dave@employersforumindiana.org
David E. Kelleher
Interim President and CEO, Employers’ Forum of Indiana
Mr. Kelleher, founding CEO of the Employers’ Forum of Indiana, is currently serving as Interim President and CEO. He holds a Master of Science degree in Economics and has managed health care organizations since completing his military service in 1972. He was one of the founders of the first prepaid group practice in Indiana and served as its Executive Vice President from 1973 to 1986. He then founded HealthCare Options (HOI) and is its president. Since 1986 HOI has developed and managed health care organizations and provided consulting services to health plans, medical groups, hospitals, academic medical centers and employers in 38 states.
HealthCare Options managed the Employers Forum from 2001 until 2015 and was one of the organizers of Quality Health First of Indiana. Quality Health First was a statewide, multi-payer, quality reporting and pay-for-performance program developed and managed by the Indiana Health Information Exchange. Mr. Kelleher was also the program manager of the Central Indiana Beacon Collaborative.
craig@employersforumindiana.org
LinkedIn
Craig Brammer
Vice President, Employers’ Forum of Indiana
Director, Sage Transparency
Craig Brammer is a nationally recognized leader in healthcare transformation, data transparency, and multi-stakeholder collaboration, with over three decades of experience advancing health system performance and value-based care strategies.
Craig currently serves as the Vice President of the Employers’ Forum of Indiana and Director of Sage Transparency, where he leads initiatives to empower employers with data-driven insights to improve healthcare purchasing strategies and reduce costs. His leadership emphasizes member engagement, strategic collaboration, and the use of data to drive systemic improvements in healthcare delivery and affordability.
His leadership background includes serving as CEO of The Health Collaborative in Cincinnati, as a member of the leadership team at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, as CEO of the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, and as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Craig’s career has been defined by his ability to convene diverse stakeholders, align policy and technology strategies, and drive sustainable improvements in health and healthcare outcomes across regions. His work continues to shape national conversations on healthcare reform, health data transparency, and value-based care innovation.
sara@employersforumindiana.org
LinkedIn
Sara Otte
Senior Director of Business Operations
Sara serves as the Senior Director of Business Operations at the Employers’ Forum of Indiana and began her time at the Forum in January of 2020. She graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University of Columbus with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, concentrating in Healthcare Administration. Sara is very enthusiastic and passionate about improving all aspects of healthcare, so all people may live a healthier lifestyle.
Lauren Vela
Consultant
Lauren Vela is a passionate advocate for a more rational and sustainable health care system and recognizes the influence had by employers and other commercial purchasers through their oversight of employer-sponsored insurance plans. As an independent consultant, she partners with entities that are committed to changing the ineffective status quo.
Previously, Lauren was the Director of Health Care Transformation with Walmart, where she partnered with the Walmart Benefits team to identify solutions concerning low value care, site of care, and vendor evaluation. Prior to her tenure at Walmart, Lauren led market strategy and member initiatives for the Purchaser Business Group on Health, where she cumulatively spent two decades working within various health care sectors including health information technology, provider organizations, and pharmacy benefit management. Lauren also served, for seven years, as the Executive Director of the Silicon Valley Employers Forum, a trade association of high-tech employers collaborating on innovative delivery of both domestic and international l benefits.
Jennifer Hallowell
Consultant
Jennifer Hallowell is the President of Hallowell Consulting, LLC, a government relations and communications consulting firm with extensive experience developing and executing successful initiatives for corporate, nonprofit and political clients. She currently represents clients at the state level in various areas including technology, clean energy, and health care. She serves as the Executive Director for the Indiana Technology & Innovation Association (ITIA) and as the Executive Director for the Indiana Leadership Forum (ILF).
Jennifer provides expertise in government relations, association management, lobbying, communications, public relations, issue advocacy, and project management. She is an accomplished professional with nearly twenty-six years of experience managing organizations and advising elected officials and business leaders at the federal, state and local levels. She has also managed crisis communications, message development, marketing and grass-tops issue advocacy efforts for several corporate clients.
Sabra Northam
Consultant
Sabra B. Northam is Vice President of Hallowell Consulting, LLC, where she combines her strong legal background, knowledge of the government process and broad range of relationships to provide exemplary client service. An attorney with over 15 years of experience in legislative and executive branch lobbying, Northam focuses much of her time developing and executing government relations strategies on behalf of our clients. Sabra also assists with association and program management and development.
In 2012, Ms. Northam earned her J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. She graduated from Butler University with a B.A. in political science in 2009. Ms. Northam is admitted to practice law in the state of Indiana.
Sarah Stewart
Consultant
Sarah is a cross-functional HR and communications professional at Indiana University, where she leverages data, creativity, and innovation to engage employees with their health and benefits. She is passionate about creating a more transparent and equitable healthcare system by empowering employers with the data and tools needed to make informed purchasing decisions.
Sarah provides creative design services for the Forum and fills various support roles on initiatives including Sage Transparency and the National Healthcare Price Transparency Conference. She graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University with a BS in Business Administration, specializing in Human Resources Management.
Julie Reyes
Website Consultant
Julie Reyes provides consulting services for the tech and administrative aspects of small businesses including helping to launch and run several ventures in the midwest. She is experienced in website development, business analytics, and data management. Julie graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Pharmaceutical Science and is passionate about the intersection of healthcare and tech.
Board Members
Christan Royer
Board Chair, Employers’ Forum of Indiana
Christan Royer is the Director of Benefits and HR Strategic Communications at Indiana University where she manages employee benefit programs and helps lead university-wide human resource initiatives. Christan has also taught courses on health information management in the School of Informatics at IUPUI. She holds a M.Ed. with a focus on eLearning and a BS in Business Administration, both from the University of Illinois.