Mary Hayes Finch, MBA, JD

President and CEO

Mary Hayes Finch is the President and CEO of the Association and the Intelligent Care Network. Working directly with the Board of Directors, she provides leadership and vision for continued network development and advancement. Prior to joining the Association in late 2007, she served as a Deputy Attorney General for Alabama, the Chief of Staff for the Medicaid Agency, and provided leadership for Medicaid policy, transformation efforts, and a variety of programs and statewide initiatives. Mrs. Finch holds a BS in Organizational Development from Troy University, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Auburn University, and a Juris Doctorate from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, Montgomery, and was licensed to practice law in the State of Alabama in 2003.

Celestine Drayden, MBA

Health Center Programs Manager

Celestine joined APHCA in November 2007 and provides training, technical assistance, and community development for members in the association. She brings over 20 years of executive level administrative support and management experience, much has been within the health care market. Prior to joining APHCA, Celestine served as Office Manager for Montgomery’s largest cardiology practice where she was responsible for the management of office activities including the supervision staff as well as working closely with 13 cardiologists to ensure quality care was provided in an efficiently run office setting. As a member of the management team, Celestine served as the organization’s HIPAA Privacy Officer, assisted with the operational budget process, and served as the Patient Access Manager for the same cardiology group. During her tenure in this position, she began a training and in-service program for office staff, initiated a training manual, and cross-trained office employees. Celestine served in various other executive assistant roles including, positions at Mississippi Valley State University, Auburn University at Montgomery, and the National Finance and Economy Ministry in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Mississippi Valley State University and a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Management from American InterContinental University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Lambda Society, and American Academy of Professional Coders, and has received recognition as an Outstanding Young Woman in America as well as community recognition. Celestine enjoys singing in her church choir, gardening, reading, and traveling. Her husband, Robert, and she have a son named Robert, II.

Tina Nixon, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Tina Nixon joined APHCA as the Chief Financial Officer and is primarily responsible for managing APHCA’s finance department, collaborative programs, and program support services. Tina is a graduate of Auburn University at Montgomery and is a Certified Public Accountant. She has over 14 years of experience with nonprofit industries in both the public and private sectors. Tina and her husband, Ken, are proud parents of a daughter and a son. They enjoy going to the lake and spending time with family and friends.

Sharon Parker, RN, BSN, CVRN, CHTS-CP, PCMH CCE

Chief Quality Officer

Sharon joined APHCA in November 2010. Her primary responsibility is to manage APHCA’s Coordinated Care Program (to include Patient Centered Medical Home) and to facilitate sustained primary care practice efforts that enhance health quality, health outcomes, and operational efficiency. In addition, she is very involved with the Meaningful Use Program and assisting our members in the successful implementation of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and other initiatives designed to use Health Information Technology (HIT) to enhance quality and patient outcomes. Sharon also manages several grant projects that are in direct alignment with APHCA’s overall strategic plan.

Sharon is an Alabama licensed R.N. with 25+ years experience, over 20 of those years in a management and operational capacity. She obtained her Board Certification in Cardiovascular Nursing in 2002 and in May 2011 completed the Leadership Strategies for Information Technology in Health Care Program at Harvard University School of Public Health. In March 2013, Sharon became certified as a Clinical/Practitioner Consultant – Certified Health Technology Specialist through the American Health Information Management Association, AHIMA.  In 2014, Sharon successfully completed the requirements for the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) PCMH Certified Content Expert.

Sharon brings valuable clinical experience, as well as operational and project management to APHCA. Prior to joining APCHA, Sharon served as the Clinical Operations Manager and later Director of Cardiovascular Services for a local hospital. She studied nursing at Troy State School of Nursing and is a member of the American College of Cardiovascular Nursing.

Cherie Allen, RN, BSN, FCN

Director of Quality

Cherie Allen, BSN, RN, is a graduate from Tennessee State University with Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing and Psychology.  She has over twenty (20) years of nursing experience and over thirteen (13) years in nurse leadership influencing and educating healthcare systems and faith-based institutions on quality and regulatory compliance to enhance patient care.  In the past she has overseen Joint Commission compliance, survey readiness, and action plans in Surgical Services, Infection Control and Sterile Processing departments.  Cherie has successfully implemented process improvements for patient throughput, staffing patterns, developing policy and procedures and wound care clinical, EHR, documentation to improve the efficiency of care delivery.  She is a former Nurse-Physician Extender, Department of Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.  Her favorite downtime activities include traveling, gardening, Scrabble and learning to cook.  Cherie will provide leadership for APHCA as the Director of Quality.

Jeff Andrews

Collaborative Programs Coordinator

Jeff joined APHCA as the Collaborative Programs Coordinator.  His primary responsibilities are marketing the association’s business services to APHCA members and developing programs and relationships with key stakeholders to support member operations and APHCA events and programs.  His commitment to the work of APHCA springs from his deep concern for the welfare of others, particularly those medically under served in his life-long home state of Alabama. Jeff offers 13 years of experience related to association marketing of member programs and 19 years of experience related to outside and inside sales in the commercial sector.  He is a graduate of Troy University with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations.

Jessica Bouldin

Quality Administrative Assistant & Credentialing

Jessica moved to Alabama from her home state of Tennessee in 2017 and joined the APHCA team in 2018. She provides support to the Quality Health Systems Department and also assists the Credentialing Department with maintaining the credentialing and recredentialing process for health professionals contracted with APHCA.  Jessica brings over 3 years of experience in credentialing and working with administration in a health care setting, in addition to her 5+ years in customer service/clerical work.  Jessica enjoys learning more about Alabama, traveling, concerts, Tennessee Vols football, spending time with friends, family, and her dog.

Mary Broadnax, MBA

Quality Data Analyst

Mary is the Quality Data Analyst for the Alabama Primary Health Care Association.  She is responsible for ongoing analysis of health information obtained from a variety of sources, including Electronic Health Record (EHR) and Uniform Data System (UDS).  She will collect, develop, prepare, and present information to support clinical care teams to drive clinical and operational performance improvement.

Prior to joining APHCA, Mary enjoyed a successful career leading software development projects and quality assurance testing operations in a corporate and government setting.  She has an extensive background in developing software systems for Property Casualty Insurance, Air Force aircraft maintenance, and NASA industry.

Mary attained a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Science from Alabama State University and a Master of Science in Human Resource Management from Troy University.  She is a member of the Alabama State University National Alumni Association, where she served as the Montgomery Chapter President and National Alumni Secretary.   She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.  Mary enjoys participating in activities at her alma mater, ASU, listening to music, reading, sewing, gardening, and traveling.

Laura Sellers Brooks

Communications and Events Coordinator

Laura Sellers serves as the Communications and Events Coordinator. In her role, she coordinates APHCA’s monthly trainings, annual conference, networking workshops, peer networks, and other initiatives that APHCA is involved in. She also coordinates APHCA’s statewide outreach and enrollment efforts, including training, technical assistance, and relaying important information to health center enrollment staff. Laura Sellers also leads the marketing and media outreach to promote the Association’s trainings and events. Laura Sellers graduated Summa Cum Laude from Auburn University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a minor in Marketing.

Melinda Browder

Credentialing Specialist

Melinda joined the APHCA team in June of 2019 and is the newest addition to the Credentialing Department. She has over 30 years of medical office experience, including management. Melinda has been married for 26 years and has three children and five grandchildren. She enjoys cooking, the outdoors, Auburn football, and spending time with her family.

Marcia Daniel

Executive Assistant

Marcia Daniel joined the APHCA team in December of 2017. Marcia provides support for the APHCA team by assisting in the day-to-day operations of the Association. With over 12 years of administrative assistance experience in the legal field, she has enjoyed learning about the healthcare industry and serving its members. Marcia has been married for 30 years and enjoys family, travel, singing in her church choir, spoiling her Siberian huskies, and cheering for the Auburn Tigers.

Gene Duplantier Jr., RN, MSN, CNL

Nursing Informatics Coordinator

Gene joined APHCA as the Nursing Informatics Coordinator. His primary responsibilities are reviewing and overseeing the integration of care and operational data. He will combine skills in health science, computer science and information technology to help healthcare providers utilize large amounts of data to gain meaningful insight into improving prevention and primary care services and patient outcomes. Gene will also assist with standardizing and simplifying documentation of patient care using computers and mobile devices and provide assistance improving the completeness and accuracy of reported data to enhance data reportability to enable critical data analysis to improve efficiency of overall patient care.

Prior to Joining APHCA, Gene was an Army Nurse Corps Officer of 24 years. During his time in the Military, Gene was the lead nurse to establish the blueprint for transforming Army health clinics into Patient-Centered Medical Homes with a level 3 NCQA accreditation.  Gene was known throughout Army Health Command as PCMH’s Subject Matter Expert.  In the last six years of his military career, Gene held the position of Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO). He ensured that electronic health record (EHR) clinical documentation and content were consistent with federal and state regulations, as well as with organizational policy. Gene was involved in creating and deploying electronic documentation tools and improving workflow and project-related issues that resulted in positive patient outcomes and increased staff satisfaction.  He was selected for multiple projects in the selection, implementation, and evaluation of health information technology (IT) for top-ranked healthcare centers in the military.

Gene attained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Hampton University and a Master of Science in Clinical Nurse Leadership from Saint Xavier University Chicago Il, where he finished in the top five percent of his graduating class. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.  Gene enjoys participating in social action activities that help to build up young men and women in the community. He also enjoys scuba diving in exotic places, deep-sea fishing, bowling, grilling and cooking Cajun dishes on the weekends.

Lauren Gordon

Associate Director of Policy & Operations

Lauren Gordon is the Policy and Operations Coordinator at APHCA. Within her role, Lauren works directly with federal and state government agencies, health center leadership, and health center staff and providers on policy and operational matters impacting access to and coordination of care within primary care, mental health, substance use disorder, and other services within Alabama’s medically underserved communities. Lauren has over ten years of experience in health care administration and is a graduate of Faulkner University, when she earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Regina Searcy

Credentialing Team Lead

Regina joined the APHCA team as a Credentialing Specialist. She works closely with the Credentialing Manager to coordinate, monitor, and maintain the credentialing and re-credentialing process for health professionals contracted with APHCA. She brings with her over 20 years of medical staff/credentialing experience. Regina enjoys music, theater, traveling, spending time with family and friends, and watching Alabama Crimson Tide football.