2025 HCPF Hospital Transformation Program Learning Symposium Bios

The 2025 Hospital Transformation Program Learning Symposium

Melissa Gillespie, Social Determinants of Health Systems Account Manager

As the Social Determinants of Health Account Manager, Melissa serves as the lead for OeHI’s Colorado Social Health Information Exchange and related initiatives: Provider Directory, Community Resource Inventory, and the Regional SHIE Proof of Concepts Grant Program. She is passionate about health equity and leveraging technology to streamline workflows, reduce administrative burden, and improve people’s access to whole-person care. Prior to this role, she served as the Colorado Social Health Information Exchanges Social Determinants of Health Business Analyst and spent nine years working at a case management agency supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Goshen College.

Laura Cooley, PhD, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Patient Experience
Laura Cooley, PhD, is a leader in advancing value-based care strategies that elevate patient-reported experiences and outcomes. As Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Patient Experience, she is dedicated to improving healthcare delivery through evidence-based research and the implementation of best practices that support patient engagement and enhance care quality. Her work advocates for meaningful improvements in safety, quality, and value within healthcare organizations.
Previously, Dr. Cooley served as an executive lead for The Academy of Communication in Healthcare, where she partnered with C-suite leaders to develop and execute patient experience strategies that drive measurable improvements. She led initiatives focused on enhancing communication skills, relationship-centered care, and aligning patient experience programs with organizational goals, ultimately fostering better outcomes and compliance with value-based care standards.
As a recognized expert in patient experience, Dr. Cooley provides consultative support and frequently speaks at high-profile healthcare conferences, sharing insights on integrating patient engagement and patient experience strategies to enhance organizational performance. She is also the co-editor of Communication Rx: Transforming Healthcare through Communication and Relationships, part of the McGraw-Hill Professional Series, which is widely utilized by healthcare leaders seeking to improve care through better communication.
In her leadership role at the Journal of Patient Experience, Dr. Cooley guides a team committed to publishing impactful content that supports healthcare professionals in advancing humanistic care, quality improvement, and value-based care outcomes.

Kellee Beckworth is a Sr. Project Manager who leads the vision to expand Medicaid clinical quality interventions through the Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) at UCHealth. She enjoys building relationships among our community partners while supporting the people who directly impact our patients’ lives.  
Previously, she was a Clinical Project Manager at Colorado Access supporting the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) Program in Aurora, CO. Originally she was a native Texan, prior to her time in Colorado, who worked at UT Southwestern Medical Center as a Project Manager for the 1115 Waiver better known as Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program in Dallas, TX. Prior to her time dedicated to the Medicaid population, she was a Manager of Clinic Operations, Divisions of Geriatric Medicine and Palliative Care at Baylor Scott & White Health in Temple, TX. Moreover, Kellee holds a Masters’ in Business Administration from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, TX. She has achieved several certifications consisting of the following: 
•    Project Management Professional (PMP) through Project Management Institute (PMI)
•    Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) through American Society for Quality (ASQ)
•    Fellowship of Academic Medical Practice Executive (FACMPE) through Medical Group Management Association (MGMA)
Furthermore, Kellee finds great joy in volunteering at her church as a way to give back to her community. She finds immense joy in running, and exploring the outdoors with her husband and two daughters. She also has a passion for baking in which she gets to share with loved ones.

Tina Slee, MPH, CPHQ, CSSBB, FNAHQ, FACHE

Tina Slee, senior director of clinical quality for the UCHealth Southern Region, is a seasoned healthcare professional with 30 years of experience in clinical research, quality, patient safety, and value-based programs. From 2012 to 2015, she served as the Delivery System Reform Incentive Pool (DSRIP) Program Manager in Sacramento, California, where she directed participation in an 1115a Medicaid waiver focusing on Accountable Care Act readiness, population health registry development, healthcare innovation, and primary care redesign. Her leadership facilitated the receipt of $150.3 million in pay-for-performance funds at UC Davis Medical Center over the 5-year waiver program and earned Patient-centered Medical Home recognition across 18 ambulatory clinics.

Ms. Slee has also overseen several multi-year, multi-site randomized controlled trials aimed at improving patient activation in ambulatory care, with clinical focuses including depression screening, colorectal screening in minority populations, and pain management in advanced cancer patients. Her work spans various locations and performance sites, including university-affiliated clinics, VA health systems, Kaiser Permanente, and Federally Qualified Health Clinics.  Over her career, she has co-authored 32 peer-reviewed publications and is a fellow of the National Association of Healthcare Quality and the American College of Healthcare Executives.  Ms. Slee graduated from the University of Kansas in 1990 with a BS in Journalism and the University of Michigan in 1995 with an MPH in Public Health Policy and Administration.

Carolyn J. Swenson MSPH, MSN, RN
Carolyn Swenson provides consultation, training, and coaching on substance use and suicide prevention, and motivational interviewing. She completed master’s degrees in nursing and public health and is a certified Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) suicide prevention trainer. Her past work includes perinatal and pediatric nursing; public health nursing with migrant farmworkers and on the Navajo reservation, and refugee relief work in Sudan; epidemiology research; and quality improvement with clinics, hospitals, and public health departments. Born and raised in Minnesota, she now resides in Denver, Colorado. 

Matt Haynes

Considered a special ops unit within the Department, the Special Financing Division (SFD) is tasked with the mission of saving Colorado tax payers money while serving those in need. Notably, we assign more than $2 billion per year in federal funds to safety net providers without spending additional state general funds. Safety net providers benefitting from the SFD include:
·       Hospitals
·       Federally Qualified Health Centers
·       School districts
·       Nursing facilities
·       And more

Plus, we negotiate grant programs to improve access to care for low-income Coloradans who are not eligible for Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program). Grant programs we manage include:
·       Colorado Indigent Care Program
·       Primary Care Fund
·       Colorado Dental Health Care Program for Low Income Seniors
·       And more

As Special Finance Projects Manager, Matt leads efforts to bring value-based purchasing principles to supplemental reimbursement and improve quality of care. He oversees the Hospital Transformation Program (HTP), Hospital Quality Incentive Payment (HQIP) and the Nursing Facility Pay-for-Performance programs. Matt has served the people of Colorado for over 16 years. Matt has master’s degrees in public policy (MPP) and in Conflict Resolution (MA) as well as holding bachelor’s degrees in Economics (BS) and Business (BA). When not working Matt enjoys listening and playing music, and spending time active outdoors with his wife and son.