Judges

California State Medicaid Director

Tyler Sadwith was appointed State Medicaid Director at the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) by Governor Gavin Newsom in March 2024. As State Medicaid Director, Mr. Sadwith represents California’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) with federal partners at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. He leads DHCS’ ambitious Medi-Cal strategy to provide equitable access to quality health care for 15 million Californians.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Sadwith served as Deputy Director, Behavioral Health at DHCS since 2022 and Assistant Deputy Director, Behavioral Health from 2021 to 2022.

Previously, he was a Senior Consultant for Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. Mr. Sadwith held several positions at the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including Technical Director.

Mr. Sadwith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Reed College.

Director, Innovation Fund, California Health Care Foundation

Melissa Buckley is director of the CHCF Innovation Fund, which invests in technology and service companies with the potential to significantly lower the cost of care or improve access to care for Californians with low incomes.

Melissa leads the foundation’s efforts to bring health care payers and providers together with entrepreneurs and investors in order to solve important problems in the safety-net delivery system. Melissa is responsible for sourcing and executing investments that are aligned with CHCF’s mission, and supporting investees by leveraging CHCF’s knowledge of and relationships with networks of providers, payers, and policymakers, as well as CHCF’s expertise in policy, finance, and reimbursement. Before joining CHCF, Melissa worked as a strategy consultant for health care companies and nonprofits, investment firms, and foundations. She worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Co. in New Jersey and San Francisco and in health care investment banking at J.P. Morgan in New York. Melissa serves on the advisory board of Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service. She received a bachelor’s degree in human biology from Stanford University and a master’s in public policy from Harvard University.

Chief Quality Officer, Inland Empire Health Plan

Edward Juhn joined Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) as Chief Quality Officer in June 2021. He is responsible for leading the advancement of IEHP’s strategic focus on quality through transformative payment incentives, data driven initiatives, innovative solutions, program connections and strong internal and external partnerships. In this role, he also ensures the health plan’s commitment to providing the highest quality of care.  Prior to joining IEHP, he served in leadership roles at Blue Shield of California, as a clinical scientist at an Intel-funded startup company, and as Chief of Healthcare Innovation and Strategy at Premier HealthCare.  He received his BA and MD from George Washington University, his MBA from New York University, and his MPH from Johns Hopkins University. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and was a clinical instructor at Stanford Medicine. He was also a member of the Interoperability Standards Priorities Task force, a HITAC subcommittee, and completed the Senior Executive Fellows program at Harvard Kennedy School.  Dr. Juhn also serves on the board of directors at the Integrated Healthcare Association and the IEHP Foundation. 

CEO/Co-Founder, Fortuna Health

Nikita Singareddy is the co-founder and CEO of Fortuna Health, the first consumer Medicaid navigation platform for 90M+ Medicaid beneficiaries to check eligibility, enroll, and recertify coverage.

Nikita has established herself as a thought leader in the healthcare technology space, particularly in areas related to Medicaid modernization and health equity. Her diverse experiences, from interning at Koch Industries to founding a healthcare startup, have shaped her unique perspective on the intersection of technology, policy, and healthcare.

Nikita has worked as a healthcare investor and served in strategy and operations roles at Oscar Health and Truepill. She has consulted under NMS Consulting for clients like Apple Health, Weight Watchers, Turquoise Health, and Ganymede Bio. 

She graduated from Columbia College with a major in History and a concentration in Statistics.

She is a former Medicaid beneficiary.