Leadership
Staff

Nathan S. Hamme
President
Nate is President of Ceca Foundation, accountable for the highest level of chief executive responsibilities. He has extensive experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, focusing on business strategy, product development, relationship management, partnerships, operating scale, and data analysis.
Nate has also been a consistent voice for the power of employee recognition to drive engagement and retention in the healthcare industry and has written and spoken extensively on staffing and retention issues facing care communities. He has had features on ABC News7 and articles in McKnight’s Senior Living, Homecare Magazine, Seniors Housing Business, and Authority Magazine, as well as dozens of continuing education sessions to some of the largest state and national healthcare and senior living groups. He regularly presents at conferences across the country, including AHCA and LeadingAge affiliates.
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At Ceca, Nate initially oversaw the development of Ceca’s software platform and led the design of Ceca’s easy-to-use mobile app, both enabling caregivers and patient/resident families to nominate caregivers for recognition. He additionally led the design and build-out of Ceca’s network of web-enabled CecaTVs, which feature Ceca Award nominations, honorees, award celebrations and program information. After the launch of Ceca’s pilot program, Nate was instrumental in growing partnerships through marketing and distribution, particularly with hospitals and nursing homes. He later assumed additional operating, financial and administrative responsibilities, progressing to Chief Operating Officer in 2017 and President in 2019.
Nate is a graduate of the University of Virginia, double majoring in Political Science and Anthropology. In his free time, Nate loves to travel and spend quality time with friends and family.

Nadia A. Cayce
Chief of Staff
Nadia A. Cayce, Ph.D. is nationally recognized for nonprofit leadership with a focus on quality assurance performance improvement and value-driven care. She is well-known for her work in Systems of Care serving as 1 of 5 national subject matter experts on behalf of SAMHSA. She has also managed the government affairs efforts of Global 100 Companies. Under President Barack Obama, Ms. Cayce was a lead strategist for the Affordable Care Act. Prior to her national leadership, Ms. Cayce held a gubernatorial appointment to New Jersey’s Department of Human Services managing under federal court monitoring.
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In 2015, Ms. Cayce was the national recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award of Philanthropy for entrepreneurship development in communities of color and helped publish the National Blueprint, a product of the Child Welfare League of America where she served as Policy Commissioner for five years. Ms. Cayce holds a BA from Stockton University, Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Capella University. She also holds multiple certifications and professional diplomas including Project Management and Lean Six Sigma. Her passion for this work comes from being a caregiver of a family member with complex healthcare needs.

Michael Sapp
Director of Operations
Michael is responsible for Ceca’s program and day-to-day operations, on-boarding new healthcare partners, and its proprietary Ceca Award recognition platform and CecaTV network. He started his career with Marriott International in 1994. As a hotel manager, he found his passion for employee engagement and recognition. He believes engaged employees are the key to customer/patient satisfaction. Although Michael enjoyed creating more than a decade of positive experiences for both staff and customers of the hotel industry, in 2009, his passion for caregiving lead him to Doctors Community Hospital.
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Michael spends his days off performing in an active cover band and enjoying time on the Chesapeake Bay with his wife and two daughters.

Michelle Stewart
Director of Marketing
Michelle is the Director of Marketing for Ceca Foundation. In her role, she oversees the marketing and communications activities for the organization, at both high-level strategic and in-depth program levels. She is a core part of the team that manages the Ceca Award programs for healthcare partners, providing marketing expertise and guidance to encourage program growth and community engagement. She comes to the nonprofit sector with over 15 years of experience in marketing, graphic design, business management, and operations.
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She currently lives in Maryland with her husband, three kids and loveable pup, and enjoys outdoor activities, cooking, reading, and being creative in her spare time.

Lori S. Stewart
Senior Advisor and Board Secretary
Lori serves in an advisor to Ceca’s on a range of issues including marketing, fundraising and other outreach. She has extensive experience in both business and managing non-other profit organizations. She served in senior marketing positions with Lehman, Smith Barney and Online Resources. In 2001, she founded AFTA Associates, a wildlife conservation organization to promote conservation through community enterprise.
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In her free time, she serves on the Advisory Boards of the Read To Me Project, and The Ocean Candidates’ Forum, and enjoys skiing, tennis, yoga, hiking the Big Sur coast with her famous rescue dogs, reading, writing and travel.

Chablis Davis
Partnership Engagement Manager
Chablis is Ceca’s Partnership Engagement Manager, with her role being focused predominantly on fostering relationships with Ceca’s Healthcare Partners and ensuring the Ceca Award program runs smoothly. She supports both operational and marketing and communication efforts for the program, engaging with partner leadership and caregivers alike.
She originally hails from Chicago and relocated to the D.C. area in 2003 to attend Howard University. She has held communications and workforce development positions at various nonprofit organizations in the D.C. area,
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She currently resides in Takoma Park, MD, with her beloved pups. In her free time, she enjoys staying fit, studying dog grooming, planning events, and experimenting with new recipes.

Michele Y. Shapiro
Senior Operating Advisor, Development
Michele assists with project management and research for Ceca’s major donor initiative. Michele has 20+ years of experience in development. She started her career with The Commonwealth Fund evaluating grant proposals. Michele later oversaw project development at Greater New York Hospital Foundation, which led to her founding of Good Giving Advisors. She holds a BA from Brandeis and Master of Public Policy from Harvard University.

Tricia Lloyd
Senior Marketing Advisor, Development
Tricia assists with marketing strategy and implementation of Ceca’s capital campaign. Over her 20-year career, Tricia has advised national, cultural, religious and community-oriented programs on improving their institutional advancement. Favorite positions include the Miss America Organization (DC), the largest provider of scholarships for women, and Pontifical North American College in Rome. She holds a bachelors in financial management from Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Shawn Howe
Director of Healthcare Partner Development
Shawn is Director of Healthcare Partner Development for Ceca Foundation. In his role, he performs business development and manages the sales process to garner new partners and healthcare communities to be a part of the Ceca Award program. Shawn has an extensive background working with hospital systems, physicians, Skilled Nursing and Senior Living facilities across the US. He has spent the past 20 years with high-level executive positions in healthcare with a strong focus on sales, business development and strategic partnerships.
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Board of Directors
Ceca benefits from an independent Board of Directors. As a best practice, the Board reviews all key strategy, product, financing, risk management, marketing and policy decisions.

Matthew P. Lawlor
Co-Founder and Executive Chair
Mr. Lawlor focuses on our Board leadership, strategy, and Ceca’s financial sustainability initiative. He was recently honored as a “Top 100 Healthcare Leader” by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare (IFAH). For 20 years prior to Ceca, he built Online Resources from concept to a successful public company (Nasdaq: ORCC; acquired 2013). The firm pioneered outsourced web-based banking and processed $100 billion per year on its patented real-time payments platform. Matt holds a BSME from University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard.
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Rosemary K. Lawlor
Co-Founder and Director
Aside from her board duties, Mrs. Lawlor is an active volunteer in selecting Ceca Award honorees, benefited by her experience as primary caregiver for an Alzheimer patient. She is active in community education programs and named Northern Virginia Volunteer of the Year for her work with Head Start. She was a schoolteacher and principal for 10 years. She ended her professional career as a senior marketing executive with Xerox. Rosemary holds a BA from Dumbarton College of the Holy Cross and a MS in Education from George Mason University.

Duane Erwin
Mr. Erwin is a healthcare system executive with 40 years of multi-disciplinary leadership experience. He was elected to Ceca’s Board in 2021, and chairs the Board Marketing Committee. Duane recently served as EVP Operations at the 11,000-employee Baptist Health System of Arkansas. After starting his career as an attorney, his interest turned to hospital marketing, then to strategy. He later served as a CEO or COO for five hospitals. Duane holds a BA from Kent State, a JD from Duquesne School of Law, and was a Fellow at American College of Healthcare Executives.

Mourine Evans
Ms. Evans is the Program Director for Conway Nursing Pathway Program at Children’s National Hospital helping aspiring nurses establish rewarding careers in pediatric nursing. She was elected to Ceca’s Board in 2019, and chairs the Board Governance Committee. She was previously Chief Nursing Officer of Providence Health and served in a variety of clinical leadership positions with Children’s National, Hospital for Sick Children, Howard University, and DC General hospitals. She holds a Nursing degree from the University of West Indies, a BSN from the University of the District of Columbia, a MS from the University of Maryland, and has completed her doctoral course work.

Michael Gordon
Mr. Gordon is Founder and CEO of CC Pace, a leading information technology and software development firm based in Fairfax, VA. He was elected to Ceca’s Board in 2022, after 6 years of service as a Senior Board Advisor, and currently heads the Board Finance Committee. CC Pace provides product design and the development the Ceca Award platform (Ceca’s payments to CC Pace have been deemed insignificant by the Board and Management, and Mr. Gordon does not vote when there may be a conflict of interest). He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and serves on a host of nonprofit boards.

Paul Grenaldo
Mr. Grenaldo has 35 years of experience in healthcare executive leadership. He was elected to Ceca’s Board in 2021, and chairs the Board Staff Development Committee. He recently served as President of Doctors Community Hospital (Lanham, MD), which was The Joint Commission’s top performer on key quality core measures for three consecutive years. Previously, Paul served as Chief Operating Officer of Providence Hospital (Washington, DC), a 400-bed hospital with a nationally recognized prenatal care program. He holds a BS from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in Healthcare Administration from the University of Miami.

Lynn O'Connell
Ms. O’Connell is an accomplished executive director with over 20 years of success leading social entrepreneurship initiatives and driving nonprofits growth and long-term sustainability. She has extensive experience in administration, fundraising, and program management and previously served as Executive Director at the Physician Assistant Foundation and as Vice President at Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation. O’Connell is currently appointed a Fulbright Specialist and served as a U.S. Diplomat in years prior. She earned an MA in Philanthropy from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership from Duke University, and a BA from Lipscomb University.