Health innovation has always had the people.
Bonne Fire is where they find each other.

 

About Bonne Fire

Bonne Fire is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit building the connective tissue of Atlanta's health innovation ecosystem — bringing together the researchers, founders, clinicians, investors, policy leaders, students, and ecosystem builders working to move health forward.

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what we believe

Relationships are infrastructure — and infrastructure has to be built intentionally. Trust between people in different sectors doesn't happen by accident. It happens through consistent, low-friction opportunities to show up for each other over time.

01

Access matters. The health innovation ecosystem doesn't benefit from gatekeeping. Students, early-career professionals, and people new to Atlanta health belong in the same room as investors and executives — because that's where the interesting things happen.

02

The best ideas in healthcare happen at the intersection of sectors, not inside them. Clinicians need technologists. Researchers need operators. Founders need clinical reality. The ecosystem works better when these worlds overlap.

03

Community is not a byproduct of programming. It's the point. Events are a vehicle. What we're actually building is the kind of sustained, trust-based connection that makes collaboration possible — and that takes years, not a single event.

04
Why we exist
  • A silhouette of a person holding a child in front of the American flag.

    Cross-sector connection

    Healthcare runs in silos. Clinicians, technologists, researchers, and investors rarely share the same room. Bonne Fire is that room.

  • Black-and-white minimalistic icon of a fish.

    Rooted in Atlanta

    Atlanta has a remarkable concentration of health innovation talent and institutions. Bonne Fire exists to make that ecosystem visible to itself.

  • Illustration of a calendar with a clock, a magnifying glass, a checklist, and a gear, symbolizing time management, search, tasks, and settings.

    Infrastructure, not events

    We run events, but we're not an event company. We're community infrastructure — the ongoing relationships and trust that make collaboration possible.

  • A snowboarder performing a trick on a snowy slope with trees in the background.

    Open to all

    No membership fees. No gatekeeping. Bonne Fire is for anyone genuinely invested in the future of health in Atlanta — wherever they are in their career.

leadership
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Nadine Peever

Nadine Peever has spent her career at the intersection of healthcare data and strategy— across go-to-market, data partnerships, and interoperability at companies including athenahealth, Zus Health, and HTD Health. That work put her in conversation with people across every corner of the health innovation ecosystem, and made visible a gap: there was nowhere for them to consistently find each other across sectors and career stages. In 2022, she and co-founder Alexa Morse set out to fill it.

Executive Director & founder
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Ben Huffman

Ben Huffman is an experienced health care and health insurance leader with a deep personal commitment to improving how health care works. He had spent time operating at the intersection of health care delivery, payment innovation, and disruptive technology at small startups and large payers. He currently works as Director of Strategy & Innovation at UnitedHealth Group focused on clinical data strategy and new ventures.

Board Chair
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Mary Jacobson is an Account Executive for Key Accounts at Surest, part of UnitedHealthcare, bringing more than 30 years of experience in employee benefits and the healthcare industry. Before joining Surest, she was a partner at two national consulting firms advising large employers on strategic benefits, and held a senior sales leadership role at OptumInsight. She is passionate about making healthcare more affordable, transparent, and easier to navigate for employers and members alike.

Secretary

Mary Jacobson

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JaMor Hairston, PhDc, is a senior digital health leader and NIH/NSF-funded researcher leading the Research Informatics PMO at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, in partnership with Emory University and Georgia Tech. His research applies large language models and natural language processing to public health challenges including substance use disorders and maternal health disparities. Over a decade spanning Fortune 20 health systems, federal agencies, and academic medical centers, he has advised ONC, SAMHSA, CDC, and CMS, and led AI product development impacting millions of members nationwide.

Treasurer

JaMor Hairston

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Kelsey Supple is a Master of Public Health candidate in Health Policy at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. Before graduate school, she built a career in business development and client relationship management across finance and technology. Passionate about community building and the intersection of health, entrepreneurship, and social impact, Kelsey found a home in Bonne Fire's mission-driven network in 2025 and is excited to support its continued growth. Outside of work and school, she can usually be found running, training for her next endurance event, or exploring Atlanta's active community.

Board member

Kelsey Supple

Community Voices

Bonne Fire is shaped by the people who show up for it. The following advisors and community leaders have helped build this ecosystem alongside us.

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Sarah Carrigan

Sarah Carrigan is a Health Communications and Strategy expert with expertise in solutions design and audience-centered health marketing. With an MPH in International Health program design, Sarah combines data-driven strategy with empathy, excelling at translating complex health information for diverse stakeholders. Sarah is driven by her passion for health equity, creative problem-solving, and building collaborative partnerships that help improve health and wellness for all.

Senior Advisor
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Patrick Kennedy

Patrick Kennedy builds systems and processes to help care delivery companies acquire, engage and retain patients. He has scaled Oak Street Health from 20,000 members to over 450,000 members by implementing new technologies, redesigning organizational structures and streamlining patient engagement efforts to improve the patient experience.

Advisor
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Eddie Lai is a health innovation connector in the healthcare and life sciences industries. Currently at Portal Innovations, he helps companies accelerate growth through their nationwide ecosystem, focusing on the Atlanta site. Previously the first Emory Healthcare Innovation Hub Administrator, Eddie drove system innovation and hospital projects to improve care delivery. He holds an MPH in Healthcare Management and brings expertise in quality improvement, data analytics, and process improvement across healthcare settings.

Advisor

Eddie Lai

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Alexa Morse is a Health Strategy Manager at Accenture, focused on growth and innovation projects across payer and provider organizations. Prior to Accenture, Alexa managed commercialization programs for early-stage health technology companies. She is passionate about the intersection of public health, business, and technology.

Advisor & FOUNDING MEMBER

Alexa Morse