Matt Hittle is a Professional Staff Member at the House Ways & Means Committee’s Health Subcommittee. He advises Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO) and Committee Members on Medicare Parts A and B, as well as Medicare Advantage, and leads Chairman Smith’s rural health care access initiative. Matt is a native of Sioux City, Iowa and earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of South Dakota. He began his career at the Ways & Means Committee. He then he joined the Office of then-Representative Kristi Noem (R-SD), a Ways & Means Member. After Rep. Noem left Congress, Matt served as Senior Advisor to the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Following his time in the administration, Matt briefly left public service to join multinational law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he consulted and lobbied for a range of health care clients. Matt rejoined the Ways & Means Committee staff under Chairman Smith in 2023. He resides in Alexandria, VA with his wife and three young children.

Sarah Levin is Deputy Staff Director for the Health Subcommittee of the Committee on Ways and Means under Ranking Member Richard Neal. Prior to joining the Committee in 2015, Sarah worked for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and a Member of Congress from New Hampshire. Sarah holds a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Sarah went to college at Duke University, and her eldest daughter’s first true sentence was “Go Duke.” She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and three children.

John Brooks is a Deputy Administrator and the Chief Policy and Regulatory Officer for CMS. He was most recently a founder and partner at South Capitol, a health policy research and consulting firm. Prior to that, John held multiple senior health executive positions across the Executive Branch, including Senior Advisor for Drug Pricing Reform to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Principal Deputy Director of the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Counselor to the HHS Secretary for Health Policy, and Health Policy Advisor at the White House Domestic Policy Council. John also led the HHS Landing Team, which coordinated the transition between administrations with respect to the Department of Health & Human Services. Prior to government service, John led the Health Policy Department at the MITRE Corporation, providing policy advice and regulatory support to federal health agencies, including CMS, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. John holds a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and an MBA from Virginia Tech.

Steven Posnack serves as the Principal Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT. In this role, he advises the National Coordinator for Health IT, leads the execution of ONC’s mission and represents its interests at a national and international level. In conjunction with the National Coordinator, Steve oversees ONC’s federal policy coordination, regulatory development, public-private initiatives.

Over his nearly 20-year career with ONC, Steve has led and created initiatives in a variety of technology and policy positions, including serving as the Deputy National Coordinator for Health IT, Executive Director of the Office of Technology, Director of the Office of Standards and Technology, Director of the Federal Policy Division, and Senior Policy Analyst.

During his tenure, Steve has led the development and implementation of key initiatives enabled by the HITECH Act (2009) and 21st Century Cures Act (2016). This includes the creation of the US Core Data for Interoperability (USCDI) and the USCDI+ program, the formulation and administration of the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA), the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan, and the publication and establishment of the Interoperability Standards Advisory (ISA) and Standards Version Advancement Process. He has also played critical role in ONC’s policy initiatives, including the establishment and implementation of its regulatory provisions, which span standards adoption, the administration of the Health IT Certification Program, the information blocking regulations, and TEFCA processes. Steve’s leadership of ONC’s standards and technology investments include the launch of the Leading Edge Acceleration Projects (LEAP) cooperative agreement program, the redesign of ONC’s Certified Health IT Product List (CHPL), the establishment of the Interoperability Proving Ground, and development of the C-CDA Scorecard, Inferno, and Lantern testing tools. Earlier in his career, Steve played a lead role in HHS’ establishment of the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs (“meaningful use”). He also led a cross-HHS policy team that worked with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as it developed its first regulation to permit electronic prescribing of controlled substances (EPCS) and co-authored the Nationwide Privacy and Security Framework for Electronic Exchange of Individually Identifiable Health Information.

Mr. Posnack earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, a master’s degree in security informatics from Johns Hopkins University Information Security Institute, and a master’s degree in health policy from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He also maintains a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certificate.

Wayland Coker is the Acting Deputy Director of IBMSC (Center for Industrial Base Management & Supply Chain), Chief Supply Chain Strategist and Director of the Supply Chain Optimization Office within IBMSC at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response (ASPR). He is a retired U.S. Naval Officer with tours aboard an attack submarine during the Cold War, a supply ship supporting carrier and amphibious battlegroups during Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and the Navy HQ (N4) staff in the Pentagon. He also owned a successful multinational supply chain and logistics consulting firm for 21 years doing business in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Australia, Israel, and Singapore, as well as the U.S. He joined ASPR six years ago at the start of the pandemic. His book “Overcoming in Business and Life,” written for entrepreneurs and business owners, was released in June 2022 and was also recently released in India.

Rodney is an accomplished health care advisor with more than two decades on the Hill where he specialized in rural health, the health care safety net and disability policy.

With more than 30 years of experience, Rodney possesses and offers clients the kind of knowledge that is uniquely available to those who have drafted and advanced legislation. He strategically guides clients through dense Medicare and Medicaid issues that have significant business impact.

While working in Congress, Rodney served as former US Representative Charlie Norwood’s (R-GA) health policy director where he managed the Patients’ Bill of Rights (S.1890), among other notable health policy matters. Rodney then went on to serve Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) in the Senate. He first joined the Senate Finance Committee Staff as a health policy advisor to Chairman Grassley, and ultimately joined the Senator’s personal office as health policy director. During his time in the Senate, Rodney served as the lead Republican staffer for Medicaid legislation from 2005 to 2010, and continued to serve Senator Grassley on all health-related issues through 2015. During his time in the Senate, Rodney helped staff Republicans in the Senate on such prominent and important legislation as the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006, CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2007 and 2009 and Affordable Care Act of 2010.

For the last 25 years, Rodney has been an adjunct faculty member at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management, and the Graduate School of Political Management’s Department of Legislative Affairs. Hundreds of students have taken Rodney’s courses and have gone on to pursue careers in Washington, DC.

Katie is an experienced government relations strategist who helps clients navigate the complex issues surrounding Medicare, Medicaid and the healthcare marketplace.

Katie works with clients to represent their needs before the US Congress and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its agencies by relying on extensive experience as a policy advisor on the Medicaid and Medicare programs, as well as the 340B program and other aspects of the Public Health Service Act. She anticipates the effects of state and federal policymaking on issues impacting their businesses and crafts proactive and comprehensive legislative strategies.

Katie served as a senior analyst at the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), where she developed policy recommendations and conducted legislative analyses related to Medicare and Medicaid issues in support of Congress and HHS. At MACPAC, Katie regularly interpreted and analyzed large data sets for reports.

Prior to her work with MACPAC, Katie served in Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) office as a health policy fellow where she conducted research and analyses on health policy options. She also worked at George Washington University, where she led the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education evaluation.

Abe Sutton serves as the Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Before assuming this role in January of 2025, he was a Principal at Rubicon Founders where he co-founded two health service companies; Honest Health, which focuses on enabling primary care physicians, and Evergreen Nephrology, which focuses on enabling nephrologists. Sutton focused on health policy with the federal government from 2017 to 2019, serving at the National Economic Council, Domestic Policy Council and Department of Health and Human Services. In these roles, he coordinated health policy across the federal government, with a focus on the shift to paying-for-value within Medicare, increasing choice and competition in health care markets, and updating the federal government’s approach to kidney care.

Sutton started his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he worked with clients in the health sector. He holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and undergraduate degrees in political science, management, and health care management and policy from the Wharton School and the College at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2018, he was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Law and Policy.

Dan Boston, a Capitol Hill veteran, is President of Health Policy Source, Inc. Prior to joining the firm, he was Senior Public Policy Advisor with Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz's Washington Public Policy Group, where he founded the firm’s federal health policy practice, recruiting and servicing a diverse base of clients.

Prior to joining Baker-Donelson, Mr. Boston served as Vice President of Legislation & Political Affairs for the Federation of American Hospitals, working as the chief lobbyist to then-Federation President Tom Scully - former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator. During his career at the Federation, Mr. Boston represented the association before both the Legislative and Executive branches of the federal government on a variety of issues important to the nation's hospitals. He worked on many of the provisions in the Balanced Budget Relief Act of 1999, the Beneficiary Improvement & Protection Act of 2000, as well as the Public Health Service Act refinements in the Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2002.

Mr. Boston also served many years in a number of key positions on Capitol Hill - as a member of the Majority Staff of the House Committee on Commerce's Health Policy Team, Communications Director & Policy Advisor to Congresswoman Sue Kelly (R-NY-19), Press Secretary to Congressman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI-9), and press and political aide to current Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) during the 1990 campaign cycle. Further, Mr. Boston participated on the Department of Health & Human Services Transition Advisory Committee to then President-Elect George W. Bush, and is currently a member of the Editorial Board of the Bureau of National Affair's Medicare Report. He has also been named one of Washington, DC's ‘Top Lobbyists’ by The Hill for 19 of the last 20 years.

Mr. Boston received his undergraduate degree in Public Policy and Political Science and Master of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University.

Gayle’s health care background is an extensive mix of government and private sector experience. She spent several years on Capitol Hill where she worked in both the House and the Senate focusing her time on health care legislation.

Later she moved to The Concord Coalition where she worked with the media, Members of Congress, and related organizations to educate the public on the federal budget and deficit. In particular, she delved into the relationship of Medicare and Social Security with the federal budget.

In addition, Gayle has experience serving on the board of the Los Alamos Medical Center, and she has recently consulted for The Brooks Group and The Concord Coalition.

Gayle graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in English and Communications.

John Knapp serves as Vice President, Advocacy in Premier's Washington, DC office. In this role, John serves as the primary contact for Premier with Capitol Hill lawmakers. With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare advocacy, John advances policy proposals to support the transformation to high-quality, cost-effective healthcare. Prior to joining Premier, John worked for the Children’s Hospital Association and the firm of O’Neill, Athy & Casey. John is a graduate of Connecticut College and the University of Texas at Austin.

Somaieh McMullan is a Senior Director of Payment Policy and responsible for Premier’s advocacy strategy for hospital payment policies and expansion of value-based care (VBC). For over a decade, Somaieh has designed and implemented VBC payment models for public and private payers.