JIM HICKMAN | Founder & Chief Catalyzer
Jim is Founder and Chief Catalyzer of Hickman Strategies LLC, a healthcare transformation practice supporting innovators and growth companies scaling where Medicaid policy and markets intersect. He serves as Senior Advisor and California field lead for the Camden Coalition, leading policy implementation and technical assistance across 8+ counties, and as Venture Partner at Suncoast Ventures where he leads Medicaid policy intelligence and deal flow. He is the founder and publisher of CalAIM Field Notes, read by 4,800+ MCP executives, CBO leaders, and county health officers building California's Medicaid system.
His career spans federal policy at the Clinton White House and DHHS, managed care at Blue Cross California, philanthropy and community health innovation leadership at Sutter Health, and Clinic CEO at the Center for Youth Wellness. MBA, Santa Clara University · BA Political Science, UC Santa Barbara · Certificates, Stanford GSB and IDEO U.
SARA LANZA HICKMAN | Principal
Sara serves as Principal at Hickman Strategies, with a focus on nonprofit and civic sector work. Her background spans international development, coalition-building, and communications—including nearly four years directing democracy and civic programs in Haiti and South Africa at the National Democratic Institute, and senior communications roles at LeapFrog Enterprises and QuadraMed.
She holds an MA in Latin American Studies and International Economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS and a BA in Government and French from Smith College. She works in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Haitian Creole.
JESUS SAUCEDO, MD, MBA | Senior Clinical Advisor
Jesus serves as Senior Clinical Advisor to Hickman Strategies, bringing 25 years of care delivery transformation across Texas and California to the clinical layer of the firm's work. A board-certified Family Medicine physician and clinical informaticist, he is Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at Santa Clara County Health and Hospital System—a public safety-net teaching network advancing health equity at scale. Nationally, he serves on the Secretary's National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), advises healthcare technology companies, and mentors founders at UC Berkeley's SkyDeck accelerator.
He holds an Executive MBA from Saint Mary's College, an MD from USC Keck School of Medicine, and a BA from UC Berkeley, with advanced training in Academic Medicine and OB/GYN. He is a Fellow of the National Hispanic Health Foundation and a board member of the Mexican Museum, a Smithsonian affiliate.