CNECT GPO Team

Henry N. Tuttle brings more than 30 years of transformative leadership experience to his role as Chief Executive Officer of Health Center Partners of Southern California. Prior to joining HCP in 2014, he served as CEO of Manet Community Health Center, Quincy, MA, during which time operating revenues increased by 39%, the employee base grew by 60% and the organization enrolled over 15,000 residents into health insurance coverage.

Previously, Henry served as CEO for Outer Cape Health Services, Cape Cod, MA, and held leadership positions at Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He earned a bachelor’s in English from Boston College and is a graduate of the UCLA Anderson School Health Care Executive Program.

Henry serves on various boards and committees including San Diego Health Connect Board of Directors, the Health Services Advisory Board for San Diego County and the Healthy San Diego Joint Consumer & Professional Advisory Committee. In addition, he is a member of the National Association of Community Health Centers and serves on the health policy and legislative committees as well as the Health Center Controlled Network Task Force.

Sparkle Barnes has more than a decade of experience working with community health centers in the group purchasing industry. She serves as Chief Strategy Officer for CNECT’s parent company Health Center Partners (HCP), a regional association serving as a primary voice and health care policy advocate for community clinics in Southern California. She is also the Executive Vice President for CNECT, HCP’s for-profit subsidiary and affiliate of Premier, Inc., a leading healthcare improvement company that operates one of the nation’s largest GPOs.

In 2015, Sparkle assumed the role of Chief Strategy Officer for HCP and its family of companies where she is responsible for developing, executing and communicating strategic initiatives. As the Executive Vice President of CNECT, Sparkle serves as the visionary leader and principal communicator of this nationally recognized GPO. With more than 35 years of industry experience, CNECT has over 7,500 organizational members with 23,000 sites of care. CNECT actively supports and promotes the mission of its parent company HCP and the family of companies.

Previously Sparkle gained valuable skills as a Public/Private Venture Program Specialist with the Department of Defense, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest and Pacific, where she assisted in the development, execution and management of projects for Naval and Marine Corps installations. Earlier, she served as Relief Services Assistant for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society in Yokosuka, Japan.

Sparkle has served on a variety of industry relevant committees and councils within Premier, Inc. Sparkle holds a Masters in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelors in Speech and Communications from San Francisco State University.

Liz Guthrie is the Director, Business Development- Central and East Zones, for CNECT, formerly Council Connections. Before assuming her leadership role in 2014, Liz served as a Region Director for CNECT, supporting the membership and managing the growth for the Midwest territory. In Liz’s current role, she holds additional business development responsibilities that span outside of the Midwest and include CNECT’s Central and East Zones where she is responsible for managing a field team as well as providing regional support to the membership and supplier partners. Presently, Liz sits on the pharmacy task force for Premier, Inc., a leading healthcare improvement company and one of the nation’s largest GPOs for which CNECT is an Affiliate.

Liz holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agriculture from Lincoln University, Jefferson City, MO.

Rasaun Robinson is the Director, Business Development- West Zone, for CNECT, formerly Council Connections. Previously, Rasaun served as a Region Director for CNECT, supporting the membership and managing the development for one of CNECTs largest territories by volume, Southern California. After assuming his current role as a Director of Business Development, Rasaun became responsible for CNECT’s West Zone where he manages a field team and provides regional support to the membership and supplier partners across 16 states.

Rasaun holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from San Diego State University, San Diego, CA.

Amy Bruce is the Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications of CNECT, formerly Council Connections. Before assuming her current position in 2015, Amy served as Region Director for the Northeast territory for CNECT and has been a valuable part of the team since 2008.

Amy has 18+ years of expertise in sales and marketing at various companies including The Little Coupon Book, Grove Office Supply, and Williams Scotsman. She is skilled in high impact sales and devising marketing campaigns to drive business growth.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology which she obtained from San Diego State University.