Board of Directors
Emma Harrigan
Board Chair
Senior Consultant, Freedman HealthCare
Emma Harrigan is a Senior Consultant for Freedman HealthCare (FHC), a national consulting firm that helps clients put their health data to work to help them solve complex problems. Emma has nearly 15 years of healthcare policy experience, working with the state and member associations on mental health policy, quality, compliance, systems improvement, emergency preparedness, and data analysis.
Emma is a graduate of the Schreyer Honors College at Pennsylvania State University and holds a Master’s of Science in Psychology from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. She also currently serves as a board member for the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care (VPQHC).
Shawn Burroughs
Board Vice Chair
Chief Information Officer, Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital
Shawn Burroughs brings more than 15 years of health information technology experience to VITL. Currently, as the CIO at NVRH, he oversees all aspects of data aggregation, connectivity, security, and analytics at NVRH in Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom. Burroughs is a key player in NVRH’s strategic plan that includes adopting and implementing innovative technologies in support of high quality health care. He holds an M.B.A. in Healthcare Administration and Management.
James Mauro
Board Secretary
Chief Data Officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont
Mauro is Chief Data Officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, where he focuses on delivering comprehensive data analytics that inform population health and provider reimbursement programs. The team Mauro leads develops analyses to understand the unique needs of populations, which are then used to identify medical cost management and provider network strategies. Mauro works with multiple areas at Blue Cross and Blue Shield from care management, quality improvement, and health and wellness to provider contracting, employer groups, and finance. In addition, he manages the data and analytic applications used to create actionable information from the claims, clinical, pharmacy, and mental health and substance dependence data.
Carrie Hathaway
Board Treasurer
Senior Financial Advisor, Howard Center
Carrie Hathaway is the Senior Financial Advisor at the Howard Center, where she advises on the agency’s $130 million budget supporting mental health, developmental disability, and substance use services. She brings more than 30 years of financial leadership experience across nonprofit, state government, and private-sector organizations. Carrie has served in senior fiscal roles with the State of Vermont, including Director of Fiscal and Administrative Operations for the Department of Vermont Health Access, where she managed a $1.2 billion budget and produced highly regarded budget documentation for the Legislature. She also served as Finance Director for the former Department of Developmental and Mental Health Services. Carrie holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Trinity College of Vermont.
Norman Ward, MD
Medical Director for Accountable Care Services, UVM Medical Center
Norman Ward, M.D. is the Medical Director for Accountable Care Services at the University of Vermont Medical Center. He is a graduate of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He did his Family Medicine residency in Rochester, NY at the University of Rochester/Highland Hospital Family Medicine Program and served a two year National Health Service Corps obligation in Georgia. Dr. Ward is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the Robert Larner, M.D. College Of Medicine at The University of Vermont since 1987. He continues to see patients at South Burlington Family Practice. In his current role at OneCare, he is focused on effectively educating Vermont’s hospitals and providers about “value-based” health reforms, integrating community continuum of care providers with the traditional medical community, and increasing patient and family engagement. He is past President of the Vermont Medical Society and the Fletcher Allen Medical Staff. Dr. Ward completed the Dartmouth Masters of Health Care Delivery Science program in 2015.
Rick Hildebrant, MD, MBA
Commissioner of Health, Vermont Department of Health
Dr. Rick Hildebrant was appointed Commissioner of Health by Governor Phil Scott and began service on October 13, 2025. Before his appointment, he served in several leadership roles at Rutland Regional Medical Center, including Chief Medical Information Officer, Chair of Medicine, and Medical Director of Hospital Medicine. He has also served on multiple boards, including as Chair of the Vermont Board of Medical Practice.
Dr. Hildebrant earned his Doctor of Medicine from Drexel University College of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst Isenberg School of Management. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine.
As a practicing internal medicine hospitalist, Dr. Hildebrant has seen firsthand how social and environmental factors shape the health of Vermonters. This experience led him to pursue population health initiatives that address the broader needs of patients and communities. He is inspired by the collaborative work of nurses, public health professionals, administrators, allied health staff, policymakers, and physicians who share the goal of improving the health of Vermont communities.
As an experienced physician leader, Dr. Hildebrant has seen how science, technology and strong relationships can be leveraged to improve health outcomes. He is committed to advancing Vermont’s public health priorities through data-driven decision-making, cross-sector collaboration, and evidence-based policy. He is honored to lead the talented team at the Department of Health to ensure Vermont remains among the healthiest states in the nation.
Sarah Lindberg
Senior Data Science Consultant, Freedman HealthCare
Sarah Lindberg serves as a Senior Data Science Consultant for Freedman HealthCare (FHC), a national consulting firm that helps clients put their health data to work to help them solve complex problems. Sarah is an unabashed data geek with over fifteen years of experience working with health data. Before joining FHC, Sarah spent over 13 years working for the State of Vermont, including over 6 years with the Green Mountain Care Board, where she spent over 5 years managing the state’s health care database, which includes Vermont’s All-Payer Claims Database (VHCURES) and its hospital discharge data set (VUHHDS). Sarah holds a master’s degree in statistics from the University of Vermont, as well as a bachelor of arts degree in psychology and legal studies from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.
Steven Cummings, BSN, MBA
Chief Information Officer, Brattleboro Retreat
Steve Cummings joined the Brattleboro Retreat as Chief Information Officer in July 2023 as a shared executive resource with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. He became President and CEO of the Retreat in March 2024. He is a graduate of Boston University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. He worked as a RN on an inpatient Neuro and Pulmonary unit and then in intensive care over seven years. Steve went on to earn an MBA from Babson College with a focus on information systems. Steve has spent more than 30 years working in healthcare information systems at various health systems including Boston area academic medical centers and community hospitals, consulting firms and electronic health record vendors. He was involved with the early development of provider order communications systems at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. He has lead consulting engagements across the USA and Canada for EHR selections and implementation as well as information technology infrastructure (INFRAM) assessments and strategic planning.
Prior to joining the Retreat, Steve served at the executive leadership level as CIO and VP of Operations at two other health systems where he was responsible for departments including IT, Lab, Pharmacy, Radiology, Nutrition and Food Services, Plant Services and Security. At the Retreat he oversaw the successful implementation of a new EHR, optimization of service lines and build out of the executive team.
Trey Dobson
Emergency Medicine Physician, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
Asst. Prof. of Emergency Medicine, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine
Trey Dobson, MD, is an emergency medicine physician with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. He served as Chief Medical Officer and VP of Clinical Services of Southwestern Vermont Medical Center for 14 years and is a former member of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Board of Trustees.
Dr. Dobson’s career centers on advancing healthcare through quality improvement, high-reliability systems, and effective clinical leadership. He is a past president of the Vermont Medical Society, currently serves on its Governance Council, and conducts physician peer reviews for the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care.
Before pursuing medicine, Dr. Dobson earned a master’s degree in geology from the University of Wyoming, where he developed groundwater flow models using computational simulation techniques—work that sparked a lasting interest in systems thinking, data, and process design. He received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee and completed residency training in emergency medicine at the University of Virginia.
His professional interests include simplifying and standardizing healthcare processes, applying data-informed approaches to improve reliability and safety, and supporting work environments that promote clinician effectiveness and finding purpose and joy in their profession. Outside of work, he enjoys distance running, bouldering, and time in the mountains.