The Leading Voice Series
Dr. Jawad Arshad
Dr. Jawad Arshad is an Emergency Physician with more than 20 years of clinical and administrative experience. His career has spanned leadership in a major health system as well as entrepreneurship as a small business owner navigating the complexities of employee healthcare benefits. As the Founder and CEO of WoW Health, Dr. Arshad has built a technology platform that delivers a full continuum of care through a hybrid model—offering free telehealth access alongside discounted in-person services. This innovative approach reflects his core interest: rethinking care delivery to improve access and affordability. Dr. Arshad often reminds audiences that nine out of ten healthcare encounters occur outside the hospital, where even insured patients effectively pay out of pocket through copays, deductibles, and coinsurance. WoW Health’s direct-pay model addresses this reality by introducing price transparency and lowering costs for patients. Beyond serving individuals and families who struggle with expensive insurance plans with little choice, WoW Health also partners with employers to leverage tax-advantaged solutions that expand healthcare access while delivering savings for both employees and businesses.
Dr. Richard Berry
After years of practicing family medicine in traditional hospital settings, I grew frustrated with the unrealistic patient load doctors were required to maintain for revenue purposes. I watched patients’ needs get pushed off into the scheduling backlog. Access and affordability were shutting people out of getting the care they needed, but I knew there was a better way. I founded Maple Health as an innovative Direct Primary Care practice with a vision of ensuring accessible, high-quality, and affordable care in a welcoming environment. When I say access, that means you can text, call, or email, and you’ll get a response right away, around the clock. I keep the patient-physician ratio low, so patients get the personalized care they deserve. And our comprehensive service menu includes a discount pharmacy, lab testing, screenings, and in-office procedures.
More About Dr. Berry
-Medical training at University of Leicester in England.
-Family medicine residency at MetroHealth,
-Cleveland. Lake Health, family medicine specialist.
-Prior to medical school, Dr. Berry served as a British Royal Marine Commando. Completed two -tours of the Sierra Leone Civil War, and tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
-Post-military, served as a paramedic in London.
Dr. Charles Bennett
Charles L Bennett MD PhD MPP is the Frank P and Jose M Fletcher Chair of Medication Safety and Efficacy at the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy and an Affiliate Investigator with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Bennett is the first hematologist/oncologist in the United States to receive a PhD from the RAND Graduate School, completing his PhD in two years. He cu rrently leads one of the nation’s premier pharmaceutical watchdog programs called SONAR (the Southern Network on Adverse Reactions), which was previously based at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Bennett is currently the sole plaintiff in the case U.S. ex rel. Bennett v. Bayer Corporation, No. 24-1807, decided by the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and for which Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotamayor has granted an extension to file a writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court. Bennett is also the first physician in the country to file a lawsuit against pharmaceutical manufacturers alleging that the companies committed “fraud on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)” by not forwarding complete safety data related to permanent neurological and psychiatric toxicity caused by taking three to seven days of two of the most commonly prescribed oral antibiotics- Levofloxacin and Ciprofloxacin. With $2.5 million in grant funding from the National Cancer Institute and $6 million in grant funding from the state of South Carolina, Dr. Bennett and his research team discovered the safety concerns in 2014. Bennett filed a Citizen Petition with the FDA in 2014 which was partially agreed to by the FDA in 2018. An FDA Advisory Committee hearing on the toxicity in 2015 ruled 20-1 in favor of Dr. Bennett’s findings.
Kari Boiter
Kari Boiter is an award-winning advocate, community organizer and campaign strategist. With a wealth of experience in public policy, Boiter has become a prominent expert on medical cannabis, helping to author and pass historic reforms at the state and national level. She demonstrates a remarkable ability to navigate complex political landscapes, uniting people with divergent viewpoints to foster collaboration on common goals.
Boiter’s intentional approach to advocacy has produced tangible results in several key areas from healthcare and human rights to cannabis and criminal justice reform. Her advocacy efforts have been featured internationally by major media outlets including the New York Times, CNN, NPR, The Guardian, TIME Magazine, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Politico, and more.
Boiter’s diverse background in cannabis began as a patient in Oregon in 2005. In the 20 years since, she’s done a little bit of everything: from being one of the first pot lobbyists on Capitol Hill to coordinating the annual press conference for Seattle Hempfest. She’s most proud of her work to help pass the Rohrabacher-Farr Act in Congress and her advocacy on behalf of the Kettle Falls Five, which resulted in an acquittal at federal trial and eventual dismissal of the case entirely.
Currently, Boiter is President and Co-Founder of the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform. The nonprofit organization is a modern-day rebirth of a nonpartisan group created nearly a century ago to overturn the 18th Amendment, which outlawed alcohol. Today, WONPR is dedicated to the advancement, education and empowerment of women who are actively working to reverse the continuing harms of prohibition-based policies.
In 2024, Boiter was selected to present at TED Democracy in one of seven cities worldwide. She is also known for becoming Montana’s first Certified Ganjier™and a member of the High Times Revival Teamas their “Freedom Fighter of the Month” columnist.
You can follow @kariboiter on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. Reach out to her directly to book a Ganjier consultation or submit nominations for her Freedom Fighter column.
Dr. Mark Cannon
Mark L. Cannon, DDS, MS, is an adjunct Professor of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) in Memphis, TN. Additionally, he serves as a Professor Emeritus at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and the Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Dentistry, at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL. He has been a long-time member of the International Association of Pediatric Dentistry and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. In addition to founding a large, multi-specialty, and highly respected private practice in the suburbs of Chicago, he serves as the Research Coordinator for the residency program at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Illinois (Attending Physician). Dr. Cannon served on the Executive Board, was the former President (2023), and is a Master Fellow of the American Academy for Oral and Systemic Health. He is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and a member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, with over 130 publications in research and clinical areas. Dr. Cannon has humbly accepted two invitations from the Karolinska Institutet, first to the Nobel Forum (2016) and second to the Nobel Assembly (2017). Most of all, Dr. Cannon is the proud father of five, all of whom are very accomplished. He is also a very proud grandfather of six beautiful children!
Sean Casey
Sean Casey is a registered dietitian, movement specialist, and proactive health coach with over 20 years of experience helping individuals achieve excellence in health, performance, and life. He is the founder of Performance Journey Rx, a lifestyle and performance coaching business dedicated to helping individuals achieve excellence through personalized strategies in nutrition, movement, sleep, and mindset. Sean has worked with clients across all levels,from middle and high school athletes to elite professionals, including Olympians, as well as everyday people striving to perform at their best. His expertise is sought internationally, having traveled to more than 15 countries to help clients reach their peak potential. Sean’s passion for optimizing performance health extends beyond sport and into the business world. He has delivered workshops for banks, schools, and community organizations, and has presented at national conferences and regional clinics. Sean also has extensive experience working in the proactive healthcare space, focusing on root-cause and lifestyle approaches to optimize health. He co-founded and currently serves as the Chief Science Officer at the Sports Pharmacy Network, a multidisciplinary sports medicine organization dedicated to optimizing the health and performance of athletes and protect clean sports.
Dr. Jerome R. Corsi
Dr. Jerome R. Corsi He is a Ph.D. From Harvard University, and the founder and CEO of Corstet LLC, a company dedicated to designing telemedicine administrative software, running on Google Cloud Platform HIPAA-compliant servers. He has co-founded GodsFiveStones.com, a 501(c)3 foundation dedicated to promoting election integrity. Since 2004, Dr. Corsi has written over 30 books on politics and economics, two of which were #1 New York Times bestsellers. Dr. Corsi conducts weekday podcasts on his website CorsiNation.com
Dr. Firouz Daneshgari
Dr. Daneshgari is an executive surgeon-scientist with an impressive track record in training,
clinical experience, and leadership in healthcare. He completed his medical and surgical training
at prestigious institutions including Loyola University of Chicago (1987), University of Chicago
(1990), University of Colorado Health Sciences (1997), University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center (1997), and Case Western Reserve University (2013).
Dr. Daneshgari's academic career trajectory includes:
• Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Colorado (1998)
• Founding Director of the Fellowship Program in Female Pelvic Medicine and
Reconstructive Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Glickman Urological Institute (2001)
• Professor and Chairman at Upstate Medical University in SUNY (2008)
• Professor and Chairman at Case Western Reserve University and Founding Director of
the Urological Institute at University Hospitals of Cleveland (2009)
He has published over 200 original scientific articles, books, and periodicals, led numerous
clinical and investigative panels and study sections at the National Institutes of Health,
mentored over 100 medical professionals from more than 10 countries, and served as visiting
professor in the 5 continents. Dr. Daneshgari is double board certified in Urology and Female
Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery (FPMRS).
At the peak of his academic career, while serving on the Board of Directors of a major academic
medical center with annual revenue exceeding $3 billion, Dr. Daneshgari recognized the
dysfunctional nature of the U.S. healthcare system. He embarked on a journey through an
Executive MBA studies to uncover the root causes of its inefficiencies, sharing his findings in the
book: Health Guardianship: The Remedy to the Sick Care System. , which became an
Amazon best-seller in healthcare industry in December 2022.
Following this discovery, he founded BowTie Medical, LLC to address the dysfunction in the
U.S. healthcare system by creating disruptive healthcare delivery solutions. These solutions aim
to improve care and reduce costs by eliminating waste in the current system. Highlights include
the BowTie Health Guardianship, which offers integrated Virtual Essential Care (Primary, Mental
Health, Risk Mitigation, and Pharmacy), Virtual Specialty Care, and a Claimless Payment
Model, all offered through a self-insured captive program. Dr. Daneshgari currently serves as
the CEO and supermajority shareholder of BowTie Medical, LLC.
A. Jefferson Ellington, III
A. Jefferson Ellington, III is the founder and Managing Director of ConcentricDNA™ Health Innovations, LLC (CDNA), which aligns employers, independent physicians, and hospital systems via direct contracting care services and systems, ceding power, profit, and control to employers, physicians, and hospital systems. Driven by servant leadership and enabled by AI innovations, CDNA creates data-driven and relational synergies to replace systemic waste with systemic functionality, connecting the dots through “systemic advocacy as a service” to repair healthcare. Expressed as Concentric-Systems, Jeff brings a unifying innovations leadership mindset, replacing silos with concentric systems of care. Jeff’s multi-faceted, entrepreneurial experience ranges from executive compensation planning for healthcare systems to addressing the supply chain shortages for Personal Protective Equipment at the height of the pandemic. A graduate of Woodberry Forest School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jeff lives and works in North Carolina and California, spending time with his children, grandchildren, and friends while honoring the life of the late Dr. Virginia Beth Ellington.
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman with a BA from the College of William and Mary and an M.Ed. from George Washington University, Mr. Frohman worked for members of Congress, lobbied for financial trade associations, served as govt affairs associate director at the Cato Institute, helped John Mackey at Whole Foods start Conscious Capitalism, left for a few year’s teaching high school in DC’s inner city, then ran the nonprofit associated with Governor Gary Johnson’s two presidential campaigns. Currently he lobbies for National Health Federation – the world’s oldest health freedom organization. Since 2018 he has co-hosted Freedom Hub, a weekly podcast featuring entrepreneurs and advocates who are making a better world and questioning Narrative Gatekeepers.
Malonie Gabriel
Malone left Hungary at age 21 alone. She had $10.00. She wanted freedom. Malonie got refugee status in Montreal, Canada. A year later she entered McGIll University, graduated with a degree in Organizational Psychology, Human Resource Management. She moved to Vancouver, where she got a job in the Human Resource Department of the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association. She was also asked to visit people in wheelchair who stayed at home, without much activity and bring them to Community Centers where they can get involved in some activities, like pottery. Malonie noticed a lot of these people had a lot of swelling their legs. She saw the suffering and started to do research about it. She found information about the lymphatic system. She became a massage therapist and started to learn about the lymphatic system in 1983. In 2004 she married her late husband, Dr. Charles Schwengel from Phoenix, Arizona and moved there.
Her late husband was an osteopathic physician. He did his internship at Phoenix General Hospital. Right after he finished his internship, Dr. Schwengel joined the Arizona Integrative and Homeopathic Medical Board and was president of it twice. He was Chief Medical Director at Envita Medical Centers for 6 years.
Malonie did advanced training in Complete Decongestive Therapy/Lymphedema Management in Germany, at the Földi Clinic, European Centre for Lymphology. She has also been training non-stop with Dr. Bruno Chikly, a French doctor who wrote his medical dissertation on the lymphatic system in France and in 1996 moved to Scottsdale, AZ.
Nelson Griswold
Nelson Griswold Founder & Chief Evangelist, NextGen Benefits
A disruptive and controversial visionary, bestselling author, and popular keynote speaker, Nelson Griswold is the founder and president of the NextGen Benefits Network. This award-winning national organization transitions status-quo brokers into innovative consultative advisers who work with company executives to take control of their healthcare spend to manage the quality and cost of healthcare. Under Nelson’s leadership, NextGen Benefits was named “Most Influential Industry Organization” in an industry-wide vote. Nelson has mentored many of the industry’s leading healthcare advisers, including four Benefit Adviser of the Yearhonorees, the 2021 Employee Benefits Power Broker, the 2021 Broker of the Year, and eight Broker of the Year Finalists. In 2022, Nelson spent a week as the guest of legendary entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson at an exclusive, invitation-only retreat for “disruptive entrepreneurs” on Branson’s private island in the British Virgin Islands. In recognition of Nelson’s impact on the healthcare industry, CEO Today magazine named him a Finalist for their 2022 Healthcare Awards. He also was named a Finalist for the 2018 Health Value Awards at the World Health Care Congress and was honored with the prestigious Industry Leadership Award by the Voluntary Benefits Association. An authority and popular speaker on private-sector healthcare reform, Nelson has addressed audiences in 44 states and the District of Columbia and has keynoted numerous conferences. The author of DO orDIE, a trade bestseller for leaders of employee benefits firms, he is lead author of six Amazon bestsellers on private sector healthcare reform, including his latest, Healthcare’s C-Suite Solution. A monthly columnist at Employee Benefit Advisermagazine for almost a decade, he currently writes for Employee Benefit News, BenefitsPROand Entrepreneur. Nelson is the Founder & Chairman of ASCEND, the national conference for innovative healthcare advisers and health plan innovation, now in its 10thyear. From 2018 to 2024, he chaired the Benefits Adviser Leadership Track for The World Health Care Congress in Washington, D.C. Before he turned his attention to employee benefits and healthcare, Nelson had a distinguished career as a nationally recognized public policy expert, serving as president of two public policy think tanks, lobbying on behalf of his organizations' free-market agenda, testifying before legislative committees, and appearing frequently on national network TV news programs. He also has a background in radio, as host of a morning drive talk show and a popular jazz radio show.
Rob Hartwell
Rob Hartwell is a native of Alexandria, Virginia and lives in Belmont Bay, VA. A former Chief of Staff to Reps. Dick Schulze (R-PA) and Nick Smith (R-MI), Hartwell also worked for Reps. Mike Oxley (R-OH) and Mac Sweeney (R-TX). As Chief of Staff for Schulze, he was an Associate Staff Member of the Committee on Ways and Means where he orchestrated billions of dollars in tax, trade and health legislation. In his first job on Capitol Hill, he worked for Rep. Oxley on the House Energy and Commerce Committee which oversees Medicaid and public health. Ways and Means oversees Medicare.
Since 2001, Rob has served as President of Hartwell Capitol Consulting, a full-service lobbying, business development and technology development firm, and has conducted business here and abroad in the Middle East, Europe, Africa and Asia. He has been widely published, appeared on dozens of talk radio programs and television news programs, and is an expert on health care, energy, environmental policy, tax policy, defense and the U.S. Congress.
Rob is also a former lobbyist for the American Health Care Association (long term care) and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (chain pharmacies). He currently has 105 consultants working with him covering approximately 100 nations, mainly involving energy, security, infrastructure and health care. His health care lobbying efforts paid off in over $16 billion in provisions, including a prospective payment system for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs); Subacute care payment enhancements; Medical Sterilant Gas tax exemptions; reduced DEA schedule C fines; leveling the playing field for SNFs and Hospitals; and $40 million for mobile women Veterans’ health care clinics over 2 years.
During his career, he has orchestrated more than $23 billion in appropriations, direct funding and tax provisions and has raised over $4 million for charities and campaigns. Rob has also represented the Israeli Export Institute, the European Council of American Chambers of commerce and the Trinidad-Tobago business community and for each organized and led outstanding technology, business and security conferences.
His current clients include the Foundation for Infrastructure Resilience where he serves as VP for Public Affairs, clean energy companies, small security and health care manufacturers and Thrive Oasis, a holistic Veterans health care organization and the PBM Foundation. Recently, he sourced billions in PPE and Masks, including 700 million masks for the White House and FEMA. His medical division provided $79 million in PPE for the UK National Health Service.
Rob was recently a Virginia Commissioner on the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) and also served on Virginia's juvenile gang task force and its project exile board. Rob served as a Fairfax County, Virginia Planning Commissioner at Large (appointed by Hon. Tom Davis (R-VA)) where he chaired the environment subcommittee, and he is past President of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority Foundation. He currently is VP of Public Affairs for the Foundation for Infrastructure Resilience (FIR).
Rob’s company has divisions in health care,finance, security, transportation, energy an education and agriculture. His team includes a former HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary, PhDs, Doctors and RNs.
Sunday Homitz
Sunday Homitz, founder of Body Technic Systems®, Inc., and licensed physical therapist for 36 years, utilizes a somatic approach towards rehabilitation, and physical therapy to provide full functional strength-based activity. She has developed a Pilates-based training school, and an exercise system – Kinescape®, which is designed to assist with strengthening the body though unique somatic-based training.
Don Hoskyns
Donald Hoskyns. My early career began as a graphic designer, which led to me building out and eventually acquiring the intellectual property of a client. Acquiring this intellectual property inspired me to change gears and has allowed me to become a digital technology leader with the formation of my company, More Active. More Active enables experts to connect and manage clients and promote a healthier lifestyle for individuals around the globe. I believe that all forms of fitness and wellness should go hand in hand with medical care. My mission through More Active has always been, and still is, to bridge that gap through innovative white label capable, SaaS solutions, available to all those in need nationally and internationally. My ultimate passion and life goal is to empower experts who can further empower their members to take charge of their health and embrace a vibrant lifestyle in order to achieve their wellness goals, well into their senior years.
Liz James
Liz James is a licensed pharmacist who practiced in retail and specialty pharmacy (rare disease, oncology, and infertility) for 30 years before leaving "traditional" practice in September 2020 because she would not administer or advocate for the covid shot. She spent the last 20 years of her practice in deep study learning alternative methods of healing. In January of 2022, she founded the not-for-profit faith based cooperative, Blessed By His Blood. BBHB is a ministry and a nationwide community of members who have chosen to abstain from mRNA technology and who are willing to help one another in the event of a blood transfusion need. In 2023, the mission of BBHB expanded to working on legislation which will protect and preserve the right to direct donor blood, first in Texas and now in various states across America.She is teaching people how to live a sustainably healthy life as an NSHC certified health coach and mentor and yoga instructor, using her pharmacist background to make the world a healthier place in mind, body, and spirit.
Nathan Jones
Founder of Xlear. After studying at university and working as a commercial diver, Nathan Jones started Xlear Inc. to produce and distribute his father’s patented xylitol nasal spray. The company quickly found success and grew to having three brands Xlear Sinus Care, Spry Dental Defense, and Natural Sweeteners. In 2008 Utah Business awarded Nathan with the Entrepreneur of the Year award.
Bobby Kaleal
Bobby Kaleal DIrector of SPIRE Performance is an award-winning performance coach, entrepreneur, inventor, and keynote speaker who specializes in extracting greatness out of individuals, teams, and organizations. Drawing from his philosophy of Recognition, Educating, and Consistency (REC), Bobby helps individuals and companies reach their peak potential regardless of the situation. He has presented to hundreds of small and large firms as well as top management teams on various topics, including resilience, how to stay motivated, and how to create performance metrics and goals. He also owns 11 approved patents, including a sustainable, and scalable APP that uses AI and real-time biometrics to personalize exercise and therapy protocols. In 2011, his company, Health 360, was voted one of COSE’s Ten Under 10 Award Winners, an honor recognizing the top 10 companies with 10 or fewer employees for their best practices in innovation, growth/success, value to the community and the environment, diversity promotion, and customer service excellence. In addition to being a serial entrepreneur, Bobby is well-known for his role as the performance coach for two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, Stipe Miocic. Miocic is widely regarded by critics, media, and commentators as the greatest UFC heavyweight fighter of all time. Bobby is credited for contributing to much of Miocic’s success and has been featured in Men’s Health and ESPN The Magazine as well as countless other top publications. In addition to coaching professional athletes, Bobby served as the performance coach for the Mentor Ohio Police, and currently coaching the SPAN (Suburban Police Anti-Crime Network) SWAT Team, the Cleveland Ohio FBI, and the elite FBI Hostage Rescue Team in Quantico, Virginia. Bobby received a bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training and Fitness Management from Baldwin Wallace University, and two master’s degrees in Exercise Science, and Sports Management and Administration from Cleveland State University. He is a CSCS and RSCC with the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Titleist Performance Specialist (Level II), and certified coach by USA Boxing (Level II).
Tom Kerber
Tom Kerber is the Founder and President of SunPowerLED, bringing more than 40 years of experience in electrical engineering, specializing in LEDs. Tom has been at the forefront of innovation, designing advanced lighting solutions that span commercial, industrial, and wellness applications. His red and near-infrared light therapy devices use Photobiomodulation for natural healing to help relieve pain and inflammation throughout the body, prevent seizures and even help improve mental function in people with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and strokes! For more info, please see SunPowerLED.com.