Melissa Lopez joined Texicare in October 2024 as Vice President, Line of Business and leads the company’s Sales and Account Management, Product Development and Underwriting teams.

She has extensive health insurance experience in Texas and a deep consultative business development history in Medicare,individual, commercial, public and labor health plans. Melissa has held leadership roles in both Sales and Account Management and worked on the plan and agency sides of the business.

Prior to joining Texicare, Melissa held various leadership roles, most recently serving as Public & Labor Lead Director of Sales and Service at Aetna, a CVS Health Company. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human resource management from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Melissa serves as a volunteer with Young Men’s Service League San Antonio. She has three (very active) children and is often seen on the football bleachers cheering on her two football players and one cheerleader. She is also the proud pet-mom of two English bulldogs and an African spur tortoise aptly named Turbo.

Michael joined Texicare in July 2024 as VP, Health Plan Operations and leads core insurance operation functions including claims adjudication, enrollment, customer service, complaints, grievances and appeals. He also oversees Texicare’s pharmacy benefits manager and virtual health vendor partners.

He has 20+ years of experience in health insurance and consulting, and has led operations teams overseeing claims, enrollment and eligibility, provider data management, call centers, and provider performance management for large and small insurers.

Prior to joining Texicare, Michael served as Senior Director of Insurance Operations at Oscar Health leading efforts to modernize operational processes and upgrade claims technology. He also held roles at Centene, Anthem (now Elevance Health), the New Mexico Department of Health as a gubernatorial appointee, and in various consulting roles at Deloitte, PwC and Slalom. He earned his B.A in Psychology from California State University Sacramento and is pursuing an M.B.A at the Quantic School of Business & Technology.

He and his husband enjoy traveling, winetasting, and as recent transplants to Houston, exploring their Houston Heights neighborhood with their two dogs.

Steph Swartz joined Texicare in March 2024 as Director of Marketing and is responsible for all consumer advertising and partnering with multifunctional teams across the organization to develop branded communications for multiple stakeholder audiences.

Prior to joining Texicare, Steph held prominent marketing roles at companies including Procter & Gamble, Whole Foods/Amazon, and insurance comparison website/tech startup, The Zebra. She is a strategic, data-driven marketer who is known for keeping consumer insights at the forefront of marketing efforts. Steph earned her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Business and Communication from Arizona State University (ASU), and an M.B.A. from the WP Carey School of Business at ASU. She is a member of Women Communicators of Austin and has been engaged in diversity and inclusion programs including Women Inspiring Strength and Excellence (WISE) and Pet Smart’s Pride at Work.

She is active in workout classes and outdoor activities and enjoys live music and traveling as often as she can. She is also an engaged aunt to her four nieces and four nephews who consistently award her “Aunt of the Year.”

Sara Taylor joined Texicare in March 2024 as Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for all plan operations, network, systems, and technology.

She is a thoughtful leader whose core values center around respect, honesty, and compassion and believes that work should always be purpose driven. Sara has deep experience in both health insurance and health care delivery, and has led operations teams overseeing development, technology, and health plan systems for large insurers and small start-ups. Prior to joining Texicare, she served as President of Physicians Group of Texas (PGT), a Texas-based Management Services Organization (MSO), Vice President of Payor and Provider Network Strategy for Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, an Optum care delivery organization based in Houston, TX, the National Senior Director of Population Health Product Development for Ascension Health, and the Texas Market Director of Accountable Care and Value-Based Strategy for Ascension Seton in Austin, TX. She earned her B.B.A. in Marketing from Texas A&M University.

Sara is a native Texan and loves exploring all of Texas state parks and outdoors. At home she keeps busy with her young family (and a high energy Labrador Retriever named Daisy), taking art classes at the Contemporary Austin, shopping for local art and ceramics, cooking, and getting lost in a good podcast.

Mr. Nelson, of Sugar Land, Texas joined the Texicare Board of Directors in 2023. He is a retired healthcare executive who also served as consultant and broker professionally. His past roles include Executive Vice President of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska; Vice President Coach for Aetna, Inc. Central Region; CEO of Coventry Health Care of Nebraska and Iowa, Inc.

Mr. Nelson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Ms. Duncan joined the Texicare Board of Directors in 2023 and is the company’s President & CEO. Her focus is on defining the company’s mission and strategy and bringing products and services to market that serve the healthcare needs of Texas businesses and families.

Prior to joining Texicare, Ms. Duncan held prominent leadership roles in the healthcare industry, including President of Texas for Bright Healthcare, CEO of Seton Insurance Company and VP Accountable Care, and Chief Growth Officer for the South Central Region at Aetna, a CVS Company. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Austin Healthcare Council and has leadership role at a Young Men’s Service League Chapter where she volunteers with her son. She previously held roles on the Board of Directors for both the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Central Texas and LifeWorks Austin.

Ms. Duncan earned a B.A. in Psychology from The University of Texas, Austin, and a MPH, Community Health, from UCLA.

Mr. Gergasko, of Broomfield, Colorado, joined the Texicare Board of Directors in 2023. He is the former President and CEO of Texas Mutual Insurance Company retiring in March 2023, after 10 years of service to the company and the state of Texas. Mr. Gergasko has over 40 years of experience in the insurance industry with a background in actuarial science having held the designation as a Fellow, Casualty Actuarial Society and Member, American Academy of Actuaries. He was recognized by the Austin Business Journal with the 2016 CEO of the Year Award for large companies and the 2023 Best CEO Legacy Award for his leadership at Texas Mutual and throughout the insurance industry. He received the 2019 Philanthropic Leadership Award from the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation in recognition of his generosity and philanthropic impact within his community. He has been active with the American Heart Association in Austin having served as Board Chair for 2 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Statistics from Rutgers College, New Brunswick, NJ.

Ms. Elliott, of Georgetown, Texas, joined the Texicare Board of Directors in 2023. She also serves on the Texas Mutual Board of Directors. She has over 20 years of experience in the planning and execution of talent acquisition strategies and solutions across multiple industries. As a talent acquisition leader, she has experience in process optimization, executive recruitment, exempt and non-exempt recruiting, temporary/contingent staffing, mergers and acquisitions, talent management and project management. In 2017, Ms. Elliott founded Cadence Talent Resources where she continues to serve as a principal consultant. She also serves on the boards of Georgetown Seeds of Strength and the Georgetown YMCA. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from West Texas A&M University.

Mr. Oldham, of Houston, Texas joined the Texicare Board of Directors in 2023. He also serves on the Texas Mutual Board of Directors. He is a partner at Autumn Lane Advisors, a wealth management firm, and serves as a board director and audit committee chair for Central Bank-Houston and Board Chair for Signal Peak Silica LLC. In addition, Mr. Oldham serves as treasurer on the executive board of the Sam Houston Area Council – Boy Scouts of America and is a CFA charter holder. Mr. Oldham received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Mr. Simmons, of Lewisville, Texas joined Texicare’s Board of Directors in 2023. He also serves on the Texas Mutual Board of Directors and is currently Chairman. He is the former Chairman and Founder of Retirement Advisors of America. Mr. Simmons served as a State Representative in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2019. He is a former board member of the American Legislative Exchange Council and has served on the Education Commission of the States. Additionally, he is the former Vice Chairman of the Autism Society of America. Mr. Simmons received a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Dallas Baptist University.

Paul Schlaud has been involved with Texicare from the beginning when he presented the business case to the Texas Mutual Board of Directors that led to the company’s founding. Paul serves as the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and leads Texicare’s People Operations. Paul is also the General Counsel of Texas Mutual. He received his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he also served as editor for the Harvard Law Review. He is a member of the American Law Institute. Paul enjoys travelling, spending time with family, and watching movies.

Jon Henderson joined Texicare in April of 2023 and is responsible for all aspects of the technology used and developed at Texicare, including physical and cyber security, user portals and websites, licensed software, and custom web application development.

Prior to joining Texicare, Jon held leadership roles in software development at Bright Health, Procore, Experian, Citrix, LendingTree, and Microsoft, in addition to a number of startups. He earned a B.S. in Computer Science and Film Production from Northwestern University, and an MBA from Loyola Marymount.

As an avid private pilot holding both glider and single engine land certifications, Jon spends most weekends either soaring in a glider around Central Texas or flying his 2-seater airplane around the country. He is also a huge reader and movie fan with an affinity for science fiction, horror, and comic books, and maintains an ever-growing collection of both books and movies.

Mary Millar joined Texicare in 2023 as VP, Operations and provides operational oversight of the TPA, PBM and other vendor partners to ensure Texicare delivers strong plan administration for the products provided to Texas businesses and families.

She has over 30 years of experience in a variety of roles including account management, product development, network operations, large-scale implementations to support organizational goals, and operational readiness to ensure excellent client experience.

Prior to joining Texicare, she served as AVP, Texas Markets at Bright HealthCare, and held various roles in Product Development, Marketing and Network Operations, and Corporate Services at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas and CHRISTUS Health Plan. She earned a B.A. in Economics and History from The University of Connecticut, and an M.B.A. from The University of Hartford.

She loves traveling with friends and family, watching classic movies (Rebecca is a favorite), walking outdoors, game nights, and painting (where she also serves as her own toughest art critic).

Ryan joined the company in July 2023 as VP, Line of Business and leads multiple teams that deliver Texicare’s solutions to the market, including sales, account management, marketing, product development, and underwriting.

He began his healthcare coverage career in sales and progressed into various leadership positions. Before joining Texicare, Ryan spent 16 years at Humana, most recently as Market President, Employer Group for the Wisconsin, and Illinois markets. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. degree in Economics.

Ryan has held board positions and is a proud supporter of the March of Dimes and Junior Achievement. He and his wife and three young boys enjoy swimming, tennis, cycling, golf, and soccer. When he can carve out some personal time, he can often be found at the UT Golf Club working on his game in the hopes of achieving his dream of qualifying for the next US Open.

Georgia joined Texicare as VP, Controller in October 2023 and is responsible for directing and managing accounting and reporting processes.

She has over 25 years of experience in accounting, audit, and compliance roles for health and life insurance companies and in other industries. Georgia started her career in public accounting with KPMG and has held leadership positions in a variety of accounting functions, including operational accounting, GAAP and statutory financial reporting, and public company audits of internal controls. She is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) and the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA). She earned a BA in Accounting from Texas State University and holds licenses and certifications as a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, and Certified Information Systems Auditor.

Outside of the office, Georgia is an avid baker and volunteers with Bake-a-Wish, a foundation that works with local non-profit groups to provide birthday cakes to children and adults in difficult life circumstances who would otherwise go without.

In addition to baking, she enjoys traveling (especially in Scotland), staying active through Pilates, and spending time with her family.

Carol Dobosh joined Texicare in January 2024 as VP, Network, where her focus is on building and managing Texicare’s provider network across Texas.

She has over 30 years of experience in network management of managed care networks at multiple payors and has managed commercial, Medicare and Medicaid networks. She also has extensive experience in value-based arrangements with providers.

Prior to joining Texicare, Carol held leadership roles at several health care payors, including Vice President, Network Strategy and Service at Molina Healthcare of Texas, and Vice President, Joint Venture Network Development at Aetna Healthcare, a CVS Company. She earned her B.S. in Business at Trinity University and an MBA at the University of Dallas.

Outside of the office, Carol loves to travel, cook, work on craft projects, and enjoy her children’s sporting events. She is an avid hockey fan with three players in the house and is the team manager for the Plano East Hockey Club (Go East!).

Joe Saenz joined Texicare as VP, Strategy in 2023 and works closely with the CEO and the Executive Leadership Team to develop Texicare’s vision, enterprise-level strategy, and annual strategic operating plan. He has over 20 years of health plan experience with a consistent record of strong strategy development, increasing profitability, growing membership, and reducing operational costs.

Prior to joining Texicare, Joe held various leadership roles in Humana’s commercial division, including RVP Market Development Southwest Region, Chief of Staff Market Development, and Texas Director of Finance. He graduated from The University of Texas, San Antonio where he earned a B.B.A. in Accounting.

He’s an enthusiastic swim dad, frequent concert goer, and in his down time he enjoys listening to all types of music and relaxing on the beach with his family.

DeWayne joined Texicare in October 2023 as Chief Financial Officer and is responsible for oversight and day-to-day management of all financial operations and reporting.

As a strategic leader with more than thirty years of healthcare management experience, he has led and managed finance, network, sales and marketing, and operations teams in a wide array of settings, from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. Prior to joining Texicare, he served as Chief Financial Officer for Texas Health Aetna in the DFW market, and Senior Finance Director for Managed Care and Value Based Reimbursement for Ascension Health, a national healthcare system based in St. Louis, Missouri.

DeWayne earned a B.B.A. in Finance from James Madison University. He has served on the Board of Directors for Hospice Austin and the Austin Chapter of the American Cancer Society and does volunteer work for Meals on Wheels. He enjoys activities that keep him outside, like cycling, hiking, tennis, and is also a classic car enthusiast and recently completed a two-year full restoration of a 1960 Chevrolet Biscayne.

Meredith Duncan joined Texicare in 2023 as President & CEO, where her focus is on defining the company’s mission and strategy and bringing products and services to market that serve the healthcare needs of Texas businesses and families.

Prior to joining Texicare, she held prominent leadership roles in the healthcare industry, including President of Texas for Bright Healthcare, CEO of Seton Insurance Company and VP Accountable Care, and Chief Growth Officer for the South Central Region at Aetna, a CVS Company. Meredith earned a B.A. in Psychology from The University of Texas, Austin, and a MPH, Community Health from UCLA.

She is a strong proponent of giving back to the community, and currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Austin Healthcare Council and is in a leadership role at a Young Men’s Service League Chapter where she volunteers with her high school aged son. She previously held roles on the Board of Directors for both the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Central Texas and LifeWorks Austin.

Out of the office she loves travel and exploring new places, cooking (but not so much baking) and historical fiction. She is a former yoga instructor, enjoys being outdoors, and is proud to have completed this year’s MS 150 charity bike ride.