Using Leadership Resilience To Build Financial Sustainability During Market Disruptions: The Integrated Community Alternatives Network Case Study
1:00 – 2:00 pm ET
For many provider organization executives, today’s operating environment is defined by instability; funding uncertainty, escalating payer expectations, rising labor costs, and growing pressure from boards and stakeholders to “do more with less.”
These conditions are forcing leaders to make consequential decisions about programs, staffing, growth, and risk, often without clear precedent or margin for error.
During this one-hour, live, practice-focused briefing, leaders from Integrated Community Alternatives Network (ICAN) will share a candid case study of how they responded when the loss of funding for a flagship program threatened financial stability and mission continuity. Steven Bulger, Chief Executive Officer, and Matthew Buono, Ph.D., Chief Strategy Officer, will walk through their leadership decisions, governance challenges, and strategic tradeoffs that were integral for shaping ICAN’s response to market uncertainty.
Attendees will get a first-hand account of how ICAN assessed its risk, prioritized its investments, and built a more resilient operational foundation that could protect both its financial and mission integrity.
Executive Takeaways
- How to lead through funding loss and market uncertainty without relying on reactive or short-term decision-making
- Concrete strategies for diversifying public, private, and philanthropic revenue in unstable markets
- Governance and leadership approaches that support rapid adaptation while protecting mission and organizational credibility
Featured Speakers
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Steven Bulger, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, Integrated Community Alternatives Network Case (ICAN)Mr. Bulger has over 25 years of experience in the behavioral health field and is a dedicated non-profit leader that has contributed to and led ICAN through tremendous programmatic, fiduciary, geographic and employment growth in the twenty years since he started with the agency. Steven follows a family-first approach in his work and his life that has permeated the culture of ICAN staff. As a result, ICAN has been recognized as the best place to work in Central New York across sixteen counties. This employee and family first focus in turn helps provide the very best care to the 2,500+ families ICAN serves each day. Steven received a Bachelors in Psychology and Political Science from Niagara University in 2003 and an MBA in Health Services Management from SUNY Polytechnic Institute in 2013. He is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Mohawk Valley. -
Matthew Buono, Ph.D., Chief Strategy Officer, Integrated Community Alternatives Network (ICAN)Dr. Buono has been instrumental in driving strategic planning and procurement initiatives at ICAN. His proficiency in contracting and credentialing has made him a reliable and vital liaison with managed care organizations and health plans. He leads the information technology, data, and strategy teams that manage ICAN’s electronic health record and data analytics. He also oversees the ICAN IPA (Independent Practice Association) and ICAN Managed Services. Dr. Buono’s academic journey includes a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the State University of New York at Albany. He also holds a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. In 2024, he completed his Ph.D. in Psychology with a focus on Organizational Leadership from the same school.
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