This event was recorded on June 23, 2026 at the Wheeler Opera House as part of the Aspen Institute Community Series in partnership with Aspen Public Radio.
Featuring Richard Becker, CEO, Aspen Valley Health; Angelia Salazar, CEO, Western Healthcare Alliance; and Kathleen Sebelius, 21st US Secretary of Health and Human Services in conversation with Breeze Richardson, Executive Director, Aspen Public Radio.
Workforce shortages, geographic isolation, and limited access to specialty and behavioral health services are longstanding challenges of providing care in the Roaring Fork Valley. But our rural communities are resilient and creative solutions to the barriers of travel, affordability, and physician scarcity are emerging. Providers are placing more emphasis on proactive wellness and prevention, investing in technology and virtual medicine, and partnering with larger medical systems to provide networks of care to our mountain residents.
Richard Becker is CEO of Aspen Valley Health. His more than 35 years of health system leadership experience spans a wide range of for-profit and not-for-profit healthcare organizations, including academic medical centers, regional health systems, community hospitals, and physician practices. At Aspen Valley Health Becker partners with its board of directors, medical staff, leadership team, and community partners in setting organizational strategy and guiding the health system’s sustainability, while advancing its mission, ensuring strong governance, and supporting a culture grounded in clinical excellence, accountability, and community service. Becker has held previous senior leadership roles within healthcare systems navigating complex clinical, financial, and regulatory environments. His experience includes public service with the New York State Department of Health, where he held leadership responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided strategic and operational oversight to help maintain access to care during a critical period.
Angelina Salazar is the Chief Executive Officer of Grand Junction-based Western Healthcare Alliance (WHA) and its affiliated companies, Healthcare Management and the Community Care Alliance. Since taking the helm in 2018, she has focused on deploying collaborative strategies to solve complex rural health challenges, building financial stability and visibility for healthcare providers across multiple states. Angelina brings over two decades of diverse executive experience spanning rural hospital business development, education, and communications. Deeply invested in health policy governance, she serves as Board President for the Colorado Health Institute and on the board of the National Cooperative of Health Networks, among several other state and national organizations. She holds a B.A. and two master's degrees from the University of Colorado Boulder, is a certified mediator and executive coach, and was honored as a Girl Scouts of Colorado Woman of Distinction.
Kathleen Sebelius is CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC. Sebelius has been engaged in health policy for decades in both the public and the private sectors. She served in President Obama’s cabinet as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services and was elected statewide four times in Kansas as governor and insurance commissioner. She chairs the board of Humacyte and serves on the boards of directors of Devoted Health and Included Health. Sebelius continues policy work with KFF and co-leads the Health Strategy Group for the Aspen Institute.
Breeze Richardson is Executive Director of Aspen Public Radio, where she has explored disability and inclusion with “1A”’s host, moderated author talks for Aspen Words and public events for the Aspen Institute, shared big ideas at the Aspen Ideas Festival, and staged local events with NPR's senior anchors and reporters. Before Aspen, Richardson was director of marketing and communications at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Mo., and public information officer at the Kansas Board of Regents. She is president of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio coalition and a member of the Western States Public Radio board of directors. She received the 2025 Public Media Executive Editorial Integrity and Leadership Initiative fellowship at the Poynter Institute. Richardson’s career began at WBEZ/Chicago Public Media, where she worked in roles including director of strategic partnerships and produced over 45 live events for nearly 30,000 participants.
The three-part, Community Series at Aspen Ideas: Health was held at the Wheeler Opera House as part of the Aspen Institute Community Series in partnership with Aspen Public Radio on June 23rd and 24th. The series brought national health conversations to the Roaring Fork Valley with public-facing, local sessions held in downtown Aspen. Tailored specifically to local issues, the programming explored longevity, rural healthcare, and wearable health technology.