MHA Workforce Summit 2025

• Steve Walsh, President & CEO, Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association
• Michael J. Dandorph, President & CEO, Tufts Medicine

9:15 a.m. Brief Address: Workforce Commitments in the Face of Federal Challenges 

• Lauren Jones, Secretary, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development 

9:35 a.m. Keynote Presentation: Navigating Cultural Flashpoints in the Workplace

• Dawn Solowey, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw
• Kristin McGurn, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw
• Ramona Nichols, Vice President, Employee and Labor Relations, Mass General Brigham

10:15 a.m. From Insight to Action: Implementing Solutions for Cultural Flashpoints

• Dawn Solowey, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw
• Ramona Nichols, Vice President, Employee and Labor Relations, Mass General Brigham
• Ben Hoerner, Associate General Counsel, Boston Children’s Hospital
• Moderator: Kristin McGurn, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw

10:45 a.m. Networking Break

11:00 a.m. Resilience in Action: Nurturing Teams Through Uncertainty and Change

• Jenella Coutts, Human Resources Project Administrator, South Shore Health
• Sucheta Doshi, Chief Wellbeing Officer, Boston VA System
• Lauren Healey, Director, Human Resources, Encompass New England
• Chloe Slocum, M.D., Director of Health Policy, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
• Moderator: Lauren DeSimon, Sr. VP & Chief Human Resources Officer, Southcoast Health

12:00 p.m. Lunch with breakout tables

1 p.m. Bridging Policy and Practice: How the Nursing Council for Workforce Sustainability is Transforming Nursing Workforce Planning in Massachusetts

• Jay Prosser, R.N., Executive Director, Nursing Council for Workforce Sustainability, ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School

1:30 p.m. The Talent Pipeline: Building Tomorrow’s Healthcare Workforce

• Jaime Cesnickas-Doane, R.N., Director of Nursing Professional Development, UMass Memorial Medical Center 
• Kelly Aiken, Director of Workforce Development and Planning, UMass Memorial Health
• Tammy B. Retalic, R.N., Executive Vice President, Lunder CareForce Institute, Hebrew SeniorLife
• Joanne Pokaski, AVP Workforce Planning and Development, Beth Israel Lahey Health
• Moderator: Puneet Freibott, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health

2:15 p.m. Cultivating Culture: Creating Environments Where Teams Thrive

• Michelle O’Rourke, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer, UMass Memorial
• Liz Smith, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer, Franciscan Children’s
• Jackie Somerville, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer Southcoast Health
• Joanne Miller, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer, Baystate Health
• Moderator: Nancy Gaden, R.N., Chief Nursing Officer, Boston Medical Center

3:00 p.m. Closing Remarks and Adjourn