You recently joined First Health Advisory as Chief Legal & Compliance Officer. What attracted you to this opportunity, and what excites you most about the journey ahead?

First Health has built a strong reputation in healthcare cybersecurity and operational resilience, but honestly, what drew me in was the people. Through several thoughtful conversations with the leadership team, I kept walking away energized. I saw deep expertise, a willingness to roll up their sleeves, and an openness to new ideas and challenges. 

This role also brings together many areas I care about: legal, privacy, compliance, AI governance, and supporting an innovative business strategy. I’m excited to help First Health build on that strong foundation, contribute to what comes next, and turn an increasingly complex legal and regulatory environment into practical value for our clients.

You’ve built a career at the intersection of law, privacy, cyber, and business strategy. Can you share a bit about your professional journey and the experiences that have most shaped your approach to leadership?

My career has reinforced for me that legal and compliance work is ultimately about people. Of course, rules and policies matter, but I believe organizations are strongest when people understand what’s expected, trust the process, and feel comfortable raising issues early.

I have worked in federal enforcement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, held Chief Privacy and Compliance roles inside organizations, and advised executives and clients. Each perspective taught me something different. My work in government taught me the importance of evidence, accountability, and getting the details right. Working with organizations in operational and leadership roles taught me that the best answer also has to work in the real world.

Ultimately, I keep learning the same lessons about good leadership: it starts with listening, understanding what people are trying to accomplish, welcoming different perspectives, and helping to provide clarity when things get complicated.

We’re operating in an era of rapid technological change, evolving regulations, and heightened expectations around trust. What do you see as the most significant challenges and opportunities facing organizations today?

I see a few interconnected challenges. One is fragmentation. Privacy, cybersecurity, AI, regulation, contracting, and third-party risk are often handled in separate lanes, even though the issues in 2026 rarely stay in those lanes. Another is simply the pace of change. Organizations want to adopt new technology quickly, and they should, but someone still needs to ask the right and sometimes hard questions about data, risk, safety, and accountability.

It’s easy to look at all this change and feel overwhelmed, but I think it’s helpful to look at it as an opportunity. The quote is probably overused, but I’ve always liked the Mark Twain line, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” You’re rarely going to have perfect information or complete certainty. At some point, you have to understand the risks, make a thoughtful decision, and move forward.

This is where I think First Health can make a real difference: helping clients cut through the noise early, connect issues in different lanes/offices, and help them make thoughtful decisions so they can innovate with confidence.

Legal and privacy functions are often viewed through the lens of risk management. How do you see them enabling innovation and supporting long-term growth?

I’ve always believed legal, privacy, and compliance are most valuable when they’re involved early. Part of our value is seeing risks through a different lens, and being involved early gives us a chance to understand the objectives, ask questions others may not be asking, and help support strategic growth.

The key is doing that in a way that’s useful and collaborative. If I hand someone a ten-page memo full of caveats and redlines, I’ve probably slowed them down. If I can give them a clear recommendation, explain why, and offer a couple of workable options, I’ve helped them move forward. 

As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries, upend the threat landscape, and reshape the way we work, how should leaders think about balancing innovation with responsibility?

As with any system, application, tool, or partner, I think leaders should start with purpose. What problem are we trying to solve, and is AI actually the right tool to solve that problem? From there, we can get specific about the use case, data involved, who could be affected, and what happens if the output is wrong. We also need to remember that not every use of AI carries the same risk, so the governance shouldn’t be the same either. For example, a tool that summarizes internal meeting notes and one that influences patient care are very different and require different conversations.

The goal should be to match the level of oversight to the level of risk. Responsible AI doesn’t mean eliminating uncertainty or slowing innovation. It means putting realistic guardrails around the use case so people can experiment, learn, and move forward responsibly while minimizing risks to the organization, its people, and customers.

As you begin this new chapter, what impact do you hope to have on our organization, our customers, and the industry as a whole? (opportunity to close on vision and purpose)

This is probably my favorite question! Honestly, the impact I hope to have begins with people. I want my colleagues and our clients to feel supported, heard, and confident that they can raise a difficult question early. I’ll be proud if I look back in a few years and say we made it easier for people to do the right thing and gave them the confidence to make good decisions.

I want our customers to see First Health as a trusted partner that provides clarity when the decisions are difficult and the stakes are high. If we can help clients become more capable, confident, resilient, and better equipped to navigate difficult decisions, I’ll feel that we’ve made a meaningful difference.