WALTHAM, Mass., October 13, 2021 – Eleanor Health, the first outpatient addiction and mental health provider delivering convenient and comprehensive care through a population and value-based payment structure, today announced the appointment of four new members to its Board of Directors. Three of the four newly elected officials identify as female, creating one of the more diverse boardrooms in healthcare and underscoring Eleanor’s commitment to gender equality and reflecting the community it serves across all levels of the organization.
“We are excited to welcome our four new board members to the Eleanor family,” said Corbin Petro, Co-Founder & CEO of Eleanor Health. “Diversity is central to meeting the unique needs of our community members, and we believe that it is also necessary to ensure that as a board, we are able to perform our obligations effectively in a complex, innovation-driven environment. Our new board members add critical expertise and diversity, but there’s more work to do to fully represent the communities we serve. As we grow, we look forward to continuing to build a team and a board that represent a broad range of racial, ethnic, experiential, demographic, and personal attributes.”
New Board Members include:
As workers, caregivers, and consumers, women are critical participants in healthcare. Yet, only 2.3% of VC funding in 2020 went to all female-founder management teams and 85.6% went to all male-founder management teams. Additionally, 48.5% of VC backed companies have no women on their board and overall only about 1 in 10 board seats are held by women. Eleanor Health’s three management team founders are women and either BIPOC or LGBTQ+; and its management team has a >50/50 gender balance, setting Eleanor Health apart from other healthcare and VC-backed companies. WIth the addition of four new board members, three of whom are women, Eleanor Health continues to stand apart in commitment to equity and diversity with a majority female board.
“Eleanor Health’s mission, clinical outcomes, innovative population and value-based contracting, and exceptional team is what sets Eleanor apart. They have become the gold standard for those affected by SUD and Mental Health needs, focusing on the whole person and the impact that can have on cost and quality outcomes. I couldn’t be more excited to join the board at this time in the company’s evolution as the leading care delivery model for substance use and mental health”, said Kyle Raffaniello, Eleanor Health’s Independent Board Member.
The elected members have been selected to serve alongside an already impressive list of healthcare and business leaders to guide Eleanor Health as it continues to set a new standard for how addiction and mental health treatment is paid for and delivered.
David Whelan, Eleanor Chair adds “We are thrilled to welcome all four new directors to the board of Eleanor Health at this important inflection point of the company’s growth. At Town Hall Ventures, and through Oxeon’s Break into the Boardroom program, we are focused on ensuring a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences comprise each of our boards, which is why we are appointing Rachel Winokur to the Eleanor Health board on behalf of THV.”
Christina Mainelli is a senior healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience in all facets of healthcare delivery from payer to patient, including physical health, mental health, and social care. Christina serves as a Health Advisor to Warburg Pincus, representing the firm on the board of Eleanor Health, and as the Chief Operating Officer for Quartet Health, a platform focused on helping people get connected to the best possible mental healthcare. Prior to Quartet, Christina was the Chief Operating Officer at Unite Us and served as the EVP and Chief Growth Officer at Beacon Health Options, the nation’s largest managed behavioral health company.
Kyle Raffaniello is a proven leader in the healthcare industry with over 25 years of experience in accelerating corporate growth. Kyle serves as Eleanor Health’s Independent Board member and is CEO of Sapphire Digital, an omnichannel engagement and shopping platform that recently announced its planned acquisition by Zelis.
Previously, Kyle held executive roles in behavioral and healthcare companies including Chief Strategy Officer and EVP of ValueOptions,SVP, Sales and Marketing for Consortium Health Plans, and other senior positions at a number of regional health plans and large medical delivery systems.
Ed Weklar is head of corporate development for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), responsible for helping Blue Cross NC to achieve its strategic growth goals for revenue, operating income, and membership through acquisitions, partnerships, and investments. Before joining Blue Cross NC, Ed gained experience in private equity, corporate development, and operations. Most recently, he was a Principal at Assistive Partners, a private investment firm. Prior to that, Ed was a Managing Director in Corporate Development at The Advisory Board Company and held a diverse mix of acquisition and operating experience in both growth and turnaround situations at private equity firms.
Rachel Winokur is a seasoned operator, investor, and board member with years of experience in health care. Until recently, she served as the Chief Executive Officer of NeueHealth, the care delivery, provider enablement, and network management business within Bright Health Group, which she helped found in 2016 as its Chief Business Officer. Before joining Bright Health, Rachel worked for Aetna as a senior executive from 2011 to 2015 where she helped start and lead Healthagen, Aetna’s payer-neutral population health management business. Prior to Aetna, Rachel worked for the Carlyle Group from 2007 to 2011 as a healthcare private equity investor. Her previous experience includes roles at Datascope from 2003 to 2007, Bertelsmann from 1999 to 2003, and Goldman Sachs from 1994 to 1997.
Eleanor Health provides evidence-based, whole person care specializing in addressing the unique complexities of individuals and populations with substance use disorder and mental health needs. Eleanor leverages proprietary technology and data-driven insights, compassionate teams, and value-based payment to deliver superior clinical and financial outcomes. We are currently located in Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, and Washington.
