Andrew Allison, PhD, Acting Executive Director - 785-368-8162

Andy Allison, Ph.D. is the Acting Executive Director of the Kansas Health Policy Authority. He was the Deputy Director from December 2005 through May 2009, and served as the state’s Medicaid Director during much of that time. Prior to joining the KHPA, he spent six years at the Kansas Health Institute as a researcher and Director of Health Care Finance and Organization. His research focused primarily on the effectiveness, availability and cost of health care and health insurance in Kansas. He worked as a Medicaid budget analyst at the Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C., from 1992-95 providing staff support to President Clinton’s health care reform effort and reviewing comprehensive statewide health care reform waiver applications. He has a bachelor’s degree in history, a master’s degree in Public Policy, and a doctorate in economics.

Doug Farmer, Deputy Director and SEHBP Director - 785-296-6280

Doug Farmer has served as the Director of State Employee Health Benefits since March of 2008. He began his work for the State of Kansas as a Senior Analyst in the Governor's Budget Office reviewing the public safety and economic development agencies and serving on the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group. Farmer then moved to the Kansas Department on Aging as Commissioner of Finance, later becoming Assistant Secretary. Before becoming the Director of the State Employee Health Benefits Plan, he served as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Health and Environment under Secretary Rod Bremby. He earned his undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of California at Davis, and his Master of Public Administration from James Madison University.

Scott Brunner, Chief Financial Officer - 785-296-3416

Scott Brunner has served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Kansas Health Policy Authority since October 2006. Scott Brunner was the Kansas Medicaid and SCHIP director and lead the transition of the Medicaid program and staff from the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services to the Division of Health Policy and Finance and finally to KHPA. Before coming to Medicaid, Scott served as Deputy Secretary for the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services over budget development, financial reporting, business operations, and information technology. Scott also worked for three years in the Governor’s Budget Office with responsibilities for the social services budget and state cash management. Prior to entering the world of state policy and budgeting, Scott worked for the Kansas Legislature’s Audit Division and he taught undergraduate courses in American Government and Policy Analysis. Scott earned bachelor’s degrees from Emporia State University in Political Science and Public Administration and a Master of Arts degree in American Government and Public Policy from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Barbara Langner, PhD, Acting Medicaid Director - 785-296-6193

Barb Langner, PhD, serves as the Policy Director for the Kansas Health Policy Authority. In this role, Langner is responsible for the overall development of policy and policy messages for the health policy authority. Prior to her position as policy director for the Kansas Health Policy Authority, Dr. Langner served a distinguished term as faculty member at the University Of Kansas School Of Nursing. Her tenure spanned thirty years including thirteen years as Health Policy Advisor to the Dean. Dr. Langner’s earlier experiences include service with Children’s Mercy Hospital, the Kansas Board of Regents, and as executive director of the Kansas Commission on the Future of Health Care, Inc. An accomplished author and editor of various public health periodicals, Dr. Langner has also served as a visiting scholar for the Institute for Health Services Research & Policy Studies at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.

Darin Bodenhamer, Medicaid Director of Eligibility - 785-296-8355

Darin Bodenhamer is currently the Director of Eligibility for Medicaid and SCHIP. He began his career in state service with Kansas Social and Rehabilitative Services (SRS) in 1993, determining eligibility for public assistance and medical programs. Bodenhamer later worked to implement the Kansas State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). After subsequently managing the SRS Eligibility Clearinghouse contract and serving as the Senior Manager of Family Medical Eligibility Policy, he spent three years in the IT department at SRS, supervising system testers and performing implementation and technical management for systems development projects. Bodenhamer returned to Medicaid and SCHIP in January, 2007 by leading the Eligibility Policy and Outreach, Working Healthy, and Presumptive Medical Disability teams for KHPA. Darin holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Education and a Master of Management Information Systems

Ann Halferty, General Counsel - 785-296-8347

Ann Halferty has served as KHPA's General Counsel since March 2008. Halferty joined KHPA in July 2007 as an attorney for the State Employee Health Benefits Group. Prior to joining KHPA, Halferty was an attorney for the Kansas Department of Revenue for nine years, concentrating in the areas of employment law and contracts.

Peter Hancock, Director of Public Relations / Public Information Officer - 785-296-5603

Peter Hancock is the primary spokesperson for the KHPA and manages external communications, including media relations. Before joining KHPA he worked as a journalist for nearly 20 years, including nine legislative sessions as the statehouse bureau chief for Kansas Public Radio. During his career he has also reported for the Lawrence Journal-World, Topeka Metro News, Fort Scott Tribune and the Linn County News. He also contributed stories for NPR and was a frequent participant in numerous radio and television public affairs programs. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas where he earned bachelor’s degrees in political science and secondary education.

Nick Kramer, Inspector General - 785-296-2112

Nick Kramer heads the Office of Inspector General, which was created by the 2007 Kansas Legislature.  The Office of Inspector General assists the KHPA Board of Directors and KHPA management in improving programs and operations and helping to identify and deter fraud, inefficiencies, and illegal acts.  Nick was hired as Inspector General in October 2009 after serving 25 years as the Internal Audit manager for the Kansas Department of Revenue.  In previous roles, he conducted financial and performance audits for the Legislative Division of Post Audit and worked as a staff auditor for Touche Ross & Co.  Nick’s professional certifications include Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Information Systems Auditor.  Nick earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from the University of Kansas and his MBA from Washburn University.  He has lead seminars, developed training, and taught courses in internal auditing for the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association of Government Accountants, and Washburn University’s MBA program.

Sarah LaDuke, Assistant Director of Human Resources - 785-296-1954

Sarah LaDuke serves as Assistant Director of Human Resources, with a focus on developing and facilitating training opportunities for our employees. She also serves as primary classification analyst for KHPA; and provides advice, consultation and technical assistance regarding a variety of HR issues. Sarah earned her B.A. in Communication, with minors in Marketing and Human Resources, from Western Illinois University in 2004. Moving to Lawrence the same year, she held various Human Resouces and Management positions at a non-profit until coming to KHPA in 2008.

Ray Lauber, Manager of Human Resources - 785-296-0475

Ray Lauber is the Director of Human Resources. Ray has a broad background of management and human resource experiences in both public and private sectors. He has served as faculty and team leader for the Kansas Award for Excellence Baldrige Based Assessment process, adjunct faculty for Allen County Community College and has presented on topics such as strategic planning and performance management at the state and national levels.

Hareesh Mavoori, PhD, Director of Data Policy and Evaluation - 785-296-8001

Hareesh Mavoori serves as the Director for Data Policy and Evaluation, a division encompassing data analysis (claims / fiscal / caseload projections), data management, and institutional reimbursement & public financing functions. He served as the Biostatistics and Operations Research Lead for the Center for Health Outcomes, Patient Safety and Quality Division for Hawaii Pacific Health, a 4-hospital system prior to assuming his current role, and is a graduate of the Intermountain Health Care Delivery Improvement Program in Quality Improvement theory, analytic methods, and implementation techniques for continuous improvement of outcomes and services in health care.

Mike Michael, Deputy Director State Employee Health Benefits Plan - 785-296-5443

Mike Michael serves as the Deputy Director for the State Employee Health Benefits Plan. Mike has over 20 years of experience in the insurance field ranging from health insurance, workers compensation and property/casualty insurance. He has worked as a claims manager for a private insurance company and held managerial roles in the Department of Administration, the State Self Insurance Fund and Health Plan Membership for the State of Kansas.

Dustin Moyer, Legislative Liaison - 785-296-7762

Dustin Moyer grew up in Eudora, Kansas. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Washburn University. Before becoming the Legislative Liaison for the Kansas Health Policy Authority, Moyer worked in government relations with the firm of Pinegar, Smith, and Associates.

Roxie Namey, Medicaid Program Integrity Manager - 785-296-8096

Roxie Namey serves as the Program Integrity Manager for the Kansas Health Policy Authority. She currently heads the Interagency Coordination Unit which works with other operating agencies who run programs using Medicaid funds. Ms. Namey has over 30 years experience working with Medicaid programs. Prior to her current position she worked in Medicaid operations managing the contracts unit and program integrity activities. Ms. Namey held various positions in state institutions serving a variety of populations. She managed the home and community based Medicaid waiver for persons with developmental disabilities for over seven years. She also worked on the Medicaid budget for a number of years.

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Becky Ross, Acting Deputy Policy Director - 785-296-4486

Becky earned degrees in psychology from Baker University and Fort Hays State University, where she taught for 18 months. She has worked as a psychologist and Qualified Mental Retardation Professional at two State hospitals. She wrote the Kansas home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver for persons with mental retardation or other developmental disabilities. She held a number of positions in the Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Developmental Disabilities and Medicaid programs, including Acting Medicaid Director. She has served KHPA as Acting Director of Data Policy and Evaluation and Senior Manager of Policy Analysis.

Marlene Shellenberger, Director of Executive Operations- 785-296-3512

Marlene Shellenberger is the Director of Executive Operations. She has 25 years of state service working with the Secretary and leadership within the Departments of SRS, Revenue and Administration. Prior to joining KHPA in October 2005, she worked as a public administrator within the SRS Office of the Secretary; and she had previously been employed as an administrator in the private sector before returning to SRS in 1989.

Margaret Smith, MD, Medicaid Medical Director - 785-296-8055

Dr. Margaret Smith is the Medicaid Medical Director for the state of Kansas at the Kansas Health Policy Authority (KHPA). Prior to serving in her current position Dr. Smith practiced family medicine for 18 years in a variety of settings including University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), a community health center, and with the Indian Health Service. She left her clinical practice in 2004 for a position as a medical epidemiologist at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Dr. Smith has been with Kansas Medicaid since February of 2007. Doctor Smith received a medical degree and masters’ in public health from St. Louis University. She is board certified in family medicine, completing a family practice residency and a masters’ degree in health service administration at the KUMC.

Christiane Swartz, Medicaid Deputy Director & Director of Operations - 785-291-0524

Christiane Swartz serves as the Deputy Medicaid Director and the Director of Medicaid Operations for the Kansas Health Policy Authority. Over the past fourteen years she has held a number of managerial positions within the Medicaid area.

Valerie Swartz, Contracts Manager - 785-296-6280

Valerie Swartz has been the Board Manager for the KHPA since November 2008. Swartz joined the KHPA in June 2007 as the executive administrative assistant to the Director of the State Employee Health Benefits Plan. Prior to joining the KHPA, Swartz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Pittsburg State University and a Masters in Business Administration from Friends University.

Brian M. Vazquez, Deputy General Counsel - 785-296-0696

Brian M. Vazquez is the Deputy General Counsel for the Kansas Health Policy Authority. His primary duties involve oversight over the KHPA’s legal support for the Medicaid program in Kansas. He continues to be the administrator of the Estate Recovery program for Kansas, a position he has had since 1992. He has previously served as a USAF JAG officer, a Westlaw attorney, an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Topeka and been in private practice. Mr. Vazquez has a B.A. and M.S. from Kansas State University and a J.D. from Washburn University. Brian has over 29 years of legal experience.