DPSQAcon Speakers

Jennifer, who began her position in June 2024, is the newest director for the Department of Human Services (DHS), currently over the Division of Developmental Disability Services (DDS). DDS manages all DHS services for Arkansans with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDDs), which include eligibility for the Community and Employment Support Waiver (CES Waiver), five Human Development Centers (HDCs), CES Waiver Provider certifications, and several grant-funded programs. The DDS team also provides administrative support for Early Intervention Day Treatment (EIDT) and Adult Developmental Day Treatment (ADDT) programs. Before joining DHS, Jennifer helped implement, most recently, the CareSource PASSE and, prior to that, the Empower PASSE. She has been working alongside Medicaid and DHS for 15 years before officially joining the DHS team. Jennifer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the state of Arkansas.

Sharon Donovan holds a Master of Health Administration from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). She currently serves as the business operations manager at the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), where she oversees Medicaid contract management, vendor compliance, and stakeholder relationships. Sharon plays a key role in provider enrollments, claims payments, and resolving reimbursement issues. She previously served as Section Chief of Registries at DHS, bringing extensive experience in health care operations.

Jay Hill serves as the director of the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services (DAABHS), overseeing programs that promote the health, safety, and independence of older Arkansans and adults with disabilities. His division also supports and funds mental health and substance abuse treatment across the state. Jay began working at the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) at the Arkansas Health Center in 2006, becoming its director in 2011. In 2017, he accepted his current position. Prior to joining DHS, Jay worked in management for several large private corporations and served as a special agent in the United States Secret Service. He is a 1994 graduate of the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) with degrees in history and political science. Jay and his wife Mandy have four children.

Debora Inman, JD, received her Bachelor of Arts from Texas Wesleyan University. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas, Bowden School of Law, in 2005. Debora began her legal career at the Pulaski County prosecutor's office, serving as a deputy prosecutor for almost 8 years. After that, her career with the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) began in the Office of Chief Counsel assigned to child welfare cases. She represented the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) for several years until 2018 when she was asked to take on the role of forensics administrator. From 2018 to 2024, Deborah oversaw the DHS forensics program. In 2024, she moved into her current role as an assistant director for aging.

Tabitha Kinggard, RN, joined AFMC in 2005 and is the manager for the provider relations, Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance (DPSQA) provider relations, and ConnectCare escalated outreach services teams. Tabitha and her team educate Arkansas Medicaid providers on policies, procedures, and various initiatives and complete primary care provider assignments for AR Medicaid beneficiaries. Tabitha is a registered nurse and has more than 25 years of experience in health care, which includes home health, labor and delivery, and pediatric settings.

Janet Mann, CPA, has over 20 years of experience in health care and health care finance. She has worked in the public and private sectors for multiple states and clients. Janet has served as the division director for the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Medical Services (DMS), overseeing the Medicaid operations before and during the beginning of the COVID-19 public health emergency until April 2021. She also served as DHS's chief financial officer for a year in 2017. In addition, Janet was a deputy administrator for Medicaid in Mississippi during Governor Harley Barbour's administration from 2006–2010. Janet has focused on health care in the private and public sectors for several entities throughout her career, including most recently at Horne, LLP in Ridgeland, Mississippi. While consulting, she worked closely with other states to implement public policies and programs in areas of program integrity, managed care, audit and compliance, and financial processes. Janet holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from the University of Alabama and is a Certified Public Accountant. She has been married to Doug for over 29 years and has two children, Sydney and Will.

Tabitha McNulty, JD, is the deputy director of the PASSE and Medicaid Behavioral Health Services within the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (OSAMH) at the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS). Prior to this position, Tabitha was an attorney within the child welfare arena. She spent approximately 10 years representing DHS as a trial and appellate attorney across the state in dependency-neglect matters. She also spent almost 10 years representing parents on appeal in mostly termination of parental rights cases. Tabitha grew up in West Memphis, Arkansas, but graduated from Mario High School. She attended the University of Arkansas, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and minored in communications. Tabitha graduated from the William H. Bowne School of Law with her law degree. She is married to Kelly McNulty and has three children: Max, Maggie, and Henry. When she is not working, her time is spent at all of her children's various events and volunteering in her community.

Susan Morrow serves as the Office of Community Services (OCS) licensure and certification manager within the Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance (DPSQA). She has played a pivotal role in launching DPSQA's enterprise licensing system. She has 18 years of experience working with the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS), including experience in investigations with the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS), inspecting and licensing programs with the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education (DCCECE), and inspections and licensure/certification with DPSQA.

Elizabeth Pitman, JD, has a law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Bowen School of Law, and a Master of Public Health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Bozeman College of Public Health. She has worked in and around health law and policy since graduating in 2009. Her experience includes serving as the deputy general counsel for the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH), as assistant director for the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS), and as the deputy director for the Division of Medical Services (DMS) before taking over as director in 2021.

John Selig is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of AFMC, an organization working with individuals and health care providers in all settings to improve health and consumer experience of care while reducing health care costs. Prior to joining AFMC, John was vice president of Optum Public Sector, where he led business development efforts in the southeastern United States. From 2005 to 2016, John served as the director of the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS). His previous positions include serving as the State's director of behavioral health and director of in-home health services.

Martina Smith, JD, serves as the director of the Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance (DPSQA). In this role, Martina oversees the Office of Long-Term Care (OLTC), which regulates surveys and long-term care facilities; the Office of Community Services (OCS), which certifies and licenses assisted living facilities and other providers; and the Office of Performance and Engagement (OPE), which is comprised of the complaint, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and quality assurance units. Martina earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Arkansas State University. Martina has served the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) in additional capacities, including as dependency-neglect, Adult Protective Services attorney, and privacy officer. Prior to coming to DHS, Martina worked for the Tennessee Department of Human Services as an administrative hearing official.

Paula Stone is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 25 years of behavioral health experience. She worked as a mental health therapist and directed community-based programs in Arkansas before leaving the state to work in Florida, California, and New Jersey. Her experience in several areas of the country managing behavioral health clinics and working for a managed care organization gave her an opportunity to experience varied systems and methods for providing successful services. Paula has been with the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) in various roles within the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services (DAABHS) and Division of Medical Services (DMS), focused primarily on services for children and families. She led the team within DMS to change a 30-year-old fee-for-service behavioral health system through a new organized care model. Her current focus of work is on developing services and programs to meet the needs of special and complex populations as well as planning for a statewide integrated crisis system.

Melissa Stone-Weatherton, JD, received a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in English from the University of Arkansas in 2001 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Arkansas William H. Bowen School of Law in 2005. In October of that year, she began work at the Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) as assistant deputy counsel handling child welfare and adult abuse and neglect cases. She has also served as deputy counsel, managing attorney, and assistant director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS). In addition, she oversees division-wide compliance, policy, and procedures and represents DDS as a legislative liaison. She is dedicated to serving Arkansas families who have a loved one with a developmental or intellectual disability and recognizes the importance of providing them with an array of service options.

Karen Young has been with AFMC since 2007. Through her 32 years of experience with Arkansas health care contracts, Karen has developed extensive knowledge of Medicaid claims processing, common billing issues, and provider training needs. Karen has led efforts to implement virtual training and the health care portal for providers and works consistently to improve services and support to Medicaid providers.