VHI's Team

Kyle Russell is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Virginia Health Information (VHI), the non-profit organization which operates the Commonwealth's Health Information Exchange (HIE), Emergency Department Care Coordination Program (EDCCP), All Payer Claims Database (APCD) and several other data collection systems. He joined VHI in 2013 and has previously held roles within the organization overseeing strategic partnerships, analytical reporting and program performance. Prior to joining VHI, Kyle managed revenue cycle operations at Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). He holds a Masters of Science in Decision Analytics and a Bachelors of Science in Finance from Virginia Commonwealth University where he was a Dean's Scholar awardee. He serves as adjunct faculty within the VCU Master of Health Administration (MHA) Program, has been published in several academic journals including Health Affairs and sits on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Health Data Organizations (NAHDO) and Covenant Woods Continuing Care Retirement Community. Kyle lives in Hanover County with his wife, daughter and golden retriever.

Updated: January 2022

Deborah joined VHI in September 1993 shortly after its incorporation. Initially serving as an administrative assistant and now as the Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer, Deborah has seen VHI through many stages and transformations, but it is her dedication to the organization that has kept it steady and strong through the years.

Deborah’s dedication to VHI is fueled by her overall love for the work she does. Her knowledge in the history and work of VHI has allowed her to take a very versatile approach to problem solving and collaboration with not only just the team, but also outside organizations. In her day to day, she oversees the operations and finances of the organization and thoroughly enjoys the diverse workload.
Deborah takes pride in the work she does, recognizing that the data VHI produces often influences the decisions of lawmakers and health care providers.

In Deborah's free time, she retreats to a little piece of paradise outside Farmville to unplug and enjoy nature. Whether she is in her backyard, attending her granddaughter's gymnastics events or staying off the grid in the country, creating memories with her family is where Deborah likes to be when she's not with the VHI family.

Updated: August 2024

Nichole has worn many hats at VHI but the one that she never takes off is “team player.” Nichole is one of VHI’s most tenured employees, having joined the team immediately after receiving her undergraduate degree in 2018. Having started in a support role as an analyst, Nichole was able to see and learn the fundamentals of VHI’s data programs and operations.

Nichole now serves as a VHI leadership member as the Director of Partnerships. The managerial aspects of her role are what keep Nicole motivated, as she values her relationships with her fellow VHI teammates and is held accountable by all her peers. Outside of her dedication to her team, she is an advocate for data education and process improvement. Nicole’s time at VHI has given her a broader perspective of the healthcare industry and has deepened her understanding of and appreciation for all of its stakeholders.

Most of her home life is spent enjoying her husband and golden retriever. Outside of the office, Nichole also enjoys spending time with her parents, six sisters and extended family in Northern Virginia or exploring Richmond.

Updated: September 2024

In her role as the Sr. Director of Programs at VHI, Dawniece leads VHI's data analysis initiatives and shapes our data reporting strategy. She oversees a dedicated team committed to unlocking the power of data, ensuring its effective utilization. She also serves as the primary point of contact for VHI's critical data collection programs fostering essential collaborations with external organizations including the All-Payer Claims Database (APCD) and Patient Level Data (PLD).

Before starting her journey with VHI, Dawniece served as the Director of Strategic Planning and Business Development for VCU Health System. She has a Master of Public Health in Health Management and Policy from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing from Iowa State University.

Outside of her professional endeavors, she cherishes time spent with loved ones, dedicates herself to community volunteer work and channels her creativity through various art forms. Her intellectual curiosity finds its outlet in the pages of nonfiction books and in the world of history through engaging podcasts. And in her free time she enjoys taking leisurely walks through her charming Petersburg neighborhood with her husband.

Updated: August 2024

Nicole came to VHI in 2020 with a strong background in healthcare accounting, having previously worked for a national healthcare company. She now serves as the Senior Healthcare Accountant for VHI where she is responsible for reviewing financials and creating industry reports for the EPICS, which deals with the collection of financial data from healthcare parent companies and their facilities including hospitals and nursing homes.

As you can imagine, her day to day is full of various softwares and programs such as Tableau, SQL and RStudio. Nicole’s time at VHI has taught her that she is an adaptable independent worker, able to take on and learn new things. Though most of her work is in reporting, she believes an aspect of the healthcare industry that could use a refresh are the reporting systems, to better it for the end user and user in general.

Nicole describes herself as naturally motivated which comes in handy during her day to day. Outside of her chasing down data for her reports, you can find her chasing down her two young daughters and enjoying family vacations.

“I like to leave things better than I found them.”

Updated: September 2024

Christi Beasley joined VHI in July 2023 as Operations Manager and is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the office and its various departments. In July 2024, Christi was promoted to HR & Operations Manager.

Prior to working for VHI, Christi spent 27 years in public education serving in various roles including teacher, assistant principal, principal and human resources director. Christi attended Longwood College and received her Bachelors of Science in Sociology/Elementary Education and her Masters of Science in Administration and Supervision.

Originally from the Richmond area, Christi has lived in the Northern Neck the past 27 years. In addition to working for VHI, Christi works at a local winery as well as a local frame shop. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, fishing and spending time with family and friends.


Updated: August 2024

Brittany joined VHI in April 2020 following her graduation from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Technology and a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management. Brittany completed her Master of Health Administration (MHA) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Mary Baldwin University in May 2024. Having grown up in a small, agricultural community, Brittany brings to VHI a love for rural healthcare and the people it serves. She is excited about the impact that VHI’s data and information has on rural health consumers and facilities across the state.

As a VHI Program Manager, she works primarily with the data collection, quality and publication of efficiency and productivity information, annual licensure utilization data and prescription drug price transparency data. In this role, Brittany interacts and builds relationships with 650+ licensed healthcare facilities and 450+ pharmaceutical organizations operating in Virginia. This information is collected through a variety of reporting programs, all which aim to increase transparency in operations. While at VHI, Brittany wants to continue to improve data collection and
reporting while continuing to be a better asset to the Virginia consumer.

Outside of work, you can find Brittany spending time with her friends and family in her hometown or the Outer Banks.

“I am passionate about rural healthcare and increasing healthcare quality and access for rural residents.”

Updated: August 2024

Marcus started working at VHI in February of 2022 to support the Emergency Department Care Coordination (EDCC) Program and other VHI services. He serves as the primary contact for newly participating organizations in the EDCC Program and helps cultivate relationships across healthcare settings to ensure that VHI's services are providing value to their participants. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from James Madison University and a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management from the University of Virginia. Before starting at VHI, he worked at VCU Health and UVA Health, where he provided project management skills to assist in coordinating process improvement and coordinating different initiatives. He is a published academic writer with projects focusing on e-health and the expansion of different telehealth use cases. Marcus is a Virginia native who comes from Madison County but enjoys all the perks of living in the state capitol with the mountains or the beach only a couple hours away.

Updated: March 2022

Before Hannah's arrival at VHI in 2022, she used her degree in nursing as a Registered Nurse on VCU's Trauma Surgery Unit and before that as a grant manager for a non-profit helping those recently incarcerated to gain access to basic medical and social services such as Medicaid and food stamps.

As VHI’s Community Engagement Specialist, Hannah might be seen onboarding new Emergency Department Care Coordination (EDCC) Program clients as her personal experience translates to examples of how the Program can help therapists and case workers manage their clients or helping the EDCC Program Manager onboard other downstream providers by presenting Program demonstrations.

Hannah genuinely likes to see people get better which inspired her to enter the healthcare field and now it inspires her to become more involved with the many functions of VHI. Outside of work, her life is just as busy as the mom of three little girls, but she and her husband still make time to enjoy themselves by trying new restaurants around the area.


Updated: September 2024

Becca Peterson serves as VHI’s Client Services Specialist, working closely with APCD and PLD subscribers. Becca’s professional experience includes client management and event coordination. In her free time, Becca enjoys hosting dinner parties, traveling and frequenting dog parks with “Waffles,” her Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

Updated: November 2023

VHI is Dylan’s first foray into the healthcare field, but that hasn’t stopped him from being an integral part of the team. Dylan joined the team in 2021 as an Operations Assistant but with a promotion is now a Program Coordinator. In his initial role, Dylan managed a lot of the administrative tasks for the Emergency Department Care Coordination (EDCC), Public Health Reporting Pathway (PRHP), EXCHANGE via eHealth Exchange and Virginia Advanced Healthcare Directive Registry programs by managing the HIE support inboxes, setting up demonstrations and running presentations for VHI’s EDCC Advisory Council and Board meetings.

Dylan continues his administrative tasks while focusing on supporting the PHRP, assisting with the Public Health Reporting technology vendor transition project that started in July 2022, and has helped to redesign the website for VHI’s HIE programs. Though many things are completely new, Dylan says he was inspired to take the role at VHI because he wanted a challenge. Dylan keeps himself motivated by reminding himself that there is always an end goal to every project and by staying consistent in good communication with team members.

Living abroad with his family until he was 18 years old, Dylan does not have a “hometown” in the traditional sense, but considers Yokosuka-shi, Japan, where he was born, to be his hometown. His favorite thing to do in Richmond is enjoy Miyakazi Mondays at the Byrd Theatre during the Winter to watch studio Ghibli movies on the big screen. In his free time, Dylan likes to play tennis, practice mindfulness in a quiet space, discover music from around the globe or read with a fresh cup of coffee or green tea.


Updated: September 2024

Since joining VHI in 2019, Kelly has discovered her passion for service work and working at a nonprofit that has tangible value. As Program Manager at VHI, Kelly provides leadership, structure and support for major projects of the Health Information Exchange (HIE) in Virginia. Kelly has in-depth knowledge of the programs of the HIE including the Public Health Reporting Pathway, Emergency Department Care Coordination Program, the Virginia EXCHANGE and Advance Directive Registry. Due to Kelly's background in software administration, quality assurance and experience in medical laboratories, Kelly provides structure for the HIE and its growth. Kelly is a Certified Cyber Security Architect.

Kelly’s passion to better serve people and do work that has value in the community is what inspired her to take on this role. While she recognizes the many disparities of the healthcare system, Kelly envisions an industry that fully supports the patient--especially those who do not have the access to pertinent necessities.

Kelly cares immensely about the work she does and the value she provides to healthcare providers. She is motivated to make the work she touches better, and that includes the work outside of the office, such as her garden and teaching herself how to do her own manicures and nails. Kelly enjoys spending her free time kayaking, exploring Virginia’s State Parks with her dog and enjoying live music with friends.

Updated: September 2024

Jillian joined VHI in 2016 with a wealth of knowledge in public health having completed her Bachelors in Health, Physical Education and Exercise Science and a Masters in Public Health from Virginia Commonwealth University and Eastern Virginia Medical School, respectively. Jillian onboarded as an Epidemiology Analyst, but through hard work and some promotions later, she is now VHI's Reporting and Analytics Manager.

Jillian handles most requests dependent on two of VHI’s longstanding data products: the Virginia All Payer Claims Database (APCD) and Patient Level Data (PLD). By using the Virginia APCD and PLD, Jillian creates much needed reports and dashboards that support outside clients, such as the Virginia Center for Health Innovation. It is with those dashboards that projects, such as Smarter Care Virginia and the Virginia Health Value Dashboard, are supported and maintained.

Jillian's time at VHI has helped her learn and secure multiple Tableau certifications and helped her expand her soft skills like public speaking and problem solving. In 2022, she was nominated as one Mission Critical’s top 25 women in technology. Jillian's new role as Reporting and Analytics Manager is also exercising new communication and managerial skills.

When Jillian's not creating reports or updating dashboards, you can find her spending time with family or her adopted 2-year old corgi. When she's not in the office, Jillian loves visiting her hometown of Virginia Beach and spending time with her family. She also enjoys playing tennis.

Updated: September 2024