Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Deborah Rice-Johnson, CEO of Diversified Businesses and Chief Growth Officer for Highmark Inc., to Disability Matters. As Joyce focuses January on the key figures within Highmark that drive its commitment to hire people with disabilities, Ms. Rice-Johnson will highlight her duties organization-wide that assist the commitment to hiring people with disabilities.

Bio of Deborah Rice-Johnson:

• CEO of Diversified Businesses for Highmark Inc. and chief growth officer. An innovative health leader, driven by a passion for reinventing health care experiences and pioneering provider relationships designed to keep care close to home and change antiquated reimbursement methods. Through diverse and inventive relationships ranging from joint ventures to equity interest partnerships, has spearheaded affiliations and clinical alliances with Penn State Health and many other regionally based health care providers.
• Leads a national network of diversified businesses and market-leading capabilities collectively known as Alloyed Works, which drive growth, reduce costs, and improve outcomes for Highmark Health, as well as forward-thinking health organization customers across the country. As CEO of Diversified Businesses, is responsible for Highmark subsidiaries including United Concordia Dental, a top ten national dental plan that serves the largest voluntary dental program in the world with TRICARE; HM Insurance Group, a top ten national stop loss carrier with additional managed care reinsurance solutions; and Helion, a health care technology and services firm that helps payers cultivate high-performing networks while empowering providers to operate at their best.
• As Chief Growth Officer, responsible for pursuing a range of strategic partnerships, affiliations, and acquisitions that enables Highmark to unlock the shared value to organizations and transform healthcare. Together, will realize the potential of a Living Health model, which creates a better system for customers and clinicians through innovative solutions and partnerships while strengthening community-based care, improving health outcomes, and lowering costs for members.
• When in role as President of Highmark Inc., provided senior leadership and strategic direction for the company's multi-state health insurance organization. During this time, guided Highmark through successful affiliations in Delaware, West Virginia, Western and Northeastern New York, as well as a merger in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As a result, Highmark Health Plans are now among the largest Blue Plans in the country, serving approximately 7 million members, and Highmark Inc.'s revenue has grown to approximately $27 billion.
• Has more than 40 years of experience in the health insurance industry. Leadership has not only redefined the payer-provider relationship and yielded unparalleled financial performance but has also delivered innovative clinical solutions that aim to improve health outcomes. Keenly committed to positively impacting the employment situation of the nation's military veterans and those with disabilities through championing private sector hiring efforts.
• Holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Carlow University. In 2014, named a Carlow Laureate, the university's most prestigious alumni award recognizing those whose work, thought, and action demonstrate the highest standards of professional accomplishment and leadership. Named to Modern Healthcare's Top 25 Women Leaders in 2022, a program honoring female executives who are guiding health care delivery improvement across the country.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights: · Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. - www.benderconsult.com.

• Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.
• Recipient of the 2024 Visionary Award from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, DC.
• Lives with epilepsy and hard of hearing.
• Advocates for competitive employment for people with disabilities.
• Serves as vice-chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and former chair of the board.
• Represented the State Department in programming with Panama, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, and Tunisia.
• Serves as chair of Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA.
• Received the 2003 New Freedom Initiative Award from the Bush Administration.
• Recognized with the 1999 President's Award from President Clinton.
• Board member of Pittsburgh's Civic Light Opera, the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and World Institute on Disability (WID).

Upcoming guest:

Joyce welcomes Karen Hanlon, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Highmark Health. Ms. Hanlon will share her background, explain what Highmark Health does and her role in the organization and how it has grown since she started. In addition, as the first female COO of Highmark Health she will share what she does to encourage other women in the organization to attain leadership roles. Lastly, she will share her insights on how AI will influence healthcare and what impact the shortage in healthcare labor may have in the future.

Joyce is excited to start 2025 with the returning champion of competitive employment for Americans with disabilities, David Holmberg, President, and CEO of Highmark Health and Chairman of the Board, Highmark, Inc. Mr. Holmberg launched an initiative in 2020 to hire 30 people with disabilities from Bender Consulting Services to honor the 30th anniversary of the signing of the ADA, called the Highmark 30/30. He and all of Highmark have continued this practice every year since and 2025 is no exception. During the show, Mr. Holmberg will talk about the initiative and how it happened. Additionally, he will discuss how the company plans to continue its unprecedented record of hiring people with disabilities in 2025.

Joyce welcomes Maria Town, President and CEO, of American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); Megan Schuller, Legal Director at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; and Peri Jude Radecic, CEO of Disability Rights Pennsylvania to the show. They will discuss the accomplishments each organization has made in the last year and their goals for 2025.

As a special gift to listeners this holiday season here is a rebroadcast from December 15, 2020. Joyce welcomed the late Judith Heumann, internationally recognized leader in the disability rights independent living movement, to the show. Ms. Heumann worked with a wide range of activist organizations (including the Berkeley Center for Independent Living and the American Association of People with Disabilities), NGOs, and governments since the 1970s and contributed greatly to the development of human rights legislation and policy benefiting disabled people. In the show, she discussed her memoir, "Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist," which was published in February 2020.

Judith (Judy) E. Heumann -

Judy Heumann was an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community. She authored her memoir, with Kristen Joiner, "Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist," published by Beacon Press and audio recorded by Ali Stroker, who is the first wheelchair actor to perform on Broadway. Judy was featured on the Trevor Noah show. Judy is featured in "Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution," a 2020 American award-winning documentary film, directed by James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, produced by the Obama Higher Ground Production. Ms. Huemann has been featured in numerous documentaries on the history of the disability rights movement, including "Lives Worth Living" and the "Power of 504." She delivered a TED talk in the fall of 2016, "Our Fight for Disability Rights and Why We're Not Done Yet." Her story was also told on Comedy Central's Drunk History in early 2018, in which she was portrayed by Ali Stroker. As Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation (2017-2019), she wrote "Road Map for Inclusion: Changing the Face of Disability in Media." She also served on several non-profit boards, including the American Association of People with Disabilities, the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, Humanity and Inclusion, as well as the Human Rights Watch board.