The UVM Health Network

Noma Anderson, PhD

Town of Residence: Hinesburg, VT

Dr. Noma Anderson became Dean of the UVM College of Nursing & Health Sciences on February 1, 2021, joining UVM from the University of Tennessee Health Center where she served as Dean and was appointed special advisor to the president on diversity and inclusion. Dr. Anderson is a past professor and chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Florida International University, where she also served as dean in the School of Health Sciences. Prior to that, Anderson was a chair for 10 years and on the faculty for 16 years in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Howard University in Washington, D.C.  She is an expert in communication sciences and disorders and a leader in inclusive education and cultural and linguistic diversity. Dr. Anderson received her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.S. from Emerson College in Boston, and a bachelor’s degree from Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia.

Dragos Banu, MD

Town of Residence: Shelburne, VT

Dragos Banu, MD, is an assistant professor of medicine at University of Vermont Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine and division chief of primary care for UVM Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center, UVM Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, UVM Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital and UVM Health Network – Porter Medical Center. He currently practices general internal medicine at Adult Primary Care in Essex, Vermont, and previously served as clinical chief community practice and medical director of long term care and rehabilitation medicine at UVM Health Network – Alice Hyde Medical Center.

Dr. Banu completed his Bachelor’s of Science in Biochemistry at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières in Quebec, Canada. He completed his medical education at Saba University School of Medicine in Saba, a special municipality of the Netherlands in the Caribbean, and his residency training at Medstar Harbor Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Sivan Cotel

Chair, Audit & Risk Management Committee

Town of Residence: Vergennes, VT

Sivan Cotel is a strategic executive and board leader with 15-plus years of experience, including a decade-plus launching new startups and managing profit/nonprofit governing boards to drive business performance and client service excellence. A Wall Street and startup veteran focused on growing early-stage companies into successful businesses, he is currently the Chief Financial Officer of Mezcalum Mezcal.

Sivan was the Co-Founder of Stonecutter Spirits, which was successfully acquired at the end of 2020. The Vermont producer of gin and whiskey was founded in 2013, and won top industry awards after launching its Single Barrel Gin in 2015 and Heritage Cask Whiskey in 2016 to rave reviews. Both products won the prestigious Good Food Award.

Before launching Stonecutter Spirits, Sivan was previously the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of WhistlePig Whiskey, producer of one of the highest-rated rye whiskies ever. After Stonecutter Spirits, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of Siempre Spirits Limited, producer of fine tequila available throughout the U.S. and Canada. With experience building and developing ideas from concept to fruition, he also offers business strategy consulting focused on operational and business planning for startups and growth businesses. Sivan has helped companies in beverage alcohol, manufacturing, consumer product goods, branding & design, health care, construction and other industries.

Sivan spent the first part of his career on Wall Street at Bear Stearns, J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Before working in financial services, he graduated with honors from Wesleyan University with a bachelor’s degree double-majoring in psychology and music and a master's degree in psychology. Sivan currently lives in Vergennes, Vermont, where he serves as the elected City Auditor.

Victoria Duley

Town of Residence: Clinton County, NY

Victoria Zinser Duley is Executive Director at the Adirondack Economic Development Corporation in Saranac Lake, New York. She has held positions in economic development, planning, higher education and research in the North Country, and before that in south Florida, for more than 20 years. She has worked in both the private and public sectors, including serving as the Dean of Research and Planning at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh, New York before returning to the economic development field.

She has a BS from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University at Albany, and is a certified Economic Developer and a certified Planner.

She lives with her family in Clinton County, New York and is active in many community interests, including board or leadership positions in the Sunrise Rotary Club of Plattsburgh, the First Presbyterian Church of Plattsburgh, the Turner Board Foundation, Cumberland Head Elementary School PTO, Girl Scouts and the Adirondack North Country Association. 

John Dwyer

Chair, Finance Committee

Town of Residence: Williston, VT

John Dwyer is President and Chief Executive Officer of the New England Federal Credit Union, located in Williston, Vermont. He has been with the Credit Union since 1987, when he was hired as Vice President of Finance. In 2006, he was named President and Chief Operations Officer and stepped into his current role in 2010. He has a BS in business administration from the University of Vermont (1984) and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2000). Mr. Dwyer became a Certified Public Accountant in 1987. He is a Certified Credit Union Chief Executive and serves on national and regional committees for credit union trade groups. He has also served on a number of local nonprofit Boards including The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital’s Community Advisory Council, University of Vermont Medical Center, and the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce. From 2010 to 2013, he served on the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Community Financial Institution Advisory Council.

Sunil "Sunny" Eappen, MD, MBA

Town of Residence: Burlington, VT

As chief executive officer of the UVM Health Network, Sunny Eappen oversees an integrated rural health network that includes an academic medical center, a children’s hospital, five community hospitals, a multi-specialty medical group, a home health and hospice agency and several skilled nursing facilities. The network serves more than 1 million residents of northern New York and Vermont, employs 15,000 people and has annual operating revenue of $3 billion.  

Dr. Eappen served previously as chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical affairs at Brigham & Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston, where he led key initiatives in physician recruitment and retention, medical affairs, patient care and diversity, equity and inclusion. He also served previously as interim CEO of BWH. Dr. Eappen joined BWH in 2018 from Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he served as the chief of anesthesiology and the chief medical officer and previously as the medical director of the operating rooms (ORs). In these roles, he managed the medical staff office and the pharmacy, in addition to leading the quality and patient experience programs. 

Sunny earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his doctorate from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and a master’s in business administration from the Yale University School of Management. He completed his residency in anesthesiology at BWH.  

Dr. Eappen is the author of numerous published articles and a national speaker on topics including optimizing OR efficiency, surgical checklist implementation and change management. He also was an Associate Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. He serves on the boards of the Matty Eappen Foundation, Controlled Risk Insurance Company Patient Safety Organization of Harvard Medical School and New England Donor Services/New England Organ Bank.

Dominic Eisinger, PhD

Chair, Investment Committee

Town of Residence: Keene, NY

Dominic Eisinger, PhD, is a biotechnology executive and entrepreneur who combines his scientific expertise with business insights to achieve sustained commercial impact and value.

In his current role at Myriad RBM (a subsidiary of Myriad Genetics), Dr. Eisinger leads global sales, marketing, customer support, new product development, and partnership strategies to position the company as a top provider of protein biomarker testing services for drug development clinical trials. He is the company’s lead scientific speaker on pharmacodynamic protein biomarker research in oncology, inflammation, cardiovascular, kidney, and autoimmune disease therapies.

Dr. Eisinger’s commercial success is grounded in his experiences as an entrepreneur. He co-founded, raised capital, and built Multiplex Biosciences, a contract research laboratory in Lake Placid, New York, which was acquired by RBM in 2006. Prior to that, he started and grew a business within a business at Upstate Cell Signaling Solutions, helping the company enter a new market and develop a reputation for innovation.

Dr. Eisinger previously served on the Board of the UVMHN-Elizabethtown Community Hospital for nine years, including three years as Vice Chair and two years as Chair. Over this period, the hospital more than doubled its revenue and profitability, quadrupled the number of remote primary care clinics, and expanded or renovated all of its facilities.

Dr. Eisinger earned a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and his PhD from the University of Vermont, prior to completing post-doctoral training at Dartmouth Medical School

Deena Giltz McCullough

Chair, Strategic Planning Committee

Town of Residence: Plattsburgh, NY

Deena Giltz McCullough is a third generation and first female president and CEO of Northern Insuring Agency. Headquartered in Plattsburgh, New York, Northern has a staff of 38 and two branch offices in Potsdam and Glens Falls. Under her leadership, NIA has won numerous awards including being recognized as a Best Company to Work in NYS by NYS-SHRM. She holds several professional designations and is most proud of completing the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland Coach Certification Program. She is also an International Coaching Federation Associate Certified Coach.

Ms. Giltz McCullough believes that our community is a better place to work, live and play if we all contribute our talents by volunteering. She lives that every day and is involved in organizations ranging from health care to education and banking to suicide prevention. In her own words she says “my strength and resiliency comes from authentically connecting with people, making a meaningful difference in our community and knowing the positive difference that one person can make in another person’s life.” 

A generally curious person, personal passions include quality time with family, friends and her schnoodle puppy, Zoom, plus time in nature especially if it involves a water or snow activity.

Tom Golonka

Board Chair
Chair, Population Health Committee

Town of Residence: Montpelier, VT

Thomas J. Golonka is a managing partner with the investment firm of Silverlake Wealth Management in Williston and Montpelier, Vermont. Prior to joining Silverlake in 2005, Mr. Golonka was with Wachovia Securities Private Client Group for 12 years. Tom specializes in portfolio management and advanced planning strategies for high net worth individuals and corporations, and is a CFA® charterholder as well as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM practitioner. Mr. Golonka is Chair of the Vermont Pension Investment Committee (VPIC) and a trustee of the Montpelier Foundation, as well as past Chair of the Central Vermont Medical Center Board of Trustees and a past City Councilor for Montpelier, Vermont. He holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Union College. Tom resides in Montpelier with his wife, Cyndy Bashara Golonka, and their five children: Chloe, Kelsey, Joshua, Gregory and Kenzie.

Carol Haraden, PhD

Chair, Quality & High Value Care Committee

Town of Residence: Middlebury, VT

Carol Haraden, PhD, is a senior faculty member at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) where she served as Vice President for 18 years. She was a member of the team responsible for developing innovative designs in patient care. She helped lead the IHI portfolio of patient safety programs worldwide with large-scale improvement programs in Scotland, Denmark, Singapore and Qatar. Dr. Haraden has published several papers on measuring patient harm, improving intensive care outcomes and innovation in health care design. She recently served on the Berwick Commission, the National Advisory Group on improving patient safety in the English National Health Service.

She has served on the Institute of Medicine Committee, Engineering Approaches to Improve Health Care. She has been a judge for several national quality awards including the Quest for Quality Award sponsored by the American Healthcare Association and the John Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety and Quality sponsored by the Joint Commission – the agency responsible for accreditation and standards for health care organization. She has served on AHRQ (US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) study sections. She has been an associate editor for the British Medical Journal, Quality and Safety in Health Care. Carol completed her Ph.D. in Statistics at the University of Wyoming and her nursing degree at the University of Maine. She joined the Education Dept. of MCHV (now UVMMC) in the early 1990s and became VP for Quality and Education before joining IHI. Throughout her years with IHI, Carol has maintained her home in Middlebury Vermont and enjoys her community, traveling, hiking, other outdoor activity. She now works part time at IHI.

Sarah Harm, MD, MS

Town of Residence: South Burlington, VT

Sarah Harm, MD, MS, is an associate professor and network vice chair of laboratory medicine in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UVM Larner College of Medicine and UVM Health Network. She is an expert in transfusion medicine and leads the integration of laboratory medicine services across UVM Health Network.

Dr. Harm completed her undergraduate education in biomedical engineering at Boston University and her graduate education in bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, which led to a career as a process engineer at Merck & Co. She then completed her medical education at Sidney Kimmel Medical College – Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and her subspecialty training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Kevin Hart

Town of Residence: Chasm Falls, NY

Kevin Hart retired from Alice Hyde Medical Center in 2015 after 30 years of service, with a combined 40 years of health care experience throughout his career. At Alice Hyde, Mr. Hart served in roles of progressive responsibility, including Purchasing Director, Materials Management Director, Senior Director of Support Services and Vice President of Support Services, with senior oversight of both clinical and non-clinical areas throughout his tenure.

Mr. Hart held responsibility for all hospital construction and renovation projects, including full oversight of the construction of The Alice Center, Alice Hyde Medical Center’s $35 million premier building project including a 135 Bed skilled nursing facility and 30 Bed ALP; management of supply and capital purchases, served as the hospital’s safety officer, and was an integral part of the Senior Management team of the hospital. Mr. Hart is a past member of the Iroquois Board of Directors, past member of the Iroquois Purchasing Group, and National Incident Management System.

Mr. Hart currently serves as Secretary of the AHMC Board of Directors, is Chair of Board Quality Council Committee and is a member of its Board Finance Committee. He received his degree from the State University of New York at Delhi. He resides in Chasm Falls, New York, with his wife Mary, has three grown children, and is an avid outdoorsman.

Sandrine Kibuey, MS

Town of Residence: Burlington, VT

Sandrine is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and moved to Vermont in 2006.

She is the president of the VT New American Advisory Council (VNAAC) and director of the Housing Advocacy Programs Team at the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO). Over the last decade, Sandrine has focused on managing housing support, education and advocacy services to vulnerable communities living in VT, including asylum seekers and mobile home park residents.

Before joining CVOEO, she worked as a project manager in Northern Cameroon for VSO International, demonstrating expertise in project turnaround and overseeing health improvement and development initiatives in rural communities.

Sandrine holds a degree in International Relations from the University of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, an MS in International Community Economic Development and an MS in Organizational Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University.

She actively serves on the boards of CVOEO, Northgate Residents Ownership Corporation (NROC) and Public Assets Institute (PAI).

Heidi Melbostad, PhD

Town of Residence: Burlington, VT

Heidi Melbostad, PhD, serves as the chief executive officer of Mountain Community Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center in Bristol, Vermont, dedicated to improving health outcomes and reducing disparities in the region. She is also a research assistant professor at the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health in the Department of Psychiatry at the UVM Larner College of Medicine, where she collaborates on behavioral pharmacology research. 

Melbostad was previously director of the Howard Center’s Chittenden Clinic, an opioid treatment program in Burlington, Vermont, where she led key initiatives in expanding treatment access and building community partnerships to address the opioid crisis in Vermont. Her diverse background in health care includes clinical expertise in treating mental health and substance use disorders, research experience as an NIH-funded investigator, and training in financial analysis of healthcare service delivery.

Melbostad earned a bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, a master’s in clinical psychology from San Francisco State University, and doctorate in general/experimental psychology from the University of Vermont. 

Richard Page, MD

Town of Residence: Shelburne, VT

Dr. Richard Page became Dean of the UVM Larner College of Medicine in October 2018, joining UVM from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, where he was the George R. and Elaine Love Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Duke University and completed his specialty training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Duke University Medical Center. He is a nationally recognized specialist in cardiac arrhythmias, serving on the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines Task Force, and as Chair of the Circulatory Devices Panel of the US Food and Drug Administration.

Christine Peters, Esq.

Town of Residence: Peru, NY

Christine G. Peters, Esq. is commissioner of the Clinton County Department of Social Services (CCDSS). Prior to her appointment in 2023, Commissioner Peters served as the director of legal and social services at CCDSS, overseeing the several Children’s Services Units, Adult Services Unit and the Legal Unit, as well as working on several initiatives, including human trafficking prevention and Family First Prevention Services Act implementation.

Commissioner Peters is active in many community interests, including board or leadership positions for the Clinton County Bar Association, Clinton County Substance Use and Prevention Coalition, Evergreen Townhouse Community and Apple Valley Senior Housing. She serves on the Cross Systems Youth Advisory Committee for the Office of Children and Family Services and is on the New York State Association of Counties Medicaid and Human Services Committee. 

Christine is a graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh and Vermont Law School. A native of Peru, New York, she is proud to call the North Country her home with her husband, Benjamin, and two children, Greyson and Mallory.

Edmondo Robinson, MD, MBA, MS

Town of Residence: Tampa, FL

Dr. Edmondo Robinson is a national leader in digital health and innovation with over 25 years of experience in health care delivery, management, and leadership. A practicing academic hospitalist, Dr. Robinson cares for patients while teaching students and trainees as part of the Hospital Medicine service at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida.

Dr. Robinson is a professor of Medicine and Oncologic Science at the University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine. He earned a medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles; an MBA with a healthcare management emphasis from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania; and a master's degree in health policy research from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Robinson chairs the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Quality Committee of the Board of Ardent Health, a 30-hospital national health system. Dr. Robinson is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, a senior fellow of the Society of Hospital Medicine and an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow.

Ian Schmidek

Town of Residence: Shelburne, VT

Ian is a Managing Director in the Asset and Wealth Management Division of Goldmans Sachs. He is based in the Boston office. Ian has counseled ultra-high net worth clients and large non-profit pools of capital for over 28 years and co-leads an 18-person investment management practice responsible for 125 family groups. His team is amongst the very largest in the firm based on its significant assets under management. Beyond his client coverage responsibilities, he serves as a member of the PWM Investment Experience Committee, the PWM Leadership Council Advisory Committee, and on the Consumer Wealth Management Sustainability Council. He has participated annually in the Goldman Sachs recruiting effort at Harvard College and Harvard Business School. Ian joined Goldman Sachs in 1994 as a financial analyst and was named a Managing Director in 2006. Prior to Goldman Sachs, he worked at CS First Boston in Investment Banking. 

Ian’s father was the chief of neurosurgery at Fletcher Allen Medical Center during his childhood. This upbringing in Vermont gave him a unique perspective and helped forge his lifelong commitment to community and environmental stewardship. Ian is member of the Campaign Committee for Shelburne Farms and The Belmont Hill School Corporation. He served for a decade as a Trustee for the Vermont Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. He works closely in support of the Foundation for Fighting Blindness and the Full Frame Initiative. Ian earned an AB in General Studies (History, Economics, and Politics) from Harvard University in 1993.

Allie Stickney

Chair, Governance Committee

Town of Residence: Shelburne, VT

Allie Stickney is the retired President/CEO of Wake Robin Life Care Community, located in Shelburne, VermontT. She previously had a decades-long career with Planned Parenthood, successively serving in senior leadership and CEO positions in Vermont, Oregon and New York City. Her positions have included responsibility at the local, state, national and international level, and she has directed the provision of reproductive health care services in rural and urban areas of the United States as well as countries in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Central/South America.

She serves on the Boards of Directors of UVM Health Network Home Health and Hospice, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and is the President of the Vermont Women’s Forum, a chapter of the International Women’s Forum.

Ms. Stickney first moved to Vermont in 1968. Her career has brought two out-of-state moves in the intervening years, but she has continually been drawn back to the Green Mountain State. She is a graduate of the University of Vermont and resides in Shelburne, Vermont.

Betsy Vicencio

Board Vice Chair
Chair, Compensation Committee

Town of Residence: Plattsburgh, NY

Betsy Vicencio has devoted her career to a signature move – Make It Better. Over the past 36 years, her experiences have taken her from privately owned large and small corporations to US Government contracts and include a personal business failure. Her diverse, experiential skill set provides foundation to living the mantra “Make It Better”. Outcome driven, she is hard-working, perseverant and dedicated to success.

Graduate of the University of Vermont, Betsy serves as the Vice President/CFO, Partner of The Northeast Group of Companies for the past 16 years. Northeast Printing & Distribution Services, Inc, dba The Northeast Group is a regional leader in commercial print, direct mail, warehousing and fulfillment services for more than 250 customers locally, nationally and internationally. Additionally, this company publishes the premium business advocacy for the North Country, Strictly Business Magazine, promoting all that is good about business since 1999. The newest venture of The Northeast Group of Companies is the MHAB Life Skills Campus, providing residential and support services for people in all forms of recovery – substance use disorder – drug/alcohol addiction, mental health issues, poverty, domestic violence, criminal history and other societal ails. In addition to providing opportunities and services to these challenged and vulnerable community members, MHAB looks to de-stigmatize these problems to create a stronger, more welcoming region.

Single mother of two girls, Bridgid (age 30) and Santana (age 24), “YaYa” of granddaughter, Rayne (age 5 1/2) and grand-dog Princess Bean (age 4), parent of four dogs, Angel (age 9), Alto and Tenor (age 8) and Gus-Gustavus Maximus (age 6), Betsy serves as Vice Chair of University of Vermont Health Network at CVPH Board of Trustees, trustee of Clinton Community College Board of Directors, member of Plattsburgh Noon Rotary Club, emcee and committee member of Girl Scouts of the North Country Women of Distinction Dinner Event, and panel moderator for the Plattsburgh North Country Chamber Celebration of Women in Business.

Kara Walker, MD, MPH, MSHS

Board Secretary

Town of Residence: North Potomac, MD

Dr. Kara Odom Walker is Executive Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer of Nemours Children’s Health System. Dr. Walker leads the Nemours National Office, Advocacy and Public Policy, as well as all aspects of Population Health Strategy, Research, Innovation and Implementation. Her scope of responsibility includes advancement of the overall health and well-being of children, both broadly and among the populations served by Nemours. Dr. Walker collaborates with operational leaders and shares accountability for managed care initiatives, to include medically complex case management, school-based wellness programs and other services for specific populations. From January 2017 to August of this year, Dr. Walker served as Secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services under Governor John Carney. She was previously the Deputy Chief Science Officer at the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute and is a board-certified practicing family physician. Dr. Walker is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Walker holds a Medical Degree from Thomas Jefferson University, a Master of Science in Health Sciences from UCLA, a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Delaware.