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Team Maverick
Julie Barnes, J.D.
Founder and CEO, Maverick Health Policy
Julie Barnes is a strategic advisor to organizations that need guidance about federal health policies and how to develop relationships with policymakers and influential advocacy organizations.
As a former policy analyst, health care attorney, and Capitol Hill staffer, Ms. Barnes can inform business strategy and investments in a myriad of health care areas, including health information technology, data privacy and interoperability, value-based care, transparency, health insurance and new payment models, and federal health programs.
Julie's LinkedIn
Perri Cooper
Director at Maverick Health Policy
Perri Cooper is a Director at Maverick Health Policy, serving as an advisor and managing content for the MyMaverick subscription service. Previously a Manager in Deloitte’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice, Perri has a strong background in healthcare management, guiding healthcare organizations through complex transformations and strategic initiatives. Her expertise spans operational planning for acquisitions and divestitures, hospital relocations, and merger efficiency analyses for major health systems. Perri is passionate about optimizing healthcare operations and delivering value to clients.
Perri holds an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Psychology from Tulane University.
Paige Kobza
Senior Policy Analyst at Maverick Health Policy
Paige Kobza is a senior policy analyst with Maverick Health Policy. She works closely with our payer, trade organization, and technology vendor clients to help them better understand the fast-paced and quickly evolving healthcare innovation policy landscape. Paige has experience advising our clients and supporting multi-stakeholder groups on issues like price transparency, interoperability, health equity, artificial intelligence, and federal health programs with a focus on Medicare Advantage.
Paige received her B.A. in Public Policy and Leadership from the University of Virginia.
Paige's LinkedIn
Ashley Progebin
Policy Fellow at Maverick Health Policy
Ashley Progebin is a Fellow with Maverick Health Policy. She supports our clients by researching issues related to payers and providers, health equity, drug manufacturing, and price transparency in addition to monitoring regulatory and legislative activities reshaping the industry.
Prior to this role, Ashley gained exposure to a range of policy areas intertwined in healthcare systems, including life sciences research, financial enforcement actions, and election law, working in various positions at law firms.
Ashley received her B.A. in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Philosophy with a minor in Linguistics from Washington University in St. Louis.
Senior Policy Advisors
Christine Bechtel
X4 Co-Founder, Social Impact Designer, Fixer, Advocate
Biography
Christine Bechtel is the co-founder of X4 Health, a strategic consulting firm. Her experience includes a six-year term representing consumers on the federal Health IT Policy Committee, which crafted interoperability policies for HHS. She co-founded the groundbreaking GetMyHealthData campaign, a national initiative that exposed what happened when consumers used their HIPAA rights to request their health data in electronic formats. She also co-created the Health Record Wizard online records request tool. Christine has held executive leadership roles at the National Partnership for Women & Families, the eHealth Initiative, the American Health Quality Association, and AARP. She started her career working on the legislative staff of a U.S. Senator.
Nathan Buttrey
M.Ed., Corporate Development at Altitude Ventures
Biography
At Altitude Ventures, Nathan focuses on cultivating deal flow and the firm’s network of healthcare payer, provider, and industry partners, as well as adding strategic and operational value to the firm’s portfolio companies. Before joining Altitude, Nathan served in various leadership roles at HIT recruiting and project management firm, Staffing as a Mission, and in the Office of Constituent Services for Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.
Dan D’Orazio
Sage Growth Partners, Chief Executive Officer
Biography
Dan D’Orazio shapes and leads the vision of Sage Growth Partners, leveraging his 20 years of experience with the company. In addition to driving the company’s business development efforts, Dan engages directly with clients across the healthcare ecosystem to help them accelerate their commercial growth. His career includes experience in value-creation, strategic advisory, marketing, and project launches for healthcare companies of all stages backed by venture and private-equity, The Fortune 500, and leading associations
Marci Nielsen, PhD, MPH
Health Policy Strategist & Executive Leader
Biography
With over 30 years of experience in health policy, advocacy, and executive management, Marci Nielsen is the “Swiss Army Knife” of health policy. Marci served in several high-level and influential positions, including the CEO of a non-profit primary care health association, the chief advisor for Kansas Governor Laura Kelly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the vice president for policy and advocacy for former CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden’s global public health non-profit organization. Currently she serves as senior consultant for Policy & Public Engagement at The Center for Professionalism and Value in Healthcare in Washington, DC (part of the American Board of Family Medicine) and provides government affairs analysis and support to the Government Employee Health Association (GEHA) headquartered in Kansas City.
Laura Adams
Senior Advisor, National Academy of Medicine
Biography
Laura Adams, Senior Advisor at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), leads NAM’s Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct (AICC) national initiative and provides strategic leadership for the Science and Technology portfolio of the Leadership Consortium. Her expertise is in AI/digital health, healthcare innovation, and human-centered care. Laura chairs the Global Opportunities Group for The Centre of Excellence for AI Regulatory Science and Innovation in the UK, and she serves on the international AI Expert Panel for the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Health Care AI Advisory Panel, and the Consumer Technology Association’s Health AI Planning Council. She is also a strategic advisor for Inflammatix, a Burlingame, CA-based biotech company specializing in host immune response diagnostics.
My Maverick
MyMaverick is a subscription service that provides access to analysis and news across the health technology policy landscape. We tell you what is happening, why it matters, and how to adapt your strategy in as much (or as little) detail as you need.
Free Maverick Blog
Keeping up with health information policy doesn’t have to be boring – our free newsletter blends pop culture with each week’s news to update you on only what matters on price transparency, interoperability, privacy, and more. Access our archive on the Maverick’s Update tab.