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After various roles in GME, Mrs. Riddick’s current position is Associate Designated Institutional Official of Graduate Medical Education at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina where she is responsible for the oversight of 40 residencies and fellowships consisting of 415 trainees. While her expertise spans all areas of GME, Mrs. Riddick primarily focuses on accreditation, new program development and program leadership development. Mrs. Riddick has her masters in Healthcare Administration and obtained TAGME certification in 2012. Mrs. Riddick has been a member of the Association of Hospital Medical Education (AHME) since 1999 having served on the Finance Committee, Nominating Committee, Council of Institutional Leaders, Treasure and Board Member-at-Large. Treasurer Tonya VanOrder, PhD, MBA - Henry Ford Genesys Hospital ApproveRejectAbstainWrite In Dr. Tonya VanOrder is DIO and Director of Medical Education at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital, in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Her 15 years of GME experience includes a previous leadership role at the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine. At MSUCOM she served as Associate Director of the Statewide Campus System graduate medical educational consortium, developing curriculum and helping programs navigate the transition from osteopathic accreditation to the ACGME Single Accreditation System. Dr. VanOrder's research centers on understanding resident/fellow lived experiences of stress, and professionalism in medicine. She is an active peer reviewer for Academic Medicine and is serving on the editorial board for the 6th edition of the AHME Guide to Medical Education in the Teaching Hospital. Although she is an undergraduate-degreed Purdue Boilermaker, Dr. VanOrder earned a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education and has an M.B.A. in Business Administration from University of Michigan-Dearborn. She has an adult son (MSU grad) and daughter, and currently lives in East Lansing with her Great Dane, Miss Violet. Member-at-Large Krista Lombardo-Klefos, MBA - Cleveland Clinic ApproveRejectAbstainWrite In KKrista Lombardo-Klefos, MBA, received her Bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University and Master’s degree from Cleveland State University and has been working in the Graduate Medical Education field at the Cleveland Clinic since 2008. She entered the department as the GMEC Coordinator, shortly after assuming the role of MedHub Program Manager and then in 2013 became the Accreditation Manager, promoted to Accreditation Administrator in 2018. In 2021 she was named Administrative Director. Her team manages the accreditation activities of 200+ programs (95 ACGME accredited, others non-standard) and provides education consulting services to the DIO, GMEC, Program Directors and Program Coordinators. From 2016-2020 she was the Project Manager of the Pursuing Excellence grant that the Cleveland Clinic received from the ACGME as an innovator. Mrs. Lombardo-Klefos has had multiple presentations and posters at national GME meetings and co-authored two handbooks, Clinical Competency Committees Made Simple and The Complete Guide to Continuous GME Accreditation with colleagues. From July of 2019 through September of 2023, she was a member of the ACGME’s Coordinator Advisory Group. Krista is currently serving as the AHME Council of Institutional Leaders (COIL) Chair. She was honored to receive the 2024 ACGME Institutional Coordinator Award. Region II Representative Samantha Cascone, MPA - UPMC Medical Education ApproveRejectAbstainWrite In Samantha Cascone, MPA is the Vice President of Medical Education at UPMC. Based out of Pittsburgh, PA, Samantha has the privilege of working with over 150 ACGME accredited programs as well as Pharmacy, Dental and Podiatry throughout the state of Pennsylvania. Samantha received her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Randolph Macon College in Ashland, VA followed by her Master of Public Administration from the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2011, Samantha joined UPMC as the Program Coordinator for the Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program. It was during her time as a Program Coordinator, Samantha realized the vast opportunities within Graduate Medical Education and the impact a coordinator’s historical knowledge can have on the program’s success. Samantha has spent the last 12 years supporting her trainees, coordinators, program directors and UPMC ME team to help bridge gaps in communication and create a community of support. In addition to dedicating her time to Medical Education, Samantha enjoys being a tourist in her own city of Pittsburgh. While not from Pittsburgh originally, Samantha and her husband Anthony, have produced to “Pittsburghers” and loves showing Gino (4) and Cecilia (3) all that the city has to offer. She’s also known for trying to create a mini-homestead in her free time and can be found chopping fire wood or tending to her plants. Region IV Representative Willie Braziel, BSc, HA - HealthPartners Institute for Education & Research ApproveRejectAbstainWrite In Willie R. Braziel holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Administration degree and has been in the field of EMS and health care administration since 1980. He has been a Operations Manager of Graduate Medical Education since 1991, first at HCMC and more recently at Regions Hospital. His tenure with Hennepin County included two years as Clinic Operations Director at Pilot City Health Center, one of Minneapolis’ busiest clinics. Currently, Mr. Braziel is the Manager of Graduate Medical Education Operations at Regions Hospital. He is the proud father of 3 Lena, William, Tyrah all adults and 3 grandchildren, I am married to Cecily Spencer, his wife of 3 years. He has mentored and coached youth for over 28 years. Willie is also the Head Boys basketball coach for Simley High School. Region V Representative Michelle Valdez, MA - SAUSHEC ApproveRejectAbstainWrite In Michelle Valdez, MA, is the Graduate Medical Education Manager at San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium where she is responsible for the oversight of 600 military residents in 33 ACGME accredited programs. Ms. Valdez earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Psychology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She began her career as a Navy Civilian in 2005 and quickly found her niche in Graduate Medical Education. She served as a Residency Program Administrator, Lead Institutional Administrator and GME Department Head in San Diego before assuming her current position as an Army Civilian in 2017. Ms. Valdez is a member of several institutional and regional committees. A champion for process improvement, Ms. Valdez is a LSS Green Belt, and has led GME improvement projects such as streamlining the resident scholarship presentation process. She is also a frequent Institute presenter and and a contributing author to the AHME Guide to Medical Education in the Teaching Hospital. Nominating Committee - Position 1 Nicole Qualls, JD, MPH - Riverside Methodist Hospital ApproveRejectAbstainWrite In Nicole Qualls completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan. She earned a Master of Public Health Degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois. She began her career in medical education at the ACGME wherein she gained detailed knowledge of the program requirements and the accreditation process. Nicole transitioned to institutional accreditation when offered the opportunity to manage the graduate medical education office for what was formerly UT Southwestern Austin. She combined her knowledge of graduate medical education and law creating departmental policies to comply with new requirements and administrative processes. Currently, Nicole is Director of Medical Education at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital where she partners with hospital and physician leadership to create an innovative and verdant learning environment for students, residents and fellows.
