Michael G. Murphy was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Affinity Health Plan in March 2017. Throughout his career, Mr. Murphy has distinguished himself as an innovative and strategic healthcare leader, with extensive experience leading both public and private healthcare organizations.

Mr. Murphy was most recently at Aetna, one of the nation’s leading diversified healthcare benefits companies, where he oversaw a multi-state, $4 billion region that included Medicaid programs. While at Aetna, he developed multi-level relationships with key providers and government officials, which helped establish a solid foundation for continued success.

Mr. Murphy previously served as CEO of Coventry Health Care Plans across multiple states. (Coventry Health was purchased by Aetna in 2013.) At Coventry, Mr. Murphy oversaw the acquisition and integration of several health plans and was instrumental in stabilizing managed Medicaid following its introduction in Kentucky. Before joining Coventry, Michael served as President and CEO of Mercy Health Plans in St. Louis, MO, where he held various senior operating roles, including Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Government Programs.

Prior to joining Mercy Health Plans, Mr. Murphy was founder, owner and CEO of Managed Prescription Services (MPS), a national pharmacy benefits management company headquartered in St. Louis. Widely regarded as the precursor to the modern pharmacy benefits management industry, MPS led to the development of independent pharmacy networks across the country. The company was later sold to Humana.

Mr. Murphy received his Bachelor’s degree from St. Louis College of Pharmacy and an MBA from Washington University – Olin School of Business. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the St. Louis College of Pharmacy and for the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Clubs.

Clara Hansen is Vice President & Chief of Staff – Corporate Planning & Initiatives. She also heads up the Office of the CEO. Ms. Hansen first joined Affinity in April 2013 as Director, Strategy, Business and Product Development, focusing mainly on the implementation of a newly developed shared savings program and the oversight of external vendors. With a general management focus and expertise in program management and execution, Ms. Hansen brings more than 20 years of experience in the financial services and insurance industries, including serving in a consulting and business development capacity at Mercer (then William M. Mercer) and Aon Consulting.

Most recently, she served as Chief of Staff to the CEO of the insurer, Old Mutual Bermuda Ltd, where she played a key role in rebranding the business and led enterprise-wide operational, IT and process improvement efforts, including the design and launch of a new customer service center and the implementation of a new operations model and system. Prior to Old Mutual, Ms. Hansen was Vice President & Chief of Staff at MasterCard Advisors, where she developed processes and controls to support strategic market expansion initiatives. Before MasterCard, Ms. Hansen spent 10 years at TIAA-CREF, where in her last role as Director of Strategy, she developed partnerships with third parties in the life insurance industry.

Ms. Hansen received a B.A. degree in Biology from Barnard College and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Philip Myones, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, aligns information technology with Affinity Health Plan’s business goals and initiatives to deliver solutions that enhance patient care, improve bottom line financials and optimize operational efficiencies.

Mr. Myones, a visionary IT executive for 29 years, has a proven track record of achieving results for a range of diverse healthcare organizations. His success is attributable to knowing how to adapt to rapidly changing environments and to building IT organizations that incentivize employees to strive for operational excellence, superior customer service and innovative solutions. Mr. Myones possesses expertise in clinical IT, outsourcing and technology, as well as proven strategic planning, communications and management engineering skills.

Before joining Affinity, Mr. Myones was Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer of AdvantageCare Physicians, the largest physician-led, multi-specialty practice in the New York metropolitan area. There, he led information technology, information security, telecommunications, health information management and biomedical engineering. His previous position was as Vice President & Chief Information Officer of New York Hospital in Queens. At this tertiary care teaching hospital attended by a multi-specialty physician staff, he was responsible for information technology, telecommunications and biomedical engineering.

Mr. Myones holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and a Master of Computer Science from New York Institute of Technology. He is also affiliated with the College of Healthcare Informatics Management Executives (CHIME) and the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

Denise J. Pesich joined Affinity Health Plan in August, 2013 as Vice President, Brand Advancement and Customer Loyalty and, in October of 2015, assumed the role of Chief Marketing Officer. With more than 25 years of experience as an innovative and results-driven senior executive in the national nonprofit and corporate space, she is charged with building a provider and constituency-focused, compelling brand that revolutionizes the way people view, engage and support Affinity’s healthcare mission.

Ms. Pesich leads a multi-disciplinary team of professionals in marketing and community engagement who collectively are responsible for brand, marketing, communications, advertising, digital strategy, creative services, public relations, signature and community events, corporate meetings, strategic development, consumer and member engagement, as well as a host of sponsorships, partnerships and initiatives.

Before joining Affinity, Ms. Pesich served as Vice President of Communications and National Spokesperson at Girl Scouts of the USA, leading her teams to numerous public successes and accolades. She served as chief architect, developer and executor of the boldest advocacy and fundraising effort dedicated to girls’ leadership in the nation’s history. As the iconic organization mobilized communities of champions to advance the world-changing impact of female leadership on the advent of its 100th anniversary, Girl Scouts of the USA was named Equitrend Youth Brand of the Year and earned Fast Company’s Innovation Uncensored Brand of the Year in 2012.

Prior to Girl Scouts, Ms. Pesich capped a near 20-year career as Senior Vice President, Marketing and Strategic Development for the United Ways of Tri-State consortium, helping to establish the New York-based footprint for United Way of America. She formerly held community responsibilities and public relations roles at The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio.

Ms. Pesich currently serves on the Board of the American Heart Association, Brooklyn NY Affiliate.

Adrian is the Executive Director of Product Management for Affinity Health Plan. His broad-based expertise as program/portfolio manager, management consultant, entrepreneur, expense and efficiency expert, and strategic business planner has been implemented across several industries. In his current role, Adrian oversees all aspects of product strategy and implementation for the organization’s Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, and HARP (Enriched Health) plans.

Prior to joining Affinity Health Plan, Adrian served as an Assistant Director of Healthfirst's Portfolio and Project Delivery Office, overseeing the Growth portfolio of projects. Adrian also served as a Vice President at Credit Suisse Investment Bank, where his team implemented a firm-wide budget and planning system revamp as part of the firm’s three-year strategic planning process.

Prior to these successes, Adrian worked as a Senior Consultant for E&Y Management Consulting and Kurt Salmon Associates. An entrepreneur at heart, Adrian has counseled several start-up businesses on innovative ways to position their concepts in the market. He has a BA in Business Management/Accounting from Morehouse College, a Green Belt certification in LEAN / Six Sigma methodologies and is a Certified Scrum Master.

As Assistant Vice President - Human Resources, Jason Robinson is responsible for implementing strategies and systems that increase staff performance and enhance their experience. During his tenure, he has developed employee programs that have improved processes for attracting, engaging, training and retaining top talent.

Mr. Robinson has held several titles and responsibilities within the Human Resources Department since joining Affinity Health Plan in August 2000. Prior to that, Mr. Robinson was responsible for Talent Management at New York Methodist Hospital in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He was also the owner and managing partner of “The Spot in The City”, a restaurant in Harlem, New York where the community’s emerging musicians, artists and spoken word performers showcased their talents.

Mr. Robinson majored in Psychology at The College of New Rochelle’s School of New Resources.

Eric Walsh is Senior Vice President & Executive Director, Medicare at Affinity Health Plan. In this role, Mr. Walsh provides oversight and leadership for all aspects of Affinity's Medicare line of business. Mr. Walsh joined Affinity in 2015 as Vice President/Executive Director, Individual Markets.

Prior to joining Affinity, Mr. Walsh ran his own management consulting firm specializing in strategic and operational advisory services for clients across the commercial, not-for-profit and public sectors. A significant portion of Mr. Walsh’s career has been spent helping large healthcare companies transform and adapt to the complex and changing environment.

Mr. Walsh’s early career included leadership positions with Booz Allen & Hamilton (now Strategy&) and Accenture. Mr. Walsh received an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University.

Lisa Mingione is the Vice President – Chief Compliance Officer of Affinity Health Plan. Ms. Mingione is charged with operating and monitoring Affinity’s compliance program.

Before coming to Affinity, Ms. Mingione served as Chief Compliance Officer at Partners Health Plan (PHP). Prior to joining PHP, Lisa served in numerous roles at Touchstone Health HMO, Inc., including Manager, Director and Vice President of Compliance and Chief Compliance Officer.

Ms. Mingione’s experience includes compliance and internal audit, appeals and grievances, corporate-wide enterprise risk management programs, standards of conduct and conflict of interest policies, employee training and quality management.

Ms. Mingione has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Fordham University.

Scott Breidbart, M.D., M.B.A., is a recognized managed care leader, and has been lauded for driving quality improvement, and implementing transformative processes and quality-based payment models.

As Chief Medical Officer at Affinity Health Plan, Dr. Breidbart oversees the Medical Management, Pharmacy Management, Quality Management and Risk Management departments.

Dr. Breidbart’s breadth of experience in managed care spans more than two decades and includes executive positions as a Chief Medical Officer, Medical Director, and Vice President of Medical Policy and Quality Improvement.

Most recently, he was the Chief Medical Officer at Solera Health in Phoenix, Arizona, where he was the key liaison between the company’s health plan and medical group clients, and its integrated network of chronic disease prevention and management program providers. 

As Chief Clinical Officer at Emblem Health, Dr. Breidbart led restructuring efforts to improve regulatory compliance and accreditation requirements, and implemented an internal integrated care management program. Earlier in his career, as Chief Medical Officer at Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Dr. Breidbart instituted a patient notification process and helped pilot, along with an external physician group, an innovative payment restructuring.

Prior to establishing a career in managed care, Dr. Breidbart practiced pediatric endocrinology for 10 years at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY. He earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, his Master’s in Business Administration from Pace University and his undergraduate degree from Yale University. Dr. Breidbart completed his residency at Columbia Presbyterian (now Children’s Hospital of New York) and Westchester Medical Center.

Deana Lawson is the Vice President of Network Operations for Affinity Health Plan. Ms. Lawson is responsible for the oversight of all network management and provider relations programs. With more than 10 years of experience in senior leadership positions, Ms. Lawson brings expertise in contracting, credentialing, quality assurance, plan management and provider relations.

Prior to joining Affinity, Ms. Lawson was the Vice President, Contracting and Provider Relations at Independence Care System. There, she provided senior-level leadership, guidance and oversight for all network management, including provider contracting, strategic relationships, vendor contracting and plan management.

Previous to that at Universal American, Ms. Lawson was the Director of Contract Management with responsibility for contract management, credentialing and quality assurance. She also has held positions at Touchstone, Centene Corporation, National Association of Preferred Providers, CIGNA Healthcare and VNS Choice.

Ms. Lawson has an executive MBA in global management from Kean University in New Jersey and a bachelor of arts in communications marketing from Prairie View A&M University in Houston, Texas.