Board of Directors

(207) 251-9626
[email protected]

Jodi spent the last 25 years working in primary care practices in various roles. She is a passionate advocate for bringing awareness of affordable and accessible community resources to healthcare providers to improve the health of patients and families. Jodi developed a community care management program that consisted of a team of care managers who work with patients with complex medical and social needs. This work involved visiting patients in their homes or communities to assess and address the barriers that prevent them from being successful in caring for themselves. Jodi has extensive experience in quality improvement activities with a focus on chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and preventative care. Jodi is married and has two adult children. When her children were young, she was instrumental in helping to rebuild a school playground for her home community and was active in sports boosters. She enjoys gardening and cooking healthy meals with fresh, local ingredients.

Ben moved to central Maine from Virginia in 2002 to begin a family medicine residency program, and has been in this region ever since. He began working for MaineGeneral in 2008, becoming the medical director for MaineGeneral’s primary care department in 2016. In this role he has become increasingly aware of how the health of a community isn’t primarily the result of individuals’ medical care, but rather the result of larger social and environmental factors. As a result, enabling and strengthening connections within the community can be much more effective than prescribing a medication or ordering a study. When not spending too much time at work, Ben enjoys running, playing music, attempting to comprehend 19th century Russian literature, and, most of all, spending time with his wife and daughter.

Cathleen Dunlap is a licensed clinical social worker who serves as the Clinical Director for Paramount Behavioral Services, Inc., based in Waterville, with an outreach office in Hallowell. Cathleen is married and has three adult children and four grandchildren. Cathleen has lived in Augusta all of her life and can trace ancestors to the area pre-Revolutionary war. She is one of five daughters born to parents who loved all of their “girls” joyously until the days of their deaths; Cathleen notes that supporting them on their last journeys was a challenging and humbling experience—and a great honor.

Cathleen previously worked as an educator for local Adult Education programs in Gardiner, Hallowell, Turner, and Augusta as well as for the University of Maine at Augusta and Kennebec Valley Community College. She is also a Coach for WW of Maine (formerly known as Weight Watchers). Cathleen has provided support to and advocacy for victims of sexual assault and interpersonal violence as a past employee for the Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Center as well as for the Family Violence Project. Other paid employment experiences included working as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for the Maine Department of Labor and as a social worker assisting veterans newly home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Cathleen has served on a number of local boards and committees including ones for Motivational Services, Inc., the Augusta Bicentennial Committee, and the Maine Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers–elected twice as their president. Cathleen’s interests include reading, gardening, canoeing, camping, taking care of her small flock of chickens, and watching her grandchildren play baseball, softball, soccer, basketball, and compete in gymnastic events.

Patricia has over 30 years of experience conducting program evaluation, facilitating groups, writing grants, and analyzing data for a variety of organizations covering a range of topics. Patricia is well versed in management consulting, evaluation design, methods, data collection, analysis, reporting, and presenting findings. She has owned and operated her firm, Hart Consulting, for more than 20 years consulting on public health, healthcare, economic development, and education program evaluation. Active in community work, Patricia served four terms on the Gardiner, Maine City Council and is currently serving her first term as Mayor. She is a past President of the Gardiner Rotary Club, past Chair of the City of Gardiner Planning Board, a trustee to the Robinson Trust, and a returned Peace Corps Volunteer/Nepal.

(207) 582-5346
[email protected]

Pat is the Superintendent of Schools in Gardiner (MSAD #11). Pat started her career as a high school teacher 12 miles off the coast of Maine on North Haven Island.  After earning her Masters in Education Administration from UMaine, she left the classroom and joined school administration. To become a Superintendent, she went back to UMaine and attained her Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration. Pat then became the Superintendent in Camden Rockport. She is a member of Rotary, and as Superintendent and Rotarian she is committed to giving children the educational, social, and community support they need to become successful adults. While in Camden Rockport she partnered with the community to address student suicides and has lead Gardiner to create a strong Wellness Committee focused on supporting student and staff well-being. Professionally, she has been and remains active with the Maine School Superintendent’s Association. Pat sees service on HCCA’s Board as a way to continue to provide her students with all possible resources and opportunities to succeed.

Ranae and KVYMCA are longtime partners with HCCA helping to implement youth obesity prevention and nutrition education programs. Ranae brings a background in early childhood education and organizational management as well as experience planning and implementing fundraising events and building community connections.

(774) 230-3382
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A native of Massachusetts, Ashley holds a Bachelors in Business Economics from the University of Maine at Farmington and an MBA with a concentration in Project Management from Southern New Hampshire University. Ashley is qualitative researcher who is well-versed in culturally and linguistically appropriate health communication. As a former athlete and director of youth sports programs, Ashley believes in working with partners to build their internal capacity to do evaluation and share their program successes by taking on more of a coaching role. Additionally, Ashley has a wealth of knowledge of the Maine public health infrastructure and related state government agencies. Over the years Ashley has presented at local and national conferences on innovative evaluation methodologies and the benefits of integrating evaluation and communication strategies.

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Courtney is the Resource Development and Marketing Executive Director at United Way of Kennebec Valley, a nonprofit organization that funds direct-service community needs related to basic needs, health care, education, and financial stability. She spearheads fundraising strategies and volunteer coordination for a $1.7 million annual campaign, building strong relationships with donors and local businesses. In the past, Courtney has worked in public relations, fundraising and marketing for both Crisis & Counseling Centers and the Maine Department of Education. Courtney holds a Bachelors in English from Colby College and a Masters in Public and Nonprofit Management from the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School. Giving back to the community is Courtney’s passion, Beyond her work, she most recently volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Cooking Matters. In her spare time, Courtney enjoys teaching fitness classes, cooking gluten-free recipes, and hiking throughout Maine.

Dr. Al-Omaishi is a PGY-1 Family Medicine Resident at Maine-Dartmouth Family Medicine Residency and holds an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering from the College of New Jersey and graduate degrees in engineering management from Duke University and biomedical engineering from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Prior to medical school matriculation, Dr. Al-Omaishi worked on process improvement projects as a management consultant at Accenture. During medical school he traveled twice to Samos, Greece in order to provide desperately needed translation services and medical care to refugees. It was there that he realized the importance of preventative medicine and in particular sustainable practices that can “stand the test of time.” He is adventurous, enjoys experiencing different cultures, and has traveled widely, both within and outside of the United States including to his parents’ homeland of Iraq. With his Arabic language skills, passion for humanitarian work and advocacy, and interest in preventative medicine Dr. Al-Omaishi is honored to serve the Maine community. He lives in Augusta and his passion involves working with the entire Augusta community to deliver better options for preventative medicine. He has a particular interest in working with the refugee population and currently partners with HCCA on tobacco prevention education in collaboration with the Capital Area New Mainers Project.

Pat is the Director of Early Childhood Studies and a professor at the University of Maine at Augusta, specializing in teaching teachers and social work majors in early childhood, special needs, and family courses. Previously, Pat was an elementary school teacher in grades pre-k through 5 (mostly kindergarten). She works closely with Head Start, served on their board and as a national Head Start Fellow, having worked in the training and technical assistance area for a year in Washington D.C. Pat lives in Readfield and is active in St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Winthrop, is a Readfield Community Library Board Member and Story Time co-coordinator, as well as director of the Playgroup partnership between the Library and elementary school. Her education includes a BA in French and Journalism, BS in Education, MS in Special Education, and higher degrees in Early Intervention and Special Education and Public Policy. Pat connected with HCCA by borrowing and using the Let’s Go! Story Walk at various sites in Readfield, and by having HCCA’s Nan Bell as a guest speaker for her UMA students.

Sara is the Director of the AmeriCorps Senior Companion Program at the University of Maine Center on Aging. She has focused her studies and professional career on working with older adults and community-based initiatives to create lasting social change on many fronts. As the Chairperson of the Augusta Age Friendly Committee, Sara manages the Clear Paths volunteer shoveling program and the Sand Buckets program in collaboration with the City of Augusta to benefit older and disabled residents of the capital city. She has also worked with caregivers for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and Related Dementias for over five years and loves her work as Master Trainer for the Savvy Caregiver educational series. Another of Sara’s greatest passions is working to identify and collaborate with various community resources in Central Maine and across the state to assist older and disabled adults with filling gaps in service provision – both before and throughout the pandemic. As a lifelong learner, she is constantly seeking ways to improve processes, promote volunteerism in Maine, and advocate for vulnerable populations within the state. Sara is the proud mother of two smart, beautiful girls and Nonna to her handsome grandson. Sara has yet to formally partner with HCCA, but believes the work of many hands makes challenging tasks that much easier to accomplish and would like to help with age friendly and livable initiatives that benefit people of all ages and abilities.

Kristina has a background in biology, with a focus on human anatomy, physiology, and infectious disease. She has traveled to Haiti implementing public health strategies in the remote mountains, focusing on youth malnutrition, infectious disease, and other health disparities. At MaineGeneral Medical Center (MGMC), she is a program coordinator implementing a one-million dollar federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant, utilizing innovative harm reduction solutions and evidence-based practices within Kennebec and Somerset Counties for youth and adults. As such, she has leveraged relationships made with law enforcement, youth facing organizations and other community organizations, to disseminate 42 emergency naloxone boxes for increased capacity for bystander rescuers into high risk areas of our rural community, a first for the state. 

In addition, Kristina is a member of the Maine Public Health Association (MPHA) and the American Public Health Association (APHA) where she has been an active presenter. Kristina has also presented at the Reverse Site Visit, in the spring of 2020, for the FY19 RCORP grant, in Washington D.C., with deliverables on prevention and intervention strategies for substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) in rural communities. She is currently a visiting preceptor for the University of New England’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program, and is a doctoral candidate for public health practice, specializing in global health.