Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors provides strong strategic leadership and high level oversight to our organization. In addition, our Board of Directors is committed to doing what is right and best at all times for the patients and families we serve.
The Providence Community Health Centers is governed by a Board of Directors.
More than half the board members are patients of the health centers.
Michael Cancilliere, MA, MBA, Board Chairman
Michael Cancilliere is President & CEO of CO-OP | Cooperative Production Inc., which provides a wide range of clinical resources to people with disabilities. Those services include nursing and healthcare; occupational, physical, and speech therapies; counseling and behavioral support; and assistive technology to help ensure the greatest level of personal fulfillment and community participation possible.
He previously served as the Executive Director for Massachusetts programs at Meeting Street. Michael holds his Bachelor’s in Psychology and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island. He is also a licensed Mental Health Counselor.
“I am proud to be part of the Board of Directors at PCHC as I have always believed in the right for all children and families to have access to high quality healthcare. Supporting communities is one of the best ways we can ensure that all people are treated with dignity and respect. This is an ideal that PCHC embodies at every phase of care from expert providers, state of the art facilities and partnerships, committed leadership, and a strong relationship with the patients we serve. I look forward to helping PCHC navigate the changing healthcare landscape and working to ensure that excellent care is available to all members of our communities.”
e serve. I look forward to helping PCHC navigate the changing Healthcare landscape and working to ensure that excellent care is available to all members of our communities.”
Amber Bichun, Vice Chair
Amber Bichun is a partner in Citrin Cooperman’s Providence office with more than 10 years of experience in public accounting. Amber works with clients in the healthcare (including skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and Federally Qualified Health Centers), not-for-profit, and employee benefit plan industries to provide financial statement audits and other services. Amber has experience in federal regulatory reporting and compliance requirements, including Uniform Guidance, HUD regulatory reporting, Uniform Financial Reporting, Medicare and Medicaid cost reports, and Federal Form 990. Amber is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Massachusetts. She graduated from Nichols College, where she earned a Master of Business Administration, and a double Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance.
“I am honored to be part of the Board of Directors at PCHC as I have always had a passion for healthcare and believe that all members of society should have access to quality healthcare. I look forward to helping PCHC navigate the changing Healthcare landscape and working to ensure that excellent care is available to all members of our communities.”
Meghan Hopkins, Esq., Board Secretary
Meghan Hopkins is an associate attorney in the healthcare group at Nixon Peabody LLP. Meghan represents healthcare and general corporate clients in various regulatory and operational matters. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Meghan spent a year clerking at the Rhode Island Supreme Court for now-retired Justice Gilbert Indeglia. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Roger Williams University School of Law and also graduated cum laude with a B.A. from University of Connecticut. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of McAuley Ministries.
Rafael Yepez, Treasurer
Rafael Yepez is Executive Director in Commercial Banking for the Southern New England Middle Market banking team at JPMorgan Chase & Co. He brings more than 20 years of banking and finance experience to the Providence Community Health Centers board. He has served in leadership and board positions on several non-profit organizations including Progreso Latino, Tockwotten Home on the Waterfront, Southside Community Land Trust, and the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island. Rafael is fluent in Spanish.
Byron Monge, Board Member
Byron Monge is an experienced business analyst and project manager who works for the Providence Department of Public Safety. In this position, he provides project management and technical implementation of solutions to support the Providence Public Safety Department’s applications, and public safety. He brings more than 25 years of project management, business planning and analysis to the Providence Community Health Centers board. Byron has a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Rhode Island College.
Cassandra Feeney, Esq., Board Member
Cassandra Feeney is a trial attorney and Principal of Hamel, Waxler, Allen & Collins, representing clients in both state and federal courts in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, as well as before administrative and licensing boards. Cassandra specializes her practice in medical-malpractice defense, premises liability, toxic-tort claims, employment law, and education law. Previously, Cassandra served as a Rhode Island Supreme Court Law Clerk for the Honorable Francis X. Flaherty, as well as the Rhode Island Supreme Court Law Clerk Department. In addition, to her work on the PCHC board, Cassandra is a member of the Roger Williams University School of Law’s Pro Bono Collaborative Advisory Committee. Cassandra received her BA from University of Rhode Island, and her JD from New England School of Law in Boston. Cassandra hails from Minnesota and now is happy to call Rhode Island home.
“It is an honor to have an opportunity to make a positive difference for patients and the services provided. When an opportunity arose to join the PCHC board and serve the mission to provide high-quality and accessible medical care to patients, who might otherwise go without care, it was something I was eager to do.”
Christina Zanfagna, Board Member
Christina Zanfagna has been a patient at PCHC since 1977 and a Board member since 1995. She served her first ten years on the board as the Board Chair.
“I’m a life long resident of Providence and at 16 years old I started working in a local jewelry factory and at 28 years old I contracted a lung disease from the factory fumes and became extremely sick. Dr. Block, a very young doctor and new to PCHC at the time, recognized my symptoms and saved my life! I have been blessed to be part of the PCHC family ever since. As a patient and a board member, what I appreciate most about PCHC is that everyone is treated with respect.”
J. Russell Corcoran MD, FACP, Board Member
J. Russell Corcoran MD, FACP, is an internist and geriatrician who has a medical acupuncture practice in Narragansett. He is Medical Director of the HopeHealth Hospice & Palliative Care home care team serving patients in the southern half of Rhode Island. He has held numerous physician leadership positions during his career including as Chief Medical Officer at South County Health. Dr. Corcoran graduated from Medical School at Georgetown University and completed his residency at the Brown Program at Rhode Island Hospital. He has expertise in geriatrics, hospice, pain control, medical acupuncture, care of special needs patients, and Patient Centered Medical Homes.
N. Joseph Espat, MD, MS, FACS
N. Joseph Espat, MD, MS, FACS, is Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Director of the Cancer Center at Roger Williams Medical Center. A Professor of Surgery and Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs at Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. Espat focuses his practice on Hepatobiliary and Surgical Oncology. Dr. Espat completed a Surgical Oncology/Hepatobiliary fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He completed residency and medical school at University of Florida College of Medicine. Dr. Espat is a committee member for several National Societies and is on the Editorial and/or Review Board of 20 Journals.
Patricia Harmon, RN, BSN, MM, CPHRM, Board Member
Patricia Harmon serves as a Risk Control Consulting Director at CNA Insurance, providing analysis of professional liability risks and development of risk mitigation strategies for insured clients. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from the University of Rhode Island and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Management from Cambridge College in Boston, Massachusetts. Her clinical background includes medical-surgical, dialysis, obstetrics, physician office practice and pediatric nursing.
Prior to joining CNA in 2015, Patricia worked for a large academic health system in various roles providing clinical risk management, risk control and claims management services for the system’s captive insurance company. She also maintains the designation of Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management from the American Hospital Association.
Richard Hemphill, Board Member
Richard Hemphill is a longtime community leader who has been served as president of the Silver Lake/Olneyville Little league for more than a decade. Richard served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 15 years, achieving the rank of sergeant.
As an instructor with the Marine Corps Leadership Academy, he taught courses on Leadership, History, Customs and Courtesy. He has worked in a number of industries during his career including the service industry, building facilities, and corrections.
Wendy Thomas, Board Member
Wendy Thomas has been a member of the Board since 2010 and a patient with PCHC since 2008. At that time, a house-fire had left Wendy homeless and she found PCHC when looking for a primary care doctor. Wendy is no longer homeless and now spends most of her time giving back and advocating for those in need in the Providence community.
“Being a member of the Board helps me to give back to PCHC. Because of my experience with homelessness, I consider myself the “homeless advocate” on the board. During my years as a patient here, I have had very good primary care doctors. I find the providers at PCHC want to do what’s right for those in need, people who can’t afford healthcare otherwise. “
Benjamin Miccinello, Board Member
Benjamin Miccinello is an experienced leader in the food services industry with more than 15 years of experience in healthcare, fine dining, and consultancy, specializing in cost analysis, team development, and system optimization. Throughout his career, Benjamin has been passionate about driving innovation, enhancing workplace culture, and delivering measurable results through strategic vision and hands-on leadership. Along with his leadership positions directing food and nutrition programs in a variety of healthcare settings, Benjamin founded the restaurant and food service consultancy DOUGH LLC more than a decade ago. The company specializes in food cost analysis, marketing research, strategy development, employee hiring, training, and retention.
Patti Osborne, Board Member
Patti Osborne is a teacher at Blackstone Valley Preparatory School in Cumberland. She previously taught general education at the elementary level as well as drama in Montessori, private, and performing arts schools and programs in Dallas, Texas. She received a Master of Education from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and a Bachelor of Applied Arts & Sciences from University of North Texas. She has taught in other Rhode Island school districts including Providence and Barrington. Patti was a featured presenter at the National Conference on Magnet Schools in 2023 and was awarded the Distinguished Teacher Recognition for several consecutive years. Prior to teaching, Patti ran her own non-profit theater company in Dallas for ten years, serving as the executive producer and a board member for Our Endeavors Theater Collective.
Wilson O. Villamar, M Div., Board Member
Wilson O. Villamar, M Div., has served the community in a variety of ministerial and religious roles for more than 30 years. Since 2006, he has served as a chaplain in a variety of health care settings including hospitals, palliative care and hospice, oncology, and maternity wards. He has also provided ministry services in churches and prisons.
Wilson currently provides spiritual care at Roger Williams Medical Center full time and is also a per-diem hospice spiritual care provider. He has been certified by the National Association of Catholic Chaplains since 2010.
Wilson has held a number of volunteer roles in his career including his current service as a Member at Large of the Board of Directors of Tatenda International and as co-chair for Grupo Esperanza of the Latino Cancer Survivors Task Force of Rhode Island. He is a graduate of the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, now known as the Boston College School of Theology & Ministry.