Steven Lutzky, Ph.D., President
Steven Lutzky has extensive experience designing, implementing and evaluating home and community-based systems for older adults, individuals with disabilities and long-term illness for the federal government, states, and private sector clients.
He served as the Director of Division for Advocacy and Special Issues (DASI), within the Disabled and Elderly Health Program Group, Center for Medicaid and State Operations (CMSO), Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Steve has also served as the Chief of the Office on Disabilities and Aging within the District of Columbia’s Medical Assistance Administration and was a Senior Manager with The Lewin Group.
He received his doctorate in Gerontology and Public Policy from the University of Southern California, Davis School of Gerontology.
Melanie Thomasson, Ph.D., Senior Principal
Melanie Thomasson has worked in LTSS systems design and improvement for over ten years and joined the HCBS Strategies team as a Senior Principal in April 2023. Also a Fellow with the research collaborative interRAI, Melanie has expertise in the implementation of standardized assessment systems and using the resulting data to support program operations and policy goals.
She has previously had roles in state agency, nonprofit association, and university settings, including serving as a research associate at the Arkansas Department of Human Services’ Division of Aging and Adult Services and the University of Michigan’s Institute of Gerontology. Most recently, she served as Vice President of Data and Financial Policy at the Arkansas Hospital Association, where she provided broad-based, data-informed support to healthcare providers and supported evidence-based policy development. She holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and a Ph.D. in Health Systems and Services Research from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Her doctoral research focused on level of care policies in Medicaid HCBS programs.
Andrew Cieslinski, Senior Principal
Andrew Cieslinski has over 12 years of experience working directly with federal, state, and local agencies around the country to improve home and community-based support systems. Andrew has supported long term service and support (LTSS) systems change efforts in over 20 states, including Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Texas, as well as with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Administration for Community Living (ACL), and ADvancing States.
Andrew has expertise in a wide range of LTSS areas and has led or supported over a dozen complex, large scale systems change efforts. Specific experience includes strategic planning and operational reviews; developing standardized tools for intake, screening, assessment and support planning; development and redesign of 1915(b),(c),(i),(k) and 1115 waivers; creating and piloting Medicaid Administrative Claiming (MAC) initiatives to gain Federal Financial Participation (FFP) funding; successfully working with states to procure a variety of competitive grants and other funding opportunities; planning and implementing major projects with States to meet the requirements for federally-funded programs including No Wrong Door (NWD) and Balancing Incentives Program (BIP); and implementing and enhancing Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs).
Prior to joining the HCBS Strategies team, Andrew worked as a clinical research assistant at the University of Michigan’s Institute of Gerontology. He also has experience working as a lead resident care provider in an adolescent residential psychiatric facility and as a resident aide at an assisted living facility.
Carrie Goodman, Senior Associate
Carrie Goodman has over a decade of experience in health care operations and community-based research. Carrie joined HCBS Strategies as a Senior Associate in May 2025, after seven years directing home and community-based supports (HCBS) programs for Maryland Medicaid, including two years as Acting Deputy Director covering the breadth and depth of long term services and supports (LTSS). Carrie’s tenure with Maryland Medicaid focused on strategic planning, participatory processes, continuous quality improvement, data-driven decision-making and balancing best practices with feasibility of implementation. Carrie is adept at fostering reciprocal relationships with a broad range of stakeholders and continuously supporting their needs and development, leading synchronously to better program outcomes.
Prior to Carrie’s work with Maryland Medicaid, she was instrumental in starting a new Community Health Center (CHC) in western North Carolina, building upon her previous work with a practice-based research network of CHCs in New York City. The connective thread throughout Carrie’s work is a passion for improving population health through the lens of equity and the collaborative generation of evidence-based strategies in support of this vision.
Erica Zeppieri, Associate
Erica Zeppieri joined HCBS Strategies in November 2023. She holds a degree in Health Science and Sociology from Northeastern University, with a focus on healthcare policy reform and programs for underserved communities. Her experience at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center involved providing comprehensive care and follow-up services to older populations with complex health issues. At HCBS Strategies, Erica manages the Nebraska Medicaid Administrative Claiming time study, ADPI grants, and CMA redesign while supporting various other projects.
Matthew Walters, Associate
Matthew Walters joined HCBS Strategies in January 2026. He holds two bachelor’s degrees in Applied Statistics and Political Science from Purdue University. After graduation, Matthew worked for the Indiana Medicaid agency in various roles for over three years. Through his initial role working to ensure compliance in Section 1115 Demonstration monitoring metrics and supporting independent evaluations, Matthew gained a deep understanding of the Medicaid program including member eligibility, claims and encounters, managed care operations, and data and system infrastructure. Upon transitioning to the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination team, Matthew expanded his expertise into Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs), home and community-based services (HCBS), Level of Care (LOC) processes, and more.
During his time at Indiana Medicaid, he became well versed in consuming complicated information and data to strengthen institutional knowledge, untangle convoluted processes, and produce valuable insights. At HCBS Strategies, Matthew is supporting the Enhancing interRAI initiative and other interRAI projects leveraging his experience implementing the interRAI Contact Assessment and Home Care tools in Indiana.
Abigail Durst, Junior Associate
Abigail Durst joined HCBS Strategies in January of 2026 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Loyola University Chicago, with minors in Economics and History. Her academic and professional background centers on administrative operations, research support, and public policy analysis. At HCBS Strategies, Abigail provides administrative and project support across multiple initiatives, helping maintain internal operations, documentation, and deliverables while contributing to mission-driven work to transform supports for older adults and people with disabilities.
Louise Ryan, Advisor
Louise has decades of experience in HCBS services and supports in a variety of roles.
As Regional Administrator at the Administration for Community Living (ACL) she
provided technical assistance to the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington
and 85 Tribal grantees on the requirements of the Older Americans Act. She is an
inclusive leader recognized for achieving outcomes through collaboration with grantees
and community partners
Louise also has decades of experience in all aspects of the Long-Term Care
Ombudsman program having served as the Washington State and Assistant State LTC
Ombudsman and is known for her for policy and business acumen, and state and
national-level advocacy for people living in long-term care facilities.
Her state and federal experience offered opportunities to participate in HCBS policy and
program development. She enjoys using program data to identify systemic issues and
to offer policy solutions.