Team

Arlon Sturgis

The focus of Mr. Sturgis’s experience is on Health and Human Services, including MITA assessment, HIPAA remediation, managing information technology projects, administering contracts, business process improvement, and developing information systems. He has managed State and contractor staffs to define, design, develop, and implement health information systems and led the team responsible for obtaining federal certification of State Medicaid systems in New Hampshire and Maine. He has managed projects in several arenas, including Medicaid, TANF eligibility determination, behavioral health, community support, long-term care, and child welfare. His experience includes the delivery of Advance Planning Documents (APDs) and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) as well as contract management. He has thorough knowledge of Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) development, CMS regulations, and project management techniques. He has also spent much time studying and teaching Situational Leadership to better develop work teams and client relationships.

Laurie Sturgis

Ms. Sturgis founded Ekolu & Associates, LLC in 2003. Her experience is focused on project management, organizational change management (OCM), client case management, advocacy, and provider relations. She is a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner (CCP). Laurie has extensive experience working with legislators, providers, and client advocacy groups to manage direct service delivery and to assist agencies to develop and measure the effectiveness of their programs. As a Program Director, Ms. Sturgis managed several facets of agency programs and budgets. She has developed successful training programs and outcomes measurement tools. She has managed multiple efforts to define and document business processes, assist agency staff to update program policies, and coached project teams to accept and implement needed changes. Through her work developing grant proposals she secured ongoing funding for important community action programs. She also managed the development of Medicaid requirements analysis documents, Medicaid business process documents, MMIS Procurement Evaluation Plans (PEP), and presented the plans to State teams responsible for managing the evaluation of vendor proposals. Laurie has played a key role in Medicaid Information Technology Architecture (MITA) State Self-Assessment (SS-A) efforts and helped multiple teams to better understand and interpret federal healthcare regulations and supplemental guidance.