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Our Leadership

Our team of expert clinicians, administrators, educators, and industry thought leaders work together to provide custom solutions that elevate the standards of correctional health care industry-wide. In addition to analyzing the challenges our clients currently face, we proactively identify issues likely to arise in the future — and we won’t rest until we’ve developed effective, data-driven solutions to address them.

Managing Director Fred Meyer, MA, CJM, CCHP

Fred W. Meyer works with health and custody leaders nationwide to provide detention and correctional facilities with the support needed to operate effectively and in compliance with nationally recognized health care standards. Health system assessment, performance improvement and monitoring, suicide prevention, medication-assisted treatment, interdisciplinary collaboration, education, and training are all critical to ensuring institutional risks are mitigated and constitutional care is provided. NCCHC Resources is the industry leader in these areas, helping agencies of all sizes. Before joining the National Commission, Mr. Meyer served as Deputy Chief with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department where he oversaw the largest jail system in the state of Nevada. He drove advancements in leadership collaboration and health services that led to substantial reductions in medical referrals and in-custody suicides. Fred received the Ray Coleman Administrator of Year Award from the American Jail Association in 2021. Mr. Meyer is an NCCHC Certified Correctional Health Professional (CCHP) and is recognized as a Certified Jail Manager (CJM) by the AJA. He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and sits on the AJA Board of Directors in the role of Parliamentarian.

Key Team Leaders

Correctional Health Care

Russell Blair, DNP, MSN, CCHP

During his 25 years in correctional nursing, Dr. Blair’s career arc at the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision culminated in a position as Regional Health Service Administrator – Operations/Management. In that role, he oversaw health service operations in 22 facilities; conducted preaccreditation audits and monitored facilities for compliance with local, state, and federal standards; coordinated approvals for staffing and equipment; and was responsible for the review of quality assurance programs. In the middle of that arc, he spent several years with the New York State Commission of Correction as a senior utilization review nurse; he also conducted mortality investigations and monitored standards compliance. In 2015, Dr. Blair began an academic career, serving as an adjunct clinical instructor at Maria College in Albany, NY. He was hired as full-time faculty in 2016, resigned from NYSDOCCS, and over the following two years, was promoted to Assistant Professor and Associate Chair in Nursing for Administration. In his work with NCCHC Resources, Dr. Blair’s primary area of expertise is evaluation of policies, procedures, and practices with a particular focus on compliance with NCCHC Standards for Health Services.

Nancy Booth, MSN, CCM, CCHP-RN

Ms. Booth has over 45 years of experience in managing, educating, and leading health care teams. Now an independent consultant, she formerly served as both Director of Nursing Services and Supervisor of Case Management for San Diego County jails, a system with over 84,000 annual admissions. Ms. Booth has also managed infection control for the County’s jails and supervised the women’s detention facility. A skilled communicator, educator, and expert speaker who has presented on a wide variety of topics, she ensures that all stakeholders — from physicians, attorneys, and law enforcement to insurance adjusters, patients, and families — understand the steps needed to successfully care for each patient both during incarceration and upon reentry. Ms. Booth also serves on NCCHC’s Accreditation and Standards Committee.

Richard Clarke, MD, CCHP-P

Dr. Clarke has been engaged in correctional health care for over 25 years: For 20+ years, he oversaw all health care at the Berkshire County Jail and House of Correction, and today he remains highly involved with the National Commission and NCCHC Resources. A NCCHC accreditation surveyor for 20 years, he has been an active member of the surveyor advisory committee since its inception. Dr. Clarke also served on the task forces that revised the 2014 and 2018 editions of the Standards for Health Services and has regularly presented seminars on the Jail Standards at NCCHC conferences. As a consultant with NCCHC Resources, Dr. Clarke has conducted long-term evaluations of health care systems and ongoing assessments of effective implementation of corrective actions for major metropolitan jails. His primary focus is to establish continuity of care as the underlying clinical principle for maintaining the highest standard of health care, and he has been a leader in incorporating this principle into dynamic practices. A secondary focus has been to develop continuous quality improvement programs that foster a team approach to identifying health system issues, developing and implementing corrective actions, and monitoring those implementations for efficacy.

Narendra Kuber, RPh, CCHP

Mr. Kuber possesses thorough knowledge of the principles, methods, practices, techniques, and materials of pharmacy operations, including formulary management and applicable federal and state laws and rules. As the Director of Central Pharmacy for the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, he leads a staff of 53 who operate a centralized pharmacy distribution system and manages an annual budget of $35 million for pharmaceuticals. This system is designed for optimal patient care with satellite pharmacy services at 38 prisons serving 19,000 incarcerated patients and use of a pharmacy management information system. Quality assurance is integral to the department’s work. Mr. Kuber serves as the primary contact for the 340B program for the Wisconsin DOC and is attuned to cost-saving opportunities and newer treatment options. He has contributed to RFPs for electronic health records and automated dispensing technology and is well-versed in the vendor evaluation process.

Ross MacDonald, MD

Dr. MacDonald is the Chief Medical Officer/Senior Assistant Vice President for NYC Health + Hospitals/Correctional Health Services, the largest public hospital system in the United States. In this role, he oversees the provision of medical, mental health, substance use, nursing, pharmacy, and dental services for patients in the New York City jail system. The 10-facility system features 24-hour clinics staffed by MDs, innovative mental health programming units designed to reduce the use of solitary confinement, crisis-intervention teams, and the nation’s largest jail-based opioid treatment program. A practicing internal medicine physician, Dr. MacDonald has expertise in substance use disorders and complex care delivery systems. He is also a clinical assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine. He received his medical degree from Weill Cornell Medical College and completed a residency in social internal medicine at Montefiore Medical Center.

Marci Mackenzie, PhD, LCSW, CCHP

Ms. Mackenzie has worked tirelessly throughout her career to improve the quality of health care in jails and prisons. She retired as the Director of Health Operations, Standards, and Accreditation for Rutgers University-University Correctional Health Care, where she oversaw the medical, mental health, and dental operations for 12 adult prisons and two juvenile secure care facilities. She has led multiple teams to successful NCCHC accreditation/reaccreditation, and assisted a facility in achieving its initial JCAHO accreditation. Ms. Mackenzie holds a PhD in clinical social work from New York University as well as NCCHC’s Certified Correctional Health Professional designation. She has published several peer-reviewed articles on correctional health care, and continues to train and educate both health staff and correctional officers in the importance of suicide prevention and all other aspects of correctional mental health care.

Barbara Mariano, RN, CCHP

Ms. Mariano is a senior correctional health professional with expertise in clinical services. A registered nurse licensed in New Jersey, Barb spent more than 20 years at the Monmouth County (NJ) Correctional Institution, first as a Head Nurse and then as the Nursing Supervisor, where she was responsible for the delivery of health services as well as the development and implementation of policies and procedures to support compliance with standards. Barb has long been an advocate for quality health care within correctional facilities. In addition to her work as a lead consultant for NCCHC Resources, Barb is a lead surveyor for NCCHC’s accreditation program. She has served on the advisory committees to review and revise standards for opioid treatment programs in corrections and, separately, to revise prison health care standards. She currently serves on the surveyor advisory subcommittee.

Kendra Meyer, RN, CCHP-RN

Ms. Meyer is an experienced health care professional adept at evaluating medical and mental health care operations, implementing nationally recognized standards, training, and encouraging strong custody and medical collaboration to improve services and reduce adverse events. Her goal is to ensure that the highest levels of care are provided in the correctional setting. Ms. Meyer has been a registered nurse for more than 20 years, with most of that time spent in leadership roles. She has extensive experience as a health services administrator and has worked in both adult and juvenile detention facilities. She is a CCHP-RN and is dedicated to helping large and small agencies evaluate their operations and go from good to great.

Kimberly Pearson, MHA, MBA, RN, CCHP

Ms. Pearson has worked in health care settings for 37 years as both a registered nurse and manager/administrator with progressive leadership roles. Now a consultant, she was Deputy Agency Director for the Orange County Health Care Agency - Correctional Health Services Division for 10 years. The Orange County system is one of the country’s largest, with 60,000 adult and juvenile admissions per year, a health care staff of 350, and an annual budget of over $71 million. Ms. Pearson had executive oversight for health services and the conditional release program for mentally ill individuals. Responsibilities included clinical operational oversight, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, management of legal and risk issues, contract management, and labor relations. She engaged in interagency collaborations with the sheriff’s department, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, Department of Justice, Board of State and Community Corrections, and state licensing entities. Ms. Pearson serves on the Academy of Correctional Health Professionals’ Board of Directors and has served on the Board for the American Correctional Health Services Association’s CA/NV chapter. She also has been a surveyor for NCCHC’s accreditation program.

Grant Phillips, MD, CCHP

Dr. Phillips is a seasoned correctional health professional who serves as a surveyor for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care and consultant for NCCHC Resources. He is medical director of Maricopa County Correctional Health Services in Phoenix, Arizona. As medical director, Dr. Phillips oversees five facilities comprising one of the largest jail systems in the country and is responsible for ensuring quality medical, dental, and mental health services for the roughly 100,000 individuals booked into the system each year. Previously, Dr. Phillips served as lead provider at Maricopa County’s Estrella Jail and as a major in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Air Force. Dr. Phillips is also a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.t.

Becky Pinney, MSN, RN, CCHP-RN, CCHP-A

Ms. Pinney possesses extraordinary leadership skills, as evidenced by her role advancements to Senior VP, Chief Nursing Officer, at Corizon Health, where she recently retired after 25 years. Her 30 years of industry experience encompasses both clinical and nonclinical roles, having managed large jail programs and served as the lead on several state prison contracts. Her career has given her a deep understanding of clinical trends and operations practices and how they can impact the daily custody and clinical management of the inmate population. Through collaboration with other clinical and operations executives, Ms. Pinney takes a comprehensive, systemwide approach to nursing issues, standards, training, education, and staffing that support patient safety and quality efforts. A member of the American Nurses Association and Georgia Nurses Association, Ms. Pinney has significant involvement with NCCHC. She assisted with development of the 2014 editions of the Standards for Health Services manuals for prisons and jails, served on the committee that launched the Certified Correctional Health Professional - Registered Nurse (CCHP-RN) program, and is a member of the CCHP-RN subcommittee, the NCCHC Nurse Advisory Council, and the NCCHC Correctional Health Care Foundation.

Denise Rahaman, MBA, RN, CCHP-RN, CCHP-A

Ms. Rahaman began her career as a staff nurse and served as a Nurse Corps Officer in the U.S. Air Force before working in both public and private sector environments and moving into correctional health care, where she gained extensive experience with both the medical and behavioral health aspects of correctional health systems. Ms. Rahaman is currently the Executive Director for Corrections at CFG Health Systems where she has oversight of healthcare services in 15 county jails. In this capacity, she provides oversight and leadership for the correctional line of service, and works with organizational leadership in the planning, implementation, and coordination of correctional programs, services, and strategies. Ms. Rahaman has been invited to present at several NCCHC conferences, and has served in an advisory role to both the American Nurses Association and NCCHC in the development of their standards. She has continued to supplement her education with post-master’s and leadership training to continually enhance her skills.

Clayton Ramsue, MD, CPE, CHCQM, CCHP-P

Dr. Ramsue has held progressive leadership positions during his career, encompassing Senior Medical Officer, Medical Director, Chief of Staff, Regional Medical Director, and Vice President of Medical Affairs. His correctional experience began in 2005. A Certified Executive Coach with expertise in performance improvement and risk management, Dr. Ramsue also operates a consultancy focused on leadership development for health care executives and clinicians, as well as diversity and inclusion initiatives. Dr. Ramsue is a veteran of both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, retiring after 25 years of service as a Lieutenant Colonel. He holds a master’s degree in health care management and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine.

Christopher Rosko, MD, MBA, CCHP

Christopher Rosko is a board-certified emergency physician with nearly a decade of experience as a medical provider and administrator in multiple jail settings. He has worked as an emergency physician in rural, suburban, and Level 1 trauma centers and has extensive administrative experience as Medical Director and Vice Chairman in the University of Alabama Medical Center’s Department of Emergency Medicine. In addition to his medical training, Dr. Rosko received his MBA from Auburn University. In his work with NCCHC Resources, Dr. Rosko has provided long-term evaluation of the health care system and ongoing monitoring of the health services contract in a large urban jail.

Randall Stoltz, MD, CCHP

Dr. Stoltz is board certified in family medicine and has broad experience in general medicine, correctional health care, and pharmaceutical research. He has been Medical Director for the Vanderburgh County Detention Center since 1998, and in 2017 took on that role for the Warrick County Correctional Center (both in Indiana) — where he develops and implements patient health care plans and works with local public agencies to ensure ongoing health care after reentry. Areas of expertise include clinical operation policies and procedures, quality improvement, and clinical staff oversight. Dr. Stoltz is also a staff member at two hospitals and served for many years as Medical Director at a nursing home, as well as a faculty member at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He is a physician surveyor for NCCHC’s accreditation program and has served as an expert witness in many correctional cases. He also is a member of the Academy of Correctional Health Professionals and the American College of Correctional Physicians.e.

Jim Voisard, BS, CCHP-A

Mr. Voisard is a senior correctional health professional and Lead Consultant for NCCHC Resources. In his role as Director, Correctional Health Division for Team Health/Premier Physician Services, he had oversight of 23 facilities, including jails, prisons, juvenile detention, and community residential with average daily populations ranging from 50 to 2,000. He was responsible for managing the contracts for these facilities and ensuring that quality health care was provided in a cost-effective manner. Prior to his work with Team Health, he was the Medical Director for the Montgomery County (OH) jail. Mr. Voisard has long been an advocate for quality health care within correctional facilities, serving as a Senior Lead Accreditation Surveyor, Lead Surveyor Trainer, and member of various board committees and task forces for NCCHC. He is also a past board member of the Academy of Correctional Health Professionals and the American Correctional Health Services Association.

Correctional Mental Health Care

Sharen Barboza, PhD, CCHP-MH

Dr. Barboza has spent her entire career working in and consulting on mental health services in correctional settings. She has experience in all types of facilities — juvenile, jails, and prisons — and is well-versed in all of the issues faced by correctional mental health programs. She has deep knowledge of handling sexual offenders and individuals prone to self-injury and has been training others in their care for over a decade. Dr. Barboza is intimately familiar with NCCHC’s Mental Health Standards, having served on the task force that drafted them. She is a sought-after speaker on the challenges of providing quality mental health care in the correctional setting, and in 2018 was honored with NCCHC’s B. Jaye Anno Award of Excellence in Communication for her work in this field. Dr. Barboza is licensed in New York and Florida and holds a Certificate in Wholebeing Positive Psychology (CiWPP) from the Wholebeing Institute.

William Elliott, PhD, CCHP

Dr. Elliott has honed his expertise in correctional mental health since the start of his career, when, as a newly minted MS in criminology, he became a counselor at the Rockville (IN) Training Center, a juvenile correctional facility. He later earned a PhD in counseling psychology and began a trajectory that led him to oversee the work of countless mental health professionals in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Illinois and Indiana Departments of Corrections. During his 20 years at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, IN, he rose to become Chief of Psychology Services, responsible for mental health services to adult males housed in minimum- and maximum-security facilities. At Wexford Health Sources, he became a regional mental health director for the Illinois Department of Corrections. Notable areas of expertise include statewide policies and procedures, psychological assessment, suicide prevention, crisis intervention, substance abuse treatment, sex offender treatment and curriculum development, residential treatment programs, clinical staff training, telepsychiatry, vendor monitoring, and interagency collaboration. Currently, Dr. Elliott is an independent consultant as well as a national presenter for PESI, a nonprofit organization that provides professional continuing education. He has written a book and several professional journal articles on correctional mental health treatment.n.

Deborah Gross, PsyD, JD, CCHP-MH

Dr. Gross is a licensed psychologist with a practice focused in corrections. She is retired from Correctional Health Services in Maricopa County, Arizona. In her role as Lead Psychologist – Mental Health Unit, she was responsible for administrative supervision of mental health staff on acute psychiatric unit within a major metropolitan accredited jail health system. Dr. Gross’s correctional mental health experience dates to 2004, with an internship and postdoctoral position with CHS. She later joined the Arizona Department of Corrections in 2007 before returning to CHS in 2010. She also has worked for NAMI Arizona, ValueOptions, and the MARC Center. Dr. Gross currently serves as Board Chair for Recovery Empowerment Network and is a member of the Board of Arizona Behavioral Health. She has served on the Board of the Arizona Foundation for Behavioral Health, the Arizona Coalition for Tomorrow (a Head Start-related entity), and the Star Centers (formerly known as Survivors on Our Own). Dr. Gross has been a surveyor in the NCCHC accreditation program since 2017 and recently became a lead surveyor.

Edward Kern, MD, CCHP

Dr. Kern has served as the Alabama Department of Corrections’ Director of Psychiatry since this position was created in 2018, overseeing all aspects of the mental health program, including policy development and clinical oversight. For 8 years before that, he worked for MHM Services providing treatment to severely mentally ill patients on the stabilization and residentIal treatment units at Alabama DOC’s Bullock Correctional Facility. Overall, Dr. Kern has 21 years of experience in correctional psychiatry, including 4 years working with the mental health team at the Lee County (AL) Detention Center to develop its first psychiatric treatment program and 7 years at the State Correctional Institution – Pittsburgh while continuing work as a part-time medical school faculty member. Dr. Kern was an important contributor to the NCCHC’s Suicide Prevention Resource Guide, developed with support from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Correctional Administration

Richard A. Forbus, Jr., BS, CCHP

Mr. Forbus has over 25 years of experience in corrections and is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. During his career, he rose to the executive level and was responsible for the operation of one of the largest jail systems in the country. He provided oversight of institutional administration and operations, to include medical and mental health care, accreditation compliance, policies and procedures, training, budgeting, and personnel management. Mr. Forbus was an associate member of the interdisciplinary Criminal Justice Coordination Council in Las Vegas, Nevada and has been instrumental in developing reentry programming and partnering with the community to improve care and reduce recidivism. He is proud to work with NCCHC Resources to improve medical and mental health care through interdisciplinary collaboration and a team approach to problem solving.

James Martin, MPSA, CCHP

Jim Martin worked in law enforcement for over 22 years, serving as a Lieutenant and Assistant Jail Commander with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office in Southern Indiana. His daily duties included serving as the command staff liaison for the jail’s medical unit and the county’s mental health task force. He also worked in motor patrol, as a K-9 handler, as a supervisor in the jail and the courts, and as an investigator in the Professional Standards Unit. Mr. Martin has a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s in public service administration. He is a graduate of the Police Executive Leadership Academy and a certified instructor through the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Evansville. He has served as a consultant with the Major County Sheriffs’ Association, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the National Association of Counties.

Procurement

Lael MacLellan, BA

Mx. MacLellan is a procurement specialist with experience in complex law enforcement and corrections procurements and currently serves as a contracts manager for Milwaukee County. They are also a professional writer with 10+ years of experience in the creation of legal, instructional, technical, and procurement documentation. Mx. MacLellan is also a proven project manager who has served as the lead and analyst for correctional health care services for a $20M+ annual operation and liaised with elected officials to provide reports and status information. They manage and oversee complex, high-risk, and high-dollar procurements for law enforcement, corrections, IT, facilities management, and airport operations. Mx. MacLellan completed law studies at Drexel University but did not receive a JD. Prior to the position with Milwaukee County, they were a litigation paralegal and law clerk for eight years.

Architecture, Engineering & Design

Greg Cook, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CCHP

Mr. Cook has been engaged in the practice of architecture, engineering, and design for more than 20 years, cultivating dynamic, highly collaborative relationships with clients that have resulted in unique projects that solve programmatic complexities and fulfill aspirations. Throughout his career, each of these relationships has been focused on quality of design and clarity of process. Mr. Cook’s strengths lie in his client-centric consultative approach to problem solving, team building, and design process management at all levels. He is a recognized thought leader in justice facility planning and design, having written and spoken extensively on restorative design concepts that positively influence the human experience. In 2010, he became the first architect in the nation to become a Certified Correctional Health Professional, highly regarded as a symbol of a professional’s knowledge, understanding, and application of standards and guidelines essential to the delivery of appropriate health care in the correctional environment.

NCCHC Resources Board of Directors

Ronald Charpentier, MBA, CoreCivic
Deana Johnson, JD, Centurion Managed Carel Health Care
Esmaeil Porsa, MD, MBA, MPH, CCHP-P, CCHP-A, Harris Health System
Samuel L. Soltis, PhD, MHA, National Commission on Correctional Health Care
Nancy B. White MA LPC, Truman Medical Center Behavioral Health

NCCHC Board of Representatives

Joel Andrade, PhD, LICSW, CCHP-MH, National Association of Social Workers
Oscar Aviles, CJM, CCE, CCHP, American Jail Association
Elizabeth Barnert, MD, MPH, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
Patricia Blair, PhD, JD, CCHP-RN, CCHP-A, American Bar Association
Paula Braverman, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics
Jennifer Clifton, DNP, FNP-BC, CCHP-A, American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Eileen Couture, DO, RN, CCHP-P, American College of Emergency Physicians
Jay Cowan, MD, National Medical Association
Kevin Fiscella, MD, MPH, CCHP, American Society of Addiction Medicine
Dionne Hart, MD, American Medical Association
Keith Ivens, MD, American College of Correctional Physicians
Capt. Michael Johnson, DDS, MPH, American Dental Association
Alison Jordan, MSW, LCSW, CCHP, American Public Health Association
Newton Kendig, MD, American College of Physicians
Elizabeth Lowenhaupt, MD, CCHP*, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Pauline Marcussen, DHA, RHIA, CCHP, American Health Information Management Association (chair)
John Mills, Do, MPH, DFAOCPM, American Osteopathic Association
Mary Muse, MSN, RN, CCHP-RN, CCHP-A, American Nurses Association
Peter Ober, JD, PA-C, CCHP, American Academy of PAs
Joseph Penn, MD, CCHP-MH, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
Grant Phillips, MD, CCHP, American Academy of Family Physicians
Debra Pinals, MD, American Psychiatric Association
Christopher Rodgers, MPA, MBA, National Association of Counties
Tami Rodriguez, PharmD, American Pharmacists Association
Jayne Russell, MEd, CCHP-A, Academy of Correctional Health Professionals
Sam Soltis, PhD, MHA, CCHP, American College of Healthcare Executives
Sylvie R. Stacy, MD, MPH, CCHP-P, American College of Preventive Medicine
Carolyn Sufrin, MD, PhD, CCHP, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Sheriff Heath Taylor, National Sheriffs’ Association
Barbara Wakeen, MA, RDN, CCHP, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Nancy White, MA, LPC, American Counseling Association