Spotlight on Jerry Mammano, Our New Chief Financial Officer
In late July, Jerry Mammano joined VNS Health as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Jerry brings extensive experience in finance, operations and health plan leadership, including roles with Aetna/CVS Health, Horizon and TIAA. Recently, Frontline spoke with Jerry about what brought him to VNS Health, his approach to leadership and finance—and his favorite way to spend time beneath the waves.
You’ve been at VNS Health for about a month. How is it going so far?
It’s been great. I want to thank everyone for the incredibly warm welcome. I’ve received so many notes and messages. Since arriving, I’ve spent a lot of time getting to know my ELT colleagues and the Finance team and learning about the different businesses, and I’ve also been walking the floors just to meet people I might not normally interact with in meetings. People have come up and introduced themselves, and it’s been a great start. I’m looking forward to working with everyone.
Tell us about your career journey. How did you come to VNS Health?
My career journey has been a little different from that of a traditional CFO. For the first two-thirds of my career, I worked in finance roles within large, mission-driven organizations. At a certain point, though, I wanted to prove to myself that I could do something other than finance. That led me to Aetna and an operations role. I eventually led one of Aetna’s largest Medicaid and D-SNP health plans in Virginia during the pandemic. Then the latest job I had for them was overseeing five markets. So I have a strong financial background as well as experience as an operator, a health plan leader, and an enterprise leader. Now I’m coming back to my roots in finance at an organization with multiple provider businesses as well as a health plan. I feel like those experiences have positioned me well to help VNS Health move into its next phase and execute its long-term strategy.
What drew you specifically to VNS Health?
I’ve always needed to connect personally with the mission of the organizations I work for, and that was certainly one thing that drew me to VNS Health. Culture is also very important to me. If you look at my career, I tend to stay with organizations for a long time. That’s because I look for a connection between my own values and philosophy and where an organization is headed and the impact it wants to make. During the interview process, I had an opportunity to meet Dan and several members of the ELT, and I felt that alignment.
As CFO, what will you be focusing on?
My philosophy is centered on being strategic and disciplined in our approach. Having that foundational financial discipline across our businesses is key to sustainability, especially as we navigate the financial headwinds facing health care today and prepare for regulatory changes in the coming years. It’s also about making sure our ELT and the Board have credible, reliable financial information to help them make decisions. This becomes particularly important as we look toward growth and expansion. We need to bring financial discipline to those opportunities and make sure our growth is prudent and sustainable.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I’m analytical and curious by nature, and I ask a lot of questions. I always tell people that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m challenging something or that change is coming. Usually, I’m asking because I want to learn and understand first, then assess. I consider myself a collaborative leader: I believe in two-way communication and owning outcomes rather than activities. I like short emails, no surprises, and immediate escalation of significant issues. I tell my teams, “If it keeps you up at night, I want to know about it.” In general, when people come to me with a problem I prefer them to bring solutions with them as well—but if something is pressing, I don’t want people to feel they have to wait until they have a solution before bringing it to me. My philosophy also includes a strong development perspective: Coaching, mentoring and helping people grow are all important parts of leadership for me.
You grew up in Rochester (where Lillian Wald lived as a youth and is buried) and you’ve also lived in New York City previously. How does it feel to be back?
I’m a big fan of New York, so it’s great to be back. It’s been about 20 years since I last lived in New York City. I was living in Charlotte, North Carolina most recently, and I just moved into an apartment not far from the VNS Health office. And yes, I’ve also gotten a little VNS Health history lesson since I arrived. Besides the Lillian Wald–Rochester connection, people have told me I need to visit Henry Street and some of the other places connected to the organization’s history here in New York City. So I’m looking forward to doing that!
On a personal level, what do you enjoy doing when you’re not working?
I love the water and I’m an avid scuba diver. I’m a warm-water person, so I tend to dive in places like the Caribbean, South Florida and Mexico. I love seeing the fish, coral, sea turtles and even some of the wrecks that have become artificial reefs. Sharks are the one thing I don’t want to see! I also recently bought a second home in Oak Island, North Carolina. It’s a quiet little beach town and a great place to relax and get the family together.
