HRSA Region III Workforce Workshop 
September 26, 2023, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET. | Register to attend

Logo of region 3 including District of Columbia and the states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware

Meet the Speakers

(In order of appearance)

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Leah SuterLeah Suter, MS, Regional Administrator (Region III), Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs, HRSA

Leah has been with HRSA since 2003, first at HRSA headquarters in Rockville, Maryland before moving to the Region 3 Regional Office, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2008. During her time with HRSA, Leah has worked with numerous priority areas including the health center program, quality improvement initiatives, grantee performance reviews, and HRSA’s response to COVID-19. A native of rural Western Pennsylvania, Leah earned a bachelor of science in applied nutrition from the Pennsylvania State University and a master of science in public health nutrition from Case Western Reserve University.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Melissa HerdMelissa Herd, Acting Regional Director and Executive Officer, (Region III), HHS

Melissa joined the Office of the Regional Director in November 2014 after working 10 years as a member of the Regional External Affairs (REA) team for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Melissa serves as the principal assistant to the Regional Director and works on a range of programmatic matters, with special emphasis on program policy analysis and coordination of cross-cutting issues. She also serves as the regional office focal point for obtaining public input on developing HHS legislation and policies and for explaining and advocating completed proposals pending before Congress. Currently, Melissa supports the Regional Director for Affordable Care Act (ACA)/marketplace issues and serves as the liaison between the Regional Director office and the HHS Operating Divisions in Region III. 

In her capacity on the CMS REA team, Melissa served as the state lead for Virginia and the District of Columbia where she handled issues relating to Medicare for beneficiaries. Most recently, Melissa has spent the past four years providing presentations about ACA to consumers in Virginia, DC and throughout the Delaware Valley. In addition, Melissa served as the national lead for CMS faith-based initiatives between the HHS Partnership Center and the CMS regional faith-based liaisons. Melissa was also instrumental in planning the faith-based stakeholder session at the White House in May 2014. Prior to joining CMS, Melissa served as the Diversity Account Manager for the American Red Cross, Penn-Jersey Region, where she coordinated blood donations for use in transfusion therapy for children with sickle cell disease.

Currently, she sits on the Board of Directors for Career Wardrobe, a non-profit organization providing professional clothing to women in transition throughout the Delaware Valley. Melissa is a member of the Philadelphia Urban League and a graduate of the CMS Fellows Program. Melissa holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)

Sheila Pradia-WilliamsSheila Pradia-Williams, RPh, MBA, Deputy Associate Administrator, Bureau of Health Workforce, HRSA

Sheila Pradia-Williams provides overarching leadership alongside the BHW Associate Administrator. Before assuming her role in June 2022, Ms. Pradia-Williams was the Director for BHW’s Office of Strategy, Programs, and Partnerships, where she led implementation of strategic priorities and programs funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act.

Ms. Pradia-Williams has a passion for HRSA’s mission to improve health and achieve health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative programs. She previously served in leadership roles within BHW and its predecessor bureaus and with HRSA’s HIV/AIDS bureau.

Over the span of her 28-year career as an officer in the U. S. Public Health Service, Ms. Pradia-Williams served in positions across the Department. She helped to coordinate and plan the confirmations of the Assistant Secretary of Health and Surgeon General, and managed the regulatory process for blood and biological products within the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Review at the Food and Drug Administration.

Before joining the federal workforce, Ms. Pradia-Williams was a hospital pharmacist at George Washington University Hospital. She holds degrees in biochemistry and pharmacy from Xavier University of New Orleans and an MBA from the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business.
Jeffrey-JordanJeff Jordan, MPH, Director, Division of Regional Operations, Bureau of Health Workforce, HRSA

Jeff Jordan has worked with HRSA for nineteen years. Prior to working for the federal government, Mr. Jordan worked for eight years at the Dallas County Health and Human Services as a public health planner and grants administrator. He obtained a bachelor’s and master's degree in medical anthropology from Southern Methodist University, and a MPH from the University of Texas Houston School of Public Health. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas with his wife and two children.

Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers (MACHC)

Shamonda Braithwaite, MBA, Deputy Executive Director

Shamonda has 18 years of experience in health policy, public health research, advocacy, and analytics. She advocates on behalf of Maryland and Delaware’s federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). She leads MACHC’s efforts to address current and emerging health center workforce needs, developing and executing strategies to improve FQHC recruitment and retention. Prior to her work at MACHC, Shamonda was a director of quality and health improvement at the Maryland Hospital Association, where she informed and executed the organization’s strategic approach to advance health equity and improve coordination of behavioral health services. Shamonda developed health policy experience in both the public and private sectors through experience at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and at Avalere Health. Shamonda holds a master of business administration degree from American University and a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Delaware.

Choptank Community Health

Melissa BookMelissa M. Book, SHRM-CP, Human Resources Director

Melissa’s philosophy as a human resource certified professional, is to support the balance between employee satisfaction and the organization’s desire to be a successful business. This aligns with Choptank Community Health’s mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated health care for all and being an exceptional workplace and making a difference. With more than eleven years of experience in human resources and a background of over twenty years in accounting, Melissa has championed many initiatives for employee engagement, career development opportunities, employee wellness and safety, and has provided another level of employee relations and commitment.

Melissa has a passion for vulnerable and under serviced communities. She supports and volunteers for multiple nonprofit organizations.
Sara RichSara K. Rich, MPA, President and Chief Executive Officer

Sara has over twenty years of experience in local, state, and national health care settings and joined Choptank Community Health in 2007 as the Vice President of Community Programs. She was instrumental in growing the community-based department, increasing the number of School Based Health Centers from seven to thirteen and expanding the number of community locations receiving preventive dental care to forty schools and WIC Centers.

Sara was named the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Choptank in June 2015. Under her leadership, CCHS added the Bay Hundred Dental Center and Easton Pediatrics and increased performance results related to patient experience and employee engagement. In January 2017, Sara was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer. She has focused on the growth of the organization, including the successful opening of a new health center in Denton which includes pediatric dentistry, the addition of behavioral health services, and the implementation of a new electronic health record.

Prior to joining CCHS, Sara was the Associate Director for the National Center for Child Death Review and from 1998 through September 2003, she was a community health consultant with the Michigan Child Death Review Program. Sara holds a master’s degree in public administration from Western Michigan University.

Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC)

Judd M-BJudd Mellinger-Blouch, MPA, CPRP, Director, Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center

Judd is the Director of the Pennsylvania Primary Care Career Center. The Career Center helps community health centers recruit and retain physicians, dentists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other primary care providers. Judd has been working in healthcare since 1986, predominantly in areas of public relations, marketing, communications, provider relations, and recruitment. Prior to joining the Career Center in March 2014, Mr. Mellinger-Blouch was Director of Marketing Communications at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, where he worked for 20 years. He started his career in healthcare as Public Relations Director for Community General Osteopathic Hospital, Harrisburg. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a Masters of Public Administration with a healthcare emphasis from Penn State.

Gillian BrooksGillian Brooks, Healthcare Workforce Specialist

Gillian Brooks is the Healthcare Workforce Specialist for PACHC, helping health centers train, recruit and retain frontline employees including community health workers, medical assistants, and others. Early in her career she was a community health worker with Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg, PA.

West Virginia Primary Care Association

Shannon ParkerShannon Parker, MBA, PCMH-CCE, Director of Health Center Operations

Shannon has nearly 20 years of experience working with West Virginia’s Community Health Centers. She began her career in 2004 at Monroe Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center located in Union, West Virginia. Throughout her tenure there she served in various positions including grant writer, human resources director, information specialist, chief operating officer and finally, Chief Operating Officer.

Shannon joined the West Virginia Primary Care Association in 2014. She is responsible for developing, coordinating and implementing statewide initiatives in support of the ongoing growth and development of community health centers. This includes support and guidance to community health centers working to become recognized as primary care medical homes. She assists in redesigning care processes to provide evidence-based, patient-centered care to maximizes resources and facilitate an efficient work environment.

Cabin Creek Health Systems

Sarah HansenSarah Hansen, NP, Nurse Practitioner

Sarah is an adult/geriatric nurse practitioner and has been working at Cabin Creek Health Systems since she graduated from Emory University in 2015. She is also the program director for the Primary Care Fellowship for Advanced Practice Providers, lab director for a moderate complexity CLI A certified lab, and executive board member of the West Virginia Alliance for Creative Healthcare Solutions. She is currently working on her doctorate degree in nursing from Emory University with a projected graduation date of December 2023.

Jennifer KayrouzJennifer Kayrouz, MPH, Center Director

Jennifer has over 20 years of experience working in both medical education and public health program administration. She brings relationships and experiences acquired during her tenure at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, West Virginia Bureau for Public Health, and West Virginia Prevention Research Center to the Area Health Education Center as she develops recruitment strategies and clinical learning experiences for the health professions students rotating within Cabin Creek Health Systems. She is finishing her doctorate in education from Marshall University with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction for medical education.

HRSA Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW)

TraceySmithTracey Smith, MSc, MPH, Senior Advisor, Division of Nursing and Public Health  

Tracey Smith has been a public health analyst with HRSA since 2015. Her first position was with BHW’s Division of Medicine and Dentistry. For five years she worked on grants and cooperative agreements that trained medical and dental residents in rural and underserved areas, established new residencies in rural areas, and conducted research into the rural health workforce.

Tracey then moved to HRSA’s Bureau of Primary Healthcare (BPHC). During the three years with BPHC she initially was lead on the pre-award phase of the Health Center Controlled Networks program, which strengthens health information technology utilization at health centers. She then managed a portfolio of health centers supported with CARES and ARP funding to conduct a wide range of COVID-19 response activities.

Tracey returned to BHW in December 2022 as a Senior Advisor to support leadership and program activities in the Division of Nursing and Public Health. Before joining HRSA, Tracey was with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Response, Office of Emergency Management, supporting the public health preparedness and response efforts of the Medical Reserve Corps program. Her federal service began as a CDC Disease Intervention Specialist assigned to DC Department of Health. 

Joan Weiss

Joan Weiss, Deputy Director, Division of Medicine and Dentistry 

Joan Weiss is an adult and gerontological nurse practitioner. She oversees workforce development programs in geriatrics, primary care, graduate medical education, mental and behavioral health, health, preventive medicine/public health, and oral health. She is the subject matter expert for the Federal Advisory Committee on Interdisciplinary Community-Based Linkages. She is the HRSA representative on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Disease Research, Care, and Services; the Family Caregiving Advisory Council; and the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Advisory Council. She also serves on HHS interagency workgroups on palliative care, elder justice, and caregiving. Joan has held many leadership positions at HRSA including Director of the Division of Public Health and Interdisciplinary Education and Acting Director of the Division of Nursing. She is a recipient of the 2015 Secretary’s Meritorious Group Award for taking important steps to find a cure and improve care for people with dementia. She is the recipient of the 2022 HRSA Lifetime Achievement Award.

MalissaLewis2Malissa Lewis, LLB, LLM, Acting Director, Division of Health Careers and Financial Support

Malissa Lewis has over twelve years of experience at HRSA. She is recognized for effectively administering several new and emerging public health programs to support the advancement of the health care workforce.

Malissa currently serves as the Acting Director for Division of Health Careers and Financial Support, overseeing twelve national health workforce programs that support students, nurses, health care professionals, academic institutions, and community-based organizations, through loan repayment, scholarships, revolving loans, health professions training and pipeline programs.

Malissa has a master of laws in comparative legal studies, from Elisabeth Haub School of Law.

IsrailAli

Israil Ali, MPA, Director, Division of National Health Service Corps

Israil Ali leads federal programs that connect the primary care health workforce to vulnerable communities. To date, there are over 20,000 NHSC primary medical, dental, and behavioral health providers, caring for over 21 million patients across the nation that are supported by his programs.

Over the past two decades, Mr. Ali has assumed various federal roles including deputy director of BHW’s Division of Health Careers and Financial Support; chief of the Nurse Corps loan repayment program. Prior to federal service, Mr. Ali served as community relations director at United Nursing Service, a home health agency in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He has dedicated his career to improving health outcomes in underserved communities by optimizing access to a quality health workforce.

In 2014, Israil was recognized as an outstanding alumni by his alma mater, Western Michigan University, for “outstanding contributions to public health and workforce development at the national level.” Mr. Ali has received the HRSA Administrator’s Special Citation Award twice. He received this award in 2015 for “outstanding contributions to the management of the Nurse Corps Loan Repayment Program activities” and in 2022 for “outstanding leadership of the NHSC during the nation’s public health emergency.”

Israil is a native of Detroit, Michigan, and received both his bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary health services and master’s degree in public administration from Western Michigan University. Israil has also served as an adjunct professor, for the last 13 years, in the School of Community Health and Policy at Morgan State University.

Stacey Martinez

Stacey Martinez, IT Specialist & Data Analyst, Project and Data Management Branch, Division of Business Operations

Stacey Martinez has 21 years of experience in information technology (IT) within the federal government. Her work includes developing web applications, leading enterprise-wide Section 508 efforts, managing an agency-wide cloud infrastructure, IT project management, and leading and supporting data analysis and visualization efforts. Stacey has a bachelor of science in mathematics and computer science from the Colorado School of Mines. Her experience also includes leading enterprise-wide web solutions, leading and supporting cyber security initiatives, and defining and maintaining agency-wide business processes. Stacey is a native Coloradan, a former collegiate athlete, and an avid sports fan.