Health Equity Leadership
Debra Farrington – Chief Health Equity Officer, MSW, LCSW
Debra Farrington is DHHS Deputy Secretary/Chief Health Equity Officer, focused on addressing health disparities and the health needs of North Carolina’s most vulnerable citizens. Prior to promotion to the Deputy Secretary role in May 2022, Debra was the Chief of Staff for NC Medicaid. In that role, Debra provided support to the Deputy Secretary on overall program vision, leadership and strategic direction for NC Medicaid. This support included planning, implementing, coordinating, and evaluating operations and policies to promote health equity, effective program administration and service delivery. One of Debra’s biggest priorities during her tenure as chief of staff was to support Medicaid staff on equity-related issues. Notably, after the civil unrest of 2020, Debra worked with colleagues in NC Medicaid to form a Diversity and Inclusion Committee and retain an equity and inclusion vendor to conduct an organizational assessment and provide training and leadership coaching to executive leadership. Debra has supported the agency’s focus on advancing equity in hiring, advancement, and creation of HR policies for historically marginalized individuals. Debra joined the Medicaid program in October 2016 after working several decades in the Local Management Entity/Managed Care Organization (LME-MCO) and area authority systems.
Debra is a native North Carolinian reared and educated in rural Columbus County where she learned the value of family, hard work and perseverance. Debra received a BA in Psychology and Master of Social Work degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a licensed clinical social worker with over 30 years of experience in community-based services for children and adults with behavioral health needs.
Angela Bryant – Assistant Secretary for Equity and Inclusion
Angela Bryant brings more than 40 years of legal, governmental, and nonprofit experience to her position as Assistant Secretary of Equity and Inclusion at NCDHHS. After earning her BS and JD degrees from UNC-Chapel Hill, Angela went on to serve as an administrative judge, UNC-Chapel Hill trustee, UNC System Board of Governors member, city council representative, twelve-year legislator, and 35 years as DEI consultant to business, government, health care, education, faith-based, community-based and philanthropic organizations. Bryant was appointed by the Governor in 2022 to the Reauthorized Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice (TREC 2.0).
Within the fields of DEI and Health Equity, Angela is the co-founder of VISIONS Inc., a nonprofit organization that has provided diversity and inclusion services since 1984 to over 800 clients. Through VISIONS, Angela also co-created The Wright’s Center Inc., a Rocky Mount-based community development project that has provided adult day healthcare services to elders and disabled adults for more than 30 years.
Asst. Sec. Bryant is charged with supporting strategy leadership in the Health Equity Portfolio for DEI and Health Equity.
Ava Hardiman – Director of the Office of Health Equity
Ava Hardiman has over 25 years of experience advancing collaborative, systematic approaches to health equity, diversity, and inclusion. Ava has experience in both public and private sectors and prides herself on leading innovative and integrated approaches centered around positive, sustainable change; community/partnership engagement strategy; state and county level service; internal/external relations; consultative leadership; and organizing groups, stakeholders, and platforms. These efforts equip others for readiness and action and foster resource connections that reduce disparity gaps.
As Senior Director for the NC Comprehensive Cancer Control Program (2015-2022), Ava provided oversight and thought leadership for statewide efforts focused on cancer prevention and control. She spearheaded the statewide NC Cancer Action Plan and NC Cancer Data Burden Guide in addition to establishing and sustaining partnerships with state advisory councils, regional partners, and local partners—placing a special focus on rural counties. Ava’s work has advanced health equity across the cancer continuum, enhanced coordination of care access and outcomes, strengthened community/clinical linkages, and improved survivors’ quality of life.
As co-chair for the DPH (Division for Public Health) Chronic Disease and Injury Section’s (CDIS) Health Equity Community of Practice Committee, Ava provided strategic direction and leadership to the Branch’s advancement of health equity, diversity and inclusion. She led developments for establishing a health equity framework and systemic approaches to embed equity and inclusion. Ava served as liaison and consultative support for the development of DPH’s DEI Council, health equity (HE) framework, HE/DEI Resource Hub, and a division leadership call to action campaign video for its sections and offices to adopt.
Ava served on the National Association for Chronic Disease Director’s (NACDD) Health Equity Council, as a forum speaker and brief technical consultant for other states. Her work inspired the NACDD’s President’s Challenge.
She has also served as staff for the former NC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities providing leadership/coordination for the NCDHHS Eliminating Steering Committee and the 2006 Health Disparities Report Card.
Most adventurous: Ava has achieved a black belt in martial arts and won competitive martial arts championship awards.
Dr. Bryle Henderson Hatch – Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Dr. Bryle Henderson Hatch is an inclusive engagement professional with experience in diversity, equity and inclusion, workforce development, and educational programming. He has worked in several leadership roles within educational and government settings. His professional experiences include serving as Vice President and Chief of Staff of West Virginia State University and Executive Director for Community Engagement at North Carolina A&T State University. He most recently served as the Executive Director of Thrive High Point, a multi-million-dollar initiative to support diversity and inclusion in local entrepreneurship.
Within the field of DEI, he served as the Diversity Manager for Duke University’s School of Medicine; leading underrepresented minority recruitment, faculty education, community building, and external projects related to diversity and inclusion. Bryle also worked as the Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator for the Office of State Human Resources (OSHR) and as a Director of Workforce Development within the North Carolina Community College System.
Bryle earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication, a master’s degree in adult and higher education and a doctorate in leadership studies, all from North Carolina A&T State University. He also completed post-baccalaureate studies in public communication at American University in Washington, D.C.
In Bryle’s role as Director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, he leads, coordinates and administers DHHS initiatives that drive development, design and implementation of an enterprise-wide DEI strategy. He reports to the Assistant Secretary of Equity and Inclusion. He facilitates the strategic efforts to build and sustain a strong and inclusive workforce at DHHS that can intervene to effectively achieve health and program equity outcomes.
Maggie Sauer – Director of the Office of Rural Health
Maggie Sauer joined DHHS’ Office of Rural Health as director in June 2017, after serving as the President/CEO of the Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation (FHLI), in Cary, N.C., for over five years. She has worked in direct patient care or administration for over 36 years.
Prior to Maggie’s work at FHLI, she served as the Associate Executive Director of the N.C. Medical Society Foundation, directing programs to strengthen and expand primary care in North Carolina.
Prior to Maggie’s work with non-profit organizations, she served as the Director of Health Promotion and Disease Promotion at Duke University Health Center’s Department of Community and Family Medicine’s Division of Community Health.
Maggie also served as a Research Assistant Professor in Speech and Hearing Sciences at the University of North Carolina’s School of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, specializing in assisting in the multidisciplinary evaluation of persons with developmental disabilities and matching them to assistive technology.