Our leadership

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Appointed by Governor Ferguson in January 2025, MaryAnne Lindeblad serves as HCA’s interim director, bringing decades of leadership and expertise to Washington’s largest health care purchaser. Previously, she was HCA’s Medicaid director from 2013 until 2021.

MaryAnne leads an agency of more than 1,900 employees, focusing HCA’s work on equity and transforming the health care delivery system. She oversees executive leadership and guides the agency’s vision to ensure that Washington residents have access to high-quality, affordable health care. Her leadership ensures HCA continues to serve as a cornerstone of Washington’s health care system, advancing policies that enhance health and well-being for all residents.

MaryAnne oversees:

The core pillars of the agency’s work:

• Apple Health (Medicaid): Providing health care coverage to more than 2 million Washington residents, including low-income individuals, families, and people with disabilities.
• Public Employee and School Employee Benefits Programs (PEBB and SEBB): Delivering health insurance to over 500,000 public employees, retirees, and their families.
• Behavioral Health and Recovery: Leading statewide efforts in prevention, crisis response, and recovery supports, while integrating behavioral and physical health care.

Lou serves as the agency’s second-in-command, ensuring seamless collaboration and efficient execution across all levels of the agency. He works alongside the director to carry out their goals and set strategic direction for executive leadership. He plays a vital role in bridging high-level strategy with day-to-day operations, ensuring alignment with HCA’s mission and priorities. Lou serves on the agency’s senior leadership team.

Lou oversees:

• Office of the Deputy Director: Providing leadership to Central Administrative Services, Audit, Integrity and Oversight, Tribal Affairs, and Communications.
• Agency operations: Directing and managing the administration of the agency’s operations.
• Leadership and oversight: Offering guidance and oversight to ensure the agency meets its strategic and operational goals.

Dr. Fotinos is a family practice doctor specializing in addiction medicine. She leads the Medicaid Services Administration, ensuring Washington Apple Health (Medicaid) provides high-quality, cost-effective care to more than 2 million clients while adhering to federal Medicaid requirements. Dr. Fotinos is dedicated to advancing integrated physical and behavioral health services. She also collaborates with various administrations within the Department of Social and Health Services to support Medicaid services for Apple Health clients. Dr. Fotinos is HCA’s deputy chief medical officer and serves on HCA’s senior leadership team.

Dr. Fotinos oversees:

• Medicaid Programs Division (MPD): Including community and school-based programs.
• Integrated managed care: Promoting whole-person care through integrated physical and behavioral health services.

Megan leads the Financial Services and Health Care Purchasing Administration. She is focused on HCA’s fiscal strategies and long-term financial planning. She plays a key role in managing the agency’s financial operations to ensure fiscal responsibility and sustainability. Megan serves on HCA’s senior leadership team.

Megan oversees:

• Fiscal operations: managing budget operations, accounting, payroll, federal financial management, forecasting, and rate setting.
• Health care purchasing: Overseeing the financial aspects of health care purchasing programs.
• Employee and Retiree Benefits Finance: Managing the financial aspects of employee and retiree benefits programs
• Waiver and demonstration finances: Ensuring the financial integrity of Medicaid waivers and demonstration projects.

Dave leads the ERB Division, which manages health and wellness benefits for active state and public employees, retirees and their dependents, K-12 school employees, and some participating employer groups. Dave’s leadership ensures that public employees have access to comprehensive, cost-effective benefits that support their health and well-being. Dave serves on HCA’s senior leadership team.

Dave oversees:

• Long-term benefits strategy: Providing direction benefits contracting efforts and operations of the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and the School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) Programs.
• PEBB and SEBB board meetings: Supporting board meetings to ensure effective governance and decision-making.
• Collective bargaining: Supporting the state’s collective bargaining process for employee benefits. 

Teesha leads DBHR, which plays a critical role in providing mental health and substance use disorder services across Washington State. DBHR supports Washington state residents in need of behavioral health care, individuals and families navigating mental health or substance use challenges, and communities seeking prevention and treatment resources. The division also partners with schools, youth programs, and employers to provide mental health and substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery support. Teesha serves on HCA’s senior leadership team.

Teesha oversees:

• Mental health and substance use disorder treatment
• Problem gambling treatment, prevention, and outreach
• Medication-assisted treatment
• Behavioral health crisis services
• Recovery support services

Taylor leads IT Innovation and Customer Experience Administration, which aligns agency technical experts, service experts, and workforce to transform of the health care delivery system in Washington. Taylor sets the vision for high-quality, responsive customer service support for Apple Health clients and providers and is leading the modernization of HCA’s IT infrastructure. Taylor serves on HCA’s senior leadership team.

Taylor oversees:

• Medicaid Customer Service
• Enterprise Technology Services
• Eligibility Policy, Innovation, and Community Support
• Healthcare Workforce Unit
• Integrated Eligibility and Enrollment
• Health Care Management and Coordination System implementation

Mich’l leads the Strategy, Policy, and Innovation Division, driving HCA’s health transformation efforts to advance value-based, whole-person care across Washington State. The division manages key initiatives for the agency while coordinating HCA’s legislative activities to align with Washington State’s and the Governor's health care priorities. Mich’l serves on HCA’s senior leadership team.

Michelle oversees:

• Medicaid Transformation Project
• The Office of Health Equity
• Legislative Affairs and Analysis
• Boards and Commissions, including the Health Care Cost Transparency Board and the Universal Health Care Commission
• Value-based purchasing

Dr. Zerzan-Thul is a general internal medicine physician and HCA’s chief medical officer. She leads the Clinical Quality and Care Transformation (CQCT) Division, which drives clinical policy decisions to inform medical coverage, maintain quality standards and ensures the use of evidence-based practices for medical care. Dr. Zerzan-Thul is focused on building on and aligning work including value-based payment models, the state’s Medicaid Transformation initiative, health equity, collaboration with stakeholders, and innovative use of data. Dr. Zerzan-Thul serves on HCA’s senior leadership team.

Dr. Zerzan-Thul oversees:

• Behavioral Health Clinical Support: Providing clinical expertise to advance behavioral health care.
• Clinical Strategy and Operations: Aligning clinical initiatives with agency goals.
• Medicaid Medical Director: Ensuring high-quality care within Medicaid programs.
• Data Management and Governance: Driving effective use of data to inform decisions and improve care.
• Clinical Support: Providing guidance on clinical standards and practices.
• Pharmacy Services: Overseeing medication management and pharmacy policy.

Dr. Baggio  leads HCA’s Office of Health Equity, housed within the Strategy, Policy, and Innovation Division. She is dedicated to reducing health disparities and advancing equitable health outcomes for all populations, particularly those historically underserved or marginalized. Under Linda’s leadership, the Office of Health Equity plays a pivotal role in integrating equity into HCA’s programs and operations. This includes applying an equity lens to agency initiatives, legislative bill analysis, and policy development.

Linda oversees:

• Health equity liaisons and related committees and initiatives
• The Collaborative Community for health equity
• Development and delivery of equity training programs
• Implementation of HCA’s Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) Plan and Playbook and four PEAR workstreams

Dr. Sullivan is a Doctor of Pharmacy and HCA’s chief pharmacy officer. She oversees the Office of Pharmacy Services within the Clinical Quality and Care Transformation Division which designs and delivers high quality, evidence-based pharmacy programs through collaborative and innovative prescription drug purchasing strategies. Dr. Sullivan is focused on evidence-based decision making to inform prescription drug coverage, maintaining transparency and accountability in pharmaceutical purchasing, and ensuring Washington residents have access to affordable medications.

Dr. Sullivan oversees:

• ArrayRx: A multistate prescription drug consortium focused on providing access to affordable drugs and leveraging the pharmaceutical purchasing power public sector programs nationwide.
• Medicaid Prescription Drug Program: Providing the most vulnerable Washington residents with access to prescription drugs.
• Drug Price Transparency Program: Monitors drug price increases and the impact of the high cost of prescription drugs on the residents of Washington.
• Prescription Drug Affordability Board: Assesses the affordability of prescription drugs in the state of Washington.
• Washington Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee: Establishes and maintains a statewide an evidence based preferred drug list.
• Provides clinical supports for the ERB pharmacy benefits: Ensures State employees and K-12 school employees, retirees and their dependents, have access to affordable prescription drugs.

Jerry serves as the leader of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) within the Information Technology Innovation and Customer Experience Administration. ETS plays a critical role in supporting the agency’s IT infrastructure, ensuring staff have the tools and systems needed to deliver services effectively.

Jerry oversees:

• IT tools and services: Computers, monitors, laptops, software, and remote access.
• Key agency systems: ProviderOne, Benefits 24/7, Pay1, SEBB MyAccount, and PEBB.
• Business solutions: Collaborating with teams to analyze needs, recommend solutions, and implement existing tools or new technologies.
• Support and access services: Service support, installation, ordering, and access to agency resources.

Jody leads Central Administration Services which is responsible for the complex operational components of the agency, ensuring efficient support for its programs and staff. Jody serves on the agency’s senior leadership team.

Jody oversees:

• Planning and Performance: Driving strategic planning, performance measurement, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Legal Services Division: Providing legal and administrative support to mitigate risk and ensure compliance.
• Employee Resources Division: Managing human resources, mail and imaging services, facilities, and safety and wellness programs.

Kennedy leads the Communications Division, guiding strategic messaging and communications planning across the agency’s divisions. Her team helps share the story of HCA’s innovative programs and initiatives which aim to provide equitable access to high-quality, high-value care. Kennedy serves on HCA’s senior leadership team.

Kennedy oversees:

• Media management and public relations: Managing media inquiries and building public awareness.
• Strategic communications: Coordinating external and internal strategies and managing agency communication channels.
• Policy communications: Supporting legislative affairs, the Medicaid Transformation Project, and Boards and Commissions.
• Visual communications: Maintaining brand standards, graphic design, and managing in-house printing services.
• Internal communications: Keeping staff informed and engaged in the agency’s goals, priorities, and initiatives.

Aren, an enrolled member of the Chevak Native Village Qissunamiut Tribe, leads the Office of Tribal Affairs (OTA). His team supports Tribal health care programs, Urban Indian Health Programs, and other Indian health programs (collectively, Indian health care providers or IHCPs). OTA’s work is specifically dedicated to supporting Tribal Nations and helping HCA leadership, staff, and managed care organizations (MCOs) navigate the unique relationship between Tribal Nations and the state of Washington.

Aren oversees:

• Government-to-government relationships: Advising the agency on maintaining these relationships in compliance with federal Medicaid requirements.
• Training and education: Conducting government-to-government training for agency leadership and staff.
• Collaboration with Tribes and Indian health programs: Working with Tribes, Indian Health Services, and Urban Indian Health Programs to understand and address issues and concerns.
• Policy and rule development: Creating agency program policies and rules to address issues identified by Tribal Nations and Indian health programs.

Michael leads the Division of Audit, Integrity and Oversight. The division plays a critical role in ensuring accountability by conducting audits and reviews of fee-for-service and managed care providers. These efforts help to ensure compliance with Medicaid laws and contractual requirements, as well as prevent and recover improper payments.

Michael oversees:

• Provider enrollment: Verifying and approving providers to participate in Medicaid programs
• Compliance and oversight: Monitoring managed care organizations (MCO) to ensure adherence to state and federal regulations
• Audit and accountability: Conducting thorough audits to identify, prevent, and address improper payments.

Annette leads the Division of Legal Services. This division provides critical administrative and legal support across all agency divisions, helping to mitigate risk and ensure compliance with evolving state and federal laws. Annette’s leadership ensures the agency operates within legal frameworks while supporting its mission to deliver effective services.

Annette oversees:

• Board of Appeals: Managing appeals processes to ensure fair resolutions
• Executive Legal Office: Offering legal counsel and strategic advice to agency leadership
• Office of Rules and Publications: Developing and maintaining agency rules and official publications.
• Office of Legal Affairs: Addressing legal matters and agency-wide compliance initiatives.
• Office of Contracts and Procurement: Overseeing contracts and procurement processes to align with legal and regulatory standards.
• Enterprise Risk Management Office: Identifying and managing risks to safeguard agency operations.