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CCHN Staff
Executive Staff
Annette Kowal is the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Annette began as Executive Director of CCHN in August 1996. She oversees the implementation of the strategic goals for CCHN and works with the CCHN Board of Directors to provide direction and leadership in achieving CCHN’s mission and vision. Annette has more than 25 years of health care experience. She is considered a policy expert in many areas impacting the Community Health Centers and an expert on association management. She actively advocates access to health care as a right.
Polly Anderson is the Vice President of Strategy and Financing for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Polly joined CCHN in 2004 and works closely with the chief executive officer in the administration and execution of CCHN’s strategic plan. Her work includes oversight of CCHN’s public affairs agenda, payment reform efforts, member technical assistance and training, workforce development, and community and partnership development. Polly has worked in the non-profit arena since 1990. She came to CCHN from the Health District of Northern Larimer County, where she was a policy analyst/lobbyist. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Iowa in journalism with a minor in political science. Polly likes to spend her winter weekends alpine skiing and her summers in the garden. She lives in Denver with her family.
Jessica Sanchez is the Vice President of Quality and Operations for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Jessica joined CCHN in September 1999. Her primary responsibilities include working to improve access to high quality clinical care for underserved Coloradans and to oversee the operational systems for CCHN. Jessica is the staff lead for the Colorado Clinicians Advisory Network. Jessica is a family nurse practitioner and earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Loretto Heights College in Denver, and a master’s degree of nursing from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Jessica has more than twenty years of professional experience in nursing, community health, program planning and evaluation, data analysis, and quality improvement.
Sara Wittner is the Senior Executive Assistant to the CEO. Sara joined CCHN in April 2019. Her primary responsibilities are to assist with projects that the CEO is working on at any given time, and to ensure that the CEO has what she needs in all situations. She also prepares for CCHN Board meetings and maintains relationships with the Board of Directors. Sara earned an associate of arts degree at Front Range Community College in 2013. She previously spent four years assisting CEOs in different types of non-profit organizations. Sara is a participant in the Lift the Label Campaign through the Office of Behavioral Health. In her spare time, she advocates through Young People in Recovery and the Harm Reduction Action Center to help break stigma associated with substance use disorder. Sara has enjoyed performing arts since she was a toddler and she is a member of a local choral music group.
Caitlyn Diroff is the Executive Assistant at Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). She joined CCHN in April 2019. Caitlyn’s primary responsibility is to assist the CCHN leadership team, specifically the Vice President of Strategy and Financing. Caitlyn also provides administrative support for CCHN’s sister organization, the Community Health Provider Alliance. In addition, Caitlyn spearheads planning for Triannual member meetings. Caitlyn earned her bachelor of science degree in public and nonprofit administration with a minor in advertising and public relations from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Prior to her current role, Caitlyn spent over two years leading strategic communications for an early education organization that used music and movement to increase students’ literacy and math skills in Kent County, Michigan. In her free time Caitlyn enjoys cooking, pottery, yoga and spending time outside.
Policy Division
Stephanie Brooks is the Policy Director for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). She joined CCHN in March 2012. Stephanie oversees implementation of CCHN’s policy agenda, including monitoring health care legislation, rules, and other policy issues impacting Community Health Centers. She also oversees the Covering Kids and Families project. She has previous experience in health outreach, health communication research, and health writing. Stephanie attended the University of Colorado at Boulder where she earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and later a master’s degree in communication. She shares her life with her husband, son, and cat. In her free time she enjoys cooking, traveling, cycling, and reading.
Maureen Maxwell is the Senior Manager for Federal Policy and Communications for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Maureen joined CCHN in October 2005. Maureen is responsible for implementing the organization’s communications plan and public affairs agenda to ensure continued and expanded access to health care for Community Health Center patients. Maureen returned to her home state of Colorado in 2005 after two decades in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, she was public relations manager for government affairs for the American Academy of Family Physicians. Previously, she handled research and media relations for a national environmental organization, and was a legislative aide and press secretary to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Maureen earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a Master of Science degree in natural resource economics, both from Colorado State University.
Liz Tansey is the Covering Kids and Families (CKF) Project Manager at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Liz joined CCHN, the lead agency for CKF, in October 2013. Her primary responsibilities are directing the CKF project, managing CKF staff, fundraising and ensuring grant compliance, and leading CKF technical assistance efforts. In addition, Liz is the staff lead for the CCHN Outreach and Enrollment Managers Work Group. Liz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from Regis University. Before CKF, Liz worked at the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF), Colorado’s Medicaid agency. In her free time, she enjoys knitting, the outdoors, and spending time with her family and friends.
Alice Steiner is the Senior Manager of Policy and Advocacy at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Alice joined CCHN in May 2012. She is responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and influencing health care legislation, rules, and other policy issues based on CCHN’s public affairs agenda. Alice earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Colorado at Boulder with an emphasis on international development and politics. Alice’s professional experience includes working in multiple not-for-profit settings, including both a membership-based organization dedicated to raising awareness around the global water crisis, a non-profit consulting firm based in Washington D.C. responsible for the management of corporate and government funded water access programs in developing communities around the globe, and a Colorado-based non-profit dedicated to providing shelter and care for at-risk youth. In her free time, Alice enjoys snowboarding/skiing, hiking, cooking, biking, brunch, and spending time in the great outdoors with her friends and family.
Ben Gronowski is the Policy and Payment Reform Analyst for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Ben joined CCHN in July 2019. He is responsible for tracking, analyzing, and advocating for state and federal regulations, legislation, and policies impacting Community Health Centers (CHCs), as well as supporting the implementation of a CHC payment reform pilot. Ben recently received his master’s degree in human rights from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs with a focus on socioeconomic rights and migration, and has a bachelor of arts degree from Willamette University in Spanish and international studies. Prior to joining CCHN, Ben worked as a researcher in academia and for a human rights NGO, an investigator with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, and a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. In his free time, Ben enjoys hiking, biking, snowboarding, and reading in hammocks.
Shoshana Preuss is the Policy Analyst for Covering Kids and Families (CKF). Shoshana joined CCHN, the lead agency for CKF, in June 2019. Her primary responsibilities are to implement CKF’s advocacy strategy, including researching and analyzing state and federal rules and regulations, developing policy and advocacy recommendations, and developing reports, fact sheets, and briefs. Shoshana earned a bachelor of arts in health, behavior, and society from the University of Rochester. Previously, Shoshana worked in Washington, D.C. in AARP’s Livable Communities Department supporting and developing recommendations for AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. In her free time, Shoshana enjoys playing tennis, working on art projects, and spending time with her friends and family.
Melissa Wright is the Communications Assistant at the Colorado Community Health Network. Melissa joined CCHN in August 2018. Her responsibilities include providing support in Communications, Public Affairs (PA), and Covering Kids and Families (CKF) project tasks, and providing administrative support to the Policy Division. Melissa graduated from California State University Fresno in May 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in English and literature, and has served her community through supportive roles in health care and education. In her time off, Melissa enjoys baking and spending time with her family.
Health Center Operations Division
Suzanne Smith is the Director of the Health Center Operations Division for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Suzanne joined CCHN in May 2008. Her primary responsibilities are to help Community Health Centers (CHCs) sustain and strengthen existing operations and to help expand the CHC model across Colorado. Specifically, Suzanne manages and supports division staff around CCHN’s community development, workforce development, operations assistance, and training and technical assistance programs. Suzanne is the lead for the Strategic Data Committee, the Strategic Workforce Committee, and the Colorado Operations Directors Advisory Network (CODAN). Suzanne attended the University of Denver, where she earned her master of arts degree in international studies, concentrating on health and gender issues, and her bachelor of arts degree in international studies and Spanish. Prior to working for CCHN, Suzanne was a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) living and working in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where she worked as a health extension volunteer.
Sarah Macrander is the Member Training and Technical Assistance Manager for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Sarah joined CCHN in October 2013. Her primary responsibilities are to coordinate and implement CCHN’s training and technical assistance efforts, survey members on their training and technical assistance needs, and develop appropriate external and internal training efforts. Sarah recently graduated from the University of Colorado Denver with her master’s in public health degree. During her time at the university, Sarah was involved with several community participatory research projects based here in Denver and abroad. In her free time, Sarah enjoys exploring new cuisine and trail running through the Front Range with her Border collie mix Dante.
Shannon Connell is the Workforce Specialist at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). She joined CCHN in February of 2019. Her primary responsibility is to support Community Health Centers with their workforce and recruitment. Shannon will earn a bachelor of arts and sciences degree from the University of Colorado in public service and a minor in nonprofit management.
Shannon has worked in the nonprofit sector for 10 years and was recently an event coordinator with Colorado Rural Health Center. In her spare time, Shannon likes listening to podcasts, reading true crime novels, and spending time with her husband and their animals.
Kim Moyer is the Health Center Data and Operations Specialist. Kim joined the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN) in June 2017 as the Health Center Operations Division Assistant. Her primary responsibilities are to develop data collection tools, coordinate technical assistance for the Uniform Data System (UDS), monitor program requirement updates, write letters of support, and lead the Corporate Compliance Peer Group. In 2015, Kim received her master’s of public health with a concentration in global health and health disparities from the Colorado School of Public Health. Before joining CCHN Kim worked as the process improvement project assistant for the Emergency Department at the University of Colorado Hospital. In her free time Kim enjoys baking, going on weekend hikes, and playing with her pug Kona.
Quality Initiatives Division
Holly Kingsbury is the Quality Initiatives Division Director at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Holly joined CCHN in April 2015. Her primary responsibilities are to develop and implement the Oral Health Integration Project, facilitate a collective voice for oral health among Community Health Centers (CHCs), and support oral health initiatives and partnerships with CHCs and other state oral health organizations. Holly has a master’s degree in public health from the Colorado School of Public Health and a bachelor’s degree in geology and Latin American studies from Bowdoin Colloege in Brunswick, Maine. Prior to joining CCHN, Holly worked for six years at The Denver Foundation, managing a summer internship program and supporting a wide variety of projects. During her graduate studies, Holly assisted with research projects focusing on mental health and child welfare. In her free time, Holly enjoys hiking, reading, cooking, and exploring Colorado.
Taylor Miranda Thompson is the Senior Quality Initiatives Manager at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Taylor joined CCHN in February 2016. Her primary role includes leading several practice transformation initiatives in the Quality Initiatives Division, and providing direct coaching support to Community Health Centers that participate in a variety of Quality Improvement projects. Taylor earned a master of public health (MPH) degree from the Colorado School of Public Health in 2015, with a focus on community and behavioral health. In 2013, she earned a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology and LGBT/Q studies from the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill. Prior to joining CCHN, Taylor spent two years as a clinical team member with a family planning practice in Denver, Colo. In her free time, Taylor enjoys volunteering with reproductive justice organizations, running, crafting, and spending time with her two cats.
Project Specialist
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Yvette Camarena is the Project Specialist for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Yvette joined CCHN in June 2018. Her primary responsibilities include training, coaching, and facilitating the Health Navigators in the CHCs. Previously, Yvette worked as a care navigator at Denver Health, which later evolved into a project management role in which she provided outreach and identified barriers to patients’ access to care. In her free time, Yvette likes to watch dance movies, travel, and most of all spend time with her family.
Paula Davis is the Project Specialist for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Paula joined CCHN in January 2006. Her primary responsibilities include grant management; providing technical assistance, resources and training to Colorado Community Health Centers to prepare them for an emergency or disaster. Paula earned a bachelor of sciences degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting from Columbia College in Columbia, Missouri. Paula worked as a project coordinator for over 10 years, which provided her with excellent skills in scheduling, coordinating, and managing multiple priorities. In her free time, Paula likes knitting, walking, reading, and just spending time with her family.
Kate Kennedy is the Quality Initiatives Specialist at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Kate joined CCHN in November 2019. Her primary responsibility is to facilitate the quality improvement capacity of Community Health Centers, especially related to oral health integration, by providing technical assistance, coaching, and practice facilitation. Specifically, Kate works with the Rocky Mountain Oral Health Network and supports a new Learning Community aimed at improving treatment plan completion among CHC dental programs. Kate earned a bachelor of sciences degree in journalism and a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish from the University of Florida, and she is working on her master of public health online through the University of South Florida. Kate was the program coordinator for a pediatric mobile medical clinic in Tampa, Florida, from 2012 to 2019 and served as the co-chair of the Florida Coalition of the Mobile Healthcare Association. In her spare time, Kate enjoys hiking, reading, and eating pizza.
Quality Initiatives Specialist
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Valerie Nielsen is a Quality Initiatives Specialist at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Valerie joined CCHN in March 2017. She provides support for Quality Initiatives projects that help CHCs provide high quality health care to patients. Valerie earned her bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and management from Colorado State University. She has worked in health care for over ten years including operations and as a member of clinical care teams. In her free time, Valerie enjoys hockey, spending time with her family, watching zombie movies, and spending time outdoors.
Quality Initiatives Specialist
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Sarah LaRue is a Quality Initiatives Specialist at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Sarah joined CCHN in December 2019. Her primary responsibility is to work with Community Health Centers (CHCs) on integration of behavioral health services and substance disorder treatments. Sarah earned a Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Sarah spent eight years delivering direct supportive services to adults with behavioral health diagnoses, many of whom faced homelessness. Most recently, Sarah worked with the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation providing employment and disability management support to adults receiving publicly funded behavioral health services. In her free time, Sarah is a published poet and enjoys live music, yoga, hot springs, and her orange cat.
CCHN Finance and Operations Division
Kristin Laux is the Chief Financial Officer at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Kristin joined CCHN in February 2010. The CFO is responsible for the financial management of the organization, oversight of the CCHN Finance Department, and all CCHN financial systems. Kristin obtained a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Oregon. Since obtaining her CPA in 2003, Kristin has focused her career in health care and has held financial management positions at a large public hospital system and a Colorado community health center.
Roberta Wessel is the Accounting Specialist at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). She joined CCHN in February 2018. Her primary responsibilities include payroll, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. Roberta has more than 20 years of experience in accounting, and before joining the CCHN team, she worked for Connect For Health Colorado for almost four years as the grant accountant coordinator. Roberta enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her two boys, and her Shiba Inu puppies.
Jake Rosse is the Operations Manager for the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). Jake joined CCHN in September 2016. Jake graduated first from Christopher Newport University with an undergraduate degree in sociology, with a concentration in criminology and a double minor in philosophy and religious studies and psychology, and then from George Mason University with a master’s degree in conflict analysis and resolution. Previously, Jake worked as a coordinator for a major hospitality company where he provided administrative and analytic support. In his free time, Jake enjoys hiking, meditation, snowboarding, and attending live music shows.
Bri Cordova is the Administrative Assistant at the Colorado Community Health Network. Bri joined CCHN in January 2020. Her responsibilities include offering administrative support to all the divisions of CCHN and delivering high quality customer service to CHC members, partners, and the community. Bri also provides administrative support for Community Health Association of Mountain/Plains States (CHAMPS). Bri earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business management and minor in sociology from Regis University. In her free time, Bri enjoys traveling, gardening, and most of all spending time with her dog Rhett.
John Tavenner is the Accountant at the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN). He joined CCHN in August 2019. His primary responsibilities are general ledger accounting, tracking program budgets and expenditures, and preparing financial statements. John earned a Master of Arts in Accounting at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, and a Master of Business Administration at New York University with a concentration in finance, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Yale.
