Meet the Team
PHP is led by invested stakeholders, family members, advocates, and subject matter experts with decades of experience who collaborate in a pioneering effort to implement a high-quality managed care program for persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) and those who support them.
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Kerry Delaney - Chief Executive Officer
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Courtney Skivington-Wolf - Chief Operating Officer
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Steven Merahn, M.D. - Medical Director
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Premila Kumar - Chief of Quality Initiatives
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Karleen Haines - Chief of DEIB & Advocacy
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Lisa Reese - Chief Human Resources Officer
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Lisa John - Chief Compliance Officer
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Joe Shen - Chief Strategy Officer
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Diane Marrone - Chief of Care Management
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Christopher Masi - Chief Financial Officer
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Kerry Delaney - Chief Executive Officer
Kerry Delaney currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Partners Health Plan, Care Design NY, and Partnership Solutions. These three companies collectively serve nearly 30,000 New Yorkers with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD), providing comprehensive and integrated care management, a managed care program for dual-eligible individuals with I/DD and a management service organization dedicated to bringing top-tier administrative and management services to I/DD organizations.
Prior to joining these organizations, Kerry served for over four years as the Acting Commissioner of the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), a service provider, employer of over 18,000 staff, and oversight agency for over 700 providers. In this capacity, she constituted a stakeholder Transformation Panel and oversaw implementation of its 40-plus recommendations to improve the system of services for people with developmental disabilities; developed and oversaw implementation of Care Coordination Organizations, a new, comprehensive care coordination model developed by OPWDD providers; put the State on a path toward provider-led managed care for developmental disability services; and oversaw a redesign of the State’s rate structure and quality measurement for OPWDD not-for-profit providers.
Prior to serving as Acting Commissioner, she served as Executive Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel at OPWDD and was an Assistant Counsel to the Governor. Ms. Delaney is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Albany Law School where she served as an Executive Editor for Lead Articles on the Albany Law Review and a Dean Thomas Sponslor Honors Teaching Fellowship.
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Courtney Skivington-Wolf - Chief Operating Officer
Courtney Skivington-Wolf serves as Chief Operating Officer for Partners Health Plan. Prior to joining, Courtney served as Vice President for Program Administration at a New York State DSRIP PPS, overseeing provider quality performance initiatives. Courtney also directed the Project Management Office (PMO) for the Department of Health’s eMedNY claims system.
Courtney is a registered nurse and holds certifications in LEAN, Microsoft Training, and cardiac nursing. She received a BA in English and a BA in Communications from St. John Fisher College, and degree in Nursing from Hudson Valley Community College.
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Steven Merahn, M.D. - Medical Director
Dr. Merahn is the Medical Director for Partners Health Plan. He is a pediatrician with a deep understanding and experience in the care of children with autism and special needs. He has also served in a variety of physician-executive leadership roles, including Chief Medical Officer at Centria Autism Services and at US Medical Management.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and graduate of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx with training in pediatrics at Montefiore Medical Center and the Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, Dr. Mehran’s expertise and thought leadership have led him to national speaking engagements covering topics such as healthcare transformation and health equity.
He is the author of Care Evolution: Essays on Health Care as a Social Imperative, which advocates for health as a social imperative. He serves as the only physician on the Autism Commission on Quality (ACQ) and is a member of the Primary Care Subcommittee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (SODBP).
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Premila Kumar - Chief of Quality Initiatives
Premila Kumar is the Chief of Quality Initiatives at Partners Health Plan. Premila has over 20 years of experience working within the Managed Care environment for such companies as CIGNA Healthcare, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, and CenterLight Healthcare. Prior to coming to PHP, Premila’s most recent employment experience was as Vice President of Population Health Management and Quality Assurance Performance Improvement at GuildNet.
Premila is known for implementing innovative initiatives to improve quality measures, HEDIS rates, reduce ER visits, hospital admissions and overall cost for consumer and employer. She has been a speaker at several national professional conferences and has contributed her expertise to develop award-winning health education products for Managed Care plans. She earned her medical degree from Stanley Medical College, Madras University, India as well as a professional designation from Academy of Healthcare Management.
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Karleen Haines - Chief of DEIB & Advocacy
Karleen is a non-profit executive with 24 years of experience in the field of human services. Prior to joining Partners Health Plan in December 2014, she was Director of Vocational and Employment services at a large non-profit serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, supporting over 500 adults through programs such as day habilitation, supported employment, and pre-vocational.
She was instrumental in developing and growing affirmative business models that support gainful work for adults with disabilities. Karleen has participated on Education and Workforce Development Committees for various disability advocacy groups, served as a Diversity and Inclusion facilitator, and worked as an adjunct faculty at Nassau Community College – teaching an I/DD studies course.
Ms. Haines oversees various initiatives as part of the leadership team for Partners Health Plan and Care Design NY. She champions advocacy efforts for the IDD community alongside members and families, seeking to raise a collective voice for a better future. Karleen also serves as the organization’s DEIB Officer - leading diversity / equity / inclusion / belonging strategies for staff and stakeholders. Recently, she held roles that include Chief of Care Coordination and Chief of Community Relations & Outreach.
Karleen serves on the state’s Developmental Disabilities Advisory Council sub-committee on housing. She is a licensed Health Agent in the state of NY; earned a ‘DEI in the Workplace Certificate’ from University of South Florida; and holds an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s in management from the State University of NY at Stonybrook.
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Lisa Reese - Chief Human Resources Officer
Lisa Reese currently serves as Chief Human Resources Officer. She grew the human resources department and developed the recruiting, employee benefits, employee relations, and general human resources policies and procedures for the organization. Today, she leads a talented team of nearly 20 individuals. She contributes an important voice to the application of HR and understands the importance of balancing employee needs with the financial limitations inherent in non-profit environments.
Prior to joining, she served as Human Resources Director for Catholic Charities Disabilities Services (CCDS) for eight years. Lisa’s experience spans 35 years of experience in Human Resources in fields such as intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD), health care, and hospitality.
Lisa has a B.S. in Marketing and Management from Siena College. She also holds the designation as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) from HRCI and a certification from SHRM as a Senior Certified Professional (SCP).
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Lisa John - Chief Compliance Officer
Formerly the Medicare Compliance Officer and Leader of the Compliance Department at MVP Healthcare for the last five years, Lisa is well-versed in healthcare and managed care compliance, oversight, risks, and auditing for Medicare, Medicaid, and Commercial lines of business. Prior to MVP, Lisa worked for five years at a vision insurance company as the Manager of Compliance.
Lisa has her B.S. in Management from Binghamton University and her M.B.A in Health Systems Administration from Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.
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Joe Shen - Chief Strategy Officer
Joe Shen comes to us with more than 20 years of experience leading technology innovation and digital transformation, business operations, and consulting services in the healthcare and life science industries. Prior to joining CDNY and PHP, Joe served as the Chief Digital Officer for HealthBanks, where he was responsible for information technology, digital marketing, sales, and operations.
Earlier, he was the Vice President at EmblemHealth, where he held senior leadership positions in leading information technology and sales and multicultural marketing for the Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) business line. Before that, Joe spent more than 10 years at IBM global business consulting services as a Consulting Partner, developing many technology and business transformation solutions for major healthcare clients.
Joe received his MBA degree from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, and his Bachelor of Engineering degree from SUNY at Stony Brook in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.
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Diane Marrone - Chief of Care Management
Diane joined PHP in 2014 as a director of Care Coordination. She moved on to serve as Senior Director in the department before transitioning into her current role as Chief of Care Management. Prior to joining the PHP team, Diane held varied positions within the non-profit sector serving individuals with I/DD from birth through adulthood.
Her most recent role before PHP was as Assistant Director for Intermediate Care Facilities at AHRC Suffolk. In this position, she managed staff and oversaw operations necessary to fully support individuals with both developmental disabilities and complex health needs.
Diane has vast experience in promoting the use of a multi-disciplinary, person-centered approach to ensure the provision of high-quality services to individuals with I/DD and their families. Diane obtained her Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified School Social Worker. She also holds an Executive Education Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership from Fordham University.
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Christopher Masi - Chief Financial Officer
Christopher Masi joined Partners Health Plan as the Chief Financial Officer in January 2018. In this capacity, he provides executive oversight of the enterprise’s financial operations. Christopher possesses a diverse background in both private industry and public accounting where he started his career with KPMG. Over the last several years, he has held senior management positions in the health insurance industry with experience in both government programs and commercial business.
Those previous roles included Chief Financial Officer of HealthyCT, a start-up commercial health plan formed under the provisions of the ACA as a Consumer Operated and Orientated Plan; financial operations leader for the Marwood Group, a healthcare-focused financial services firm; Vice President of Finance of OrthoNet, LLC, an orthopedic specialty-benefit management company; and Vice President of Finance for Touchstone Health, a Medicare-focused New York licensed HMO.
Mr. Masi acquired a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting from Franklin and Marshall College and a master’s in business administration with a finance concentration from the University of Connecticut. Mr. Masi also earned New York state C.P.A. license.