Board & Staff

Kerry Hydash is the president and CEO at Family HealthCare Network (FHCN), which operates 41 sites within three counties of California’s Central Valley. FHCN serves more than 221,000 patients and provides over one million visits.

Kerry is a co-founder and member of the Central California Partnership for Health and currently serves on the boards for the California Primary Care Association and the Clinical Mutual Insurance Company.

Prior to working directly in the healthcare field, Kerry worked in public accounting, auditing, and providing financial consulting services to healthcare entities. She holds a senior SHRM certification and has extensive HR experience in the healthcare industry.

Steven has been the president and CEO of Presbyterian Medical Services in Santa Fe, New Mexico, since 2007. He manages and directs operations in rural, frontier, and urban locations that include behavioral health services, native and traditional healing services, children’s services (Headstart and Early Headstart programs), senior services, and a 340B pharmacy program with the goal of improving the health and lives of all people of the Southwest.

Steven is on the board of Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Insights New Mexico, and is the current chair of the New Mexico Primary Care Association. He is also a member of the National FQHC Advisory Group for United Healthcare.

Before being named CEO in March of 2018, Nieves was Vice President of Operations and was responsible for end-to-end operations, patient experience, and quality assurance. Over the last 12 years in Leadership roles, Nieves has been influential in leading organizational change and innovation in Medical, Dental, Optometry, Behavioral Health, and Technology services. In just a short time as CEO of Columbia Basin Health Association, Nieves has led the organization to national recognition for technology and operational excellence, cooperate quality and compliance, and value based contracting performance. Most recently, Columbia Basin Health has been recognized as Best Places to work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare and Employer of the Year and COVID-19 Most Valuable Player by the Stevie Awards. Nieves earned a Master’s in Public Administration and a Masters in Social Work from Eastern Washington University and is a Certified Medical Practice Executive (CMPE).

Parinda is the CEO of River Valley Health, a comprehensive community health center in Tennessee. She joined Cherokee Health Systems (later renamed River Valley Health) in 2002 as Director of Integrated Care, was named Chief Clinical Officer in 2014 and in 2022, she was appointed Chief Executive Officer.

Parinda earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Medicine at Duke University Medical Center.

She serves on several national committees and boards, including the Mental/Behavioral Health Advisory Committee for the Association of American Medical Colleges, the National FQHC Advisory Board for United Healthcare, Board of Directors for Advocates for Community Health (ACH), Board of Directors for Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU), and the AHRQ National Integration Academy Council. She has been awarded the Susan P. Smith Award of Excellence by the Tennessee Primary Care Association, the Don Bloch Award by the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, the Excellence in Education and Teaching award by the Society of Health Psychology, and is a Fellow of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved.

Amanda Pears Kelly is a nationally recognized leader in health policy and a fierce advocate for health care access. As a founding member and CEO of the Association of Community Health Centers (ACH), and in a dual role as CEO of the Association of Clinicians for the Underserved (ACU), she guides organizational strategy, policy, advocacy, and program development to expand access to high-quality care for underserved populations.

With more than 20 years of experience in health policy, Amanda has deep expertise in translating complex federal and state regulations, legislative developments, and emerging policy trends into actionable strategies and tactics to maximize impact for health centers and key stakeholders. She oversees ACH’s advocacy, communications, membership, and programs, leading initiatives that shape healthcare policy and regulatory priorities to positively impact tens of millions of patients across the United States.

Amanda has extensive experience in policy and advocacy leadership, including grassroots campaign development, coalition building, and federal policy analysis. She has held senior roles in government affairs and advocacy at the American Diabetes Association and the National Association of Community Health Centers, where she shaped national health policy initiatives and civic engagement programs.

In addition to her policy work, Amanda is a recognized trainer and technical assistance provider, helping health centers implement policy, workforce, and operational strategies effectively. She has led educational programs supporting clinical workforce recruitment, retention, and resilience, including through ACU’s STAR² Center, which provides widely distributed resources on provider wellness, workforce development, and best practices for serving underserved communities.

Amanda holds a BA in political science from the University of New Hampshire and is a graduate of the Institute for Nonprofit Management and Leadership at Boston University.

Abby has almost 20 years of experience working in the finance and HR space with non-profit organizations. She has extensive knowledge pertaining to budget preparation, conducting financial analysis, preparing financial reports, managing payroll systems, and maintaining accurate financial records for audit. In addition, Abby manages employee relations by providing training and development opportunities. Through her role, she plays a critical part in helping ACH to enhance its quality programming, build capacity, and carry out its mission.

Abby continues to demonstrate a strong understanding of the unique needs of non-profit organizations, and the requirements of balancing a growing organization while ensuring proper risk management and sustainability measures. She is an expert at juggling multiple demands and priorities with grace and poise, while providing an amazing balance of compassion, empathy, and professionalism in all that she does.

Due to her passion for volunteering, she currently serves as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for her local PTA.

Stephanie Krenrich is a government relations and public policy professional with over 20 years of experience, both on Capitol Hill and in the non-profit sector. Stephanie serves as Senior Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs at ACH. In this role, she leads the organization’s government relations and policy activities and works to ensure that health centers have the resources and workforce they need to serve their communities, advance more value-based care, and move toward greater health equity.

Before joining ACH, Stephanie was senior director of federal advocacy at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the non-profit, non-partisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. In this role, she helped lead the organization’s federal relations team and served as lead lobbyist on issues related to access to quality, affordable care. Prior to this, Stephanie served as assistant director of policy and advocacy at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where she was the organization’s lead federal lobbyist, and served in legislative roles for Representatives Lane Evans (D-IL), Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), and Peter Welch (D-VT). Stephanie holds a BA in politics from New York University and an MA in government from John’s Hopkins University.

Sandy brings extensive experience in health communications, marketing, and public affairs to her role at Advocates for Community Health. Before joining ACH, she served as Director of Marketing and Communications at the Society of Defense Financial Management, a Department of Defense (DoD)-created membership organization for federal employees working in national security. There, she led a team in developing and executing comprehensive marketing and public relations strategies, including a full rebrand of the organization, and oversaw the production of both a podcast and a member magazine.

Previously, Sandy was Associate Director of Marketing and Communications for the Geneva Foundation, a nonprofit advancing military medicine within the Military Health System. She led communications initiatives that delivered high-impact marketing solutions to federal partners, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the DoD.

A proud U.S. Army veteran, Sandy served as a broadcast journalist in a public affairs unit, connecting communities to Fort Meade and honing her skills in storytelling and strategic communications. She also spent 13 years in local government as a business development analyst, where she became a recognized and trusted voice on economic development strategies, media relations, and digital communications. In the private sector, Sandy helped position RoosterBio as a global leader in life sciences through targeted marketing and communications campaigns.

Sandy holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from the University of Maryland, is a graduate of Leadership Frederick and the California Institute of the Arts graphic design program, and an alumna of the Department of Defense Information School.

Samantha is combining her decade of experience in nonprofit management and advocacy to her role at ACH. Prior to this role, she focused on human rights advocacy – supporting high-impact projects within Latin America and international campaigns before the United Nations – and diplomatic exchange, managing a portfolio of 30+ countries at Georgetown University’s Youth Ambassadors program. As part of the United States Peace Corps, Samantha led business development initiatives for local entrepreneurs and designed gender inclusion programming, while also visiting 28 of Costa Rica’s 30 national parks in her free time.

Samantha is a ‘Double Duke’ graduate of James Madison University, holding a master’s degree in Public Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. When not wrangling her growing family of rescue animals, Samantha is a passionate artist and loves camping and hiking with her husband.

Before joining ACH, Molly was a director of state technical assistance at the American Health Care Association (AHCA), the leading association representing long-term and post-acute care providers. In her role, she developed a deep expertise in Medicaid and Medicare payment models, regulatory policy analysis, and state advocacy strategies. Prior to joining AHCA, Molly worked as the education and health policy manager at the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), developing materials and providing analysis on state licensure requirements, integrated healthcare settings, and reimbursement requirements. She also led ACA’s state and federal grassroots advocacy campaigns and managed the fundraising efforts and compliance reporting for its Political Action Committee.

Molly began her portfolio in health policy as a legislative aide in former Congressman Bruce Braley’s office, serving as a key contact for a wide range of healthcare organizations, providers, and patient advocacy groups. Before moving to Washington, D.C., Molly was a campaign organizer for several election cycles and worked extensively with community leaders and elected officials. She received her bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Northern Iowa.

Before joining ACH, Amy worked in federal contracting with Abt, leading marketing communications strategies for health, housing and social policy research. In her prior work, she co-directed a health communication research center at the University of Missouri and led communications projects tied to chronic disease prevention, health policy and telehealth, and food insecurity, among others. She earned a Master’s degree in Public Health from Boston University and a Master’s in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College.

She has lived in eight states, Ireland and Cameroon and now calls the Greater Washington, D.C. area home.