MIAMI - Nov 25, 2019 - Independent Living Systems (“ILS”) has appointed Stuart Williams as General Counsel. In his new role, Williams will be responsible for legal strategy and compliance, litigation, and regulatory issues and will support ILS, Florida Community Care (“FCC”), and other ILS subsidiaries. FCC is a Provider Services Network that has been awarded a contract by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (“AHCA”) to serve Medicaid beneficiaries in all 11 regions as a Long-Term Care Plus Plan.

“I am excited to welcome Stu as he brings his decades of experience and dedication to our senior leadership team,” said Nestor Plana, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Independent Living Systems. “I expect Stu’s depth of knowledge to build upon our legal team’s strong foundation. His commitment to improving services to Medicaid enrollees will be important as our company continues to grow and is perfectly aligned with the mission of both ILS and FCC.”

Prior to joining ILS, Stu served as President of LIBERTY Dental Plan of Florida (“LDP”). As President of LDP of Florida, Stu was responsible for overseeing all aspects of LIBERTY’s Florida operations, strategic planning and the introduction of innovative care management models and programs.

“I am thrilled to be joining the ILS executive team and am looking forward to contributing to the company’s continued growth and momentum,” Williams said.

Previously, from 2012 to 2017, Stu served as General Counsel to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration –– the agency responsible for Florida’s Medicaid program and for the licensure and regulatory oversight of more than 40,000 Florida health facilities (including hospitals and nursing homes). As General Counsel, Stu served on the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Governance Committee, advised the Agency Secretary and other senior managers on all legal matters, oversaw AHCA’s federal, state, administrative, and procurement litigation, and managed the Office of General Counsel, the Medicaid Fair Hearing Office, and the Public Records Office.

During Stu’s tenure as General Counsel, AHCA successfully transitioned its $24 billion Medicaid program from a fee-for-service to a Statewide Medicaid Managed Care service delivery model. Before joining AHCA, Stu practiced law in the private sector. His practice involved general civil appellate and trial litigation, first with the Holland & Knight firm in Jacksonville, Florida from 2004 to 2006, and subsequently with the Tanner Bishop law firm from 2006 to 2011. Prior to beginning private practice, Stu clerked for the Honorable Edward E. Carnes, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Before attending law school, Stu served as the Program Director for the Lead Administrative Agency of the Ryan White Title II and General Revenue Patient Care Network program in Northeast Florida (Duval, Clay, Nassau, St. Johns and Baker Counties) from 1997 to 2000. He served honorably overseas during the first Gulf War in the U.S. Army Reserves as part of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Stu is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell®, was selected as one of Florida Trend’s Florida Legal Elite® as a Top Government Attorney in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and was selected as a “Rising Star” by Florida Super Lawyers Magazine in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Stu lives in Tallahassee, Florida with his wife, Lynne, and his daughter, Cassidy.