Dr. Susannah Bernheim
The John A. Hartford Foundation
The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) announced that Susannah M. Bernheim, MD, MHS, joined the organization in July as Vice President, Program and Strategy. She brings nationally recognized leadership at the intersection of health care quality, policy, research, and care delivery. Dr. Bernheim will succeed Rani E. Snyder, MPA, who served in the role for 10 years before becoming JAHF’s President.
Dr. Bernheim is a family physician and currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). She provides strategic and clinical guidance in the development of new payment and care delivery models for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. She leads the Center’s quality strategy and evidence-based prevention strategy, and previously served as the CMS Innovation Center’s Chief Quality Officer.
Prior to joining CMS, Dr. Bernheim was an Associate Professor at Yale University School of Medicine in General Internal Medicine and Senior Director of Quality Measurement at the Yale-New Haven Hospital Centers for Outcomes Research and Evaluation. She previously served as Deputy Director for Performance Management for the Yale New Haven Health System.
Contact: Kiri Oliver at 212.324.7484 or kiri.oliver@johnahartford.org.
Steven Kamen
Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey
The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey (HFNJ) announced that Steven Kamen assumed the role of Board Chair on July 1, 2026, following the end of Amy Schechner’s second term in that role.
Kamen has served on the board of trustees of the Foundation since 1999 and has served as its First Vice Chair since 2025.
Professionally, Kamen is Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President of Med-Metrix. Prior to joining Med-Metrix in 2022, he was in private practice at a New Jersey-based law firm for over 20 years. Kamen has also served as General Counsel and SVP at a private equity firm in New York City, and as General Counsel and EVP of an internet company in New York City. In addition to his service on the board of HFNJ, Kamen served on the Board of Trustees American Jewish Committee – NJ Chapter and has previously served on the Board of Trustees at WBGO, New Jersey’s jazz radio station, for nine years.
Kamen will become only the fourth individual to assume the role of Board Chair since the creation of HFNJ in 1996, following founding Chair Lester Lieberman (1996-2013), Beth Levithan (2013-2020), and Amy Schechner (2020-2026).
Contact: 973.921.1210
Pleasant Radford Jr.
Medica Foundation
The Medica Foundation named Pleasant Radford Jr., MBA, as Executive Director. He brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in health care, philanthropy, and community investment. In this role, Mr. Radford will lead the foundation’s strategy, grantmaking, and community partnerships with a focus on advancing health equity, strengthening trust-based and community-led solutions, and supporting long-term outcomes across Minnesota.
Mr. Radford joins the foundation from UCare, where he most recently served as Health Equity Officer, leading strategy to advance health equity through community partnerships, grantmaking, governance, and care delivery. His background spans nonprofit health plans, philanthropy, and public health systems, with a strong track record of stewarding community investments, strengthening trust-based philanthropy practices, and partnering with boards and executive leaders to drive systems-level impact.
Mr. Radford has led and advised multimillion-dollar community investment portfolios addressing maternal and child health, behavioral health, early childhood well-being, healthy eating, and rural health access across Minnesota. He is widely recognized for his ability to build genuine trust across communities, systems, and institutions.
Prior to joining UCare, Mr. Radford held leadership and consulting roles with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, UnitedHealth Group (Optum), Mayo Clinic, and the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, among others. He began his career in community health, including Peace Corps service in Nicaragua. Mr. Radford is a 2024 Emerging Leader in Healthcare Award and a 2025 Aspen Health Fellow, and he has served on multiple civic and advisory boards focused on equity and community well-being.
Contact: Greg Bury at 612.810.4556 or Greg.bury@medica.com.
Sophie Greenebaum, John Hildreth, Annmarie Benedict Pagliano, and Stephanie Ploof
RIZE Massachusetts Foundation
RIZE Massachusetts Foundation (RIZE), a nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the opioid overdose crisis in Massachusetts, announced four key appointments:
- Sophie Greenebaum, Associate Program Officer of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning
- John Hildreth, Chief Financial and Operating Officer (CFOO)
- Annmarie Benedict Pagliano, Senior Program Officer
- Stephanie Ploof, Lead Communications Specialist
Ms. Greenebaum will lead the implementation of program evaluation and learning strategies to understand and strengthen RIZE’s impact. Previously, Ms. Greenebaum served as prevention coordinator for a public health coalition and worked in research settings at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University.
Mr. Hildreth will guide the foundation’s financial and operational strategies to foster sustainability while ensuring optimal financial health. Mr. Hildreth previously served as a key member of the financial operations team at Boston Medical Center, ultimately becoming Senior Director of Finance for Boston University Medical Group. He was also Director of Finance at North Shore Community Health.
Ms. Pagliano, former Associate Program Officer at RIZE, has been promoted to Senior Program Officer to manage grantmaking and programmatic activities spanning RIZE’s diverse portfolios. A skilled philanthropy professional, she has spearheaded grantmaking initiatives at various non-governmental organizations.
Ms. Ploof will develop and implement proactive strategic communications and project management strategies to support the organization’s mission, initiatives, and programs. Previously, she served as marketing and communications manager for a human services agency that provides evidence-based care for individuals experiencing substance use disorders.
Contact: Isabel Indresano at 617.243.9950 or isabel@ballcg.com.