NAO Staff

NAO Staff and Management Associates

Dwain Harris

Chief Executive Officer

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Paula Overfelt

Member Services Manager

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Katie Haas

Director of Grants/Strategic Partnerships

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Dwain Harris

Dwain Harris has been NAO CEO since 2019. AS CEO, he is responsible for the management and direction of all operations, programs, and affairs of NAO under the direction and framework of the NAO Board of Directors. During his tenure, NAO has experienced significant growth in membership and member engagement, programming, national partnerships, and funding. He began his AHEC career in 2004 as center director of the Southern Kentucky AHEC, where he worked closely with his team in all areas of the AHEC mission, including student rotations, preceptor development, health career promotion, continuing education, and community health initiatives. He was the director of marketing and communications for a rural healthcare system from 1997 until 2004, and prior to that worked as a community journalist. He has a bachelor’s in print journalism and master’s in health administration from Western Kentucky University. He is a past president of the Kentucky Rural Health Association and past board chair of Rural Transit Enterprises Coordinated. Always interested in community development and encouraging healthy lifestyles, Harris is an avid runner and tennis enthusiast. He serves as vice president of the Lake Cumberland Tennis Association and directs the national award-winning Countywide Stride run/walk series, which has introduced recreational running and walking to hundreds since 2012. Harris lives in Somerset, KY, with his wife, Julie, son Matthew, 17, and 12-year-old twins, Piper and John Parker.

Paula Overfelt

Paula served as executive director of Northwest Missouri AHEC in St. Joseph, Missouri for 19 years. Her involvement in NAO includes serving on the Conference Planning Committee for several conferences, as chair of Center Director Constituency Group and as president of the NAO Board of Directors. Following her terms on the Board, she served as co-chair of the NAO Public Policy Committee. She moved to Kansas City in 2019 to be closer to her sons and their families when she retired in 2020 from Northwest Missouri AHEC.

Katie Haas

Katie has been working to advance national partnerships and pursue grant funded opportunities to grow the capacity of NAO and AHECs in their shared mission since 2022. Motivated to move ideas to action and activate projects that will benefit future and current health professionals and the communities they serve, Katie leans on over fifteen years of experience in partnership development, collaboration, and grant implementation. Prior to working at NAO, Katie worked for a decade in local public health departments, serving both semi-rural and urban communities. Katie has experience with coalition building, health assessment and planning, data collection and synthesis, health in all policies approaches, and project management. Katie has a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs and a Master of Public Health, both from the University of Colorado. Katie lives in Avon, Colorado where she enjoys adventures in the outdoors with her husband and two elementary-aged children.

Michele Valdez

Program Manager/Workforce Development

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Caitlin Renwald

NAO Communications Specialist

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Michele Valdez

Michele brings over two decades of experience developing and managing grant-funded workforce programs for diverse populations. Her previous roles included Director of Technology Training Initiatives and Executive Director of Workforce Development Programs at LaGuardia Community College, where she managed programs and partnerships in multiple sectors including programs focused on training Community Health Workers and EMTs. Prior to working in the community college sector, Michele managed training programs for trade associations and union programs. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art and a master’s degree in education, both from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, where she developed a love of travel after studying in Rome, Italy. She lives in Queens, in New York City, with her husband and two children, and she enjoys photography, art and exploring the city with her family.

Caitlin Renwald

Caitlin has a unique background combining communications with education. She ran her own copywriting business specializing in website copy, branding, and email marketing for nonprofits and mission-based businesses. For 16 years, she taught high school English, creating, coordinating, and executing lessons for students of diverse backgrounds. An AmeriCorps alumna, she completed her full-time year of service from 1999-2000 in Arkansas City, KS. While in AmeriCorps, she coordinated educational initiatives for underserved, rural populations. Caitlin has a B.A. in English from the University of Dayton and an M.A. in English from DePaul University. Caitlin is a terrific storyteller, and we’ve long needed more capacity to shine a light on the AHEC narrative. She lives in Munster, IN, near Chicago, and enjoys learning French, going to softball games, and vacationing with her family.

Sarah Catalonotto

Suwanee River AHEC - NAO Management Associate

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Nandi Romero

Suwanee River AHEC - NAO Management Associate

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Brooke Hudson

Suwanee River AHEC - NAO Association Management Associate-Finance

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Sarah Catalanotto

Sarah Catalanotto has been with Suwannee River AHEC since 2011 where she currently serves as the Executive Director. In this role, she plans, organizes, directs, and evaluates the center’s programming and day-to-day operations. In addition, Sarah assists with grant writing and the development and management of the organization’s budgets, along with coordination of two public and rural health associations.

Prior to working at Suwannee River AHEC, she was a Tobacco Prevention Specialist within the Alachua County Health Department’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, and served as a Community Coordinator for the Chronic Disease Program. Sarah received her Bachelor of Art in Political Science and Sociology from Flagler College. Following her passion in healthcare and access to care, she pursed a degree in Public Health from the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions.

Nandi Romero

Nandi has been working for Suwannee River AHEC since 2021. He works in MEETING & ASSOCIATION SERVICES helping run events, creating/editing marketing and media material. As well as helping assemble the NAO Monday update. On his off time, he enjoys photography, traveling, and building computers.

Brooke Hudson

Brooke Hudson, Fiscal and Human Resources Officer, has been with Suwannee River AHEC since 2012. She has 20 years of HR, accounting and management experience. Brooke oversees all aspects of Human Resources and provides fiscal management to five different companies. She assists the Executive Director with budgets and daily business operations.

Prior to working at Suwannee River AHEC, Brooke worked in county government for five years. She served under the Board of County Commissioners and managed case managers in the department of Senior Care Services. Brooke pursued her dream after receiving an athletic scholarship for playing college golf while attending her first two years of college. She then proceeded to get her Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting and minor in Business Management from Saint Leo University.

Brooke lives in Alachua, Florida with her husband, Dink, oldest son, Brayden, 12, and 16-month-old son, Rhett. She has volunteered at her son’s school since 2013. Brooke is also actively involved in his travel baseball and other sports events. She is an avid Florida Gator fan, enjoys traveling, playing golf, and spending time with her family.