Leadership

Dr. Talya Schwartz is President & CEO of MetroPlusHealth since 2019. During her tenure, MetroPlusHealth has achieved a 35% growth in membership, a five-star rating from New York State’s Consumer Guide and a 4-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She spearheaded the organization’s transformation by bringing its behavioral health services in-house, overhauling its public website, modernizing legacy technology with a single integrated platform, and expanding virtual visits to its over 700,000 members. Dr. Schwartz’s ongoing commitment to addressing the social determinants of health among New York’s most vulnerable communities is the pinnacle of her leadership, especially around supportive housing and food insecurity.

Before being President and CEO, Dr. Schwartz served as the Chief Medical Officer at MetroPlusHealth. In the private sector, she was the founding member of a behavioral health technology startup company. She was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. She served as a Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. A trained physician, Dr. Schwartz earned her medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine, completed her residency in Pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and practiced at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. She holds a graduate Health Services Management and Leadership certificate from George Washington University.

Formerly Deputy Chief Financial Officer at MetroPlusHealth, Ms. Leverich Castaldo also served as Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), before being appointed Chief Financial Officer. Her responsibilities now include her CAO functions, as well as complete oversight of all fiscal functions at MetroPlusHealth, including development, interpretation, coordination, and administration of Plan policies on finance, accounting, insurance, financial/accounting systems, internal controls, budgeting, and auditing.

Lauren joined the Finance department of MetroPlusHealth in 2006, gradually assuming additional responsibilities and functions at the health plan. As Deputy Chief Financial Officer, she led the planning, reporting, and analysis of the Finance and Claims divisions. As CAO, since 2019, she has been responsible for financial, regulatory, risk and utilization reporting, health analytics, enrollment and membership, and risk score accuracy.

Prior to joining MetroPlusHealth, Lauren was Associate Staff Analyst at the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Office of the Deputy Commissioner, tasked with preparing the NYPD’s expense budget, and Senior Analyst at the Office of Management and Budget, Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, where, among other responsibilities, she was senior leader for planning, preparation, and implementation for all phases of New York City’s community board budget process.

Lauren is a graduate of St. John’s University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree.

Roger Milliner is Chief Growth Officer (CGO) for MetroPlusHealth. Mr. Milliner, a native of Brooklyn, New York, began his career at MetroPlus Health Plan in February 1990, which was formerly known as the Metropolitan Health Plan, as a marketing representative. He rejoined MetroPlus Health Plan in August 2000 as the Associate Executive Director of Marketing after spending 10 years at two Health Maintenance organizations.

In his current role at MetroPlusHealth, Mr. Milliner oversees three departments and manages a staff of over 350 employees. Since joining MetroPlus Health Plan in August 2000, when the health plan’s membership was slightly over 50,000 members, he has helped increase membership by 930% to its current membership of over 525,000 members. His involvement with various regulatory agencies as a Healthcare Executive has helped to shape many of the current healthcare policies and government sponsored programs within the State of New York. He works diligently to foster relationships with community leaders, city agencies, civic and community-based organizations to promote healthcare options to NYC residents and to provide recognition of the MetroPlusHealth name in the community and within various ethnic groups.

Mr. Milliner received his Bachelor of Science, Healthcare Administration from St. Joseph’s College. During his career in the health care industry, he obtained a Certified Health Care Insurance Executive (CHIE) certification from AHIP (America’s Health Insurance Programs).

Ganesh Ramratan is Chief Information Officer (CIO) for MetroPlusHealth, where he is responsible for the organization’s information systems and their security, and for ensuring organizational collaboration. He is also charged with driving IT innovation, while enhancing the member and provider experience through critical technology solutions.

Ganesh comes to MetroPlusHealth from the NYC Department of Investigations (DOI), where, since 2013, as CIO and Deputy Commissioner, he oversaw the agency’s Information Technology unit and, through his successful initiatives, led an overhaul of DOI’s use of technology, significantly strengthening and modernizing its IT infrastructure. Prior to joining DOI, he worked for the Department of Information Technology and NYC’s Department of Transportation. He began his career in City government in 1994 with the New York City Transit Authority.

Ganesh holds an MBA in Computer Information Technology Administration and Management from NY Institute of Technology (NYIT) and earned his undergraduate degree from Western Governors University.

Dr. Sanjiv S. Shah is Chief Medical Officer of MetroPlusHealth. He was appointed August of 2019.

Dr. Shah has more than 20 years of experience as a physician leader, managed care executive, and infectious disease specialist. He joins MetroPlusHealth from the Mount Sinai Health System where he served as Medical Director.

Dr. Shah earned his medical degrees from University of Nottingham School of Medicine in the U.K. and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. He completed his residency at Mount Sinai, served as Chief Medical Resident at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, and was a Fellow in Infectious Diseases at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Shah has published and presented extensively on numerous medical issues both nationally and abroad.

As Chief Compliance & Regulatory Officer (CCRO), Ms. Solon serves as Corporate Compliance Officer, HIPAA Privacy Officer, and Records Management Officer for the Plan. Her divisions include Corporate & Product Regulatory Compliance, Records/Corporate Policies & Procedures, Internal Audit, Vendor Delegation Oversight, and Regulatory Affairs.

Ms. Solon joined MetroPlusHealth in 2015 from the NYC Department of Social Services (HRA), where she served as Compliance Counsel and Director of Risk Management for the NYC Medicaid program. Prior to those roles, she served as an attorney for HRA, primarily representing Adult Protective Services, Medicaid, and the HIV/AIDS Services Administration (HASA). She also did work in HRA’s Child Support Enforcement and Employment Law divisions.

Raven holds a Juris Doctorate from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, a Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College, and a Bachelors of Business Administration from Belmont University. She is admitted to practice law in NY State and in the Eastern and Southern Federal Districts of New York.

Lila Benayoun was appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MetroPlusHealth in September 2022, where she leads transformation initiatives designed to foster growth, innovation, and operational excellence. As COO, Lila is also responsible for plan operations, member retention, provider relations, project management office, organizational process improvement, and the launch of OneX, MetroPlusHealth’s new Management Service Organization.

Lila joined MetroPlusHealth in 2021 as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer. She joins MetroPlusHealth from Partners Health Plan, where she served as Chief of Operations. Lila holds more than 20 years of industry leadership experience in leading new managed care markets, new product launches, advancing operational excellence, and outstanding service experiences.

Lila holds a B.S. in Health Information Management from Temple University and has completed post-graduate studies at Columbia University, focusing on Strategic Growth.

Erin Drinkwater is the Chief Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships Officer at MetroPlusHealth. In her role, Erin develops relationships with local and state elected officials and other external stakeholders to advance the company’s mission and goals of providing public health insurance to New York City’s underserved communities through local, state, and federal legislation.

With over two decades in government and nonprofits, Erin dedicates her career to public service as a strategist, activist, advocate, and change-maker. Erin served as the Deputy Commissioner for Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs for the New York City Human Resources Administration and Department of Homeless Services.

Previously, Erin served as the Executive Director of the Brooklyn Community Pride Center, securing its permanent home at the Bedford-Union Armory. She was a member of the Governor’s End the Epidemic Task Force, No Condoms As Evidence Coalition, and Communities United for Police Reform. Erin dedicates her time to her community as a member of Brooklyn Community Board 1, the Board of Managers of Fairview Lake YMCA Camps, and a deacon at her church, Greenpoint Reformed Church.

Drinkwater has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology: Social and Political Policy and a master’s Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies from Duquesne University. Additionally, she holds a Master of Science in Urban Policy Analysis and Management from Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at the New School.

Steve Stein Cushman joined MetroPlusHealth in December 2022 as the Chief Counsel. In his role, he serves as the lead In-House Counsel. Steve provides senior management with practical and actionable legal advice on corporate strategies and their implementation, and manages legal functions of the Corporation.

After clerking with the Massachusetts Court of Appeals, Steve joined the New York City Law Department in 1988 and has worked for the City since that time, most recently as the First Assistant Corporation Counsel.  In his prior roles, Steve focused on City operations and brings expertise in a broad range of matters such as contracts, procurements, real estate and land use matters. Steve has worked closely with the Mayor’s Office and City agencies representing New York City and implementing strategic initiatives, ideas and economic development projects.

Steve earned a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis.

Mary C. DiGangi is a highly accomplished HR professional with 30+ years of experience in talent management, labor relations, employee development, and business operations. Throughout her career, she has actively fostered diversity and inclusion, championed leadership development, and driven forward innovative initiatives that address today’s business challenges.

As Chief People Officer at MetroPlusHealth, Mary collaborates closely with the CEO, executive leadership, HR teams, and staff to establish a people-centric vision that attracts top talent aligned with MetroPlusHealth’s mission. She oversees a wide range of HR responsibilities, including talent acquisition, training and development, employee engagement, organizational design, and performance management.

Mary held various HR leadership roles within the health care industry before joining MetroPlusHealth. Her most recent position was VP of Human Resources at Metropolitan Jewish Health System, one of New York’s largest not-for-profit elder care health systems. During her time there, she achieved many significant milestones, such as the reshaping of HR structures during the COVID-19 pandemic, management of three successful post-merger integrations, and renowned expertise in conflict resolution and contract negotiations.

Mary holds a B.S. in Business Management from Brooklyn College and an M.S. in Business Management and Organizational Leadership from the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Date of Appointment: February 28, 2019
End of Term: February 28, 2024

Mrs. Sally Hernandez-Piñero was appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to the New York City Health + Hospitals Board of Directors on January 1, 2019; subsequently, Mrs. Hernandez-Piñero was appointed Chair of the MetroPlus Health Plan Board of Directors. Mrs. Sally Hernandez-Piñero began her career at Bedford-Stuyvesant Community Legal Services as a Staff Attorney and went on to become General Counsel to the State of New York Mortgage Agency and Deputy Borough President of Manhattan. She subsequently joined former Mayor David Dinkins’ Administration as Deputy Mayor for Finance and Economic Development. There, she was involved in all key policy, legislative and budgetary decisions made by the administration.

Following her career in the public sector, Mrs. Hernandez-Piñero transitioned into the corporate world, working at Fannie Mae as a Managing Director, as counsel for Kalkines, Arkey, Zall & Bernstein and as Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs for the Related Companies. She served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Con Edison for 23 years.

Dr. Talya Schwartz is President & CEO of MetroPlusHealth since 2019. During her tenure, MetroPlusHealth has achieved a 35% growth in membership, a five-star rating from New York State’s Consumer Guide and a 4-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She spearheaded the organization’s transformation by bringing its behavioral health services in-house, overhauling its public website, modernizing legacy technology with a single integrated platform, and expanding virtual visits to its over 700,000 members. Dr. Schwartz’s ongoing commitment to addressing the social determinants of health among New York’s most vulnerable communities is the pinnacle of her leadership, especially around supportive housing and food insecurity.

Before being President and CEO, Dr. Schwartz served as the Chief Medical Officer at MetroPlusHealth. In the private sector, she was the founding member of a behavioral health technology startup company. She was a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. She served as a Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. A trained physician, Dr. Schwartz earned her medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine, completed her residency in Pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and practiced at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. She holds a graduate Health Services Management and Leadership certificate from George Washington University.

Board Member (NYC Health + Hospitals President’s Designee)
Member of the Customer Experience & Marketing Committee
NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President of Managed Care & Patient Growth

Mr. Matthew Siegler is Senior Vice President for Managed Care at NYC Health + Hospitals. Mr. Siegler develops and implements NYC Health + Hospitals’ patient and revenue growth strategies, with a principal focus on managed care market share and external payer and provider relationships.

Mr. Siegler comes from Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., the national health plan arm of Kaiser Permanente, where he led key strategic and advocacy efforts across Kaiser Permanente’s commercial and government business, with a focus on public exchanges, large national employer groups, and leading planning for and response to federal efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Earlier, Mr. Siegler served in the Obama Administration as an operational, policy, and communications leader on the staff of the White House Domestic Policy Council. He has also served on the staff of Congressman Henry Waxman, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School, Johns Hopkins University, and Harvard College.

Board Member
Chair of the Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement Committee
NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President & Chief Quality Officer
Date of Appointment: April 4, 2018
End of Term: April 4, 2023 

Dr. Eric Wei is the Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals. NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health system in the United States, with 11 acute care hospitals, 5 skilled nursing facilities, 60+ community health centers, a home care agency, correctional health services, and an insurance plan, MetroPlusHealth. Dr. Wei also leads care experience, staff wellness, high value care, arts in medicine, spiritual care, data governance and analytics, emergency management, hospital police and security, and the Helping Healers Heal (H3) program. He is the fellowship director for the NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellowship and launched Healthcare Administration Scholars Program (HASP) across 5 NYC Health + Hospitals sites. He is a practicing Emergency Medicine physician rotating through all 11 Emergency Departments in NYC Health + Hospitals. He serves on the board of MetroPlusHealth and as faculty for the Greater New York Hospital Association/UHF Clinical Quality Fellowship Program.

Dr. Wei leads the Office of Quality and Safety, focused on fostering a culture of safety, building quality improvement capacity across all 42,000 staff, aligning improvement efforts with system vision and strategic pillars, and becoming a data driven, high reliability organization.

Board Member
Chair of the Finance Committee
NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Growth Officer
Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals | Lincoln Hospital
Date of Appointment: February 28, 2019
End of Term: February 28, 2024

Mr. Christopher Roker, MBA, is the Chief Executive Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals | Lincoln and Chief Growth Officer for NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public health care system in the nation, which provides essential services to 1.2 million New Yorkers every year. Chris is an operational expert focused on building, growing, and improving the profitability, performance, and value in organizations with a leadership style that fosters teamwork and motivates staff.

Prior to being named CEO at Lincoln Hospital, Chris served as CEO at NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens until 2016 and CEO of Metropolitan Hospital until March of 2021. Under his leadership, the hospital achieved an increase in patient satisfaction scores, inpatient discharges, outpatient volume and OR volume. Chris has also been credited for strengthening collaborations with physician, labor and community partners. Prior to NYC Health + Hospitals, Chris held leadership positions at The MetroHealth System in Ohio, St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, Beth Israel Medical Center in Manhattan, and The Parkway Hospital Queens.

Board Member
Chair of the Audit & Compliance Committee
Member of the Finance Committee
Date of Appointment: September 24, 2020
End of Term: September 24, 2025

Mr. Sherif Sakr joined MetroPlusHealth’s Board of Directors in 2020. Mr. Sakr is a partner in Deloitte’s US member firm and the Chief Operating Officer of Deloitte & Touche LLP with responsibilities spanning bridging strategy and operations, monitoring strategy execution, optimizing capital allocation and overseeing day‐to‐day business operations. He serves as member of the Executive Committee, co‐chair of the Management Committee and member of the firm’s Operating Committee. In addition to his firm leadership responsibilities, Mr. Sakr also serves as global lead client service partner for largest global strategic clients where his responsibilities include overseeing the entire global relationship and bringing the breadth and depth of Deloitte to clients while overseeing service delivery and quality of execution across the relationship globally.

Mr. Sakr is involved with different community initiatives in NYC Metro Area in addition to his active involvement with several global non‐for‐profit organizations in developing countries with focus on health, education and women rights.

Board Member
Chair of the Customer Experience & Marketing Committee
Member of the Audit & Compliance Committee
Date of Appointment: January 28, 2021
End of Term: January 28, 2026

Ms. Vallencia Lloyd was appointed by the New York City Health + Hospitals Board of Directors in January 2021.  Ms. Lloyd worked for the New York State Department of Health as the Director of the Division of Managed Care A/K/A the Division of Health Plan Contracting and Oversight where she was responsible for the certification, regulation and oversight of the State’s managed care industry, including the Medicaid managed care and Child Health Plus programs. After 34 years of State service, Ms. Lloyd retired from the Department of Health. Post retirement, Ms. Lloyd worked for Partners Health Plan (PHP) in New York City where she was the Chief Operating Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer. PHP is a Fully Integrated Duals Advantage (FIDA) health insurance plan for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. She has extensive knowledge of New York State’s health care delivery system and regulatory framework relating to the operation of Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), Medicaid MCOs, and traditional indemnity health insurance.

Member, Board of Directors
Member, Customer Experience & Marketing Committee

Mark Power is an artist living and working in the Lower East Side for the past 25 years. Mark holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts, and a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Mark attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, the Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture and was awarded a residency at the Edward Albee Foundation. Mark has been a visiting artist/critic at the University of Wisconsin, College of Creative Studies, Saint John University, Princeton University, and is a member of the College Art Association.

At his studio building, The Clemente, Mark has actively served on several committees and working groups including the Sustainability and Affordability Work Group, is a member of the College Art Association, and a founding Board Member and recent Chair of Artists Alliance, Inc (AAI). During his tenure as Chair of AAI, Mark attended the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and Libraries (DCLA) series on Community Arts Leadership programming.

Prior to moving to NYC in 1991, Mark grew up in Virginia, racing motocross from age 9 until starting college. Inspired by the work of conceptual artist and composer John Cage, issues of perception and representation are paramount in his work, which he exhibits extensively. Mark’s sculpture is represented by Frosch & Co.