InnovAge Leadership

 

President and CEO
Headshot of InnovAge President and CEO Patrick Blair

Patrick was elevated to president and CEO of InnovAge Jan. 1, 2022: “It is an incredible honor to have been chosen to take on this leadership opportunity in such an amazing organization. This country’s older adults need PACE now more than ever. InnovAge is a great business made up of great people and to be here is incredibly inspiring and a tremendous privilege.”

Prior to joining InnovAge in 2021, Patrick was with BAYADA Home Health Care. There, he was the Group President responsible for overall quality and financial performance of the Home Health, Hospice and Personal Care businesses. He previously served as senior vice president for Commercial Business Segments at Anthem, Inc., one of the nation’s largest and most diversified health benefit providers. There, he led the Individual, Small Group and Large Group business segments where he was responsible for driving profitable growth. During his tenure at Anthem, Inc., he also served as chief marketing officer. Before his eight years with Anthem, Patrick served in a number of leadership roles with Amerigroup Corporation. These included chief marketing and business development officer and CEO of specialty products. Patrick started his career at Ernst & Young LLP and Deloitte Consulting serving the nation’s leading provider and payer healthcare organizations.
 
He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Indiana University Bloomington, a Master’s of Health Care Administration and Management from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and a Master’s of Business Administration from Henley Business School. Patrick lives in Boulder, Colo., with his wife and two daughters. He has a passion for the outdoors, including downhill skiing and mountain biking.
Professional Bio

Chief Financial Officer
Barb Gutierrez - InnovAge Chief Financial Officer

Growing up in a small town, I was fortunate to be very near to my grandparents. My grandmother lived with our family, so I frequently spent quality time with her and her friends. Through the years, I developed a real fondness of the elderly and an appreciation for the challenges of aging. I am so proud of the extraordinary care and support we provide our participants.

Barbara has more than 30 years of experience in executive and financial leadership roles. She has a deep background in healthcare organizations and has worked in various industries, including higher education and energy services. Prior to joining InnovAge, Barbara served as chief financial officer and chief people services officer for Hero DVO, LLC, a practice management group focused on delivering efficient, quality dental and vision care to children in underserved communities. Previously, Barbara has served in senior leadership roles with Strad Energy Services, Jones Knowledge Group, PhyCor and HealthOne. She has special expertise with high-growth companies, and has led transformational business initiatives and strategic acquisitions. Barbara is a certified public accountant, chartered global management accountant, and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Denver. She has served on numerous non-profit and advisory boards, and currently serves on the advisory board for the University of Denver School Of Accountancy.
Professional Bio

Corporate Chief Operating Officer
Maria Lozzano - InnovAge Corporate Chief Operating Officer, West

Our seniors deserve the best possible care so that they can be independent and live life on their own terms. I am passionate about PACE and want to ensure that InnovAge provides responsible patient care and clinical excellence for all participants.

Maria Lozzano joined the InnovAge team in 2018. As the corporate chief operating officer, Maria is based out of San Bernardino and works closely with InnovAge operations leadership to support the growth of the organization. Maria has more than 11 years in healthcare operations, most recently as chief operations officer with VNA California. The home health, palliative care, and hospice organization serves 800 people in Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California, and Maria oversaw the 300-member team that delivered these services. In addition to VNA California, she has also worked with acute, chronic, home infusion pharmacy, and in-home surgical aftercare organizations, and has experience with business development and in leading clinical operation teams.
Professional Bio

Chief Medical Officer
Melissa Welch, MD - InnovAge Chief Medical Officer

I love the PACE model because it reminds me of community oriented primary care – care centered around individuals where they live.

Dr. Melissa Welch joined InnovAge in 2019 to oversee medical, dental, and pharmacy teams, as well as regional primary care teams in the eastern, central, and western regions. Dr. Welch has more than 25 years of experience leading, creating, and driving strategy in healthcare settings. Prior to joining InnovAge, she served as chief medical officer for the Center for Elders’ Independence, a PACE program in San Francisco.

Other past roles have included leadership positions with the Institute on Aging, Blue Shield of California, Aetna, and United Healthcare, where she gained additional experience leading initiatives at community healthcare systems and in skilled nursing, as well as consulting with physicians in community and academic settings, medical associations, hospitals, and more. Dr. Welch earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. She also holds a Master of Public Health in epidemiology from the University of California at Berkeley and a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of California in Irvine.
Professional Bio

Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary
Headshot Of InnovAge Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary Nicole D'Amato

Our seniors deserve the best possible care and I am privileged to support our medical, operations, and compliance teams, as well as our executive leaders and the board of directors, to successfully deliver that care through the PACE model.

Nicole D’Amato has served as InnovAge’s chief legal officer and corporate secretary since July 2021. Prior to joining InnovAge Nicole was senior vice president at MacAndrews & Forbes, providing legal advice for the operating company which owned the majority shares of Revlon, Inc., was the largest shareholder of Scientific Games, and owned other private companies such as Merisant Company.

Prior to that, she worked as a director and senior counsel at DIAGEO North America, Inc., the world’s leading alcohol beverage business, from 2011 to 2015, and as global head of intellectual property and assistant corporate secretary at Samsonite, LLC, from 2010 to 2011, where she participated in the company’s initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Nicole started her legal career at Ropes & Gray LLP, where she practiced as an intellectual property and corporate transactional attorney. She earned her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, at Cornell University, in Ithaca, New York, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nicole serves her community as a member of the Junior League, co-chair of the Christ Church Preschool Parent’s Association, and as a Food Rescue US volunteer.
Professional Bio

Chief Compliance Officer
Headshot Of Olivia Patton - InnovAge Compliance Nursing Officer

When thinking about PACE, I think of my family. PACE is focused on helping seniors live independently, thus allowing families to be together with less stress of coordinating medical care. I am happy to be a part of InnovAge in hopes of making a difference for seniors and family unity. 

Olivia brings a depth of leadership experience in healthcare compliance, including developing training for CMS and Medicare policies. She most recently was corporate compliance officer for UnitedHealthcare in Phoenix, AZ, and previously held the role as chief compliance officer for Verus Healthcare in Nashville, TN.  Olivia has also provided consulting services on Medicare compliance with various healthcare organizations. In addition, she is an adjunct faculty member at Arizona State University teaching undergraduate healthcare and regulation courses.
 
Olivia holds a Doctorate in Health Administration (DHA) degree from the University of Phoenix, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. Further, she is Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) by the Health Care Compliance Association.
 
Professional Bio

Chief Information Officer
Alice Raia - InnovAge Chief Information Officer

Having been part of the struggle to manage care for both my mom and grandmother during significant illnesses as they aged, I am honored to be part of a team that provides a level of care coordination that enables seniors, and their circle of support, to focus on living their best lives on their terms.

Alice brings to InnovAge more than 25 years of healthcare and technology experience, most recently as vice president – digital experience engineering at Kaiser Permanente in California. There she drove technology transformation in support of customers, members/patients and the workforce, and was instrumental in leading sustainable and meaningful customer engagement, better health outcomes, increased loyalty, and higher patient satisfaction. Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Raia held leadership and technology roles at Blue Shield of California, Advanced Data Exchange, Hewlett Packard, and Apple, among others. She holds a Master of Science in management from Purdue University and a Bachelor of Science in management from Miami University.
Professional Bio

Chief People Officer
Eimile Tansey - InnovAge Chief People Officer

I watched my mom and her siblings struggle to care for my grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. It was extraordinarily difficult to see her go from being a strong and independent woman to needing 24/7 care. Helping my mom navigate caregiving made me want to spend my career working for a purpose-driven organization that is focused on helping people live better lives. I’m honored to be part of a team committed to doing just that.

Eimile spent more than 13 years with CVS Health. While there, she led multiple organizational design and change management initiatives, including transitioning employees to work from home during COVID-19. She holds a Master of Science in Management with a Human Resources concentration from the University of Maryland University College.
Professional Bio

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A Letter of Thanks

The daughter of one of InnovAge's participants in its Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly shares her appreciation for the program and the employees who have supported her and her family. 

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