Angie joined Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI) as chief executive officer in 2015, bringing leadership from both nonprofit and government relations/advocacy worlds to the organization. In a short time, Angie has restructured CHI to position Centering as a scalable healthcare delivery model for mothers, babies and families throughout the nation. She has secured more than $9 million in new philanthropic support and spearheaded CHI’s focus on quality assurance for Centering sites and practitioners. Under her leadership, Centering has become the standard of prenatal care for the U.S. Army, invested greatly in building out the CenteringParenting 0-2 pediatric model, and expanded access to Centering in nearly 600 clinical settings. Angie was named one of TIME Magazine’s 50 Most Influential People in Healthcare for 2018.

Prior to CHI, Angie’s career path was addressing healthcare disparities and turning grassroots efforts into successful movements for change. She spent 15 years in Washington, DC working in the national healthcare policy arena. She spearheaded the federal lobbying efforts for the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization and the American Diabetes Association through historic legislative events such as the creation of the Medicare Part D drug benefit and passage of the Affordable Care Act. Previously she worked for United States Representative Rúben Hinojosa (TX-15) as Press Secretary and Legislative Assistant for health policy. While on Capitol Hill, she crafted legislation and worked to address the health care issues facing one of the lowest income, yet fastest growing, minority populations in the nation – she focused primarily on diabetes and access to affordable and adequate health care.

As Chief Administrative Officer, Tamara oversees the Information Technology, Administration and Human Resource teams and drives the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion imperative at CHI. With over 30 years experience in group health insurance, Tamara managed cross functional teams to collaborate on innovative enterprise wide projects and held several leadership roles in systems and operational improvement, large group Underwriting and program design and implementation. With a passion for improving systems by reducing barriers to access, Tamara served on Boards of local organizations and was an elected official in the Town of Randolph, MA.

A CHI team member since 2014, John oversees financial operations and supports the Executive Team in setting long term financial goals and strategies. He has held several positions within the organization including CHI's first Regional Director, Sr. Director of Strategy & Partnerships, and Chief Strategy Officer. John’s vision launched CHI’s expansion strategy leading a team of Regional Directors and State Program Managers to expand CHI's national footprint through direct outreach to providers, payers, influential stakeholders and community partners. Prior to CHI, John served for 12 years as COO/CFO of Vida Health Communications, Inc. directing numerous NIH and CDC-funded research grants focused on developing and scaling award winning behavioral interventions for maternal and child health. He has also been a successful entrepreneur having started and run his own lease financing business for 10 years.

As Chief Experience Officer, Shannon works to ensure CHI provides high quality experiences and support to our healthcare partners so they have everything they need to implement and expand access to Centering care. Her primary area of responsibility is to oversee the implementation, training and support services offered by CHI. Since joining the organization in 2015, Shannon has continuously worked to enhance the quality of services offered, evolve CHI's service delivery workforce structure and capacity and build new workstreams to complement standard service offerings. Early in her career, Shannon was inspired by her opportunity to work as a Centering Coordinator in a New York City health center and experienced first hand the impact Centering can have in participants' lives. Working at CHI brings Shannon's passions for maternal and child health and health equity full circle.

As Chief Strategy Officer, Mia works closely with the Executive Team to develop, execute and sustain key strategic capacities focused on growing, measuring and articulating CHI's reach and value proposition. As CSO, she leads CHI's efforts in federal and state payment policy matters, business development and data strategies. Mia brings extensive experience in the federal and health consulting space through her work at various government agencies, consulting firms and health plans. Through her efforts as a passionate public servant, Mia has been engaged in ground-breaking efforts including the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and has been a sought after resource for government compliance and health policy initiatives which has led to countless recognitions in the field. She is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as well as other community-focused organizations.

As a Centering Advisor, Christina works directly with clinics to implement the Centering model through facilitation training and consultation services. Christina comes to Centering with over two decades of experience in building and implementing various programs aimed at systems change toward greater equity.

A member of the Human Resources team, Gisely provides support and assists with recruitment, maintaining employee records and on-boarding new staff. In her role, she is also responsible for managing print and material vendor relationships and supports inventory monitoring activities. With an education in HR management, Gisely comes to CHI with experience in administration. 

Jessica works collaboratively with healthcare organizations to build sustainable Centering models with a focus on patient-centered care. She comes to CHI with over 15 years of experience in Prenatal & Childbirth education, Centering facilitation and coordination in a FQHC community clinic setting. Her experience in Women’s Health and Family Practice drew her to CHI. She is dedicated to health equity efforts by supporting healthcare organizations to build a solid Centering foundation to address healthcare disparities in vulnerable communities.

As a member of the Practice Transformation Team, LaShonda is responsible for providing the best customer service possible. She holds a degree in Business Administration. Also, she has a background in customer service within the military and office administrative work. Her big passion is to help others and strives to leave smiles on the faces of everyone who contacts CHI. She believes that smiling is good for the heart!

Chiquita Brake, RHIT,CPC, AHIMA Approved ICD 10-CM/PCS Trainer, is the Billing and Coding manager at Centering Healthcare Institute (CHI). She is proudly the first Black woman to lead a group of the Raleigh North Carolina Coding Chapter 2010 and 2011 as the VP and President. With 20 years of experience in the Health Information Management field from working claims, denials, billing, practice management, medical office administration, implementation of ICD-10-CM, revenue cycle management, auditing and educating providers and local community college students, and coding multiple specialties; 17 years on the provider side and 3 years on the payors.

She is committed to helping CenteringPregnancy sites to navigate successfully on increasing reimbursement for Alternative Payment Models (APM) along with educating providers and medical coders on the requirements.

As Centering Advisor, Octavia provides organizations with training and consultation services to support the successful implementation of Centering group care models. A health equity advocate with a skill and passion for supporting organizations through conscious and sustainable change, she enjoys engaging diverse stakeholders in collaborative efforts to improve overall program outcomes, breaking down silos inside and outside of organizations to promote inclusion, foster equity and drive innovation. Before joining CHI, Octavia served as a Public Health Advisor for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Alaska and Oregon, leading efforts to reduce health disparities, advance health equity and prevent chronic disease. She has also led workforce development and equity, diversity & inclusion (EDI) efforts in the social services, sports and entertainment industries. Octavia is committed to serving her local community and serves on local nonprofit boards and supports the launch of several community-based programs, including co-founding the Miss Juneteenth Oregon empowerment program for African American girls.

Kennedy provides day-to-day executive support and serves as the primary point of contact for internal and external constituencies on all matters pertaining to the office of the CEO. Initially a member of the Practice Transformation team, she moved into a more operational and administrative role in early 2020. Kennedy comes to CHI with sales and customer service experience. 

Amanda provides consultation services and facilitation training to staff at healthcare practices to support the successful implementation of the Centering model. A Public Health Social Worker with expertise in mitigating the health effects of psychological trauma through social cohesion, she has over a decade of experience in group dynamics and facilitation with a passion for social justice and community building. As a Centering Advisor, she is energized by the process of consulting with new Centering sites to create thriving and dynamic programs that meet the needs of diverse communities.

A member of the Practice Transformation Team, Ruth assists clients and Centering staff in technical, business, and administrative processes related to the practice of Centering. She is a lapsed philosopher, trained disease interventionist, and former COVID 19 Case Investigator. Ruth is dedicated to the possibility inherent to public health and applies her training to help spread the centering model to communities it can help.

In her role, Gianna provides support to the Practice Transformation team through administrative, organizational and communication contributions. She has worked in both non-profit and healthcare practice settings with experience in data entry, multi-department collaborations, schedule management and customer assistance. Her fluency in Spanish has helped her become an advocate for those with language barriers.

A Regional Director for Centering Healthcare Institute, Mary is responsible for leading the growth and expansion of Centering, with a particular focus on New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, and Unified Women's Healthcare affiliates through collaborations with healthcare providers and systems, funders and government agencies. She is the lead on a number of key Centering initiatives. Her journey with Centering started as a provider facilitator, coordinator and in-house trainer of at a large hospital outpatient clinic in North Carolina. A Certified Nurse-Midwife, Mary comes to CHI with over 25 years of healthcare experience and is passionate about providing care for the whole person and improving health outcomes with the Centering model. She completed her Bachelor's degree in nursing at Boston College, and her Master's degree in nursing at the University of Rhode Island, and her office is based in Massachusetts. Mary is a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, an affiliate member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and has been inducted in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Please reach out to Mary directly at mfitzmaurice@centeringhealthcare.org or schedule a meeting or webinar on her calendar.

As a member of the Practice Transformation team, Makeda is responsible for organizing engagements that play a role in bringing about the Centering practice site implementation to fruition. She administers correspondence to achieve excellent client satisfaction. Makeda comes to CHI with experience in customer service and working with non-profit organizations in New York City.

As Senior Director of Information Technology, Jon is responsible for CHI's IT infrastructure and staff and has been with the organization since 2015. He brings over 15 years of experience in the Information Technology field, focusing largely on enterprise CRM and ERP application management. Outside of the office, Jon enjoys time with his wife Kim and their daughter Lily.

John is the Salesforce / IT administrator at CHI. He has over ten years experience in IT systems and infrastructure management with a specific focus on Salesforce CRM implementation, integration and administration.

In his role as Accounting Manager, Deus assists the Director of Finance with daily operations of the accounting department. He has a strong background in accounting and financial management with over 15 years of experience working as a public accountant.

Mandie Jones is a central Florida native, and fifth-generation Floridian. For the past eleven years, Mandie has worked on state and federal level advocacy efforts. Mandie’s previous experience includes various roles within Governor Rick Scott’s Administration. As well as lobbying roles at some of the largest healthcare systems in the nation including Encompass Health and AdventHealth. Mandie attended the University of Florida, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Education. She obtained a Master’s in American Politics & Policy from Florida State University. Mandie was featured in Influence Magazine as one of the 30 rising stars in Florida Politics who are under the age of 30. She was recognized by the Black Conservative Federation as one of the 30 most influential Black conservatives under 30. Additionally, she received the Future 40 award from the Maverick PAC which recognizes young professionals across the country that embody the next generation of leadership in both the public and private sector. Mandie and her fiancée Cody live in Orlando, Florida with their Shorkie pup, Gumbeaux.

As the Communications Manager, Dillon focuses on building CHI’s social media and email marketing capability as well as supporting the communication needs across the organization. He comes with over 10 years of experience in digital communications, developing and implementing social media campaigns and managing audience engagement across online platforms.

Cherelle comes to CHI with over 7 years of experience in varying aspects of human resource management. As the Director, of Human Resources for CHI, Cherelle plans and coordinates all administrative functions of our organization. Serving as the link between staff and managers, she enhances human resources by planning, implementing and evaluating employee relations and human resources policies, programs and practices.

Katherine is responsible for ensuring effective delivery of CHI's facilitation services and co-manages the Implementation Advisor team. She has spent the last years working at the intersections of public health, social work and social change. She has worked on a variety of issues on the program and policy sides, including reproductive and sexual health, immunizations, domestic and sexual violence prevention, and abortion access. Having grown up in South and Central America, Katherine moved to the United States as an adolescent and currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

As Director of Special Initiatives, Tanya provides leadership to the Implementation Awards Initiative. With over 10 years of experience at CHI, Tanya has been instrumental in providing direction for developing quality and improvement processes at the organization. She has led the charge on data and outcomes management including developing processes for data collection and evaluation, site readiness assessing, Site Accreditation and consortium-building. Prior to CHI, Tanya was the Manager of Chapter Grants at the March of Dimes National Office. She also established the Office of Global Health Education & Training at Columbia University Medical Center in 2003 and was the administrative director for a post-graduate program at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary.

In her role, Anna provides support and technical assistance to Centering practices in the Midwest and Southeast regions. She was introduced to the Centering model as pregnancy care manager in the health department and Federally Qualified Health Center settings, while working primarily with immigrant populations. Anna is proud of her two decades’ commitment to maternal and child health, during which she has contributed to state and national non-profits, led grassroots organizations and sat on multiple boards. Anna is bilingual, a trained birth and full spectrum doula and a returned WorldTeach volunteer, having served two years in Costa Rica.

Surendra Pokharel joined CHI in 2016 bringing his versatile experience in accounting and finance, encompassing banking, distribution, auditing, financial management, book-keeping, accounting, and compliance services. His positive attitude not only brings warmth to our office but has also resulted in his successful team building, innovative solutions, and the organizational capacity to maintain quality service, even during periods of internal consolidation and rapid business growth. When not in the office, Surendra enjoys meditation, sports and spending time with his family and friends.

She is public health analyst with a strong foundation in racial disparities, global maternal health and qualitative/quantitative data analysis. She has several years of experience in working with organizations that seek to reduce social/economic and health disparities for underserved populations, globally and domestically, through data driven methods. Prior to joining CHI, she worked in a variety of public health areas, including COVID-19 emergency response, improving opioid prescription protocols in hospitals at the University of Michigan, foreclosure prevention among low-income residents in Detroit, and reproductive health research and physician workforce development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

As the Southeast Regional Director, Lisa is responsible for leading the growth and expansion of Centering across seven states through collaborations with healthcare providers, payers and government agencies. Lisa comes to CHI with over 33 years of experience in healthcare working with primarily independent physician practices, hospitals and health insurance payers. She has a strong background and understanding of revenue cycle management, merit-based incentive payments systems' reporting and outcome measures, with an emphasis on technology and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. 

Liz is a public health professional with extensive experience in program management, training, and working with clinic leadership on systems change and population health initiatives. She has an MPH in health behavior and health education and has focused much of her career on intimate partner violence. Liz loves leading workshops and group facilitation. She finds it fun, engaging and exhilarating. She joined CHI in 2017 as a consultant because she is passionate about increasing Centering into our healthcare system.

As CHI's Director of Implementation Services, Deanna is an expert in the clinical implementation of the Centering model and manages a team of consultants. Her education in business administration and previous experience in international business has provided Deanna with the keen eye to evaluate implementation processes at a macro level to showcase the impact the Centering model can make. Her responsibilities also include managing initiatives and collaborations with healthcare providers, public health advocates and organizations to improve maternal health. With a strong background in maternal and child health and a passion to promote birth equity, Deanna brings over a decade of experience as a Doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, Childbirth Educator and reproductive activist to CHI. She has been teaching mindfulness and yoga for more than 20 years.

Heidi comes to CHI with over 20 years’ experience in nursing and maternal-child health and is a certified lactation counselor and childbirth educator. A veteran of the US Navy and Gulf war, Heidi started her journey with Centering as the Centering Coordinator for Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune (NMCCL) where she provided CenteringPregnancy care to over 2800 military families and was recognized as NMCCL’s Civilian of the Year in 2016, for excellence and dedication in providing Tricare beneficiaries prenatal care. As a Certified Centering Facilitator Trainer for the Navy, Heidi has trained over 1000 healthcare staff and assisted with the implementation of Centering programs for the Department of Defense all over the world. In 2018, she joined CHI as Certification Coordinator responsible for the development of CHI’s Certification Program. Heidi is also a member of the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice and the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

As part of the Practice Transformation team, Rachel is dedicated to supporting Centering site partners as they adopt and implement evidence-based group care. She brings over six years of experience as a Doula and Childbirth Educator in the San Antonio, Texas area and has also worked towards expanding the reach of group prenatal care since 2019. Rachel is passionate about reshaping healthcare experiences for all families in an effort to promote health equity and cultivate communities where individuals have an equitable opportunity to thrive.

Dr. Darby-Stewart is an experienced clinician-leader with skills in transformational healthcare redesign, primary care/specialty integration, and medical education. She is currently Associate Program Director at HonorHealth Family Medicine Residency in Scottsdale, Arizona, and recently served as Clinical Department Chair of Family Medicine and Medical Director for Chronic Care TTRIaD at Banner Health. Dr. Darby-Stewart brings a skill for connecting population health management with personalized healthcare to the Centering Healthcare Board. She has a true passion for excellence in patient care and medical education.

As the eldest child of retired physicians, it is no accident that Arianne Graham has spent her entire career in healthcare. She is currently Director of Innovation for Healthworx, the innovation and investment arm of CareFirst BlueCross Blue Shield. In this role, she and her team aim to solve the most pressing problems in the sector while expanding and transforming CareFirst's core health insurance business. Prior to Healthworx, Arianne held numerous strategy and commercial leadership roles spanning the non-profit and for-profit sector, including positions at March of Dimes, Peer Health Exchange, Quartet Health, Kyruus, and patientslikeme. She has co-founded nonprofits Not One More Life and Samara Collective, a worker-owned consultancy that specializes in empowering organizations and movements such as labor unions and progressive community coalitions through digital organizing, web development, press and training.

Eva is the Chief Financial Officer for GLAD (Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders) a non-profit legal organization and is responsible for operations and finance. She has over 25 years of combined experience in public accounting and non-profit management in wide-ranging capacities including: CFO, controller, treasurer, consultant, auditor, trainer, manager and coach. Eva is a Rockwood Leadership alumnus and participated in the inaugural cohort of the 21st Century Pipeline project; a year-long leadership training program designed to retain & support leaders of color in the LGBT movement. She has also served as a volunteer board member of the Provincetown Film Society, The Theatre Offensive, Elizabeth Stone House, Victory Programs, and Casa Myrna Vasquez.

Piia Hanson has over 20 years’ experience working with academic institutions, non-profits, corporations, and local, state, and federal public health programs. Her past roles include Medicaid Chief of Quality for the Louisiana Department of Health, Chief of Perinatal and Infant Health at the Washington DC Department of Health, Senior Program Manager at AMCHP, and Program Analyst for the Metro Nashville/Davidson County Public Health Department. She is currently the principal consultant for Ph Solutions, a boutique public health consulting firm, and adjunct faculty at George Mason University and Lamar University. She has been recognized for her efforts to make a lasting impact in Maternal and Child Health, including the APHA MCH Young Professional of the Year award, the Xavier University 40 Under 40 award and a successful fellowship with the prestigious Maternal Child Health Public Health Leadership Institute at the University of North Carolina. Additionally, is a co-author in the newly-published, 4th edition of Kotch's Maternal and Child Health: Problems, Programs, and Policy in Public Health.

Dr. Strickland is an Associate Professor at Wake Forest Department of Family and Community Medicine where she practices the full scope of family medicine including both inpatient and maternity care. She earned a Master’s of Public Health degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and is an active member of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine. She has been a long time advocate of Centering, joining the CHI Board of Directors in 2008. She has experience as a Centering provider and has implemented group visit programs in several residency programs. Locally, Dr. Strickland leads the North Carolina CenteringPregnancy Consortium in partnership with Northwest Community Care Network of Community Care of North Carolina.

Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew, is a Senior Vice President and the Chief Clinical Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for Allegheny Health Network. An internationally respected expert in cultural competency within the health care field, she has spent her career engaging marginalized communities and building programs that focus on promoting outcomes equity for vulnerable patients and mitigating socio-political barriers to care. She has a special interest in educating and empowering women, especially those pursuing careers in medicine. Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew’s clinical practice focuses on providing care to women living in low- to middle-resource communities, with a clinical focus in the care of women living with HIV. She also served as Chair & Director of the Center for Clinical Excellence and Diversity at University Hospitals as well as Dean of Students for Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew is the founder of W.O.N.D.O.O.R. (one door), Women and Newborns, Diversity, Outreach, Opportunity and Research, a program that aims to educate global medical providers through local and international health care collaborations. She lectures frequently, regionally and internationally, on health issues relating to the wellness of women. She is also the author of “The Colors of My Heart: Embracing My Blackness with History, Family, Fear and Faith,” a recently published autobiography. 

Michelle Proser has over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of healthcare policy, research, and practice. She is passionate about advancing primary, preventive, and whole person care to improve community health and health equity.

While at the Financial Health Network, Michelle was responsible for engaging and supporting healthcare providers and payers in efforts that ultimately improve patient financial wellness. She also served as a subject matter expert in aligning health and financial services systems. Prior to that, Michelle served as the Director of Research at that National Association of Community Health Centers, and as the project director for the Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks, and Experiences (PRAPARE) – a nationally recognized, widely used social risk screening tool with companion resources to accelerate implementation and population health improvement.

Michelle earned a Doctorate and a Master of Public Policy degree in health policy from The George Washington University.

Crysta Meekins is a Program Manager for the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE) at the American Hospital Association (AHA), where she supports hospitals and health systems at the national level on their health equity journey. She earned a Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health from Tulane University and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Mercer University’s DrPH program, with a concentration in Diverse Populations & Health Equity. Her public health interests include maternal and infant mortality, reproductive health, and health equity. Her future aspirations are to contribute to existing work to dismantle the structural and institutional barriers contributing to the ongoing maternal health crisis.

Geralyn Trujillo is the Director of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Aflac within their Federal Affairs Team. A diligent leader, she is adept at identifying and advocating for key public policy development, integration, and implementation. With market-specific awareness, she uses a disciplined approach to align corporate objectives with a pragmatic and strategic vision for future success. In her role, she facilitates information gathering and dissemination across a matrix environment, bridging business, consumer, corporate, and policy goals to inform and guide enterprise level projects and programs. As the designated point of contact for strategic policy engagement, Geralyn collaboratively manages business relationships with association executives, federal regulators, and other stakeholders in the health insurance and health care ecosystems. As Director, she works to ensure mutual understanding by outlining complex policy positions with concise summarizations to C-Suite, Board members, senior management, and other stakeholders.

Previously, she was the Director of the Office of Public Policy and Association Affairs at Independence Blue Cross. She has also worked with AHIP, AARP, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the American Academy of Actuaries. Geralyn has more than fifteen years’ worth of health policy and health insurance experience, handling a portfolio that has included pharmacy, state-federal programs, quality and health equity, long-term care, ACA implementation, and coalition building and engagement.

Geralyn earned her masters of public policy from the American University in Washington, D.C. She earned her undergraduate degree in business administration and management from Virginia Commonwealth University.