Health Care Team

The Health Care team works to ensure that all Coloradans receive quality, coordinated health care.

Meet the Team Leader…

As the senior program officer for the Health Care team, Suzanne Brennan is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to help ensure that all Coloradans receive quality, coordinated health care. This includes supporting efforts to integrate primary, mental and dental health care; recruiting and developing primary care professionals; improving the quality of care for Colorado’s most vulnerable populations; and spreading the use of health information technology. Prior to joining The Colorado Health Foundation, Suzanne was vice president of government health services for Policy Studies, Inc, where she designed operational solutions for state Medicaid and SCHIP programs across the country. Before her career shift to the nonprofit sector, Suzanne worked in a variety of positions, providing strategic planning and market strategy development for technology and telecommunications companies. Suzanne received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Dartmouth College and a Master of Business Administration from The Amos Tuck School of Business. (pictured bottom left)

Meet the Team…

Colleen Church is the Foundation’s specialist on health care workforce issues. She has experience in a wide range of management, program development and communications roles in the health, education and corporate sectors. Before joining the Health Care team as a program officer, Colleen managed program development and outreach activities at the Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office. Prior to that, she directed the President’s Leadership Class at the University of Colorado Boulder. Colleen earned a master’s in public affairs from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Colorado. (not pictured)

Tim Cortez is a longtime Foundation staffer. As a program officer on the Health Care team, Tim has extensive experience in the Medicaid long-term care system in Colorado and in complex case management services. He is the Foundation’s point person on integrated care. Before joining the Foundation, Tim was the director of operations for Adult Care Management, Inc. A retired sergeant in the United States Army Reserve, he served in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2005, specializing in medical logistics. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas Lutheran University and a master’s in social work from the University of Denver. (pictured bottom right)

Risa Friedman joined the Foundation in 2008 as an associate program officer on the Health Care team. She currently coordinates the Healthy Connections learning community. Previously, Risa was a clinical education coordinator for the Mountain Plains AIDS Education and Training Center. Risa’s experience is diverse and includes work in substance abuse and HIV prevention and with homeless and youth populations. She spent two years in Ecuador teaching university classes and leading therapeutic sessions for an adolescent drug treatment program. Risa holds a Master of Public Health degree from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Wesleyan University. (not pictured)

Dan Martin is a program officer on the Health Care team. His areas of focus are the health care safety net and health information technology. Before joining the Foundation in 2006, he worked at the Colorado Community Health Network, providing technical support to Colorado’s federally funded community health centers. Dan earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and environmental studies at Washington University in St. Louis and is working on his master’s of business administration, with a focus on health administration, from the University of Colorado Denver. He is a 2008 Bighorn Leadership and Health Policy Fellow. (pictured top left)

Sara Pasquariello is the program assistant for the Health Care team. Her experience includes research, data collection and health care billing. She holds a bachelor’s degree in politics and government from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Wash. Before joining the Foundation in 2008, Sara worked for Mathematica Policy Research and Ambassadors for Literacy. (pictured top right)

Alexis Weightman is the director of evaluation at the Foundation. In this role, she works to implement appropriate evaluation strategies and ensure that each grant includes measurable results in support of the Foundation’s goals. Prior to joining the Foundation, Alexis worked for the Science and Technology Policy Institute, a federally funded research and development center based in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, she led large-scale program evaluations for the National Institutes of Health and conducted policy analyses for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. As a fourth-generation Denverite, Alexis is happy to be back in Colorado. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and mathematics from Middlebury College and a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Denver. (not pictured)