Fallon Health's board of directors appoints trio of new board members: David Friend, M.D.; Janet Rico Ph.D.; and Peter Straley
New board members’ experience reinforces mission of the nationally recognized, not-for-profit health care services
organization
Worcester, Mass., Jan. 29, 2018 —The Fallon Health Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of three new board members: David Friend, M.D., MBA; Janet Rico, MBA, NP-BC, Ph.D.; and Peter Straley.
“We are fortunate to have Dr. Friend, Ms. Rico and Mr. Straley join the Board. Their collective and relevant health care experience complements our team of Directors and reflects our commitment to Fallon’s mission,” said David W. Hillis, Chairman of the Board.
Commenting on the appointments, Fallon Health President and CEO Richard Burke spoke to the value the new Directors will bring to the organization.
“Fallon and the communities we serve will benefit greatly from their knowledge and expertise,” said Burke. “I look forward to working with them, and our entire Board of Directors, in guiding the organization in support of its mission and business objectives.”
In addition to the new appointments, the Fallon Health Board also elected officers:
- David W. Hillis, President and Chief Executive Officer of AdCare, Inc., the parent corporation of AdCare Hospital of Worcester, Inc., of which he is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, was re-elected Chair.
- Frederick M. Misilo, Jr., Esq., attorney at Fletcher Tilton, PC, was elected Vice Chair.
- Ann K. Tripp, Chief Investment Officer of The Hanover Insurance Group and President of Opus Investment Management, Inc., a registered investment advisor and subsidiary of The Hanover Insurance Group, was re-elected Treasurer.
- B. John Dill, President and CEO of Colebrook Realty Services, Inc. and Affiliates, was elected Clerk.
Friend brings more than 30 years of global health care experience to Fallon. He is the co-founder of The BDO Center for Health Care Excellence & Innovation, and currently serves as managing director and Chief Transformation Officer.
Prior to that, Friend was Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer at Golden Living, which focuses on post-acute health care. In this role, Friend helped Golden Living in its ranking as #1 Post-Acute Care National Company by US News and World Report, March 2013 for Clinical, Operational, Financial and Compliance Excellence.
Friend has shared his expertise on a variety of national media platforms, such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CBS and NBC. A resident of Weston, Friend earned his M.D. from The University of Connecticut School of Medicine in addition to receiving an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Brandeis University.
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Rico has decades of experience in various clinical settings, including geriatrics, primary care home care, urgent care and emergency care. Currently, she is the Assistant Dean of Graduate Nursing Programs at Northeastern University and a Nurse Practitioner at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is the Chair of the ARC of Massachusetts Steering and Policy Committee and a member of the Massachusetts PCA Workforce Council.
From 2004 to 2010, Rico served on the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, including a couple of years as board chair. She has served on the Massachusetts Patient Centered Medical Home Council as well as co-chaired Massachusetts’ Turning 22 Task Force for individuals with ID/DD and complex medical needs. She earned her Ph.D. in Law and Public Policy from Northeastern in 2013 and has an MBA from Boston University; a Masters in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from St. Anselm College. Rico is a resident of Wrentham.
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Straley has 40 years of professional experience in health care, including 17 years as President and CEO of Health New England—a provider-owned HMO headquartered in western Massachusetts. Prior to that, Straley served as CEO of Baycare Health Partners, a three-hospital, 720-physician PHO based in Springfield. Earlier in his career he served as the Northeast Vice President of a health care management-consulting firm and as Vice President of Research and Development for a health care software development firm.
While with Health New England, Straley assumed other leadership roles, including serving as a board member of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, and Board Chair of the Health Plan Alliance, the Springfield Museums and of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council.
He earned his MBA from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and has a Bachelor of Arts from Middlebury College. Straley resides in Amherst.
Carrie Wattu
508-368-9345
About Fallon Health
Founded in 1977, Fallon Health is a leading health care services organization that supports the diverse and changing needs of those we serve. In addition to offering innovative health insurance solutions and a variety of Medicaid and Medicare products, we excel in creating unique health care programs and services that provide coordinated, integrated care for seniors and individuals with complex health needs. Fallon has consistently ranked among the nation’s top health plans, and is accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance for its HMO, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid products.