Ben Slocum

Chief Executive Officer

Ben Slocum is CEO of Wellpath Group Holdings, LLC and various affiliates thereof. His role is to ensure operational excellence and to drive the organization’s strategic focus. He is an experienced healthcare executive who brings nearly four decades of vast knowledge to the Company’s comprehensive, patient-centered medical and behavioral offering. In his previous role as Chief Operating Officer, he worked closely with our Division Presidents to ensure that we meet our commitments to our people and partners, achieve our operational goals, and of course, never waiver from our mission to provide quality care to every patient with compassion, collaboration and innovation.

Carla Wallace

Chief Compliance Officer

Carla Wallace joined Wellpath as Chief Compliance Officer in December 2019, with nearly 30 years of experience in the healthcare and compliance space. As Chief Compliance Officer, she has established a compliance reporting framework for monitoring and reporting on compliance issues. She reports directly to the CEO with a dotted line to the Board of Managers to ensure that the company follows all federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Before joining Wellpath, Carla held a similar role for naviHealth in Brentwood, Tennessee, and was the Principal, Compliance Consulting for Quorum Health Resources. She received a master’s degree in Health Care Administration from Independence University and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Carla is also certified through the Health Care Compliance Association’s (HCCA) compliance certification board (CCB) in the areas of general compliance (CHC), privacy compliance (CHPC) and research compliance (CHRC) and is a member of multiple healthcare councils.

Dana Bell

Chief Development Officer

Dana Bell serves as Wellpath’s Chief Development Officer, overseeing sales, partnership development, marketing & communications, and proposal development. Dana brings over 25 years of experience driving growth and leading national teams in the corrections and government sectors. Throughout her career, Dana has become known for building high-performing teams, aligning cross-functional stakeholders and navigating complex regulatory and political environments. Her expertise spans government procurement, revenue growth and market expansion, with a strong track record of securing high-value state and local contracts.

Dana previously held the role of Chief Development Officer at YesCare, where she led a nationwide sales and government relations organization, overseeing strategy, RFP execution, and large-scale contracts. Dana holds a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Louisiana State University and is recognized for her strategic leadership, executive presence, and ability to deliver sustainable, long-term growth.

Debbie Jandt

Chief Human Resources Officer

Debbie Jandt serves as Wellpath’s Chief Human Resources Officer, with 25+ years of experience in human resources in the healthcare, global insurance, and technology space. In this role, Debbie is responsible for leading the development and implementation of Wellpath’s people strategies to support the company’s business and Wellpath’s team members across the country. Before her tenure at Wellpath, Debbie served as the Vice President of Human Resources-Talent Acquisition at Brookdale Senior Living in Brentwood, Tennessee, and as the Global Operations & Human Resource-Talent Acquisition leader for Marsh McLennan, based in New York, NY. Debbie earned her bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University and furthered her education through executive courses at Duke, Yale School of Management, and Berkeley.

Dheeraj Taranath

Chief Clinical Officer

Dr. Dheeraj Taranath is Wellpath’s Chief Clinical Officer. His primary responsibility is ensuring the organization provides its patients with quality healthcare. He also works as a liaison between medical staff and administration to support positive communication channels while ensuring appropriate care to all patients.

Dr. Taranath is a board-certified family medicine physician with a distinguished career. He most recently served as the Executive Medical Director for the local government division at Wellpath. Prior to this role, he was an Executive Medical Director at MedExpress, part of United Health/Optum, for over a decade. There, he led clinical initiatives aimed at improving quality of care and value-based medicine, while also training providers to deliver a consumer-centric experience with a strong emphasis on empathy and evidence-based practices.

Dr. Taranath holds an MBA from St. Joseph’s University and is passionate about collaborating with various healthcare systems to create mutually beneficial partnerships that enhance continuity of care for patients. Currently, he and the Wellpath team are developing clinical programs that prioritize safety and comprehensive care, with the goal of reducing recidivism among justice-involved individuals.

Heather Norman

Chief Nursing Officer

Heather Norman brings more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience and is board-certified as both a Nurse Executive and a Clinical Nurse Leader. As Chief Nursing Officer, she is responsible for ensuring patients across the organization receive high-quality, compassionate nursing care through a unified, patient-centered approach.
Heather collaborates closely with clinical leaders to advance evidence-based practices that drive quality outcomes, enhance the patient experience, and support cost-effective care delivery.

She has a diverse clinical background and previously served as a noncommissioned officer in the United States Army. In addition, she serves as President of the American Correctional Nurses Association (ACNA), demonstrating her leadership and commitment to advancing correctional nursing practice nationwide.

Heather holds a Master of Science in Clinical Nurse Leadership from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Her certifications include Certified Correctional Healthcare Professional–Registered Nurse (CCHP-RN), Nurse Executive–Board Certified (NE-BC), and Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL).

Joel Jensen

Chief Information Officer

Joel Jensen is Wellpath’s Chief Information Officer. Joel joined Wellpath in 2010 as Vice President of Information Technology. Over 14 years, Joel has been instrumental in building out and scaling Wellpath’s IT organization during the company’s 10x growth phase. As CIO Joel leads all IT work for Wellpath and is involved in all the company’s strategic initiatives that involve change supported by IT innovation. Joel is involved with many client facing projects, having led or supported the IT work for 100+ contract startups and all of the company’s State contracts. Joel is known for delivering consistent results with a calm, cool and collected demeanor.

Joel brings over 38 years experience leading technical organizations, implementing growth and change, and managing vendors, contracts, and budgets. Joel’s experience includes 12 years with EDS Corporation, 2 years with Xerox, and 10 years with Core Business Technology Solutions. Joel is known for his expertise at leading large initiatives, formulating and executing business, financial, and technology strategies, recruiting and leading technical teams, and bridging the gap between technical and non-technical groups.

John Doyle

Chief Financial Officer

John Doyle is Wellpaths’ Chief Financial Officer. A seasoned finance executive with more than 30 years of experience, John is experienced in execution of strategic growth initiatives, process improvements and optimization, revenue cycle management, and financial planning and analysis. He has been the CFO of large, multi-site healthcare services companies, including private equity-backed and SEC reporting entities where he consistently implemented improved processes and oversaw tremendous growth.

John graduated from Lipscomb University with a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting. Along with his wife, Catherine, John helped form and currently serves on the Board of Compassionate Hope Foundation, whose mission is to rescue and house children subjected to human trafficking in southeast Asia and the Philippines.

Marc Goldstone

Chief Legal Officer

Marc Goldstone is Wellpath’s Chief Legal Officer, overseeing all aspects of the Company’s legal operations, including managing the Legal, Compliance, Risk Management, Insurance and Worker’s Compensation/Employee Safety functions. He brings more than 25 years of health law experience to Wellpath. Prior to joining Wellpath, Marc served in senior leadership roles in non-profit and investor owned health systems (both privately owned and publicly traded). Marc was also appointed to consecutive terms on the United States Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council by the Secretary of Labor, where he advised the U.S. Government agencies on matters of critical importance to the provision of EMS throughout the country. Marc is an honors graduate of the Rutgers School of Law, and a Fellow of the American Health Law Association. Prior to entering the practice of law, Marc was a certified Mobile Intensive Care Unit paramedic for many years, and his legal practice and leadership are informed by the thousands of patients he cared for during that time.

David Thompson

Division President, State and Federal

David began his tenure at Wellpath in 2018 as the Vice President of Operations for the State and Federal Healthcare Division and was elevated to Senior Vice President in 2020. In this role, he provided strategic and operational leadership for several statewide contracts and Wellpath’s portfolio of private prisons. Under his guidance, David and his team achieved significant improvements in operational and financial performance, expanded the client base and services, and enhanced clinical outcomes.

David brings more than 36 years of experience in clinical and healthcare administration to his role, including 6 years of service in the United States Navy as a Hospital Corpsman and 30 years in the correctional healthcare industry.

David holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Care Management from Southern Illinois University and a Master’s of Business Administration from Webster University. Additionally, he has been a Certified Correctional Health Professional for 20 years.

Erik Hamnes

Division President, Local Government – East

Erik Hamnes joined Wellpath in 2023 to lead operations across the eastern United States. A seasoned executive with more than 25 years of experience, Erik is known for driving operational excellence and achieving strong financial results. His leadership career spans respected organizations such as AMSURG Corporation, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, and Easter Seals of Tennessee, where he consistently improved systems focused on better patient outcomes and best in class customer experience.
 
Erik holds a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, as well as a Master of Physical Therapy and a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Sciences from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from North Dakota State University.

Jessica Mazlum

Division President, Local Government – California

Ms. Mazlum joined Wellpath in 2023, bringing nearly two decades of experience in the correctional field. She has extensive knowledge of state and local correctional services, including custody operations and best practices in the treatment industry. She also has 15 years of experience in state government, including oversight of operational teams, development of re-entry programs, and management of contract deliverables. 
 
Before joining Wellpath, Ms. Mazlum served as Partnership Development Director for a behavior change company, providing extensive knowledge and experience in the delivery of evidence-based treatment and supervision solutions to government partners in various states. She attributes much of her success to creating and maintaining strong relationships with government partners over the years by developing trust, mutual respect, and long-standing partnerships.

Synthia Peterson

Division President, Local Government – Central

Synthia Peterson brings nearly 30 years of dedicated service to correctional healthcare. She began her career as a Registered Nurse and advanced through a range of leadership roles, including Director of Nursing (DON), Health Services Administrator (HSA), Corporate DON, Regional Director of Operations (RDO), Regional Vice President (RVP), and Division President. In addition to her operational expertise, Synthia has served as a professor at both Bradley University and Western Illinois University. She has also worked as an Expert Witness for legal nurse consulting firms, lending her knowledge to a variety of complex cases.
 
Her career began at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s in Chicago and continued at OSF Peoria. She then moved into correctional healthcare with HPL, CHC, and CCS—all of which are now part of Wellpath. Synthia holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Nursing from Bradley University, along with a Post-Master’s Certificate as a Certified Forensic Nurse.