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Andrea Allen, MBA, CPHIMS
Ms. Andrea Allen has over 17 years of experience in the healthcare industry, with expertise spanning Utilization Review, Healthcare Information and Management, and specialized billing and policy knowledge for Arkansas Medicaid and commercial insurance. She holds a master's degree in business administration and is a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS), reflecting her commitment to advancing healthcare through strategic innovation and informed collaboration. In her role at Gainwell Technologies, Ms. Allen leads with a deep understanding of healthcare operations and a passion for supporting providers through evolving industry challenges.
David Ballard
Mr. David Ballard is the health program supervisor/expert for the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Medical Services (DMS) and has been with Arkansas Medicaid for the past 13 years. While his primary focus has been on Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) and primary care case management, he is now working with several other programs, primarily those related to children's Medicaid services.
Cassie Cochran, MPH
Ms. Cassie Cochran has worked in some form of public health for over 20 years. She started her public health career in South Texas on a bioterrorism response team and eventually moved to Arkansas, where she joined the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH).
During her career at ADH, Ms. Cochran has worked in the Preparedness and Emergency Response Branch located within the Division for Health Protection in various positions, including program design and development, federal grants, special projects on both the state and federal levels, federal liaison positions, community, hospital, and volunteer programs, and various leadership roles.
In 2017, she joined the Division for Local Public Health, which oversees the five Public Health Regions, including the local health units in each county in the state, Environmental Health Services, Engineering, and Hometown Health Initiative sections, allowing more involvement in the day-to-day work of educating and helping Arkansans obtain needed services at the local level. She has held positions including health district manager in the Central Region, Central Region director, Northwest Region director, and Division for Local Public Health director. In 2021, Ms. Cochran became the deputy director for public health programs, overseeing all five divisions at the ADH, along with the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Response, faith-based outreach program, and Spinal Cord Commission.
Ms. Cochran is passionate about the services ADH provides and the many ways ADH helps to improve the lives of those served.
Kellie Cornelius, MAP, CPHIMS
Ms. Kellie Cornelius is the supervisor of the provider relations outreach specialists for AFMC. She has a master’s degree in applied psychology and a health information-technology certification as a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS). Ms. Cornelius has worked with the Arkansas Medicaid system for 26 years, and she currently assists Arkansas healthcare providers with Medicaid issues and guidelines, including those pertaining to PCMH. Previously, she worked as an admissions administrator at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville and as a clinic administrator directing the operations of a Child Health Management Services therapeutic pediatric facility. Ms. Cornelius has also worked as an assistant chief program administrator with the DHS Medicaid Division, where she managed and supervised Medicaid programs, including the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment; Medicaid Provider Enrollment; ARKids First; Dental; Vision; and Non-Emergency Transportation programs.
Mary Franklin, CPA
Ms. Mary Franklin serves as the Director of the Division of County Operations. In that role, she oversees eligibility for the Medicaid Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Transitional Employment Assistance, and Work Pays programs. DCO also administers the Community Service Block Grant and the Summer EBT programs in Arkansas. These services are delivered through the DHS processing center and 79 county offices throughout the state. Ms. Franklin has spent more than 33 years serving Arkansans in this division. Throughout this time, she has had many roles, including caseworker, caseworker supervisor, county administrator, division assistant director, and chief fiscal officer, before being named director in June 2016. Ms. Franklin attended Ouachita Baptist University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, and she is a Certified Public Accountant.
Debora Inman, JD
Ms. Debora Inman received her bachelor’s degree from Texas Wesleyan University. She also earned her law degree from the University of Arkansas, Bowen School of Law, class of 2005. She began her legal career at the Pulaski County Prosecutor’s Office, serving as a deputy prosecutor for almost eight years. After that, her DHS career began in the Office of Chief Counsel, assigned to child welfare cases. Ms. Inman represented the Division of Children and Family Services for several years until 2018 when she was asked to take on the role of forensics administrator. From 2018 to 2024, she oversaw the Forensics program for DHS. In 2024, she moved into her current role as an assistant director for aging. Ms. Inman appreciates the opportunity to speak with everyone on this important topic.
David Jones
Mr. David Jones is a Licensed Certified Social Worker and currently serves as the assistant director at the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (OSAMH). He brings a diverse professional background in child and adolescent mental health, including experience in residential psychiatric programs, program development, and work with quality improvement organizations. Mr. Jones has also served as the clinical director of Specialized Women’s Services, providing alcohol and drug treatment tailored to the unique needs of women. His career reflects a strong commitment to improving behavioral health systems and delivering high-quality, compassionate care.
Rebecca Maggio, BS, MOT, OTR/L
Ms. Rebecca Maggio is an experienced healthcare professional with over a decade of clinical practice in occupational therapy, working across diverse settings with both pediatric and adult populations. Throughout her 11 years as a clinician, she partnered closely with clients and families receiving Medicaid and waiver services, always prioritizing each individual's goals and striving to support their independence through personalized, goal-driven care.
Two years ago, she transitioned from direct clinical work to public service, joining state-level efforts to advance ARP-funded initiatives. Since February, Ms. Maggio has served as assistant director within the Division of Aging, Adult, & Behavioral Health Services (DAABHS), where she collaborates with a dedicated team to renew waivers and strengthen Medicaid services—ensuring that their programs continue to meet the evolving needs of the communities we serve.
Janet Mann, CPA
Ms. Janet Mann has over 20 years of experience in healthcare and healthcare finance. She has worked in the public and private sectors for multiple states and clients, and also served as the director of DMS, overseeing Medicaid operations before and during the beginning of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency until April 2021. She also served as DHS’s chief financial officer for a year in 2017. In addition, Ms. Mann was a deputy administrator for Medicaid in Mississippi during Governor Haley Barbour’s administration, 2006-2010. She has worked in the private sector focused on healthcare and the public sector for several entities throughout her career, but most recently at Horne LLP in Ridgeland, Mississippi. While consulting, she worked closely with other states implementing public policies and programs in areas of program integrity, managed care, audit and compliance, and financial processes. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Alabama and is a Certified Public Accountant. Ms. Mann has been married to Doug for over 30 years and has two grown children, Sydney and Will.
Pearl McElfish, PhD, MBA, MS
Dr. Pearl McElfish serves as the founding director of the Institute for Community Health Innovation at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She holds a doctorate degree in public health policy, a master’s degree in business administration, and a master’s degree in community and economic development.
Dr. McElfish is a national and international leader in rural health and health equity research, particularly in the fields of maternal and child health, diabetes, and "food as medicine." She is also an expert in methodological research related to the best methods for conducting community-based participatory research and disseminating research results to participants and communities.
In addition to her research, Dr. McElfish has led large inter- and intra-institutional efforts to develop academic programs, graduate medical education, clinical programs, and population health efforts.
Dr. McElfish has a history of funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other private foundations. She has been awarded more than $200 million in federal, state, and private foundation grants and has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles.
Rhelinda McFadden, BSN, RN, CPHIMS, PCMH-CCE
Ms. Rhelinda McFadden serves as the manager of practice transformation at AFMC, where she leads a remote team providing transformation support and technical assistance to Arkansas practices participating in state payer incentive programs and national value-based care initiatives.
With over 30 years of healthcare experience, including 25+ years in nursing, 20+ years in government healthcare contracts, and 15+ years in healthcare consulting, Ms. McFadden brings deep expertise in implementing value-based incentive programs, PCMH models, electronic health record optimization, workflow redesign, and integration of evidence-based clinical quality measures aligned with federal and state initiatives.
She is a registered nurse and holds certifications as a Certified Professional in Health Information Management Systems (CPHIMS) and a PCMH Content Expert (PCMH-CCE). She currently serves on the Arkansas Cervical Cancer Task Force and the Partnership for Quality Measurement Endorsement & Maintenance Committee, contributing to statewide and national efforts to improve healthcare quality and outcomes.
Keynote Speaker: Meg Myers Morgan, PhD
Today’s keynote speaker has built her career on an unapologetic mission: helping people know their worth. Dr. Meg Myers Morgan is an award-winning, bestselling author, college professor, and one of the most sought-after keynote speakers on negotiation and self-worth. As a professor at the University of Oklahoma, she has taught and mentored hundreds of graduate students, showing them that your self-worth determines the rooms you enter, the deals you make, and the life you build.
Her books have reached readers around the world—including the award-winning essay collection, Harebrained, the internationally translated bestseller Everything Is Negotiable, and the #1 bestselling novel The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair. Whether through her writing, her teaching, or her speaking, Dr. Morgan’s work explores one central truth: that knowing your worth influences who you become, what you ask for, and what you’re willing to accept.
Elizabeth Pitman, JD
Ms. Elizabeth Pitman has a law degree from the University of Little Rock, Bowen School of Law, and a master’s degree in public health from the UAMS, Bozeman College of Public Health. She has worked in and around health law and policy since graduating in 2009. Her experience includes serving as the deputy general counsel for ADH, as assistant director for the Division of Developmental Disabilities, and as the deputy director for DMS before taking over as director in 2021.
John Selig
Mr. John Selig is president and CEO of AFMC, an organization working with individuals and healthcare providers in all settings to improve health and consumer experience of care while reducing health care costs. Prior to joining AFMC, Mr. Selig was vice president of Optum Public Sector, where he led business development efforts in the southeastern United States. From 2005 to 2016, he served as the director of the DHS. Mr. Selig’s previous positions include serving as the State’s director of behavioral health and director of in-home health services.
Nell Smith, MA, MPH
Ms. Nell Smith started her career as a journalist for newspapers in Illinois and Arkansas, covering health care for seven years. She led the policy analysis and research section of the Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, which serves as a non-partisan staff for the Arkansas General Assembly. Ms. Smith joined Arkansas DHS in 2021 as an assistant director for the Division of Medical Services and became the Division’s deputy director in April 2023. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Public Health.
Karen Young
Ms. Karen Young has been with AFMC since August 1, 2017. Through her 36 years of experience with Arkansas healthcare contracts, she has developed extensive knowledge of Medicaid claims processing, common billing issues, and provider training needs. Ms. Young has led efforts to implement virtual training on the healthcare portal for providers and works consistently to improve services and support to Medicaid providers.
