Meet Our Staff

Thomas Ryan is president and CEO of the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare), the national association that works to preserve and strengthen access to care for the millions of Americans who require medical care in their homes. Ryan spent the last 25 years as president and CEO of Homecare Concepts Inc., a respiratory and home medical equipment company founded in Farmingdale, New York where he also serves as a Village Trustee. Ryan was a founding member and former chairman of the New York Medical Equipment Providers Association (NYMEP) and past chairman of the AAHomecare Board of Directors from 2005 to 2007. In addition, Tom has served as chair of the Region A Council, a multi-state council that works with the regional Medicare carriers and the Center for Medicare Services. Tom has also held board positions for the National Home Oxygen Patients Association (NHOPA) and St. Joseph’s Hospital, a member of Catholic Health System on Long Island. Tom holds a degree in Respiratory Therapy from New York University Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital and B.S. Degree in Health Administration from Saint John’s University in New York. 

When Ryan is not serving the HME industry, he enjoys taking long walks with his fun Irish Terrier “Mabel”, working in his gardens, and spending time with family in their favorite place in Ocean Beach Fire Island. 

Follow Tom on Twitter; @TomRyanHME

Sue Mairena is the chief operating officer (COO) of AAHomecare. She joined the team in the summer of 2003.

 Sue has more than 25 years of financial and managerial experience in a variety of industries. As COO, Sue manages AAHomecare's day-to-day operations, human resources, accounting, monthly financials and yearly audit, tax return and budget. In addition, each year she evaluates the Association's existing structure, and makes recommendations to the President and Executive Committee. Sue is also responsible for the yearly membership dues budget, dues structure, non-dues revenue and the meetings and education department.

 Up until she joined AAHomecare in 2003, she worked for several public accounting firms including: Raffa and Associates, P.C., in Washington, D.C. Mairena also served as Vice President of Finance and Administration for Bantu, Inc., a Web-based instant communications company in Washington, D.C.

Senior Vice President of Public Policy Jay Witter’s background encompasses over twenty-five years of legislative, political, and management experience.  Since joining AAHomecare in 2009, Jay has worked to advance the Association’s legislative initiatives on Capitol Hill, as well as coordinate its political activities. As the senior lobbyist for the United American Nurses (UAN), AFL-CIO, Jay oversaw the organization’s legislative, regulatory, and political policies, procedures and positions.  During the 2008 presidential election, Jay worked with a majority of the candidates on pro-nurse policies and initiatives.  He was also appointed to Obama’s Health Care Policy Committee, as well as organized a “Nurses for Obama” campaign. Before joining UAN, Jay worked as Vice President of Government Relations at the American Chiropractic Association, Jay successfully worked with ACA members for the passage of six specific chiropractic bills into law over the six years he worked at the Association.  Jay has also worked on Capitol Hill for several members of the House of Representatives.  Jay possess’ a BA in Political Science and Masters of Public Administration.

Kim is currently the Senior VP of regulatory affairs for the American Association for Homecare (AAH).   As the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Kim is responsible for interfacing with regulatory bodies; such as CMS and government oversight agencies; the GAO and OIG on issues that affect membership.  In addition, Kim has consulted as an expert witness and advocates for interests of the industry.  Previously, Kim was employed with Advanced Home Care (AHC), a leading company providing Home Medical Equipment (HME), Infusion Therapy, Rehabilitation Equipment, and Home Health.  

Additionally, over the past 20 years, Kim has consulted nationally on reimbursement guidelines, operational process design, management and leadership skill development, IT solutions and utilization, and accounts receivable management.  

Kim is also an active advocate, participant and volunteer in the industry.  Currently a board member of ACMESA; a member of the National Supplier Clearinghouse (NSC) Advisory Committee, the Medtrade Educational Advisory Board; the Jurisdictional Councils for A, B, C, and D, and the POE groups for Jurisdictions A, B, and D.

In her free time, Kim enjoys snow skiing, spending time in the gym, playing with her jack Russell Lewis and chocolate lab Ramsey, and vacationing with her husband.

Mina Uehara is the senior director of regulatory affairs for AAHomecare, working with the team since 2014. Mina is responsible for monitoring and analyzing regulations related to reimbursement, compliance, and coding that impact AAH membership. Through her policy and data analysis, she has created several educational materials for the industry’s advocacy efforts, including the tracking the supplier location closures. In addition, she staffs the Regulatory Council and Diabetes Council, working closely with industry leaders to ensure AAH has a unified voice on federal policy. Prior to joining AAH, Mina received her master’s in public policy with a focus on health policy and worked in political advocacy. 

Laura Williard is the vice president of payer relations for the American Association for Homecare. In this role, she has formed relationships with national payers including Anthem, TRICARE, the Defense Health Agency, AIM Sleep Management and CareCentrix, to have a greater impact on policy and operational changes for HME providers. She has consulted with legal staff on the impact of the CURES Bill and created reference materials and resources for the industry; and at the state level she has been a driving force to secure wins in several states who were following suit with Medicare reimbursement. Williard has served in the HME community since 1999, most recently at Advanced Home Care as senior director of regulatory affairs, reimbursement compliance, and contracting. She has extensive experience working with managed care, Medicare advantage, MEDICAID MCOs, and state Medicaid programs.  Laura is very active in the state associations, serving on the board for GAMES, FAHCS, OAMES, HOMES, SCMESA, ACMESA, Payer Relations Co-Chair for KMESA, and Vice President for ATHOMES. She also served as the Vice Chair for the Jurisdiction C Medicare Council, and is a founding member of the Mediware User Group. Williard also participated as a member of the Palmetto 16 State Coalition Committee and sat on the Public Policy Committee of the Visiting Nurses Association of America, and both home health associations during her time at Advanced Home Care.  In addition to her industry involvement, Williard has previous experience managing a large reimbursement department with 150 employees and was responsible for all aspects of the revenue cycle.

Follow Laura on Twitter; @WilliardLaura 

David Chandler is the Senior Director of Payer Relations for American Association for Homecare. David has worked to build relationships with payers across the country and assist Home Medical Equipment (HME) providers in ensuring their patients have access to quality equipment and care. He continues to work with state and regional associations throughout the nation to find solutions and fight for regulatory and legislative change.

David has worked in the HME industry since 2003, most recently with Liberty Medical Specialties as Director of Reimbursement and Government Affairs. He has considerable experience in sales, operations, reimbursement, payer, and government relations.  

Chandler’s service to the HME community also includes a term as President of the Atlantic Coast Medical Equipment Services Association. He served as Chairman of the Medicare Jurisdiction C Advisory Council and was a member of AAHomecare’s Regulatory Council and State Leaders Council. Chandler was elected to the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy/ DME Subcommittee in 2016. Chandler also currently serves on the board for Alabama Durable Medical Equipment Association (ADMEA), Great Lakes Home Medical Services Association, Northeast Medical Equipment Providers Association (NEMEP), Texas Medical Equipment Providers Association (TexMEP), and Pennsylvania Association of Medical Suppliers (PAMS).

David spends most of his free time with his family. He and his wife are blessed with two amazing kids, and together they enjoy spending time at the beach, swimming, hiking, fishing, and being outdoors.

Alexis joined AAHomecare in 2023 as senior director of payer relations.  She has over 25 years of experience in the Complex Rehab Technology (CRT)/Complex Mobility sector of DME, most recently serving as Vice President of Payer Relations at National Seating & Mobility.  Although she has held various roles working for CRT providers – ranging from customer service to compliance officer to ATP, her expertise is centered on Medicaid & commercial payer rate negotiations and coverage criteria.  Over the years she has served as an executive committee member and member of the board of directors for NCART as well as on the board of directors for the DME/CRT state associations in multiple states.  Alexis served as chair of the AAHomecare CRMC, was part of the AAHomecare Regulatory Council, was a member of the Medicare Jurisdiction C Advisory Council and has been recognized for outstanding customer solutions and consumer advocacy.   She has participated in consumer advocacy lobbying in Washington, DC for more than 10 years working to improve rates and coverage for CRT.

Gordon Barnes is the senior director of communications for AAHomecare, working with the team in various capacities since 2007.

Barnes develops and executes strategic communications for the Association, ensuring internal and external messaging is consistent for all audiences. He recommends improvements to communication channels, helps grow AAHomecare’s grassroots advocacy capacity, and has a hand in several other communications projects and outreach activities. Gordon may be best known as the Appointment Concierge to attendees of our annual Washington Legislative Conference – setting, confirming and managing hundreds of Capitol Hill appointments for conference attendees. 

Before joining AAHomecare, Gordon worked in public relations, grassroots and online communications roles for the DC-based PR firm Burson-Marsteller, the American Gas Association, the American Forest and Paper Association and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Gordon lives in a townhouse in nearby Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, that was built in 1824, which he has been restoring for the better part of a decade. 

Tilly Gambill is the senior director of education, marketing & events for AAHomecare, joining the team in 2007.

During her tenure with AAHomecare, Gambill has managed a variety of advertising, marketing, grassroots, branding, and public relations initiatives for the Association. Tilly helped establish and leverage the visibility of HME issues in emerging online media in addition to traditional communications channels. Gambill currently develops and executes the AAHomecare education program and manages the website and education and resource libraries online to help our members quickly access needed information. Her role also encompasses Medtrade events, AAHomecare programs, and coordination of the Washington Legislative Conferences. 

Before joining the team, Tilly worked at Docs for Tots, a Washington-based advocacy network for physicians that champions the healthcare and social needs of children. She served as communications director there, leading media outreach and message framing efforts for the organization as well as work on print and electronic publications.

Tilly and her husband have three active children. She serves as a Board member for the elementary school PTO, teaches 5th grade Sunday School, and enjoys traveling with her family.

Ashley Plauché is a seasoned Industry advocate with a passion for creating meaningful impact through strategic communications.  With over 20 years of experience in the HME Industry beginning in 2003, Ashley worked for 12 years as a supplier focused on corporate communications and government relations.  During this time, she also served as Vice President and later Executive Director at ATHOMES, a prominent state HME trade organization where she was recognized as the “HME Advocate of the Year” before joining the AAHomecare team in 2015.

Throughout her tenure at AAHomecare, Ashley managed over a dozen volunteer member groups and played an integral role in strategic advocacy and operational initiatives to enhance the HME benefit. She now serves as the Senior Director Brand Marketing where she specializes in crafting narratives that bridge data with real-world impact, leading the Value of Homecare & HME efforts, and fostering partnerships that propel Industry priorities. She passionately engages with stakeholders including suppliers, consumer and clinician groups, allied organizations, and elected officials in the pursuit of preserving the HME benefit and ensuring homecare is a viable option for seniors and people with disabilities. 

In her spare time, Ashley enjoys hiking in the Pacific Northwest and drawing. 

Mike’s professional background spans nearly 30 years of diverse experience in the areas of partnership/business development, sales, marketing and public relations – with particular focus on health care associations, travel and hospitality. He has worked with several of the most highly regarded national associations in the healthcare industry and some of the top brands in travel and hospitality. During Mike’s 8-year tenure with AAHomecare, he has worked to grow and diversify the Association’s membership base, collaborating with a deeply experienced and passionate internal team to deliver maximum takeaways for members.

Mike is originally from Western Pennsylvania, and resides in Maryland. He is a graduate of Penn State University, and a huge Nittany Lions and Steelers fan. He has a passion for travel with his wife and son to anywhere there is a beach or blue water – in particular the British Virgin Islands and Florida Keys.

Legree is the newest team member at AAHomecare. As the Project Manager she works with the Medical Supplies, HME/RT, State Leaders and Diabetes Council. These dynamic groups work towards policies and reimbursement issues for their sector of the industry. Stephanie helps council’s leadership and workgroups by organizing meetings and leading conversations.

Stephanie is fifth generation of a family owned and operated reginal DME provider - Binson’s Home Healthcare. She worked for Binson’s for 23 years in various roles, learning the business from the ground up.

Most recently she served on AAHomecare’s Regulatory Council as Vice-Chair, Chair of Jurisdiction C Council and Vice-Chair of Jurisdiction B Council. In these leadership roles she has helped influenced changes including the CMN/DIF removal and continuation of the CR Modifier
during the end of the PHE.

Legree says her favorite part of working in this industry are the people. Working with other providers towards solutions and servicing beneficiaries so that they can stay in their homes are roles she particularly enjoys.

As the Administrative Assistant for AAHomecare, Katilyn Mairena works on a wide variety of tasks that aid each member of the team. Since fall of 2021, she has familiarized herself with the membership database, making necessary edits to member profiles and expanding on the information within prospective prospect profiles. As new companies emerge in the industry, she researches these HME and DME companies, to see if they may desire to join the AAHomecare mission.

With new companies joining, she handles the distribution of welcome packets and member certificates. She has become instrumental in the accounts receivable process by crafting invoices and making member calls. Katie also aids in the communications and marketing department, reviewing state maps, and other tasks such as evaluating information on the website.

Katie has a BA in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. When she isn’t in the office, she is often somewhere outside of the country. Recently, she taught English in Spain for six months with her Teaching English as a Foreign Language degree. She loves experiencing new cultures and especially loves consuming new cuisines.