Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, the sixth president of Morehouse School of Medicine and first woman to lead as president and CEO, cuts through the noise with her refreshingly direct approach to diversifying healthcare.

"If Morehouse School of Medicine is not part of the DEI story, I don't know what the DEI story is," Dr. Rice says, refusing to back down from her mission despite today's challenging climate. She brings receipts too—showing exactly how diversity in medicine delivers measurable benefits in economic impact, patient satisfaction, and health outcomes.

Dr. Rice shares her practical wisdom for staying focused when leadership gets tough: "Sometimes you have to put on blinders so you don't become distracted and put earplugs in and only turn up the volume for things that are gonna keep you moving forward." She emphasizes the importance of regular connection with those she serves, keeping her calendar open on Friday afternoons for 15-minute conversations with anyone who needs to speak with her.

Her journey from rural Georgia to the pinnacle of medical leadership is remarkable—transitioning from a degree in chemical engineering to attending Harvard Medical School after realizing she needed to follow her own path rather than others' expectations. This willingness to pivot and trust herself has defined her leadership style, as she's moved through numerous academic and clinical roles to her current position.

Dr. Rice discusses the critical importance of trust in medicine and how physician diversity directly improves health outcomes: "The foundation of any relationship is trust." She explains how physicians who understand their patients' backgrounds can "meet them where they are" to create more effective care plans.

From tackling physician representation to building patient trust through cultural concordance, Dr. Rice offers a masterclass in purposeful leadership. She reminds us why this work matters now more than ever, summing up her philosophy with the powerful question she asks herself daily: "What would you do if you could not fail?"

This conversation isn't just about healthcare—it's about leading with conviction when the path gets rocky and remembering your "why" when challenges mount.

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This episode of Inspiring Women was recorded at the WBL Summit, a leadership, networking, and professional development conference for WBL members that takes place each spring.

WBL is a network of 1500+ senior executive women in healthcare who convene to share ideas, make valuable connections, and solve business challenges. WBL’s mission is to connect and support our members in advancing their careers and impact on our industry.

Art school isn’t the typical starting point for a tech industry leader, but for Jessica Neal, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, it was the first step in an extraordinary career. In this episode, Jessica shares how she transitioned from an aspiring artist to headhunter to leading Netflix’s talent strategy during its explosive growth.

Jessica emphasizes the critical importance of providing clear direction and context when it comes to leadership. “If you don’t give the right context and your team isn’t doing well, guess whose fault it is? Yours.” Jessica doesn’t sugar coat the reality of what it takes to lead well and effectively today.

Empower your teams? What does empower mean? How about let people do their work and get rid of bureaucracy? Jessica provides a masterclass in adaptability and strategic thinking. She reveals how Netflix’s unique culture of “freedom and responsibility” shaped its success and how she implemented the “context, not control” philosophy to empower teams.

As a current venture partner at TCV, board member for cutting-edge companies, and co-host of the TruthWorks podcast, Jessica offers invaluable insights on:

Guest Resources:

About Jessica:

Jessica Neal is a seasoned talent and human resources executive who has made significant contributions to some of the most innovative companies in the tech industry. Currently serving as a Venture Partner at TCV (Technology Crossover Ventures), a leading growth equity firm, Jessica brings her extensive experience in talent management and organizational culture to help scale high-growth companies.

Jessica’s career journey is as unconventional as it is impressive. She began her professional life as an artist, earning a BFA in Fine Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Her path took an unexpected turn when she discovered her talent for identifying and nurturing top- tier talent in the tech industry.

Jessica is perhaps best known for her transformative work at Netflix, where she spent over 11 years across two tenures. As Chief Talent Officer (CHRO), she played a pivotal role in shaping Netflix’s renowned culture during its explosive growth from a DVD-by-mail service to the world’s leading streaming entertainment company. Under her leadership, Netflix’s workforce expanded from 250 to over 10,000 employees globally.

Between her stints at Netflix, Jessica held key leadership positions at other innovative companies. She served as Chief People Officer at Scopely, a mobile gaming company, and as Vice President of Talent at Coursera, an online education platform. These experiences further honed her skills in building and scaling teams in fast-paced, high-growth environments.

Today, Jessica leverages her expertise as a board member for several companies, including JFrog, a DevOps platform, and Public.com, a social investing platform. Her board service allows her to share her insights on talent strategy, organizational culture, and scaling operations with the next generation of tech leaders.

Jessica is also passionate about sharing her knowledge and experiences with a broader audience. She co-hosts the “TruthWorks” podcast with Patty McCord, where they explore pressing issues affecting the modern workplace, from AI and mental health to layoffs and toxic cultures.

Known for her candid approach and deep understanding of what makes great companies tick, Jessica Neal continues to be a influential voice in reshaping how we think about work, talent, and organizational culture in the 21st century.

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“We need to be more ambitious….”

Margaret “Peggy” O’Kane transformed healthcare quality measurement in America when she created NCQA 35 years ago. As she reflects on what it has meant to create the foundations for quality measurement, she is also clear that the complex state of healthcare requires leaders across payers, health systems, employers, and providers to do more. Disruption is required.

In this revealing conversation with Laurie McGraw, O’Kane reflects on her journey from respiratory therapist to healthcare quality pioneer, the development of HEDIS® as the nation’s most widely used quality measurement tool, and her passionate advocacy for addressing racial disparities in healthcare outcomes. As she prepares to retire at the end of 2025, O’Kane shares candid insights on the challenges facing healthcare quality improvement and her vision for the industry’s future. Discover why this legendary leader believes that despite progress, “so much work that’s undone” in creating a trusted, quality healthcare system.

O’Kane’s unwavering commitment to health equity shines through when she addresses recent pushback on measuring disparities: “There are undeniable differences in health outcomes among different population groups… I think people need to be determined to push through, to learn about how to approach this.” Her call for persistence resonates powerfully as she urges healthcare leaders to “follow the data, avoid the noise… and stay ambitious and courageous” in addressing healthcare disparities.

Key Takeaways:

1. Quality Measurement Evolution: O’Kane’s journey with NCQA began by addressing the disorganized state of healthcare, evolving from basic preventive measures to comprehensive digital quality metrics that can transform population health management.

2. Digital Transformation: The future of healthcare quality lies in digital reporting and enablement, moving beyond traditional HEDIS® measures toward more ambitious, customized approaches that can better serve diverse patient populations.

3. Health Equity Imperative: Despite political pushbacks, O’Kane emphasizes the critical importance of continuing to measure and address healthcare disparities through data-driven approaches, including innovative methods like using zip codes when direct demographic data collection faces challenges.

4. System Transformation Challenges: O’Kane acknowledges that transforming healthcare requires changing deeply ingrained practices, noting that “everybody’s been trained to work in the current model” and meaningful change requires persistence, curiosity, and willingness to adapt when approaches aren’t working.

Guest Resources:

About Margaret (Peggy) O’Kane:

Margaret “Peggy” O’Kane is the founder and president of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), an organization she established in 1990 to transform healthcare quality measurement and improvement in America. After recognizing the disorganized state of healthcare during her early career as a respiratory therapist, O’Kane pursued a master’s degree in public health and health policy from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, which equipped her with the knowledge to revolutionize healthcare quality standards.

Under her visionary leadership spanning 35 years, NCQA developed the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®), now the nation’s most widely used quality measurement tool. Today, more than 216 million people—approximately 65% of the U.S. population—are enrolled in NCQA-Accredited plans that use HEDIS to assess and benchmark care quality.

O’Kane has been a passionate advocate for addressing racial inequities in healthcare outcomes, emphasizing the importance of data collection and measurement to identify and reduce disparities. Her pioneering work has established NCQA as the foremost authority in healthcare quality assessment, with more than 10,000 entities—including health plans, health systems, primary care practices, and technology vendors—accredited or recognized through NCQA’s evaluation programs.

After more than three decades of dedicated service, O’Kane has announced her retirement at the end of 2025, which coincides with NCQA’s 35th anniversary. As she prepares for this transition, she remains committed to advancing digital quality measurement and expanding NCQA’s focus to more ambitious goals in population health management and health equity.

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Human Resources is NOT the next obvious step if you began your career as a nutritionist. Yet for Colleen Bowman, VP of HR at IAC, her unconventional path took her exactly there. And when you hear Colleen’s story, it really does all make sense.

Colleen started as an athlete. So being competitive and working as a team came naturally. She always had high expectations – of herself and of others. Key skills needed for leadership – building trust, having empathy, having confidence in yourself – these are core to who Colleen is. Nutrition is where she started but then she loved the complexity of what she started learning in the world of Human Resources. Complex benefits design, needing to work across functions like finance and legal and senior management.

Colleen also goes back to those first times when she was making the big leap to a management role. Even for her, confidence was not as strong as she wanted. So “Faking it” until she made it became her mantra, and for Colleen, it worked. Colleen has a lot of responsibility in her leadership role today, but it’s really quite likely that she has only just begun!!!

Key Leadership Takeaways from Colleen Bowman:

Guest Resources:

About Colleen:

Colleen Bowman is the Vice President of Human Resources at IAC, a diverse holding company with brands spanning media, publishing, and technology. In this role, she partners with IAC’s portfolio of companies to provide HR, benefits, and talent acquisition support, with a particular focus on navigating the complexities of healthcare benefits and ensuring employee well-being. Colleen is dedicated to simplifying complex information, fostering employee engagement, and optimizing HR practices to drive business success.

Prior to joining IAC in July of 2024, Colleen served as Vice President of Human Resources at Related Companies, a leading real estate and lifestyle company, where she oversaw total rewards, HR technology, and HR operations. Her extensive career also includes leadership roles at Revlon and Tiffany & Co., where she honed her expertise in benefits and wellness.

Colleen’s career began in the nutrition and corporate wellness space, reflecting her long- standing commitment to promoting health and well-being. Colleen holds a Masters of Public Health in Public Health Nutrition from the City University of New York-Hunter College and a Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Boston University. Her unique background and diverse experience have shaped her empathetic and strategic approach to HR leadership. Colleen is passionate about building trust, fostering transparency, and inspiring the next generation of women leaders in the HR field.

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Spoiler alert: trust is declining – in government, established institutions, and in media. For 25 years Edelman has been studying trust given its importance as the ultimate currency of a business with its stakeholders. In this Inspiring Women episode, Laurie is speaking with Courtney Gray Haupt, the Global Health Chair and US Co-Chair of Health from Edelman.

In discussing the Edelman Trust Barometer, Courtney underscores several key issues impacting women. Key among them are heightened concerns about healthcare affordability (20 points higher than men) which makes sense when you consider the critical role women play in family health decisions (80% made by women). The polarized world we live in also described as a growing “crisis of grievance” can be exhausting. Yet, Courtney offers solutions.

Learn how employers can better support women’s healthcare needs, and how women leaders in particular can foster trust with their stakeholders. Share this episode to elevate the conversation!

Key Takeaways:

#InspiringWomen #HealthcareAffordability #WomenInHealthcare #Leadership #EdelmanTrustBarometer

Guest Resources:

About Courtney Gray Haupt:

Courtney Gray Haupt is a dynamic leader at Edelman, where she serves as the Global Health Co-Chair and US Chair, Health. In this role, she leads Edelman’s US Health team, specializing in corporate positioning, thought leadership, public affairs, and reputation campaigns. Courtney brings deep expertise in biomedical innovation, health policy, and consumer health and wellness to her work, guiding organizations through the complex and ever-evolving healthcare landscape. Courtney oversees a team of over 400 health specialists, fostering a culture of creativity, collaboration, and solutions-focused thinking. Her passion extends to mentoring and growth opportunities for her team, ensuring they are equipped to tackle the challenges and opportunities within the healthcare sector. Her dedication to cultivating talent and driving innovation has made her a respected figure in the industry.

Throughout her career, Courtney has partnered with a diverse range of organizations, including global biopharmaceutical companies, trade associations, schools of public health, foundations, and advocacy groups. She has spearheaded highly successful campaigns that bridge the public and private sectors, engaging policymakers, healthcare professionals, patients, and other key audiences. Her work has driven action and informed stakeholders on critical health issues such as vaccine policy, drug pricing, and mental health.

Courtney’s extensive experience includes supporting prominent organizations across the health community, such as Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, Merck, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. With specialties in biopharma innovation, public affairs, health coalition building, and corporate storytelling, Courtney Gray Haupt is a driving force in shaping the future of healthcare communications and advocacy.

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She is a Latina. She is a leader. She is a visible member of her community. She is a daughter. She is a servant leader. And Brenda Munoz is also, so much more than all of that.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, Laurie McGraw speaks with Brenda Munoz, Associate Benefits Director at the Laborers Funds Administrative Office of Northern California, Inc. From a temporary administrative analyst to a key leadership role, Brenda’s journey is nothing short of remarkable. Brenda’s story reminds us of the progress made and the work still needed to achieve gender equity in leadership. The weight of her position, representing her family, her community, and the hopes of future Latina leaders, fuels her dedication to serving the laborers and transforming the lives of her team.

Did you know that while women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, Latina women hold only about 2% of management or executive positions? This stark reality underscores the weight Brenda feels to lead and represent her community. Brenda shares the pivotal “wake-up call” that shifted her focus to servant leadership and her deep connection to her Hispanic heritage, which fuels her passion for empowering women and ensuring access to vital benefits. Brenda’s story is a powerful reminder that leadership isn’t about titles, but about impact.

She reveals how she fosters self-reliance within her team, champions open communication and strives to create a better experience for both employees and the union members they serve. Discover how Brenda’s vision is shaping the future of benefits administration and empowering the next generation of leaders.

Key Takeaways:

Guest Resources:

About Brenda: 

Brenda Munoz serves as the Associate Benefits Director at the Labor's Fund of Northern California, where she plays a pivotal role in overseeing the benefits administration for approximately 30,000 laborers. With over a decade of experience in the organization, Brenda’s journey began as a temporary administrative analyst, where her dedication and passion for service quickly set her apart. Her rise through the ranks exemplifies her commitment to making a meaningful impact in the lives of workers and their families.

Brenda is a firm believer in the principles of servant leadership, which guide her approach to management and team development. She emphasizes the importance of open communication and empowers her team by providing them with the tools they need to succeed. Her focus on creating a supportive environment fosters not only individual growth but also enhances the overall member experience.

A proud daughter of immigrant parents, Brenda is deeply connected to her Hispanic heritage, which inspires her advocacy for equitable access to benefits and resources. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art/Art Studies from Colgate University, blending creativity with analytical skills to drive innovative solutions in benefits administration. Through her work, Brenda continues to inspire others, championing women in leadership and striving to create positive change within her community.

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Growing up, Rae McMahan’s parents had plans for their daughter on what it meant to be a good girl. But then, life took a different turn. Facing a life-threatening illness, receiving great care, and even then realizing that not everyone had the same access that she did, Rae decided she wanted a different path. She changed the definition of what it meant to be a good girl.

Rae McMahan, a senior executive at Prescryptive, shares her inspiring journey, from battling Hodgkin’s disease as a teen to revolutionizing medication access. She describes how Prescryptive empowers patients with transparent, individualized prescription information. What can women learn from Rae’s career path?

Key Takeaways:

Guest Resources:

About Rae:

Rae McMahan is a strategic and accomplished executive in the healthcare industry, currently serving as Senior Vice President of Payer Solutions at Prescriptive. Driven by a deep commitment to improving patient access and affordability, Rae is a recognized leader in developing and implementing innovative solutions that address the complexities of the pharmacy benefits landscape.

Rae’s extensive experience spans pharmacy, PBM, health plan, health system, and pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. She is adept at starting up and turning around organizations, integrating acquisitions, and positioning businesses for growth. Known for her collaborative approach, Rae effectively partners across companies and business units to implement cost-effective solutions that meet critical business challenges.

Throughout her career, Rae has consistently demonstrated a talent for generating and executing innovative programs that reduce costs, expand market share, extend lines of business, and drive revenue. She excels at commercializing medical and pharmacy management products and is skilled at reorganizing and reinvigorating underperforming units, leveraging technology, and creating efficiencies to achieve significant savings and revenue growth.

As a transformational leader, Rae oversees both small and large teams, from strategic and operational roles to customer service and executive leadership. She is committed to building and leading diverse teams, fostering a culture of openness and transparency through clear and consistent communication. As a valued member of any senior team, Rae is known for her direct, open, and collaborative style.

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Discover how Gina Jacobson, a stage 4 cancer survivor, is revolutionizing workplace support for cancer patients. In this powerful episode of Inspiring Women, Gina shares her personal battle with colon cancer while managing a high-stakes career. Learn about the Working With Cancer initiative and how its breaking down stigmas, fostering organizational empathy, and creating supportive work environments.

Gain valuable insights on:

Whether you’re a cancer survivor, caregiver, or business leader, this episode offers essential perspectives on transforming workplace culture. Join host Laurie McGraw for an inspiring conversation that will change how you think about cancer in the workplace. Consider signing up for, sharing or making your workplace a part of the Working With Cancer Pledge. The Working With Cancer initiative is transforming company cultures, creating safe spaces for difficult conversations, and positively impacting health outcomes for employees facing cancer. Learn how you can join this global movement and make a difference in your workplace.

Resources:

About Gina: 

As one of the founding forces behind Publicis Groupe’s Working with Cancer initiative, Gina creates and oversees the programs associated with delivering against the WWC Pledge internally. She’s committed to creating a multi-faceted, best-in-class example of supporting employees impacted by cancer—whether directly or as caregivers—through individual and group coaching, training, and community engagement. Using this foundation, she also recruits and guides other companies to take and activate the pledge.

Gina’s previous title at Starcom was Chief Growth Officer, but she always preferred to think of herself as more of a “Chief Potential Officer.” In that role, she oversaw both new business and organic growth, uncovering new opportunities and inspiring companies and colleagues to pursue what’s possible—an experience that prepared her perfectly for her current role.

Over the past (nearly) three decades, Gina has thrived in a broad range of roles within Publicis Group—including overseeing media at Starcom and creative development at Leo Burnett. She is known for her critical strategic thinking, digging into her clients’ business, and having a passion for building and nurturing teams who deliver engaging, strategic work.

During her tenure, she has led results-driving and award-winning work across categories as diverse as hospitality, insurance, CPG, tech, toys, retail, and mobile—and across clients including Four Seasons, Beam Suntory, Esurance, Kraft Heinz, Kellogg, and Nintendo—among many others.

In the Fall of 2018, Gina was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. She’s outlived her initial prognosis by several years and intends to keep living a joyful and purposeful life, while helping others recognize and realize their full potential.

You can read about what she’s learning from the best-worst thing that ever happened to her through her blog, weareallmadeofstars.net, and via her Strive for Five Substack, a look back at her 4+ year journey as she approaches the 5-year survival milestone.

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Can a million peer supporters transform mental health care for children and adolescents in America?

Obi Felten, CEO and founder of Flourish Labs, believes it’s possible. In this eye-opening episode of Inspiring Women, host Laurie McGraw delves into Felton’s groundbreaking approach to solving the mental health crisis for youth.

Felten, a former Google X executive, shares her journey from developing moonshot technologies to tackling one of healthcare’s most pressing challenges. Learn how Flourish Labs is revolutionizing mental health support by training young adults with lived experiences to become peer supporters, creating a more diverse and relatable workforce.

Key takeaways:

Discover how Felten’s unique blend of tech innovation, healthcare expertise, and peer support culture is reshaping the future of mental health care. This episode is a must- listen for anyone interested in mental health, healthcare innovation, or inspiring entrepreneurial journeys.

Visit Obi Felten’s website

About Obi:

Obi Felten is the founder and CEO of Flourish Labs, a healthcare company on a mission to scale professional peer support with telehealth and AI to address the mental health crisis. Flourish Labs provides telehealth peer support for teenagers and young adults at Peers.net and expands the mental health workforce with accredited peer supporter training.

Obi serves on the board of Springer Nature, a global academic publisher, and is an advisor on youth mental health for the Chelsea & Westminster NHS trust. She previously served on the board of Marathon Health, a primary and behavioral health provider group, and various mental health nonprofits.

Before founding Flourish Labs, Obi led technology moonshot projects at Google X, was Director of Consumer marketing for Google in Europe, Middle East and Africa, and set up ecommerce businesses. Obi grew up in Berlin, has a BA in Philosophy and Psychology from Oxford University and lives in California with her family.

Discover how AI is revolutionizing hospital operations with Bree Bush, GM of Command Center at GE HealthCare. In this eye-opening episode, Bree shares her journey from mechanical engineer to healthcare innovator, revealing how GE HealthCare’s AI-driven command centers are transforming patient care and hospital efficiency.

Key takeaways:

From reducing wait times to predicting bottlenecks, Bree Bush explains how GE HealthCare’s command centers are tackling healthcare’s most pressing operational challenges. Don’t miss this fascinating look into the future of hospital management and the power of AI to transform healthcare delivery.

About Bree:

Bree Bush is a founding member of the GE HealthCare Command Center Platform and is now the General Manager. Bree and the Command Center team help top-performing healthcare organizations level up their operations by streamlining patient flow, optimizing capacity, eliminating inefficiencies, and improving access to care.

Bree is also General Manager of GE HealthCare’s Digital Pharma Solutions business where she leads a team specifically focused on partnerships with Life Sciences companies around the development and deployment of digital solutions to improve precision health.

Since 2006, Bree has led healthcare organizations through operational transformation initiatives with GE HealthCare. Whether her efforts were focused on improving the OR block schedule or reducing LOS for inpatient or streamlined OP clinic scheduling, she has leveraged simulation modeling and systems engineering methodology to drive measurable results and create a culture of continuous improvement.

Bree earned her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. She joined GE HealthCare through the Edison Engineering Development Program, a highly selective program designed to grow future engineering leaders.