Porreca has been leading HEALTHeLINK since 2007, growing it into one of the leading clinical exchange networks in the United States. With more than 30 years of experience in the health care and technology industry, Porreca has a wealth of knowledge and a strategic understanding of health care technology and its application in the clinical setting.
Porreca serves on the governing board of the Buffalo Translational Consortium that oversees the Clinical and Translational Science Institutes (CTSI). Porreca also serves on the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC) Business and Operations Council that manages the Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY). In addition, he serves on the board of Civitas Networks for Health. He previously served on the board and as board chair for the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC) and on the board of directors for NYeC.
Karen Kinley
HR Director & Executive Assistant
With HEALTHeLINK since 2007, Kinley serves as executive assistant to HEALTHeLINK’S President & CEO Daniel Porreca and is responsible for coordinating human resources and payroll. She also serves as a member of HEALTHeLINK’S marketing committee and serves as a scribe for various other committee and board meetings.
Jennifer Lane PMP/CSM
Vice President, Technology
Lane brings more than 20 years of project management experience within IT and human resources to her role at HEALTHeLINK. Lane is a Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and member of both the national and local chapters of PMI.
Currently, she guides the Project Management Office and together with colleagues across the organization, successfully implements a variety of projects. From building the foundation with new and improved platforms, to research and regulatory initiatives, all efforts are focused on enhanced utilities within the Western New York community.
Drew McNichol
Special Advisor to the CEO
McNichol brings more than 15 years of experience steering cutting-edge IT projects and forging ties in the health information exchange (HIE) community. McNichol has been instrumental in guiding HEALTHeLINK’s leadership, technology, and security teams towards innovative solutions that meet business objectives and enhance the organizations ability to improve health in Western New York. Previously serving as HEALTHeLINK’s Director of Technology and Security Officer.
In addition to his role at HEALTHeLINK, McNichol serves as the Executive Director for Technology By Design, Inc. (TechBD), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing technology, infrastructure, and shared services to support New York’s statewide health information exchange network.
With a proven track record of driving technological innovation and ensuring data security, McNichol is committed to making meaningful contributions to the healthcare industry.
Jacqueline Welsch
Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
With more than 14 years of finance experience, Welsch oversees the financial planning and strategy of the organization and is responsible for the daily operational systems and processes needed to successfully and securely deliver HEALTHeLINK services. Welsch works as part of the organization’s leadership team in the development of business plans, strategic planning efforts, and project initiation and coordination.
Welsch is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the American Institute of CPAs.
With HEALTHeLINK for more than a decade, Burandt has established a compliance team who has been instrumental in enhancing the organization’s auditing program. She has also organized a team of experts who support and service both participants and patients. A Certified HIPAA Privacy Expert (CHPE) and Certified Cybersecurity Awareness Professional (CCAP), she participates in the sMPI Data Governance Workgroup and Policy Implementation Sub-Committee and is a member of the advisory board for Erie Community College’s Health Information Technology Program.
Steve Gates
Assistant Vice President, Business Development
With more than 20 years of experience in customer service and improving efficiency through technology, Gates has been with the HEALTHeLINK account management team for more than a decade. He is responsible for the engagement and adoption of new health information services with both new and existing participating providers.
Stacy Goyette, MPH, PMP
Assistant Vice President, Population Health
Goyette, with a decade of health care experience, leads the HEALTHeLINK’s Population Health Services. She supports the WNY health care community with Value Based Payment Initiatives. Leveraging HEALTHeLINK’s robust data set, Goyette and her team provide innovative solutions, strategic support, and analytic tools to enhance the quality and cost-efficiency of care for providers and stakeholders.
Goyette holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) and Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Denise Marshall
Assistant Vice President, Technology
Marshall has over twenty years of information technology experience and is responsible for leading the technical, interface and analytics teams at HEALTHeLINK. She joined HEALTHeLINK in 2007 as one of its original team members. In her current role, Marshall manages the integration, performance and quality of all incoming and outgoing data, as well as the analysis and reporting of metrics and measures.
Geoff Allen
Senior Manager, Analytics & Data Quality
With over 10 years in his field, Allen has consistently delivered exceptional results while combining his expertise in data analytics methods and data quality management. With HEALTHeLINK, Allen leads a team of analytics and data quality analysts who provide quality reports and improve regional health care data through thorough analysis and remediation of data quality deficiencies. Allen and his team are responsible for a wide array of community and facility reporting, resulting in improved health care outcomes in Western New York.
Michael Bossert
Senior Manager, Operations Systems & Compliance
With seven years of compliance and consent experience, Bossert is responsible for managing and enhancing the auditing program, overseeing the consent and data management teams, and strategizing and implementing efficiencies across his teams.
Karen Craik EdD, MHA
Senior Manager, Population Health & Regional Health Improvement
Craik has over 25 years’ experience in public health and health policy. She works closely with the HEALTHeLINK team to create, manage, and align the services and strategies of regional health improvement services, provides leadership and strategic insight to inform and support program development and serves as a subject matter expert on public health initiatives, community-based organizations and programs, grants, and state/federal initiatives.
Craik holds a Doctorate in Health Administration and Policy and a Master’s Degree in Health Administration. She is a graduate of the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York’s Health Leadership Program, the Institute for Nonprofit Practice Social Impact Management & Leadership Program, a member of the 500 Women Scientists Buffalo Pod and the New York State Public Health Association.
Hillary Gallson
Senior Manager, PMO
Gallson, who joined HEALTHeLINK in 2012 and has been part of the Project Management team since 2016, plays a pivotal role in supporting HEALTHeLINK’s initiatives and goals. She and her team manage a diverse array of projects, ranging from strategic and policy-related efforts to technical enhancements and new features, ensuring continuous improvement and innovation.
Audrey Lachina
Senior Manager, IT & Product Owner
Lachina has been with HEALTHeLINK for more than a decade and is responsible for integration services, as well as research, design, and development of new technical solutions. She has interfaces implementing, managing, and supporting multiple system interfaces, and is a NextGen Certified Professional in Connect Fundamentals and HL7 Version 2.7 Control Specialist Certified.
Michelle Mazur
Senior Manager, Operations Support
Mazur has been with HEALTHeLINK for 14 years and is responsible for managing the account management and servicing team and oversees the implementation of both department and organization wide policies, procedures and workflows related to serving and support at HEALTHeLINK.
Katherine Walker, CPA
Controller
With 10 years of accounting experience, Walker oversees the general accounting function, assesses, and evaluates the financial performance of the organization regarding operational goals, budgets, and forecasts and ensures compliance with local, state, and federal government reporting requirements and tax filings.
Walker holds a bachelor’s in business administration and is a Certified Public Accountant.