Mr. Rhoads brings nearly 20 years of industry experience to the OPEN MINDS team. His experience includes health plan operations, business development and procurement activities, public policy development and advocacy, designing clinical and operational programs, and supporting specialty populations and programs for Behavioral Health, Long-Term Services and Supports, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Autism, Home and Community Based Services.

Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Mr. Rhoads served as the Director of Innovations Deployment at CareSource, an $11.1 billion dollar nationally recognized, nonprofit managed care organization serving over 2 million members in 9 states. In this role, he was responsible for the final decision making across multiple programs in areas of strategy development and execution, program lifecycle, goal development and attainment, resource allocation and staff oversight. He developed and led the internal provider transformation department, which ensured efficient operations in workflow development, IT and resource infrastructure, and reporting. Mr. Rhoads developed and implemented complex health provider strategies and innovations, which enhanced access to care, expansion of evidence-based practices, and established alternative reimbursement models. He led the sourcing, analysis, and contracting for an enterprise level learning management system, mitigating risk identified in previous approaches. He also served as the project management lead for project implementation, operational changes and innovations.

Prior to this, Mr. Rhoads served as an Independent Organizational Consultant for the Lighthouse Autism Center, a dedicated center for autism, supporting children and families with autism in the Midwest. In this role, Mr. Rhoads focused on developing strategies, payer relationships, contract design, and operational efficiencies. He conducted organizational reviews of provider outcome metrics, operational practices and data reporting capabilities, and strategies for provider organizations to guide interactions and relationship development with managed care entities. He also established a roadmap for the organization to utilize outcomes and metrics to inform and enhance rate negotiations and move from a fee-for-service reimbursement model to alternative payment methodologies.

Previously, Mr. Rhoads served as the Senior Director of Provider Relations for New Directions Behavioral Health, a behavioral health care organization in the Pittsburgh area. In this role, Mr. Rhoads developed and implemented provider network strategies nationally to successfully prepare, implement, and manage Behavioral Health, Autism, Medicare, Commercial, and Employee Assistance Program provider networks. He was responsible for the national provider relations team, development, and maintenance of professional relationships with contracted providers, as well as market leadership to ensure continued market growth and goal attainment.

Mr. Rhoads earned his Master of Arts in Mental Health Consulting from Indiana State University, He earned his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Christian Education from Indiana Wesleyan University.