Faculty

Vic Aufiero is responsible for overseeing and leading the strategic development and implementation of HANYS’ advocacy, policy and education strategies on issues related to managed care, payer/provider relationships and the broad spectrum of hospital and health system-based behavioral health services. She participates in collaborative efforts with HANYS members and advocates on their behalf with regulators, lawmakers and policy leaders.

Aufiero is a board member of the Holy Cross Club of Eastern NY. Prior to joining HANYS in 2014, she was a staff attorney at Boies, Schiller Flexner LLP. Previously, Aufiero was the public policy director at NAMI-NYS.

Aufiero has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross, and a Master of Studies degree in environmental law and Juris Doctorate degree from Vermont Law and Graduate School. She is a member of both the Massachusetts and New York Bars.

Cristina Batt oversees all of HANYS’ federal government relations and advocacy activity, working with lawmakers and HANYS’ members to advance the association’s legislative and regulatory agenda.

Before joining HANYS, Batt served as vice president, federal relations, for the Illinois Health and Hospital Association. In that role, she expanded the profile of IHA’s Washington office and advanced IHA’s advocacy agenda, including successfully securing federal approval of a comprehensive redesign of the state’s provider assessment program.

Batt served nearly eight years in the office of U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), and as senior policy advisor she managed his health portfolio on the Energy and Commerce Committee. After leaving Capitol Hill, Batt spent three years managing the federal relations portfolio for the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, and four years as a program analyst at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focusing on HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis prevention and workplace safety. She graduated from Hamilton College.

Alyssa Dahl began working in healthcare quality and payment policy in 2012 at DataGen, a subsidiary of HANYS. Dahl has supported healthcare providers across the nation to maximize their potential for success in alternative payment arrangements and population health initiatives. She leads a team of 19 analysts, programmers and business intelligence developers who deploy interactive data monitoring platforms and create custom analytic solutions.

Dahl received a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from Loyola University Maryland and a Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology from the State University of New York at Albany.

With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare administration, financial management and quality care, Andrew Davis serves as chief operating officer of the Erie County Medical Center Corporation. Davis has held various senior management positions in healthcare organizations in Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C. and New York.

His strong background in healthcare financial and operations management, and his knowledge of the complexity of managing hospitals in an ever-changing landscape, play a key role in ECMC’s commitment to delivering the highest quality care for the residents of Western New York. As COO, he is a significant contributor to the development and execution of strategic collaborations and various initiatives ECMC pursues jointly with healthcare partners Kaleida Health and the University at Buffalo under the rubric of Great Lakes Health of Western New York.

Just prior to joining ECMC in August 2016, Davis served as interim chief executive officer at United Medical Center in Washington, D.C., a 354-bed acute care hospital and skilled nursing facility. Before that position, he was president of Steward Carney Hospital in Massachusetts.

Davis began his career in the early 1990s as a staff accountant, rising to senior auditor for a CPA firm in Pensacola, FL, whose clients included healthcare facilities, nonprofit organizations that received federal funding and assisted living facilities. Over the next 18 years, Davis served six different healthcare facilities in various financial management capacities, including director of internal audit, assistant controller and chief financial officer, ascending eventually to chief operating officer at Franklin Regional Medical Center in North Carolina and chief executive officer at Sandhills Regional Medical Center and then Davis Regional Medical Center, both located in North Carolina.

Since moving to Buffalo, Davis has been instrumental in the continued development of new services for ECMC and Great Lakes Health. Davis serves on the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, the HEALTHeLINK board, a regional health information technology entity, and the board of trustees of Shea’s Performing Arts Center. He is chair of the board for Health Sciences Charter School in Buffalo and was recognized by Buffalo Business First as a 2022 C-Level Executive Honoree. Davis serves on the board of the University at Buffalo’s Community Health Equity Research Institute and was a member of the 5/14 Survivors Fund — a group of more than two dozen community and business leaders named to the steering committee that determined how to divide up millions in donations to survivors of the May 2022 racially motivated shooting at Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo.

He is an engaged leader with a reputation for developing strong cross-functional relationships with administrative and medical staff that encourage broad involvement in quality improvement and patient satisfaction.

Dr. Michelle Duguid is a leading scholar in the areas of social status, power and politics, influence and decision-making, diversity in organizations, and creativity and innovation. Her research examines the influence of social hierarchy, stereotypes and inter- and intra-group relations on individuals’ perceptions and interactions and relations among group members. It also examines individual and group processes that affect creativity and the quality of decision-making.

Duguid has worked as a speaker and consultant to industry groups and academic audiences including KPMG, TD Ameritrade, Bayer, Visa, GE, SEC, Wells Fargo, NASA, the United Nations, Monsanto, ServiceNow, Arkema, Google, Amazon, Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School and Washington University School of Medicine. Duguid is an affiliated fellow for Stanford University’s VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab. She earned a Master of Science degree and PhD in organizational behavior from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University.

Jeff Gold works with the payer community, state and federal regulators and New York state government to address provider issues related to managed care. Gold has drafted, negotiated and helped secure major packages of managed care reform legislation that impact external appeals, administrative denials, claims processing and payer practices. He founded and helps lead the multistate managed care coalition of state hospital associations and HANYS’ Managed Care Advisory Group, and served on New York’s Health Care Administrative Simplification Workgroup established in 2020. In 2025, he was appointed by U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor to be one of two court-appointed monitors representing the plaintiff class to oversee compliance with the national settlement of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association antitrust litigation.

Before starting at HANYS, Gold was special counsel for healthcare to the New York State Attorney General. He served four Attorneys General in New York and was the founding chief of New York’ Health Care Bureau in 1997. Gold joined the AG’s office in 1987 and oversaw units of the AG’s office at Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw; Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo; and the three State University of New York medical centers in Brooklyn, Syracuse and Stony Brook. Before 1987, he worked at two private law firms in New York City, with a focus on civil litigation.

He is a frequent lecturer at Bar Association meetings, healthcare conferences and Healthcare Financial Management Association events and has published several articles. Gold has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School.

Steven Goldstein was appointed to the NIH Clinical Center Hospital research board and is a member of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education international board. He completed three-year terms on the ACGME and the AHA Committee on Clinical Leadership, the ACGME’s board executive committee and the AHA board of directors. During his term, he served as chairman of the AHA regional policy board 2 and was the board liaison to the section for long-term care and rehabilitation, as well as serving as a member of the AHA committee on health reform.

Goldstein received his master’s degree from St. Louis University Graduate School of Hospital and Health Care Administration and his bachelor’s degree from Utica College of Syracuse University.

Carol Gomes is a member of the senior executive team at Stony Brook University Hospital. Formerly, she served as chief quality officer and associate director for quality management with administrative oversight for the departments of continuous quality improvement, decision support services, clinical pathways and management engineering. She was also the associate director for neurosciences.

She is the recipient of numerous leadership awards including the Long Island Business News Healthcare Heroes Award in Achievements in Healthcare, the Master Award and the Excellence in Management Award from the American Society of Clinical Pathology, and the Distinguished Alumna Award from Stony Brook University. She is also the recipient of the Award of Distinction by the Healthcare Leaders of New York through the American College of Healthcare Executives and was awarded the Stony Brook Council Medal of Excellence for outstanding service. She served on the Stony Brook University Alumni Association Board, holding all executive level positions, including president. Currently, she serves on the Vizient Senior Chief Executive Officer Executive Committee and serves as a board member on numerous boards associated with healthcare activities, including the National Association for Healthcare Quality, HANYS and Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council where she is currently chair.

Gomes is a leader and advocate for sustainability efforts. Stony Brook University Hospital has received multiple awards through Practice Greenhealth, including the 2025 Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award, Circles of Excellence Award in Safer Chemicals, Sustainable Procurement, Energy and Green Buildings. Most recently, she was named among Crain’s New York Business 2025 Notable Leaders in Sustainability.

Gomes earned two master’s degrees from Stony Brook University in management and policy from the Harriman School for Management and Policy and healthcare management and administration from the School of Allied Health Professions. She has served on the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Program’s Board of Examiners for nearly ten years as a senior examiner and alumni examiner. She teaches for the School of Health Professions and holds certifications as a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Certified Practitioner of Healthcare from the National Association for Healthcare Quality and numerous certifications in laboratory sciences and management from the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

Thomas Hallisey formulates and executes the state and federal health information technology regulatory and legislative advocacy agenda for HANYS. This includes working with government agencies, lawmakers and other organizations to advance HANYS’ HIT agenda on behalf of New York’s hospitals and health systems.

Hallisey’s career includes extensive HIT work in the hospital setting, beginning as an application analyst at Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT, and then working at several hospitals in New York state. He served as director of information services at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, then as vice president, information management, and chief information officer at Cortland Regional Medical Center. Next, he joined Menusguide.com, a startup company, as chief technology officer, and served as CIO for United Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Most recently, he was executive IT adviser and CIO at Hartman Executive Advisors, an IT consulting firm.

Hallisey serves as a trustee on the board of directors of Columbia Memorial Health and is an adjunct assistant professor at Downstate Health Sciences University. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut. He has an ITIL v.3 Foundation Certification and is an affiliate of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives and Healthcare Information Management Systems.

Cara Henley is a New York Medicaid policy expert, focusing on reimbursement and regulations impacting delivery systems, behavioral health, long-term care services and supports, managed care, and value-based payment. She provides clients with guidance on how Medicaid policy changes impact operational decision-making. Offering consultation and leadership, Henley specializes in facilitation, strategic planning, technical assistance and implementation support for organizations of all sizes.

At HMA, Henley has supported clients with detailed analyses of organizational structures, reimbursement trends and alternative payment models. She translates these analyses into practical takeaways, providing strategic decision-making, implementation and ongoing operational support. She has also led the development of successful funding applications, related financial modeling and program design for a range of organizations, including government agencies, federally qualified health centers, hospitals and health systems, behavioral health agencies, multiservice provider organizations, trade associations and community-based organizations.

Working with government leaders around the country, Henley has led large-scale implementation projects, especially social care initiatives, behavioral health policy planning and 1115 demonstration waivers. She has also worked extensively with New York state stakeholders. Before joining HMA, Henley spent nine years at HANYS, where she served as the senior director of insurance and managed care. She was responsible for leading the organization’s work on state and federal rulemaking, including the ACA, Medicaid redesign, the Delivery System Reform Incentive Program, Care Management for All and other waiver initiatives. Previously she served as a legislative staffer in the New York State Senate.

Henley earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University at Albany. She has a certificate in healthcare leadership and advancement from Cornell University and is certified in Lean and Continuous Improvement.

Dr. Vrinda Kadiyali is a leading scholar in marketing, economics and strategy. Her research uses text and image analysis to answer questions of interest to managers and public policymakers. She has numerous publications in the top disciplinary journals, including Marketing Science, Management Science, Rand Journal of Economics and Journal of Econometrics. She has served on editorial boards and refereed for several leading marketing and economics journals and organizations.

Kadiyali recently served as associate dean for academic affairs at the SC Johnson Graduate School of Management and associate dean for the Cornell-Tsinghua dual-degree program at Cornell. She is currently the director of graduate studies for the field of management.

Kadiyali introduced the business strategy core at Johnson and currently teaches it across several programs. Previously, she taught courses on internet marketing, channels of distribution and marketing models, and PhD courses. She is the winner of numerous teaching awards, most recently Best Professor in the EMBA/MS Cornell Weill Healthcare Leadership Program.

Kadiyali earned her PhD in economics from Northwestern University.

Dr. Elizabeth Mannix’s research and teaching focuses on effective organizational performance and the factors that make individuals motivated, high-performing leaders and team members. Her work concentrates on principled leadership, creating environments of belonging and inclusion, heading high-performance teams and leading sustainable organizational change.

Mannix is the author of over 75 publications, including the 15-volume book series, Research on Managing Groups and Teams. Her work has been recognized by organizations including the Academy of Management, Small Group Research and International Association for Conflict Management. Mannix served as the associate dean for executive MBA programs at Cornell University. She also directed the Institute for the Social Sciences, established to promote interdisciplinary research and to increase the university’s prominence in the social sciences. Mannix is the recipient of SC Johnson’s EMBA Globe teaching award and the Faculty Research Award. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Society, Society for Organizational Behavior and Academy of Management.

Mannix has worked with professionals across various industries including healthcare, consulting, government and the military, finance, education, engineering, consumer products and manufacturing. Mannix earned her PhD in social and organizational psychology from the University of Chicago.

Colleen McVeigh works on the data informatics team at HANYS, producing analytics to support HANYS members and various divisions within the organization. She focuses on quality improvement and data analytics. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration in technology management from SUNY Cobleskill and her Master of Business Administration in healthcare administration from Union Graduate College.

Amy Nickson oversees HANYS’ state-level legislative, regulatory and administrative priorities and related analyses and programs. She joined HANYS in 2018 as vice president, governmental affairs. Nickson’s extensive experience in the government and legislative arena allows her to navigate the complexities of state government and work to advance New York’s hospitals and health systems’ state-level priorities.

Nickson previously served as vice president, policy and external affairs, at Community Health Care Association of New York State. Before that, Nickson spent 10 years at the Department of Health, most recently as assistant commissioner of the Office of Governmental and External Affairs. In that role, she was responsible for advising the commissioner of health and senior officials in the governor’s office and the Division of the Budget on policy matters. Nickson also served as a key representative in executive budget development and annual negotiations with the Legislature. Prior to this, she served as deputy director of DOH’s Office of Governmental Affairs. Before joining DOH, Nickson spent a decade in the New York State Assembly, where she served as a legislative analyst working on a variety of human services-related issues. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Richmond.

Drew Pascarella is a senior lecturer of finance at the SC Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, where he leads the investment banking immersion. From 2019 to 2022, Pascarella served as associate dean for MBA programs, where he was responsible for curriculum, admissions, placement, student services, leadership programs, and diversity and inclusion initiatives for SC Johnson’s residential MBA programs.

Pascarella founded SC Johnson’s Fintech Intensive delivered at the Cornell Tech campus each spring. He has taught core finance, mergers and acquisitions, and investment banking essentials. He is also heavily involved with executive education initiatives, working with global corporate clients on hard finance skills and Fintech training. He was the 2014 and 2021 recipient of the Class of 1992 Apple Award for Teaching Excellence.

Prior to joining SC Johnson, Pascarella spent 15 years working at bulge bracket investment banks. He has advised clients on over $35 billion in merger and acquisition transactions and led equity, convertible and debt financing transactions totaling over $9 billion in proceeds. Most recently, Pascarella was a director in the technology investment banking group at Citi. While at Citi, he was an active participant in the Investment Banking Associate Training Program, developing and delivering hard and soft skills courses. Prior to joining Citi, he was a technology project manager at Goldman Sachs, where he led the design, development, implementation and support of global trading technology systems.

In addition to his duties at Johnson, Pascarella is managing director and head of east coast banking at Vista Point Advisors. Pascarella holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in computer information systems from James Madison University. He was the class co-president and a Fried Fellow at Cornell.

Kathleen Rauch has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare quality, patient safety, and regulatory and accreditation compliance. Working in the acute care setting, she has served as a lead on initiatives for adopting the Just Culture methodology, achieving zero preventable harm and implementing strategies to improve performance on value-based payment programs. Rauch has been published in the Journal of Healthcare Quality and has served as a presenter at regional conferences where she has shared readmission reduction strategies. As vice president of HANYS’ QARI division, Rauch provides strategic direction, planning, coordination and oversight for development and execution of HANYS’ quality and patient safety agenda. She oversees numerous quality improvement grant projects, directs the formulation of advocacy and education strategies for HANYS’ quality agenda, collaborates with HANYS’ members, advocates on their behalf with regulators and policymakers, and develops collaboratives and other educational resources. She holds a Master of Science in healthcare quality and safety from Thomas Jefferson University.

Dr. Stephen Sauer’s research and teaching focus on leadership, team processes, entrepreneurship, and status and diversity in management. His work has been published in several academic journals, including Leadership Quarterly, Organization Science, Journal of Applied Psychology and Human Resource Management. His research has also been featured in a variety of mainstream media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Forbes and USA Today.

Sauer’s teaching experience includes courses in leadership, strategy, negotiations and organizational behavior at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has extensive experience leading executive education workshops and seminars for several major corporations. He is also an entrepreneur in residence at Cornell’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement and Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, and a member of the teaching team for the NSF Innovation Corps national program.

Sauer graduated with a doctorate in management and organizational behavior from Cornell University, where he also earned a Master of Business Administration degree and a master’s degree in business and policy administration. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to embarking on an academic career, he worked as an organizational change consultant and plant manager, after serving for seven years as an armored cavalry officer in the U.S. Army.

Paul Scimeca joined Glens Falls Hospital in 1989 as communications manager. During his tenure, he was promoted to director, community services in 1994, executive director, Adirondack Medical Services in 2000 and vice president, physician practice and community health where he oversaw the hospital’s network of employed physician practices, including primary and specialty care physicians in multiple locations throughout the region. He also led the development and implementation of the institution’s community health programs. In 2015, Scimeca became senior vice president and chief operating officer and then president and CEO in January 2022.

Scimeca is an active member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Medical Group Management Association and holds a certification as a medical practice executive. He is also an adjunct instructor in the graduate healthcare administration program at Clarkson University. He is currently on the board of trustees for the HANYS, Iroquois Healthcare Alliance and Adirondack Health Institute.

Scimeca earned a bachelor’s in planning and development from New York University and a master’s in health services administration from Sage Graduate College in Albany.

Karen Scott is a human resource professional with over 20 years of experience. She currently serves as director of learning and development at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Her focus areas have included employee relations, performance management, and workplace learning and development. She currently oversees the leadership and staff development programs at URMC where she uses her training and career development experience to improve the performance of individuals, groups and the organization.

Scott holds a Master of Science degree in human resources development and is a certified Crucial Conversations and DiSC instructor. She is a member of the Association of Talent Development.

As chief executive officer of One Brooklyn Health, Dr. Sandra Scott leads a network that includes Brookdale Hospital Medical Center, Interfaith Medical Center and Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, and is committed to advancing high-quality, accessible and equitable care for patients, staff and the broader Brooklyn community.

A respected emergency medicine physician and accomplished healthcare executive, Scott brings decades of leadership experience across complex, underserved health systems. She is recognized for her passion for providing patient-centered care, operational excellence, financial stewardship and health equity. She made history as the first woman, first African American and first physician to lead Brookdale Hospital as executive director.

Before joining One Brooklyn Health, Scott served in several senior clinical and administrative roles, including chair of emergency medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln, chief of service and EMS medical director at University Hospital in Newark and medical director of the Rape Crisis Program at Kings County Hospital Center. These roles deepened her expertise in emergency operations, patient safety, clinical quality and healthcare transformation.

Scott earned her undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University, her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and completed her emergency medicine residency at Boston Medical Center. She serves on the boards of the Greater New York Hospital Association, HANYS and Community Care of Brooklyn IPA.

Dr. Stephanie Von Bacho serves as senior director of learning and development for the University of Rochester, the University of Rochester Medical Center and UR Medicine. In her 35 years with the organization, she has served in several leadership roles in nursing and workforce learning and development.

As the senior director of learning and development, she has championed the establishment of the UR Career Pathways Program, which focuses on creating and supporting career pathways for entry-level employees into high-demand positions. This innovative program, led by members of her talented team, has fostered numerous community outreach relationships and resulted in the development of new educational programs and graduates in the region. Collaborating with community partners to create opportunities for development and career mobility is meaningful work for Von Bacho.

Von Bacho earned her Associate in Applied Science degree in nursing from Monroe Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Rochester School of Nursing while working as a registered nurse in the burn trauma unit. She went on to complete her master’s degree from the University of Rochester School of Nursing using her capstone project to foster the creation of a burn camp called Camp Courage. This special camp was established in 1994 and still serves children who have suffered a burn injury.

She later received a Master of Science in Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Most recently, she earned her Doctorate in Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Her dissertation and area of expertise is in employee development and organizational commitment.

She has been involved with several community organizations including serving on the executive board of the Monroe Community College Foundation, Boy Scouts of America, Genesee Valley Hunt Races and Finger Lakes Regional Burn Association. She is nationally certified as a Nurse Executive Advanced by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and has served as an appraiser for the ANCC International Nursing Excellence Magnet^® Program for 10 years.