Employee-Centered Leadership: Perspectives from Columbus Executives - Columbus Business First (2023)

Frederic Bertley

President and CEO - COSI

Dr. Bertley is a scientist, scholar, immunologist and educator. His passion for science and innovation brings the joy of discovery to people of all ages where they live, learn and lounge. His innovation has led to experiences including the COSI Science Festival, The Color of ScienceTM and EiPIC, as well as the COSI STEM kits. Under his leadership, COSI has been voted the nation’s #1 science museum for four consecutive years in the USA Today Readers’ Choice Awards. After graduating from McGill University where he studied Physiology, Mathematics and the History of Science, and earned a Ph.D. in Immunology, Bertley worked internationally in preventative medicine and basic vaccines. He continued this focus in a research group at Harvard Medical School, focusing on the development of DNA vaccines for HIV/AIDS. Before COSI, Dr. Bertley served as SVP for science and education at The Franklin Institute. Bertley co-created and hosts the prime time television show QED with Dr. B, in partnership with PBS-WOSU Public Media. He also created the animated online series, Dr. B in 3. These science literacy creatives have won a combined five EMMYTM awards. He has presented at The United Nations, The White House, the National Academy of Sciences, NASA and in Europe, Africa and the Caribbean. Dr. Bertley has received honors including: the George Washington Carver Award, Columbus CEO of the Year and blooloop 50 Museum Influencer (UK). He was also awarded honorary degrees from Otterbein University, Columbus State and the Presidential Medal of Service from The Ohio State University.

Veronica Knuth

Chief People Officer - Quantum Health

A strategic leader with decades of experience, Knuth is passionate about connecting people with an organization that inspires them. At Quantum Health, she enjoys creating a team that is motivated by a shared purpose: navigating members through their very personal healthcare journeys — no matter how simple or complex they may be. She believes employees should feel they are an integral part of Quantum Health’s vision and mission. Knuth specializes in creating a culture that is inclusive and puts its employees first. This equips and empowers them to be their best — both personally and professionally. Knuth fosters transparency and open communication to ensure dynamic and productive dialogue and interactions. Prior to joining Quantum Health, Knuth led highly successful teams as vice president of human resources at several diverse companies, including CoverMyMeds, Victoria’s Secret and La Senza. She enjoys extending meaningful leadership relationships in the community, where she is involved with organizations focused on boosting equity and capability.

Emily Linch

Human Resources Director - Beam Benefits

With over ten years of experience in Human Resources, Emily Linch, SPHR, serves as the Director of Human Resources at Beam Benefits. Emily came to Beam as its first HR leader and helped scale the business, doubling in size from 200 to 400 employees. She led through COVID-19 and rolled out Beam’s flexible remote-first strategy, along with helping curate Beam's competitive compensation and benefits package. During her tenure at Beam, Emily has managed many functions of human resources including talent management, total rewards, recruiting, employee onboarding and experience, and office management. Emily began her career on the total rewards team at State Auto Insurance (since acquired by Liberty Mutual in 2022) where she delivered wellness initiatives and learned and developed compensation strategies for all employees, including the Executive Team and Board of Directors. From there, Emily was promoted to an HR Business Partner and later a Senior HR Business Partner where she acted as a strategic advisor to executives responsible for the P&L and State Auto’s innovation investment arm. After 8 years at State Auto, Emily was interested in the start-up world and joined Beam Benefits where she has led the HR team for over three years. Emily has dedicated herself to helping make Beam a highly performant organization where associates feel valued and aligned with Beam's culture and mission. Emily has a Bachelors Degree in finance and business management from Indiana Wesleyan University and holds a Senior Professional in Human Resources Designation (SPHR). Emily was born and raised in Columbus and currently resides in New Albany, OH.

Matt Scantland

Founder and CEO - AndHealth

Matt is the Founder and CEO of AndHealth, a leading digital health company that helps people reverse chronic diseases. AndHealth operates employer-sponsored Virtual Centers of Excellence for autoimmune conditions and migraine, two of the most disruptive and costly conditions facing employers. To learn more, please visit www.andhealth.com.Previously, Matt was Co-Founder and CEO of CoverMyMeds, one of the largest and fastest growing healthcare technology companies in the United States. CoverMyMeds helps millions of patients get the medications they need to live healthy lives and is ranked nationally as a top workplace. CoverMyMeds was one of digital health’s first Unicorns when Matt led its sale to McKesson for $1.4B. Matt was ranked as the #14 US CEO of Large Companies by Glassdoor, and the #3 CEO in Healthcare. He lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and two children.

Erica Conroy

Senior Vice President of the Employer Partnership - AndHealth

Erica resides in Columbus, Ohio, and serves as Senior Vice President of the Employer Partnership at AndHealth, a leading digital health company that helps people reverse chronic diseases. Erica is responsible for partnering with Employers to bring innovative solutions that improve the attraction, retention, and engagement of new and current employees suffering from chronic illness while creating significant cost savings for the employer. Previously, Erica served as Senior Vice President of Product at CoverMyMeds. Within this Medication Access company, her team was responsible for taking on significant market opportunities leveraging viral network adoption and technology to dramatically improve a patient’s speed to therapy, affordability, and the chance of abandonment. Before CoverMyMeds, Erica began her career as a Medicinal Scientist at Vertex, focused on synthesizing and developing some of the first personalized therapies for Cystic Fibrosis. She holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from The Ohio State University. Erica’s passion for science and healthcare has fueled her patient-focused career. Outside of work, she serves on the board of COSI, a Columbus-based science museum, and Ohio Life Science, a non-profit association aimed at economic development and advocacy for the life sciences in Ohio.