Leadership
Heidi Baskfield
Executive Director
It all started with a college internship at Rock the Vote. “I caught the bug, I knew I was only going to do meaningful work that brought about social change going forward and that meant going to law school.” Getting her start as a young attorney defending children and youth with disabilities, Heidi has been championing the needs of kids with mental and behavioral health needs for over two decades. “I understood something very early on in my career: we don’t support youth and families with mental health needs, we penalize them. That understanding has been further re-enforced throughout my professional career.” Heidi worked as an attorney with both the Colorado Protection and Advocacy Agency for People with Disabilities but also with the federal government, as an attorney with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights.
Baskfield took her legal experience and blended it with politics and policy, serving as a legislative liaison to former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. “This experience was invaluable because this where I really learned how state government operates and what is required to bring about effective and long-term change.”
After serving under Governor Ritter, Baskfield left to head up government affairs for Children’s Hospital Colorado, a role that expanded over a decade where she ended up serving as the Vice President of Population Health and Advocacy. “It is hard to articulate the impact this experience in particular had on me. I was afforded the chance to work side by side with some our nation’s best and brightest when it comes to serving children and youth. Even then, where every second of every day is spent working to improve the lives of children and their families was a struggle to address the overwhelming needs of kids and families with mental health needs.”
Baskfield brings this unique collection of diverse experiences in law, policy, politics and healthcare to advance the work of Speak Our Minds. “This is a time like none other so far. We have captured the attention of not just the country, but the world. People understand this current crisis, is the issue of a generation. It feels daunting, but we have the solutions and we will advance them and bring about powerful change that ends this crisis, saving the lives of an entire generation of children and youth. Who wouldn’t want to do that? And don’t you want to join us?”
Julie Headley
Director, Partnerships and Operations
Julie began her career in radio sales, a fun fast-paced lifestyle. “I loved the art of helping my clients grow their businesses by utilizing advertising and media. However, several years into my career it started to feel very transactional, I knew something was missing. I wanted to continue my sales career but with more purpose.”
Headley found that magic combination at Children’s Hospital Colorado Foundation where for nearly two decades she worked with hundreds of corporations and executives to find mutually beneficial ways to partner together to help patients, families and their caregivers through philanthropy.
“I often reflect that I grew up at Children’s Colorado, my experience has shaped my values, my sense of empathy, and my unwavering drive to help children and their families.”
Julie played a crucial role in the ambitious campaign to build the new Children’s Hospital on Anschutz Campus, building the corporate partnerships program while recruiting, growing and leading a fundraising team to success. A genuine convener, she recognized the need to gather CEO’s and executives from all industries to advocate for Children’s amongst their peers. She created the Corporate Leadership Council which continues to collaborate, network and fundraise on behalf of the institution.
The opportunity to advocate for children’s health has been a constant in Julie’s career. “As I looked to my next chapter, I knew that I wanted to continue to affect change. After several years, I reconnected with Heidi whom I had known at Children’s Colorado and as they say, the rest is history. Her big vision, and unwavering spirit was something I wanted to be a part of. As a mom of two teens, I have seen the mental health crisis up close. It’s shaping their generation. Speak Our Minds will change the landscape and end the crisis and I will be there to make it happen. Who wouldn’t want to do that? And don’t you want to join us?”
Dr. Steve Davis
Board Director
Steve Davis, MD, has been president and CEO of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center since Nov. 22, 2021. He previously served six years as chief operating officer.
Dr. Davis was the driving force behind the medical center’s largest expansion ever, a $600 million Critical Care Building that opened in 2021 for patients with cancer, heart ailments, or other complex conditions. It also features a state-of-the-art emergency department, which serves residents of Cincinnati and surrounding neighborhoods.
Cincinnati Children’s is a $2.7 billion nonprofit with a workforce of 16,500, making it the region’s largest hospital system and second-largest employer. The 1.5 million patient encounters in fiscal 2020-21 benefited kids from all 50 states and 32 countries, including children with complex or rare disorders. For over a decade, Cincinnati Children’s has ranked among the Top 5 in U.S. News & World Report’s survey of Best Children’s Hospitals. Cincinnati Children’s also is among top recipients of pediatric research grants bestowed by the National Institutes of Health. Nearly one-third of the medical center’s employees are engaged in scientific research.
Before joining Cincinnati Children’s, Dr. Davis was chief operating officer of Hillcrest Hospital, which is part of the Cleveland Clinic system. Dr. Davis served the Cleveland Clinic in a variety of key positions from 1996 to 2015. A pediatric critical care physician, Dr. Davis came to Cincinnati Children’s in 2015 because he wants to change the world of healthcare – for children in Cincinnati and beyond. In 2021, Dr. Davis helped Cincinnati Children’s launch HealthVine – a network of pediatric care providers and organizations. It coordinates excellent, equitable, and value-based care and support services for about 135,000 children and their families across Southwest Ohio.
Amid the pandemic, Dr. Davis helped coordinate the response of local hospitals. As co-chair of the Regional COVID-19 Steering Committee (March 2020-December 2021) and co-chair of the Hamilton County Test and Protect COVID-19 Project, Dr. Davis helped create policies and procedures to ensure care for patients and safeguard hospital workers.
Also under the leadership of Dr. Davis, Cincinnati Children’s ramped up telehealth visits during the pandemic. Many clinical areas now offer telehealth appointments via the CincyKids Health Connect app. Intended for patients who don’t require an in-person visit, the app provides easier access to care for more kids. In January 2022, Dr. Davis became vice chair of an international network of more than 140 pediatric hospitals – the Children’s Hospitals’ Solutions for Patient Safety. The network’s efforts have saved more than 18,000 children from serious harm and trimmed an estimated $421.9 million in healthcare costs.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in 1984, Dr. Davis earned a medical degree in 1989 from the University of Vermont. He was a medical resident at Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital from 1989-92 and chief resident there from 1992-93. Dr. Davis completed a fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1996. In 2012, Dr. Davis received a master’s in medical management from the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he serves on the faculty and teaches leadership development. He earned a master’s in strategic leadership from Michigan State University in 2020.
Dr. Davis grew up in Revere, Mass., outside Boston. His wife, Denise, is a nurse practitioner. They have four children and two grandchildren.
ISA DIAZ
Board Director
Isa Diaz joined Acadia Healthcare in February 2019 and currently serves as Senior Vice President of Strategic Affairs. In this role, Mrs. Diaz is responsible for spearheading and developing long-term behavioral health partnerships with health systems and hospitals around the country to expand access to behavioral health services in local communities and enhance Acadia’s position as an industry leader. Under her leadership, Acadia has accelerated its joint ventures with premier health systems and more than doubled its partnership footprint, which will generate approximately 1,300 new beds over the next three years, a key growth driver which has positioned Acadia as the leader in behavioral health joint ventures.
Mrs. Diaz is a a seasoned healthcare executive who has 30 years of experience, including more than 20 years in the behavioral health industry, holding numerous leadership positions in both managed care and hospital organizations. Prior to joining Acadia, Mrs. Diaz worked for Universal Health Services, Inc.’s behavioral health division for 11 years, most recently serving as the division’s Vice President of Strategic Planning and Public Affairs. In this role she developed and grew UHS’s behavioral health integration product line, which was geared towards developing joint venture partnerships with health systems. Additionally, Mrs. Diaz was responsible for working through FTC challenges on two major M&A transactions, including the $3.1 billion dollar acquisition of Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. (PSI), the largest standalone operator of freestanding psychiatric facilities at the time with 94 facilities in 32 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. She also led the division’s federal and state government affairs activities in 34 states.
Prior to UHS, Mrs. Diaz was Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations for Ramsay Health Care, Inc., a publicly held psychiatric hospital company. During her tenure at RHCI, she played an integral role in public company road shows and the eventual sale of the company to Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. In addition, she spearheaded business development efforts, including the development of the Florida Youth Services product line from inception to over $40 million in revenues in a three-year period. Before joining RHCI, Mrs. Diaz was Vice President of Corporate Relations for Ramsay-HMO, Inc., a publicly held HMO in South Florida. RMO was sold to United HealthCare for approximately $500 million, representing a return on invested capital of more than 10 times. Mrs. Diaz was a key member of the management team that developed and implemented the strategy that led to successful statewide expansion and Ramsey-HMO becoming the leading and predominant HMO in the State of Florida.
Mrs. Diaz earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing and MBA in Healthcare Administration from the University of Miami in Florida, where she remains active in its alumni programs.
Jami Duffy
Board Director
Jami Duffy is a locally and nationally recognized thought leader and innovator in company culture, creative youth development, the global impact of artmaking, public policy advocacy, music ecosystems, and inclusive leadership. She is the longtime Executive Director of Youth on Record, a leading Creative Youth Development nonprofit organization in Colorado, and the first female Co-Manager of the Underground Music Showcase, Denver’s Largest Music Festival.
Jami joined Youth on Record as Executive Director in 2009 and has since provided the strategic vision and fundraising expertise that has led to consistent growth and national brand recognition for the organization. She spearheaded a $2M capital campaign to build YOR’s state-of-the-art Youth Media Studio in west Denver, and has grown the organization by 2,000+% during her tenure. Her strategic vision and “maverick” nonprofit leadership is pushing the boundaries for what’s possible in the sector. Most recently, Youth on Record purchased the Underground Music Showcase as a mission-aligned investment, and is currently incubating a music and entertainment company for social good.
Jami’s community and artistic work extends to her role as co-founder of a local advocacy organization, All in Denver, her appointment as a member of Denver’s Cultural Affairs Commission, and her work as a studio visual artist. In 2021 she was named one of Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 winners, and under her leadership, Youth on Record has twice been named one of the best places to work in Colorado.
Jami has participated on panels before the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Labor, the Downtown Denver Partnership, and the Music Policy Forum, among others, and is on a journey to advance equity in arts, music, education and workplaces. She was born and raised in Colorado, is a Political Science and Journalism Studies graduate of the University of Denver, and a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having served in Nicaragua from 2004-2006.
Dr. Leslie Hulvershorn
Board Director
Dr. Leslie Hulvershorn is a child and adolescent and addiction psychiatrist, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the IU School of Medicine, the largest medical school in the country and Director of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Riley Hospital for Children. Dr. Hulvershorn is an active researcher and clinician and has authored numerous publications on various topics in child psychiatry. She has received multiple grants to study the neurobiological basis of addiction risk in children.
She is the director for Indiana’s Department of Child Services Psychotropic Medication Consultation Program and serves as the consulting Medical Director for Indiana’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
Nick Lashutka
Board Director
Nick Lashutka joined the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (OCHA) as President & CEO in 2007 and has over 30 years of public policy experience working in the private sector and state government.
OCHA serves as the statewide advocacy leader for children focused on achieving the vision of making Ohio the best place for child health. The organization advocates in partnership with children’s hospitals and their patients, families, and communities for continuous child health improvement with a focus on bringing solutions to complex public policy challenges at both the state & federal levels.
In 2009, Nick was instrumental in the creation of Children’s Hospitals’ Solutions for Patient Safety (SPS), the largest pediatric patient/employee safety network in the world with over 140 member children’s hospitals. Nick has served as President of SPS since the network began. Achievements of SPS include over 23,000 children being spared serious harm and over $447 million in health care costs saved.
Nick is a 1990 graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia, where he studied both government and history. Nick and his wife, Megan, are the parents of four sons – Kuyper, Duke, Ike, and Drake – and live in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
Carrie Patterson
Board Director
Carrie Patterson serves as the Executive Director of MindUP™ | The Goldie Hawn Foundation. MindUP™ | The Goldie Hawn Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded to help children develop the knowledge and tools they need to manage stress, regulate emotions, and face the challenges of the 21st century with optimism, resilience and compassion.
Carrie leads the organization alongside the Founder & CEO in the areas of strategic planning, digital transformation, online training, fundraising, partnerships, and the operations of the organization.
Carrie has a long and extensive career specializing in non-profit and youth development organizations including the Director of Operations at the Tim Horton’s Children Foundation where she worked to provide over 18,000 kids each year with a positive and long-lasting camp experience. Carrie has brought her proven leadership, a strong track record of advocacy for children and youth around the world and strong business sense to her new role at MindUP™.
Carrie’s diverse experience with youth also includes serving on the Board of Directors for several non-profit organizations. Carrie is currently completing her MBA and was named one of Toronto’s Top 50 Women Leaders of 2022.
Beverly Razon
Board Director
Beverly Razon is a strategic leader that brings an independent voice, a unique perspective, and 10+ years of experience in reputation and relationship management to both corporate and non-profit boards. Since joining the COPIC leadership team in 2014, the company has grown its footprint 500%, tripled its customers, seen a 25% growth in total assets and maintained staff retention at 90%. Through this ambitious growth, Beverly has helped focus the company goals and band on its mission, internally and externally.
She built the Public Affairs department at COPIC which oversees the legislative and regulatory strategy across its regional market. In her 13 years with the company, she has grown the department from traditional government affairs to a wholistic external relations department; supporting company strategy, aligning corporate social responsibility efforts to elevate brand and purpose, strengthening community engagements and ROI, as well as establishing a more focused, proactive funding approach for COPIC’s Medical Foundation.
Convene, collaborate, coordinate, and communicate are the four “Cs” that Beverly activates to unify coalitions and build broad support to achieve successful outcomes. She attributes her legislative success to her ability to clarify and articulate complex subjects, build connections, and empower others toward common goals.
In addition to overseeing COPIC’s corporate political strategy across its markets, she also oversees the corporate social responsibility strategy, which encompasses its community engagement and oversight of its corporate foundation. She has supervised the implementation of measurable KPIs and development of goals for its corporate social responsibility operations. COPIC continues to proudly meet its total community investment pledge of 2% of its revenue into the communities it serves each year.
As a senior leader at COPIC Beverly presents strategies and updates to the board of directors quarterly and has experience in the strategic management process from identifying purpose to goal setting to development of accountability metrics to messaging and implementation. She received a master’s in business with an emphasis in strategic management which she has utilized to support plans that achieve growth while ensuring culture and staff retention. As a board director she has contributed to organizations experiencing restructuring, embarking on strategic planning, transitioning due to executive turnover, and improving processes for decision making and accountability.
Melissa Sachs
Board Director
Melissa Sachs is SVP, Communications at Link Logistics Real Estate, a position she assumed in 2021. In this role she is responsible for corporate reputation, brand equity and the company’s narrative across all audiences. She also serves as a strategic advisor to the company’s senior leadership on a variety of critical topics. Link Logistics is Blackstone’s largest portfolio company, and the leading U.S. logistics real estate company with more than six percent of U.S. GDP flowing through its portfolio of 550 million square feet.
Prior to joining Link, Melissa was vice president, head of Global Corporate Communications at Prologis. Melissa was responsible for the company’s reputation and visibility globally, leading strategic planning and execution of corporate and global external and internal communications initiatives. Previously, Melissa was vice president, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, at DCT Industrial Trust, where she built and led corporate communications, investor relations, marketing and branding. Prior to joining DCT, Melissa was the director of communications for Western Union’s Americas region. She spent more than five years with International Flavors & Fragrances in New York, where she managed executive communications, external communications and media relations globally. Melissa also worked for several boutique PR agencies earlier in her career.
Melissa received a Bachelor of Science in Communications (Broadcast Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The University of Miami and a Master of Science in Strategic Communication from Columbia University in New York. Melissa serves on the board for Special Olympics Colorado and is a member of the Arthur Page Society and CHIEF. She lives with her husband, Dan, and their two sporty sons in Marin County, California. Melissa and Dan spend most of their time running to watch the boys play in a multitude of games and tournaments, and trying to be outside as much as possible. Melissa’s motto: work to vacation.
Amy Wimpey Knight
Board Director
Amy Wimpey Knight is the president of Children’s Hospital Association (CHA), representing over 220 hospital organizations and pediatric programs dedicated to improving child health through innovation in policy and care delivery. CHA focuses on advancing advocacy at the federal level; setting the standards for quality and safety in pediatric care; generating the data and information to drive change; leveraging the purchasing power of its members; and creating opportunities for children’s hospitals to share and spread knowledge generated within and outside of our industry.
Knight oversees the organization’s quality and safety, data and analytics, member and advocacy communications, hospital/health system relations, education, child health advocacy, human resources and governance, and plays a key role in our public policy initiatives.
Prior to joining the Children’s Hospital Association in 2011, Knight was a partner and the director of children’s hospital services for Kurt Salmon, a global management consulting firm. As a strategic advisor to children’s hospitals and academic medical centers across North America, she understands their strategic and operating issues in the evolving legislative, payer and regulatory environments in addition to their local and regional markets.
She routinely led engagements with hospital executive teams and boards to position their hospitals for success in their local, regional and national markets. Knight’s professional career also includes management positions in children’s hospitals working closely with schools of medicine, physician groups and a variety of community-based providers.
Knight has a Master of Health Administration from Washington University’s School of Medicine in St. Louis, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from The University of Texas at Austin. She is based in Washington, D.C.