Dr. Marcelle Davis is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at VCU Health System and has approximately 26 years of experience as a DEI strategist assisting organizational leaders in building DEI programs and advancing their culture using the collection and analysis of workforce metrics to ensure all aspects of the workforce have equity at its core. She is skilled in evaluating business landscapes and implementing projects and policies that enable organizations to integrate inclusion in business practices. Additionally, Marcelle is experienced in providing leaders with the tools and strategies that equip them to move from the ideation of inclusion to integration.

Marcelle’s experience extends to academia, which includes the design and facilitation of both MBA and PhD courses. These courses include strategic leadership, diversity in organizations, cross-cultural management and human resource management.  Marcelle has published a book titled Measuring Inclusive Leadership with G.R.A.C.E., articles in several academic journals and has also authored micro-learnings for a global learning organization. She has been a keynote speaker and presenter at a variety of conferences, both nationally and internationally, for more than 15 years.

Marcelle received awards in 2022 for Top 100 Diversity Officer and Top 50 Woman Leader in VA.  She has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, an MBA and a Doctor of Strategic Leadership.

Joanne Harris-Duff is the Program Manager for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at VCU Health. She has served as a diversity, equity, and inclusion professional for over 20 years in both higher education and mental health. Joanne has a long history of supporting communities in creating cultural programs and initiatives aimed at educating, embracing, and celebrating diversity and inclusive excellence.

Joanne received her bachelor's degree in English and Communication Studies from Bridgewater College and master's degree in Social Sciences from Hollins University. Before working at VCU Health, Joanne served as the Director of Diversity and Inclusion and English professor at Stetson University. She also served as the Director of Corporate Compliance and Quality Improvement at Rockbridge Area Community Services in Lexington, VA for several years.

She is a published poet and is currently working on her next publication, “Black Magic Healers.” In 2013, she and her spouse, Jessica (who also works at VCU Health), were named plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit challenging Virginia's ban on marriage for same-sex couples. Her publication entitled “Just Like Other Couples — But Without Rights” details her family's journey toward winning the right to marry in Virginia. They are the proud parents of two active children, Jabari and Jazzmyn. Joanne sites her mother as being the inspiration for her work in social justice and change, stating, “I am who I am because of her.”

Trisha Conway is the founder and CEO of eHealth Consulting. With over 30 years of nursing experience and over two decades of IT experience, she is well suited to bridge the great divide between technology and clinical practice. She is a nationally recognized leader in MIPS, implementation of electronic workflows in clinical practice, data migrations, and analytics. She enjoys teaching others and has had the pleasure of speaking at many user engagements, including the AIMSVAR and Henry Schein conferences. She is a subject matter expert for 4Med Plus and creates the content for MIPS classes and several Telehealth classes.

Trisha is a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, ballroom dancing, and crafting in her spare time.

Alison Conners has worked in a consultative role to privately held medical practices of all sizes and specialties for over a decade. She started out in a diagnostic lab, where in addition to all types of testing, she advised on EMR donation exceptions and meaningful use qualifications. She then began helping practices wanting to bring pathology in-house, from the CLIA license to the pathologists contract and all the practice workflows and logistical considerations in between. More recently, she served as a liaison between practices wanting to source PCR testing equipment in-house, first due to Covid testing and later to be able to run next day UTI testing onsite.

She has assisted in putting an in-house pharmacy into a large POL, finding short-term staffing solutions, and exploring revenue cycle management options for a variety of practices. She has a network of like-minded experts to call on so that when she is not familiar with something herself, she knows where to find someone who is.

Jonathan Sumrell, JD is a partner in Hancock, Daniel & Johnson's corporate practice group. His practice focuses on corporate matters, including employment matters. Mr. Sumrell assists clients in drafting employment agreements, severance agreements, employment policies  and  procedures, and other operational policies. He also advises clients on employee benefits matters, including compliance with ERISA. He represents employers before regulatory agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and  the Department of Labor, and he handles federal and state litigation for all varieties  of employment related disputes.

Before  entering private practice, Mr. Sumrell completed a clerkship  with the Circuit Court of Henrico  County, Virginia. While in law school, Mr. Sumrell was Manuscripts Editor for the Richmond  Journal of Law and the Public Interest, was elected as a Justice of the Honor Council, and was a member of the Client Counseling and  Negotiation Board.  Prior to attending law school,  Mr. Sumrell served as a deputy press  secretary for a U.S. Senator.

Benjamin Traynham, JD is a partner with Hancock, Daniel & Johnson. Whether representing health care providers in administrative hearings or lobbying the General Assembly, Ben Traynham draws upon his unique experience to provide tailored service to clients. Understanding the intersection of government and industry, he is able to apply that knowledge to solve complex issues facing clients.

Ben joins Hancock Daniel after serving as Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, where he drafted legislation and  advised the Committee on matters related to public health, energy technology, and the environment. Prior to working in Congress, Ben lobbied on a wide range of issues, including homeland security, transportation, and the environment.

“Communication is everything,” says Ben. “Listening  to your clients, knowing your audience, and strategically engaging stakeholders is the path to success. Having worked in the legislature as well as lobbied from the outside, I know what it takes to move legislation.”

Erin Dickenson, VA Network Development Lead for Aledade. I help educate independent primary care practices and community health centers on the work that Aledade is doing to drive better patient outcomes and increase their Value Based Care revenue potential.  I joined Aledade in the spring of 2021 after spending 15 years in the EHR industry.  I am passionate about helping practices and CHCs make the transition from traditional Fee for Service to Value Based Care.

Candice Tozzolo, Senior Practice Transformation Specialist for Aledade. I've been a nurse for nearly 16 years with experience in various settings, including long term care, inpatient and emergency care, home health, and outpatient clinics in both clinic support and practice manager roles.  I joined Aledade in April of 2020 and have been supporting partner practices in the Virginia market since that time.  I'm passionate about improving patient outcomes while helping practices succeed in value based care.

Dr. Jolanta A. Herrera MD from Dr. Jolanta A. Herrera MD in South Chesterfield, VA.  Dr. Jolanta Herrera is a board certified Internal Medicine Specialist and has been practicing as an independent, solo practitioner in Colonial Heights, Virginia for 18 years.  She is fluent in Polish, Russian, and Spanish and sees patients from many diverse backgrounds. Her practice is several years into its value-based care journey and has significantly increased their annual wellness visits, diagnosis documentation, transitional care management visits, and ED follow up calls, among other accomplishments in the past 18 months. They participate in shared savings programs with Medicare, Humana, Anthem, and Aetna in partnership with Aledade.

Michael Borton, Executive Director for Selma Medical Associates in Winchester, VA. Michael is an innovative healthcare leader with 20 years of practice management experience.  Most of his experience has been in Oncology where his Practices had participated in the Oncology Care Model, CMMI’s Value Based oncology care program.  Michael’s success has revolved around creating engaging employee relationships, delivering exceptional patient experience resulting in a sustainable business model.  Michael’s key focus is instilling and maintaining a value-oriented, patient-centered approach to providing high quality care.  In 2021, Michael transitioned to Selma Medical Associates, a sizable multi-specialty practice with a significant primary care focus. Michael graduated with a business degree from San Diego State, and an MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Shelly Jones, Director of Performance Excellence and Project Leadership for Partner MD in Richmond, VA.  Shelly Jones began her career as a Registered Dietitian and after achieving her MSHA from Virginia Commonwealth University, certifications for Project Management and Healthcare Quality, transitioned to Performance Excellence.  She is the Director of Performance Excellence and Project Leadership at PartnerMD, a multi-state concierge medical practice where she has helped to grow their participation in Value-Based Care.

Beau Boyd is a Senior Physician Recruiter with Aledade, formerly a Senior Physician Recruiter and Recruiting Trainer for Merritt Hawkins, one of the largest retained physician and advanced practice firms in the nation. He has worked in sales and recruiting in permanent physician, advanced practice, and clinical leadership recruitment as well as locum tenens staffing. Prior to joining Aledade as a team member, Beau worked with the organization as a recruiter for one of Aledade’s partner practices, placing two primary care physicians in the north Florida markets.