| NAO Board of Directors |
NAO Board of Directors 2025-2026    Close
Jeff HartzJeff Hartz is Center Director for East Indiana AHEC, a stand-alone AHEC that serves 14 mostly rural counties as part of the Indiana AHEC Network. Jeff has been part of the East Indiana AHEC team since 2011 and Center Director since 2015. In that time East Indiana AHEC has implemented innovative pipeline programs, expanded opportunities for clinical students to engage in service learning related to community health needs, and served as the primary interprofessional education convener for the region. Outside of his AHEC work, Jeff invests volunteer time supporting other community-oriented nonprofit organizations in Southeastern Indiana, coaches youth sports teams, and enjoys spending time outdoors running, cycling, and kayaking with his family. Jeff's NAO involvement has included work on the Conference Planning Committee and in the NAO mentorship program for new Center Directors. He is currently co-chair of the Center Director Constituency Group and represents the CDCG on the NAO board. Jeff holds a Masters Degree in Education from Wake Forest University and Bachelors degrees from Guilford College and Indiana Wesleyan University Close
Wanda Thomas, MDWanda H. Thomas, M.D., FAAP is a 1996 graduate of Yale University with a B.S. in Biology. She graduated in May 2000 with her medical degree from Louisiana State University New Orleans, LA. Upon graduation, she began her Pediatric Residency training at LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, LA. Since completing her residency, she has worked at the medical center in several capacities. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, where she works as a Hospitalist both in the Newborn nursery as well as the Pediatric Inpatient service. She also works as on outpatient clinic attending in the general Pediatric Clinic. She lectures to medical students, first through fourth year, and spends a great deal of time with the third and fourth year medical students on their inpatient Pediatric rotation Dr. Thomas has been the LSU Health Shreveport AHEC Program Director for the past 7 years and oversees centers located in both North and Central LA. Currently, she serves as chairperson of the Diversity Committee for National AHEC Organization. Recently, she became a member of the Board of Directors for NAO. For the past year, Dr. Thomas has begun a new roll at the medical school, serving as the medical school’s Associate Dean of Admissions. When Dr. Thomas is not at work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Dr. Eric Thomas, and their three children, Kennedy (17yrs), Brady (17yrs), and Gabrielle (9yrs). Recently, the family added their new fur baby, Demi Thomas to the fold. Dr. Thomas is very involved in the Shreveport, LA, community, a place she has called home her entire life. She serves on the Sickle Cell Anemia Board of Directors for Northwest LA. She is the chairperson of Physical and Mental Health Committee for Shreveport Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She is the chairperson of the Health and Human Services Committee of the Shreveport Chapter of the Links, Incorporated. She is the Recording Secretary for the Red River Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She also play a very active role in the Youth Department of her Church, Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Close
Courtney Combs, JDCourtney K. Combs, J.D. is the Program Director and Principal Investigator of Ohio Statewide AHEC and Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine at The University of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences (COMLS). She holds positions on the COMLS Admissions Committee, Clinical Curriculum Committee, Continuing Medical Education Committee, Dean’s Advisory Committee for Professionalism, and the Student Appeals Committee. Courtney obtained her J.D. from Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law in Ada, Ohio and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. As Program Director of Ohio AHEC, Courtney is able to combine her experience in political science, law, and grant management with a passion for addressing health equity issues in Ohio’s rural and urban underserved communities. Ohio AHEC is a collaboration between four of Ohio’s medical schools and nine regional AHEC Centers working together to enhance access to quality health care, especially primary and preventative care, by improving the supply and distribution of health care professionals through community and academic partnerships. She represents Ohio AHEC in the community through her work serving on various Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards, as well as NAO’s Public Policy Committee and POCG. In her personal life, Courtney loves to attend concerts, read the newest bestseller, and plays with every dog she comes across. Close
Meredith LairMeredith Lair is the Executive Director of Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center (NEOAHEC). Meredith has more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and health career education. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Eastern Oregon University and holds a fundraising management certificate from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Meredith worked at her local independent nonprofit critical access hospital for 12 years before joining the NEOAHEC team as a program coordinator eventually becoming the center director. Over her 12 years at NEOAHEC, she has grown her nonprofit AHEC pathway programs, assisted in the development of the Oregon Health & Sciences University Campus for Rural Health, procured a $1 million healthcare workforce training grant, and been awarded the National Center of Excellence Award from NAO. As a small nonprofit, Meredith relies on strong partnerships, connecting like-minded organizations to innovate and leverage resources to achieve outcomes that are greater together. She is mission-driven and believes consistency is the best approach for long-term success. Meredith is a leader in her state and is currently working with her team to develop a data system that has been aspirational for years that will connect the work of NEOAHEC longitudinally and illustrate the long-term impact of her organization and create data-informed metrics that can help to move the needle on healthcare workforce development in Oregon. In her free time, Meredith loves to be with her family at one of her children’s sporting events, camping, hiking, or finding some other new adventure to be on together.     Close
Tonia HarrisTonia Harris has been the center director of Northeast Florida AHEC for over five years. Prior to her current role, she was the Associate Director and the Finance & HR Manager for three years. Since then, Northeast Florida AHEC has increased the number of programs that they do, as well as increased their reach to more low-income and underserved communities. Through health education, Northeast Florida AHEC impacts the lives of thousands of individuals throughout seven counties (Baker, Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Clay, Flagler, and Volusia). Mrs. Harris has a master’s degree in Business Administration. She sits on several boards and is involved in several coalitions through the seven-county catchment area. Close
JD GarzaJD Garza, MA is the Associate Program Director of the California Statewide AHEC Program. JD obtained his MA in Leadership and Organizational Studies from Fresno Pacific University, in Fresno, California. His professional career has focused on networking and collaborating with community organizations that focus on serving medically underserved communities. California AHEC is a collaborative of one medical school and twelve regional AHEC centers working towards providing access to quality care for underserved communities through academic and community partnerships. In addition to serving on the NAO Board of Directors, JD is an active member of the Program Office Constituency Group and the NAO Public Policy Committee. Close
Liz BushLiz Bush is the Program Director of Wisconsin Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) and faculty in the Master of Public Health Program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She leads statewide initiatives to strengthen community-based health professions training and expand access to primary care in rural and underserved areas. Liz brings over 20 years of experience in education, community health, and grants management, with prior leadership roles at the University of Wisconsin Extended Campus, a national education nonprofit, and the University of New Mexico–Gallup. She holds degrees in Psychobiology, Biomedical Anthropology, and Secondary Education, and is an AmeriCorps alumna committed to advancing health equity, education, and national service. Close
Lydia SandLydia Sand, MPA is the Deputy Director and Program Manager of the Nebraska AHEC Program hosted at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Lydia has been with the Nebraska AHEC Program since 2018 and oversees all statewide operations and programmatic efforts. The Nebraska AHEC Program is made up of five regional centers and collectively serves all of Nebraska’s 93 counties. Lydia serves on the Interprofessional Education Committee and the Community Collaborations Council at her host institution and is active on the Program Office Constituency Group. Lydia received her Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her previous professional work has been within the nonprofit sector, and she has experience in engaging with community members to build relationships for community health initiatives and fundraising events.     Close
Hugh TilsonHugh Tilson, is the director of the NC AHEC Program and an associate dean of the UNC School of Medicine. As program director, Hugh leads the NC AHEC network of nine regional NC Area Health Education Centers to meet the program’s mission to provide and support educational activities and services with a focus on primary care in rural communities and those with less access to resources to recruit, train, and retain the workforce needed to create a healthy North Carolina. That mission helps accomplish the NC AHEC vision where every North Carolinian is healthy and supported by an appropriate and well-trained health workforce that reflects the communities it serves. Prior to his position at NC AHEC, Hugh oversaw his own consulting company, Tilson Solutions, which leveraged his more than 20 years of experience at the NC Hospital Association to provide strategic planning, public affairs, and communications consulting services to several North Carolina companies. Hugh earned his undergraduate and law degrees at UNC Chapel Hill and his Master of Public Health at Harvard. Close
Kim AshcraftKim Ashcraft is the Executive Director of the Northern Lower Michigan Area Health Education Center at MidMichigan Community Health Services in Houghton Lake, Michigan. The program serves a 21-county region that spans from Roscommon County to the Mackinaw Bridge, and its focus is to improve the supply, distribution, diversity and quality of our healthcare workforce in medically underserved and disadvantaged populations. Ms. Ashcraft has extensive experience in education, training, and non-profit management that includes social service and healthcare agencies. Her areas of focus consist of community collaboration and engagement; program and training development, implementation and evaluation; staff recruitment, retention, and leadership; organizational and team development and management; process improvement and facilitation; and needs assessment and strategic planning. Ms. Ashcraft has served in several professional roles including an employment specialist for a community mental health, a manager for a private duty branch in senior services, and an adult recruitment and education team leader for a social service organization. She has an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from University of Michigan – Flint, and is working toward her Master in Public Health, with a concentration in Community Health Education, from Concordia University Nebraska. Close
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Stephanie TaylorStephanie Taylor has been with Missouri AHEC for 24 years. She began as the clinical coordinator for the Northwest Missouri AHEC and transitioned to the role of executive director of the West Central Missouri AHEC in Kansas City in December 2005. She has spent her AHEC career developing and implementing health career pipeline programs, providing support for high school and undergraduate pre-health students, serving as a liaison to connect academic medicine and health professions training programs, coordinating clinical rotations for health professions students in rural and underserved urban communities, and facilitating the AHEC Scholars program. She continues to focus efforts on developing programs and pipelines to provide learning opportunities and resources to minority and low-income students interested in pursuing health careers by creating partnerships with area school districts, healthcare organizations, and training programs. She is co-chair of the NAO Center Director’s Constituency Group and a member of the NAO Communications Committee and the NAO Conference Planning Committee. In Missouri, she collaborates on several workforce development initiatives and advisory committees, health career pathway 9-12 educational collaborative groups, and nursing workforce consortiums.
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Andrea GreggAndrea has over 15 years of comprehensive nonprofit management within the health care and public health sector. She has earned her Bachelor of Science Degree with a major in Community Health Sciences and holds a Nonprofit Management Certificate. Fun fact, Andrea began her journey with High Sierra AHEC in 2008 as a program coordinator and spent many years developing the pipeline programs still being implemented today and reaching thousands of participants. Over the years Andrea has received several local and national distinguished awards and recognitions. Through her work Andrea values thriving partnerships and seeks innovative opportunities that further enhance the mission of High Sierra AHEC. She also mentors multiple AHEC centers across the country, providing them with strategic advice and mentorship, as they wish to operationalize their vision. Recognized for a high motivation level, the ability to promote and exemplify leadership, and for making significant contributions within the community, Andrea looks forward to many more years scaling up an organization whose mission and workplace culture she deeply values. Andrea is an avid “burn and turn” kind-of-a gal! She loves snowboarding, paddle boarding, spinning, and boxing (just to name a few). In her free time, she loves rummaging, cooking, and spending time with her most prized possessions, Anthony (husband), Hudson, and Hadley. As a family they live for adventure, love the outdoors, and value life’s lessons along the way.     Close
Leon HudsonLeon Hudson, Jr. is the Associate Director for the Michigan Area Health Education Center (MI-AHEC) at Wayne State University School of Medicine and College of Nursing. Leon was promoted to Associate Director after servicing as Project manager for 10 of the 12 years MI-AHEC’s existence. His background includes basic science research in the areas of colon and prostate cancers; genetic epidemiology prostate cancer studies; general cancer studies; Alzheimer’s disease clinical trials; and managing research operations all at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. For MI-AHEC, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the program. He currently serves as a member on the NAO Committee on Research Outcomes and Evaluation (CORE). Leon is currently a doctoral student at the Wayne State University College of Education where he is studying in the Education, Evaluation and Research track. Close
Allison RobinsonAllison Robinson, MPH, is an experienced public health professional who serves as the Associate Program Director of the Maryland Area Health Education Center (MAHEC) Program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She is responsible for program evaluation, federal and state reporting, health workforce programs including AHEC Scholars, and is editor-in-chief of MAHEC’s monthly e-Newsletter. In addition, Allison was co-director for ten years of the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB) Summer BioScience Internship Program, a summer health careers enrichment program in collaboration with the UMB Office of Community Engagement and Baltimore City YouthWorks. Allison has over two decades of experience in program development, management, evaluation, and grant writing, and began her career as a Cancer Control Manager for the American Cancer Society, Mid-South Division in Memphis, TN. She joined the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 2002, as a program manager, managing numerous health disparities research projects before transitioning to workforce development. Allison is passionate about addressing health disparities by increasing diversity in the health workforce. She currently serves on the National AHEC Organization (NAO) Diversity Committee and Pipeline Subcommittee. Previously, she was a member of the NAO Bylaws and Governance committees. Allison earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA) and a Bachelor of Science degree from Guilford College, Greensboro, NC. Close
Sydney HunsakerSydney is the Community and Oral Health Initiatives Program Manager at the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center (MORH/AHEC) and a Doctorate in Health Administration candidate.She oversees several programs, including the COVID-19 Health Equity Grant in rural healthcare workforce development and an oral health initiative to improve pipeline programs, continuing education, and rural dentistry access. Her health care experience ranges from clinical settings to nonprofits, both domestic and international. Prior to her time at MORH/AHEC, Sydney served as the Administrative Supervisor at a Federally Qualified Health Center, performed research for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and oversaw HIV/AIDS outreach at a clinic in Barcelona, Spain.She earned her Bachelor of Science in from Montana State University, her Master of Public Administration in Health Policy, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management, both from the University of Washington. Her doctoral research focuses on obstetrical access to care for rural patients. Close
Mike AndersonMike Anderson is a third-year medical student at UAB Heersink School of Medicine (UABHSOM) and has a passion for expanding access to healthcare. Growing up in a small town in Wisconsin, he relocated to Birmingham with the dual purpose of accepting a finance job at United Healthcare and following his passion for competitive fishing in 2018. He soon discovered a calling for expanding access to healthcare and education, leading him to pursue a career in medicine. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he founded UABHSOM student organization Equal Access Alabama with a mission to expand student clinical experiences through service in underserved areas. In collaboration with Alabama AHEC and countless volunteers from across the state, the organization launched a vaccination campaign and administered 1,200+ COVID-19 vaccines. For his dedication, Mike received the inaugural Power of One service award from the nonprofit organization A Promise to Help. He consistently showcased his dedication to the AHEC program by attending the 2023 National AHEC Organization Biennial Conference in Salt Lake City, serving as part of a team that advocated for expanded funding during the 2023 HRSA review of Alabama AHEC’s initiatives, and actively lobbying congressional members during the 2024 Capitol Hill visits in Washington, DC. Mike is also active in the Birmingham community with Big Brothers Big Sisters for 5+ years as a mentor and member of the Young Advisory Board. He serves as president of his medical school class and as a student advisory board member with the UAB Office of Diversity and Inclusion. He is a member of the UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center Young Professional Board and is a Fellow for Life with the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship of Alabama. Outside of his professional and academic pursuits, Mike enjoys engaging in entrepreneurial ventures, exploring new culinary experiences, sharing laughs at comedy shows, and maintaining an active lifestyle through fishing and pickleball. Sed Ut PerspiciatisAccusamusLearn MoreDignissimosLearn MoreVoluptatumLearn MoreTemporibusLearn MoreItaqueLearn More |
11/20/2025
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New NAO Board Member
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