As the President and Chief Executive Officer of Caring Health Center (CHC), Tania Barber, MBA leads the only federally-funded (Section 330) Community Health Center in the city of Springfield. CHC operates several sites throughout the region, employs 327 employees, and serves 20,501 patients with medical, dental and behavioral health needs. CHC offers primary care services with integrated behavioral health and substance abuse programs; dental services; pharmacy; a state-of-the-art wellness center that houses a teaching and demonstration kitchen; Women, Infants and Children Nutrition (WIC) programming; many research, prevention, and education programs; interpreting services; and a refugee health assessment program, which serves the largest number of refugee and immigrant patients west of Boston. Joining CHC in 1996, Barber has worked in various roles. She began in switchboard operations and worked her way up the ladder. She would eventually become the Front Office Operations Manager, Chief Operations Officer, then Executive Vice President, followed by to her current role as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2013.

Recognized as a servant leader who has compassion for people, Barber serves as a full-time pastor and founder of Living Water Global Ministries in Springfield, Massachusetts. She sits on several boards, including the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Regional Employment Board, Health New England, Bay Path University, and Be Healthy Partnership Plan Joint Operating Committee. Barber also serves as a Corporator for Florence Savings Bank. Barber received her Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from the University of Massachusetts in 2007 and Master of Business Administration degree in Entrepreneurial Practices and Innovative Thinking from Bay Path University in 2009.

Dr. Cristina Huebner Torres is the Chief Research and Population Health Officer at Caring Health Center. With over twenty years of experience working in community-based organizations, Cristina earned her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is a social epidemiologist and community healthcare leader and her career in research and public health practice aims to inform sustainable, culturally and linguistically tailored practice and policy improvements to achieve health equity. She has expertise in mixed-method community-responsive research and focuses on the social determinants of chronic disease prevention and management within community health centers. From her roles as a street ethnographer to site Principal Investigator, Dr. Huebner Torres has used her interdisciplinary training in medical anthropology, somatic studies and epidemiology to identify opportunities for inquiry, innovation and collaboration. Her work has led to the development, integration and sustainability of advancements in community health including a community Wellness Center, a community health worker team, a culturally responsive behavioral health program, integration of the arts into care delivery, a mobile COVID response unit and on-going advocacy and activism to establish a FQHC-led research collaboratory. Foundational to her work is the synergistic balance between data-driven population health and direct patient-centered quality care. She holds several leadership roles in the Medicaid BeHealthy Partnership (BHP) Accountable Care Organization (ACO), is an Adjunct Fellow with the Institute for Healthcare Delivery and Population Science (IHDPS UMMS-B) and an Affiliated Researcher with Center for Community Health Equity Research (CCHER, UMass Amherst). Cristina is Board Chair of Public Health Institute of Western MA, policy council member of the Massachusetts Public Health Association, and steering committee member of UMass Amherst SPHHS Center for Community Health Equity Research.

Maria A. Coppenrath is an accomplished, nationally recognized corporate chief financial officer with certified public accounting (CPA) credentials, and more than 30 years of
comprehensive healthcare finance experience specializing in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). She has a proven track record in revenue maximization, cost reduction, contract negotiations, third-party billing, collections, and reimbursement.

A graduate of Bryant College, Maria is highly skilled in federal and state regulations. She has expertise in financial reporting, budgeting, cash flow management, grants, payroll, accounts payable/purchasing, accountable care organizations, pharmacy (340b/ retail) and strategic planning.

Prior to joining Caring Health Center, Maria was the chief financial officer for Greater Lawrence Family Health Center and the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center. She is a member of the Massachusetts Society of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs, as well as a member of National Association of Community Health Centers Subcommittee on Health Center Finance, treasurer of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and on the Board of Directors for Capital Link.

In 2023, she was honored by the NACHC with the Jeffrey T. Latman Award for excellence, leadership, and integrity in strengthening health center fiscal operations.

Dr. Abraham Thomas is the Chief Medical Officer for Caring Health Center.  He brought with him more than two decades of distinguished clinical and executive leadership experience, including past positions as System Chair of Medicine at Baystate Health, Chief Medical and Quality Officer at Central Maine Healthcare, and Chief of Medicine at NYU Lutheran Medical Center. 

Dr. Thomas’s leadership spans major health systems and FQHCs. He has significant experience managing teams, driving quality improvement, and overseeing clinical services. He led growth and safety programs at Baystate Health and advanced performance at Central Maine Healthcare.

He is also a former Chair of the FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and holds certifications in Lean Healthcare, Human-Centered Design, and Executive Leadership from institutions such as Harvard and the University of Michigan.

Dr. Thomas holds a Doctor of Medicine from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, an MPH from Harvard School of Public Health, and an MBA from UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Dr. William Travis King seeks to improve access to care for vulnerable populations. He is committed to providing integrated, high quality culturally sensitive oral health to pediatric and adult patients. Dr. King is the associate dental director at the CHC healthcare facility on Sumner Avenue in Springfield.

Dr. King received his doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where he graduated summa cum laude.  

Before coming to Caring Health Center, Dr. King was the residency program director at Christ Community Health Services, a federally qualified health center in Memphis, Tenn.

Before his current role as Chief Government Affairs Officer at Caring Health Center, Everett was appointed by President Joseph Biden to serve as the Region 1 Director for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, which encompassed all six New England states and 10 federally recognized Native American tribes.

Everett was the first African-American to serve as the Region 1 Director of New England and played a pivotal role in coordinating federal health initiatives across the region during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this role, Everett worked closely with local, state, and federal legislators, health agencies, policymakers, and community organizations to analyze data, direct critical resources, and address health disparities in pandemic response efforts. Additionally, Everett served as a direct liaison to U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, advancing secretarial priorities including maternal health, reproductive rights, behavioral health, substance abuse prevention, and harm reduction.

Everett previously served as the deputy state director for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, where he was responsible for overseeing her state operations, constituent services portfolio, and political outreach across the commonwealth.

Everett received his Master’s from the University of Southwest in Hobbs, New Mexico, with a concentration in Public Health Administration, a Master’s in Business Administration from Northeastern University in Boston, and a Bachelor of Science degree from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Dr. Yedalis Ruíz is an educational researcher and scholar/practitioner with 22 years experience working in community educational programming, STEM education, assessment and evaluation.

Dr. Ruiz leads the development and implementation of a workforce development model designed to enhance the success, retention, and personal development of CHC’s employee community.

Dr. Ruíz earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and education from Mount Holyoke College and graduated with honors and Phi Beta Kappa. She holds a master’s degree in policy studies, as well as a PhD in Education, Policy, Research and Administration with a concentration on urban education with an emphasis on first generation students and adult learners, both from the tier one research University of Massachusetts Amherst.

She is a quantitative and qualitative researcher and is trained in educational program evaluation and assessment methodologies.

In addition to her roles at CHC, Dr. Ruíz is a faculty affiliate at UMass Amherst’s College of Education and teaches foundational courses on professional practice and career development. She has been adjunct professor for the American Women’s College at Bay Path University since 2013. She has presented nationally at research conferences and is a published author.

Heather has returned to the staff after obtaining compliance experience at a local hospital. Previously, she managed the Navigator Program at CHC. She graduated from Springfield College with a Bachelor of Science degree and a major in health science, followed by a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in community health education. Heather has a passion for helping those in need and ensuring the delivery of quality care. She plays a crucial role in supporting the President and CEO and the CHC staff. She strives for excellent customer service and is extremely well-organized, allowing her to complete all necessary tasks as they arise.

Denise A. Wilson leads the human resource, payroll and credentialing functions at Caring Health Center. Denise believes that employees are the greatest asset in any organization and knows that satisfied, engaged employees will function to their highest potential leading to success of the organization. She believes that everyone, regardless of position or title must be treated with respect and that every position has value and worth.

From her early years, Denise knew that she wanted to work with people which resulted in her first job as a teacher. She has since worked with vulnerable populations through the Women Infants and Children (WIC) program, and was instrumental in establishing the Springfield South WIC Program in 1997. During her tenure with the WIC program she mentored and coached many individuals to further their education and continues to do so in her current position.

Denise is certified as a Competent Professional, SHRM-CP, through the Society for Human Resources Management, and as a Professional in Human Resources, PHR, through the HR Certification Institute.

She also holds a Master’s in Business Administration, MBA, and a Bachelor of Science in Business
Administration, BSBA, with a Human Resource concentration from American International College.

Jacqueline Johnson, Ed.D,  serves as the Chief Facilities Expansion & Sustainability Officer for Caring Health Center. Johnson joined the health center in 2008, bringing over 10 years of prior experience in the non-profit management sector. Since completing her undergraduate studies at Mount Holyoke College and graduate studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Johnson has held various leadership roles, driving strategy and policy to improve operational quality. In 2017, Johnson began working as a part-time Adjunct Faculty at Bay Path University, providing guidance to women so that they, too, can enrich our communities. Johnson has served as a board member on several non-profits in Western Massachusetts, including Bay Path University’s Advisory Council and the Mental Health Association Board of Directors. Most recently, Jacqueline, was honored by BusinessWest as a member of the “40 Under 40” Class of 2017.