Community Health Executive Team

Michael Gardner, CEO, received his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Liberty University and is a CPA. He joined Community Health in 2004, having gained experience in several fields, including a $10 million furniture manufacturing company and a $120 million multi-state manufacturing company that included two foreign subsidiaries. Prior to Mike’s years of manufacturing and cost accounting experience, he worked as a staff accountant for three years with the local hospital that owned and operated the primary care clinics. He gained valuable financial statement preparation and analysis experience for numerous medical practices. He became CEO in January 2022 after serving as interim CEO for the prior six months. Mike was raised in Castleton and has been a patient of Castleton Family Health Center, now Community Health Castleton, since he was a child. He has three children, the youngest being a son with special needs. Mike’s son was born extremely premature and was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy as a result of complications from the premature birth. He is very passionate for children with special needs and the services available to them, having first hand had to depend on various programs available through the state to assist with his son’s disability.

Christopher Chadwick is a Licensed Behavioral Therapist and an Accredited Forensic Specialist in Forensic Counseling. Christopher has more than 23 years of experience in the social services field including complex multi-faceted therapy, law enforcement, Drug Courts and experience working within the prison system. He is a graduate of Norwich University with his Master’s Degree, Florida Southern College for his Undergraduate Degree. Christopher previously served as the Director of Behavioral Health & MAT Services for Community Health where he oversees all Behavioral Health and Medicated Assisted Treatment services. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Rutland County Free Clinic. Christopher is an adjunct professor for Castleton University teaching in the Psychology/Social Work Department. He has served as a consultant for private businesses, government agencies and medical facilities for incorporating behavioral health/substance abuse policies and workforce training.

Dean Rinaldo, CFO, prior to joining Community Health in 2018 he worked for another FQHC and in manufacturing. Having learned a lot about cost accounting and data analytics he wanted to rejoin the healthcare industry. Prior to becoming CFO, Dean worked as the Controller with then CFO Mike Gardner to modernize the accounting practices and eliminate manual processes and paper recording. Dean earned his Bachelor of Science in accounting from Castleton University. Dean then earned his Master of Business Administration in accounting from Southern New Hampshire University.

Dr. Berryhill is a Board-certified Family Practitioner who came to Community Health from his solo private practice in rural upstate NY, where he went beyond the usual “doctor’s office” in offering special services to meet the special needs of his patients. For example, he developed an affiliation with a regional medical school to provide psychiatric and counseling and provided support services to a network of family health centers. Dr. Berryhill is highly qualified to lead clinical activities at Community Health. He received his BS from SUNY College at Oneonta, attended the SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, College of Medicine, performed his Family Medicine Residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, Syracuse, NY and continued his education by attaining an MS in Health Care Management from Harvard University. His clinical training has also included acting as Primary Preceptor in the Rural Medicine Program, SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, and Primary Preceptor, third-year clerkship, Albany Medical College (VT). As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Berryhill is credited with having developed and implemented an internal performance standards and accountability system, established clinical Quality/Performance Improvement and Patient Safety programs and led the collaborative effort to complete a strategic planning process. He is an active member of the RRMC Physician staff, having contributed to several committees and projects, as he did when he was employed in NYS.

Tracy Upton is a Registered Nurse and Director of Clinical Operations. A 1996 graduate of Castleton University, Tracy began her nursing career at Pediatric Associates (Now Community Health Pediatrics) in 1996. During her time in direct patient care, Tracy was very focus on improving health outcomes for the maternal-child health population. In addition to working at Pediatric Associates, Tracy worked at Rutland Area Visiting Nurse and Hospice as a Childbirth Educator, Lactation Counselor, Pedi-Hi Tech and Maternal/Child Health Nurse. After leaving direct patient care in 2013, Tracy was instrumental in developing a the quality program at Communty Health and served as the Director of Quality before her transition to Clinical Operations. Tracy is a member of the Rutland Community Collaborative, where she serves on the Core Team and Data Committes. She is also a member of population health and quality committeees for OneCare, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Rutland County Free Clinic. In her oversight of clinical operations, quality continues to be a focus with the goal of providing the best patient-centered quality care for the patients in our health service area.

Claudia Courcelle has been with Community Health since 2007 and is the Director of Care Management. This involves managing and coordinating all Care Manager/Care Coordinator services at Community Health to include patients with complex medical issues, ongoing support with medical diagnosis and medication management. Claudia also the coordinator of Community health support groups, to include Alzheimer’s/dementia support and provides oversight of ADCES Certified Diabetes Education program and nutritional services. Claudia facilitates and participates in a vast array of collaborative/committees throughout the community. Claudia was educated at St. Michael’s College in Colchester, VT and Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing in NYC. She has been a Certified BCLS (Basic Cardiac Life Support) Instructor since 1998 and ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certified since 2000. She provides community training in BCLS, Heart saver and Family and Friends CPR for the Rutland Community program. At Community Health, she provides oversight for the CPR program and is the training facilitator for BCLS.

Jill Jesso-White is the Director of Communications & Development. She has been at Community Health since 2015. Her Bachelor of Arts in journalism, with a minor in political science, is from St. Michael’s College. Her Masters of Science in Administration is also from St. Michael’s College. During her time at Community Health Jill oversaw the implementation of a patient relations program, a compliance program and a marketing/public relations program. In addition she orchestrated the organization’s re-branding in 2019. In 2023, Jill completed Bi-State Primary Care Association’s Leadership Development Program and received a Certificate in Community Health Leadership. Her expertise includes working with the community to forge relationships that promote the organization. Jill lives in Hancock, VT where she is very active in promoting her town and founded a Friends group to support the town library.

Samantha “Sami” Davis is Community Health’s new Director of Human Resources. Prior to joining Community Health she worked at Community Care Network in Rutland as the Employment and Employee Relations Manager. Sami is a graduate of Robert Morris University where she majored in clinical psychology with a minor in photography. She’s currently on the board and actively involved as the president-elect for the local Society of Human Resources Management chapter, developing and implementing HR programs for professionals all over the state. Sami and her fiance, a Rutland native, have been foster parents for the past few years. She enjoys kayaking and hiking and is an avid swimmer. Her love of Vermont and the outdoors comes from growing up in western Maryland’s Appalachian Mountain region. Her goal as Community Health’s HR Director is to work collaboratively to support and care for all employees and to provide resources that make a lasting change.

Jeremy Bullock, DMD, is a general dentist who has been with Community Dental since 2019. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2005 and holds a DMD degree. He was part of a large dental company that started out of Colorado. He helped expand those practices throughout Texas. He practiced in Texas for 11 years, when he decided to make a change. He came to Vermont and has absolutely enjoyed his time here. His true passion are his kids. He enjoys coaching, mountain biking and traveling.

While dentistry is continuously changing, Jeremy believes the most important component to our practice is the relationship built with our patients. A successful outcome for him is a happy patient that he’s been able to help along the path to optimum health. If the mouth is healthy, it’s far more likely that our body will be as well. Jeremy feels privileged to be able to assist others to achieve better health.

Jeremy became the interim Associate Medical Dental of of Community Dentals offices in Rutland and Shoreham in 2024.

Ashley Rick is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor as well as Perinatal Mental Health Certified. Ashley has more than 10 years of experience in the social services field including individual counseling, crisis work and the IDRP program (Impaired Driver Rehabilitation Program). She is a graduate of The College of St. Joseph’s with a Master’s Degree, Castleton University for her Undergraduate Degree. Ashley previously served as the Behavioral Clinical Supervisor for Community Health where she oversaw all Behavioral Health clinicians, licensed, rostered and interns. Ashley has focused on ensuring high standards of care and regulatory compliance as well as strong communication and collaboration. This has fostered a positive team culture and support for interdisciplinary partnerships. She has been committed to staff development, providing mentorship, supervision, and ongoing training to enhance clinical skills and professional growth. Her leadership style emphasized transparency, accountability, and innovation, driving continuous improvement in Behavioral Health.

Samantha Smart, MBA, serves as the Director of IT Applications at Community Health. With extensive experience in healthcare IT, she has worked across both payer and provider organizations, including nearly a decade at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and 3.5 years with Cigna. Samantha brings deep expertise in IT project management, software application development, and system optimization, with a focus on improving data accuracy and aligning electronic health record technologies with compassionate, patient-centered care. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Med from the University of New Hampshire and earned her MBA with a concentration in Healthcare Management from the University of Hartford.

As the parent of a child with hearing loss in one ear who uses assistive listening devices (ALDs), Samantha brings a deeply personal understanding of the importance of accessible and coordinated care. This lived experience fuels her commitment to using technology to remove barriers, support clinical teams, and help ensure patients receive the right care at the right time.

Originally from New Hampshire and a proud Vermonter for the past 15 years, Samantha lives in Castleton, VT, with her husband and two children. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, camping, paddleboarding, gardening, skiing, and cheering on her children in their creative and athletic pursuits.