Robert Boyd, MCRP, M.Div
President/CEO
National School-Based Health Alliance

Robert has spent four decades trying to make the world a better place for those who are the least advantaged. Born in Harlem and raised in the Bronx as the son of a teacher and an NYPD Detective, Robert has run and founded non-profit organizations, served as a youth minister and hospital chaplain, worked as a banker and real-estate developer, served as chief-of-staff to a powerful member of Congress, and worked for the Mayor of New York on economic development. 

Since coming to SBHA, Robert has expanded SBHA’s expert staff, grown the budget, and broadened the Board to include executive-level representation from national organizations in the school health and education spaces. In the last two years, by working with the team and state affiliates SBHA received Congressional re-authorization for SBHCs and almost $100 million in federal appropriations for new and expanded SBHCs. Robert has published op-eds in the Washington Post and the American Journal of Public Health. Robert sits on committees and collaboratives including the Coalition of Community Schools, the National Healthy Schools Collaborative, and the Children’s Health Equity Collaborative.

A lifelong learner, Robert earned degrees from Brown University in American Political Culture, a Master of City and Regional Planning from Harvard University, and a Master of Divinity from SMU. He also holds certificates in Clinical Pastoral Education from Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Charter School Leadership from Harvard, and Active Threat, Tactical Medical Response from the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Robert is the father of two (his son is an educator, and his daughter works in philanthropy) and a grandfather. He lives on Kent Island in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, where he enjoys golf, tennis, kayaking, fishing, and hunting.

Brenda Cappellini
Assistant Vice President, Population Health
The Health Plan

For over 25 years, Brenda has played an instrumental role in quality improvement, utilization management, and clinical analytics within The Health Plan.  In her current role as AVP of Population Health, Brenda oversees a team that develops data driven strategies to improve outcomes across the continuum of care.  Supported by strong clinical analytics and data processes, actionable opportunities are identified and integrated into the workflow of the care management team, used to support providers’ understanding of the population health needs of their patients, and to identify areas of health disparities based on social determinants of health.


Jim Smallridge
Director of Community Development
Aetna Better Health of West Virginia

Jim Smallridge was born and raised in Charleston, WV, but has lived in both urban and rural communities in NC and TN. After leaving the Mountain State in the late 1980’s, an employment opportunity brought him back to the Kanawha Valley in 2002.

Jim graduated from Charleston High School and attended West Virginia University. He holds a degree in nursing from State University of New York and is licensed in several states as a registered nurse. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Health & Human Services from the University of Arizona. He has been involved in various areas of healthcare for over 30 years. This includes trauma, cardiac and behavioral health medicine. Currently, Jim is the Lead Director of Community Development for Aetna Better Health of West Virginia, a Medicaid managed care organization (MCO) that serves over 200,000 low income individuals in all 55 counties of the state.   He and the outreach staff that he oversees work to promote wellness and provide healthy living information, especially to the youth of West Virginia.
In addition to his work-related efforts, Jim volunteers with several organizations, including Mountaineer Food Bank, Shriners Hospitals for Children and various youth sports programs. Jim has worked as a basketball official with the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission and coached the high school girls’ basketball team at Teays Valley Christian School. In his free time, he enjoys traveling, cooking, playing golf and watching WVU athletics.


April Jackson
Quality Management Director
UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia

April Jackson is the Quality Management Director for Unicare Health Plan of WV, Inc., with over eight years with Unicare/Elevance.

She oversees the quality department, which strives to improve targeted clinical quality results. Our strategies comprise tactics to help promote safe and effective patient care across the healthcare delivery system.

April directs and provides leadership for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the Quality Management Program for the health plan all while staying within National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) standards.

She is a lifelong West Virginia resident committed to improving our health indicators. April comes from the Unicare care delivery transformation team which comprises strategies and tactics to help achieve improving the patient experience, achieving better health outcomes, and controlling costs.

April has served as the primary point of contact for providers for program onboarding, facilitation, and routine meetings with the ultimate goal of making their members healthier.

Collaboration is key with enterprise and within the health plan. Together, Unicare simplifies what is complex and helps map a path for success for providers and members.


Kim Barber Teiman
Vice President / Health and Human Service Program Director
Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation

Kim has a master’s degree in social work and is a licensed social worker in West Virginia. She has a background in community development, program development and management, grant writing, grants management, and training.
 
Kim served as an adjunct faculty member for the West Virginia University School of Social Work Master of Social Work Program Charleston campus for 18 years, where she taught classes in non-profit management, finance, and social welfare policy. She served as the Executive Director of Volunteer West Virginia and administered AmeriCorps in the state. She has over 35 years of working experiences at nonprofits, in state government, schools, and foundations.
 
Kim is an active community volunteer. She serves on the boards of the West Virginia Oral Health Coalition (Past-Chair), West Virginia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (Chair), the Kanawha Valley Council on Philanthropy, The West Virginia Governor’s Substance Use Disorder Policy Task Force (Community Engagement Chair), West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine Foundation (Scholarship Chair), the Appalachian Funders Network Health Working Group, and Workforce West Virginia. Kim is Co-Chair of the West Virginia Early Childhood Council’s Health Committee. She is the Past-President of the National Association of Social Workers - West Virginia Chapter. Kim is an active member of St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Charleston, WV.


Beth Collins
Executive Director
Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness

A native of Belleville, WV, Beth completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology and Environmental Science at WV Wesleyan College in 2009. After graduation, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA and went on to receive her master’s in Education at Wheeling Jesuit University in 2012. She served as the Director of the Clifford M. Lewis, SJ Appalachian Institute focusing on promoting service learning, research initiatives, and advocacy efforts around social and environmental concerns within the region. Beth went on to become the Northern Regional Director of Catholic Charities WV where she oversaw grant-funded programs focused on basic needs assistance and long-term case management for individuals and families in poverty. In late 2019, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness Foundation as the Executive Director overseeing grant making efforts to support agencies promoting the health and wellbeing of WV’s children. Beth led the organization’s COVID-19 response efforts in collaboration with other WV Health Funders, developed a public-private health partnership focused on promoting minority health initiatives, and shifted the SSJHWF’s grant making approach to be more in line with the values of trust-based philanthropy. She currently serves on the board of the Big Laurel Learning Center and the WV ACEs Coalition. Beth resides in Wheeling, WV with her husband and three children.


Jamie Jeffrey, MD, FAAP
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 
WVU School of Medicine, CAMC

Dr. Jeffrey is a pediatrician and Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at WVU School of Medicine-Charleston Division. She received her medical degree from Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, WV and completed her pediatric residency at Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, OH where she also served as chief resident.

After spending the majority of her career as the Medical Director of Children’s Medicine Center, Dr. Jeffrey has devoted her career to pediatric clinical, research, advocacy, and community outreach in the field of childhood obesity prevention and treatment. She founded and serves as Medical Director of HealthyKids Wellness and Weight Management Program at CAMC Weight Loss Center and Director of KEYS 4 HealthyKids (KEYS). The mission of KEYS strives to make the healthy choice the easy choice by improving the nutrition and physical activity practices, policies and environments for kids and their families.


Sherri Ferrell, MBA
CEO/President
West Virginia Primary Care Association

Sherri Ferrell serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the WVPCA. In this role, she oversees the implementation of the strategic goals of the Association and works closely with the Board of Directors to ensure the WVPCA's mission and vision are achieved. Sherri advocates to the state and federal government to strengthen and preserve the health care safety net. She is responsible for overall operations of the Association and serves as the spokesperson for the community health system of care.  



Paula Fields, MSN, RN
Sr. Vice President of Consulting & Technical Assistance
School-Based Health Alliance

Paula has worked in the school-based health care field for over 25 years and joined the School-Based Health Alliance in 2016. Her current work at SBHA includes programs, the development of tools and resources, technical assistance and training, educational offerings, planning and implementing school-based health centers, and building school and community partnerships to work towards student success!

Paula started in school-based health care in the late 1990s while working for a hospital. One of her first tasks was to plan, implement, and sustain an SBHC, transitioning the center to an FQHC. She also worked to create and staff the West Virginia School-Based Health Alliance. Most recently, Paula worked at the West Virginia Department of Education as the first state-level community school coordinator. She has a diverse background in organization management, consulting services, and clinical nursing skills. 

Paula holds a master degree in Nursing Education and Administration, a bachelors degree in Nursing, and holds an active Registered Nurse License. Above all else, Paula is a wife, momma, MiMi, and loves working for and with children.



Garrett Keefer, MPH
HHR Specialist, Senior
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services

Garrett Keefer is a Health and Human Resources Specialist Senior with the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health. Garrett has received his master’s degree in public health policy from the University of Louisville. He has been with the Bureau for Behavioral Health for just over a year. During this time, he has served as the State Mental Health Agency Coordinator for Project AWARE and is currently serving as the HHR Specialist Senior for Expanded School Mental Health (ESMH). His duties include giving guidance on meeting grant requirements, conducting site visits, and working with grantees to ensure their Evidence Based Practices are being reported and recorded.


John Kennedy, MA, M.Div
Director of School Based/Behavioral Health Services
West Virginia Primary Care Association

In his role as the School-Based/Behavioral Health Director, John Kennedy supports the WVPCA member needs as related to the development and advancement of behavioral and school-based health services including coordinating training, technical assistance, and advocacy. John has serves as the liaison with the state Department of Education and the national School Based Health Alliance.




Allison Kilcoyne, FNP
Vice President of Integration Wellness and Community Development
North Shore Community Health

Allison is a Family Nurse Practitioner and the Chief Clinical Officer for North Shore Community Health (NSCH), a federally qualified health center 35 miles north of Boston. NSCH serves 14,000 patients in its three family practice sites and seven school-based health programs. She has spent most of her 25-year career as a nurse practitioner and advocate for School-Based Health.

Allison believes that when youth have access to all the services they need to be successful, they will thrive. She served on the Board of Directors of the National School-Based Health Alliance from 2015 – 2021 and is the President and founding member of the Massachusetts School-Based Health Alliance. She spends her clinical time as a provider in the Peabody High School Student Health Center, a program she helped implement, which opened its doors in April 2015.

Allison was the recipient of the 2019 American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) NP State Award for Excellence, representing Massachusetts. The award is given annually to an individual NP in each state who has demonstrated excellence in NP clinical practice. Allison holds a Master’s Degree in Science and Nursing from Northeastern University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania. She has presented widely on innovative school-based health programs and has published articles and book chapters on school health. She has a specific interest in how to create successful school-based health center programs by building relationships and trust and always focusing on the youth served.



Jessica McColley, DO 
Medical Director
Riverside Health Center, Cabin Creek Health Systems 

Dr. Jessica McColley was born in Tacoma, WA; raised in Central WV. She attended West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating in 2009, finished Family Practice Residency in Newport News, VA in 2012, and completed a Maternal-Child Health Fellowship in Chicago, IL in 2013.

She is the Chief Medical Officer for Cabin Creek Health System in Kanawha County, WV and remains in clinical practice at a dual School-Based and Community Health Center at Riverside High School.

She has presented nationally, regionally, and locally on various topics including integrated primary care practices, family planning services as harm reduction in the substance use disorder population of health, and trans-medicine.

She is passionate about providing and advocating for evidence-based health care for every human but especially so for children, adolescents, and our LGBTQ+ community members.
She and her husband, Jacob, have four kids (one a Junior at VCU in Richmond, VA), a blue heeler named Boulder, and a cat called Meer. She thinks that baking is therapy, loves anything true crime, and considers herself deeply Appalachian.


Amanda North
Executive Director
Center for Rural Health Innovation

Amanda is the Executive Director of the Center for Rural Health Innovation (CRHI) located in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. As Executive Director, she covers a wide range of duties: from day to day operations to program design and implementation, but she is happiest when she can make spreadsheets and budgets work to improve access to healthcare. Too squeamish to be a medical provider, but wanting to work in the healthcare field, Amanda studied at Georgia Tech in Atlanta and University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, where she completed the Executive Masters in Healthcare Administration in 2016. She has extensive experience in the healthcare industry; working in the medical device field with ETHICON, a Johnson & Johnson Company, as well as managing a rural private practice in western North Carolina. Amanda first served CRHI as a founding board member in 2010 before becoming the Executive Director.

Amanda’s talents lie in the leadership and finance area of rural healthcare. Under Amanda’s leadership, CRHI has established and grown a school-based telemedicine program (Health-e-Schools) from three pilot sites to a 100+ site program in eleven school districts, which she now supervises. She manages a growing and evolving team of clinical and operations professionals who deliver healthcare and care coordination to thousands of rural North Carolinians every year. Amanda has served on the Advisory Board of the Mid Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center (MATRC) since 2011. She is the Vice President of the NC School-Based Health Alliance and on the Executive Board for PATH, a non-profit organization that identifies opportunities to improve the health of children and families in Mitchell and Yancey counties. She is active in her church, keeps a big garden and loves to cook. She lives in the small mountain town of Spruce Pine, NC with her husband, four children, and three dogs.


Tiffany Pittman, LPC, AADC
School Mental Health Coordinator & TA
Marshall University, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine

Tiffany Pittman is the School Mental Health Coordinator with the Marshall University School Health Technical Assistance Center, Division of Community Health. She earned an MA in Counseling at Marshall & is a WV LPC & AADC with 20+ years’ experience related to school based mental health. She was the 2019 WVAADC counselor of the year.  Tiffany provides consultation and technical assistance related to site needs assessment, program development, strategic planning, grant writing, selection of evidence-based programs, and training across a variety of topics. Current projects include work with Expanded School Mental Health, Substance use prevention & early intervention, WV AWARE, High Risk Youth, and more.


Cindy Whitlock
Director of School Health
New River Health 

As school health director I oversee existing school health sites serving 11 schools in three counties with medical, behavioral health and dental health services; direct staff of 40 with major assistance from Jerri Hogan, the queen of School Health; develop new sites; promote school health services to school staff, students, parents and communities; expand opportunities for service delivery; represent NRHA in the community within and outside the realm of health care; execute organization marketing.
 
I grew up in the Finger Lakes in Penn Yan, NY, a small town similar to Oak Hill. When I graduated from WVU, I was hired as public information coordinator for Fayette County Schools. I ‘heart’ NY, but WV is my home. I’ve worked with five other organizations before NRH, and was honored to serve on the NRH Board of Directors for 14 years.
 
In my 45 years of experience, whether I have worked in nonprofit, health care, education, retail, tourism, small business ownership, or small business advocacy, collaborations have always proven useful, productive and indispensable for all partners. I also have found the same coordination of effort and mission vital to moving forward the cause-related organizations to which I volunteer.

Volunteering for heartfelt causes is my ‘hobby,’ where I try to help build the community in which I live, and leave a legacy for our kids and grandkids.
 

SESSIONS
At-A-Glance


KEYNOTE ADDRESS
"West Virginia, Leading the Way!"

8:30a - 9:15a   |   Ballroom
   Robert Boyd, President
   National School-Based Health Association


PANEL DISCUSSION
Innovation, Opportunity, & Impact: Strengthening Partnerships to Empower Student's Health and Well-Being

9:15a - 10:15a   |   Ballroom
   Moderator: Sherri Ferrell, President/CEO
                        West Virginia Primary Care Association
   Panelists:  Brenda Cappellini, The Health Plan
                        Jim Smallridge, Aetna Better Health
                       April Jackson, UniCare Health Plan of West Virginia
                       Kim Barber Teiman, Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
                       Beth Collins, Sisters of St. Joseph Health and Wellness

Moderated by WVPCA's President and CEO, Sherri Ferrell, this timely conversation with leading Managed Care and Philanthropic Organization's and their work specifically within school-based health centers. Each panelist will share how their organizational priorities relate to the current work of school-based health centers and how they view these collaborative opportunities in the future. Dialogue such as this is key in the creation of new opportunities and the strengthening of current partnerships.

Attendees will be able to: 
   - Identify the priorities of different stakeholders that support School-Based Health Centers to
      improve the lives of students;
   - Learn how the work of School-Based Health Centers intersects with current and future
      priorities of the stakeholders.


TELEHEALTH OPPORTUNITIES IN SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH CENTERS

10:30a - 11:45a   |   Ballroom
    Speaker:    Amanda North, Executive Director
                        Center for Rural Health Innovation
   Panelists:  Amy Yokum, Ritchie Regional Health Center
                       Ashley Mauzy, Valley Health Center
                       Dr. Darrin Nichols, Coplin Health Systems
   
We already know that high quality care provided in schools changes lives. Telehealth technology opens up a variety of options to expand footprint, increase services, maximize workforce efficiency, and reach rural populations. There is no one-size-fits-all application of telehealth in schools, so let's talk about a lot of them! Models, funding, workflows, partnerships and how to get started.
 
Attendees will be able to: 
   - Recognize opportunities to expand SBHC services using telehealth;
   - Describe strategies to move through planning phases to implement telehealth services; and
   - Identify and anticipate barriers to successful integration of telehealth services in school-based
      care.

LUNCH DEMONSTRATION
Globalmed Telehealth
12:00p - 12:45p   |   Ballroom
Dan Duffy, Senior Sales Executive

We know that choosing the right technology is critical to your success. With over two decades of experience building telehealth solutions, we offer a path forward with the most comprehensive and scalable virtual health solutions on the market. Use cases for virtual care delivery are vast and we continue to develop the most advanced capabilities in line with healthcare’s changing needs.
 

~~ BREAKOUT SESSIONS ~~

Breakout Session 1A: CEOs & COOs
WEST VIRGINIA ON THE NATIONAL SCHOOL-BASED HEALTH STAGE

1:00p - 2:00p   |   Diamond Point Room
   Robert Boyd
   National School-Based Health Association

We already know that high quality care provided in schools changes lives. Telehealth technology opens up a variety of options to expand footprint, increase services, maximize workforce efficiency, and reach rural populations. There is no one-size-fits-all application of telehealth in schools, so let's talk about a lot of them! Models, funding, workflows, partnerships and how to get started.
 
Attendees will be able to: 
   - Understand the influence and role West Virginia has in school-based health at the
      national level;
   - Discuss what is needed at the national level to further support school-based health in
     West Virginia and nationwide. 

PANEL DISCUSSION
Engagement: Students, Family, School, & Community

3:30p - 4:30p   |   Ballroom
   Speakers:  Jessica McColley, DO, Medical Director
                        Cabin Creek Health Systems
                      Cindy Whitlock, Director of School-Based Health
                        New River Health Association
                        John Kennedy, MA, M.Div.
                        West Virginia Primary Care Association

Individuals who work in school-based or community health centers are always searching for ways to engage schools, students, their families, and even the community at large in their mission and work. This session, through a panel structure, will provide practical strategies, resources, and reflections from the field to help you develop youth and beyond to be productive actors in their health care and their future. 
 
Attendees will be able to: 
   - Learn the different uses of technology to enhance student and family engagement;
   - Learn hot to demonstrate their value as a school-based health center to schools in building
      strong partnerships;
   - Understand the need for and the power of including your community to maximize outcomes
      and resources.