NRHA announces new and future leaders
Leadership for the National Rural Health Association is secure for 2014 and beyond, thanks to recent elections for its Board of Trustees positions and selection of candidates for its Rural Health Fellows program. NRHA’s board members help ensure the organization remains true to its mission of improving health care for 62 million rural Americans. NRHA members elected longtime member Jodi Schmidt as president-elect. She will assume the duties of NRHA president in 2015, and Raymond Christensen, MD, will serve as president in 2014. Lisa Kilawee will serve as NRHA’s board secretary in 2014 and 2015. We are proud to announce the following individuals were elected by their peers to serve in leadership roles: President-elect Jodi Schmidt Secretary Lisa Kilawee Constituency Group chairs Public Health Michael Meit Hospitals and Health Systems Susan Starling Research and Education John Gale Statewide Health Resources Patricia Crawford Student Alex Spencer Rural Health Congress representatives Hospitals and Health Systems Janelle Ali-Dinar Susan Daniels Bryant McNally David Pearson Pat Schou Allen Van Driel Rural Health Clinics Michelle Mills Statewide Health Resources Sally Buck Students Cody Mullen Thank you to all who ran and who voted. Rural Health Fellows NRHA is also excited to announce the final selections for the 2014 Rural Health Fellows program. After the completion of a competitive review process, 15 fellows were selected to participate in this yearlong, intensive program aimed at developing leaders who can articulate a clear and compelling vision for rural America. “We are very pleased to announce this new class of fellows as this program enters its eighth year. Once again, this class represents various levels of rural health expertise,” NRHA CEO Alan Morgan said. “With the successes achieved by the previous classes, we look forward to continuing the tradition of building rural health care leaders through this valuable program.” The new fellows are: Mary Atkinson Smith, D.N.P, Starkville Orthopedic Clinic nurse practitioner, Starkville, Miss. Angela Bangs, Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Center project coordinator, Bozeman, Mont. Mitchell Berenson, Community Infusion Solutions CEO, Rockwall, Texas Maritza Bond, Eastern Connecticut Area Health Education Center executive director, Willimantic, Conn. Kelly Cheek, West Texas Area Health Education Center director, Abilene, Texas Alison Davis, Ph.D, University of Kentucky Community and Economic Development Initiative of Kentucky director and professor, Lexington, Ky. Kevin Driesen, Ph.D., Arizona Rural Hospital Flex Program director, Tucson, Ariz. Tammy Hatting, Avera business development manager, Sioux Falls, S.D. Gretchen Holmes, Ph.D., University of Kentucky College of Medicine Center of Excellence in Rural Health assistant research director, Hazard, Ky. William Kiefer, Red River Regional Hospital chief clinical officer, Bonham, Texas Cody Mullen, Indiana University Fairbank’s School of Public Health associate instructor and doctoral student, West Lafayette, Ind. Ken Reid, Capella University doctoral student, Bosque Farms, N.M. Dayle Sharp, Ph.D., University of Texas School of Nursing clinical assistant professor, El Paso, Texas Will Wilson, Minnesota Department of Health supervisor, St. Paul, Minn. Holly Wolff, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health research assistant, Chapel Hill, N.C. Their first meeting will be during NRHA’s Rural Health Policy Institute Feb. 4-6 in Washington, D.C.