Michael Piantanida serves as the Chief Information Officer at the Health Connector, overseeing Information Technology and Security compliance. Michael worked in several industries prior to joining the Health Connector in 2015, including financial services and healthcare supporting technology management and integration. Michael earned a Master of Business Administration from Bentley University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Mathematics from Boston College.
Marissa Woltmann is the Chief of Policy and Plan Management at the Health Connector. In this role, she oversees the agency’s work on policy and research, as well as designing and procuring high-value health and dental plans for sale to individuals and small businesses in Massachusetts. As part of this work, she is passionate about understanding and prioritizing members’ needs and supporting health equity. Prior to taking on this role last spring, Marissa spent fifteen years in a variety of other roles with the Health Connector and before that spent several years working for the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General on oversight of charitable organizations.
Erin Ryan serves as Chief of Staff at the Massachusetts Health Connector, managing special projects and strategic initiatives. She also oversees external relationships with elected and public officials at the local, state, and federal level, assisting with member relations, community outreach, and general education to raise awareness about the resources and benefits available for Massachusetts residents and employers through the Health Connector. Prior to joining the Health Connector, Erin held roles as a legislative aide and legislative director in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate where she managed constituent services, and district legislative and budget priorities. Erin holds a BA from Northeastern University.
Jason Lefferts is the Health Connector’s Chief of Communications and Public Affairs, charged with ensuring the agency is highly visible in communities with health insurance access needs, and providing information and support to applicants and members on a timely basis. Lefferts joined the Health Connector in 2013, having previously served at the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Before joining state government, Lefferts was a newspaper reporter, with bylines in the Lowell Sun, State House News Service, and other publications. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and lives in Fitchburg.
Kari Miller serves as the Chief Financial Officer at the Health Connector. In this role, Kari is responsible for the overall financial health of the organization. Prior to joining the Health Connector in 2007, Kari served as the Deputy Budget Director for the Massachusetts House of Representatives’ Committee on Ways and Means, where she worked on the annual state budget. Kari received a master’s degree in social work with a concentration in administration, planning, and policy from Virginia Commonwealth University. She also received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Virginia Tech.
Andrew R. Egan has worked with the Health Connector since 2013, and has served as its General Counsel since 2019. In that role he oversees the Health Connector’s legal matters, including implementation of state and federal health reform laws, regulatory compliance across business operations and IT systems, policy advising, contracting, and dispute resolution. Andrew earned his J.D., cum laude, from Boston University School of Law and a BA, summa cum laude, in English/Creative Writing and Philosophy from Binghamton University.
Trish serves as the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer at the Health Connector. Prior to joining the Health Connector in December 2022, Trish was the Chief Operating Officer for Eyecare Leaders Group and before that, the Chief Operating Officer for MassHealth for over five years. She has also held senior management positions with Commonwealth Medicine under their contract for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, at Boston City Hospital/Boston Medical Center, and was recruited to work as part of the team that founded the BMC HealthNet Plan.
Trish earned a BS in Biology from Tufts University, an MPH with a concentration in Health Services from Boston University and an MBA from Babson College.
Audrey Morse Gasteier serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, the Commonwealth’s official Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance Marketplace. The Health Connector provides health and dental coverage to approximately 350,000 Massachusetts residents and promotes enrollment in comprehensive health coverage to the Massachusetts public in accordance with its responsibilities under state and federal health reform laws.
Prior to her appointment as Executive Director in March 2023, Gasteier served as the Health Connector’s Deputy Executive Director and Chief of Policy and Strategy, leading strategy and operations, program and health insurance product design, policy research, government affairs, and outreach and communication efforts aimed at engagement with members and the public. Gasteier is also an instructor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Prior to joining the Health Connector in 2012, she served as Director of Health Systems Policy at the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, where she led health coverage research initiatives and implementation of employer-related elements of state health reform. Gasteier also served as a Policy Analyst at the Association of Community Human Service Agencies in Los Angeles, California. She holds an MS in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a BA from Mount Holyoke College.
Michael T. Caljouw is the Commissioner of Insurance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, appointed by Governor Maura Healey in October of 2024. As Commissioner, he oversees the Massachusetts insurance market, an approximately $70 billion industry that historically ranks near the top ten largest markets in the country and 27th globally.
Commissioner Caljouw is deeply committed to ensuring stable, affordable, and transparent insurance markets and safeguarding consumer interests. He has over three decades of public and private experience. Prior to this role, he directed Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts’ regulatory and policy portfolio, supervising their contracts division and the implementation of laws and regulations. He previously spent a decade in leadership positions in Massachusetts government at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance and the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation and led on emerging regulatory and policy issues, including comprehensive Massachusetts insolvency and cost containment laws. He was senior counsel at a national law firm and Chief of Staff and Legal Counsel to the Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader.
Raised in Boston, Commissioner Caljouw graduated from Boston Latin School, Williams College and Suffolk University Law School, serving on the Law Review and earning his Juris Doctorate cum laude. He has taught at Boston University School of Law and is a frequent lecturer on critical regulatory and policy issues. He chairs the Board of Advisors of the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy and is an active mentor to emerging leaders in public policy and insurance regulation. Commissioner Caljouw has received the Better Government Award, Suffolk University Law School’s Outstanding Alumni Service Award and the Arthritis Foundation’s Community Warrior Award.
He and his wife Ann-Margaret reside in Boston with Carly, their amazing goldendoodle.
Matthew Veno is the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Group Insurance Commission (GIC), and he oversees the delivery of insurance benefits to its more than 460,000 members. Matt has more than two decades of experience in insurance and health care in Massachusetts, both in the public and private sectors. Prior to joining the GIC in 2020, Matt served as the First Deputy Commissioner at the Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI) where he led key interagency initiatives with a focus on health care and advised the Commissioner on innovation across all lines of insurance. Matt previously managed government relations at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, helping to shape the company’s strategic policy direction and advocating for quality, affordable health insurance before federal and state legislative and regulatory bodies. He also served six years as a City Councilor in Salem, Massachusetts, and spent a decade in early childhood education policy, along with a year of volunteer service in the Bronx, NY as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Matt holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross, and a Master’s in Business Administration in Health Care Management from Boston University Graduate School of Business (now the Questrom School of Business). He is an avid fisherman and enjoys restoring old 1970s classic cars.
Nancy Turnbull is a senior lecturer in the Department of Health Policy and Management and the Senior Associate Dean for Educational Programs at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Her research interests include health insurance regulation, health care access, consumer participation in managed care plans, and international applications of managed care.
Before joining the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Nancy worked for almost ten years for the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, where she was First Deputy Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner for Health Policy. She has also served as the president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.
Nancy is on the board of a number of state health policy organizations, including the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum, Commonwealth Care Alliance, and the Massachusetts Health Council.
Dimitry Petion is President and CEO of Mulberry Systems in Quincy, MA. He has a strong background in engineering and business, having previously served as President and CEO of Advanced Management Services and spent four years at Harvard Street Neighborhood in positions including Chief Operating Officer, Chief Information Officer, and Interim Chief Executive Officer. As a computer engineer and director of several organizations, he brings practical knowledge of business and industry to the healthcare field. Mr. Petion earned his B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering as well as his M.S. in Computer Science from Boston University.
Robyn is currently a Partner at Boston Benefit Partners, an Alera Group company, an employee benefits consulting firm in Boston, MA.
Robyn is a lifelong learner with a passion for health policy and politics. She has a PhD in Public Affairs and a Master of Public Administration with a Health Policy specialization from Northeastern University. She uses this education and training to the benefit of all BBP clients and previously to students at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), where she served as an adjunct faculty member. She taught Health Policy for many years and has served as thesis advisor for students. Robyn has co-authored a book chapter and journal articles with colleagues and students at MCPHS.
Prior to joining BBP in 2009, she worked at Delta Dental of Massachusetts, where she was highlighted in their 2007 annual report as both an “innovator and an implementer who has championed the delivery of breakthrough oral health services to plan members and the community at large.” From 1999-2002, Robyn served as the Assistant Director of Budget for the Group Insurance Commission (GIC), the organization responsible for the procurement and management of the benefit programs for the state’s employees and retirees. At the GIC, she became skilled at policy analysis, budgeting, and the procurement and management of benefit plans and programs.
Robyn is a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) and served as the Assistant Dean of the Forsyth School for Dental Hygienist early in her career. She brings her vast knowledge in the oral health arena and her consensus-building skills to her clients at BBP and to the coalitions in which she participates. She serves on the steering committee of the Oral Health Advocacy Task Force (OHAT) and on the board of the Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition (BOHMAC). She also currently serves on the board of the Medicaid/Medicare/CHIP Services Dental Association (MSDA).
In her free time, Robyn escapes to Cape Cod to refuel and enjoy her wonderful extended family and friends.
Eric Gulko brings more than 25 years of experience as a leader in the employee benefits industry. He is the founder and president of Innovo Benefits Group, a benefits brokerage firm and human resources company servicing the small and mid-size employer market. Additionally, Eric is a licensed Massachusetts attorney and a former professor in the Massachusetts state college system — establishing himself as a respected leader and spokesperson for the industry. He has authored articles and has been quoted in several publications, and has actively participated in national and local discussions on healthcare policy and compliance matters — including with the White House, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, and other federal and state agencies.
Eric holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Boston College School of Law and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University. He serves on several boards, including the National Association of Benefits & Insurance Professionals – MA, the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, and the Advisory Council for the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.
Matthew Gorzkowicz is the Secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. He has more than 25 years’ experience in state finance and budgeting in the Commonwealth. He has served as the Associate Vice President for Administration and Finance at the University of Massachusetts President’s Office for more than a decade, where he has had a direct role in setting the University’s long-range administrative and financial goals and managed the development of an annual operating budget of $3.8 billion. Prior to UMass, Secretary Gorzkowicz worked in the Massachusetts Senate, the Department of Mental Health, the School Building Authority, and the Executive Office for Administration and Finance under Governor Deval Patrick, where he served as Assistant Secretary for Budget and then Undersecretary. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and lives in Winthrop, MA with his wife and two children.
Bela Gorman is a health care actuary with over 30 years of experience. Bela has provided consulting services to health insurers, various state insurance and health care policy divisions, and non-profit organizations across the country.
Bela’s experience includes leading studies analyzing the impacts of various health policies on the insured markets, provider payment reform analyses, market studies, and health insurance rate review. Bela has provided her expertise to many of the Massachusetts regulatory agencies and has been employed at the two of the larger insurers in Massachusetts. Bela was most recently a Partner with the Actuarial Practice of Oliver Wyman. Prior to Oliver Wyman, Bela lead her own actuarial firm for 18 years.
Bela volunteers her services on the Health Equity Committee for the American Academy of Actuaries. She is also a Trustee on the Board of Trustees for the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School and is Treasurer and Board Member of Stearns Farm CSA.
Filaine Deronnette serves as elected Vice President at Large at 1199SEIU and represents over 70,000 healthcare workers across our Commonwealth. She has over 20 years of representational and collective bargaining experience in both the public and private sectors. She currently serves on the Massachusetts Health Connector’s Board as appointed by the Attorney General. As co-chair of the 1199SEIU Massachusetts Racial Justice Committee, she leads the educational and organizational programmatic work for the Massachusetts Division. She currently serves on the leadership team of the Health Equity Compact, a group of Black and Latinx leaders organized to ensure that health equity is a top priority in Massachusetts, building on the heightened awareness and momentum to change racial injustices witnessed in the COVID-19 pandemic. Filaine currently serves as Executive Vice President at the MA AFL-CIO.
Dr. Michael Chernew is the Leonard D. Schaeffer professor of Health Care Policy in the Department of Health Care Policy (HCP) at Harvard Medical School. He currently directs HCP’s Healthcare Markets and Regulations (HMR) Lab. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his PhD in economics from Stanford University.
Dr. Chernew is currently both the co-editor of the American Journal of Managed Care and an editor of the Journal of Health Economics. He is a member of the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Health Advisors. In the past, he has served on the editorial boards of Health Services Research, Health Affairs and Medical Care Research and Review, as well as on technical advisory panels for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to evaluate the methods that Medicare actuaries use to assess the financial status of Medicare trust funds. He is also the former Vice Chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). Dr. Chernew’s research, which has been widely published and awarded, focuses on different facets of controlling health care spending growth while ensuring that quality of care is maintained or improved.
Kate Walsh is the Secretary of Health and Human Services. In her nearly 13 years as CEO of the Boston Medical Center health system, Walsh managed the system through multiple COVID-19 surges and recoveries by expanding telehealth capabilities, bolstering regional resource management, establishing a COVID Recuperation Unit, and coordinating with state and local government. She also oversaw a Clinical Campus Redesign project at BMC with the goal of decreasing costs and modernizing facilities. Walsh also established BMC Health System’s Health Equity Accelerator in November of 2021 to transform health care and eliminate gaps in life expectancy and quality of life among different races and ethnicities. Walsh previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Chief Operating Officer for Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, and Senior Vice President of Medical Services and the MGH Cancer Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. She also held positions in a number of New York City hospitals including Montefiore, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, Saint Luke’s – Roosevelt Hospital Center and the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.
