Board Members
Mel Soliz
President
msoliz@cblawyers.com | 602-381-5484
A partner with Coppersmith Brockelman in Phoenix, Melissa Soliz focuses on compliance with data privacy and patient access laws (such as HIPAA, 42 C.F.R. Part 2, the ONC Information Blocking Rule, the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access Rule, and state laws), compliance with opioid treatment laws and regulations, health information exchange (HIE), behavioral health/substance use disorder law issues, data breaches and OCR investigations, as well as clinical research compliance and contracting. Melissa regularly speaks in local and national forums on these topics and has been active in state and federal policy making on data privacy and HIE issues.
Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America© in Health Care Law, Melissa assists her clients, which range from innovative start-up companies to large healthcare organizations and health plans, in structuring real world policies, programs and agreements to ensure that their healthcare practices are compliant with state and federal laws. Phoenix Business Journal honored her as one of its 2021 Rising Stars in Law.
Susan Russo
Secretary
Susan Russo is the Chief Standards and Compliance Officer at Community Bridges, Inc. (CBI), a behavioral health provider across the full continuum of care. In her role, she leads the strategic efforts of CBI in developing, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating an organization-wide framework in quality, population health, compliance, and accreditation.
Prior to joining CBI, Susan was an in-house attorney at the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona’s state Medicaid agency. Her work included drafting language for contracts with health plans, supporting contract oversight, reviewing and advising on new state and federal laws, and representing AHCCCS in administrative hearings and settlement discussions. She has experience in government reimbursement, electronic health records, whistleblower investigations, and health care risk adjustment. Susan has also been a compliance consultant in healthcare payer disputes and investigations and clerked on the Arizona Court of Appeals.
Ben Runkle
Treasurer
brunkle@gblaw.com | 602-256-4412
Ben is a partner at the law firm of Gammage & Burnham where he represents healthcare providers and organizations in a variety of matters. His experience includes representation of behavioral health providers, physicians, dentists, and other healthcare professionals in government investigations and enforcement actions, provider-payor disputes, imposition of civil penalties and assessments, overpayment and recoupment matters, and service authorization denials. Prior to joining Gammage & Burnham, Ben served the State of Arizona as an Assistant Attorney General prosecuting fraud and assisting the Division of Developmental Disabilities, and later, as Associate General Counsel for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System.
Kellie Manders
Co-Vice President – Director of Website and Marketing
Kellie Manders serves as the Director of Compliance and Privacy Officer for Atlas Healthcare Partners. Atlas specializes in the development and management of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) in partnership with health systems and physicians. In this role, Kellie oversees and manages the privacy program including ensuring all employees understand and comply with all state and federal regulations, contractual requirements, and policies and procedures.
Previously, she was the Lead Director of Compliance for Mercy Care, an Aetna/CVS Health Company administered Medicaid plan in Arizona, overseeing all lines of business (ACC, ALTCS, DDD, RBHA, DCS/CHP). Kellie managed the Mercy Care Compliance team and was responsible for promoting and enforcing compliance with state/federal laws and regulations and related-company policies affecting Mercy Care and encouraging high business standards in order to achieve organization objectives.
Kellie graduated with her Juris Doctorate from the Sandra Day O’ Connor College of Law, Arizona State University and holds certificates in Health Law as well as Genomics & Biotechnology Law. Kellie also holds a double Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Colorado.
Claudia Stedman
Co-Vice President – Director of Website and Marketing
cstedman@swlaw.com | 602-382-6912
Claudia Stedman is an associate at Snell & Wilmer, LLP where her practice is focused in healthcare compliance and regulatory matters, litigation, and transactions. Claudia has experience in Medicare and Medicaid enrollment and compliance, Stark and Anti-Kickback compliance and risk-management, HIPAA compliance, and False Claims Act compliance. Claudia represents providers in malpractice professional licensing board matters. In her regulatory practice, Claudia works with state and federal agencies to advise clients on how to respond to government investigations, conduct internal audits, structure internal compliance plans, and how to appropriately license healthcare entities to comply with state and federal law.
Claudia also drafts and negotiates various types of healthcare contracts on behalf of individual providers and healthcare entities. In the field of telehealth, Claudia has assisted providers and health care practices in complying with intra-state and cross-state licensing requirements.
Claudia received her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Karen Owens
Co-Vice President – Programming
kowens@cblawyers.com | 602-381-5463
Karen Owens is a partner in the Phoenix law firm of Coppersmith Brockelman, PLC. Karen represents health care systems, hospitals, clinics, and other providers and managed care organizations in matters of quality management, medical staff/physician credentialing and peer review, medical staff structures, bylaws and confidentiality, as well as National Practitioner Data Bank, state professional board and other government reporting. She regularly assists health care providers with state licensure and Medicare certification issues, EMTALA compliance, and many other regulatory matters touching clinical operations. Karen has substantial experience handling contested matters before administrative bodies including hospital, surgery center and managed care peer review panels, Medicare QIOs and state professional boards.
Lauren Weinzweig
Co-Vice President – Programming
Lauren@nelsonlawsolutions.com | 602-456-9004
Lauren Weinzweig is a partner at The Nelson Law Group, PLLC where she assists health care facilities, medical groups and other health care practitioners address many of the operational, regulatory and transactional issues facing the health care industry. Her practice has an emphasis on health care transactions, compliance with fraud and abuse laws, professional board investigation defense and health information privacy. She has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America for Health Care Law since 2015 and has been honored to serve as a member of the Board of the Arizona Society of Healthcare Attorneys since 2013. When not working, Lauren enjoys spending time with her family and dogs in Munds Park, Arizona.
Flynn Carey
Board Member
flynn@mscclaw.com | 602-358-0294
Flynn Carey is a founder and partner at Mitchell Stein Carey Chapman, PC. Flynn Carey’s practice focuses on the defense of licensed professionals, criminal defense, school discipline, and Title IX litigation. Flynn is one of only two attorneys recognized by the State Bar of Arizona as a Certified Specialist in Administrative Law. Flynn appears before the majority of Arizona licensing and regulatory boards, including all of the healthcare boards, and also works often at the intersection of criminal defense and administrative law.
Erica Erman
Board Member
eerman@dickinsonwright.com | 602-889-5342
Erica Erman is an attorney at Dickinson Wright PLLC practicing health care law with a particular emphasis on behavioral health care law. Her work includes handling administrative hearings, counseling clients with issues related to HIPAA compliance, Stark and AKS, state licensing, contract drafting, and health care business transactions. Erica has experience in litigating both state and federal False Claims Act cases, has dealt extensively with the Parity Act and psychiatric urgent care, and has written multiple articles on emergent case law regarding parity. She was named a Rising Star in 2021 by The Phoenix Business Journal. Prior to joining Dickinson Wright, she clerked for the Hon. Robert M. Brutinel of the Arizona Supreme Court.
Chelsea Gulinson
Board Member
chelsea@milliganlawless.com | 602-792-3520
Chelsea Gulinson is a litigation and health care associate at Milligan Lawless, P.C. As an associate, Chelsea’s practice focuses on obtaining favorable and cost-effective solutions for clients engaged in complex commercial and civil litigation. She also focuses her practicing on representing healthcare organizations, physicians, and other providers in a wide range of matters, including complex commercial litigation, compliance and regulatory investigations, healthcare fraud and abuse, and employment matters in court and arbitration proceedings. She advises clients on compliance with federal and state privacy law and license requirements. She also represents clients before state and federal agencies to resolve health care, compliance, investigation, and employment-related disputes.
Nick Meza
Board Member
nicholas.meza@quarles.com | 602-229-5439
Nick Meza focuses his practice on regulatory compliance and transactional counsel to healthcare businesses, including retail, independent, mail-order, specialty, and long-term care pharmacies, pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs), pharmacy hubs, wholesale drug distributors, drug and device manufacturers, hospitals, physician groups, and integrated behavioral health practices. Nick has been recognized as a Southwest Super Lawyers® Rising Star in Healthcare since 2018 and recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® Ones to Watch category in 2021 and 2022. Before attending law school, Nick obtained a master’s degree in public health, policy and administration and worked at a local community health center supporting multiple cancer prevention programs. Prior to joining Quarles & Brady LLP, Nick served as a Judicial Extern for the Honorable David K. Duncan in the United States District Court, District of Arizona. Nick was also a legal intern at PetSmart, Inc. and the Arizona State University Office of General Counsel.
Miranda Preston
Board Member
miranda@milliganlawless.com | 602-792-3511
As a shareholder of Milligan Lawless, P.C., Miranda’s practice focuses on health care law and business transactions. She guides companies and individuals in compliance with a wide variety of health care laws and regulations, including the Stark Law, federal and state Anti-Kickback Statutes, the False Claims Act, the Anti-Markup Rule, HIPAA and state privacy laws, and compliance with CMS billing rules. Miranda also represents buyers and sellers in the sale or purchase of business entities, and assists with regulatory issues related to health care transactions. She drafts policies and procedures related to compliance, privacy, telemedicine, and other health care business activities. Miranda also serves as senior counsel in a variety of M&A transactions, including those involving the purchase of physician organizations by private equity-backed companies.
Marki Stewart
Board Member
MStewart@cblawyers.com | 602-381-5496
Marki Stewart assists hospitals, physician groups, telemedicine providers, and other health care organizations in a variety of business and regulatory issues, including the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, HIPAA compliance, breach reporting, value-based reimbursement issues, medical practice acquisitions, Arizona Department of Health Services licensing issues, AHCCCS policies and payment disputes, and hospital-physician joint ventures.
Marki has a special focus and interest in telemedicine, including licensing, reimbursement, credentialing, and security issues. She has represented various health care providers before regulatory boards and bodies, including the Arizona Medical Board, health insurance disciplinary committees, and the Office for Civil Rights. She has also conducted hearings before government agencies.
Marki also has experience drafting a variety of policies, procedures, and agreements for health care organizations, including hospital recruitment agreements, HIPAA business associate agreements, employment agreements, operating agreements, and medical director agreements.
Greg Harris
Board Member Emeritus
greg@aiken-law.com | 602-741-7897
Greg’s practice includes administrative and regulatory matters. After retiring from Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP in 2022, Greg is now of counsel at the Aiken Law Firm working principally for the Donor Network of Arizona. Greg gained considerable experience with agency practices and administrative matters almost from the start of his legal practice. He worked at a variety of state and federal agencies including the Arizona Attorney General, the Arizona Department of Insurance and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. In addition to his client work, Greg has served on two state licensing boards, the board of directors of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing and as a commissioner on the Commission of Massage Therapy Accreditation. Greg also served as an adjunct professor at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU where he taught state administrative law and government relations. Greg received his J.D. from and a B.A. in political science from Arizona State University.
Barry Mitchell
Board Member Emeritus
barry@mitchellsteincarey.com | 602-358-0293
Barry Mitchell is a 30-year trial lawyer focusing on criminal, regulatory, and administrative cases. Barry is particularly skilled in defending cases with an intersection between criminal and regulatory/administrative issues. He has represented hundreds of licensed professionals and entities facing matters ranging from domestic violence to money laundering. He has also handled internal investigation and compliance issues for organizations ranging from small companies and practice groups to Fortune 100 corporations. Before starting Mitchell | Stein | Carey | Chapman, Barry practiced for 22 years at Gallagher & Kennedy, P.A., and was a partner in its Criminal Law and Regulatory Enforcement Group
Jim Taylor
Board Member Emeritus
Jim@milliganlawless.com | 602-792-3503
James R. Taylor is a Shareholder in the Phoenix law firm of Milligan Lawless, P.C. Mr. Taylor concentrates his practice in the area of health care law with an emphasis on transactional, compliance and reimbursement issues. His representation includes: analyzing relationships among health care providers to determine compliance with fraud and abuse and antitrust laws; organizing horizontal and vertical health care ventures; providing guidance to providers on matters relating to internal investigation and reporting; and drafting a variety of contracts, including provider agreements, management contracts, joint venture documents and real estate agreements.