2025 Class of Fellows

Meet the 2025 Class of Fellows

Each year, the Board of Directors approves a slate of esteemed individuals, recommended by the Fellows Coordinating Council, as AHLA Fellows. These long-time members have shown a commitment to the Association through their participation as speakers, authors, mentors, and leaders. They are regarded as one of the top health law professionals in the legal community and all have been actively practicing for 15 or more years.

Watch: 2025 Fellows Class – Introduction by AHLA CEO David Cade

Gregory E. Demske

Professional Career

Greg Demske is a partner in Goodwin Procter’s Litigation and Health Care practices in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Goodwin, he was an attorney at HHS OIG for 32 years, including serving as Chief Counsel to the Inspector General 2012-2022. Greg led all of OIG’s civil and administrative enforcement efforts, coordination with the Department of Justice on False Claims Act cases, interpretation of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and guidance to the industry on compliance. After decades of leadership and engagement in government enforcement, Greg has a deep understanding of how the government interprets and enforces the Anti-Kickback Statute, the False Claims Act, and other fraud remedies and he guides clients on advancing voluntary compliance as well as responding to issues, investigations, and government enforcement cases.

AHLA Achievements

Greg has been an active educator and speaker at AHLA in-person and virtual conferences, webinars, podcasts, and other forums for decades. He joined AHLA in 2009. He served on the Board of Directors of AHLA from 2017-2023. As a Board member, he chaired the Membership-IDEA Committee that advanced the IDEA Action Plan and its focus on communications, culture, volunteer/leadership pipeline, and community; leveraged the launch of the Association’s reimagined awards and recognition program; and provided strategic oversight of the growing membership concierge program.

Watch: Conversation with Greg Demske

Hal McCard

Professional Career

Hal McCard is Counsel with the law firm Spencer Fane, LLP in Nashville, TN. His legal career spans over three decades designing and implementing legal solutions for health systems, hospitals, physician group practices, and ancillary/allied health care providers. He has served as General Counsel to not-for-profit, private equity-backed and publicly traded health systems, providing strategic legal advice to their Boards and management. Over the course of his career, he has led legal teams through major health system mergers and acquisitions and complex state and federal regulatory compliance challenges including fraud and abuse, licensing and contracting, physician relations, and transactions.

AHLA Achievements

Hal joined AHLA in 1989. He served as Chair of the Hospitals and Health Systems Practice Group from 2012-2015. He served on the Board of Directors of AHLA from 2016-2022. As a Board member, he chaired the Practice Groups and Special Councils Committee and focused on streamlining the structure for content-generating groups, providing online tools for leaders to establish and monitor their annual plan of work, and operationalizing an evaluation tool. Hal is an educator, author, and frequent speaker at AHLA’s in-person conferences.

Watch: Conversation with Hal McCard 

Cynthia (Cindy) Y. Reis

Professional Career

Cynthia Y. Reisz is a member of Bass Berry & Sims. Cindy is well respected for her transactional and operational experience. Her extensive knowledge of the health care industry and its regulatory framework allows her to advise clients on structuring acquisitions and joint ventures, as well as de novo development of facilities and healthcare services. Cindy utilizes her experience in both the health care and corporate sectors to advise private equity funds and their portfolio companies.

Over the course of her career, she has worked primarily with acute care and behavioral health systems, physician practices and their affiliated management companies and value-based care organizations, among others in her practice. Her involvement with industry-related organizations and her experience in application of the fraud and abuse, physician self-referral, corporate practice of medicine and other federal and state laws allow her to provide valuable and efficient guidance for her clients.

AHLA Achievements

Cindy joined AHLA in 1995. She served on the Board of Directors of AHLA and was the President from 2021-2022. She served as President during the ongoing challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic and contributed significantly to the development of the Association’s 2023-2025 Strategic Plan. She also championed AHLA to be a positive contributor to the dialogue on racial and other inequities in health care and potential solutions.

Cindy served as Vice Chair and Chair of the Physician Organizations Practice Group and chaired the Program Planning Committee for the Physician Organizations Law Institute. As a Board member, Cindy chaired numerous committees, including the Practice Groups Committee where she focused efforts on assisting with practice group operations, as well as the creation of webinars and written materials relevant to the specific practice groups. Cindy is a frequent writer in AHLA publications and speaker at AHLA events.

Watch: Conversation with Cindy Reisz 

 

Meet the Class of 2024 Fellows

Meet the Class of 2023 Fellows

Meet the Class of 2022 Fellows

Listen to CEO David Cade speak with the 2020 and 2021 Fellows classes.