On the Thursday morning of the 2025 VCHA Annual Meeting and Conference, ten outstanding members of the Virginia healthcare community were recognized for their efforts over the past year.
“Each year, we invite you to nominate colleagues who exemplify excellence in service, dedication, and commitment to advancing community health. These nominations recognize individuals who go above and beyond to ensure that their patients and communities receive the highest quality of care,” said VCHA CEO Tracy Douglas in her remarks. “Today, we celebrate the remarkable individuals whose contributions strengthen our mission and inspire us all.”
NURSE OF THE YEAR – Cynthia Fisher, Care Coordinator and Vaccine Supervisor, Community Health Center of the New River Valley
Cindy leads with exceptional vision and dedication. She oversees a dynamic team of care and vaccine coordinators, ensuring that every patient who walks through her doors receives high-quality, compassionate care.
Under her leadership, Community Health Center of the New River Valley has achieved some of the top UDS performance measures in the state. One of her most notable accomplishments includes driving colorectal cancer screening rates from just 30% in 2019 to over 76% by the end of 2024 – a testament to her strategic approach, relentless follow-through, and unwavering commitment to improving patient outcomes.
HR PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR (New) – Rochelle Fashaw, Director of Human Resources, HealthWorks for Northern Virginia
For the past six years, Rochelle has passionately led initiatives that foster a culture of appreciation, unity, and celebration, demonstrating her unwavering belief that the staff is the mission. One of her standout contributions has been the creation of HealthWorks’ Employee Advisory Committee, planning events such as the all-staff picnic and holiday party.
Rochelle’s dedication to creating a workplace where staff feel seen, supported, and celebrated has left a lasting mark on HealthWorks. Her work reflects the fact that she is a true champion of the people she serves.
For the past two years, Rochelle has led VCHA’s HR Work Group. Rochelle is quite often the “life of the party” and does a great job of keeping everyone connected.
STAFF MEMBER OF THE YEAR – Megan Doane, Community Hope Coordinator, Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems
As Community Hope Coordinator, Megan helps build a network of referral pathways with community partners, manages the health center’s recovery and transportation services, as well as keeping the Behavioral Health grants committee on target with their goals.
Among her many roles, she helps lead substance use disorder groups, drives patients to recovery related appointments, updates work plans, educates staff on new policies, and plans community partner meetings.
Megan is an employee that can always be relied on to be dependable and accountable for her responsibilities as well as help others with theirs. She goes out of her way to help patients with their treatment and ongoing recovery.
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR – Ellyn Crawford, Board Member, HealthWorks for Northern Virginia
Ellyn is an enthusiastic and dedicated volunteer who represents HealthWorks on the Board of Directors and at community events throughout the year. Whether it’s distributing information at health fairs, connecting with community partners, or lending a hand at special events, Ellyn is a consistent and reliable presence, always advocating for access to quality healthcare for all.
Ellyn brings wisdom, compassion, and integrity to every space she’s in. She provides thoughtful guidance, asks the challenging questions when needed, and always centers on the needs of HealthWorks’ patients in her work. Her contributions go beyond the expected. She is a true partner in our mission.
DENTIST OF THE YEAR (New) – Dr. Tehrim Naseer, Dental Director, Capital Area Health Network
As Dental Director of CAHN, Dr. Naseer has redefined what dental care looks like in a community health setting.
In the last year alone, she led her team to provide over 4,000 dental visits, many to uninsured and underinsured patients who would’ve otherwise gone without; partnered with schools to introduce dental programs to reach hard to reach youth, catching cavities before they ever start; and recruited and mentored young dental professionals, helping shape a pipeline that reflects and respects the community we serve.
Under her direction, oral healthcare at CAHN has been transformed into a critical access point for overall primary care — particularly for low-income, uninsured, and Medicaid populations. Her contributions have not only enhanced access to primary care for the underserved but have advanced CAHN’s mission in tangible, lasting ways.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR (New) – Bethany Brintle, Behavioral Health Director, Tri-Area Community Health
Bethany started as the Behavioral Health Director at Tri-Area in January of this year and quickly won over the well-established behavioral health team and her patients with the care and concern she shows for everyone she encounters.
She sees patients for the majority of her week and uses her administrative time to work on streamlining processes, recruiting providers and staff, and working with Tri-Area’s School Based Coordinator to provide behavioral health services to students in schools.
She has been instrumental in her advocacy for a better work-life balance for the staff to reduce and prevent burnout by advocating for alternate schedules and a hybrid work option. She is a great addition to the Leadership Team and able to bring the perspective of her years of experience in various healthcare settings to our health center.
PROVIDER OF THE YEAR – Dr. Margaret Stiles, Clinical Director, Eastern Shore Rural Health
Over the last fiscal year, Dr. Stiles has personally completed 3,276 medical encounters – over 50 percent of these were at or below the Federal Poverty Level. In addition to acute care services, many of these patients had joint injections or dermatologic procedures that they would not have been able to afford if they were referred to specialists.
Despite the fact that she has actually been considering retirement, Dr. Stiles accepted the position of Clinical Director of ESRH’s urgent care center in June of 2024. Although faced with the challenge of employee turnovers; including providers, nursing staff, and center managers, she always maintains a calm, steady demeanor.
Dr Stiles is a role model and a consummate team player and is well respected by those who have the pleasure of working with her. Additionally, she supports ESRH’s morale by ending each workday by announcing that it is officially “chocolate o’clock” and shares gourmet chocolates with all who are interested.
HEALTH CENTER LEADER OF THE YEAR (New) – Kayla Boyd, Chief Financial Officer, Tri Area Community Health
Kayla has been the CFO at Tri-Area for almost 10 years. She has a passion for her work and a greater passion for patients. She has very close ties with her community and cares deeply about the people in it, patients and non-patients.
As Chief Financial Officer, Kayla guided Tri-Area through one of the most challenging financial years in their history. During a time of uncertainty and fear, she worked tirelessly to ensure that the organization remained strong and stable. Thanks to her skilled financial leadership, Tri-Area was able to preserve both staff positions and vital services, ensuring that patient care was never compromised.
Among her many accomplishments, one of the most significant was her work—alongside the CEO—to successfully negotiate with CMS for appropriate Medicaid reimbursement and back payment, a crucial achievement that strengthened Tri-Area’s future. Many CFO’s are hesitant to spend money and like to say “no,” but if it will benefit patients and staff, she is quick to agree – within reason.
2025 SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD – Scott Klucken, Controller, HealthWorks for Northern Virginia (not pictured)
Scott plays a pivotal role in ensuring the financial integrity and sustainability of HealthWorks. He oversees all expense and revenue processing, manages receivables, and ensures accurate allocation and spend-down of each funding source. He is also responsible for revenue recognition and timely invoice processing. Thanks to Scott’s exceptional attention to detail and unmatched organizational skills, HealthWorks is able to fully leverage every available funding stream.
Through his efforts, HealthWorks has successfully launched new programs such as Radiology and expanded access to dental care by opening an additional dental site, both of which significantly increase access to primary and preventive services.
Scott’s dedication, accuracy, and efficiency provide the financial foundation on which HealthWorks’ mission is built. His behind-the-scenes leadership ensures that HealthWorks remains fiscally sound and positioned to grow, innovate, and serve those who need it the most.
2025 A1C AWARD – Stony Creek Community Health Center
This award recognizes a member health center for success in improving A1C rates among their patient population.
The award is structured around UDS data. We look at the percentage of patients in each health center with un-managed diabetes – the percentage of patients with an A1C above 9 percent.
The award is given to the health center that reduces that percentage the most during that 12-month period.
Stony Creek improved their A1C rates from 21.9 percent in 2023 to 13.6 percent last year, an 8.3 percent drop!
COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING AWARD – Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems
This award is designed to recognize a health center for dedicating their time, talent and expertise to advancing needed initiatives that support the shared goal to improve colorectal cancer screening rates in communities.
Like the A1C award, we compared UDS data from 2023 verses 2024 to determine the winner.
Our 2025 Colorectal Cancer Screening Award goes to Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems, who improved screening rates nearly 18 percent year over year – from 39.7 percent in 2023 to 57.3 percent last year.
Torchbearer Award – Colleen Nguyen, Senior Health Policy Advisor to Senator Mark Warner
Throughout her career, Colleen has worked tirelessly to expand and strengthen healthcare access for all Virginians. She has contributed to initiatives protecting patients with pre-existing conditions, improving access to rural healthcare, strengthening community health services, supporting prescription drug reforms, and modernizing care for chronic illnesses.
Through her strategic insight, advocacy, and dedication, Colleen has helped shape policies that expand access, enhance patient safety, and promote a healthier future for communities throughout the Commonwealth.
Today, we recognize Colleen not only for her advocacy, but for the light she has carried on behalf of so many.
Torchbearer Award – Samantha Koehler, Senior Health Policy Advisor to Senator Tim Kaine
Samantha has been instrumental in shaping the Peer Support Specialists Act, a vital step forward in reducing barriers to certification and ensuring that peer support specialists can serve more Virginians in need.
She has also been a strong advocate for community health centers, engaging with them to better understand community needs and to explore opportunities for partnerships. And she has carried that same dedication into rural Virginia, representing Senator Kaine’s office in conversations with CHCs, always focused on addressing the unique challenges faced by rural communities.
Samantha, your vision and commitment have strengthened healthcare access across the Commonwealth.
Congratulations to all of our 2025 Annual Conference Award winners!
