Leadership Team

Gregory W. Scott
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Gregory W. Scott joined APS Healthcare in 2007, leading its recapitalization management team.  APS is a leading provider of specialty healthcare, covering more than 20 million members in the US and Puerto Rico.  APS delivers customized Total Health Management solutions that help member, provider and payer constituents engage in behaviors that optimize health status.   

Previously, Scott was executive vice president and chief financial officer of PacifiCare Health Systems.  As CFO, Scott oversaw corporate finance, tax, accounting, treasury, actuarial, investor relations and M&A activity.  Scott was also given responsibility for the Enterprise Services Group, including all IT, claims, customer service and billing and eligibility.  During his 5-year tenure, PacifiCare’s market capitalization increased approximately tenfold. 

Prior to joining PacifiCare, Scott was chief operating officer and CEO of New York based Medsite Inc., an Internet provider of products and services for physicians.  While at Medsite, he recruited and led a senior management team that built Medsite.com from a $5 million company to more than $40 million in revenues while improving gross margins to more than 16 percent.

Scott has held various senior level positions in health care, including senior vice president and CFO of Prudential Insurance Company of America’s HealthCare Group; executive vice president, CFO and director of Prudential Securities Inc.; president, North Central Group, of the company’s HealthCare and Employee Benefit Operations; vice president and treasurer of Prudential Insurance Co; and senior vice president of Prudential Capital Corp.

Scott received his bachelor’s degree in Mathematical Economics from Colgate University and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan.  He is a member of the Financial Executive Institute and the CFO Advisory Council and is a Chartered Life Underwriter.

Jerome V. Vaccaro, M.D.
President and Chief Operating Officer

Jerry Vaccaro, M.D., leads APS Healthcare’s operating divisions as president and chief operating officer. Having joined APS in June 2007, he is one of the newest members of the company’s executive leadership team.

Dr. Vaccaro previously served as president and CEO of PacifiCare Behavioral Health (PBH). Following PacifiCare’s acquisition by United HealthGroup in 2005, he served as interim CEO of United Behavioral Health.

During Dr. Vacarro’s tenure at PBH, the company grew dramatically, almost doubling its revenue, and was transformed from a California-based operation serving its parent company’s health plans to a national company with membership that was mostly non-PacifiCare-affiliated.

Prior to serving as president and CEO at PBH, Dr. Vaccaro served as vice president and corporate medical director. He directed the initial National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accreditation and launch of an industry-leading clinical outcomes management system, ALERT™.

Dr. Vaccaro also served as senior vice president for specialty health businesses at PacifiCare Health Systems (PHS), where he led PacifCare Dental and Vision, and as a member of the PHS Office of the Chairman. His accomplishments at PHS include operational and IT reorganization, and major product innovation.

Dr. Vaccaro’s career as a healthcare executive also includes executive director and medical director positions in several mental health organizations, including the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and the Hawaii Mental Health Division, and he directed medical school programs at UCLA and the University of Hawaii. He has an extensive background in community mental health and public sector work, including editing the textbook, “Practicing Psychiatry in the Community,” which is hailed as the definitive community psychiatry text and has been published in four languages.

Dr. Vaccaro received a bachelor’s degree in biology and sociology from the Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, and earned a doctorate of medicine degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, where he also completed his psychiatric residency. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Vaccaro has received numerous awards and has been recognized in several editions of the Who's Who series, including being recognized as one of “The Best Doctors in America.” He has served in executive and consulting roles in numerous professional organizations, and he has served on many boards, including the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Anti-Stigma Foundation and the NCQA Standards Committee. Dr. Vaccaro is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the former chair of the American Managed Behavioral Healthcare Association.

Alexis Cardona
President and Chief Executive Officer, APS Puerto Rico

Alexis Cardona serves as president of APS Healthcare’s Puerto Rico division. He is responsible for the administration and operation of the division, which provides an array of healthcare products to private and public sector payers in Puerto Rico. Cardona began his tenure at APS in August 2001 as chief operating officer of APS Puerto Rico and was quickly promoted to president.

Prior to joining APS, Cardona was chief operating officer and executive vice president for ACE Insurance Company, formerly CIGNA Insurance Company of Puerto Rico. He served as controller, for ACE International Latin America, formerly CIGNA International - Latin America, where he had financial responsibility for the company’s Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Ecuador businesses.

Earlier in his career, Cardona served as financial operations manager for The Gillette Company and as a staff accountant for Pricewaterhouse and Company.

Cardona is a recognized leader in the Puerto Rican healthcare industry. He has received awards from the Puerto Rico Association of Certified Public Accountants for Distinguished Services in the Healthcare Industry, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill for Exemplary Practices in the Private Sector and Carlos Albizu University's Pinnacle of Success award for his outstanding contribution to the healthcare industry in Puerto Rico.

Cardona received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Puerto Rico’s School of Business.

Cardona is a member of the Puerto Rico Association of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. He also serves as president of the board of directors for El Hogar del Niño Inc., a not-for-profit organization that provides long-term residential care for abused girls. Cardona has served on a number of boards and committees in the healthcare industry and trade associations, including The Puerto Rico Guarantee Association and the Association of Insurance Companies.

Richard Surles, Ph.D.
President, Public Sector

Richard Surles, Ph.D. is responsible for leading APS Healthcare’s Public Sector division, a business unit of APS which is dedicated to delivering healthcare services to individuals enrolled in government-funded programs.  Surles has more than 30 years of accomplished executive experience and is a nationally recognized leader in the public sector healthcare field.

Prior to APS, Surles served as executive vice president of Comprehensive Neuroscience, Inc., a care management company headquartered in White Plains, N.Y.  While at CNS, he led efforts for new business development and collaborative partnerships with state governments, health plans and disease management companies.

Previously, he was executive director for the Center for State Health Policy at Rutgers University.  He served as executive vice president for national operations at Merit Behavioral Care Corp., which was acquired by Magellan Health Services.  He was the commissioner of mental health for the state of Vermont, and the administrator of mental health and mental retardation for the city and county of Philadelphia.  Surles also served as the first non-physician commissioner of mental health for the state of New York.

Surles has received extensive career recognition from organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association, National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, National Mental Health Association and the Greater New York Hospital Association.  He is an honorary fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and has also served as a member of The Carter Center Mental Health Task Force. He has authored more than 40 articles around government policy.

Surles received a bachelor’s degree from Barton College in Wilson, N.C., and earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Delaware.  He earned a doctorate of philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.