Leadership

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.

Erin is responsible for managing Ceca’s ongoing relationships and training new hospital and corporate partners. She previously served as a Corporate Account Manager at the National 4-H Council. Erin holds a BA from University of Maryland and MA in Mass Communication and Media Studies from Johns Hopkins.

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.

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.

Lou is a professional healthcare executive with over 35 years of industry experience. During his corporate career, he served in a number of senior management positions and ended his career as a corporate officer with a Fortune 500 device company. Recently, he formed and directed a large Arizona state coalition of medical professionals and policymakers in developing an improved care model to increase home based services for those with advanced care needs. Among his significant accomplishments was helping to develop and launch the first to market group of instruments to perform laparoscopic surgery.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mr. Ferry is the former CEO of Nemours-Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children (Wilmington, DE). He served as a founding Director of Ceca for 7 years before retiring from the Board, and currently serves in an advisory capacity as Director Emeritus. Over his 31 years of leadership, he transformed Nemours hospital into a nationally-recognized, full-service pediatric teaching hospital. He is a long-time advocate of caregiver recognition and ran a formal recognition program during his years at Nemours. He continues to be active in telemedicine. Mr. Ferry holds a BS from the University of Maryland, and a masters and a doctorate from George Washington University.