Sean Cavanaugh is the Chief Administrative and Performance Officer of Aledade, which partners with independent physicians to succeed in value-based payment models.

He previously was the Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Deputy Director at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. He’s had a bunch of other jobs, too.

Margaret Peterson serves as the Director of Federal Affairs at America’s Physician Groups. In this capacity, Margaret
works to promote the organization’s federal advocacy and policy objectives including increasing access to value-based, coordinated care through regulatory and legislative avenues.

This role centers around building relationships and encouraging educational opportunities with Members of
Congress and Congressional staff, Executive Branch staff, and health policy leaders. Margaret also directs the induvial advocacy program, APG Advocates, which encourages members to become more involved in public policy and the legislative process.

Immediately prior to joining Affairs at America’s Physician Groups, Margaret served on the health policy team for Senator Joni Ernst focusing on a number of legislative priorities including ACA reform and MACRA implementation. Originally hailing from Iowa, Margaret received a BA from Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI in Political Science with a minor in Public Relations.

Valinda Rutledge serves as the Vice President of Federal Affairs for America’s Physician Groups, leading the federal legislative and regulatory activities in Washington, DC. Prior to her current role at APG, she served in a leadership position at the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation (CMMI), where she helped build the Innovation Center from its startup phase and managed the design and launch of several of the Center's models.

Before joining CMS, Ms. Rutledge served as CEO of several systems within Bon Secours and SSM Health, as well as CaroMont Health in Gastonia, North Carolina where she developed and launched several alternative payment models among employers and payers.

Ms. Rutledge received the 2013 Becker’s Healthcare Leadership Award, which is given to the top 30 individuals in the nation who demonstrate leadership and impact to the industry on a national level. She is frequently sought as a national speaker in the area of payment, clinical innovation, and population health.