2024 HIE Steering Committee Members

Will Dempsey,  Director of Data Analytics, Agency of Human Services

Chair, Agency of Human Services Representative

Will Dempsey is the Director of Data Analytics for the Vermont Agency of Human Services Central Office.  Will has worked for the State of Vermont in several roles since 2013, including as a business analyst, project manager, information technology manager, and operations director. Mostly recently as a project manager, Will was responsible for overseeing population health data integration with the Vermont Health Information Exchange (VHIE).

Will holds a Bachelor of Arts in Legal Studies from Lasell University and is completing a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a focus in Health Equity at Boston University.  Additionally, Will holds both Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and an Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI). 

Emma Harrigan, Director of Policy, Analysis and Development, Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems

Hospital Care Representative

Emma is an experienced director in the areas of data, development, and quality with a demonstrated history of implementing successful initiatives working with state government and with provider organizations.  As the Director of Policy, Analysis and Development at the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (VAHHS), Emma provides leadership on mental health policy, systems design, member development, and data analysis.

Prior to joining VAHHS, Emma was the Director of Quality and Accountability for the Vermont Department of Mental Health where her work focused on compliance, quality, performance improvement, report development, data systems, research, and technological infrastructure which led to a greater focus within the Department on data usage and performance accountability.

Emma is a graduate of the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University and holds a Master’s of Science in Psychology from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.

Eric Schultheis, Staff Attorney, Vermont Legal Aid

Health Care Advocate

Eric Schultheis is a staff attorney at the Office of the Health Care Advocate (HCA). Eric represents consumer interests in various regulatory proceedings and before the Vermont legislature. Prior to joining the HCA, Eric worked as a fellow at the Cambridge Housing Authority’s Policy Lab, as a researcher at the MIT Lab for Regional Innovation and Spatial Analysis, and as the co-manager of the Race Equity Project at Legal Services of Northern California.  Eric has published his applied research in Military Medicine, Cityscape, the Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, and the Clearinghouse Review. He has co-authored reports for various organizations including the Massachusetts Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the U.S Army Material Command. Eric is a member of the Vermont Bar and an inactive member of the California Bar. He holds a BA from Wesleyan University, a JD from the University of Southern California, and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Helen Labun, Executive Director, Vermont Health Care Association 

Long-Term Care Representative

Jessie Hammond, Public Health Statistics Manager, Vermont Dept. of Health

Public Health Representative

Jessie obtained her MPH from Emory University in 2000. After graduation she spent about two years working with the New York City Department of Health and their Tuberculosis Control Program.

She left the NYCDOH to return home to Vermont, and has worked for the Department of Health since 2002 in various roles, all within the Division of Health Surveillance. For several years she acted as a data analyst, serving multiple programs such as the Tobacco Control and Asthma Programs. Following that, she was the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Coordinator. In this capacity, she was responsible for developing survey content, data sharing, data analysis, as well as administrative duties such as grant writing and contract management. Jessie also has experience implementing other statewide surveys such as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Adult Tobacco Survey, and the Vermont Household Health Insurance Survey.

Since 2018  she has been the Public Health Statistics Manager at the Department of Health, overseeing the Immunization Registry, Cancer Registry, Vital Records/Statistics, as well as two analytic teams. Among other things, she works with programs and legal team on data sharing, data use, deidentification and other data-related items.

Jimmy Mauro, Analytics Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont

Payer Representative

James Mauro is director of business intelligence, analytic consulting and provider reimbursement at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont (BCBSVT).  His focus is delivering comprehensive data analytics that inform population health and provider reimbursement programs at BCBSVT.   The team he leads develops analyses to understand the unique needs of populations, which are then used to identify medical cost management and provider network strategies.  He works on the strategic reimbursement initiatives for BCBSVT’s network of facilities and professional providers, and develops new methodologies to manage costs.  He works with multiple areas at BCBSVT from care management, quality improvement, and health and wellness, to provider contracting, employer groups, and finance.  In addition, he manages the data and analytic applications used to create actionable information from the claims, clinical, pharmacy, and mental health and substance dependence data.  James has been with BCBSVT for 17 years, and was formerly the underwriting supervisor of a large California HMO plan.

Jodi Frei, OneCare Vermont

 ACO Representative

MaryKate Mohlman, Director of Public Policy • Bi-State Primary Care Association

Primary Care Representative

Rick Dooley, Family Practice PA, Thomas Chittenden Health Center & Clinical Director, HealthFirst, Inc.

Independent Provider

Sandy Rousse, President and CEO, Central Vermont Home, Health & Hospice (CVHHH)

Home Health Representative

Sandy Rousse has served as President and CEO of Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice     (CVHHH), a non-profit Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) serving 23 communities in Central  Vermont, for 8 years. Sandy’s affiliation with CVHHH began 20 years ago when she joined the Board of Directors. Before assuming her current role, she served as CFO, where she oversaw finance and information technology, and COO, where she oversaw finance, IT, long term care programs, and clinical operations. Sandy possesses extensive knowledge of the home health and hospice industries and has participated in multiple health reform stakeholder workgroups in Vermont. She has in-depth knowledge of delivery system and payment reform. Sandy is passionate about community-based healthcare and its role in population health. “Home care providers have a wealth of information about their clients that could be extremely valuable in helping providers across the care continuum more fully understand how environmental factors impact a person’s medical condition. I am driven to find innovative solutions that can assist Vermont providers improve health outcomes and care coordination for Vermonters.” Sandy is a member of the OneCare Vermont Finance Committee, the University of Vermont Health Network (UVMHN) Planning, Audit, and Population Health & Quality Committees. She is also a member of the Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) Population Health & Community Partnerships and Operational Risks Committees and is a member of the Board of Trustees of CVMC. Sandy served on the Health Information Exchange Workgroup of the Vermont Health Innovation Project from 2013 to 2014. Sandy is an accountant by trade and is a Corporator of Northfield Savings Bank. Sandy is a member of the VT Society of CPAs and the Barre Rotary Club and lives in Barre City with her husband and daughter.

Ken Gingras, HIT Director, Vermont Care Network/Vermont Care Partners

Designated and Specialized Service Agency Representative

Ken is a native Vermonter and graduate of St. Michael’s College in Winooski, VT. He has over 25 years of experience in corporate IT.

Prior to Vermont Care Partners, Ken served as the Technology Manager for Northwestern Counseling and Support Services in St. Albans, VT. While there, Ken was responsible for leading the technology team in growing and supporting all aspects of the agency’s technology. Ken also played a central role in the implementation of an electronic medical record at NCSS.

His current role is primarily the design, build and operation of the Vermont Care Partners data repository which collects and stores data from all of the member agencies for data analysis and decision support for our network of providers.  In addition to this, Ken works with a number of cross agency groups that are concerned with data collection, analysis, quality, security and governance.

He has been with the VCN team since August of 2014.

Song Nguyen, Director of Health Equity, Vermont Dept. of Health

Health Equity Expert

Victor Morrison 

Consumer Representative

Beth Anderson, President & CEO • Vermont Information Technology Leaders

HIE Representative

Beth Anderson is the President & CEO of VITL, operator of the State’s Health Information Exchange.  Beth has enjoyed a long and varied career as an operations, finance and change leader in both the public and private sectors. Most recently, Beth served as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City of Burlington, Vermont, where she served on the senior leadership team and was responsible for ensuring the effective stewardship of city assets, including developing and managing the annual operating budget.  She also served as the City’s first Chief Innovation Officer, where she was responsible for modernizing the City’s IT platform, and creating a data-driven program for measuring performance and guiding continuous improvement efforts. 

Beth is passionate about the role good data analysis can play in improving lives and livelihoods. As the Director of Operations and IT at Vermont Oxford Network, she was responsible for designing programs, processes, and platforms to enable the organization to best serve its members and achieve its mission to improve the quality, safety, and value of care for newborn infants through a coordinated program of data-driven quality improvement, education, and research.  Before coming to Vermont, Beth held positions in financial services, including Vice President of eCommerce at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Job Manager at Oliver Wyman.  Beth received an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BA from Colgate University.

John M. Saroyan, MD, Executive Director, Blueprint for Health, Agency of Human Services

Practice Innovation Lead

Andrea DeLaBruere, Deputy Secretary, Agency of Digital Services

Technologist/Security Representative

Andrea was appointed deputy secretary of the Agency of Digital Services (ADS) by Governor Scott and has been serving in this role since December 2023. Prior to that Andrea was appointed Commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) by Governor Scott in December of 2021, and served one third of Vermonters via the Medicaid program and the State based health insurance exchange, Vermont Health Connect. Prior to her appointment, Andrea served as Executive Director of the Agency of Human Services (AHS), assisting with oversight of all six departments, the pandemic response, and a special focus on housing, refugee resettlement, communications, and legislative affairs.

Before Andrea transitioned from the private sector to the public service sector,  she worked in complex environments including health information technology at Vermont Information Technology leaders (VITL), as well as the medical device and pharmaceutical industries. Andrea is a respected leader, passionate about transformation, and skillful at bringing divergent viewpoints together while working alongside all interested parties. She is originally from the Northeast Kingdom and currently lives in central Vermont.

Privacy Attorney

Steven Andrews, Director of Health Systems Data and Analytics, Green Mountain Care Board

The Green Mountain Care Board Representative

Steven Andrews, PhD, HCISPP, CISSP, is the Director of Health Systems Data and Analytics at the Green Mountain Care Board in Vermont. Steven leads GMCB’s data and analytical team and is responsible for the governance and stewardship of our two main data assets, VHCURES and VUHDDS, including all associated operations and analyses, and overall team direction. Leading the data and analytical team, Steven participates in efforts to expand access to and usability of GMCB’s health care data resources, oversees analytical priorities, and works closely with GMCB’s legal team to ensure compliance and maintenance of legal guidance for stakeholders.