Staff

Brad Tritle, CIPP

Executive Director

Brad Tritle was selected by a cross section of Arizona health care leaders to serve as Arizona Health-e Connection's (AzHeC's) first executive director in August of 2007.  Prior to AzHeC, Tritle's career has been a unique blend of community leadership at the nexus of technology and economic development, combined with actual technology development and marketing efforts for both the private and public sectors.  

Mr. Tritle has led private companies in technology development and business development - ranging from LCD projection to telecommunications networks and software applications.  This experiences ranges from serving as president of an Arizona startup firm to running specific technology and business development efforts for both U.S. and Japanese firms. He has also worked twice in the office of the Arizona State CIO - first leading Arizona's broadband policy efforts and secondly on Health Information Technology and Exchange and state web portal initiatives.

In the 1990's, much of Mr. Tritle's career was focused on international activity, ranging from promotion of Arizona products for export to Asia, to developing and managing international partnerships and projects, and marketing Arizona as a location for foreign direct investment - successfully attracting projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars, which subsequently employed hundreds of Arizonans.

Mr. Tritle holds a B.A. with Honors in Asian Languages, and an Asian Studies Certificate from Arizona State University.  He is one of fourteen Certified Information Privacy Professionals in Arizona, a certification awarded by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Melissa Rutala, MPH

Associate Director

Melissa Rutala joined Arizona Health-e Connection as Associate Director in November 2007, after having served as both a Consultant and Health Policy Analyst at the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and Deloitte Consulting, LLP in Washington, D.C. While at Deloitte, Ms. Rutala worked extensively on several Medicaid, price transparency and cost-saving initiatives with organizations to include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Governor's Association, and the Wisconsin Medicaid Program. She was a contributor and interviewer for the Deloitte Center for Health Solution's publication Health Care Price Transparency: A Strategic Perspective for State Government Leaders.

Prior to her work with Deloitte, Ms. Rutala was Associate Director of Programs - Medicine Programs - at Envision EMI. At Envision, Ms. Rutala organized forums on Medicine and Nursing for 8500 students. Her activities included managing sixteen faculty advisors, recruiting 250 temporary staff, researching and developing curriculum, and organizing and managing expenditures.

Ms. Rutala gained additional experience in both training and curriculum development while at Envision, as well as coordination of the review of medical residency training programs for UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Ms. Rutala holds a Masters in Public Health from George Washington University with a concentration in health policy, and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Brenda Bryan, MA

Communications & Marketing Manager
Ms. Bryan has well over 10 years experience in communications, including seven years in the health arena. Prior to joining AzHeC, Ms. Bryan served as a communications consultant to the North American Quitline Consortium, a membership-based organization comprised of publicly-funded tobacco cessation quitlines in North America. Prior positions include communications director, Diversity Wellness; director, Coalition for a Tobacco Free Arizona; and communications director, Valley of the Sun United Way. Ms. Bryan is also a certified yoga instructor and has taught yoga throughout the Valley of the Sun for 10 years.

Ms. Bryan holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication from Anderson University and a master's degree in administration with a health sciences concentration from Northern Arizona University.

Joni Bowers

Administrative Coordinator

Joni Bowers joined Arizona Health-e Connection in November of 2007. At AzHeC, she manages and coordinates meetings, conducts background research for various initiatives and provides overall administrative support for the AzHeC committees and projects. Joni works part time with AzHeC, and spends the rest of her time with the Arizona Medical Association as an administrator for the specialty societies of the Phoenix Society of Gastroenterology and the Arizona Chapter of the American College of Surgeons.

Prior to joining the Arizona Medical Association, Joni was the office manager for a commercial painting contractor doing business with and across the state of Arizona.