LEADERSHIP
Darcy Shargo, MFA
Chief Executive Officer
dshargo@mepca.orgDarcy Shargo serves as the CEO of the Maine Primary Care Association. In this role she provides the vision, direction and leadership for the organization. She also supports programmatic development and reporting efforts. Included among her responsibilities in running the organization, are leading all state and federal policy priority setting with the Board and focusing on building collaborative and strategic relationships with state and federal partners, as well as other key stakeholders. Prior to her role as CEO, Darcy served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Maine Primary Care Association, where she has been for a total of eleven years. Prior to this role, Darcy was a Health Policy Advocate for Consumers for Affordable Healthcare providing research and analysis and was the Executive Director of a crisis services agency. Darcy has her BS from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, IA and her Master of Fine Arts from Goddard College in Plainfield, VT. She graduated from the Hanley Health Leadership Development Program in 2010.
Hillary Colcord
Chief of Staff
hcolcord@mepca.orgAs MPCA's Chief of Staff (COS), Hillary assists the CEO and Impact Team in providing leadership and oversight for day-to-day functions and supports the MPCA team in developing and implementing a trauma-informed operational strategy/system. She helps develop approaches that help MPCA meet our organizational goals that support Maine's Community Health Centers. Hillary joined MPCA in 2019 and prior to holding the COS role, held Program Manager roles focused on Health Equity and managing MPCA's cooperative agreement from HRSA. Prior to joining MPCA, Hillary worked in low-barrier homeless services in Cumberland County, focusing primarily on Housing First interventions for people experiencing chronic homelessness. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a concentration in Health and Human Services from Suffolk University. Hillary is passionate about trauma-informed care and creative solutions to overcoming the barriers that health centers and their patients.
Keith Gibson
Chief Financial Officer
kgibson@mepca.orgKeith is the Chief Financial Officer at Maine Primary Care Association, where he oversees the accounting, human resources, technology, and risk management functions.Prior to joining our staff, Keith was a former consultant and small business owner and earned his B.S. in Aviation Business Management from Daniel Webster College. Keith enjoys sailing the Maine coast in the summer and skiing Maine's mountains in the winter.
Christopher J. Pezzullo, DO
Chief Clinical Officer
cpezzullo@mepca.orgDr. Christopher Pezzullo, DO serves as the Chief Clinical Officer for the Maine Primary Care Association, supporting the clinical integration, health equity and quality improvement programs. Prior to this role, Chris served as the Chief Medical Officer for MaineCare, Maine’s Medicaid program. Chris has a BA in Psychology from Stony Brook University in New York, and a medical degree from the University of New England in Biddeford. He completed his residency in Pediatrics at the Maine Medical Center in 1996. He graduated from the Hanley Health Leadership Development Program in 2010.
Lisa Tapert, MPH
Chief Program Officer
ltapert@mepca.orgLisa joins MPCA after 7 years as Executive Director then CEO of the Maine Mobile Health Program, Maine’s federally qualified health center (FQHC) dedicated to providing mobile health care and services to Maine’s agricultural workers and seafood processors. Her primary role is driving programmatic direction and improvement toward strategic objectives. She will also focus on building strategic partnerships, program evaluation, fundraising, and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Prior to working at MMHP, she was Vice President, Global Access Programs for Axios International, a health care consulting firm based in Paris, France, where she managed the agency’s Asia offices. Lisa has over 30 years of global public health leadership and senior management experience including organizational strategic planning and implementation, program development and execution, monitoring and evaluation, leadership development and financial management. She received her Master of Public Health degree in Maternal and Child Health, from the Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health and her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Oberlin College and has worked in 20 different countries around the globe.
Bryan Wyatt, MA
Chief Public Affairs Officer
bwyatt@mepca.orgBryan is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of internal and external communications that promote agency awareness, education and public relations efforts. In addition, Bryan provides direct support on state and federal policy priorities working in tandem with the agency and its members. Bryan brings to his position more than 20 years of experience in public relations, strategic communications, crisis management and issues advocacy, having represented a diverse portfolio of clients including Fortune 500 companies, industry associations and nonprofit organizations. He earned a BS in Government from Liberty University and a MA in Political Management from George Washington University. Bryan’s primary roles are Public Policy, Communications, Media Relations, Social Media Marketing and Training & Technical Assistance Development.
DIRECTORS
Emily Ferry, MSW
Director of Workforce Initiatives
eferry@mepca.orgEmily brings a background in education and nonprofit management to her role as the Director of Workforce Initiatives at Maine Primary Care Association. Coming to Maine from Chicago, Emily has built her professional experience through the field of adult and childhood education as well as neighborhood campaigns and community wellness projects. Emily believes in the importance of cultivating learning environments within the professional workplace that are based on accessibility and professional development. Emily received her undergraduate degree in education from Marquette University and graduated with her Masters in Social work from the University of Illinois, Jane Addams College of Social Work with a concentration in organization and community practice.
Hannah Hudson, MA
Director of Policy
hhudson@mepca.orgHannah joined Maine Primary Care Association in 2021 and is responsible for leading the organization’s public policy initiatives and building the capacity of MPCA’s members to advocate effectively for their mission. She previously worked in Washington, DC, as a policy staffer for Maine Senator Susan M. Collins, leading efforts on global health and international trade. Prior to that, she was a consultant at The Cohen Group, a strategic business advisory firm founded by former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Maine Senator William S. Cohen. Hannah earned a BA in International Affairs and a MA in Global Policy from the University of Maine.
Patrick Scorese
Director of Development
pscorese@mepca.orgPatrick brings over 10 years of fundraising and grant writing experience to bear in his role as Director of Development for the Maine Primary Care Association. Prior to his service with MPCA, he lived and worked in New York City, where he supported cultural institutions like the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. Patrick holds a BA from Muhlenberg College and an MA from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Sharon Stanley, MBA, CPC, CPB
Director of Operations Improvement
sstanley@mepca.orgSharon serves as the Director of Operations Improvement. Prior to joining our staff, Sharon worked for the Department of Health and Human Services in many roles for the past 11 years, most recently as the Acting Director of Rate Setting. Sharon has her MBA from Thomas College and is also a Certified Professional Coder and a member of the American Association of Professional Coders. Sharon loves cooking, campfires, and road trips with friends. Sharon’s primary roles are to assist members with navigating a changing healthcare environment, developing business and IT processes, financial planning, and exploring alternative payment models.
PROGRAM STAFF
Ashley Cleary
PSO Program Coordinator
acleary@mepca.orgAshley serves as the PSO Program Coordinator, providing support to the PSO Director and staff. She assists with data collection, research, and other administrative duties. Prior to this, Ashley was a Program Assistant with a Quality Improvement Organization (QIO). Ashley graduated from Thomas College in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems. She has two girls who are very involved in basketball, softball and dance, and her favorite pastime is gathering with family and friends.
Megan Cross
Program Coordinator
mcross@mepca.orgAs Program Coordinator, Megan provides administrative and operational support for BPHC and all program staff. She previously worked as Executive Assistant at a large home health and behavioral health agency that focused on rural and underserved areas of Maine. Prior to that Megan spent several years working in the insurance industry, focusing mainly on Quality Management. Megan received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Maine at Farmington.
Lisa Frost
Staff Accountant
lfrost@mepca.orgLisa performs various accounting and human resources functions on behalf of the organization, and she assists the Chief Financial Officer with other business, financial and administrative affairs. Her previous work experience includes bookkeeping, municipal government administration, and human resources. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Maine.
Leslie Lorentzen
Executive and Membership Services Coordinator
llorentzen@mepca.orgLeslie serves as the Executive & Membership Services Coordinator for the Maine Primary Care Association. She supports the CEO and other leadership members, along with ensuring membership is fully integrated across all facets of the Association’s work, and brings over 15 years of experience in customer needs assessment and communications to her position. Leslie earned a BS in Information and Library Science from the University of Maine at Augusta.
Robert “Bobby” Martin
VBP Initiatives Program Manager
bmartin@mepca.orgBobby serves as Program Manager for Value Based Payment Initiatives for MPCA. His role includes coordination with MPCA members, MaineCare, and other key stakeholders working toward payment model reform and healthcare transformation. Bobby has previously held leadership roles in pediatric behavioral health, civil rights advocacy, and Medicaid Managed Care. Throughout his career, Bobby has worked to improve healthcare quality and access for vulnerable children and families through system innovation and alignment. He is a Pacific Northwest transplant, a graduate of Boston College, and an avid home gardener.
Andrea Watkins
Logistics and Communications Specialist
awatkins@mepca.orgAndrea provides direct support for the Chief Public Affairs Officer and the Policy & Communications Team. She provides administrative support for the Public Policy & Communications Committee and manages logistics for training events and MPCA special projects. Andrea develops the MPCA weekly newsletter – the MPCA Weekly Compendium, is a member of the Annual Conference Planning Team and maintains the event registration platform. Andrea joined MPCA in 2005; in her off time, she enjoys reading, traveling, spending time with her family at her summer camp, and 4-wheeling with her husband. While Andrea's primary role is supporting the Chief Public Affairs Officer, she provides assistance wherever her help is needed.
Susan Whittaker, CPC, CPMA
Training and Risk Management Program Manager
swhittaker@mepca.orgSusan joined Maine Primary Care Association (MPCA) in 2020. She supports the Community Health Center Network (CHCNet) Grant and is a valued member of the Finance Program’s Coding, Billing and Auditing Services Team. Susan’s career has centered around medical services delivery, working as a medical assistant, medical accounts manager, and practice manager before being credentialed as a certified professional coder (CPC) and certified medical record auditor (CPMA) by the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). Prior to joining the MPCA staff, in her role as a Coding and Compliance Specialist, Susan worked with Mount Desert Island Critical Access Hospital, and Maine Medical Partners, a large provider based MaineHealth physician group; she then joined the Quality Improvement Organization of New England to provide technical assistance for Medicare’s Quality Payment Program. In her off time, Susan is an avid organic gardener and wild bird lover.