Correctional Healthcare Companies

Corporate Leadership

Correctional Healthcare Companies’ senior management team is a skilled and talented combination of both managed healthcare and corrections experience. Working with our contract management department, our CHC senior management team pays close attention to site programs and is always available to our clients.

Douglas Goetz
Chief Executive Officer

Doug Goetz was named CEO of Correctional Healthcare Companies in January 2007. He has more than 20 years of healthcare management and leadership experience and is now a national leader in correctional healthcare management. Prior to joining CHC, Doug served as Senior Vice President and CFO of HMS Healthcare (a $90 million private-equity-backed, multi-state access network PPO). As a vice-president for the TriZetto Group, a healthcare services firm, Doug led numerous integrations of healthcare networks. Doug also served as Corporate CFO for PorterCare Adventist Health System, a Denver-based multi-hospital network, as well as serving as COO and CFO of Sloans Lake Managed Care. Doug holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and management from Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Don Houston
Chief Operating Officer

Don Houston joined Physicians Network Association (PNA) as President in January 2010 and became the COO of Correctional Healthcare Companies upon PNA’s acquisition. Don has more than 27 years of correctional experience, including 18 years as a senior executive with The GEO Group, a major private corrections corporation. As Senior Regional Vice President of GEO, Don was responsible for overseeing 24 correctional facilities with an inmate population of 25,000, as well as overseeing more than 4,000 employees and a budget exceeding $250 million. Don has extensive experience in proposal development, project management, financial planning, and client relations - including working closely with various state agencies, local governments, and legislative and executive branches of government.

Dr. Ken Robinson, Ed.D
Executive Vice President, Community Health Services

Dr. Ken Robinson joined Correctional Healthcare Companies in January 2012. With over 30 years of correctional mental healthcare experience, he has served as the President of Correctional Counseling, Inc. and Counseling Centers Incorporated since 1987. Dr. Robinson is a co-developer of Moral Reconation Therapy^® (MRT^®), the main form of group services used in CHC’s Community Health Programs. MRT has been selected for inclusion on the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP) sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); a distinction which no other cognitive skills program has attained. Over one million offenders have been treated using MRT and over 6,000 individuals have been trained as MRTfacilitators. He is a certified Professional Counselor and gained his Doctorate in Educational Counseling from Memphis State University in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Bruce McDaniel
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Bruce McDaniel joined CHC as Chief Financial Officer in June 2010. With 25 years experience as CFO/COO in the healthcare industry, Bruce has significant operations and financial experience working in multi-location healthcare environments, in complex private equity backed companies. Bruce has led the successful completion of numerous financings, acquisitions, denovo growth models and integration plans.  Bruce began his professional career with Ernst & Young and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants.  He currently manages all aspects of CHC’s financial operations and contributes to the strategic planning for our corporate vision. Bruce holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-St Louis.  

Wendy Dunegan
Senior Vice President of Operations

Wendy Dunegan joined CHC in January of 2011 with more than 12 years of correctional experience in business management and operations. As a regional executive for The GEO Group, an international private corrections corporation, she had the fiduciary responsibility for more than 25 correctional facilities with an annual revenue exceeding $300 million. Wendy has considerable experience and knowledge in federal contracting, including negotiating Intergovernmental Agreements.

Jim Anderson, Esq.
Vice President of Marketing and Sales Support

Jim Anderson joined Correctional Healthcare Companies in January 2012. As a practicing attorney for over 20 years, a former VP for Business Development and Marketing for two major national corrections companies for over 12 years, and as the President and founder of Peregrine Corrections of Denver, CO, Jim has developed more than 100 currently operating programs in the United States. Jim has supervised the work of consultants to help enact new legislation serving various high-risk offender populations and with operations staff to implement highly effective programs in over 100 federal, state, and local jurisdictions. Jim holds degrees in Business Accounting from Colorado State University and Law from the University of Colorado.

Eddie Samalio
Vice President of Compliance

Eddie Samalio joined CHC as Vice President of Compliance in December of 2011, after spending twenty-two years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Serving the BOP for five years as their most senior Health Services Examiner, he conducted extensive Health Services program reviews for compliance and operational efficiency. He developed guidelines and determined compliance with laws, regulations, ACA, administrative and clinical controls, and effectiveness in achieving program results. Prior to working for the BOP Program Review Division, Eddie was Health Services Administrator (HSA) for 10 years at the Federal Correctional Institution in Pekin, Illinois. His previous experience includes as an Assistant HSA at the U.S. Penitentiary (High Security) in Florence, Colorado, and providing clinical management as a Mid-level Practitioner for the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, Illinois. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry at Valparaiso University, Indiana, and a medical degree at Southwestern University School of Medicine, Philippines.

Shelton Frey, JD CCHP
General Counsel

Shelton Frey has served as CHC’s Chief Legal Counsel since 2007. He brings a wealth of expertise and firsthand experience in the full spectrum of the corrections field, from facility level operations to the inner workings of the judicial system. Prior to arriving at CHC, he served as Assistant of Warden Operations with the Illinois Department of Corrections at the Shawnee Correctional Center in Vienna, IL. As both Assistant Warden and Warden of the Tamms Closed-Maximum Security Correctional Center in Tamms, IL., he oversaw the operation of the state’s only super-maximum security prison. In the judicial realm, Shelton has served as Legal Counsel for the Illinois Department of Corrections, an Illinois Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Fraud Bureau and on the Sex Crimes Task Force, and as an Associate at Gilbert, Kimmel, Huffman & Prosser, Ltd.  He is a member of the American Correctional Association, the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare and the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. Shelton is a Certified Correctional Health Professional by NCCHC and is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Colorado.

Richard Hegstad
Vice President of Human Resources

Rich Hegstad has served as Vice President of Human Resources at CHC since April 2007. Rich oversees all HR functions for CHC and our approximately 3,000 employees, and is responsible for recruiting and retaining some of the finest talent in the healthcare field. During a human resources career spanning more than 30 years, Rich has perfected HR responsibilities for both large and small healthcare companies. Prior to joining CHC, he served as Vice President of Human Resources for Healthtalent, Inc.; as Director of Human Resources for Radiology Imaging Associates/Invision; as Vice President of Human Resources for HMS Healthcare, Inc.; and as Director of Human Resources for Porter and Littleton Adventist Hospitals. Rich has also served in progressively responsible human resources positions in Kentucky, California, and Colorado. Rich earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Walla Walla College in Walla Walla, Washington.

Al Armijo
Vice President of Information Technology

Al Armijo joined CHC in January 2008 with more than 15 years of management and leadership experience in the IT field. He provides support and assistance for all IT needs related to CHC’s contracts. Al is responsible for enterprise-wide information technology strategy and operations, including budget, architecture, and policy development for CHC. Before joining CHC, Al provided strategic information technology consulting as President of his own business, was Vice President of Information Technology for HMS Healthcare, Inc. and Sloan’s Lake Managed Care.

Dr. Raymond Herr, MD
Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Herr is a board-certified physician who joined CHC in 2007 as the Associate Medical Director. In 2011, he was promoted to Chief Medical Officer (CMO), and has direct clinical oversight of all provider services, as well as clinical oversight of Utilization Management. Dr. Herr has been involved in correctional healthcare for two decades, having served as a physician and medical director in numerous Colorado county jails. In addition, Dr. Herr worked with Kaiser Permanente for many years in their Family Medicine Department, and as a supervising physician for cardiac stress testing within the Cardiology Department. Dr. Herr’s correctional experience, strong primary care skills and utilization experience have made him a perfect fit at CHC.

Dr. Elizabeth Falcon, Psy.D.
Vice President CHC Psychiatric Program

Dr. Elizabeth Falcon, PsyD joined Correctional Healthcare Companies in 2007, upon the acquisition of Health Professionals, Ltd., (HPL). Specializing in correctional mental healthcare, she has functioned as a Post-doctorate Psychology Fellow and a staff psychologist at Cook County Jail serving the mental health needs of more than 10,000 inmates. In addition, she has received 3 years of onsite training treating the chronically mentally ill in several major psychiatric hospitals in Chicago. Dr. Falcon has been working for correctional healthcare vendors since 1999. During this time, she has been responsible for overseeing over 15 mental health prison systems and approximately 26 jail mental health programs. She provides guidance in evaluation, development, implementation, and monitoring of jail mental health programs across the U.S. Dr. Falcon has a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology and has received specialized training in corrections for 2 years at Cook County Department of Corrections in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Babatunde Okuleye, MD
Medical Director CHC Psychiatric Program

Dr. Babatunde Okuleye, MD joined CHC in 2007 and specializes in forensic and correctional psychiatry. Dr. Okuleye trained with one of the most renowned forensic psychiatrists in the United States, Dr. James Kavanaugh (Isaac Ray Center/Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital), and served as a staff psychiatrist for two years at Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois. In his final year at Cook County Jail, Dr. Okuleye served as the Assistant Director of Psychiatric Services at Cook County Jail’s psychiatric facility, Cermak Health Services. Dr. Okuleye has been working for correctional healthcare vendors since 1999 as the Corporate Psychiatric Officer. In his experience, he has been responsible for overseeing psychiatric care in at least 15 large prison mental health programs in the state of Illinois, and about 30 jail mental health programs in the Midwest.

Barbara Mulcahy, RN, CCM
Vice President of Utilization Management Administration

Barbara Mulcahy has served as Vice President of Operations and then of Utilization Management Administration at CHC since September 2008. Prior to joining CHC, Barbara gained extensive experience in establishing best practices, organizational goals, and standards of excellence while guiding well-respected healthcare companies through growth and expansion. She served as Vice President of Operations for ActiveHealth Management and Vice President of Health Management at HMS Healthcare, Inc., and has also worked as Manager of Utilization Management at the University of Colorado Hospital; as Health Services Director at CIGNA Healthcare of Colorado; as Regional Manager of the Patient Management Department of Aetna, Inc.; as Director of Health Services at Prudential Healthcare of Colorado; and in various health management roles with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Colorado. Barbara earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Northern Colorado and is currently a master’s candidate at the University of Phoenix Online. She holds a Colorado RN License and CCM Certification.

Dr. Mohammed Ilyas, MD
Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs

Dr. Ilyas has over twenty-five years of experience in managed care, JCAHO accreditation, utilization review, risk management, physician supervision and disease management. He is an expert in managing hospital, pharmacy and outpatient costs through provider education and intense utilization review. Dr. Ilyas is located at CHC’s corporate office in Colorado.

Mary Pearce
Vice President of Accounting

Mary Pearce joined CHC in 2013 bringing more than 15 years of senior financial experience specializing in the healthcare and insurance industries. After 8 years experience in public accounting, Mary launched her own South Florida CPA firm and served as the founding partner for 7 years. The firm specialized in the healthcare industry with physicians as the majority of its client base. After relocating to Colorado, she served as Vice President of Finance for a managed care organization, Vice President of Finance for an Insurance lead generation business, and Director of Finance and Underwriting for a dental insurance company. Mary holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Florida State University and holds an active CPA license in the States of Colorado and Florida.