You Ask It: Past Experts

Mr. McWhorter has over 50 years of experience as a leader in the healthcare industry, giving him a unique perspective on the system and its future. He currently serves as the Chairman of the private equity firm, Clayton Associates, located in Nashville, Tennessee and in the past has held top executive positions for multiple successful nationwide healthcare companies including, Hospital Corporation of America and HealthTrust Inc. Most recently, Mr. McWhorter lent his vision, resources and a blank whiteboard to a handful of young individuals and tasked them with creating an organization that would educate and energize the future of America on the need for healthcare reform. His understanding of the profound problems facing healthcare and his commitment to empowering young Americans have guided the founding of this organization and are at the heart of SHOUTAmerica’s mission.

Recently named by the Nashville Business Journal as one of four top healthcare innovators in Middle Tennessee, Christopher Parks serves today as CEO of change:healthcare, the company he established in 2006. His career spans more than seventeen years in healthcare, supply chain and technology sales, operations and consulting. His first position was a Program Manager for disease management firm Healthways, where he led the start-up and management of two inpatient/outpatient hospital-based chronic disease clinics. Following a successful four years there, he became a senior consultant at HealthCare Microsystems, responsible for the company's business with HCA. Later, as Regional Director of Operations for National Seating & Mobility, he increased same store sales and total market revenues and oversaw the Kaiser southern California seating & positioning capitated agreement. His most recent position was with Global Healthcare Exchange (previously Neoforma), a billion dollar healthcare technology and services organization, where he held a series of national services and sales positions.

Stephanie Kennan is a senior policy advisor in the Health Care Group, where she assists clients in developing, designing and implementing their legislative and regulatory strategy. Prior to joining Alston & Bird, Ms. Kennan was the senior health policy advisor to U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. In this capacity she worked on the Senate Finance, Budget and Aging Committees and helped develop legislation focusing on end-of-life care, Medicare physician payment, Medicare Part D, drug research and payment, and health insurance matters. Ms. Kennan’s professional accomplishments also include the introduction of the first bipartisan prescription drug bill, the development and passage of bipartisan budget amendments funding prescription drugs and uninsured initiatives and collaboration with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) on reimbursement issues related to medical devices and drugs. Before joining Senator Wyden’s office, Ms. Kennan served in senior jobs for a number of high-profile associations and for a member of Congress. She earned her M.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 1997 and her B.A. in American government and foreign affairs from The University of Virginia in 1980.