Here Are Our Speakers

Amber Sportsman brings over 35 years of experience in medical imaging/healthcare technology management. She began her career in accounts payable and, through dedication and consistent growth, worked her way to her current role as Vice President of MW Imaging. Throughout her career, she has built a reputation for operational excellence, strong financial stewardship, and a commitment to quality service in the ever-evolving healthcare technology field.

In addition to her leadership at MW Imaging, Amber serves as Treasurer of the Women in Leadership Society (WIL), where she advocates for mentorship, professional growth, and advancing women into leadership roles.

Her career path—from her early days in accounts payable to the executive suite—reflects her resilience, expertise, and passion for driving progress in healthcare technology management while inspiring others to achieve their full potential.

Arif Subhan, MS, CCE, FACCE, AAMIF is the Chief Biomedical Engineer at VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System. Arif is a VA TCF Preceptor for clinical engineers/BMETs, an Adjunct Professor, Biomedical Engineering at University of Connecticut. Arif has three decades of clinical engineering experience in both public and private sector and has worked at several university hospitals. He is nationally recognized as a resource and educator on codes, standards, accreditation, quality assurance, safety, clinical engineering education and certification. He is a frequent author and speaker at local, national, and international venues. Arif was the Senior Clinical Engineer for a national Independent Service Organization that managed medical equipment across the United States, and Chief Biomedical Engineer at VA Nebraska and VA South Texas. He has served on the ACCE Board for more than a decade in various leadership roles. In 2013, he received the ACCE Professional Development/ Managerial Excellence Award. In 2012, he received the AAMI Leadership Award and in 2022, he received the ACCE Tom O’Dea Advocacy Award.

I w served in the US Navy as an Electronics Technician and cross trained into Aviation Electronics. I have worked on aircraft avionics, navigation, and fire control equipment. I serviced the fire control radar systems on the F/A-18 Hornets. I worked as a simulator technician on the F-111E/F & EF-111A Aardvark, and the TH-53A & MH-53J Jolly Green Giant simulators. I started my biomed career at Mercy Medical Center Merced, Merced, Ca and have worked as a biomed since then. I am/was certified on the Respironics BiPAP Vision & V-60’s, the Draeger Evita XL, Gambro Prismaflex dialysis machines, Philips MX series monitors, MX-40 telemetry devices, and PIIC & PIICiX patient monitoring systems.

Ben Lewis is the Founder and Chief Healthcare Consultant of TechniHealth Solutions, where he leads the development of innovative SaaS solutions and consulting services that optimize compliance, inventory management, and operational efficiency for healthcare organizations. With over 25 years of experience, spanning military service, biomedical engineering, and executive leadership, Ben has directed large-scale HTM, facilities, and support service programs across premier health systems. His career focus has been on bridging operations, compliance, and technology to deliver measurable improvements in safety, cost reduction, and survey readiness.

Bryant “B-Hawk” Hawkins Sr. is a Healthcare Technology Management professional with 30+ years of experience and the Founder & CEO of Elevate HTM, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit inspiring the next generation of HTM professionals. He is the host of the HTM On The Line podcast and author of three books: Dare To Be Great, Voices of Medical Equipment, and Unseen but Unstoppable. Known for his passion and purpose-driven leadership, B-Hawk is dedicated to mentoring, motivating, and elevating the HTM industry.

ric Massey – Regional Director of Operations, Intelas | Founder, The Massey Method™

From fixing medical equipment as an entry-level BMET to leading national field service teams, Eric Massey has spent 25 years transforming the Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) field and the leaders within it. As Regional Director of Operations for Intelas, Eric oversees multi-region field service operations, driving consistency, operational excellence, and patient safety. But his true passion lies in leadership development. Through The Massey Method™, Eric equips HTM professionals with the tools to master their time, lead with confidence, and create measurable impact in their organizations.

Eric’s journey began in 2000, where he discovered a passion for solving complex problems and improving patient care. Over the years, he’s advanced from community hospitals to national operations never losing sight of his mission: to elevate the HTM industry by developing leaders who inspire trust, align teams, and drive results.

His hands on experience, combined with proven high-performance frameworks, empowers HTM professionals to step confidently into leadership roles. Whether you’re a technician aspiring to lead or a director seeking operational excellence, Eric’s mission is clear: to help you unlock your full potential and elevate the future of HTM.

Experienced IT Healthcare and Project Management professional with a proven track record of implementing cost-saving strategies, maximizing profitability, and driving results in dynamic environments.

Working in HTM for over years, I have worked my way up from a entry level customer support position to Business Development Executive. I am an eternal relationship builder and have always been a magnet for conversation and finding solutions to problems.

After obtaining degrees in engineering, KaMan Liu contributed to medical device R&D as a software engineer for a variety of technologies (imaging, RadOnc, & ECG) at several small/big companies. He then transitioned into HTM where he evolves into be a generalist under the clinical engineering department in a large teaching hospital, where he led & participated in the connectivity of devices/systems in various OR, ICU, & patient-care settings involving OR- & EMR-Integration. He also has become a long-time adjunct faculty and coordinator for the BMET program in the only community college in N. Calif offering such a program.

Katherine Navarro is a Biomedical Engineer with the VHA Office of Healthcare Technology Management (HTM) where she supports the Biomedical Engineering field in the VA from a national level. Katherine has been with the VA in the Healthcare Technology Management field for sixteen years. She began her career in the VA at the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System in Temple, Texas as a trainee in the VA’s Technical Career Field (TCF) Biomedical Engineering program. Upon completion of the TCF program, Katherine moved to San Antonio, Texas and was a Biomedical Engineer at the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System for approximately ten years, supporting the Biomedical Engineering department as a project manager for new medical equipment implementations. In 2020, Katherine began her new role for the Office of HTM, working virtually from San Antonio.

Katherine earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2009. She has also earned professional certification in federal program/project management and is a Certified Clinical Engineer. Katherine has been involved in leadership positions in the American College of Clinical Engineers (ACCE) since 2017 and has been nominated to serve as President of ACCE for 2025 – 2026, and in 2023 she was recognized by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) as the AAMI Young Professional of the Year.

With over 44 years in the HTM field Paul Kelley, CBET, AAMIF recently retired as the Director of Biomedical Engineering and the Green Initiative from Washington Hospital in Fremont CA. He is still active in the Healthcare Technology Management field, including AAMI and ISO standards committees, and the Right to Repair movement.
He has written many HTM articles and texts, and presented on numerous occasions including several conference keynote addresses. He has been awarded many honors, including CMIA Professional of the Year, and Life Member, AAMI BMET of the Year, ACCE Professional Achievement in Management/ Managerial Excellence Award, and has been profiled in several magazine articles. He served on the Board of Directors for CMIA and AAMI and was the first HTM representative for the Joint Commission Patient Safety Advisory Group.
His Environmental Sustainability journey started when he was appointed to start and lead the Washington Hospital Green Initiatives and their Green Team in 2008.
He attended the first ever Hospital Sustainability Coordinator Training in October of 2008. Under his 15-year leadership, Washington Hospital’s sustainability programs have had many successes and been awarded many honors.
He has always been interested in reducing waste, and prefers to reuse and repurpose things. In 2017 he was appointed by the Mayor to the City of Fremont’s Environmental Sustainability Commission, where he is currently Chair.
He also serves on the AAMI Sustainability Standards Committee, where they are developing environmentally focused standards for medical equipment.

Paul Vargas has been involved in the healthcare field since 2011. During his time in the military, he learned about the biomedical field and even was attached to a biomedical unit in St. George UT. Upon leaving the army, Paul was working as a laser and medical equipment sales rep since 2015. In 2019, Paul attended Southern California Institute of Technology and acquired his Biomed Certificate with honors. He then began to transition from equipment sales, to equipment service and started Satius Medical. He continued his education with the National Council of Laser Certification in 2020 and became a CLRT. Paul continued to grow his business and now works with OEMs while also working with some of the largest private equity dermatology companies in the country. He provides his skills everywhere in the US, and even overseas in Guam and Philippines.

Paul now continues to grow his business, but just recently became Full Time factory at NCLC, and even became an instructor at SCIT. He hopes to provide his expertise and knowledge to the future of the industry and continue to see the BMET programs at institutions grow.

Rick is a Product Manager for Pronk Technologies. He is a graduate of the US Army Medical Equipment and Optical school. He is Certified by the ICC as a Certified Biomedical Equipment Technician, and Certified Healthcare Technology Manager. Rick works with the engineering team at Pronk doing new product development and testing. Rick is also responsible for the sales of Pronk products in the areas of Northern California, Oregon, Northern Nevada, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Prior to joining Pronk he worked in various roles in the Biomedical Electronics field including Field Service Tech, In-House BMET, BMET Supervisor, Clinical Engineering Manager, and Regional Director of Clinical Engineering for a Health System.

With an unwavering passion for continuous learning and improvement, I’ve dedicated over 32 years to enriching our industry. My journey began after I earned my undergraduate degree, embarking on my career as a frontline Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET). Thirteen years into this role, I embraced the opportunity to step into management, and for the past 20 years, I have flourished in various leadership roles.

I firmly believe that the work we do as BMETs and Clinical Engineers profoundly influences the medical industry. While the technology we work with continually fascinates me, it’s the commitment of my professional colleagues that truly inspires me. The most rewarding aspect of my career is the collaboration and knowledge-sharing with those around me. I am convinced that our collective exchange of information is key to empowering us as a community, enhancing our facilities, and ensuring safer, more efficient workflows.

Sheena Yap Chan is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, keynote speaker, strategist, and award-winning podcaster renowned for her expertise in elevating leadership and self-confidence through media. She is the founder and host of the acclaimed podcast, The Tao of Self-Confidence, where she interviews women about their journeys to self-confidence. With over one million downloads, her podcast ranks among the top 0.5% most popular shows globally and features over 800 interviews, including conversations with celebrities and eight-figure CEOs. Sheena’s influence extends beyond podcasting. Her debut book, The Tao of Self-Confidence: A Guide to Moving Beyond Trauma and Awakening the Leader Within, published by Wiley, is a Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller. It is also recognized as one of the top 20 best self-confidence books of all time by Book Authority, the world’s leading site for book recommendations. Her second book, Bridging the Confidence Gap, also published by Wiley, continues her mission of empowering women by addressing the barriers to confidence and leadership. Her work has been featured on prominent platforms such as MindValley, FOX, NBC News, and the Manila Times. Sheena is dedicated to closing the gender confidence gap through her training and programs, aiming to elevate women into leadership roles across all industries. She has delivered impactful speeches for organizations like Live Nation, NASA, and UKG, sharing her insights on self-confidence and leadership.

Over 40 years of Clinical Engineering experience as Director of Clinical Engineering at UC Davis Health (retired) and then part-time consulting project work for a variety of clients including UC Davis Health and VA Health. Projects have included: Joint Commission compliance, pre-purchase evaluations, medical device integration with EMR, connected medical device security, medical device accident investigation, CMMS development and evaluations and much more.