Our Team
SHAREN DUKE
iHealth Board Chair,
Executive Director and CEO,
The Alliance for Positive Change
Sharen I. Duke founded the Alliance, as AIDS Service Center of Lower Manhattan, in 1990 and has grown it from a three-person agency into one of New York City's premier multi-service community organizations.
The Alliance is at the forefront of innovative, culturally competent HIV/AIDS services, ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to HIV testing, treatment and care. Leveraging 25 years of expertise, the Alliance expanded its services to address other chronic health conditions such as addiction, hepatitis, diabetes and obesity. This broadened focus means more New Yorkers can access the services and support they need to make lasting positive changes toward health, housing, recovery and self-sufficiency.
Sharen is a dedicated advocate on behalf of low-income New Yorkers through her active service on influential community planning entities, including Gov. Cuomo's Ending the Epidemic Task Force, the NYS Value-Based Payment HIV/AIDS Clinical Advisory Group (CAG), and the NYC HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council. She also serves on the Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Resources (CAEAR) Coalition.
CHARLES KING
iHealth Board Vice-Chair
Chief Executive Officer,
Housing WorksCharles King is one of the founders and the President/CEO of Housing Works, Inc. a community-based, not–for–profit organization that provides a full range of services including housing, health care, mental health, chemical dependency services, legal, advocacy, and job training and employment for homeless men, women, and children living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions.
Charles served on the governing body of UNAIDS as a member of the NGO Delegation to the PCB and was Co-chair of the NYS End of AIDS Task Force. He also co-chairs the Ending the Epidemic Subcommittee of the NYS AIDS Advisory Council.
Charles holds both a Law Degree and a Master of Divinity from Yale University, and is an ordained Baptist Minister.
JOHN DARIN
iHealth Treasurer
President and CEO
NADAP
John Darin has more than 30 years of programmatic and administrative experience in social services. Since 1997, he has served as the President and CEO of NADAP, growing it from a 16-staff serving 1,000 clients to 400 staff serving more than 35,000 clients annually. As NADAP’s President, John provides oversight and direction to a multi-service agency with an annual budget of $30 million dedicated to helping people with medical, behavioral health, employment, and social service needs become self-sufficient.
During his tenure, NADAP’s Managed Addiction Treatment Services program (MATS) produced 62% in Medicaid savings and greatly improved the outcomes for numerous chronically ill substance abusers; and the agency’s Health Home Care Management Program was designed to continue this good work. NADAP has experience and expertise working with criminal justice clients through services delivered both within criminal justice settings and as a community-based provider for those referred from criminal justice service agencies. Some of these services include health care coordination and Medicaid enrollment through our Health Home Care Management and IPA Navigator programs.
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John holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (BBA) from Bernard M. Baruch College. He is also a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) and an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC). He is a registered lobbyist in NYC and NYS and a Notary Public. He was selected as a National Fellow Leader by Boston University’s Join Together National Fellow Leadership Program.
John served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice and to the U.S. Department of Education and is currently the Vice-Chairman of The Coalition for Community Services. He also serves on the Beacon Health Providers Advisory Council and on the boards of The Coalition for Behavioral Health, Coordinated Behavioral Care, and Queens Coordinated Care Partners. He is also a Vistage International CEO member.
JAMES SCHILLER
iHealth Secretary
​COO & Deputy Executive Director, Argus Community
Dr. Schiller has studied, worked, and conducted research in the Social Services and HIV field for over 34 years. He has a BA in Psychology from St. Anselm College (Manchester, NH), two Masters Degrees in Psychology from Hunter College (New York) and Fielding Graduate University (Santa Barbara, CA) and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Fielding Graduate University. After working as a case aide for those with severe mental illness (FEGS, NY, 1989), from 1990-1993 Dr. Schiller worked as one of the front line HIV case managers at St. Clare's Hospital, NY, during the early years of the epidemic. This was followed by his tenure at the current place of employment, Argus Community (Bronx, NY) where he served as the Program Director (1993-2006), the Vice President of HIV Services (2003-2006), and the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer (2006-present). His clinical and research experience consists of an appointment at the Duchess County Dept. of Mental Hygiene (Poughkeepsie, NY, 2005-2006), qualitative data analysis for the Women's Ways of Knowing Diversity Project (Fielding Graduate Institute, 1995-1996), and an examination of patient and provider attachment styles and the impact upon treatment in a busy HIV outpatient case management clinic (Argus Community, Inc., 2008). Dr. Schiller has also served as an Adjunct Faculty at Hunter College (New York, 1998-2001) and Lehman College (Bronx, NY).
Dr. Schiller's domestic and international presentations include: The Impact of the Interpersonal Dynamic on Case Management Services (Albany, NY, 2009), Continued Quality Improvement/Assurance in the Community Follow-Up Case Management Program (2004, Albany, NY), How far Have We Come? Celebrating Growth in the HIV Community Based Case Management Program (AI-NYSDOH, March, 2003, Albany, NY) and Essentials of COBRA Case Management (NYS DOH, Albany, NY, 1997). His publications to date include: Examination of Six Patient Characteristics as Indicators of Ongoing Utilization of Case Management Services (St. Clare’s Hospital, Secondary Author for the VII International Conference on AIDS, Florence, Italy, 1991), HIV Infection, Sexual Orientation and Significant Risk Factors in an Urban Designated AIDS Center (Primary author; published Conference Abstract Volume, VIII International Conference on AIDS/III STD World Congress, Holland, 1992), and The Impact of Attachment Styles, Health Distress, and Proximity on Treatment Outcome in an HIV-Positive Cohort (Published Dissertation, 2008 and presented at the West-East Institute, University of Vienna, 2015).
Dr. Schiller has served as a member of the Bronx Montefiore Hospital Community Advisory Board (2003), a Co-Chair of the NYS Dept. of Health Statewide CORBA Case Management Technical Assistance Group (1996-1997), and a Board Member at Large for the Partnership for the Homeless in NYC (1991). His excellence in the human service and case management fields has been recognized in 1997 in his receipt of the second annual Dr. Nicholas Rango Case Management Award from the NYS-DOH AIDS Institute, and an Achievement Award from Mario Biaggi, Member of Congress (1978). He continues to be recognized by the AIDS Institute and asked to provide technical assistance to case management programs throughout NYC. He maintains membership in the American Psychological Association, the New York State Psychological Association, and the International Association of Applied Psychologists.
THERESA RODRIGUEZ
iHealth Board member
CEO
Apicha Community Health Center
Therese R. Rodriguez is the Chief Executive Officer of Apicha Community Health Center, formerly known as Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS. She has led the organization since 1997. Under Therese’s leadership, Apicha CHC transformed from an AIDS Service Organization to a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in 2015.
Therese currently serves on the Board of the National Minority AIDS Council and was appointed by Governor Andrew Cuomo to the New York State End of AIDS Task Force, to develop recommendations for the blueprint to end the HIV epidemic by 2020. She is a member of the New York State Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and represents Apicha CHC in the National LGBT Primary Care Alliance. Therese was also a member of the NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Commission for Runaway and Homeless LGBT Youth, which devised strategies to address the unique needs of LGBT youth before they run away.
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A long-time resident of Queens, Therese was born and raised in the Philippines. She earned her Bachelor of Arts and Business Administration degree from St. Theresa’s College in the Philippines.
KELSEY LOUIE
iHealth Board Member
President & CEO
GMHC
Kelsey Louie, MSW, MBA, is the Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the world’s first, and nation's leading provider of HIV/AIDS care, prevention services, and advocacy. Each year, GMHC serves 12,000 people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in New York City, the epidemic's largest U.S. epicenter. GMHC brings expertise to both HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals, offering HIV and STI testing, nutrition counseling and hot meals, legal support services, supportive housing, mental health and substance use services, and workforce development. GMHC also advocates for stronger public policies at the local, state and federal level with the goal of ending AIDS as an epidemic in New York State by 2020.
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Kelsey’s rigorous, data-driven management style, sophisticated evaluation processes, and commitment to staff development have brought concrete, measurable results to the lives of thousands of clients and staff throughout his more than 15 year career in social services, HIV/AIDS prevention and care, behavioral health, addiction services, homelessness, LGBTQ issues, and family and children’s services. At GMHC, Kelsey has created a unique service delivery model, integrating robust evaluation processes and continuous quality improvement programs to build stronger programs, measurable outcomes, efficiencies, and greater quality of service to GMHC clients.
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Kelsey’s past professional titles include Chief Operating Officer, Chief Program Officer, and Senior Vice President of HIV/AIDS Treatment and Support Services at Harlem United Community AIDS Center, Inc., where he worked for seven years overseeing the agency’s $42M dollar budget and managing operations, administration, finance, development, programs, and healthcare services to thousands of clients annually. Prior to Harlem United, Kelsey served as Director of Queens Family Support Services at New York Foundling, and Director of Prevention Services at Veritas Therapeutic Community.
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In 2014, Kelsey was appointed to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Taskforce to End the AIDS Epidemic in NYS by 2020. He currently serves on the Board of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), and iHealth, a statewide collaborative of community-based organizations united to advocate and negotiate on behalf of HIV Targeted Case Management Programs. Kelsey is a former Board member of the Big Apple Performing Arts, the umbrella organization of both the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus and Youth Pride Chorus.
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Kelsey received an MSW from New York University in 2001 and an MBA from Columbia University in 2008. He is an adjunct professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work.
JESSICA DIAMOND
iHealth Board Member
​Chief Population Health Officer, Brightpoint Health
As Brightpoint Health’s Chief Population Health Officer, Jessica is responsible for Health Home, Organizational Culture and Quality. In this recently created role, she provides strategic leadership in an era of health care delivery system reform which includes leveraging population health, quality management and care management. Jessica's portfolio also includes managing the assessment, development and improvement of the organizational culture so that it embodies the core values, embraces the Triple Aim, and continuously improves the delivery of WOW! Quality Service, as well as leading leads the Quality Management Programs that assist all clinical services and organizational departments. Since joining Brightpoint Health in 2012, she has developed metrics and indicators to assess the organization’s effectiveness and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
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Jessica has 15 years of experience working for mission-driven health care organizations serving populations challenged by health care disparities, as she does at Brightpoint Health. She began her career in public service volunteering for an AmeriCorps program where she designed a substance abuse prevention program for at-risk youth. From there, she joined NYC DOHMH subcontractor Public Health Solutions, where she managed federal, city and state HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention funding awarded to hospitals and non-profits throughout the five boroughs. In this position, Jessica evaluated HIV/AIDS programs in the areas of mental health, substance use, treatment adherence, prevention and treatment through organization-wide site visits. Following her role at Public Health Solutions, Jessica worked at Gay Men’s Health Crisis spearheading a quality improvement program where she created a process to track and report clinic metrics relevant to clients’ HIV/AIDS status. Immediately following her position at GMHC, Jessica joined a for-profit health care company that partnered with health departments across the country to manage their high-cost, high-risk Medicaid populations. Within this role, she designed, implemented and monitored quality improvement programs in high-volume case management and disease management programs aimed at improving clinical outcomes while decreasing unnecessary utilization of healthcare.
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Jessica has a Bachelor of Arts in Public and Community Service from Providence College and a Masters of Public Administration in Health Policy and Analysis from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. She also has a Certification in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ).
NADINE AKINYEMI
iHealth Board Member
Executive Director,
Bridging Access to Care (BAC)
Nadine Akinyemi is the Executive Director of Bridging Access To Care (BAC), a multi-service community-based health care organization. Founded as the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force in 1986, BAC now provides mental health, substance use, housing, health education, healthcare navigation, and other social support services to individuals and families from all parts of the city.
Nadine has over 20 years of experience working in the social service and health care field, with a focus on HIV/AIDS patient care, program development, as well as research in both hospital and community-based settings. She joined BAC in 1998 and has developed in-depth knowledge about the mission and the work of the organization. Before she was appointed Executive Director, Nadine held several positions, including Treatment Adherence Coordinator, Acting Director of Support Services, Director of Clinical Services, and Deputy Executive Director. Nadine is a published author and a Clinical Associate at the New York Technical College School of Nursing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Brooklyn College and a Master’s degree in Health Administration (MHA) from the University of Phoenix. Nadine currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors of EngageWell IPA.
HALIM KAYGISIZ
iHealth Board Member
Director,
CARES Program for the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc.
Halim Kaygisiz is currently serving as the Director of the CARES Program for the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk, Inc. and remains heavily involved with their Health Home Care Coordination Program. During his ten-year tenure with EOC of Suffolk, Halim was rooted in the community and coordinated services and developed programs that meet the needs of the most vulnerable populations in Long Island. As a Program Director with EOC of Suffolk, Halim has worked with and developed the rollout of the DSRIP PAM Project, HIV Navigation Services, and numerous other outreach and engagement programs including Health Homes Outreach since the beginning.
Halim has served on the Nassau/Suffolk HIV/AIDS Planning Council with United Way and was a lead trainer for all Community-Based Organization partners who were collaborating with the Suffolk Care Collaborative PPS under Project 2di. Halim has also set-up collaborative partnerships with local hospitals to bring care coordination services into Long Island Community Hospital and Good Samaritan Medical Center, both safety-net hospitals have high-risk patients that are linked to care coordination services prior to discharge and ensure prompt community follow-up and linkage to primary and preventive care for members.
Born and raised in Queens, Halim received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with a concentration in Human Services and a minor in Criminal Justice from Walden University. He currently enrolled at Stony Brook University and will receive his Master’s Degree in Health Administration next year.MATTHEW LESIEUR
iHealth Executive Director
SVP,
917-545-2670
Matthew Lesieur, MA joined iHealth as Executive Director in November of 2018. He was Director of Public Policy at VillageCare, a large multi-service non-profit health care provider that offers services to the frail elderly and person living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic, complex conditions. In that role, he was responsible for working to establish, direct and implement local, state national public policies that impact on the lives of persons living with multiple chronic health conditions. He is active in a variety of committees and workgroups, including the Brooklyn Health Home’s (BHH) Governance, Community Care Management Partners (CCMP) Governance, and Queens Coordinated Care Partners Governance Committee.
Matthew Lesieur is currently a Mayoral appointee to the New York HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council, which is responsible for setting priorities and determining how $100 million in federal Ryan White Part A funds awarded to the New York EMA is spent. He was unanimously elected community co-chair of the Planning Council, a term that goes until 2018, and then re-elected as chair for a second three-year term that ends in 2020.
Past work has included: former Vice President of Public Policy at the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), Director of Public Policy for the New York AIDS Coalition, an HIV/AIDS advocacy group representing 150+ community based AIDS service providers throughout New York State, the HOPWA Administrator for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where he and a small team managed the City’s $60 million HOPWA program.
Mr. Lesieur has a Masters of olitical Science from the University at Albany and undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Economics at the University at Albany.