Samantha has nearly a decade of experience in health care and appropriations policy and as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer at IAMHP. She is responsible for coordinating legislative strategies, testifying before legislative committees and working closely with state agency administrators to formulate and implement policy that positively impact members.
Prior to joining the association, Samantha was Research and Appropriations Analyst for Illinois House of Representatives where she helped negotiate and craft the Medicaid Reform Act of 2010, the $2.7 billion Medicaid reform package known as the SMART Act of 2012, and the Medicaid Expansion package authorized by the Affordable Care Act in 2013.
Samantha was named to Forbes Magazine’s 30 under 30 for her work in public policy in 2015.
Samantha earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from St. Louis University and her Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from Northwestern University.
Alaina Kennedy Chief Operating Officer
Alaina leads IAMHP’s committees related to Health Plan operations, state compliance, healthcare quality, and provider relations focusing on developing comprehensive best practices for improving and streamlining operations, contractual compliance, health care quality, and provider engagement.
Prior to joining the association, Alaina was Government Relations manager at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. During her tenure at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, she led the federal policy, budget and advocacy agenda and diligently lead efforts to secure health care and housing access and remove health care disparities. Alaina also was a legislative and budget analyst for the Illinois Speaker of the House of Representatives and lead staffer on the Illinois Department of Public Health issues and policy.
Alaina was awarded the National Council on Behavioral Health's Addressing Health Disparities Leadership Fellowship and earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary in Health Studies with a specialization on Bioethics, Humanities and Society from Michigan State University.
