Lifestyle

Get To Know LBV Created By Joss Sackler: The Face of Fashion, Business, and Female Empowerment

Published

5 years ago

February 18, 2021

Joss Sackler is a fashion entrepreneur, chief executive officer, doctorate degree holder, socialite, philanthropist, and mother of three. The female powerhouse became the face and founder of private social club, LBV, in 2017, when she decided she was tired of the male-dominated atmosphere within the existing social societies in New York City. Initially, the all-women’s club was created to discuss the attributes of wine. But as its member count grew, so did its list of interests. Now, LBV focuses on providing high-end experiences centered around culture, art, literature, and much more. Not to mention–the social club is the only one of its kind with its own designer clothing line.

The ready-to-wear collection comes from a combination of member-inspired interests, according to Sackler and the brand’s creative director, Elizabeth Kennedy. Kennedy was brought on as the head designer of the line shortly after the release of LBV’s heavily criticized inaugural collection in 2019 consisting of rock climbing themed athleisure wear, merely meant to serve as “emblematic” gear for the social club. She is a Parsons graduate with extensive experience in the couture realm of fashion, priorly working with prestigious fashion houses such as Isaac Mizrahi, J.Mendel, and Donna Karan. Since assuming her role, the female duo has successfully ventured six seasons of remarkably designed capsules, each of which have participated in three consecutive years of New York Fashion Week. The brand aims to embody the style of a powerful, strong-minded woman who is ready to conquer the world with her confidence and professionalism, while not losing touch of her femininity.

All collections are released direct-to-consumer through the brand’s e-commerce website. While previous collections have been found through high-end retailers in the past, the brand chose to make the switch to the new business model following the detrimental effects of a global pandemic on luxury department stores. Both entities of LBV have gone fully virtual since the nationwide lockdown in early 2020. “All the events for the social club are now done via Zoom, which has actually allowed us to incorporate more events for the members since we don’t have any of the stressors of the in-person events, like having to book a venue,” Sackler’s assistant, Allison Castillo, shared. “For our tasting events for example, we’ll send the wine over to the members and then discuss it on a video call.”

In philanthropic efforts, Sackler redirected all garment production resources to assist in generating over 5,000 face masks for New York City while it experienced a severe shortage on the front lines. Masks were donated to local organizations and hospitals in need, including New York Presbyterian and Mount Sinai. They have also become available on the brand’s website in a small range of neutral colors.

The newest member of the LBV family is a recently launched editorial magazine, which made its debut in November 2020. Issue One of the publication contains several detailed photographs of the most recent Fall/Winter capsule, along with spreads of articulately written articles centered around topics it shares in common with the social club: fashion, wine, and lavish lifestyle. The writers behind the stories are also members of the female driven society. While the magazine is not accessible to readers who are not part of the LBV community, Sackler, who is the editor-in-chief, shares that she’d like to broaden her audience in the issues to come.

In the end, regardless of negative press and undisclosed hardships, the down-to-earth socialite icon continues to commit to her brand, her team, her family, and herself beyond any obstacle. “I’ve learned that it’s okay to fail. We’re always working to make our experiences better,” she says. “The important thing is to keep pushing forward.”

Lifestyle

Kat Marie Alvarez: Where Innovation Meets Regulation

Published

19 hours ago

January 23, 2026

Michelle Langton

Regulation is often thought of as a limitation, yet in healthcare, it also serves as a foundation for building models that endure. For Kat Marie Alvarez, Founder and CEO of KATALYST & CO, the framework of rules established by agencies like CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) and the OIG ( office of the Inspector General) create opportunities to design systems that are compliant, ethical, and transformative. Her approach demonstrates that regulation can be a platform for innovation when it is interpreted with both technical rigor and vision.

Kat’s 25-year career reflects this philosophy. A former nurse who advanced into executive leadership and strategy, she has led $2.7B+ P&L operations, advised on over $5B in healthcare transactions, and guided value based organizations including Innovacare, Cano Health, WellMed, Centene, and Humana through periods of exponential scaling. Her perspective combines clinical, financial, and regulatory experience, giving her a unique ability to design structures that support integrity and accountability while driving measurable outcomes.

Turning Statutes into Strategy

For Kat, regulation serves as a framework for building smarter and more ethical models. She interprets CMS guidance and OIG rules as levers for innovation, using them to advance integrity and accountability. With the CMS V28 risk adjustment model, Alvarez refined coding practices, strengthened clinical documentation, and structured risk frameworks that reward accuracy and elevate standards of care. In addressing RADV audits, she crafted strategies that protect stakeholders while keeping patient outcomes at the forefront. She aligns compliance, cost, and care in equal measure. Her current work as a contributor to the CMS IDea Challenge, an initiative focused on strengthening the foundation of trust in our system, further echoes her commitment to advancing regulations in ways that unlock innovation while safeguarding the integrity of care.

Her interpretive approach brings discipline and vision to every challenge. She engages stakeholders to redesign workflows that meet regulatory requirements and enhance the patient experience. Each policy becomes a mechanism to strengthen accountability and operational precision, shaping a system that is both compliant and humane.

Innovation Built Within Boundaries

At KATALYST & CO, this interpretive approach is carried into every project. Kat has integrated predictive analytics and AI-driven tools into care models, with safeguards that ensure interventions remain clinician-led and ethically sound. For example, AI flags in chronic disease management are connected to human-led actions that improve patient care. The result is a model that benefits from technology while preserving accountability and clinical integrity.

Staffing and infrastructure provide another example of her philosophy in action. By leveraging offshore BPO operations in Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe, KATALYST & CO extends capacity for health plans and providers. These expansions are carefully designed to meet data security, licensure, and jurisdictional requirements, ensuring that global reach is paired with local compliance. It is a system that balances scale with responsibility.

The Art of Influence Through Alignment

Kat often describes her role as translating complexity into clarity. Whether she is working with payers, providers, or investors, she builds consensus by grounding ambitious strategies in the language of statute. Value-based care models, utilization management programs, and clinical frameworks are designed to prove compliant ROI for stakeholders while maintaining patient focus.

Her approach begins with people. In integrations, partnerships, and platform builds, she respects legacy strengths, listens to frontline voices, and creates systems that are not only efficient but also trusted. This ensures that compliance does not feel like restriction, but like a structure that supports innovation and adoption.

Redefining the Future of Compliance and Care

KATALYST & CO is scaling with $10M in initial funding, expanded international operations, and a growing advisory portfolio. Under Kat’s leadership, the firm is showing how regulation can be a foundation for both innovation and durability. She demonstrates that lasting progress in healthcare is achieved by leaders who know how to design systems that are bold, ethical, and deeply human.

By approaching regulation as a guide rather than a limitation, Kat Alvarez is building models that prove compliance and innovation can move forward together. Her formula ensures that the future of healthcare is shaped not only by ambition, but also by trust and responsibility.