Michigan Great Lakes Leadership

Nichole Niesen is the Director of Automation for Corewell Health.  Nichole got involved with HFMA back in 2017 at the suggestion of her CFO because she supported Revenue Cycle and Finance technology.  Her active volunteering began shortly after attending a Spring conference, joining the Women in Leadership and Social Committees.  Nichole has served in Michigan Great Lakes Board Positions as Certification Director, Communications Director and most recently as Vice President.  Nichole actively partners to enhance our chapter’s strategy to deliver Virtual Conferences & Virtual Education.       

Throughout her 12 years in Healthcare Technology, in addition to supporting Revenue Cycle & Finance technologies, she has also led technologies within Clinical Informatics, Service Desk, and Site Support. Nichole leverages her HFMA derived knowledge to infuse financial acumen into Corewell Health’s Enterprise Automation Program.     

Prior to healthcare, Nichole also worked in banking, transportation, staffing, and higher education.  She completed her Bachelor of Applied Arts & Master of Arts at Central Michigan University, holds multiple Epic software certifications and is a Fellow of Healthcare Finance Management Association.  Currently residing in northwest Michigan, you can find Nichole creating in her kitchen (chicken piccata is her specialty) or outside enjoying all the beauty Michigan has to offer.

Hannah Perez is the Revenue Cycle Operations Manager at Corewell Health, where she has been part of the revenue cycle team since 2018. Prior to joining the revenue cycle, Hannah served as a practice manager at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital (HDVCH), supporting a range of pediatric specialties. She has spent 14 years at Corewell Health, serving in multiple capacities prior to advancing into a leadership position. Hannah is deeply passionate about professional growth and development and is committed to helping others advance in their careers. She loves sharing the many opportunities, resources, and connections that HFMA has to offer. She earned her undergraduate degree in Health Services Administration from the University of Evansville and her graduate degree in Administration with a focus in Health Services from Central Michigan University. Hannah is actively involved in the HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Chapter and currently serves as President-Elect. Her previous leadership roles include secretary, early careerist director, membership director, and active volunteer on the education and certification committees. Outside of work, Hannah stays energized by reading, traveling, making memories with family and friends, keeping up with her twins, and staying creative through puzzles, crafting, and continuous learning.

Bill has worked for healthcare solution and service providers for over 20 years primarily working to help healthcare providers solve their revenue cycle challenges and improve the patient experience. Bill is a past-president for the Southeast MI HFMA chapter, with his president year occurring the year that the three Michigan chapters finalized steps to merge into one.

Due to Bill’s professional role, he attends several industry conferences and events each year across the Midwest and nation. These include, the HFMA chapters of IN, OH, IL, WV, KY, PA, VA and more – as well as AAHAM events and the Michigan Revenue Cycle Association. This gives Bill tremendous exposure to how other organizations are providing education and what content they are presenting which will be beneficial to our own chapter as we look to line up the very best education opportunities and speakers.

HFMA Services & Achievements

• Member since 2010
• Officer – Past President 2020-2021
• Officer – President 2019-2020
• Officer – President-elect 2018-2019
• Officer – Secretary 2017-2018
• Officer – Treasurer 2016-2017
• Follmer Bronze Merit (2015)
• Reeves Silver Merit (2017)
• Muncie Gold Merit (2019)
• William Lubaway Award for Outstanding Committee Chair (20-15-2016)

Committees and Other Activities

• Event Photographer/Event Speaker/Newsletter Article Author
• Chair – Communications & Social Media Committee
• Chair – Education Committee

Kelli Williams is a Senior Reimbursement Specialist at Trinity Health, where she has been a dedicated member of the Reimbursement Department since 2010. Prior to this role, she served as a Senior Accountant at Holland Hospital. Kelli has been an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) since 2009, volunteering with the Michigan chapter since 2013. Throughout her tenure with HFMA, she has contributed to numerous committees and held various leadership positions.

Kelli holds a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in accounting (2005) and a Master of Healthcare Administration (2008). She resides in Byron Center with her husband, two teenage sons, and their beloved Chihuahua, Miss Bella.

HFMA Services

• Member since 2009
• Officer – Secretary (2025–2026)
• Officer – Vice President (2019–2020)
• Director (2015–2019)

Awards and Recognition

• Medal of Honor Award Recipient (2024)
• Muncie Gold Award Recipient (2020)
• Reeves Silver Award Recipient (2018)
• Follmer Bronze Award Recipient (2017)

HFMA Committees and Other Activities

• Women In Healthcare Leadership Program
  • Member (2019–Present)
  • Co-Chair (2018–2019)
• Programs Committee
  • Co-Chair (2025)
  • Chair (2017–2018)
  • Member (2018–2023)
• Networking Committee
  • Chair (2018–2019)
  • Member (2019–2022)
• Membership Committee
  • Chair (2015–2017)
• Spring Conference Committee
  • Member (2013–2020)
• Registration Committee
  • Member (2013–2017)

Revenue Cycle at Sparrow. Her most recent role is Director of Revenue Integrity. Her areas of expertise are reimbursement, contract management, and Charge Description Master. Heather is very excited about her new role as it has allowed her to learn even more about Revenue Cycle as a whole. Heather became an HFMA member in 2015. She joined both the networking committee and the program committee in 2019 for the Western Michigan Chapter. Heather remained on the program committee through the merge of the 3 Michigan HFMA Chapters. She now serves as the Networking Director and sits on the sponsorship and communications committee.

Heather graduated from Central Michigan University in 2011 with a B.A. in Health Administration and Finance.

HFMA Services & Achievements

• Member since 2015

Committees and Other Activities

• Member – Communications Committee 2023-present
• Member – Networking Committee 2019-present
• Member – Sponsorship Committee 2022-present

Courtney Guernsey serves as the Vice President of Patient Financial Services for Corewell Health, the largest healthcare system in Michigan with 22 hospitals and over 60,000 employees.  She leads end-to-end patient financial services operations, including hospital and professional billing, post-acute billing, denial management, underpayment recovery, credit resolution, cash applications, and patient financial experience. With over 24 years of healthcare finance experience, Courtney has a strong focus on operational excellence, strategic partnerships, and data-driven performance improvement.

As an HFMA member since 2015 and passionate advocate for professional development and industry collaboration, Courtney brings a forward-thinking and inclusive leadership style to the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter. As Chapter President, she is committed to advancing member engagement, education, and innovation throughout the fiscal year.

HFMA Services & Achievements

• Silver Member Engagement Award 2024
• CRCR 2019
• CHFP 2020
• FHFMA 2020
• EHRC 2024
• Women in Leadership committee member 2017-2023
• Women in Leadership committee chair 2019-2022
• Certification Director 2021-2023
• William G. Follmer Bronze Award 2022

Ariana has worked at Trinity Health for the past 10 years.  She is currently the Manager, Provider Enrollment in the Reimbursement department and leads the System Office Government Provider Enrollment Team with oversight over government provider enrollment work system wide.  

Ariana is committed to proactive promotion of equity and ending systemic racism (including health equity and reducing measurable social disparities of health) and is an active volunteer with many organizations in metro-Detroit communities. She is also the co-Lead of the Women’s Inclusion Network (W.I.N.) Colleague Resource Group at Trinity Health, which fosters personal and professional development of colleagues.

Ariana has a JD from Wayne State University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Communication from Eastern Michigan University.

Ariana has two rescue dogs, two cats and a rescue ball python.  Her hobbies include kayaking, tubing, gardening and karaoke.

HFMA Services and Achievements

• HFMA member since 2017
• HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Chapter President-Elect FY23
• HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Chapter Vice President FY22
• Board Member – 2020 – present
• HFMA-EMC New Member of the Year Award 2017
• Follmer Bronze Award 2019
• Reeves Silver Award 2020
• Muncie Gold Award 2021

Committees and Other Activities 

• Follmer Bronze Award 2020
• Co-Chair Early Careerist Committee FY18-FY23
• HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Chapter Membership Director FY21
• HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Chapter Women in Leadership Committee Member 
• HFMA-EMC Member of Women’s Conference Planning Committee FY19, FY23
• HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Chapter Women in Leadership Committee 
• Past HFMA-EMC Membership Committee member
• Past HFMA-EMC Reimbursement Committee member

Joey Grahek is a manager in Plante Moran’s acute healthcare reimbursement practice, where he has supported healthcare organizations across the reimbursement landscape since 2019. Joey has been an active member of HFMA’s Great Lakes Chapter since 2022 and has served in several leadership and volunteer capacities. His involvement includes co leading the 2024 and 2025 HFMA Fall Conferences, serving as a member of the Programs Committee, and acting as a reimbursement co lead under the broader Education Chair role. As he steps into the role of Great Lakes Education Chair, Joey looks forward to leveraging his professional experience and strong relationships with providers to better understand what members are seeking from HFMA education, helping to shape timely, relevant topics and connect members with impactful speakers.

Brent is currently the Corporate Director of Net Revenue at McLaren HealthCare, where he has worked for 12 years. He holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Business Administration – Accounting from the University of Michigan Flint. Brent is a credentialed Fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). Over the past 15 years, he has served in multiple roles within HFMA, including President and board member. Presently, Brent is an active Director with the Michigan Great Lakes Chapter and also chairs the Enterprise Committee.

Kathy Bangert is the Director of Revenue Integrity at Corewell Health, bringing 31 years of experience across the healthcare revenue cycle. She has developed deep expertise through roles in Patient Access, Billing, Project Management, and Revenue Integrity. Her leadership experience spans Project Management and Revenue Integrity, where she has guided teams, advanced operational performance, and strengthened financial integrity across complex healthcare environments. Kathy is an active member of the HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Chapter and contributes to the Networking Committee, supporting initiatives that enhance engagement and connection among healthcare finance professionals. She is recognized for her strategic thinking, collaborative leadership style, and commitment to integrity and continuous improvement within the revenue cycle. Outside of work, Kathy enjoys time with her family and participating in community activities. Her decades of experience, passion for the field, and dedication to HFMA’s mission make her a respected leader and valuable contributor to the healthcare finance community.

Courtney Snell is a healthcare revenue cycle consultant with nearly 10 years of experience supporting hospitals and health systems through operational improvement and performance optimization initiatives. She currently serves as a Senior Director at Healthrise, where she partners with client leaders to assess current-state processes, identify improvement opportunities, and support implementation across both hospital and professional revenue cycle functions. Courtney joined the HFMA Michigan Great Lakes Women in Leadership (WIL) Committee in 2024 and is looking forward to co-chairing the upcoming WIL Conference. A Michigan native, she returned to the area two years ago and has enjoyed building strong professional relationships and contributing to the local healthcare finance community through her involvement with HFMA WIL.

25+ years of Revenue Cycle knowledge and experience. 7 years with Corewell Health as the Director of Professional Billing. Prior to working at Corewell Heath, Marcus worked 10 years at UCLA Healthcare as a Revenue Cycle Director. He enjoys working in healthcare and prides himself on leadership, innovation, and supporting all areas of the organization. He enjoys golfing and fishing in Bass Tournaments along with National and Global traveling with his wife.