HEALTH CARE AS AN ECONOMIC DRIVER IN THE HEARTLAND

Angie Cooper | Executive Vice President, Heartland Forward

Angie Cooper serves as executive vice president of Heartland Forward, overseeing strategy, public policy, programming and Heartland Forward’s flagship event, the Heartland Summit.

As Executive Vice President, Angie is focused on being a resource for states and communities – turning Heartland Forward’s research into action, creating new partnerships, leading on public policy solutions and serving as a resource for state and local communities across the 20-states in the heartland region.

For more than 16 years, Angie worked in international and domestic public policy and government affairs for Walmart Stores, Inc., most recently as senior director of global public policy. Angie also worked in various departments within Walmart including, merchandising, public affairs, state and local government relations and the Walmart foundation.

While at Walmart, Angie served as Walmart’s chair of the Women’s Resource Council (WRC). Angie has also been on the board for the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) and the American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL). Angie currently sits on the board as chair for Common Threads, a nonprofit organization that provides nutrition education to children, parents and educators in under-resourced communities.

In 2023, Angie was awarded by the Benton Institute as the Charles Benton Digital Equity Emerging Leader for her work on the #1 economic issue of our time – providing everyone access to affordable high-speed internet. She was also recognized as a Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas.

Angie is a native of Oklahoma and a graduate of Oklahoma State University.

Representative Ellyn Hefner of Oklahoma’s 87th District

Representative Ellyn Hefner of Oklahoma’s 87th District is a single-working mother with three children. Life changed and so did her career path when her youngest son was born with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Learning to navigate the developmental disability service system and advocate for her son is what inspired Ellyn to become a champion for disability rights in Oklahoma.She has spent the last 19 years as a caregiver and professional dedicated to helping Oklahoma parents find hope and resources for their children with IDD.

Originally a small business owner with her late husband in Oklahoma City, Ellyn shifted careers to become a health coordinator for the Oklahoma Family Network, a nonprofit serving families with disabilities and special health care needs. She became more involved at the policy level after graduating from Partners in Policymaking, a leadership training program designed to teach people with disabilities and family members the power of advocacy to positively change the way people with disabilities are supported, viewed, taught, live and work. She served on the Interagency Coordinating Council for Sooner Start as a member and Chair. She was appointed by the Governor, in 2015, to serve on the Advisory Committee on Services to Persons with Developmental Disabilities.

Ellyn is currently a financial advisor and a Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC). She helps families access information, specialists, financial products and services.

Deven Daehn Bio | Associate Vice President, Community Engagement, Heartland Whole Health Institute

Deven Daehn, MS, serves as the Associate Vice President for Community Engagement at Heartland Whole Health Institute.

A mission-driven leader, Daehn has held various roles within nonprofit organizations in the Northwest Arkansas region. A native Arkansan, she has dedicated her entire public health career to serving her community. Prior to her current role, Daehn served as Executive Director of the American Heart Association. In her various roles at the association, Daehn helped build powerful community partnerships and trailblaze innovative public health strategies.

Daehn earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health science, specializing in community health, from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her outstanding leadership and strategic thinking. Notably, in 2019, she received the prestigious national Dot Connector award from the American Heart Association –an award reserved for one individual who exemplifies the mission of the organization. This distinguished honor was given in recognition of her advocacy efforts to improve hydration in Arkansas schools, resulting in the state becoming the first to implement policies ensuring students have adequate access to water through water bottle filling stations in public schools. Daehn’s endeavors have consistently led to sustainable community impact and policy change including healthier vending practices and cardiac emergency preparedness. She has received numerous awards for outstanding achievement in community health and innovation, as well as the National Cass Wheeler Integration Award for collaboration.

Curtis Barnett | President & CEO of Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield

Curtis Barnett serves as president and chief executive officer for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield which serves more than 2 million members nationwide. As president and CEO, Barnett is leading Arkansas Blue Cross’ efforts to help transform healthcare, striving to make it more affordable and a more compassionate system. He has spearheaded new work on behavioral health and health equity and spoken nationally on such subjects as the importance of private and public collaboration for changing how healthcare services are reimbursed and the role of health plans in addressing the social determinants of health, especially food insecurity.

Prior to his election as president and CEO in 2017, Barnett served as senior vice president of Internal Operations for Arkansas Blue Cross and as president and CEO of its wholly-owned subsidiary company, USAble Corporation.

On the national front, Barnett serves on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Board of Directors. He leads as chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Institute for Healthcare Management (NIHCM) and as chairman of the Board of Managers for Blue Health Intelligence, a healthcare data analytics and solutions company.

In Arkansas, Barnett serves on several industry and community boards of directors, including the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees, where he serves as vice chair, the dean’s executive advisory board for the University of Arkansas Walton College of Business, the Arkansas Research Alliance, and the executive committee for the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, where he serves as vice chair.

A native Arkansan, Barnett received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Arkansas and is a graduate of the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management’s Advanced Executive Program.

Barnett actively supports a number of charitable organizations, including the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which named him their Breath of Life honoree in 2015. His alma mater, the University of Central Arkansas, presented him with their Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2018.