Pat Wang joined Healthfirst in 2008 as President & CEO. During her tenure, Healthfirst has grown in revenue and membership to become one of the largest not-for-profit health insurance providers in the country.

In 2023, Pat was appointed to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s newly formed NYS Commission on the Future of Health Care, tasked with addressing the state’s pressing health challenges. She is a Director of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and plays an active role on the Boards of America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and the New York Health Plan Association (NYHPA). From 2016 through 2023, Pat served as a commissioner for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), which advises the U.S. Congress regarding Medicare payment policy. She also served as a member of New York’s Medicaid Redesign Team II as well as co-chair of the State’s Vaccine Equity Taskforce.

Earlier in her career, Pat clerked for the Honorable Whitman Knapp, U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, and practiced health law in New York City. She is a graduate of Princeton University and New York University School of Law, where she received her J.D. degree, cum laude. She has lived in Yugoslavia, Taiwan, and China and is a longtime resident of New York City.

John Bermel joined Healthfirst in 2016 as Chief Financial Officer after spending more than 20 years in health insurance senior financial leadership roles, including service on numerous not-for-profit boards. During a 17-year career at Aetna, he served in several senior financial roles, including CFO for Business Operations, the company’s Senior Business Unit Finance Officer. His tenure coincided with the Aetna turnaround, considered one of the most successful in U.S. corporate history. Prior to joining Aetna, John served as Controller of Insurance Operations at UnitedHealthcare and as Controller at MetraHealth, which UnitedHealthcare acquired. Prior to that, he worked in public accounting serving numerous insurance clients. John holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from The Wharton School.

Jack Hackendorn joined Healthfirst in 2018 as Vice President, Internal Audit and in September 2019 assumed additional responsibilities for leadership of the Healthfirst Corporate Compliance function. Jack brings a depth of experience in the health insurance industry that includes more than a decade in Internal Audit roles at Aetna, including as Vice President and Assistant Head of Internal Audit and Head of Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. Before Aetna, he was a leader in the Healthcare Consulting Practice for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Jack began his professional career in accounting and underwriting roles at Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Active in his local community, he served for several years on the Board of Directors of Foodshare in Hartford, CT, including as Board Chairman and Interim CEO and President. Jack holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University.

Sean Kane joined Healthfirst in 2013 as Chief Human Resources Officer, bringing more than 20 years of change leadership and culture transformation experience gained at several domestic and multinational corporations. Throughout his career, Sean has proven to be a business leader who marshals human capital in the shaping, defining, and pursuit of an organization’s strategic agenda. Prior to joining Healthfirst, Sean spent seven years as Senior Vice President, Human Resources for Heineken Americas. In this capacity, he oversaw the human resources function responsible for several large-scale acquisitions and integrations, as well as 23,500 employees across nine operating companies, 22 breweries, two packaging plants, and more than 45 import markets. Sean has a master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton.

Dr. Jay Schechtman has been at Healthfirst since 1999 and serves as Chief Clinical Officer. He is responsible for overseeing population health, clinical quality, pharmacy, and overall medical strategy. Dr. Schechtman is known throughout the industry for his expertise in population health management, deploying accountable care strategies with risk partners, and managing integrated products. He serves as Assistant Clinical Professor in Community and Preventive Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Prior to joining Healthfirst, Dr. Schechtman served as National Medical Director at Magellan Specialty Health and as a full-time academic physician at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and an M.B.A. from the combined healthcare management program of Mount Sinai and Baruch College. Dr. Schechtman was Chief Resident in Rehabilitation Medicine at Mount Sinai.

G.T. Sweeney has been Healthfirst’s Chief Information Officer since 2014 and leads the Information Technology Department. In this role, G.T. and his team deliver technology solutions to drive the continued growth and performance of all Healthfirst products. G.T. came to Healthfirst with 20 years of experience in the information technology field working for global healthcare and financial services companies, with a continuous focus on ensuring the IT strategy aligns with company goals and strategy. G.T. has served on the board of Archcare, the healthcare mission of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, for more than twenty years. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany, where he majored in mathematics and computer science.

Kathy Howell joined Healthfirst as Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel in 2023. Ms. Howell has extensive experience in healthcare and insurance regulatory issues, most recently as Chief Legal and Privacy Officer at Well Dot Inc., a health technology and services company. Prior to that she served as Chief Legal Officer and Acting President of Northwell’s CareConnect Health Plan, where she built a new provider-owned commercial insurer and launched a long-term care plan. Ms. Howell has also been a partner or associate at highly respected law firms, including Dentons, Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, and Proskauer Rose LLP. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Brown University and a J.D. from the Boston University Law School.

Jen Cohen-Smith joined Healthfirst in 2021 as Senior Vice President of Medicare. In this capacity, Jen leads the charge for performance and growth of Healthfirst’s Medicare Advantage products and programs, contributing to Healthfirst’s reputation as the #1 Medicare Advantage plan in the New York metro region. With a growing membership base, Jen ensures the best portfolio of products and services for the senior population in Healthfirst’s service area in downstate New York.

In addition to leading the Medicare segment at Healthfirst, among her many accomplishments is being named in 2021 to City & State New York’s Responsible 100 list for corporate social responsibility.

Jen earned her M.B.A. in finance from Fairfield University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Systems Management from the University of Connecticut.

Errol Pierre re-joined Healthfirst in 2019 as Senior Vice President, State Programs. In this role, he oversees sales and retention across the company’s Medicaid and Long-Term Care product portfolios as well as community engagement activities. Earlier, he served with the company for several years, initially as Assistant Vice President of Product Management, overseeing Affordable Care Act implementation before being promoted to Vice President in 2015. Before joining Healthfirst, Errol served as Chief Operating Officer for the commercial business unit of Empire BlueCross BlueShield, where, over the course of his 12-year tenure, he held various leadership roles in Sales, Product Development, and Strategy.

Active in the community, he serves as a board member of the Arthur Ashe Institute of Urban Health, Medinova, and is a member of 100 Black Men of America’s New York City Chapter, where he also serves as a member of their national Health and Wellness Committee.

Errol holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Fordham University, a Master of Public Administration in Finance and Health Policy from New York University, and a Doctorate in Business Administration focused on health economics and health equity from Baruch College.