Annette Watson has been the Managing Director of Global Emerging Business for CARF International, a leading health and human services accreditation organization, since January 2008. She works in both the public and private sector to advance the development and adoption of internationally accepted accreditation standards that reflect evidence-based best practices and measurable outcomes for new and emerging models of care, consistent with CARF’s mission.  She has also been involved in the establishment of CARF Europe, a UK based subsidiary of CARF International. 
 

Annette is the former Chief Accreditation Officer and a Sr. Vice President of URAC, where she worked from 2001-2007. 
 

In addition to her accreditation work, Annette provides private, referral-based consulting services under direct and subcontract contracting arrangements to select clients worldwide. 
 

Annette’s three decade professional career also includes extensive executive, managerial, operational and clinical experience in health insurance and managed care, hospital, home health and primary care settings. She successfully developed and led programs and businesses focused on improving health care quality while reducing costs including a high risk prenatal care and prematurity prevention program, a 24 hour nurse line/call center, and an integrated utilization, disease and case management company. 
 

Annette has served on numerous committees and task forces including the Forum on Quality in Managed Care of the American College of Medical Quality; the Curriculum Advisory Committee of the Academy of Health Care Management/America’s Health Insurance Plans; the Patient Safety Committee of the Disease Management Association of America; the Health Care Leadership Council of the National Business Coalition on Health; and the Council on Research and Quality Improvement of the National Quality Forum. She is a member of several professional groups including the International Society for Quality (ISQua), the Case Management Society of America, and the American Organization of Nurse Executives. She was one of the first women nominated to the Women Business Leaders in Health Care Foundation Executive Leadership Network and served on their Advisory Board for five years.  She is a Commissioner and the current Board Chair of the Commission for Case Management Certification.  
 

Annette has an MBA in Leadership from Franklin Pierce University, a BS in Psychology and Sociology from New England College and an AS in Nursing from Bristol Community College. She will be starting the George Washington University Master of Science in Nursing/Health Care Quality Program in early 2011.  Based professionally in Washington DC, Annette resides in New Hampshire when not traveling for business or pleasure.