Candace is a health policy and health care delivery expert with more than 20 years of experience supporting federal and state health programs. As a principal research scientist at NORC, she helps government agencies and stakeholders design, implement, and evaluate value-based payment and care delivery models that improve quality while reducing costs. Candace specializes in Medicare and Medicaid policy, payment reform, quality measurement, program implementation, and health system transformation. She has led large multidisciplinary teams and complex health services research and operational initiatives, partnering with federal agencies and health care stakeholders to translate policy goals into measurable program outcomes.

Before joining NORC, Candace served as executive director of Mathematica’s Federal Value-Based Care department, where she led a portfolio of large-scale projects focused on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center models, hospital value-based purchasing programs, quality measurement, Medicare Advantage data initiatives, and payment reform strategies. Her work supported the implementation and refinement of national programs that affected hospitals, clinicians, skilled nursing facilities, and other providers participating in Medicare and Medicaid. Candace also led organizational strategy, business development, and workforce management efforts for a team of more than 120 professionals.

Earlier in her career, Candace advised state and federal policymakers on health coverage expansion, Medicaid financing, managed care oversight, and payment integrity. She helped evaluate universal coverage proposals for the State of Illinois, supported health reform initiatives in Massachusetts, and contributed to numerous Medicaid policy and financing studies. She also testified before the Florida Legislature regarding findings from a Medicaid expansion evaluation. Across her career, Candace has built a reputation for combining analytics with practical policy expertise to help public-sector leaders implement and improve the performance of health care programs serving millions of Americans.