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TJ Shumard is a senior business development executive with two decades of experience advancing priorities for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and state Medicaid priorities. He specializes in pipeline development, capture strategy, and digital modernization across Medicare and Medicaid. Shumard brings deep knowledge of federal procurement, CMS data platforms, and program oversight, with a strong record of shaping complex federal opportunities.

Marianne El-Khoury is a seasoned health professional with a proven track record of leading and managing large-scale health programs. At Abt, she has held senior management and technical roles on USG-funded projects in health systems strengthening, infectious diseases, and private sector health. She has also led research and evaluation studies in family planning and reproductive health, maternal and child health, and health financing.

Mariandrea Chamorro has 20 years of experience managing international development programs. She has provided oversight for the high-quality and compliant execution of large flagship USAID programs while contributing to business development. Chamorro’s areas of expertise include prevention of vector-borne diseases, infectious diseases, maternal and child health, and health systems strengthening. Her clients have included the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). 

Dr. Michael Plotzke is a senior health economist with expertise in the area of Medicare payment policy, the organization of healthcare providers and quality measurement. His work typically involves the analysis of large datasets such as Medicare claims, assessment and enrollment data. Dr. Plotzke serves as principal investigator for multiple projects with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  On the “Home Health Prospective Payment System and Hospice: Analysis Support and Monitoring” project, Dr. Plotzke leads a team of researchers in analyzing trends in Medicare hospice and home health usage and constructing large-scale payment reform options for both benefits.  Dr. Plotzke also leads the “Evaluation of the Medicare Care Choices Model” project that evaluates a new payment model for end-of-life care that is being tested with 141 hospice providers.  This project involves analysis of existing administrative data and collection of new data through surveys of caregivers, surveys of hospice providers and in-depth case studies of hospice providers participating in the model.

Kelly Wagner has over 25 years of experience designing and delivering technical assistance, training, and capacity building. A skilled public health professional trained in epidemiology, she has developed and led more than 10 national TA programs for federal awardees from various agencies including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and offices within the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). Wagner has worked with community-based organizations, health centers, academic institutions, and state/local health agencies, reaching target audiences with unique and diverse public health needs across the lifespan. 

Didar Ali Didar is technical advisor for monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL) in Abt’s International Technical Practice (ITP). He has more than 10 years of experience in MERL, project design, and management in the areas of agriculture, food security, economic inclusion, civil society, governance, health, and education. He also has experience in women’s rights advocacy, including designing and implementing advocacy plans and organizing national and international events.

Dr. Caroline Logan is a senior associate and health services researcher with over 15 years of experience in policy-focused mixed methods evaluation design, rigorous data collection and analysis, and development of integrated mixed methods reports and deliverables. Her expertise in federal and state health policy includes Medicare and Medicaid financing and delivery systems, care transformation and system integration, maternal health, the health and well-being of children, and the intersection of health and housing.

Catherine Hersey, a senior associate, is a seasoned health services researcher and project manager with over 15 years of experience in both Medicare and Medicaid. Her research areas include the implementation and evaluation of accountable care organizations and other alternative payment models, maternal health, substance use disorder, meaningful use of electronic health records, and hospital-acquired infections. Hersey also has experience in quality measurement and improvement. In addition, she has experience in both quantitative and qualitative analyses and managing large and complex projects.