About Civitas Networks for Health

Lisa Bari is Civitas Networks for Health’s Chief Executive Officer. Lisa previously served as the CEO of the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative and as the Health IT and Interoperability lead at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center, where she led health IT policy for the Comprehensive Primary Care Plus model and helped author the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access rule. She is a member of the Board of HealthCare Access Maryland, the Zorya Foundation, and eHealth Exchange.

Jessica Little is Vice President, Programs and Operations at Civitas Networks for Health. Jessica previously served as the Director of Grants and Programs at the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) where she led business development and oversight of multi-region initiatives.

Jolie Ritzo is Vice President of Strategy and Network Engagement at Civitas Networks for Health. She leads communications and marketing, government relations and advocacy, event strategy, and strategic planning. Jolie previously served as the Senior Director of Network Engagement with Civitas and was the Director of Partnerships and Programs at the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI). Jolie also serves as President of the Crossroads Board of Directors, a nonprofit organization serving patients and families in Maine with addiction and behavioral health treatment.

Alan Katz is Associate Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at Civitas Networks for Health, working to continue shaping the future of health improvement and information exchange through government relations in Washington DC and beyond. Alan brings over a decade of experience representing public and private entities before policymakers, including acute and specialty health care providers ranging from Fortune 500 systems to Critical Access Hospitals that have successfully leveraged data partnerships to improve access and efficiency in some of the nation’s most underserved communities.

Demri Henderson is Civitas’ Grants and Program Manager. Demri has spent four years in health IT consulting, leading federal health care policy reform integration projects in health and social care. In various roles within the Gravity Project, Demri has led the technical and implementation workstreams in project management activities. Demri holds a B.S. in Kinesiology and Human Development from Washington State University and an MHA from Grand Canyon University. She also holds a CAPM certification from the Project Management Institute, is a Baldridge Institute-certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt Healthcare, and is pursuing her PMP certification.

Diane Chogo is Civitas Networks for Health’s Program Coordinator. Diane comes to Civitas after six years of diverse experience in community development, the non-profit sector, and higher education. She has familiarity working in the cross-sectors of public health, immigration, and community organizing. Diane graduated from Temple University with her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Biology.

Kate Kroell is the Manager of Member Relations for Civitas Networks for Health. With a background in public health and food access, she has over seven years of experience in nonprofit development and supports fundraising and membership activities. She completed a Master of Public Health program at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon graduation, Kate worked for a little while in the healthcare world, but when she had the opportunity to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA, she jumped at the chance. Her service year was spent at the Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture, which is an urban farm and educational nonprofit.

Kelsey Matheson is the Director of Communications and Marketing for Civitas Networks for Health. She is responsible for content strategy and amplification across Civitas-owned channels, as well as visual production, brand consistency, and voice ownership. Kelsey has over 12 years of health care communications experience, supporting numerous organizations spanning HIEs to primary care, health policy, pharma, and biotech.

Lenora Ross serves as the Program Manager of Events at Civitas Networks for Health. In her role, she excels in the intricate art of planning, coordination, and comprehensive reporting for a wide array of network, member, and partner events. With a keen eye for detail and over two decades of experience in administration and management, Lenora is a seasoned professional in her field.

Madelynn Valu is a Program Director at Civitas Networks for Health where she plays a vital part in leading program planning and management of strategic initiatives and grant funded programs. Prior to joining the Civitas team, Madelynn held several roles in health IT, public policy, and program/partnership management. Previously, Madelynn worked as a policy consultant for health IT clients at a DC-based lobbying firm, Sirona Strategies, as well as a manager on the informatics team at HIMSS where she focused on efforts to advance health care interoperability and health information exchange. Madelynn started her career in health care as a registered dietitian before receiving her MPH from the University of Illinois in Chicago, IL and moving into the health IT space.

Michaela Cohoon is Civitas Networks for Health’s Executive Assistant and Board Liaison. She brings to this role her extensive background in operations and logistics and a keen awareness of event management and business development. Michaela has previously held roles in project/program management, board management as well as roles in business development for Health IT. She is very excited to be able to support the Civitas team and Board of Directors.

Niurka (Nikki) Lluveras-Hernandez is the Associate Director of Operations at Civitas Networks for Health. With a Bachelor's degree in Supervision and Management with a concentration in Healthcare (B.A.S) from Palm Beach State College, Nikki brings a wealth of experience in Operations Management gained through her work in retail, medical labs, debt consolidation, local government, and non-profit organizations. Her passion for organization, structure, and policy makes her a valuable asset to the Civitas team as she helps maintain the organization's efficiency and structure.

Marc H. Bennett is Chief Executive Officer of Comagine Health, a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing the hard problems in health and health care in communities across the country. Marc is responsible for all contracts and activities, including health care quality consulting, data and analytics, health information technology support, research, and care management services for clients across the U.S.

David Kendrick is the principal investigator and Chief Executive Officer at MyHealth Access Network, Oklahoma’s non-profit health information network. In his leadership role, David oversees the organization’s work to ensure that every Oklahoman’s complete health record is securely available where and when they need it for care and health decision-making.

Daniel Porreca has been Executive Director at HEALTHeLINK, since 2007, growing it into one of the leading clinical exchange networks in the United States. With more than 30 years of experience in the health care and technology industry, he has a wealth of knowledge and a strategic understanding of health care technology and its application in the clinical setting.

As the Chief Strategy Officer of Velatura Health Information Exchange Corporation (VHIEC) and the President and CEO of Midwest Health Connection (MHC), Angie leads the successful development of health information exchanges where she oversees all aspects of strategic initiatives, business development, government relations, and service delivery.

Craig Behm is the President and CEO of CRISP, the State-Designated Health Information Exchange (HIE) for Maryland, and CRISP Shared Services (CSS), a nonprofit support organization that provides technology infrastructure and other core services to HIEs across the nation.

Melissa Kotrys is the Chief Executive Officer of Contexture, the umbrella organization of CORHIO and Health Current. Through her vision and leadership as CEO of Health Current, the Arizona health information exchange is recognized as a model for aligning the health care community with the possibilities of connected electronic health information to advance individual and community health and well-being.

Beth Anderson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Vermont Information Technology Leaders (VITL). Her work focuses on data interoperability, population health and medicaid operations support. She is committed to collaborating with peers across the Civitas membership to support health information exchange and data-driven health improvement.

Carmen Hughes is a seasoned health IT leader and Executive Director of the HIT Division at the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine. With over 25 years of experience, she has spearheaded strategic initiatives, including leading Georgia’s Regional Extension Center to support health care providers in adopting and meaningfully using EHR technology. Carmen specializes in health equity, client relationship management, and operational excellence, with a proven track record in improving patient experiences and fostering collaboration.

Gabrielle Rude is the President and CEO of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ), leading efforts to improve health care quality and value through collaboration and data-driven strategies. With over 20 years of experience in population health and quality improvement, Gabrielle has held leadership roles in practice transformation, quality analytics, and education. She holds a PhD in Population Health Sciences from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and serves on the boards of the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN) and the Wisconsin Health Information Organization (WHI

Jaime Bland is the Chief Executive Officer of Cynchealth, an organization that uses the power of data to empower care teams to work together for better health outcomes, lower costs, and healthier communities. She oversees the efforts in the Midwest region of the United States, specifically Iowa and Nebraska.

Jenelle Hoseus is Chief Policy and Partnerships Officer for Health Impact Ohio and Chief Executive Officer of Central Ohio Pathways HUB, a care coordination program, managed through Health Impact Ohio, which provides connections to care for the region's most at-risk populations.

Katrina Seipp-Lewington serves as the Director, Community Health at Comagine Health, where she leads community engagement and collaborates with multi-partner initiatives to foster system-level change and drive collective action. Her work emphasizes the development of community care hubs and the implementation of sustainable evidence-based health education infrastructure.

Kristin Paulson is the Chief Executive Officer at the Center for Improving Value in Health Care, the designated administrator of the Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD). Her work encompasses everything from establishing a reliable, high-quality dataset, to engaging our local providers and communities in evidence-driven improvements to the health and healthcare of Coloradans, to working with researchers, government, and other partners to identify new ways to use the data from the CO APCD to inform health care delivery and payment reform.