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President & Chief Executive Officer
Antony Sheehan is a dedicated healthcare leader with more than 25 years of strategic, managerial and clinical experience in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Since joining Aspire Indiana Health in September 2023, Antony has brought a clear vision and steadfast commitment to advancing integrated healthcare services for communities in need, and in so doing, he has demonstrated a commitment to building strong partnerships.
Before Aspire, Antony led a community healthcare organization in Massachusetts, where he championed innovative models of care, achieving designations as both a federal Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) and a Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) by the State of Massachusetts. His leadership consistently focused on enhancing access, equity and quality outcomes for diverse populations.
Antony’s educational foundation includes a bachelor’s degree in public health education, a master’s degree in philosophy with a focus on patient advocacy, and an honorary doctorate in healthcare policy. He also holds a registered nurse qualification and a postgraduate diploma in health services management In addition, Antony completed a year-long prestigious post-graduate Fellowship at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge Massachusetts. These qualifications and experiences reflect his deep understanding of care delivery and health systems management.
Originally from the United Kingdom, Antony’s career began as a specialist nurse working in the field of addiction. He subsequently transitioned into senior public service roles, including working as a Civil Servant throughout the years of the Blair administration to spearhead transformative national initiatives in the fields of – services for older people, mental health, maternity care, services for disabled persons and prison healthcare.
Antony’s healthcare experience spans several executive roles, including as President and CEO in England’s National Health Service, where he led services for over 1.2 million people, and leadership positions at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare in Memphis, Tenn. In each role, he has consistently championed integrated care approaches, workforce development and innovation to improve health outcomes and community well-being.
Reflecting on his role at Aspire, Antony shares: “It is a privilege to work alongside such a dedicated and talented team. Together, we are building a future where integrated health and human services are accessible, equitable and impactful for all."
Antony’s leadership is defined by his belief in collaboration, compassion and a relentless pursuit of excellence in service to others.
Executive Vice President / Chief Transformation Officer
Jim Skeel earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1991 from Ball State University (BSU) in Muncie, Indiana, and published the results of a research project in the Journal of Social Psychology. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology from BSU in 1993, while he worked as a graduate assistant. As a graduate assistant, he taught experimental psychology laboratory classes. Upon graduation, he accepted a position with BSU and was employed by the Counseling and Psychological Services department. He worked for about four months as a research assistant, presenter and trainer for a grant project. Jim, along with two staff psychologists, trained Kuwaiti University Social Workers how to provide mental health services for returning troops, prisoners of war, and released political prisoners from the Iraq invasion of Kuwait.
In 1993, Jim began clinical work at Charter Beacon Behavioral Health Systems in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He worked primarily in Charter’s outpatient offices providing counseling to all populations, while also coordinating intensive outpatient programs and an alternative education program for children and adolescents. He worked very closely with community partners in juvenile probation, schools, child protective services, domestic violence shelters, and child abuse advocacy agencies. While working in northern Indiana, he began involvement in boards of various community agencies and associations and was an instructor for Ivy Tech, an Indiana community college.
Jim has been with Aspire Indiana since 1999, and has held the positions of Child Team Manager, Clinical Director of Outpatient Services, and Quality Improvement Director and Senior Director, Performance and Outcomes. He provided direct oversight and leadership within the organization to the child and adult clinical service units, information systems department, medical records department, electronic medical records team, utilization review department, clinical training, and quality improvement.
He has also been responsible for the development and maintenance of community relationships, contract relationships with managed care companies, insurance companies, accreditation bodies, and state government entities. He assisted the organization in a corporate merger to form Aspire Indiana through leadership and involvement in a variety of work teams designed to align clinical and support functions within the merged company. Jim served on numerous boards and committees for local and statewide organizations and associations, as well as most of Aspire's internal committees and work teams.
As the CIO, Jim will ensure the comprehensive collection, integration and effective utilization of the organization’s performance and clinical outcome data to promote Aspire’s mission, vision and strategic priorities. Ensure the provision of the necessary information to demonstrate the organization’s effectiveness in meeting internal and external healthcare targets, metrics, and benchmarks in order to demonstrate Aspire’s effectiveness within the healthcare system. Jim provides guidance and leadership within the organization to determine performance outcome targets and collaborates with Aspire’s leaders to develop organizational strategies, system adjustments and workflow to improve the health of our consumers.
Under the direction of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), he works collaboratively with the organization's leaders to ensure accreditation standards and compliance with the regulatory and statutory requirements are met. This position assists Aspire’s organizational leadership to develop, implement and refine systems of operations to ensure the compliant and ethical operations of our programs and services.
Jim will be responsible for providing strategy and functional oversight to the continuous quality improvement of services, clinical documentation and developing and maintaining a range of evaluation and reporting systems to guide Aspire’s Quality Improvement Program. He will also provide program and provider performance data to Aspire leadership and facilitate all continuous quality improvement/performance activities for clinical processes. This is accomplished with oversight of Electronic Medical Records, Quality Improvement, Utilization Management and the Compliance Program.
Chief Medical Officer
As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jonathan Butler oversees all of Aspire Indiana Health's primary care operations at its Central Indiana clinics and other facilities.
Butler directs the supervision of medical practitioners providing direct care and give clinical/administrative support to Aspire’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in Marion, Hamilton, Madison and Boone counties. He works with the leadership team in supporting the mission of Aspire to provide fully integrated medical, psychiatric and addiction care to patients.
Dr. Butler joined Aspire in July 2020 with a deep background in healthcare administration and innovation. Immediately prior he held the position of Regional Medical Director of Limestone Health, which runs methadone maintenance programs in Lafayette and Bloomington, Ind.
Previously Butler held roles as a direct care or staff physician, chief medical officer and medical director. He also was an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development, specializing in addictions and counseling.
Butler earned his bachelor’s degree in inorganic chemistry from David Lipscomb University and his medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, serving his residency at St. Francis Hospital in Memphis. He also has a master's degree in education from Peabody College.
He is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Addiction Medicine, and is a member of the American Academy of Family Practice and the American Society of Addiction Medicine.
Chief Financial Officer
Tim brings a wealth of more than 30 years of broad experience in healthcare financial and administrative leadership roles. Prior to arriving at Aspire, Tim served as CFO of Breckinridge Health, Inc., a critical access hospital in Hardinsburg, Ky., where he helped lead a turnaround, restructuring physician clinics, implementing a 340b program, and other revenue generating/cost saving measures.
Facing near bankruptcy, Breckinridge Health transformed into a sustainable organization. Tim has also held executive roles with University of Louisville Physicians, Inc.; Jewish Hospital and St. Mary’s HealthCare; Kramer and Associates, Alliant Management Services, (a hospital management firm), and Lafayette Home Hospital. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Valparaiso University and an MBA/Master in Strategic Finance from Indiana University Southeast.
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Tim and his wife Charlotte love spending time with their five grandchildren. Exercising and reading occupy Tim’s free time; he is also an active member of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Westfield, Indiana.
Chief Culture & Health Equity Officer
Born and raised in Bloomington (Go Hoosiers!), Dr. Gina Forrest is passionate about making Indiana a healthier, more inclusive and welcoming place for everyone.
Currently, Dr. Gina serves as the Chief Culture & Health Equity Officer at Aspire Indiana Health, where she is dedicated to fostering an inclusive organizational culture, reducing health inequities in the communities we serve, and acting as a resource, mentor and leader for the entire team.
Having earned a Master of Public Health and a PhD in Health Behavior (with a minor in Nonprofit Management and research focus on Health Inequities), Dr. Gina has made learning and teaching a big part of her life’s work. Lucky for her — and her students — she gets to share her knowledge each semester at Indiana University’s School of Public Health. Whether it’s Community Health, Human Sexuality, Healthcare in Diverse Communities, or Public Health Administration (and more!), Dr. Gina is always ready to inspire the next generation.
Before joining Aspire, Dr. Gina was the Chief Diversity Officer at the Indiana Supreme Court, where she shaped inclusive environments in the judiciary. Her resume also includes roles across the nonprofit, for-profit and academia sectors. When she’s not transforming healthcare, Dr. Gina volunteers with various community organizations and serves as a mentor to college students. She’s also a proud mom to two grown sons (though she’s not a fan of the empty-nest life!).
And for fun? Dr. Gina is channeling her creativity into perfecting her own skincare line — think hair oils, lip balm and body scrub — while working on a few more certifications. She’s always up to something new and exciting!
Dr. Gina is a proud member of the following organizations:
Chief Operations Officer - Integrated Services
Dr. Jody Horstman is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, HSPP, and Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor (LCAC.) Dr. Horstman joined Aspire in March of 2012 and has worked in the Indiana community mental health system since 1990.
Dr. Horstman has extensive experience working in collaboration with family- and youth-serving organizations in the development and implementation of programs, as well as substance use treatment programs. Dr. Horstman worked closely with Indiana’s Department of Child Services (DCS) in implementing the DCS/CMHC service contract. She has brought her interest and knowledge of systems to her role at Aspire in the integration of primary medical care and behavioral health services.
Dr. Horstman also has extensive experience in disaster mental health, having served with the American Red Cross in New York following 9/11, as part of the Indiana Task Force that assisted Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina and most recently worked in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. She is a member of Indiana’s State Disaster Mental Health Team and a trainer of Psychological First Aid (PFA). Her experiences led her to develop a greater appreciation and interest in resilience and well-being, leading her to work for the past ten years with the international Episcopal Church Pension Group (CPG) as a consultant/contractor providing seminars on resilience, work-life balance, Psychological First Aid, and related topics. Dr. Horstman has also previously worked with the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation in presenting webinars related to the impact of disasters.
Dr. Jody Horstman was born and raised in southern California, currently residing in central Indiana. She has a long-standing passion for scuba diving and enjoys many outdoor activities.
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Christopher Lloyd is a veteran marketing leader, writer, thinker and doer. He took the best practices of a traditional journalism career and applied them to marketing outreach for a wide array of clients and industries before joining Aspire Indiana Health in 2019.
As the Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Lloyd is at the helm of all internal and external communications for Aspire Indiana Health and its subsidiary entities and is chief protector of the Aspire brand. Sitting on the Executive Leadership Team, he collaborates closely with the other members to shape and implement the organization's strategic vision.
When he joined the team, Aspire had no consistent record of outreach or advertising, so his first duty was to build and execute a comprehensive marketing strategy to fulfill unmet needs and discover unexplored opportunities.
This includes defining and enhancing the Aspire brand; exploring ways to communicate that add value to the marketplace; investing in new partnerships and philanthropic support; recruiting and retaining the best talent; promoting an inclusive culture; and attracting patients who can use the company’s ‘whole health’ services to improve their quality of life.
Lloyd conceived and launched advertising campaigns on both digital and legacy media platforms, bringing in thousands of new patients with a special focus on Hoosiers from challenged populations.
He began his career as a newspaper reporter and editor, including stints with the New York Times regional chain and The Indianapolis Star. His marketing career has crossed many industries, but he has found a special affinity with nonprofits, healthcare, accounting/financial advisors and human resources engagements. Lloyd holds a bachelor’s degree in cinema from New York University and a master’s from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
Lloyd serves on the marketing advisory committees of the Indiana Primary Health Care Association, Suburban Health Organization and the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers.
Lloyd continues to contribute to journalism as a movie critic for FilmYap.substack.com and FOX59. He lives in Carmel with his wife and two sons, and in his spare time enjoys reading, video games and tinkering with old cars. He also exercises, though he does not enjoy it.
For marketing/communications inquiries, please email christopher.lloyd@aspireindiana.org.
Vice President, Strategy & Business
As Vice President of Strategy & Business Development for Aspire Indiana Health, Kevin Sheward oversees the development and implementation of business strategy for the healthcare nonprofit.
He is responsible for guiding the creation of a unified strategy for Aspire and its subsidiaries, as well as developing and strengthening partnerships with stakeholders who are essential to the mission of making health and well-being a reality. He is a problem-solver at heart whose passion is helping people and organizations be their best selves.
Sheward has been with Aspire for eight years and previously held the title of Director of Grants, Resource & Fund Development. He holds a bachelor's degree in political science and an MBA, both from Anderson University.
Under Sheward’s leadership, Aspire has seen its grant funding skyrocket over the last several years, and added millions to the company’s bottom line through 340B compliance and other resource development initiatives. He has also helped launch significant fundraising campaigns and helped guide organizational growth across Aspire.
Sheward began his professional career with the Madison County Community Foundation,
guiding the foundation’s grants and scholarships programs. He was selected to participate in the Madison County Leadership Academy and named to Madison County’s “20 under 40” list. In 2020, Sheward was named as a fellow for the Geiger Gibson Health Policy Fellows Program through George Washington University.
He is a member of the Grant Professionals Association and in 2023 was presented with Anderson University’s Distinguished Young Alumni Award.
Sheward and his wife, Alex, reside in Fishers with their son, Charlie Thomas. Outside of work Kevin has served on a number of boards, church teams, and on the Anderson University Alumni Council, where he has served as president.
Senior Vice President - Integrated Health Services
Alex Welty is a healthcare executive with strengths in financial management, operations, strategic planning and physician engagement. He has a strong passion for integrated healthcare and the positive outcomes that are cultivated through healthcare providers’ collaboration. He recognizes the enormous difference in a patient’s care and overall well-being integrated healthcare can have.
As Senior Vice President of Integrated Health Services, Alex focuses on optimizing Aspire’s delivery service within the clinics, a direct reflection of Aspire’s goals of integrated and interdependent health services. He also aids in creating seamless, quality patient experiences. Additionally, he is experienced in reducing spending and implementing strategic initiatives to increase revenue as well as cultivating lasting relationships and improving employee engagement.
Welty earned his Bachelor of Social Work at Indiana University and continued his education at the University of Cincinnati, where he earned a Master of Health Administration. While in Ohio, he accrued an array of experience in healthcare, first as a Director-Specialty Practices Administrator and then as Director of Physician Services at CMH Regional Health System.
With his breadth of expertise, Welty influences Aspire’s integrated health services and helps to improve experiences for Aspire’s patients, people and partners.
Vice President, Information Systems & Technology
Demetrius Dillard, Sr. brings to Aspire a plethora of knowledge with more than 15 years of healthcare technology and management experience in healthcare. As Vice President of Information Systems and Technology, Dillard oversees all technical, communications and information systems infrastructure. This includes cloud-based server platforms, databases, and systems related to communication and networking. He provides direction, planning, evaluation, recommendation and policy development pertaining to all technology platforms and information security.
Dillard also acts to oversee and ensure integrity, security, accessibility and risk management of all organization-wide data, identify changes and trends in information systems and technology and interpret their potential impact to all stakeholders in the organization by providing the data necessary to make informed, collaborative decisions.
Dillard has undergraduate degrees from Purdue University with a focus on healthcare technology management and computer information technology, and a Master’s of Business Administration with a focus in Healthcare Administration from Western Governors University.
As a strategist, Dillard focuses on the best way to integrate technology that is both purposeful and fiscally responsible. Throughout his career he has been tasked with EHR integration, IS/IT security and infrastructure, HIPAA privacy and security compliance, medical practice transformation, strategic planning and both departmental and organizational governance.
Dillard currently serves on the Customer Advisory Board (CAB) for Medinformatix, an innovative healthcare information technology company. Dillard is also an active volunteer of the Indiana State cybersecurity committee as well as the Indiana Security & Privacy network (InSPN).
Vice President, Home & Community Based Services
Kelly Howe is the Vice President of Home & Community Based Services with Aspire Indiana. She began work with the Aspire in 1997 as a part-time residential coach shortly after graduation with her bachelors degree in Criminal Justice and Family Science from Anderson University. While Kelly was attending college, she never envisioned what is now her long-standing career in community mental health. Coming from a family who believes that community involvement is important, Kelly knew she would work in the human services field, but was surprised and pleased to discover her affinity for working in mental health.
In 2003, while she was the coordinator of the Elwood office and HIV/case management services, Kelly earned her Master of Science in Management degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. Kelly has served in management roles in various Aspire programs including Residential, Satellite Operations, Addictions, HIV, Community Based Services, Deaf Services, Youth & Family Services, and School Based services. Kelly is currently known as the expert on rehabilitative services for the agency.
Ms. Howe was raised in Kentucky with several generations of family surrounding her. Stories of her parents, grandparents, and other family who are all part of what makes Kelly such an accessible person to get to know. As a child, Kelly’s family taught her the values of honesty and respect. It's apparent when talking with her today that both of those things remain critically important to her. Kelly has spent her entire professional career at Aspire and feels blessed to work in an agency that feels like family and shares many of her same values.
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Kelly resides in Madison County with her husband, Craig, who is a teacher and her daughter, Emma. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading and traveling.
Vice President, Community Partnerships
dianna L. Huddleston, LCSW, is a veteran leader and advocate for the mental health and well-being of Hoosiers. She holds a Bachelors in Social Work and Women’s Studies from Ball State and a Masters in Social Work from Indiana University. dianna has over 30 years of experience as an administrator and clinician working in a variety of settings, including adolescent treatment centers, adolescent inpatient units, school-based services, outpatient services, and community-based services. She has worked in the Indiana Community Mental Health system since 1993 and joined Aspire in April 2014.
As Vice President of Community Partnerships, her primary focus is the identification, nurturing, formalizing, and maximization of community partnerships necessary to achieve Aspire’s mission and strategic goals. She advances Aspire’s presence in the community and develops a partner network that is built on mutual understanding, trust, and collaboration toward shared goals.
Before her time at Aspire, she served as the Director of Child and Adolescent Community Living Program at Wabash Valley Alliance, where she developed and implemented policy to create a System of Care for a Medicaid-funded residential program. Previously, she has held various roles such as social worker with the Salvation Army, adjunct instructor for Purdue University, field and camp director for the Girl Scouts, and directed development for the Lafayette Urban Ministry.
Huddleston has extensive experience partnering with community organizations to promote successful outcomes for those most in need. She received the 2012 Indiana Council Award for her outstanding work on the Department of Child Services Initiative Project that implemented a DCS/CMHC service contract to provide more comprehensive care to families in need. Huddleston participated in the Governor’s Commission for child fatality review for eight years. She has been the board chair for Partnership for Healthy Hamilton County Board Chair for the last three years. In 2011, she received the Cecilia Weber Advocate Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness for promoting progressive attitudes toward the treatment of the mentally ill.
She is also well versed in crisis prevention and has been a Certified Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Trainer since 1994. She received a certification in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida. She also serves on the Youth and Parent Engagement subcommittee of the Juvenile Justice and Cross System Youth Task Force which is designated under the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana (CISC). She was recently appointed by the Hamilton County Commissioners for a four year term on the Hamilton County Community Corrections Board.
Huddleston and her partner live in Boone County, and she enjoys camping, hiking, biking and quilting in her free time. She started using a lowercase “d” for her first name as a child and wound up with the nickname “little d.”
Vice President, Social Impact
As Vice President of Social Impact, Mike Keevin oversees a robust array of programs that address non-medical factors affecting a person’s overall health and wellbeing.
This includes housing, employment, legal services, as well as other social factors that impact health such as finances, education and access to food. In this role, he focuses on the integration of the social determinants of health service lines within the existing healthcare services that Aspire provides.
Keevin joined Aspire in 2011 after 20 years in the grocery industry, working with and eventually leading the social enterprise team. During his time, Keevin provided oversight for a vending company, an organic farm and a cleaning business that focused on hiring individuals with barriers.
Mike continued to grow in knowledge of the agency and in 2018 became the Director of Strategic Initiatives. In this role, he provided oversight for employment services, housing services, Medical Legal Partnership, and the growth of other areas of social determinants of health. His experience with housing includes overseeing direct service of grants as well as property management. Mike has experience working with HUD projects in both compliance and the financial side of the business.
Today, Aspire has positioned social determinants as one of its four core healthcare services along with behavioral health, primary medical care and addiction/recovery treatment.
“I’m grateful to Aspire for having the strategic foresight to build robust programs to address challenges that have a very real impact on Hoosiers’ health and happiness,” Keevin said.
“One of the things healthcare professionals have begun to better understand is that lack of sustainable housing and employment, or the presence of other environmental challenges, will eventually have a negative impact on our physical and mental health. Aspire is leading the way in tackling those challenges.”
Keevin received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Western Governors University, and is currently working on a master’s degree in accounting from Indiana Wesleyan University. He is credentialed as a Certified Occupancy Specialist (COS), Certified Manager of Housing (CMH), Certified Financial Specialist (CFS) and Tax Credit Specialist (TCS).
Keevin enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife, Jan, have two children and two grandchildren. He is active in their church and serves on the board for the Fire Rescue House of Madison County.
Vice President, Recovery Capital
Over the past decade, Darrell has led and impacted change in the addiction and recovery support services field at the state and national levels. He is the Founder of the Indiana Affiliation of Recovery Residences (INARR) and serves as the President of the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR). In 2017, Darrell was instrumental in the drafting and passing of legislation that placed Recovery Housing standards into Indiana Law. Darrell studied Public Relations, and Marketing at Purdue University. As an adult student at Indiana Wesleyan University, Darrell has earned a Bachelors of Science in Addictions Counseling and a Masters of Business Administration (MBA).
In 2016, Mental Health America of Indiana presented Darrell with the "Heroes for Recovery Consumer Advocate Award." In 2018, he was honored with the prestigious "Leadership Award" by the Indiana Housing & Community Development and the Indiana Affordable Housing Council.
In 2019 the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture asked Darrell to author a paper for "The Rural Community Action Guide." The RCAG has been distributed nationally to equip rural leaders with critical information from lessons learned from the frontlines of prevention, treatment, and recovery in rural America. In January 2020, Darrell was invited to the White House to attend ONDCP's launch of the Rural Community Action Guide and to meet with senior leaders.
Mitchell visits White House in fight against addiction.
In September 2022 The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced the winners of the first-ever behavioral health Recovery Innovation Challenge. The goal of the challenge was to identify innovations developed by peer-run or community-based organizations that advance recovery. SAMHSA received more than 3,000 submissions from organizations across the country. Under Darrell's leadership Progress House was the only Indiana organization and Recovery House in the country to win this distinguished award.
Darrell serves as Vice President of Recovery Communities with Aspire Indiana Health, overseeing the integration of recovery principles and practices across Aspire's healthcare system, including Substance Use Disorder resident and recovery facilities, medical, outpatient behavioral health, housing, and employment services. Darrell amplifies the voice of lived experience of the populations served by Aspire and within local, state, and national communities while also serving as the Executive Director of Progress House.
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Darrell and his wife Tracey live in Carmel, have two amazing adult children and two beautiful dogs.
Vice President, Service Access
Vanessa Pataky is Vice President of Service Access for Aspire Indiana Health, overseeing all access points where patients enter services. This includes primary medical care assessments, behavioral health intakes and crisis services.
Vanessa joined Aspire in 2018 as outpatient Clinical Manager in Hamilton County. In 2019 she accepted the role of Director of Youth and Family Home and Community Based Services, where she spearheaded Aspire’s renewed focus on Youth and Family services and partnership with the Department of Child Services. Vanessa then became the Senior Director of Service Access in June of 2022 and was promoted to Vice President 2 years later with our continued focus and priority on improving access to care.
Since obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Vanessa has dedicated her time to working with youth and family in a multitude of settings. From outpatient, home and community based, school based to the hospital setting, she has advocated for underserved populations and given them a voice. She obtained her master's degree in Social Work in 2008 and has been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 2011.
Vanessa has helped mentor the next generation of social workers as adjunct professor at both the Indiana University School of Social Work and the Butler University LMHC graduate program since 2015. She has served as the board chair for Healthier Hamilton County Systems of Care as well as the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers for Child and Adolescent Services. She continues her involvement with Indiana Council serving on the CCBHC/Mobile Crisis committee.
Vanessa was raised in California and moved to Indiana as a 6th-grader. She is very close with her family who still reside in California, along with Texas and Indiana. She currently lives in Boone County with her husband, Justin, a retired firefighter and current custom cabinet maker, their two children, Sophie and Conner, and their two dogs and a cat. As a family, they enjoy the winter when they get to ski together, hitting the slopes whenever they can. Vanessa also enjoys reading, traveling, movies and spending time with her large extended family.
Medical Director, Psychiatry
As Medical Director of Psychiatry for Aspire Indiana Health, Dr. Jerry Sheward provides oversight of behavioral health teams and practices in Anderson and in group home settings. He is a psychiatrist and veteran leader in behavioral healthcare in Indiana.
Sheward previously served with Aspire for 26 years in various roles, departing in 2016 as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer to accept a new position with the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. As Chief Medical Officer overseeing the state’s psychiatric hospitals, he worked to integrate their new NeuroDiagnostic Institute into the state-operated facility network, led the identification and implementation of a new state hospital wide electronic medical record system.
“The creation of the NeuroDiagnostic Institute is certainly one of the highpoints of my career. Working with architects, construction companies and experts from all of the state psychiatric hospitals was an opportunity to create a first-class facility for the treatment of Hoosiers with serious mental illnesses,” Sheward says.
For his work on the NDI, Sheward received the Hoosier Health Impact Award from FSSA Secretary Dr. Jennifer Sullivan in 2019.
He earned his bachelor’s in chemistry from Wabash College and his MD from Indiana University School of Medicine, serving his psychiatric residency at Indiana University Medical Center. Sheward is Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Senior Director, Quality
Dr. Michelle Baker is a veteran healthcare quality and compliance leader and innovator. As Senior Director of Quality, she oversees all regulatory and licensure requirements for Aspire Indiana Health. In addition, she provides leadership and direction on the development, implementation, evaluation and improvement of Aspire’s Quality processes, plans and functions.
Baker holds a doctorate in Curriculum Instruction and Media Technology and a masters degree in Mental Health Counseling, both from Indiana State University. Her bachelor’s degree in psychology is from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. She is certified in the state of Indiana as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, and prior to her work in healthcare administration had a decade of mental health counseling experience providing services to a diverse population.
She previously worked as a surveyor for The Joint Commission performing assessments and audits of behavioral healthcare organizations, and also worked with similar companies to obtain accreditation and certification. Baker also performed healthcare audits for the Indiana Department of Mental Health and Addiction. She has extensive experience working on compliance issues for the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Drug Enforcement Administration and state and national pharmacy boards. In addition, Baker served on the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers Quality Committee as a member, chairing the committee for one year.
Member, Health Care Compliance Association
Baker has served as adjunct faculty at ISU and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College for the last decade, and continues to hone her knowledge base and capacities as an effective instructor in face-to-face, online and hybrid teaching environments. Her doctoral work included a quantitative investigation of female learning styles.
Baker lives in Terre Haute, Ind., and spends most of her time with family and friends at her son’s sporting and academic events. She is a member of the Parent-Teacher Club at Saint Patrick School helping to plan and volunteer time in managing events for the children. She also enjoys reading, traveling, working out and keeping abreast on NASA adventures.
Senior Director, Human Resources
Gary Burris manages the Human Resources team and develops and leads HR strategies across Aspire Indiana Health. This includes talent management, employee development and relations, compensation and benefits administration, and regulatory compliance. He advises executive leadership on key organizational, management and human capital issues.
Burris also oversees the development, implementation and tracking of performance management processes and systems of the organization. And he is in charge of developing, maintaining and administering policies and procedures regarding employment and workplace practices in support of Aspire’s mission, vision, values and strategic priorities.
He has more than 15 years of experience in human resource management in retail and nonprofit organizations, focusing those teams on the execution of HR strategies that contribute to the achievement of key business results. Burris previously held positions with Aspire as Lead Generalist and Manager of Employee Relations.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, Burris began his career in retail management, where he learned the importance of collaboration, communication, teamwork and soft skills.
Burris lives in Indianapolis and enjoys spending time traveling the world with friends and taking care of his fur baby, Budreaux. He is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management.
Senior Director, Clinical Training & Development
Dr. Sarah Gonzalez is Senior Director of Clinical Training and Development at Aspire Indiana Health, joining the company in 2019. In this role she leads all training and development of employees from onboarding throughout the employee life cycle, including ongoing training and certification for clinical staff.
She also oversees Aspire’s internship program, including all levels of students from associates degrees to doctorate levels. Additionally, she serves as Lead Psychologist and training director for the Predoctoral internship program through the National Psychology Training Consortium (NPTC).
A Licensed Psychologist, Dr. Gonzalez earned her bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and her doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has been practicing psychology for over 20 years in various settings including community mental health centers, private practice, hospitals and schools. She has also taught graduate psychology courses at several neighboring universities.
She has developed and led internship programs at Community Mental Health Centers since 2008. Dr. Gonzalez especially enjoys providing clinical supervision to trainees obtaining their doctorate degree and engaging in post-doctoral training. Dr. Gonzalez is the team lead for Aspire’s Resilience and Emotional Support (REST) team and is a member of the District 5 REST Team, aiding in crisis response throughout central Indiana. She is also involved in the 988 coalition, serving as a group member on the Resources, Referrals, and Linkages team, helping to establish a database for 988 callers to obtain necessary care.
A native of Chicago, Dr. Gonzalez lived in Houston, Texas, before moving to Central Indiana. She resides in Westfield with her husband and two children.
Senior Director, Addictions Services
Macy Kootz is a strong treatment advocate and believes trauma-informed support, community responsiveness and connection along with access to resources are what is needed to make a difference for those who struggle with substance use disorders (SUD).
As Senior Director of Addictions Services, Macy provides operational leadership, direction and development of clinical functions, programs and services in the areas of substance use and addictions. Her primary responsibilities include: oversight of residential treatment and operations; effective collaboration with clinical leadership in regards to curriculum development, programming and delivery; and partnership in incorporating recovery supports in the continuum of care.
Kootz is a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) and received her master’s degree in mental health counseling from Boston College. Prior to graduate school, she received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Morehead State University, where she was a member of the George M Luckey Jr. Academic Honors Program and the women’s soccer team.
Since graduate school, Macy has worked in CMHCs as a therapist and leader for the community based mental health and addictions programs. Most recently, she served as a clinical leader for the SUD residential programs at Centerstone. Her primary responsibilities included clinical oversight, program development and establishing new programs as a result of community investment of opioid settlement dollars.
Macy also has five years of experience as a member of problem-solving court in Bartholomew County, and believes treatment courts are a vital solution in a society that has criminalized behaviors associated with severe mental illness and SUD.
Through her position as Senior Director of Addictions Services, Kootz influences all of Aspire’s substance use and addiction treatment continuum, ensuring Aspire approaches each individual from a “whole health” paradigm.
Senior Director, Nursing Services
As the Senior Director of Nursing, Donna Stealy leads the nursing teams across the entire Aspire Indiana Health organization. She is responsible for developing and implementing all nursing functions throughout Aspire including outpatient, group homes, inpatient and residential living settings. She also represents nursing in the collaboration and development of clinical programs across the Aspire organization.
Stealy is an experienced, accomplished nursing leader with a track record of more than 35 years of experience as a Registered Nurse and multiple management roles. Prior to joining the Aspire team, Stealy served in nursing leadership roles ranging from hospice to acute care hospitals.
Donna received her nursing degree from Little Company of Mary School of Nursing and her BSN from Lewis University. She holds certifications in Infection Prevention, Hospice and Palliative Care, and Healthcare Compliance.
She is passionate about nursing as a profession and a strong patient advocate. Stealy is always working to enhance the patient experience and care setting to promote excellent patient care and outcomes, while promoting a healthy work environment for all employees.
Stealy enjoys living in Central Indiana close to her family, especially her four grandchildren. She serves on the boards for nursing education at Anderson University, Ivy Tech and Cappella University.
Senior Director, Practice Management
As the Senior Director of Practice Management, Donna Tocco oversees Aspire Indiana Health’s practice strategies, covering multiple health centers and other locations in addition to the Contact Center.
Tocco has more than 20 years in healthcare administration and joined Aspire as the first practice manager at Aspire in 2017.
Prior to joining Aspire, she spent time as an interim executive leader responsible for the management in organizations across the country with significant deficiencies in clinical and financial operations. She is noted as a transformational leader with the ability to align goals, inspire teams to succeed, and brings a strong history of demonstrating a customer-focused approach to improving outcomes.
Over the course of her career, Tocco has had the opportunity to direct all patient access services in a statewide healthcare system including hospital, ambulatory services and call center operations. She was a key member of a team that coordinated the building of new hospitals and the transition of services involved with acquisitions and mergers.
Tocco is a member of the National Association of Healthcare Access Management, where she previously served as the President for the state chapter. She is also a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
She resides in Zionsville and has three adult children.
Controller
David Wildman, CPA, CGMA, Controller, was hired as the Accounting Supervisor in July 1995. David began his career at a pharmacy retailer as a summer intern before being promoted to Staff Accountant and later, General Accounting Supervisor. Upon purchase by a larger entity, he was hired as the Assistant Controller for an Indianapolis based vending and catering company. In 2009 David became the Controller for Aspire Indiana, Inc.
David is a graduate of Warren Central High School in Indianapolis and is a 1987 graduate of Indiana University, Indianapolis. He graduated with a BS in Business and a concentration in Accounting. David passed the Certified Public Accountant exam in 1988 and was certified in 1993. David is also a member of the 2005 graduating class of Leadership Hancock County. In April 2012, David became a CGMA, Chartered Global Management Accountant.
As Controller, David oversees the accounting, facilities management and transportation departments of Aspire Indiana. Utilizing Financial Edge software, David manages the General Accounting and Accounts Payable functions with the assistance of a team of four staff members. Aspire Indiana has a team of thirteen dedicated team members that oversees the facility management of twelve office buildings, as well as multiple residential buildings. Many of these offices were recently constructed or recently renovated. The transportation department, with its five staff members manages a fleet of over 40 vehicles used in the transportation of clients served by Aspire Indiana and the Facilities Department.
In his free time, David enjoys spending time with his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. He and his son own and operate a small hobby farm in Greenfield, Indiana. David is currently on the Board of Directors for the Hancock County 4-H Agricultural Association, Inc. With a strong commitment to serving youth, David has participated as a volunteer 4-H leader in both Marion and Hancock Counties and has over 38 years of experience.
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