Leadership

Wil Franklin, MS, LPC, has led the strategic and daily operations at KC CARE since May 2019.

Wil previously served as the Chief Operating Officer of People’s Health Centers’ Family of Corporations, which includes Betty Jean Kerr People’s Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center, serving more than 45,000 patients annually.

As a senior leader, Wil uses his skills of executive leadership, consensus building and strategic planning to create outcome-based models of service that improve overall efficiency, focus on quality and drive the organizational mission forward. More specifically, at People’s Health Centers, Wil centralized IT operations across 11 locations to increase productivity, ensure cyber security and reduce costs. He also initiated an overhaul of the agency’s call center and scheduling functions while dramatically reducing turnover in those positions. As a widely recognized strategic leader in the region, Wil excels at innovating healthcare solutions to improve services for those living without adequate medical care.

Wil also served as the Chief Program Officer at the St. Louis Integrated Health Network, was an adjunct faculty member in the psychology department at Saint Louis University, and directed the Family Mental Health Collaborative with Jewish Family and Children’s Services. He has also provided consulting services to various healthcare and philanthropic entities.

Dennis Dunmyer, BBA, MSW, JD, graduated cum laude, from Widener University School of Law in 2003 with his Juris Doctor degree and from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice in 2005 with a Master’s degree in Social Work. He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from James Madison University. He has over 17 years of experience working in the non-profit sector. Prior to joining KC CARE in 2009, Dennis was the Manager of Admissions for Marillac Children’s Psychiatric Hospital and Residential Center. Prior to service in his current role at KC CARE, Dennis served in two clinic management positions, starting as a Manager of HIV Case Management and then Manager of Behavioral Health. He is the co-chair of the Kansas City Regional Community Health Worker Stakeholder Committee, sits on the Community Health Worker Advisory Committee to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, is the Program Director on four federal grants, was named the 2014 Health Advocate of the Year by the Missouri Health Advocacy Alliance, and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Kansas and Missouri. Dennis is responsible for all community services at the clinic – including care coordination, case management, education, and prevention services. During the last five years, Dennis has built and implemented the Community Health Worker Program at KC CARE while dedicating time and effort to developing community-wide infrastructure for the program, such as training and education, state-wide advocacy, and community awareness.

Email: dennisd@kccare.org

Phone:

George A Barreto, CPA, received his Bachelor’s in Accounting from the University of Missouri – Kansas City in 1997. He has 19 years of accounting and business consulting experience. George joined KC CARE in September 2016 as the Vice President of Finance. He comes to KC CARE with experience as a Controller of a Medical Center and a Federally Qualified Health Center.

Dr. Craig Dietz , DO, MPH, FACOI, AAHIVS, has been with KC CARE since 2004, beginning as a volunteer in 2003. Dr. Dietz is board-certified in both internal medicine and HIV medicine. At the health center, he oversees clinical outcomes of programs. Dr. Dietz provides direct patient care with an emphasis in Primary Care, HIV Medicine, LGBT Health Care, Hepatitis C and HIV Prevention (PrEP). He serves as a clinical assistant professor of internal medicine for the KU Internal Medicine Residency program, KCUMB and UMKC School of Pharmacy. Dr. Dietz has been active in the area of research and has several published papers and is the principal investigator for all of the Clinical Trials conducted at KC CARE.

Dr. Dietz is from Pratt, Kansas and received a Bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences from Kansas State University. He received his Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Dietz developed an interest in HIV and Public Health during his residency training at one of the Michigan State University hospitals in inner city Detroit and he received a Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis on community health, underserved populations, and healthcare safety net and administration from the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Dietz is an active member of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA).

Teresa A. Mathis, RN, MSN, MBA joined KC CARE staff in September of 2016 with 25 years’ experience in the healthcare field. She graduated from Kansas Wesleyan University in 1992 with a nursing degree, and in 2010 completed a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Nursing Administration from the University of Mary. She has served in many roles and capacities throughout the 25 years in the healthcare field that included the opening and serving as the administrator of a new psychiatric hospital, serving in the role of Quality/Risk Management at several healthcare facilities, and most recently as the Administrator of the Medical/Dental program at a local detention center providing care to many of the communities underserved and uninsured. She will be responsible for the clinical services in her new role at KC CARE.

Dr. Leslie Hardin (she/her) joined KC CARE Health Center on September 1, 2022. Dr. Hardin brings over 18 years of human resources experience with the last 15 years in the public higher education arena. Dr. Hardin joins us from Johnson County Community College where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer / VP for Human Resources where she has focused on strategic change initiatives. Dr. Hardin received her undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina and her graduate degrees from Walden University. During her free time, Dr. Hardin and her wife enjoy spending time with their menagerie of dogs and alpacas and run a non-profit dachshund rescue that serves multiple communities across several states.

Doug Day graduated with a Public Relations degree from William Jewell College, then joined the staff of MMG Worldwide (now MMGY Global), the world’s largest integrated marketing firm serving the hospitality and travel industry. During his 16-year tenure, he was the Vice President of the Field Marketing division, generating company revenue and expanding client relationships through direct sales, product marketing campaigns, major account acquisitions, and innovative online solutions.

More recently, Doug served eight years as the Executive Pastor of a local congregation where he revitalized the church’s brand marketing and community engagement efforts. While directing daily operations and managing strategic initiatives, Doug recruited and led passionate teams of volunteers to affect positive changes in their neighborhoods. Community gardens, urban daycare facilities and local education centers received substantial incremental support through his initiatives.

He serves on the board of directors for AFPKC, the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Greater Kansas City, as the Marketing co-chair and is a contributing member of the William Jewell College Board of Governors.

His background in growth-oriented marketing, nonprofit leadership and commitment to mission-oriented causes drew him to the KC CARE.

Email: dougd@kccare.org

Phone:

Dr. Kamile Johnson is the Vice President of Pharmacy Services. She comes to KC CARE with 10 years pharmacy experience as a community pharmacist. She attended college at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude, earning a bachelor of science in Biology in 2002 and a doctorate of Pharmacy in 2007. At the University of Pittsburgh, she received a full paid scholarship from Merck and the United Negro College fund, resulting in a two-year internship at Merck and a room dedicated in her name at the University of Pittsburgh, “The Kamile Whiter Study Lounge.” After completing her biology degree, she worked as a lab technician at the Hillman Cancer Center, which encouraged her to pursue a career in pharmacy. Throughout pharmacy school she worked as a pharmacy intern at a local retail grocery store and helped launch a free medication program with a local health clinic. As an intern with Walgreens in Phoenix, Ariz., she helped launch the FlavoRx program. These experiences solidified her career path to becoming a community pharmacist. After graduating in 2007, Dr. Johnson moved to Kansas City, Mo., to start her career at Walgreens. She learned all essential roles and responsibilities of a community pharmacist and later became the registered store manager of Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy. Here, she managed a multimillion dollar business specializing in HIV, organ transplant, oncology, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and growth hormone. This opportunity allowed Dr. Johnson to be on the cutting edge of bringing specialty pharmacy to the local retail community. Dr. Johnson joined what was then Kansas City CARE Clinic in 2016, establishing a full-service, in-house pharmacy offering dispensing and patient assistance programs and assisting with policy and procedures to increase patient access to medication. Dr. Johnson worked closely with KC CARE for many years while at Walgreens Specialty, offering services to KC CARE’s HIV patients. It was always her desire to work directly at KC CARE. As KC CARE received FQHC status and pursued pharmacy services, the timing was perfect for Dr. Johnson to make a transition in her career. She is greatly honored and humbled to be given this opportunity.

Corinne Kritikos, LMSW, graduated in 2009 from Loyola University Chicago with her master’s in Social Work, with a concentration in Leadership Development in the Social Services. She also holds bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Psychology from the University of Kansas. She has over 12 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, including work in youth development, community schools, and academia. Prior to her current role, Corinne served in different capacities at KC CARE, first as a grant writer, then moving to director of HIV Case Management, and finally to Vice President of HIV Services. As the Vice President of Organizational Effectiveness, Corinne serves as an internal consultant to spearhead change management initiatives, identify and solve organizational challenges, and align the organization around KC CARE’s strategic priorities.

• Vice President of Training & Staff Development
• Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Spelman College, a historically black women’s college in Atlanta, GA
• Master’s Degree in Education from Lesley University
• Professional Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Missouri—Kansas City
• ATD Master Trainer Certificate through the Association for Talent Development
• 9 years at KC CARE, 10 in January 2022
• Background in education, adolescent development, HIV prevention and care, and nonprofit management. Former middle school teacher and school leader.
• Fun facts: Tusday loves to travel internationally. She has a partner, bonus daughter, two brothers, and four nieces and nephews.

Tusday transitioned from traditional education to public health education, specifically sex education for young people because she saw that sex and issues of sexuality were one of the key distractions for her middle school students and nobody was addressing it in a real way. This desire led her to KC CARE where she worked as a member of the Prevention Team leading health education programs for women with HIV and underserved youth. Tusday continued to hone her education and training skills by transitioning to another role within KC CARE, Training Coordinator for the Midwest AIDS Training and Education Center of Missouri (MATEC), which is a federal program (Ryan White Part F) and grant housed at KC CARE. This role ultimately led to Tusday leading MATEC as Program Director in 2017, a dual position she holds in addition to her role as Vice President of Training & Staff Development. As Program Director, Tusday leads MATEC’s strategy for educating healthcare professionals in Missouri on HIV/AIDS.

As VP of Training & Staff Development, Tusday is committed to implementing policies and initiatives to increase the leadership capacity of all staff at KC CARE, especially KC CARE’s supervisors. Tusday envisions a health center where all staff are provided with the training, professional development, and support they need from their first day of employment to their last.

Email: tusdayd@kccare.org

Phone:

Dr. Kristine Cody is the Vice President of Oral Health Services at KC CARE. She has more than ten years of dental experience and loves her patients and being a dentist. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology with honors from the University of South Dakota, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. While attending the University of South Dakota, Dr. Cody completed a thesis, performed biomedical research at the School of Medicine, participated in an archeological dig, was an active volunteer, and conducted anthropological research on identical twins. Dr. Cody presented her research on identical twins at an international conference. After graduation, Dr. Cody attended the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and received the prestigious four-year Dental Research Award. While attending the College of Dentistry, Dr. Cody continued her passion for research and service. Dr. Cody was active in volunteering and initiated student volunteering at a local free health clinic. Dr. Cody also conducted research pertaining to the oral health care of residents living with dementia in long-term health care facilities. Dr. Cody was recognized for her efforts at graduation receiving both the Public Health Dentistry Award and the Dr. Joel Huth Award for Special Care Dentistry. Following graduation, Dr. Cody moved to the border area of South Texas, where she served the community at a Federally Qualified Health Center for many years. Dr. Cody not only expanded her clinical skills while working in South Texas but also expanded her communication skills by learning dental Spanish. She also served for several years as an adjunct professor for the now-University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Cody also has experience as a Chief Dental Officer at a detention facility and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dental Public Health. Dr. Cody’s passion is expanding access to care and providing person-centered care, which is a central part of KC CARE's mission. Dr. Cody is honored and excited to be part of the KC CARE leadership team and looks forward to serving her patients and the community.

Email: kristinec@kccare.org

Phone:

Carole Thomas, BA, RN, MCSE, joined KC CARE Health Center in 2022 as VP of Clinical Operations after working in the Healthcare Information Technology industry for 20+ years. Her responsibilities include the oversight of nursing and patient care in, dental, behavioral health, Primary Care and Specialty Care areas for all four KC CARE locations.

Carole studied at the University of Missouri – Columbia, Park University and Avila University. She received her Nursing Diploma from St. Luke’s College of Nursing. Carole began her nursing career as a nurse tech and then staff nurse at Truman Medical Center – Hospital Hill where she later advanced to Nurse Manager and Project Director. She was also the developer and Project Director of the Medicare Skilled Nursing Unit at Hospital Hill. After leaving TMC, Carole furthered her career in Nursing Leadership as a Director of Nursing in Long Term Care/Skilled Rehab as well as Director of Nursing in a large Continuing Care Retirement Community in the Kansas City midtown area. From there, she developed an interest in Primary Care and became a Director of Nursing in a Primary Care clinic locally.

Carole became interested in the emerging industry of Information Technology for Healthcare. She decided to pursue a Microsoft Certified System Engineer course at National American University with the intention of applying that knowledge to her healthcare career. After completing her course of study and obtaining her certification, Carole applied her new skills to the electronic health record industry where she began her career locally at Cerner Corporation, an industry leader in the EHR world.

During this phase of her career, Carole implemented EMR solutions in hospitals and health systems in the US and internationally, providing direction and support as an Implementation Consultant, Nurse Consultant, Physician Documentation Consultant, CPOE Implementation consultant and Practice Director, managing resources during the implementation phase of projects. She ended this phase of her career at Netsmart Technologies which is also an industry leader in EHR solutions for Behavioral Health.

Carole has always had a longing to return to direct patient care and feels it was a “stroke of luck” to have found an opportunity to return to this integral part of healthcare through KC CARE.

Carole is actively involved in the Kansas City Community. She was the founding Vice President of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association and remains a member today. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She is actively engaged as a volunteer with The Whole Person, Harvester’s and Giving the Basics. Recently, Carole also became a volunteer with the Medical Reserve Corp. of Jackson County and since the beginning of the pandemic, she has been using her free time as a volunteer and can frequently be found performing COVID-19 vaccines at various locations and events throughout the Greater Kansas City Metro area.

Email: carolet@kccare.org

Phone: