how we work
The NYSARH Board of Directors serves on a voluntary basis and is made up of a group of individuals committed to improving the health status of rural New Yorkers. A committee structure comprised of active volunteers supports achieving the goals of the organization.
2024-2025 NYSARH Board of Directors
OFFICERS
Executive Director: Liz Urbanski-Farrell
Liz Urbanski-Farrell MBA, MS, Executive Director, New York State Association for Rural Health (NYSARH). Liz is a mission-driven health leader and advocate, focused on strategy and operations. She credits her career successes to the support and patience of her husband, Dan, daughter and son Isabel and Matthew, and many great mentors from WNYHA and HANYS; professors at Cornell and Buffalo State College; Gretchen Fierle, John Bartimole, Bea Grause RN, JD, Karen Roach, Paul LaDouceur, Lawrence Casalino MD, PhD, Tania Islam, Gayle Bernstein, MD; Hon. Kathy Sheehan, JD, Jeannie Cross, Stuart Diamond, Assemblymember Crystal Peoples-Stokes, Cristina Freyere-Batt, Frank Cerny, PhD, and Kelly Wofford, among others. Early experiences as a member of a second- and third-generation immigrant family and as a journalist covering social and health issues in 14 mostly rural counties of New York’s Capital Region, Central America, and Canada inspired her to pursue a career focused on supporting health and wellness for all populations. Liz has lived in the Capital District, suburban Amherst, NY; Cuba, NY and Buffalo, NY.
A solutions-focused leader experienced in collaborative project leadership, during 12 years as director of member services and government relations for a regional hospital association in Western New York, Liz assisted with gaining support from disparate healthcare systems and hospitals for what became the most comprehensive and inclusive regional hospital mutual aid agreement in New York State. She managed and oversaw bidding and contracting for a $17 million finance project for hospitals in Western New York and assisted with assessment of regional needs to meet pandemic challenges, among other projects. Liz managed and supported several management-level committees in various areas of healthcare including compliance, human resources, quality and patient safety, nurse management and hospital security, providing continuous support for 23 hospitals and health systems in Western New York’s eight counties.
With more than 12 years’ experience as a healthcare industry executive, in 2021 Liz went on to earn an MBA in healthcare leadership from Cornell’s SC Johnson Graduate School of Management and an MS in healthcare research and policy from Weill Cornell’s Graduate School of Medical Sciences. More recently as a Senior Public Health Fellow, Liz led data analysis for Erie County Department of Health’s Community Health Assessment and a Rural Health Survey; designed and operationalized health supportive outreach projects to address health disparity outcomes at the Erie County Department of Health, Office of Health Equity and department of Community Wellness; and supported a successful state grant and rural, school-based mental health clinic application for The Rural Outreach Center in East Aurora, NY.
Certifications include the deBeaumont Foundation’s Building Expertise in Administration & Management (BEAM) certificate ( University of Miami); certificates in Public Health Essentials, project management; project leadership, and nutrition and healthy living (eCornell). Liz is a certified paralegal. She has written numerous award-winning, published news and feature articles and series. More recently, she presented at the statewide New York State Public Health Fellowship conference (2023) on a successful marketing model to encourage primary care providers to adopt public health programs tailored to address equity and wellness in communities living with socioeconomic and health disparities.
President: Alison Coates
Alison Coates has been a NYSARH Board Member since 2019, and has served on a number of committees during her tenure. She was the co-chair of the 2020 NYSARH Conference which embraced a new, virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ali holds the office of Secretary, is currently the Chair of the Education Committee, and is the co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Membership subcommittee.
Ali was selected as one of sixteen National Rural Health Association Rural Health Fellows for 2021-22. In this program, Ali is participating in constructing a policy paper setting out a national agenda for rural health workforce strengthening.
In her current pursuit of a PhD in Management, in the Health Systems specialization, at University of Ottawa, Ali’s work focuses on community assets and engagement in rural health systems planning. Ali holds a BSc (Honours) degree from Mount Allison University, a MBA in Healthcare Management and a MS in Healthcare Data Analytics from Clarkson University and has held a variety of healthcare leadership roles in clinical research and hospital administration during her career. While completing her MBA and MS degrees, Ali chose to focus on the rural context to understand how core management principles apply in rural health systems.
Vice-President: Ann Morse Abdella
President, A2 Associates LLC
Ann Abdella is a rural community health builder and currently President of A2 Associates, LLC. Prior to starting her consultancy, Ms. Abdella served as the executive director for a Rural Health Network collaborative of providers and community based organizations in upstate New York. While there, she led the establishment of an FQHC, facilitated the clinical integration of a rural independent practice association, and organized one of the first rural Medicare Shared Savings Accountable Care Organizations. Experiences leading up to that included serving as the founding corporate wellness director for the Virginia Farm Bureau, director for a Success By 6 initiative, and public health planner for both a County Health Department and the Seneca Nation of Indians. Having been the Project Director for several FORHP grants, she understands firsthand the myriad challenges Rural Health Networks face trying to leverage limited resources and pull together a variety of fragmented clinical and community-based services into more cohesive systems of care. She is active in rural health advocacy, currently serving as Treasurer for the NYS Association for Rural Health and a member of her community’s Opioid Response Planning Conso
Treasurer: Nancy Mcgraw, MPH, MBA, LCSW
President & Owner, McGraw Professional Consulting, LLC
Nancy McGraw is a Community Educator and Program Coordinator for Cornell Cooperative Extension Sullivan County and coordinates the Caregiver Resource Center. She also serves as an Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor for Binghamton University’s Decker School of Nursing & Health Sciences MPH program. She earned her MPH from the University at Albany School of Public Health, an MBA in healthcare administration from Binghamton University and is a licensed clinical social worker, earning an MSW from Marywood College in 1992. Nancy is also the owner of McGraw Professional Consulting, LLC and consults with not-for-profit organizations on grants, organizational development and leadership. Ms. McGraw served as the Public Health Director in Sullivan County from 2013-2023 and has a public health career spanning more than two decades. She provided leadership for the Sullivan County Rural Health Network from 2006-2023, initiating community initiatives such as expanding famer’s markets to vulnerable communities and heading the opioid task force. She has been a board member of the New York State Association for Rural Health (NYSARH) since 2018, has served on the executive, policy and finance committees, and was elected Treasurer in 2023. She has been involved with local and state level organizations and has contributed to policy development on key issues, including the opioid epidemic, mental health parity, rural health, and access to healthcare services for vulnerable populations.
directors
Tammy L. Austin-Ketch
Dean and Professor, State University of New York Upstate Medical University College of Nursing
As Dean and Professor at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University College of Nursing, Tammy Austin-Ketch’s background includes a distinguished history of volunteer experience, research, scholarship, and service. She has served in many roles in academia, from program faculty through leadership at the level of Dean. As a nurse practitioner for more than 25 years, Austin-Ketch has spent the majority of her clinical practice career working with vulnerable and underserved primary care populations, including her current clinical practice within a Native American clinic and health center devoted solely to caring for people with developmental disabilities. Austin-Ketch’s research has focused on the unmet needs of cancer survivors and the use of telehealth to reach patients who otherwise may not have access to healthcare.
Tina Barber
Executive Director for the Community Foundation for South Central New York
Tina Barber, a passionate advocate for rural healthcare, joins the NYSARH Board with a clear mission. Witnessing the accelerating decline and neglect of rural healthcare systems, Tina is determined to be part of the solution. She believes that policy advocacy is crucial to ensuring the survival of rural healthcare and that rural voices must not be overlooked in the pursuit of economies of scale.
Lisa Berard
Throughout her career, Lisa has prioritized advocating for vulnerable individuals in the community, with roles ranging from service provider to executive leader. She has passionately served various vulnerable populations, including youth at risk, individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), and low-income individuals and families receiving Medicaid benefits. Her current role at Care Compass Network involves promoting collaboration between healthcare and social care providers to enhance the well-being of Medicaid members and communities. Combining her pharmaceutical industry background with years of social service experience, Lisa is well-equipped to bridge communication gaps in the healthcare sector and contribute significantly to NYSARH’s mission of advancing rural healthcare.
Helen Evans
Associate Director, Ardent Solutions
Helen is the Associate Director at Ardent Solutions, joining the organization in 2005. Prior, Helen was employed as a Public Health Educator at the local health department. Helen’s professional interests are health literacy, community needs assessments, and fostering collaborations to address health disparities. Certified in CDCynergy Social Marketing, she is passionate about motivating community leaders to explore methods for improving the healthcare service delivery system and inspiring community members to achieve improved personal health. She is responsible for program development, oversight and evaluation; as well as agency marketing. She currently is working with organizations across the Finger Lakes PPS as an Operation Specialist assisting organizations to help operationalize Health Literacy and Cultural Competence. She is the current President of the New York State Association for Rural Health Board of Directors working to strengthen health services for rural NYS residents. Helen earned her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education at SUNY Fredonia and is a graduate of the Health Leadership Fellows Program through the Health Foundation for Western New York.
Evelyn Garzetta
Executive Director, Grace Latino/Immigrant Outreach (GLO/GIO)
Mrs. Garzetta is the Executive Director of Grace Latino/Immigrant Outreach (GLO/GIO) Engaging People In Change (EPIC) through Grace Episcopal Church Millbrook, in Dutchess County, NY since 2008. She works with immigrants living in the Northeast part of Dutchess County helping them to live healthy and productive lives in their community. As part of this effort, she also chairs the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Latino/Immigrant Outreach Roundtable Advisory Committee. Through her GLO/GIO labors there are ESL classes in Dover, Millbrook, Millerton, Pine Plains, Pleasant Valley, and Pawling. In 2014 she was one of the honorees at LA VOZ Ten Year Anniversary ‘Fiesta Celebration’. In 2018 she was an Honoree for the Hispanic Heritage Community Service Award.
Evelyn is a parishioner at Grace Episcopal Church Millbrook, NY where she is on the Vestry. She was the Coordinator of the ‘Food of Life/Comida de Vida Food Pantry’ through its inception and for its first three years in operation.
Prior to her career retirement in 2008, she was a Facilities Director in charge of fourteen offices throughout the country for a trade magazine publishing firm and, as such, was a member of International Facilities Managers Association (IFMA).
A devoted grandmother of ten, Evelyn and her husband, Joe, are longtime residents of Millerton, New York.
Lennart Johns, Phd
Founding Dean of Health Sciences Lewis School of Health Sciences
Lennart Johns grew up in rural Pennsylvania which allowed for him to understand the reality of the need for expanded rural healthcare options. This led him in his journey , to the Founding Dean of the Lewis School of Health Sciences. While at the University of Vermont, Dr. Johns studied neuro-immunology and the role that cytokines play in the regulation of autoimmunity and injury repair. He is now working to develop strategies to build a better infrastructure to develop a more sustainable workforce for healthcare.
Anna Meyerhoff
Anna Meyerhoff is the Senior Bilingual Agricultural Safety & Education Coordinator at NYCAMH, working statewide in New York. With 20 years of experience in agriculture, she advocates for farmworker safety. Fluent in Spanish, she develops accessible materials and conducts program evaluations to improve agricultural health and safety.
Aidan O'Connor Jr.
Aidan O’Connor is the Executive Director of Greenport Rescue Squad, serving the Capital District/Northern Catskills region in Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Passionate about rural healthcare, he aims to address EMS challenges, healthcare worker shortages, and advocate for collaboration and investment in future healthcare providers for rural communities.
Karin Pantel
Retired, Hudson Valley Alzheimer’s Educator
Karin Pantel is a retired Registered Nurse of 54 years. Pantel was also an Academic Nurse Educator of Public and Community Health at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Within her community, Pantel co-created OATS (Older Adult Transitional Support) designed to promote health care literacy and behaviors to increase the positive healthcare outcomes for older adults.
Christine Paul
Christine Paul is the Executive Director of the Madison County Rural Health Association in Central New York. She serves on the Membership and Development Committees. Christine is passionate about addressing rural health barriers, fostering community solutions, and leveraging her leadership and experience in mental health and community programs.
Mike Pease
CEO of The Chautauqua Center (TCC)
Mr. Michael Pease is the CEO of The Chautauqua Center (TCC), a Federally Qualified Health Center located in Chautauqua County, New York. He earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Healthcare Administration and is a nurse, as well. During the past 25 years, Mr. Pease has worked for various organizations in both clinical and supervisory roles. The past 15 years, he has worked for TCC and has been involved with the center since its inception. Throughout his career, Mr. Pease has been responsible for developing, implementing, and evaluating a full array of services. He enjoys change management as a key aspect of ensuring organizations not only survive but thrive in the ever-fluctuating, high-pressure healthcare sector. Mr. Pease is a life-long learner, and he believes that to be a meaningful contributor to society we need to grow each day. Mr. Pease has been a long-time resident of Chautauqua County and currently lives in Cherry Creek with his wife of 23 years. He is very active in the community and participates on a number of local, regional, and national boards of directors. In his free time, Mr. Pease enjoys the outdoors and being active.
Paul Pettit
Public Health Director, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments
Paul Pettit has spent his entire life living and working in rural areas. In his professional career, he has worked for two rural local health departments over the past 21 years. Mr. Pettit currently serves as the Director of Public Health for Genesee and Orleans County. The Public Health Department is a full-service health department providing all the core public health services, including environmental health which plays a significant role in rural populations.
Mr. Pettit has also been privileged to serve on several other boards such as the New York Association of County Health Officials (NYSACHO) and the Lake Plains Community Care Network board. This organization is a rural health network and covers Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming County.
Mandy Qualls
Health Promotion Coordinator, Binghamton University
Mandy Qualls recently began in her position as the Health Promotion Coordinator at Binghamton University. Prior to this position, she served as the Center Director for the Central New York Area Health Education Center and the head of the Communications Department at the Oklahoma City-County Health Department.
Ms. Qualls received her bachelor’s degree in Health Education from East Central University (Ada, OK) and her master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Health Promotion from the University of Oklahoma.
Ms. Qualls is an active member in several working groups and consortiums in Upstate New York concerning telehealth and the healthcare workforce. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist, a lifetime member of the Beta Beta Biological Society, and a member of several state and national public health and health-related organizations.
Shari Weiss
Executive Director, Cayuga Community Health Network
Shari Weiss is the current Executive Director of Cayuga Community Health Network. Weiss has almost two decades of public and behavioral health experience along with a Ph.D. in Public Health and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Her background includes working in the field of Substance Use treatment, HIV Prevention and Housing. Shari is also a college professor, an educator, a public speaker, an actor, and a peer reviewer for the National Journal of American Medicine. Recently she was accepted into Cohort 10 of the Health Leadership Fellows.
Melissa Wendland
Director, Strategic Initiatives, Common Ground Health
Ms. Wendland facilitates multi-stakeholder commissions that address systemic challenges in the health care workforce, long-term care, and health inequities among the rural poor. She is a legislative advocate highlighting opportunities at the NYS Department of Health, Department of Education and Assembly.
Past successes include coordinating a community-wide grant submission that awarded $26.6M to the Finger Lakes region from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation as part of the Affordable Care Act Center for Innovation, facilitating a $3.2M community-wide award to improve care transitions for high-risk Medicare beneficiaries, and designing a neighborhood-based health screening and education clinic.
Melissa’s accomplished facilitation and interpersonal skills distinguish her as an effective leader as she develops trust and collaborative relationships among community partners.
Melissa has presented at the European Association for Communication in Healthcare, the American Association for Communication in Healthcare, the Annual Academy Health Research meeting, and conducted webinars for IPRO and Dorland Health. Her qualitative research is published in the Journal of Academic Medicine, “The Impact of a Program in Mindful Communication on Primary Care Physicians.
Douglas Wildermuth
Emergency Medical Service Director at Clarkson University
Wildermuth is the first Director of EMS and Experiential Learning with the Lewis School of Health Sciences and Clarkson University. His 30 years of involvement in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) has enabled him to provide exceptional insight and administration to EMS education programs and help influence a more dynamic healthcare learning experience. He has presented at many national and state EMS conferences and enjoys trying to challenge EMS leaders and educators to make the field more diverse and dynamic.
Elizabeth Weir, MSN
Site Administrator for Ira Davenport Hospital
In addition to serving on the Keuka Health Care Foundation, Steuben Council on Addictions Advisory Board and healthcare Association of Western and Central New York and Professional Nurses of the Twin Tiers, Elizabeth has experience in executive hospital leadership, service line administration for Emergency Department and Hospitalist Medicine.
She was the director of multiple medical surgical units, chair of system level quality and shared governance committees and nursing education.She has worked to provide access to critical healthcare, including initiatives to expand telemedicine, and secure accreditation as a Primary Stroke Center for the Ira Davenport Hospital.
Anna Wells
Anna Wells is the Assistant Director of Seven Valley Health Coalition, with over 12 years of nonprofit leadership experience. She oversees food systems, maternal health, community education, and social support programs. Anna brings expertise in strategic planning, fundraising, and nonprofit governance to support NYSARH’s mission for rural New York.
Mission
The mission of the New York State Association of Rural Health (NYSARH) is to improve the health and well-being of rural New Yorkers and their communities.
NYSARH functions as the “voice for rural health.” It is a statewide organization advocating for the health of rural New Yorkers. NYSARH advocates at the national and state levels on behalf of its membership.
Goals
Operate based on principles of collaboration, coordination, best practices, and leadership development.
Identify factors that impact and influence the health status of rural communities.
Raise public awareness of rural health issues.
Advocate for, and develop, rural health resources.
Promote communication and collaboration among health care providers, government agencies, and other organizations.
Provide information and analysis regarding the rural perspective to legislators, lawmakers, and rural health providers.
Provide meaningful educational programs and events.
Develop, organize, and sustain the organizational infrastructure of NYSARH.
Membership
If the mission and goals of NYSARH are consistent with your own, or are just attractive to you, we would be happy to have you join our organization and to help it grow.
In numbers there is strength. Please help the voice for rural health to be heard, join today.
2021 Annual Report
2020 Annual Report
TESTIMONIALS
What people say about us
Thank you for being a voice for rural hospitals and rural communities
Kara Kane
Bertrand Chaffee Hospital
NYSARH is a worthy organization – worthy of my membership
Karin Pantel
Hudson Valley Alzheimer's Educator
Janice Shirley
Assistant Professor, Rochester Institute of Technology
Shirley is an experienced Clinical Research Senior Executive, Emergency Medicine Physician Assistant and Sub-Investigator. Additionally, she is a budding Health Researcher with broad expertise in Clinical Medicine and the methodological and regulatory aspects of clinical trials.https://nysarh-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpdO-sqDkjGdTz8ECh3ml7_Ji_cCfTNTj1