2026 Keynote Speakers
Learn about the keynote speakers who presented at RISE National 2026.
At RISE National, our keynote speakers set the tone for transformation. Each year, they bring the insight, inspiration, and real-world experience that empower our community to think bigger, act smarter, and advance the industry together.
2026 Keynote Speakers
Abe Sutton, Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Administrator - Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS)
Abe Sutton serves as the Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation and Deputy Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Before assuming this role in January of 2025, he was a Principal at Rubicon Founders where he co-founded two health service companies; Honest Health, which focuses on enabling primary care physicians, and Evergreen Nephrology, which focuses on enabling nephrologists. Sutton focused on health policy with the federal government from 2017 to 2019, serving at the National Economic Council, Domestic Policy Council and Department of Health and Human Services. In these roles, he coordinated health policy across the federal government, with a focus on the shift to paying-for-value within Medicare, increasing choice and competition in health care markets, and updating the federal government’s approach to kidney care.
Sutton started his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Company, where he worked with clients in the health sector. He holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and undergraduate degrees in political science, management, and health care management and policy from the Wharton School and the College at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2018, he was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Law and Policy.
Get email updates
Sign up to get the latest information about your choice of CMS topics. You can decide how often to receive updates.
Dominique Wilkins, NBA Hall of Famer
Vice President of Basketball & Special Advisor to the CEO, Atlanta Hawks
Dominique Wilkins isn’t just the most iconic player in Atlanta Hawks history—he’s immortalized outside State Farm Arena in an 18,500-pound bronze statue. Today, he serves as the Hawks’ Vice President of Basketball and Special Advisor to the CEO, shaping the franchise he once electrified on the court.
Off the court, Wilkins has built a powerhouse entrepreneurial career. Barron’s called his work a “full court press for tech” when he partnered with consulting leader 3Ci to connect software developers from underserved communities with start-ups. He’s also an owner of the Birmingham Legion (USL soccer) and the New Jersey 5s of Major League Pickleball.
A passionate philanthropist, Wilkins serves as Board Chairman of KultureCity, the nation’s leading nonprofit for invisible disabilities and sensory accessibility. He also lends his influence to organizations such as JDRF, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Special Olympics, Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the American Lung Association.
Arjuna Swaminathan, HHS OIG
Arjuna Swaminathan serves as the first Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG). With a career dedicated to advancing the use of artificial intelligence, Arjuna has been pivotal in driving the enterprise adoption of AI technologies to enhance operational efficiencies and foster innovation.
Before his tenure at HHS OIG, Arjuna was a Principal at IBM’s Cloud and Cognitive Services Division. During his time at IBM, he specialized in partnering with healthcare organizations to develop and integrate AI solutions tailored to their specific business needs, thereby improving service delivery and decision-making processes. Arjuna holds dual graduate degrees from the University of Maryland, earning an M.B.A. and an M.S. in Information Systems. His educational background, combined with his extensive professional experience, has equipped him with a deep understanding of both the strategic and technical aspects of AI implementation in healthcare.
Edward C. Crooke, United States Department of Justice (DOJ)
Edward Crooke is an Assistant Director in the Commercial Litigation Branch of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. Mr. Crooke has represented the United States in a range of healthcare fraud matters involving Medicare Advantage plans, electronic health record vendors, pharmaceutical and device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics, and physician practices. His case work has contributed to fraud recoveries totaling over $6 billion for the federal treasury. Mr. Crooke has received the Attorney General Award for Fraud Prevention and the John Marshall Award, the highest award presented to Justice Department attorneys. He joined the Department in 2007 following a federal clerkship in the District of Maryland and several years in private practice. Mr. Crooke is a graduate of Haverford College and the University of Virginia School of Law.
Eric Musser, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
Eric Musser is the Vice President for Federal Affairs at NCQA. He works with CMS, ONC, Congress and other federal stakeholders to advance national healthcare quality priorities. Before joining NCQA, he held roles at the CDC and Emory Healthcare, and was a health care administrator with a group of primary care practices in Philadelphia. Eric’s passion for quality and improving patient experience is the result of his own 30-year journey through the American health care system.
Rachel Harrington, PhD, National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
Rachel Harrington, PhD, is Senior Product Strategist at the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). In this role she leads the development and evolution of NCQA's population health portfolio, focusing on improving health care quality, reducing disparities, and ensuring everyone can achieve their best possible health. This continues a body of work focused on advancing health care quality data, promoting transparency, incentivizing closure of quality gaps and, ultimately, improving systems of care. Dr. Harrington has served as an advisor for initiatives at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Quality Forum and the National Academy of Medicine. Prior to joining NCQA, she spent over 10 years in industry and academic health system settings with extensive experience in the areas of risk-adjusted utilization, medication safety, economic modeling and patient engagement. Dr. Harrington holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacy Systems, Outcomes and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Megan Tinker, Chief of Staff Office - Inspector General Department of Health and Human Services
Megan Tinker is the Chief of Staff of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG). She works closely with the Inspector General to develop and support a high-level vision, enhance OIG’s oversight, and promote the efforts of OIG’s highly skilled workforce, including auditors, agents, attorneys, and evaluators.
As the Chief of Staff, Ms. Tinker serves as the Deputy Inspector General for OIG’s Immediate Office, where she oversees OIG’s Office of Congressional Affairs, Office of Communications, and Office of Operations. Under Ms. Tinker’s leadership, OIG builds and strengthens relationships with legislative partners, amplifies OIG’s impact through constructive collaboration with the media, and ensures consistent levels of excellence in its internal processes and delivery of oversight products. Additionally, Ms. Tinker represents OIG leadership in cross cutting efforts involving HHS, OIG partners, other Government agencies, and external stakeholders.
Ms. Tinker joined OIG in 2004 as a Senior Associate Counsel in the Office of Counsel to the Inspector General (OCIG). During her tenure with OCIG, Ms. Tinker assumed increasingly important leadership responsibilities, including a role as the Senior Advisor for Legal Affairs from 2016 to 2020. From 2021 to 2023, Ms. Tinker served in the Office of Audit Services as an Assistant Inspector General, where she furthered her impressive track record by conceiving and spearheading innovative, collaborative, and high-impact work for OIG and the IG community.
Prior to OIG, Ms. Tinker was in the private practice of law and worked for several years as a congressional oversight staffer. Ms. Tinker graduated cum laude from American University Washington College of Law and with honors from the University of Richmond.