Management Team Bios

Blake Fulenwider, Deputy Commissioner

Blake Fulenwider is Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). With a strong background in health policy, both state and federal, Fulenwider brings a wealth of experience to DCH.

Fulenwider assists the Commissioner with program oversight, support and management. He also provides guidance and support for the Medicaid Division and the Division of Health Information Technology assisting with the comprehensive redesign of Georgia Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the establishment of a statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE).

Prior to becoming Deputy Commissioner, Fulenwider worked in Gov. Nathan Deal’s office as the governor’s chief health policy adviser. He also served Gov. Deal in Washington, D.C., in a similar role when then-Congressman Deal was the chairman and ranking member of the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Fulenwider’s work on legislation includes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA), Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Reauthorization Act, food safety and biopharmaceuticals.

In addition to his policy advisory role, he serves as the Commissioner’s designee to the board of Georgia Health Information Exchange Inc.

Fulenwider is a native Georgian and a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration/Finance.

Jerry Dubberly, Division Chief, Medicaid

Jerry Dubberly, Pharm. D., MBA, is the Chief of the Medicaid Division within the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). As Division Chief, Dr. Dubberly provides leadership for the Georgia Medicaid Program and ensures compliance with state and federal laws, rules and regulations.

Consistent with the DCH mission, he and his team seek to provide access to quality health care, responsible utilization of health care resources, and the promotion of positive health behaviors and health outcomes through the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids™ programs. Together, these programs serve 1.7 million Georgians.

Previously, Dr. Dubberly held the post of Deputy Director with the Medicaid Division after serving as Director of Pharmacy Services with the Department for more than four years. His previous experience includes eight years in the Medicaid pharmacy benefits management arena, where he was involved in 24 Medicaid/government-sponsored pharmacy programs throughout the country, as well as a number of commercial managed care plans. He has also practiced pharmacy in hospital, home health and retail pharmacy settings.

Dr. Dubberly, a native of Jesup, Ga., is a graduate of the University of Georgia's College of Pharmacy in Athens, Ga. He received his Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) with a concentration in health services management from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Ark.

Robert M. Finlayson III, Office of the Inspector General

Robert Finlayson serves as the Georgia Department of Community Health's (DCH) Inspector General. Finlayson is the Division Chief, presiding over the Program Integrity Unit, Internal Affairs and the Audit Unit.

Prior to his appointment as Inspector General, he served within the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR). Finlayson joined DHR in 1999 as a senior investigator in the Office of Investigative Services (formerly the Office of Fraud and Abuse). He served as investigator in charge of the Special Projects Unit where he developed and implemented the Food Stamp Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) investigations program. He was promoted to Chief Investigator over Internal Investigations and Program Fraud and to Deputy Director over the Program Integrity Division, which investigates fraud in Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Childcare.

Finlayson was an investigator for the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and served as a police officer and field training officer for Georgia's Cobb County Police Department from 1990 to December 1998.

He serves as a member of the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact Council and is a member of the Kennesaw State University Criminal Justice Advisory Board.

Raised in Georgia, Finlayson received his bachelor of science in business administration from Shorter College in Rome, Ga.

Richard Greene, General Counsel

Richard Greene serves as the Georgia Department of Community Health's (DCH) General Counsel. He is the chief legal adviser to the Department and the Commissioner, as well as to senior leadership charged with developing operational strategies and implementing state and federal mandates for the agency. Greene came to DCH with 34 years of legal experience.

Prior to joining DCH in 2003, Greene was the Deputy Chief State Administrative Law Judge for the Office of State Administrative Hearings. He also served as General Counsel and Director of Governmental Affairs for the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG) where he supervised staff and led a statewide coalition to enact legislation and improve delivery of quality health care. He was a partner in the law firm of Berlin, Hodges and Greene in Macon, Ga.

He was elected to serve 10 years as the State Senator for the 26th District (Macon area) and served as Chair of the Judiciary and Constitutional Law Committee. Legislation Greene authored includes Georgia's Living Will statute and the Hunter Safety Training Act. Greene authored the United States' first law mandating insurance companies to reimburse patients for outpatient surgery and procedures rather than requiring hospital admission, realizing that outpatient surgery and procedures are the norm in today's healthcare environment.

Greene, a native of Savannah, Ga., has an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., and a Juris Doctor degree from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. Greene also served as an officer in the U.S. Army during 1970 and 1971.

Debbie Hall, Chief Operating Officer

Debbie Hall is the Chief Operating Officer for the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). The Department is responsible for ensuring the availability of health care for more than two million people through administration of Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids®, and the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP).

Hall has extensive experience in health care administration and agency operations with a focus on service improvement and building effective and efficient operations. Since 2002, Hall has worked closely with agency leadership on enterprise-wide, mission critical projects, including developing strategic plans, restructuring projects, negotiations, system implementations, and initiatives aimed at service and process improvements.

Hall's responsibilities include oversight of the Office of Human Resources, Procurement Services, Purchasing, Grant Administration, State Office of Rural Health, Non-Emergency Transportation, Grantee and Vendor Management, and Support Services.

Previously, Hall was the Regional Director for Southern Home Care Services, a division of Rescare Inc., an in-home services organization for the elderly and people with disabilities. In her role as Regional Director, she held responsibility for all business functions, including budgeting, recruitment, operations, community outreach and provider relations for markets in Atlanta and Athens, Ga.

Earlier, Hall was the Director of Operations for Visiting Nurse Health System Inc., a diverse provider of post-acute services, including homecare, hospice, infusion therapy, respiratory therapy, medical equipment and supplies. Here, with more than 1,000 employees and $70 million dollars in revenues, she was responsible for purchasing, contracts, inventory control, telecommunications, project management, materials management, support services and special projects.

A native of Fairfax, Va., Hall received a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., and a Master of Science of Health Care Administration (MSHCA) from Mercer University in Atlanta.

She is currently participating in the State of Georgia Executive Leadership Development Program (Class of 2011) and recently she was appointed by Governor Deal to the Georgia State Advisory Council on Early Education and Care.<;/p/>

She is a member of Leadership DeKalb, a non-profit community-based training ground for future leaders in the public sector.

Vince Harris, Chief Financial Officer

Vince Harris serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). He oversees the financial interests of the Department and works with the Governor's Office, General Assembly, DCH Board of Directors, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and other stakeholders. He directs financial strategy, planning and forecasts for DCH and serves as the primary financial advisor to the Commissioner as it relates to DCH division and program budgets.

Harris has more than 23 years of experience in the budget and finance field and possesses an extensive knowledge of fund accounting, state government operations and the legislative appropriations process.

Prior to joining DCH, Harris quickly accelerated through the ranks at the Administrative Office of the Courts of Georgia where he served as Assistant Director for Budget, Finance and Personnel and as Associate Director for Administration. He ultimately served as Associate Director for Technology and Operations there where he managed the technology budget for the Judicial Branch and was responsible for more than 150 technology projects and contracts. He also served as the Budget Officer at the Supreme Court of Georgia and as Budget Analyst for the Legislative Budget Office.

A native of South Carolina, Harris is a member of the National Association of Court Managers, Georgia Council of Court Administrators and Georgia Fiscal Management Council. He graduated from the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga., with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Brian Looby, Division Chief, Healthcare Facility Regulation

As Chief of the Division of Healthcare Facility Regulation (HFR) for the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), Brian Looby is responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe, accessible, affordable and quality health care services through effective and efficient planning and regulation. The division oversees the licensing and regulation of a variety of health care facilities including hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, personal care homes, nursing homes and hospice. The division is also responsible for the state's health planning activities including the administration of Georgia's Certificate of Need (CON) program.

He has an extensive background in health care policy and regulation with more than 10 years on the provider side, including work with the Medical Association of Georgia as associate general counsel.

In 2005, Looby served on the Governor's Office of Highway Safety's Implied Consent Task Force that was formed to recommend revisions to Georgia's informed consent and DUI laws. He was also a member of the Advanced Directive Roundtable that assisted in the revision and update of Georgia law on living wills and durable power of attorney for health care.

A graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law in Athens, Ga., Looby earned his Bachelor of Science in political science from Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga.

A native of Albany, N.Y., Looby has been a member of the State Bar of Georgia since 2004.

Harold "Sonny" Munter, Chief Information Officer

Sonny Munter serves as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). Munter manages the Information Technology (IT) staff for Medicaid, the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) and Healthcare Facility Regulation (HFR).

Throughout his 30-year career, Munter has led all aspects of information technology, including applications development, business continuity and disaster recovery, IT infrastructure, voice and data telecommunications, IT security and help desk. Munter has earned additional health care IT experience serving as Interim CIO for a behavioral health company, Vice President of IT for a $2 billion Medicaid Health Management Organization (HMO), CIO for a Medicaid eligibility company, and Vice President of IT for a health care analytical services company that developed claims editing and physician profiling software for Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and HMOs.

He received an Outstanding Achievement award for his work as an Interim CIO for a behavioral health company and several Outstanding Achievement awards during his career with Equifax Inc.

A native of Atlanta, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years, with two of those in the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran. He attended Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga., where he studied finance and mathematics.

Trudie Nacin, Division Chief, State Health Benefit Plan

Trudie Nacin is Division Chief for the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP) within the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). As Division Chief, she provides strategic leadership, direction and oversight of the SHBP. Additionally, she is responsible for plan enrollment and maintenance, assistance to the covered employers under the health plan, management of vendors providing services to SHBP, clinical management, and wellness programs.

Prior to being named Division Chief of SHBP, Nacin served in several positions within the division, including Deputy Division Chief, Director of Operations, Director of Medicaid Eligibility and Manager of Review Services.

Nacin also worked in the private sector in insurance and benefits. Her expertise includes operation management, health care benefits, strategic planning, partnership building and team leadership/mentoring.

A graduate of the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla., with a bachelor of arts degree in social science, Nacin received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga. She was inducted into Pi Alpha Alpha in 2006, a national honor society of public affairs and administration professionals.

Raised in Plant City, Fla., Nacin is an active member of the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM) and the State and Local Government Benefits Association (SALGBA).

Jesse J. Weathington, Director, Office of Legislative & External Affairs

Jesse Weathington serves as Director of the Office of Legislative & External Affairs for the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). His responsibilities include relationship building with members of the legislature, external relations and constituent services, developing departmental agendas and legislative research.

Prior to joining DCH, Weathington served for several years as a Committee Aide and Research Analyst in Health & Human Services Committee for the Georgia House of Representatives. He also served as a Legislative Aide for Rep. Jeffery Brown. He has experience in legislative politics, parliamentary procedure, Certificate of Need (CON), community benefit, health care reform, health care facilities regulation and the State Health Benefit Plan (SHBP).

He held an internship with the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. He has been a nationally competitive policy debater and public speaker.

A native of Carrollton, Ga., he holds a Certificate in Health Policy from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics.