NC Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Committee

About the Advisory Committee

The North Carolina Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Committee includes more than 40 members representing community organizations, health care providers, elected officials and other partners that will help guide our work in improving access to care in rural North Carolina. 

North Carolina has the second-largest rural population in the U.S., with more than 3 million residents living in rural areas. North Carolina’s Rural Health Transformation Program is a statewide initiative, supported by over $213 million in federal funding in year 1 from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, designed to address longstanding challenges in rural health care access and delivery.  

The NCRHTP Advisory Committee will bring community, provider and regional perspectives together to guide how the program is designed and implemented for our rural communities. As the Rural Health Transformation Program grows and evolves, NCDHHS may add additional members to this Committee to ensure a variety of perspectives are included.

Public Meetings

The NCRHTP Advisory Committee will meet on a quarterly basis and all meetings are open to the public. For questions or public comments, please email ruralhealthtransformation@dhhs.nc.gov.  

The first meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at 2:30-4:30 p.m. The meeting can be joined in person at NCDHHS Headquarters at 1915 Health Services Way in Raleigh or online through the NCDHHS YouTube page. 

Additional meeting schedule information to come. 

Advisory Committee Members

The NCRHTP Advisory Committee includes the following members (alphabetically):

  • Eric Ager, NC State Representative, D-District 114 
  • Jason Baisden, Senior Program Officer, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust 
  • Cherry Beasley, Community Member Representative 
  • Greg Bryant, Chair, North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs 
  • Leah Catotti, Policy Director, North Carolina Department of Administration 
  • Leslie Cofie, Assistant Professor, Health Education and Promotion, East Carolina University 
  • Geoff Coltrane, Senior Director of Government Affairs and Strategy, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 
  • Casey Cooper, Chief Executive Officer, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority 
  • Philip Cooper, Founder and Chief Change Agent, Operation Gateway 
  • LaPonda Edmondson, President, North Carolina Healthcare Foundation and Senior Vice President, North Carolina Healthcare Association 
  • Lotta Crabtree, Chief Administrative Officer of the State Health Plan, Office of the State Treasurer 
  • Peter Daniel, Executive Director, North Carolina Association of Health Plans 
  • Chris Estes, Chief Program Officer, North Carolina Rural Center 
  • Ryan Estes, Chief Operating Officer, Coastal Horizons Center 
  • Kim Evans, Community Member Representative 
  • Debra Farrington, NCDHHS Deputy Secretary for Health (Committee Co-Chair) 
  • Amy Galey, NC State Senator, R-District 25 
  • Andrew Gardner, Associate Vice President of Workforce Strategies, North Carolina Community College System 
  • Vincent Ginski, Senior Director of Workforce Competitiveness, North Carolina Chamber 
  • Tina C. Gordon, CEO, North Carolina Nurses Association 
  • Zack Green, Director, High Country Area Agency on Aging 
  • Jennifer Greene, Health Director, Appalachian District Health Department 
  • Mike Hawkins, Community Member Representative 
  • Lacy C. Hobgood, President-Elect, North Carolina Medical Society Foundation 
  • Celeste Hunt, Program Director, Lumbee Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation 
  • Mary Jones, Director of Client Care and Engagement, El Futuro NC 
  • Michelle Laws, CEO and Chief Consultant, Symbiotic Strategies 
  • Mozine Lowe, Executive Director, Center for Energy Education 
  • Melinda Munden, SHIIP Director and Deputy Commissioner, North Carolina Department of Insurance 
  • Wallace Nelson, President, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners 
  • Vivianette Ortiz, CASE Bilingual Supervisory Advocate, Disability Rights North Carolina 
  • Lilly Parker, Chair, State Consumer and Family Advisory Committee 
  • Dave Richard, Senior Vice President, McGuireWoods Consulting, NC Association of Public Community Health Plans 
  • Chilton Rogers, Community Member Representative 
  • Jordan Rogers, Vice President of Strategy and Growth, NC Telehealth Network Association 
  • Leighton Roper, Shareholder, Maynard Nexsen 
  • Dev Sangvai, NC Health and Human Services Secretary (Committee Chair) 
  • Alex Sepez, Regional Manager, North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs 
  • Chris Shank, President/CEO, North Carolina Community Health Center Association 
  • Kandie Smith, NC State Senator, D-District 5 
  • Reginald Speight, Assistant Secretary of Rural Economic Development, North Carolina Department of Commerce 
  • Annette Taylor, Senior Adviser to the Secretary for Community Partnerships, North Carolina Department of Information Technology 
  • Suzanne Wertman, Certified Nurse-Midwife, North Carolina Affiliate of American College of Nurse-Midwives 
  • Donna White, NC State Representative, R-District 26

Stevens Amendment Disclosure: This webpage is supported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $213,008,356.47 with 100% funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CMS/HHS, or the U.S. Government. 

 

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