ST. THOMAS COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER - Key Persons


Alvin Edinburgh

Job Titles:
  • Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
  • Founder of Trinity Education
Alvin Edinburgh is the founder of Trinity Education and Enrichment Program. TEEP has won a number of awards over 50 years for educational enrichment for students of color. Children in his program are encouraged to develop social as well as academic skills. Cultural and spiritual values are central to the program.

Amelia Breland

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / University of Alabama

Amy Deris

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Louisiana State University

Amy Yam

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Medical College of Wisconsin

Carl Walker

Job Titles:
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team
  • Chief Medical Information Officer

Carol Salassi

Job Titles:
  • Treasurer of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
  • Banker
Carol Salassi is a banker who has been involved in several community outreach groups including career promotion skills. Also she has worked to promote physical fitness through golfing among young people in First Tee.

Celine Elson

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Louisiana State University

Chaniel Age

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / University of South Alabama

Charlene Chan

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Loyola University Chicago

Chip Grant

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Duke University

Clarissa Hoff

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Creighton University School of Medicine

Deborah Even

Job Titles:
  • Chief Nursing Officer
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team

Donald Costello

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / New England College of Optometry

Donald T. Erwin - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team

Dr. Charles Sanders

Job Titles:
  • Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
  • Retired Chair of Medicine at LSU
Dr. Charles Sanders is the retired Chair of Medicine at LSU and specialist in Infectious Disease. He has been active in supporting a variety of community based medical initiatives for underserved patients.

Dr. William Davis

Job Titles:
  • Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
  • Rheumatologist
Dr. William Davis is a Rheumatologist at one of our local large hospital systems, who brings an important specialty to our clinic services. In our region, it is very difficult to find a rheumatologist who will see Medicaid patients and extremely difficult to find someone available to the uninsured. Dr. Davis has been involved in supporting the clinic since its inception. He understands the mission of the clinic and our efforts to reduce disparities in healthcare.

Heriberto Rodriguez

Job Titles:
  • Education / University of Illinois

Herschel L. Abbott

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Emeritus

Jeremy Jallans - Chief Strategy Officer

Job Titles:
  • Chief Strategy Officer
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team

Judge Calvin Johnson - Chairman

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
  • Judge
  • Retired Judge
Judge Calvin Johnson, Esq is a retired Judge, a board member since 2014, and now is Chair as of August 2020. His career has included innovative work with "drug court" for teens to avoid incarceration. He also served as Board Chair for Metropolitan Human Services and directed behavioral health resources after Hurricane Katrina.

Karen Reichard

Job Titles:
  • Education / Tulane University, Master of Social Work / Tulane University, Doctor of Philosophy in French

Kelley Morel

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Louisiana State University

Kelsey Favrot

Job Titles:
  • Member of the Emeritus

Kim Edward LeBlanc

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Louisiana State University

Laney Lerma

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / University of Arkansas

Laura Andrews

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center

Leanne LeBlanc

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Louisiana State University

Leslie Brown

Job Titles:
  • Education / Louisiana State University

Lloyd Smith

Job Titles:
  • Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
  • Member of the Emeritus

Lynette Brice

Job Titles:
  • Finance Manager
  • Secretary of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Lynette Brice works as finance manager for a local school. She has been a leader in the community with work through her sorority especially in breast cancer early detection. She serves as Secretary/ Treasurer of the Board.

Mary M. Abell - CEO

Job Titles:
  • Associate
  • CEO
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team

Marye Nickens

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / University of Texas

Melissa Pitts

Job Titles:
  • Education

Mia Woodroof

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Southern Louisiana University

Michele Kautzman

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / University of South Alabama

Nereida Parada

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Columbia University

Niurka "Nikki" Gonzalez

Job Titles:
  • Education / Herzing University

Noel Twilbeck

Job Titles:
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team
  • Senior Management Specialist

Pastor Torin Sanders

Job Titles:
  • Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
  • Pastor
Pastor Torin Sanders is Pastor of the neighborhood church near our largest clinic. He has been a community leader in the religious community and has served as the president of the Orleans Parish School Board and President of the Irish Channel Consortium.

Phuong Tran - CIO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team
Phuong Tran, MD serves as the Chief Information Officer for St. Thomas Community Health Center. He has been at the Health Center since 2003 and oversees the development and delivery of IT strategy and operations, implementation of EHR, and analytics at the Health Center and its New Orleans-based FQHC service sites. Dr. Tran received his Doctorate in Medicine from the Tulane University School of Medicine and received his Bachelor of Science degree from Tulane as well. Dr. Tran is also involved in capital building program development, expanding the Health Center's clinical operations to a multi-level state-of-the-art facility.

Robert Darrow - CFO

Job Titles:
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team
Robert Darrow, CPA is the CFO of St Thomas Community Health Center. He has worked with the Health Center since January 2006, during the city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. He is licensed as a CPA in Texas with a reciprocal license in Louisiana. He received his BBA Accounting degree from the University of Texas at Austin. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife Brandy, daughter's Madelyn and SueAnn, and friends and family. He also likes to use the phrase "Hook Em!"

Ronald Chisom

Job Titles:
  • Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
  • Founder of the People 's Institute for Survival and Beyond
Ron Chisom is the founder of the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. His work has been local, national and international in community organizing and undoing racism training. He was responsible for a landmark US Supreme Court decision in 1991 arguing that the state's justice election procedure weakened the minority's voting power, allegedly violating section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. He won the decision 6-3.

Scott Francioni

Job Titles:
  • Medical Director
  • Member of the LEADERSHIP Team
  • Medical Director - East Bank

Suzanne "Michelle" Fourrier

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / University of Colorado

Tess Lassai

Job Titles:
  • Member of the BOARD of DIRECTORS
Tess Lassai has been with St. Thomas since its founding in 1987. She utilizes all services provided by the clinic including the pharmacy. She has a real devotion to the clinic. She has 2 children and has worked with first responders. She has a real sense of what this community was in the beginning and how it has evolved.

Viviana Falco

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / LSU School of Medicine

Wendi Sweetland Hauver

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Loyola University

Willa Maud Smith

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Frontier Nursing University / Drexel University

Winifred E. Johnson

Job Titles:
  • Medical Education / Louisiana State University