Leadership Team - Innovation and Value Initiative

Jennifer Bright, MPA

Executive Director

Jennifer Bright, MPA

Jennifer Bright is Executive Director of the Innovation and Value Initiative and brings over two decades of health care policy, issue management, patient advocacy, and executive leadership to the role. Bright is also founder and President of Momentum Health Strategies. She formerly served as executive director of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, representing physician, advanced practice nurse, and researcher members. Bright’s prior executive leadership at the National Mental Health Association (now Mental Health America) focused on advancing policy initiatives at the state and local level. She now serves on the Board of Directors for Mental Health America. She has also done issue analysis and issues management at state-oriented lobbying firms.

Bright earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Trinity College in Washington, and her master’s degree in public administration, with a concentration in policy analysis and program management, from the George Washington University.

Todd Bentsen

Director of Communications

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Todd Bentsen

Todd Bentsen, Director of Communications, is a mission-oriented communications strategist who helps health and science organizations achieve their goals. He’s held senior positions in research-oriented national organizations, including the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Society for Neuroscience, and American Society for Clinical Oncology. Bentsen’s experience runs the communications gamut – media and public relations, web content development, and social media strategy – and he is passionate about conveying complex health and science information to public audiences.

Bentsen holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Maryland.

Rick Chapman, PhD

Chief Science Officer

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Rick Chapman, PhD

Rick Chapman brings decades of health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) expertise to his role as Chief Science Officer. Chapman was Director of Health Economics at the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review prior to IVI, where he led development of economic evaluations that accompanied rigorous reviews of clinical evidence. Formerly, he was VP of HEOR at Avalere Health. Before that, Chapman was a principal in HEOR at IMS Health, and a research analyst at the Center for Risk Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Chapman holds a PhD in health policy with a concentration in decision sciences from Harvard University. He also holds and MS in health policy and management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Mark Linthicum, MPP

Director of Scientific Communications

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Mark Linthicum, MPP

Mark Linthicum, Director of Scientific Communications, brings scientific training and expertise in communications and strategic planning to his role. With over 12 years of health policy and public health experience, he’s conducted policy-facing research in diverse therapeutic areas including oncology, hepatology, infectious disease, and nutrition. Linthicum has been published in leading economics, medicine, and health policy journals including JAMA Oncology, Health Affairs, Chest, and Health Services Research.

Linthicum earned his bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California.

Lisa Malecha, MBA

Director of Finance and Operations

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Lisa Malecha, MBA

Lisa Malecha, Director of Finance and Operations, brings over 20 years’ experience in leadership, team management, and operations strategy to her role. She is also the founder of Malecha Business Solutions, working with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small nonprofits in development and implementing strategic change. She previously served as Director of Global Supply Chain for the Structural Heart Division of Medtronic, and was an Engineer Officer in the U.S. Army earlier in her career.

Malecha earned her bachelor’s degree in comparative politics from the United States Military Academy and her MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia.

Erica de Fur Malik

Director of Membership and Patient Engagement

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Erica de Fur Malik

Erica deFur Malik, Director of Membership, is a seasoned leader with over 19 years of healthcare policy, patient engagement, and member relations experience. She formerly served as membership director for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiologists of America. Malik also served as state policy director for Mental Health America and has worked as a consultant for Momentum Health Strategies. She is managing director for the Malik Group, Inc. Throughout her career, she’s been committed to empowering patient organizations and has a service-oriented approach to membership and policy.

Malik earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the College of William & Mary and her master’s degree in ethics from Emory University.

Melanie Ridley

Director of Development and Partnerships

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Melanie Ridley

Melanie Ridley, Director of Fundraising, is an experienced fund development professional with a background in writing and communications, research and health needs assessment, and project management. Ridley is an Institute for Healthcare Improvement-certified Improvement Coach; her professional focus has been community-based health care, public health, quality improvement, value-based care, and building capacity for health care safety net delivery systems.

Ridley served as Director of Fund Development for Essential Access Health, a statewide association in California advancing sexual and reproductive health; she managed a full lifecycle of federal and state grans and funder relationship management. Ridley formerly worked with Mental Health America supporting state mental health planning councils and state policy and advocacy initiatives.

Ridley holds a bachelor’s degree in community nutrition from the University of California, Davis.

Judy Thomas

Operations Manager

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Judy Thomas

Judy Thomas, Operations Manager, brings 10 years’ experience in small business development in multiple industries, from retail to manufacturing to property management. She specializes in organizational systems and implementing policies that align workflow and foster real-time collaboration. Thomas helped create a DC-based board game convention called WashingCon which had over 1,000 in-person attendees in its second year.

Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the West Virginia University.

Richard Xie, PhD

HEOR Research Manager

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Richard Xie, PhD

Richard Xie, is a health economist and serves as Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) Manager. He has a track record of conducting HEOR studies to inform health policy design and valuation of pharmaceutical therapies. Formerly he was a HEOR consultant at the Analysis Group, managing a portfolio of studies to demonstrate the value of novel therapies for pharmaceutical clients. Xie was also a health policy researcher at the Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at the University of Southern California, examining policy questions in medication non-adherence, health disparities, and healthcare innovation evaluation. His work has been published in leading journals including Journals of the American College of Cardiology, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and PLOS One.

Xie earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Southern California.