community benefit reporting, as well as the hospitals’ community health teams, including community health advocates, hospital violence responders, outreach and partnerships, and community health needs assessments.

Ryan has received recognition for his leadership and contributions, including being named a 2023-2024 Milbank Fellow and a Foster G. McGaw Scholar by the American College of Healthcare Executives. Ryan holds a doctor of public health degree (DrPH) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where his research explored peer recovery specialist interventions to address opioid use. He was named a John Hume Scholar at Johns Hopkins for his potential in future significant contributions to the field of public health. Ryan holds bachelor of science degrees in public policy and business administration from the University of Charleston and a master in health services administration from Xavier University.

Michelle Probert has been the Director of MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid Program, since early 2019. MaineCare currently provides health care coverage to over 360,000, or one in four Mainers, including over 90,000 who have benefited from MaineCare expansion, implemented in January 2019.

In her prior role at MaineCare from 2011 to 2014, Michelle established the Department’s Value-Based Purchasing programs, which included one of the country’s first Medicaid Shared Savings ACO initiatives.

Michelle brings perspective to the Department from her time managing health strategy at Bath Iron Works (BIW), and as Chair for the Healthcare Purchaser Alliance of Maine. She worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to implement broad-based, coordinated contract and payment reform across state-funded health and human services within the Secretariat, and in the early days of her career, was a family advocate for homeless families. She has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. Michelle grew up in Maine and resides in Brunswick with her husband and two children.

Gary is the Director of Medicaid for the Department of Human Services, Government of the Virgin Islands. He coordinates, leads, and trains staff in the compliance of federal guidelines; creates relationships with providers and vendors to ensure access to medical care for the most vulnerable population. Gary also served as the Project Director, Ryan White Part B/ADAP and HIV Prevention Programs, Department of Health, and brought that program into compliance and generated a revenue stream with a PBM. Gary way managing Director, Insurance Brokerage Firm, Aon Corporation, Virgin Islands office. Gary is a 2020 Fellow of the Medicaid Leadership Institute.