Our Board of Directors & Leadership

Managing a community health non-profit requires the best and brightest leaders in their field. We are proud to be led by a diverse team of talented individuals who are committed to the Erie Family Health Centers' values.

Erie Family Health Centers Governing Board (2022-2023)

The majority of Erie’s Board proudly consists of members who are actually served by our health centers, ensuring our community responsiveness and accountability.

Matt Aaronson
Partner and Managing Director
The Boston Consulting Group

Rosalie Alicea, Vice Chair
Reyes Holdings, LLC

Betzy Berganza
Director of Health and Human Service
YWCA Metropolitan Chicago

Nancy Bock
Community Volunteer

Michael Boyd
Community Volunteer

Celeste Castillo, Secretary
Community Volunteer

Ernest Chang
Senior Advisor
BMO Harris Bank, N.A.

Michael Cole
President
Aetna North Atlantic Territory

Linda Cushman
Community Volunteer

Dr. Carolyn Ann Dickens
Associate Dean for Faculty Practice and Community Partnerships
Clinical Assistant Professor, College of Nursing
University of Illinois Chicago

Lisa Dykstra
SVP & Chief Information Officer
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Iman Emamifard
Community Volunteer

William G. Kistner, Treasurer
Retired Partner
Ernst & Young

Brian P. Marsella, Chair
President
HPS/PayMedix

Eric Mayeda
Director
The Chartis Group, LLC

Judy Mendez
Community Volunteer

Richard J. Romanowski
Community Volunteer

Rev. Ed Sarden
Senior Minister
Christian Church Center

Alice Setrini
Attorney, Executive Director
Mary and Michael Jaharis Health Law Institute
DePaul University College of Law

Jill Simon Svoboda
Community Volunteer

Katherine Wilson
Community Volunteer

Our Leadership

CEO

Strategy and Business Development

Finance

Development

Human Resources

Operations

Clinical and Medical Operations

Population Health & Programs

Specialty Leadership

Site Medical Leadership

Compliance Officers

CEO

Lee Francis, MD, MPH

President and CEO

Bio

Strategy and Business Development

Nicole Kazee, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President Strategy and Business Development

Bio

Dr. Nicole Kazee joined Erie Family Health Centers in 2017 and serves as the Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development. In this role, Dr. Kazee helps ensure the sustainability of Erie’s mission by leading the development of strategic goals and plans. She also provides oversight for managed care, marketing and communications, community engagement, and government relations.

Kevin Davis

Senior Director of Marketing & Brand Strategy

Bio

Kevin joined Erie in 2019 and serves as the Senior Director of Marketing and Brand Strategy, leading our marketing, communications, and community engagement efforts. Kevin also serves as the Co-Chair for Erie’s Black Employee Resource Group. He brings many years of experience in the nonprofit and education sectors to Erie as a result of leadership roles at City Year Chicago, North Park University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in management from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He serves on the boards for the American Marketing Association- Chicago Chapter, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and the Lupus Foundation of America- Chicago.

Kate Birdwell

Associate Director of Communications

Bio

Kate Birdwell serves as the Associate Director of Communications at Erie Family Health Centers. In this capacity, she focuses on internal communications to Erie’s 700+ staff, marketing outreach to over 82,000 patients, media and public affairs, and serves as Erie’s chief copywriter. Prior to joining the Marketing team, Kate directed all aspects of Erie’s Annual Fund campaign to generate individual support for a large FQHC with 13 locations, including donor communications, prospecting, campaign material development, campaign analysis, gift stewardship and special event management. Her experience also includes 12 years in the arts and culture sector, working in various fundraising, event planning and other administrative roles for a variety of Chicago’s world-class cultural organizations. Kate holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Northwestern University, with a concentration in radio/television/film.

Annet Miranda

Associate Director Community Engagement

Bio

Annet Miranda is the Associate Director of Community Engagement for Erie Family Health Center. She is responsible for developing, expanding, and maintaining positive relationships between Erie with community leaders and their institutions; and works in partnership with others to create and support programs that promote health and access to health. She collaborates extensively both externally and internally to make meaningful connections between Erie and the communities it serves.

Dalia Galvan Morales

Associate Director of Strategy & Government Relations

Bio

Dalia Galvan Morales serves as the Associate Director of Strategy and Government Relations at Erie Family Health Centers. Dalia is responsible for executing a government affairs strategy that advances Erie’s mission and goals. She also provides support to implement the overall strategic goals of the organization. Dalia brings with her over 10 years of experience working in the non-profit sector, particularly advocating for access to high-quality healthcare services for immigrants and refugees and other under-served communities.

Finance

David Bruce, CPA

Chief Financial and Administrative Officer

Tiffany Okoniewski

Director
Grant Accounting, Contact Administration

Raheel Shahzad

Vice President of Finance

Eric Davidson

Associate Director
Financial Planning & Analysis

Development

Melissa Hilton

Vice President, Development Executive Director, Erie Family Health Foundation

Bio

Sandra Del Toro

Director Government Grants,
Foundation Relations

Bio

Sandra Del Toro is the Director, Government Grants and Foundation Relations. In this role, Sandra is responsible for leading Erie’s government, foundation and corporate grants program, which raises more than $25 million annually to support critical programs that benefit Erie patients and advance our mission.

Sandra has more than 20 years of experience in non profit administration and leadership including serving as deputy director, where she partnered with the executive director on execution of strategic initiatives and oversaw policy, communications, program development, strategic planning, and resource development. Previously, she has served in senior leadership capacities at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Mujeres Latinas en Acción and the Southwest Organizing Project, and led statewide legislative and advocacy work at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. She received her Master’s degree in Public Policy Studies from the University of Chicago and her undergraduate degree from Stanford University. Sandra was a fellow in the 2012 class of the National Hispana Leadership Institute, which included studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Center for Creative Leadership.

Cathy Junia

Associate Director of Individual Giving and Events

Bio

Cathy Junia is the Associate Director of Individual Giving and Events. In this role, Cathy is responsible for developing and leading the strategy for sustaining and growing individual donations and event revenues to support Erie’s mission. She oversees a comprehensive fundraising program that includes annual giving, major and restricted gifts, capital contributions and planned gifts, workplace giving, and volunteer engagement. In addition, Cathy is in charge of designing and executing fundraising events that raise vital funds and help build and grow individual and corporate relationships.

Human Resources

Adriana Diaz

Senior Director of Human Resources

Bio

Adriana has over 23 years of progressive experience in Human Resources in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. Instrumental in increasing employee retention and partnering with members of management to identify and effectively implement engagement strategies. She has spent the last 16 years with Erie in an evolving and exciting role that has seen Erie develop and maintain a reputation as an innovative employer of choice, while being recognized as a Top Employer by the Chicago Tribune five times.

Diana Perez

Associate Director, HR Reward Systems
Analytics and Benefits

Operations

Victoria Whildin

Chief Operating Officer

Elizabeth Bennetts

Director
Process Improvement

Nancy Greenwalt

Director
Compliance and Risk Management

Hannah Chi

Director of Operations
Humboldt Park

Liliana Delgado

Director of Operations
Erie Helping Hands

Carla Jones

Director
Front End Revenue Cycle

Marisol Jimenez

Regional Director Operations

Hannah Keel, DNP

Director
Clinical Operations

Kelly Klingensmith

Regional Director of Operations

Kim Koziol

Senior Director Nursing
and Practice Transformation

Suzanne Kunkel

Director
Patient Access Operations

Shay Lashley

Associate Director of the Patient Access Operations

Betsy Lopez

Director of Operations
Foster Avenue

Emily McDonald

Director of Business Operations

Kellie Medious

Associate Vice President, Patient Operations & DEIB Officer

Miriam Rodriguez

Director of Operations
Erie HealthReach Waukegan

Robin Varnado

Associate Vice President of Operations

Kim Williams

Director of Operations
Erie Division Street and Teen Center

Ruben Zarate

Director Facilities

Clinical and Medical Operations

Dr. Caroline Hoke

Chief Clinical Officer

Bio

Population Health & Programs

Amy Valukas

Chief Population Health Officer

Bio

Josephine Llaneza

Senior Director of Patient Programs & Health Equity, Health Promotion & Outreach

Bridget Magner, MPH

Director of Patient Programs & Population Health

Maria Matias

Director of Patient Programs & Health Equity

Geoyia Nightengale, MPH

Associate Director of Patient Programs
& School-Based Health Operations

Specialty Leadership

Michelle Byrne, MD

Clinical Director
Population Health and Care Innovation

Bio

Michelle Byrne, MD, MPH, joined Erie in 2020 and serves as the Clinical Director of Population Health and Care Innovation, and as a Family Medicine Physician with OB. Dr. Byrne works with several teams to improve health outcomes across our patient population. Additionally, she was certified as an Epic Physician Builder in 2021 and uses her skill set to optimize workflows and EHR content to better serve patients and the healthcare team.

Miranda Hart, MD

Medical Director
Adult & Family Medicine

Bio

Tracy Irwin, MD

Hospira Foundation Endowed Medical Director
Reproductive Health

Bio

Tracy Irwin, MD, MPH joined Erie Family Health Center in 2018 as the Hospira Endowed Medical Director of Reproductive Health. At Erie Dr. Irwin oversees a reproductive health workforce and clinical programs that spans 40 miles and provides obstetrics and gynecologic services at 13 outpatient sites and three partner hospitals. Her clinical practice includes the full scope of obstetrics and gynecology with a special focus on vulnerable populations.

Lisa Kearney, DDS

Clinical Director
Oral Health

Bio

Dr. Lisa Kearney joined Erie Family Health Centers in March of 2007 and became the Clinical Director of Oral Health at Erie in August 2012. In this role, Dr Kearney drives the clinical vision of the Oral Health Program at Erie. She strongly believes that healthcare is a human right and supports Erie’s mission to provide quality, affordable care to support healthier people, family, and communities.

Deborah Midgley, MD

Medical Director
Education

Bio

Dr. Deborah Midgley is a Family Physician who joined Erie Family Health Centers in 2003. As Medical Director of Family and Adult Medicine, Dr. Midgley is responsible for recruiting and retaining Family and Adult Medicine providers throughout Erie. She supports the Site Medical Directors at Erie's HealthReach Waukegan, Foster Avenue, Helping Hands and Humboldt Park health centers as well as working with academic partners to support Family Medicine and Internal Medicine Residency programs throughout Erie.

Sara Naureckas, MD

Medical Director
Adolescent and Pediatric Medicine

Bio

Natalie Raghu, DNP, FNP-C, APRN-FPA BC, ADM

Medical Director
Advanced Practice Providers & APRN Fellowship

Bio

Dr. Natalie Raghu first joined Erie in 2007 as a community health nurse. She has held multiple roles within Erie and at Rush University Medical Center including as Nurse Practitioner for Adult/Pediatric patients at Erie West Town Health Center and in Preventive Medicine at RUMC. Having completed her Master’s degree as Family Nurse Practitioner and her Doctoral degree in Population Health/Leadership from Rush University College of Nursing, Dr. Raghu returned to Erie in 2020 to lead Erie’s nurse practitioner/CNM post graduate fellowship that partners with the University of Illinois of Chicago.

Rachel Ramaswamy, DO

Medical Director
Psychiatry

Bio

Jose Viruet, LCPC

Clinical Director
Behavioral Health

Bio

Site Medical Leadership

Syed Mustafa Alavi, MD

Co-Site Medical Director
Erie Evanston/Skokie

Lucy Amaro, DNP, FNP-BC

Site Medical Director
School-Based Health

Christopher Benavente, MD

Delivering Family Physician
Erie Division Street

Milap Bhatt, DO

Medical Director
Erie Foster Avenue

Christopher Boisselle, MD

Program Director
Swedish Family Medicine Residency

Alissa Carlson, MD

Clinical Director
Prentice Women's Hospital

Catherine Chen, MD

Clinical Director
Lake County

Judith Horwitz, MD

Co-Site Medical Director
Erie Evanston/Skokie

Martha Glynn, FNP

Erie Johnson School-Based
Health Center

Kate Laslo, MD, MPH

Senior Medical Director
Erie Helping Hands and Telehealth

Emily MacDonald, BSN, RN

Director
Business Operations

Jackie McSparron, PA-C

Medical Director
Erie Humboldt Park

Sherry Nordstrom

Clinical Director of
Reproductive Health
Swedish Covenant Hospital

Heidi Vyhmeister, CNM

Clinical Director CNM
Prentice Women’s Hospital

Santina Wheat, MD

Program Director
Northwestern McGaw
Family Medicine Residency

Daisy Wynn, MD

Medical Director
Erie Division Street

Compliance Officers