Our Leadership Team

Steven L. Crawford, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman & Co-Founder

Steven L. Crawford, MBA, is CEO, Chairman & Co-Founder of CAG Health. Mr. Crawford helps implement all corporate & community projects for CAG including establishing joint ventures, and or partnerships, negotiating contracts and overseeing current and future projects.

In addition, Mr. Crawford is Managing Partner to FIG Wealth Partners with 24 years' experience in the healthcare, insurance and financial services industries winning several awards working as a “Retirement Tax Specialist”. One of those awards came courtesy of Forbes where Mr. Crawford was awarded Top 10 author for his 2019 article titled, "What They’re Not Telling Us About Our Retirement Savings."

Also, Steven is a Amazon bestselling author of the book he co-authored with Jack Canfield, "The Success Formula" and holds several designations and or certifications including Certified Financial Fiduciary®, National Social Security Advisors® and is a member of the following: National Association of Experts, Writers & Speakers®, National Ethics Association, National Black MBA Association and Hall of Famer with a youth sports organization (Pembroke Pines Optimist) in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

Mr. Crawford is host of the globally syndicated show, "Sports Bucks with Steve" and has been seen on CBS television show “Morning Break,” CBS Local News at 5 Pm, Fox Sports and NBC 6 South Florida. In addition, Steve’s a financial instructor and chapter president for a non-profit American Financial Education Alliance (AFEA) where he teaches courses on social security & retirement income strategies for affluent attendees at various universities, libraries and more.

Leslie Ware, PA, M.Ed, President, Vice Chairman & Co-Founder

Leslie Ware, PA-C, President of CAG Health is a physician assistant in Charlotte, NC and has been practicing for 20+ years. Leslie is the 2022 ATPA America’s Top PA of the year award recipient. Leslie is also co-vice chair to Carolinas-Virginia Minority Supplier Diversity Council (CVMSDC).

Ms. Ware graduated from University Of Nebraska Medical Center in 1999 and specializes in cardiovascular & metabolic diseases. Also, Ms. Ware has a BS - Health Education, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, M.Ed. - Health Education, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, and MPAS - University of Nebraska Medical Center. In addition, Ms. Ware is an Adjunct Professor at Lenoir Rhyne University PA Program.

Leslie is CEO of Alpha Health & Wellness, DPC (Direct Primary Care) a medical practice offering health care and therapeutic lifestyle change programs for a monthly membership with no copay or deductibles for better patient care. Leslie's expertise in the DPC community and being a licensed clinician has helped spearhead our alternative healthcare offerings.

Ms. Ware is a current member and previously served the following organizations: Metrolina Association of Physician Assistants, AAPA, Veterans Association of America, Wingate University PA Program Advisory Council, Provider Champion USHS Health Disparities Chronic Disease Collaborative and former member NC Diabetes Advisory Counsel, Quality Diabetes Education and Care Chair of Nebraska Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Council, Freedom From Smoking Facilitator and current board member of the YMCA in the greater Charlotte Metropolitan area.

Dr. Michael Carter MD, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Chief Revenue Officer & Co-Founder

Dr. Michael Carter M.D.,EVP, CMO, CRO, is a board certified physician with 36 years experience in multiple disciplines including board certified Anesthesiologist, having practiced for 16 years before transitioning into the medical aesthetics and weight loss specialties. Dr. Carter is CAG's go to expert for all things in SoftWave Therapy and regeneration and reparative processes of the bones, tendons and other soft tissues exploration and functional medicine.

In addition, he is the Chief Medical Director for our partner with multiple patents in that space. Dr. Carter has extensive training having opened 7 clinics in Georgia and Florida, where he specialized in Liposuction, fat transfer techniques with expertise in Brazilian Buttock Augmentation, anti aging Medicine and Functional Medicine. As a Functional Integrative Medicine Practitioner, Dr. Carter seeks to find the root cause of what is interfering with the body’s ability to stave off disease syndromes.

For his patient, Dr. Carter provides the combination of natural supplements, technology, alternative treatments, selective medicines as well as, effective diet, eating strategies and exercise regimens that enhance the ability of his patients to detoxify, rejuvenate and regenerate for their optimal health. Dr. Carter is a member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and the Institute for Functional Medicine and he completed the stem cell fellowship and peptide certification programs at the A4M..

By addressing hormonal, adrenal, immune, GI and endocrine systems that are critical for balancing, Dr. Carter has created a proven path for successful and optimal health. Dr. Carter is a graduate of Morehouse College, in Atlanta Georgia. Having finished second in his class, Magna Cumlaude, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.

Dr. Carter is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa, Academic Honors Society. He received his MD from Howard University in Washington, DC. and completed his residency at Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia.

A passion for cosmetic surgery, hormonal balancing and achieving ultimate health for his patients led to a medical career change many years ago.

Dr Carter is also Corporate Medical Director of Real Health Clinics, a company dedicated to treating and reversing Alzheimer's. In addition, Dr. Carter was trained by Dr. Dale Bredeson who launched a program focused on Alzheimer's treatment and reversal from a functional medicine approach.

Dr Carter is a
3x winner of the Patients' Choice Award. Patients' Choice recognition reflects the difference a particular physician has made in the lives of his/her patients. The honor is bestowed to physicians who have received near perfect scores, as voted by patients.

3x Compassionate Doctor Recognition Award.
Compassionate Doctor certification is granted to physicians who treat their patients with the utmost kindness. The honor is granted based on a physician's overall and bedside manner scores.

On-Time Doctor Award.
Vitals On-Time + Promptness Award recognizes doctors with consistent high ratings for timeliness of appointments. The honor is granted based on a physician's overall and promptness scores.

Dr. Eric Sede Nietcho, PharmD, Sr.Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer

Dr. Eric Sede Nietcho, PharmD, Sr.Vice President & Chief Procurement Officer is a resident of Charlotte, NC, and a licensed pharmacist with 20 years of experience in retail, hospital, and industry pharmacy. Dr. Eric leads CAG's initiatives as our head pharmacist in developing our dietary and supplement line which includes the highest quality "naturally" based products. He has had multiple successes in the development of pharmaceutical, medical supplies and natural supplies products to treat or prevent different ailments.

His experience as not only a pharmacist but as a holistic healthcare practitioner is invaluable. Furthermore, Dr. Nietcho is an expert in Pharmaceutical Supply Chain, Pharmaceutical Product Development and The Science of Natural Medicines. He is currently Pharmacist-in-charge/CEO of Global Bridge Pharmaceutical, an FDA registered, licensed pharmaceutical consulting and procurement company.

In addition, Dr. Eric is also a Vaccination Coordinator in the state of North Carolina and a member of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine Task Force. He is co-founder of Care Medical Foundation and is involved in numerous activities to give back to his community, advocating for health equity and promoting wellness and disease prevention.

Dr. Nietcho is a member of The North Carolina and South Carolina Boards of Pharmacy and a member of American Pharmacist Association. In his free time, he loves watching football, hiking, volunteering, and spending time with family and friends.

Adrian R. Gardner, Chief Information Officer

Adrian R. Gardner, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for CAG Health, brings tremendous government, municipality and international expertise to our IT and technology department. Mr. Gardner previously served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the agency's headquarters in Washington, DC. In this position, Mr. Gardner was responsible for the governance and operations of the agency's information systems, ensuring the system complies with regulatory requirements in support of FEMA's mission and objectives.

Prior to his appointment to this post, Mr. Gardner served as (CIO) and Director of the Information Technology and Communications Directorate at the National Aeronautical and Space Administration's (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center. Prior to serving as CIO at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Mr. Gardner served as CIO of the National Weather Service. Prior to his time at the Weather Service, he was with the Department of Energy as the Deputy CIO for Cyber Security from September 2005 to September 2006 and the Deputy CIO for IT Reform from October 2006 to January 2007. He chairs the Working Group for DATA.GOV and co-chairs the Information Sharing Subcommittee within the Federal CIO Council.

Mr. Gardner has served within the federal government for over 20 years, working to enable mission capability and readiness within the scientific and defense sectors. In 2005, he earned the Federal 100 Award, which honors individuals from government, industry and academia for ideas and accomplishments that achieved results for the government information technology community.

Mr. Gardner is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Southern California, School of Public Policy and Planning, where he holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. He also holds a Master of Science degree in Environmental Studies from Hood College and is the recipient of an honorary doctorate degree from that institution. Mr. Gardner earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science and Ecology from the Tuskegee Institute. Mr. Gardner serves on the Board of the District of Columbia Urban League.

Emilia L. Crawford, Chief Operating Officer & Sales Coordinator

Emilia L. Crawford, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Sales Coordinator is a senior executive tasked with overseeing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions for CAG. Emilia brings 15 years of corporate and clinical experience. In addition, she has spent the last eight years helping with not only our professional opportunities but as mother of two little girls that were born at 23 weeks (now 8 years old), Emilia has spent quite amount of time organizing an arranging telehealth calls between behavioral health to traditional clinicians for her daughters while being the voice of reason for our CEO.

Mrs. Crawford's experience working as a certified veterinarian technician for over 10 years is one of the main reasons why we include TeleVet services for the "fur babies" that are apart of the everyday American family. Emilia believes, "Offering virtual appointments is beneficial for patients who have difficulty leaving their homes due to mobility issues, as well as those in rural areas who may live a long distance from a hospital or clinic. Due to the Covid-19 world, people may not want to travel and sit in a doctor's office as much, so the ability to have virtual care not only for the family but for our pets is an added benefit moving forward."

Lastly, speaking from a personal experience, "as a mom with two highly functioning autistic children, I'm a living example of how important these services are for mom's who already have their hands full with raising kids". We at CAG, take pride in offering a true virtual healthcare platform for all we serve and appreciate the experience and leadership that Emilia brings to our team.

William F. Crimmins III, Chief Healthcare Officer & Vice President of Sales

Mr. Crimmins (Bill) Chief Healthcare Officer, Vice President of Sales has a thirty-seven year career marketing & sales of group health benefit administration and numerous ancillary support products in the Health Management business. He is a pioneer in work-site clinics and RX Scholarships. The self proclaimed “Ambassador of Healthcare in America” is a Ball State graduate in world History.

Bill began his insurance career with the Prudential of the South then was offered a more lucrative opportunity with both Pilot Life and with Mass Mutual in the late 80’s early 90’s. After firmly establishing himself with Mass Mutual as a thought provoking sales leader, he was offered an opportunity in management with CHUBB Life America before Chubb's exited from the health benefit market.

At this point in his career, Bill made the move to join the "TPA world" in 1995 where he remains an active leader today.

Bill has strong convictions regarding Healthcare in America. He believes that all parties must be responsible to do their part to enhance the compensation packages of all Americans. This should increase the possibilities of all Americans to be insured against financial ruin. The parties include: Consumers, Employers, Consultants, Providers of Care, Insurers and Financial Institutions, Administrators, State and Federal Government working together for a better healthier America.

Furthermore, Mr. Crimmins believes that the factors of crisis facing Healthcare include: Attempts to apply economic solutions to moral and ethical dilemmas, Lack of Wisdom & Understanding, Hunger for instant solutions, Temporary Stop Gap Measures, Over Regulation and "Do Somethingness". In addition, Bill believes a Fear (of Any Risk), Aversion to Profit, Turf Manipulation, "Rock the Boat Avoidance"

where Parties wanting something for nothing and ultimaley: "Analyze to Deathitis" all impact our ability to foster a better healthcare system.

Bill plays the role of Ambassador, Herald and Educator and Chief Healthcare Officer. In short, He loves his work and his family! Bill and his wife, Professor Corcoran Crimmins have three grown sons, two daughter in law’s and two grandsons and one grand daughter. Bill brings 36 years of healthcare advocacy experience to the (CAG) team.

Dr. Thomas Lewis, PHD, Immuno Chief Advisor

Dr. Lewis is a leading authority in mechanisms of chronic diseases. He holds a Ph.D. from MIT and credentials from the Harvard School of Public Health. His main function as leader of CAG immunity research and development is to provide our network of employers, associations and clinicians, the best leaders who bring the most relevant medical knowledge to the community at large. Dr. Lewis's ultimate goal is to include mentors and thought leaders all working towards disease prevention and implementing reversal medical protocols

Dr. Lewis is the author of numerous papers, books, and patents. The inspiration for his work was the premature passing of his father from Alzheimer's disease. Since that tragic event he has dedicated his life to finding solutions to high impact chronic diseases and making them available to people regardless of their socioeconomic status.

Paula R. Gulliver, EdD, MA, Director of Youth Telebehavioral & Mental Health Services

Paula R. Gulliver, EdD, MA, Director of Youth TeleBehavioral and Mental Health Services brings 20+ years of direct supervision in the areas of youth advocacy specifically with adolescents dealing with mental and behavioral health challenges. In addition, Dr. Gulliver direct ongoing experience as a foster parent, brings an even better perspective to the challenges that our children face especially those who's experienced in some cases unimaginable hardships.

Furthermore, Dr. Gulliver works as part of the virtual primary care treatment team, identifies, triages, and assists in management of patients with medical and behavioral health problems within the primary care and mental and behavioral health setting. In addition, she provides skill training through psycho-education, patient education strategies, and helps to coordinate behavioral change plans for patients with our clinicians virtually and locally. Dr. Gulliver is well versed in coordinating and advocating for better patient care and a variety of clinical tasks.

Matthew N. Gulliver, III, Lt. Colonel, Chief of Veterans Services

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew N. Gulliver, III is CAG Health's Chief of Veterans Services and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of our veterans programs. Lt. Colonel Gulliver has served admirably in the armed forces for over 30+ years and has led many soldiers through various adverse situations. Officer Gulliver's vast experience in handling delicate situations gives CAG unique in house experience on what our veterans deal with on a day to day basis.

Lt. Colonel Gulliver heads our initiatives for veterans, their families, and their survivors. These benefits include education, behavioral & mental health programs, virtual primary & urgent care, prescription drug programs, referrals to vocational rehabilitation, survivor support and other affordable healthcare facilities beyond the Veterans Administration.

Trent Phillips, Director of Community Events & Corporate Sponsorship

Trent Phillips, Director of Community Events & Corporate Sponsorship and Integrated Brand Promotions(IBP) Creative that is evidenced through his 20 years of delivering high yielding operational results across multiple business functions coupled to all aspects of public, private and municipal development plans in the cities of Charlotte, N.C. and the District of Columbia.

Projects include a recent 700-million-dollar community rebranding concept for the City of Charlotte Comprehensive Development Plan. Mr. Phillips is also a United States Navy - Persian Gulf War Combat Veteran and a N.C. Certified Peer Specialist who strongly advocates for Veterans Wellness Care and through the development of Community Outreach Programs. In addition to his recent accomplishment, Mr. Phillips has contributed to the lives of others by: Partnering with The Edison Group to implement the first series of Edison-Friendship Public Charter Schools for children(K-12) living in Washington, D.C.

Designed an Accredited Sports Officiating Training Course to employ Students of the Department of Physical Health & Education at The Howard University. Marketed and Managed an Annual 1.3 Million Dollar Washington, DC/United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) Summer Feeding Contract designed to feed free breakfast and lunch components to over 200,000 thousand children ages 1yr to 18yrs city-wide. Received a Humanitarian Award by former Washington, DC Mayor Anthony Williams and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dick Glickman, for the successful contribution of The Washington, D.C. Health & Wellness Summer Feeding Program.

Collaborates with N.C. State/Local Level Veterans Administration Officers to host and sponsor Quarterly Outreach Programs and Social Events for the U. S. Veterans Community State Wide. Developed an Online Professional Peer Support Services Platform to assist individuals with challenging situations that require effective communication and resources to seek mental wellness care with clinical healthcare professionals. Created a 5k Walk-a-Thon with the Veterans Administration, Local Colleges/Universities, and other Community Partnerships to increase the social awareness of the Suicide Crisis within various demographics of the Veterans Community.

Nominated as the North Carolina Student of the Year - for successfully marketing and promoting a $700 million dollar developing project in the City of Charlotte, N.C. “The Brooklyn Now” Project is a 2,000,000 sq ft. developing project that is created to vastly increase the equity and equality of Women and Minority Business Ownership within the Historical Brooklyn (2nd Ward).