Philip Bentley, J.D.
President and CEO
Philip Bentley, J.D., is the president and chief executive officer of the Oregon Health Care Association (OHCA). In this capacity, Phil oversees the management, operations, and strategic direction of OHCA. Before taking on this role, Phil served as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for OHCA. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a law degree from the University of Oregon, and has spent more than 20 years in public policy, law, and legislative affairs. Prior to joining OHCA, he served as legislative director and chief of staff for Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney and practiced law in Portland. Prior to law school, he served as a legislative aide in the Oregon House of Representatives and as a policy adviser to the State Treasurer. He is also a veteran of several electoral campaigns, including Senator Ron Wyden’s first election to the U.S. Senate in 1996.
Conner Allen
Membership and Administrative Services Coordinator
Email
503-726-5221
Conner Allen is a part of the OHCA operations team, providing support for members during events, coordinating with the accounting team, and managing the front office. Prior to OHCA, Conner worked with Nike in the candidate experience department. He earned a degree from Portland State University in economics, with a minor in German.
Libby Batlan
Senior Vice President of Government Relations
Email
503-726-5236
Libby Batlan leads OHCA’s advocacy efforts. Prior to joining OHCA, she spent five years as the associate vice president for state and community affairs for the University of Oregon. Batlan has past work experience holding staff positions in the Oregon Legislature, including the House Speaker’s Office, the Senate Majority Office, and managing successful political campaigns. Batlan also worked in corporate social responsibility for The Wonderful Company Foundation in Los Angeles. Batlan earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communication and political science from Linfield College and a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California.
Meredith Coba
Director of Legislative and Political Affairs
Email
503-726-5260
Meredith Coba leads OHCA’s political activities, including managing the political action committee and electoral engagement, as well as legislative advocacy. Prior to joining OHCA, Coba served as Deputy Legislative Director for the Oregon State Treasury since 2019. Prior to her time at the Treasury, Coba worked for Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney.
Cheryl Durant
CRM Administrator/Accountant
503-726-5223
Cheryl Durant serves as a database administrator, accountant and board liaison at OHCA. She plays a key role in enabling the use of technology to expand current business and grow new business by benchmarking business activity and trends. Cheryl has been involved in nonprofit finance, administration and governance for nearly 20 years. Prior to joining OHCA she worked as the director of board relations at OHSU Foundation.
Melodie King, CMP
Director of Education
Email
503-726-5227
Melodie King joined OHCA in 2002. A graduate from Oregon State University, Melodie has a bachelor’s degree in speech communications and received her CMP (Certified Meeting Professional) designation in 2008. As Director of Education, Melodie develops and coordinates OHCA’s educational workshops, special events, and conferences and manages OHCA’s business partner relationships.
Eugenia Liu, J.D.
Senior Vice President & General Counsel
Email
503-726-5229
Eugenia Liu leads OHCA’s regulatory efforts and provides legal and technical advice to OHCA and its members. She has more than 20 years of experience in the senior living industry, both as in-house counsel and outside litigation counsel for providers. Prior to joining OHCA, Eugenia served as general counsel for Eclipse Senior Living where she led all legal, regulatory, and risk functions for the company and the more than 100 senior living communities managed by Eclipse nationwide. Eugenia earned her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University.
Brenda Michael
Assistant Controller
503-726-5243
Brenda Michael is a member of OHCA’s accounting team. She works with members to address questions related to accounting, billing, and invoicing. Prior to OHCA, Brenda worked as an accountant for several organizations assisting with financial management, financial reporting, and process improvements. Brenda earned her MBA in finance and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix.
Lori Mueller
Lori Mueller oversees all finance, accounting, HR, IT, and office administration at OHCA. She plays a pivotal role in shaping OHCA’s opportunities for growth and impact on the industry. Before joining OHCA, Lori worked as CFO for the investment firm Arnerich Massena and as vice president of finance and administration for the OHSU Foundation.
In addition to her work at OHCA, Lori serves as treasurer for the Portland Workforce Alliance, which builds partnerships between local businesses and Portland-area high schools to provide students with real-life work experiences and career-learning opportunities. Lori earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from Portland State University.
Nicolette Reilly
Senior Vice President Quality
Email
503-726-5233
Nicolette Reilly provides OHCA members with guidance around regulatory compliance and operational best practices and is an integral part of OHCA’s public policy, professional development, workforce enhancement, and quality service efforts. Nicolette comes to OHCA with an extensive background in long term care leadership and operations roles including as the president of Ovation by Avamere and vice president of operations for Avamere Health Services. Nicolette earned her master’s in public health from Rutgers and her bachelor’s in health promotion from Brigham Young University.
Maggie Walter
Communications Coordinator
Email
503-726-5222
Maggie Walter works with OHCA’s events and communications team to provide information and education assistance to members. Maggie earned her bachelor’s in communications from the University of Washington, as well as minors in law and global health.
Rosie Ward
Senior Vice President of Strategy
Email
503-726-5226
Rosie Ward manages OHCA’s strategic planning, affiliate programs, events team, and communications and marketing activities. She earned her master’s in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University and her bachelor’s in public relations from the University of Oklahoma.
James A. Carlson
Senior Advisor
James Carlson, who served as CEO of OHCA since 1997, stepped down from this position at the end 2020. He continues to be engaged with OHCA as a strategic advisor. With more than 25 years of experience in health policy and association management, Jim is widely recognized as one of the leading long term care and health policy resources in Oregon.
For more than two decades, Jim has worked closely with local, state, and federal policymakers; advocates; businesses; and coalitions to enhance quality care and services in Oregon.
Before first joining OHCA as director of government affairs in 1994, Jim served as associate director of government affairs for the Oregon Medical Association. He began his career as a legislative assistant for the U.S. House of Representatives.
He is a past member of the boards of directors of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) and is a past-president of the American Society of Health Care Association Executives (ASHCAE).