HMS Celebrates Female Leadership Team on International Women’s Day

As a woman-owned business, HMS is extremely proud of its strong female leaders. Coming from varied backgrounds and professional experiences in the healthcare industry, they have been a driving force behind HMS’ growth. Their dedication to protecting vulnerable populations is shown in the work they provide every day, and their robust accomplishments have helped improve the quality of life of many. In honor of International Women’s Day, we’re spotlighting just a few of the incredible women who work at HMS and their outstanding achievements.  

Leah Heimbach, President & Owner

HMS would not be here today if it wasn’t for its founder, Leah Heimbach. With a lifetime of experience in the healthcare industry, including her background as a registered nurse and EMT-paramedic, Leah has dedicated her career to protecting the most vulnerable. During her outstanding tenure, she has been at the heart of creating strategies that have benefited government agencies and the populations they serve. Having authored numerous articles and book chapters for national publications, Leah’s exemplary leadership is constantly demonstrated in everything she does. Her accomplished career and passion sets the standard for every employee at HMS. 

Laura Reeder, Chief Financial Officer & Executive Vice President

Laura’s extraordinary leadership is one of the drivers behind HMS’ growth and success. With over 31 years of experience in accounting, finance and contract oversight, and a background working in private healthcare facilities and with large federal contractors — she brings a unique perspective to HMS’ team. Laura is responsible for management and oversight of human resources, accounting and finance, contracts, and proposal pricing.

Ann Kenny, Chief Growth Officer

Ann’s dedication to the healthcare sector is vital to her role at HMS. Her 30+ years of healthcare management experience combined with her work as a registered nurse give Ann deep insight and practical knowledge in the healthcare space. Her experience with state and federal agencies as well as the 21 years she spent as a military officer enable Ann to bring strategic focus to HMS’ business development objectives. 

Polly Weaver, State Operations Director

Polly is well known nationally by both her peers and among regulatory agencies for her proven ability to drive projects that result in positive outcomes for customers. With over 20 years of management experience, she has been at the forefront of initiatives to improve survey and certification processes nationally. At HMS, she provides her seasoned leadership skills and insights in management consultation to state survey agencies. 

Kelley Leonette, Survey Division Director

Kelly has applied her 15+ years of healthcare experience to many crucial elements of HMS’ operations, including contract administration, federal and state compliance, policy development, surveyor training, and data analysis. Her seasoned judgment makes her an exceptional leader of HMS’ Survey Division. Her strategic management is crucial to facilitating HMS’ survey and technical assistance activities. 

Christina Compher, Senior Data Analyst

Christina’s extensive expertise in research and data analysis makes her an enormous asset to HMS. Her 15+ years of experience leading and supporting programs and projects aimed at improving health among various population groups positioned her to provide research-based and data-focused expertise to a variety of HMS contracts. Her familiarity with quality of care and outcomes research (QCOR), data.medicare.gov, and State Performance Standards System (SPSS) continues to benefit HMS’ customers, as Chris is able to identify trends and make recommendations for future priorities. 

Pamela Mets, Survey Operations Director

Pamela has always dedicated herself to causes that benefit those in need of care. With over 30 years of clinical experience, she is responsible for all surveyor activity under state and federal contracts. Throughout her career, she has provided excellent guidance in survey operations and management. Her knowledgeable insights and management style enable HMS to perform hundreds of healthcare facility surveys each year to ensure that quality and safety standards are being met for patients and residents.

Nadine Renbarger, State Survey Agency Subject Matter Expert

Nadine’s 40 years of expertise in the healthcare industry helps guide multiple survey operations within HMS. Her deep understanding of safety oversight policy, Medicare quality, and survey technical assistance make her an instrumental part of the HMS leadership team. 

Alaina Shmeleva, Project Manager & Director

Alaina brings over 15 years of experience in managing multiple program types in a variety of settings⁠ — from healthcare to federal compliance to finance to IT. Before joining HMS, she honed her skills in strategic planning, QA, and risk assessment at several national financial organizations. She continues to enhance her management capabilities through practical application and certification, combined with extensive knowledge of IT development and implementation. Alaina’s innovative approach to assessing effort and her adaptability to change enables her to provide exceptional contract support and leadership at HMS.

Gwen Graves, Project Manager & Office Manager

Gwen’s project management skills have enabled her to not only manage a large contract for HMS, she also serves as the office manager for our Columbia, Maryland location. Previous to her position at HMS, Gwen was Director of Professional Services at HeiTech Services, Inc., overseeing 90 million IDIQ Records Management for the Food and Drug Administration and approximately 300 contractors in ten locations in Prince Georges and Montgomery counties. With over 15 years of project managing experience, she brings an expansive knowledge of oversight, control, and implementation to her work at HMS. Her leadership and dedication to her projects make Gwen an exceptional member of our team. 

Jane Hu, Financial Director

Jane brings more than 15 years of experience in the accounting world to lead HMS’ finance department. During Jane’s 11+ years at HMS, her hard work has opened up multiple opportunities for advancement, allowing her to move from Senior Accountant/Accountant to Finance Manager to her current position as Financial Director. Her extensive knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and the regulatory requirements, maintain HMS’ compliance in federal contracting in an exemplary fashion. Jane assists her team during all audits which have, over and over, resulted in stellar results.

These women have made a long-lasting impact at HMS, and they serve as exemplary role models in furthering HMS’ mission. In addition to these outstanding women, we would also like to thank all of the other incredible women on our team whose hard work and dedication help power HMS to greater levels of success.