Meet the Team
Meet the individuals who drive our mission and explore the diverse skills and backgrounds that make our team a driving force for innovation and advocacy.
CHARLes T. HILTUNEN III, J.D.
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Charles (Charlie) Hiltunen, III is the Founding Principal of The Third House and has been a leader in government affairs since 1983. He began his career as a legislative field coordinator for the Insurance Institute of Indiana, representing the property and casualty insurance industry before the Indiana General Assembly and managing legislative, regulatory, and media activities.
In 1986, he joined a former Democratic Speaker of the House in private practice, providing multi-client government affairs services. This venture later merged with the law firm Baker & Daniels to form Sagamore-Bainbridge, where he represented major corporations, trade and professional associations, and even the British Government on issues spanning healthcare, insurance, telecommunications, business, and international affairs. He also managed associations such as the Indiana Academy of Ophthalmology and the Indiana Forum for Fair Liability Laws.
During his time at Sagamore-Bainbridge, he also served as Director of Operations for the Indiana Cable Television Association, overseeing daily operations and spearheading governmental and regulatory affairs.
In 1994, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives appointed him as Counsel to the House Majority Caucus. In this role, he advised on legislative procedures, policy interpretation, and political strategy. He was instrumental in managing the Majority Attorney’s office, coordinating legislative activities on the House floor, overseeing parliamentary procedure, drafting amendments, and modernizing the legislative process.
Returning to private practice in 1995, Charlie has remained a seasoned expert in legislative and regulatory affairs, leveraging his deep political and procedural knowledge to serve clients across industries. He also holds the role of Vice President for Government Affairs at Sextons Creek, a government affairs and strategic communications firm.
FOUNDER, PRINCIPAL
STEPHEN C. MCCAFFREY, J.D.
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Stephen joins The Third House, LLC as Principal and brings extensive state and national experience in healthcare, government affairs, and association management as the President and CEO of Mental Health America of Indiana.
As the CEO at Mental Health America of Indiana, the Association has grown ten-fold in both revenue and staff size with legislative accomplishments that have been recognized nationally. He is a recipient of the nationally recognized Webster-Kipfer Award for special achievement in public policy advocacy, presented at the Carter Center in Atlanta Georgia by Roselyn Carter, the former First Lady. Stephen is a member of the Board of Directors of Mental Health America (national), where he serves as the Co Chair for Public Policy. Previously, Stephen served as a member of the HHS Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Health Care Stakeholder Group, the Cenpatico National Advisory Board, and on the national Mental Health America Regional Policy Council.
In Indiana, Stephen is a recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash award and currently serves as the Chairman of the Attorney General’s Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Managed Health Services and the Indiana Seclusion and Restraint Commission. Stephen is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Governmental Affairs Society of Indiana where he served as Secretary, and has been named by the Indiana Business Journal as a member of “Who’s Who in Indiana Health Care.”
Stephen has served on numerous board and commissions. He was appointed by Governor Frank O’Bannon to serve as a member of the Indiana State Operated Facilities Council and was appointed by then Governor Bayh to the Indiana Mental Health Commission to oversee the implementation of mental health reform legislation. Stephen was a gubernatorial appointee to the Indiana Homecare CHOICE Board, the Adult Guardianship Services Advisory Board, the Housing Trust Fund, and the Indiana Medicaid Advisory Committee. He has also served on the Government Affairs Committee of the Governor’s Planning Council for People with Disabilities and was elected vice-president of the Board of Directors for both the Indiana Coalition for Human Services and the Indiana Youth Legislative Task Force. Stephen is a former member of the Board of the American Society of Mental Health Association Professionals and the External Advisory Board of the Department of Psychiatry at Indiana University. Stephen has also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Common Cause of Indiana.
Before his appointment as President & CEO of Mental Health America of Indiana, Stephen served as the Director of Government Affairs for the Indiana Health Care Association (IHCA), where he directed the legislative activities of the statewide health care organization. Prior to his work at IHCA, Stephen was appointed by Governor Bayh to public service as the Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Public Welfare. In that capacity, Stephen directed the medical and family service programs and policies of the department, which included the Office of Medicaid. Prior to that, Stephen held the positions of Associate Director for the Community Service Council/United Way, Legislative and Political Director for the Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana, and Assistant Finance Director for US Senator Birch Bayh’s Campaign Committee. Stephen began his career on Capitol Hill on behalf of U.S. Congressman Andy Jacobs.
Stephen holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Purdue University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Indiana University School of Law.
FOUNDER, PRINCIPAL
CHAd HILTUNEN
DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
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Charles (Chad) Hiltunen, IV is a driving force behind The Third House, serving as Director of Government Affairs since 2018. A strategist, problem solver, and advocate, he plays a key role in shaping policy, building coalitions, and navigating complex legislative and regulatory landscapes.
Chad holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Policy from Indiana University’s School of Public and Environmental Affairs and is currently pursuing his law degree at the Indiana University McKinney School of Law. With deep expertise in government affairs, he is involved in every facet of the company’s work—connecting stakeholders, advancing client priorities, and ensuring The Third House remains a powerhouse in advocacy and public policy.
MELISSA C. MCCAFFREY
DIRECTOR, PATIENT & FAMILY ADVOCACY
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Melissa has both professional and life expertise in advocacy for children and families with disabilities.
Melissa comes to her position from her own life experience. Melissa has two sons with Autism, and one with co-occurring bi-polar disorder. Given the disjointed system of care she encountered (in three different states), Melissa had no choice but to advocate for them personally–oftentimes challenging our educational and regulatory systems. From that personal life challenge, she became a professional disability advocate, first as a credentialed First Steps Coordinator and then as a graduate of the Governors Planning Council’s Partners in Policy Making. Melissa is also a former member of the Board of Directors of both Families Searching for Rainbows and Mental Health America of Hancock County, where she served on both the Public Policy and SAMI (Strategies to Assist the Mentally Ill & Developmentally Disabled) Committees.
In 1990, Melissa began what she expected to be a career in business as the co-owner/operator of Edelberg and Tye Dye Brewing companies, where she handled marketing and operations for both of these privately held contract brewing companies. As her life changed with the diagnosis of her sons, her professional career path changed as well.
Melissa began her professional advocacy career as a former Parent Mentor for the Illinois Federation of Families and was a Trainer for Respite Care Workers for the DuPage County Illinois Mental Health Department. She served as a Regional Parent Resource Educational Advocate for INsource, and collaborated on rule promulgation for Article 7 through the Indiana Department of Education. Melissa developed extensive experience working with disability programs and regulations as a caseworker for First Steps. In that capacity, she assisted families in negotiating their way through our fragmented care delivery system. Melissa has testified before Indiana and Illinois legislative and regulatory committees; and while in Illinois, served on the Child and Adolescent Advisory Board to the DuPage County Board of Health.
This experience gave Melissa the background necessary to work in Alliance Development on behalf of Pfizer in Indiana and Kentucky. In this position, she developed relationships and collaborations with a broad array of patient advocacy groups in an effort to develop coalitions for policy change. In addition, Melissa collaborated with national staff and contractors to develop Pfizer’s strategic communication and public education efforts in Indiana and Kentucky.
More recently, Melissa was a Family Advocate for the Arc Network, a program of the Arc of Indiana. In this role, Melissa provided individual, group and systems advocacy for families with developmental disabilities.
Throughout her career, Melissa has focused on advocacy and public education that has included writing articles for disability newsletters, serving as a featured speaker at workshops and conferences, and providing trainings on legislative and administrative advocacy. She has also served as a spokesperson for “Ask Me About Asperger’s” and has been featured in a training video. Melissa is a former member of the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee for Choices and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Autism Society of Indiana.