2025 Speaker Bios and Slides Presentations

Speaker Bios

Richard Bays, JD

Mr. Bays has worked as an ASC administrator & compliance officer overseeing State, Federal & Accreditation requirements. He has worked at the legislative level on regulatory issues as well as litigation involving ASC’s.

Christopher M. Dembny R.Ph.

Chris Dembny R.Ph. is the president and founder of Dembny Pharmacy Consultants LLC. The company currently provides consulting services to about 160 surgery centers and 60 ERs. The business has been providing these services for over 30 years.

Mr. Dembny spent five years on the Board of Directors of the Texas Pharmacy Association, finishing with his year as vice-president in 2011-12. He spent 5 years as a Board member of the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, being appointed by governor Perry in 2013.

Deborah Edelman, MPH

Deborah is the Senior Director, Standards Compliance and Development for AAAHC. She has worked for AAAHC for more than ten years, serving in various roles including managing accreditation operations. In her current role, Deborah leverages her regulatory and operational knowledge and experience to oversee AAAHC’s Medicare Deemed Status Program and state recognition agreements, ensuring AAAHC’s continued compliance with program and regulatory requirements. She also oversees Standards development and maintenance across all AAAHC accreditation and certification programs.

Maggi Jeffries, MD, FASA
Director, Ophthalmic Anesthesia

Eye Center of Texas | Houston Eye Associates | Retina Consultants of Texas

President, Ophthalmic Anesthesia Society
Board Member & President, Texas Ambulatory Surgery Center Society
Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia, Committee on Ophthalmic Anesthesia
Consultant, Imprimis and Melt Pharmaceuticals

Dr. Jeffries received her anesthesia training at Johns Hopkins University and following graduation, became an Assistant Professor at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. During that time, she was an active contributor to diverse areas of research and is a published author in several national journals. In private practice since 2010, her breadth of experience encompasses a wide range of ASC subjects.

Rommie Johnson, MPH, PMP

Rommie Johnson is the Program Director for the Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) and Office-Based Surgery (OBS) programs at the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). He oversees accreditation strategy and program development, working closely with organizations to support compliance, quality improvement, and successful survey outcomes. He previously served as Associate Director of Business Development for Ambulatory Care at The Joint Commission, focusing on large ambulatory health care practices. Rommie also held the role of Manager of Accreditation Services at the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), supporting standards interpretation and operational processes. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Sociology and Public Health (Epidemiology) from Loyola University Chicago.

Ronell Myburgh MHA, MBA, BSN, RN

Ronell Myburgh has extensive global healthcare experience, holding clinical nursing and CEO/Administrator roles at both facility and corporate levels. At DNV, she has served in various leadership positions and is currently the Executive Director of Advanced Certifications and ASC Project Manager. She authored DNV’s Advanced Orthopedic and Spine Certification Requirements and created the Orthopedic Center of Excellence designations. Ronell co-authored DNV’s Advanced Sterile Process Certification was also DNV’s Liaison Representative to the CDC’s HICPAC, a committee recently dissolved. Ronell holds degrees in Nursing, Business Administration, and Health Administration.

Michael Orseno

Throughout his more than 23+ year career in healthcare revenue cycle management, Michael Orseno has constantly worked to transform the ambulatory surgery business office with advanced automation, measurement, and staffing best-practices. As an industry leader and
recognized speaker, he can offer his unique service model that consistently improves financial outcomes while delivering increased efficiency and control.

Wade Parker, MHA

is currently a Field Director for the Ambulatory and Office-Based Surgery
Accreditation Program at The Joint Commission. Previously, he was a Joint Commission
Ambulatory Surveyor for 14 years.

Prior to joining The Joint Commission, Mr. Parker served in several roles including Quality Manager
and Administrator at Surgery Center Southwest, on the campus of Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas;
Director of Outpatient Services at Baylor-Richardson Medical Center; and Director of Quality and
Risk Management at Red River Regional Medical Center. He has been an RN for the state of Texas
since 1988.

Alisha Rabel, CEO

Alisha Rabel is the Chief Executive Officer of AT&C Revenue Services, a leading provider of customized revenue cycle solutions for Ambulatory Surgery Centers. With over 30 years of experience in healthcare operations, she is known for her client-centric leadership and commitment to delivering Accurate, Timely, and Compliant results. Alisha has built a reputation for transforming financial performance through tailored strategies, exceptional service, and innovative solutions. She leads with purpose—empowering ASCs with smart RCM strategies—and heart.

Vanessa Sindell

Vanessa Sindell is a Registered Nurse and Senior Consultant at VMG Health, based in Dallas, Texas. With over 18 years of clinical nursing experience, the majority of which has been focused on Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs), Vanessa brings extensive expertise in ASC development, licensing, Medicare certification, accreditation, regulatory compliance, software implementation, and financial and operational efficiency. She has served as a Senior Consultant with VMG Health, formerly Progressive Surgical Solutions, since 2018.

Akshay Tavkar

Akshay Tavkar has spent the last 25 years in healthcare, starting in direct patient care and evolving into leadership roles focused on ambulatory care. For over two decades, he has specialized in outpatient operations, with 11 years dedicated specifically to ASCs. His experience spans practice administration, anesthesia operations, and ASC management, including the construction and optimization of surgery centers. He holds both CMPE and CASC credentials and serves on the board of the Texas ASC Society, where he advocates for the industry. Akshay is also passionate about mentoring future ASC leaders, sharing his knowledge to support professional growth and better patient care.

Thomas Terranova, JD MA MBA
CEO, QUAD A

Thomas Terranova is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of QUAD A, where he provides strategic leadership, manages financial oversight, and ensures organizational alignment with board objectives. A seasoned attorney, Thomas previously advised multinational corporations with data-driven strategies and worked on international mergers and acquisitions at a top-ranked global law firm. He is a member of the American, Illinois, and Chicago Bar Associations. A Chicago native and family man, he enjoys sports, Blues music, and travel. Thomas views his role at QUAD A as a unique and fulfilling opportunity to contribute to patient safety and well-being.

Ryan Vaughn

Ryan is a seasoned healthcare executive with over 20 years of experience spanning pharmaceuticals, drug distribution, ASC management, and anesthesia M&A. Most recently, he led the launch of a successful anesthesia locum tenens startup and now consults for multiple healthcare organizations.

Landon Welch, MHA
CEO Texas Health Surgery Center Center Cleburne

Welch started his career as a patient transporter at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and after graduate school, he became a licensed nursing home administrator in Houston, Texas. In 2019, he transitioned to the ambulatory setting and currently works with SCA Health, where he is the CEO of Texas Health Surgery Center Cleburne. Welch has been a guest lecturer at the University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management and Brigham Young University Marriott School of Business, co-lectured at the American College of Healthcare Executives’ conference, serves on the TASCS Board of Directors and several SCA Health enterprise committees.

Courtney Williamson

Courtney Williamson joined Congress Avenue Partners in 2017 after almost 20 years in state government with her last assignment of 7 years as Director of Government Relations at the Texas Workforce Commission. Courtney brings a diverse background in public service having worked across a number of state agencies with oversight over a number of state programs and services. Courtney’s solid footing on the ability to navigate state government and the legislative process gives clients confidence in the team. Courtney holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a bachelor’s degree from St. Edward’s University.

Eric Woomer
Congress Avenue Partners

Eric Woomer is a governmental affairs consultant and lobbyist with extensive senior leadership experience advising legislators at the state and national level, as well as Fortune 100 companies, trade associations and family businesses. Described as “a steady hand in Capitol circles,” Eric has served as Chief of Staff and Legislative Director to three Texas state senators, both Republicans and Democrats, as well as senior roles for U.S Senators and Representatives in Washington. He and his associates at Congress Avenue Partners are consistently ranked in the Top 10 among lobby teams in Capitol Inside magazine’s Lobby Power Rankings.