Contact the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health

Lisa Davis is the Director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health and Outreach Associate Professor Health Policy and Administration at Penn State. Lisa is responsible for the overall direction and leadership of the state office of rural health, including ensuring that the office meets its mission of being a source of networking, coordination, and technical assistance to organizations focused on rural health care delivery; developing and sustaining linkages with state and national partners; and seeking ways to expand the office’s role in enhancing the health status of rural Pennsylvanians.

On the national, state, and university levels, Lisa serves on a wide range of boards of directors, advisory committees, and task forces focused on rural health policy, rural health research, economic development, outreach and education, and vulnerable populations and specific health issues such as oral health and cancer. She has extensive experience in the field of rural health research.

She is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and the James D. Bernstein Mentoring Award from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health; the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Pennsylvania Rural Health Association; and an Award for Individual Contributions to Public Health from the Pennsylvania Public Health Association. The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health received the Award of Merit from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health.

Lisa holds a graduate degree in Health Administration from Penn State and lives in Boalsburg, PA, the birthplace of Memorial Day, with her husband and daughter.

Sandee Kyler, M.S. joined the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health in 2022 and provides leadership support, advocates for rural health issues, and coordinates the Medicare Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex) and Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) in Pennsylvania.

Sandee has worked at Penn State since 1994, providing leadership and management for various units at the university by identifying and securing resources to enhance program initiatives, ensuring quality of deliverables, and assessing the impact and sustainability of activities. She served as the assistant director for the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and the Center for Healthy Children at Penn State where she led decision-making, participated in strategic planning, and identified financial priorities. She was the lead dissemination and implementation scientist at the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness where she provided proactive technical assistance to communities and military personnel implementing evidence-based programs. Sandee has extensive experience in improving the impact of evidence-based programs in real world settings to promote positive youth development, translating and disseminating research to communities, providing education and training, and conducting research on support and services to military families after the sudden loss of a loved one.

Sandee is originally from rural Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania and enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, kayaking, and camping.

Lannette Fetzer is a leading health care professional in Central Pennsylvania with expertise in areas including acute care, home health, rural health care, emergency/pediatric/intensive care nursing, patient advocacy, healthy lifestyle coaching and community health outreach.

Fetzer is a graduate of Mount Aloysius College where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Science in Health and Human Services Administration. She is currently pursuing her Family Nurse Practitioner degree through Clarion University.

In 2009, Fetzer was one of eighteen nurses selected nationally to attend and successfully complete the National Registered Nurse Patient Advocate program. Fetzer was a contributing author for the Visiting Nurses Association of America 2011 Policy and Procedure Manual and authored the chapter on Pediatric Intensive Care for the Nursing textbook, “Clinical Case Studies in Home Health.”

She is an active volunteer for numerous organizations in Central Pennsylvania.

Lannette is joining the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health as the Quality Improvement Coordinator. Her initial responsibilities will include working with the state’s Critical Access Hospitals on quality initiatives within the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program (MBQIP). She also will assume responsibilities for the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) Grant and be involved in rural population health initiatives in Pennsylvania.

Kelly Braun, RDH, MSDH, serves as the rural primary care and integration coordinator at PORH. Kelly leads the office’s technical assistance activities for Rural Health Clinics (RHC) in Pennsylvania. She has completed the National Association of Rural Health Clinic’s Certified Rural Health Clinic Professional program and can offer mock RHC surveys to Pennsylvania’s RHCs. In addition to technical assistance, Kelly focuses on care integration, with a special emphasis on oral health. Kelly implemented in Pennsylvania the DentaQuest Institute-funded (now CareQuest) program, the Medical Oral Expanded Care (MORE Care) Collaborative. This program focused on integrating oral health, specifically the primary and secondary prevention of dental disease, into primary care practice in RHCs.

A Registered Dental Hygienist and a Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioner, Kelly worked in a hospital-based clinical practice prior to coming to PORH. She also serves as the Executive Director of the American Board of Dental Public Health and is an adjunct faculty member for Concorde Career College’s dental hygiene program. Kelly holds an A.S. and a B.S. in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) from the Pennsylvania College of Technology. She obtained an M.S. in Dental Hygiene (MSDH), with an emphasis on education, from the University of Bridgeport in 2013. Kelly completed the National Rural Health Association’s Fellows program in 2021.

Rachel Foster serves as the COVID-19 Program Manager where she develops and implements the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 reduction program through education, outreach, community building, testing, contact tracing and vaccinations in rural Pennsylvania. Rachel has 15+ years of experience working in health care administration, public health, leadership, and nursing. Rachel has served in a number of different leadership and nursing roles in federally qualified health centers, local and state public health departments, K-12 schools, and hospitals.

In 2012, Rachel led Colorado Women’s Wellness Connection Program to receive the CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program‘s top program award in the country for the delivery of outstanding service and quality care to 18,000 underserved women in Colorado.

Rachel holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s Degree in Health Communications from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2017, Rachel graduated from the ULCA Johnson and Johnson Executive Leadership Program in Health Care.
Rachel moved from Colorado to central Pennsylvania in 2021. In her spare time, she enjoys horseback riding, hiking, and being a mom to two young girls.

As the Outreach Coordinator, Karen Burke is responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing creative continuing education programs and managing communications to rural health providers, educators, and advocates. Karen serves on local and state task forces and committees to represent the rural perspective.

Karen has over 30 years of experience in health care, delivering services and education, and fundraising, and development for improved services and access. She brings a diverse perspective to the rural health care challenges and serves as an advocate to address rural health disparities to ensure all Pennsylvania residents have access to affordable, high-quality health care.

Karen holds a B.S. in Health Education from Penn State, and is honored to contribute to the dynamic work of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health to make a lasting difference for the health and safety for those residing in the Commonwealth’s rural communities.

Joni helps agricultural producers and their employees understand and comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Worker Protection Standard (WPS). The program places special emphasis on Plain Sect communities throughout the state and migrant and immigrant farm workers.

Joni offers technical and compliance assistance through:

• on-site visits to farms, orchards, greenhouses, and nurseries;
• presentations at agricultural producer meetings and conferences; and
• the development of safety training materials.

Before joining PORH, Joni worked for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, most recently at the Department of Agriculture on the Spotted Lanternfly team where she provided compliance assistance to businesses within quarantine areas.  She also was a Law Enforcement Ranger for State Parks with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.  These positions allowed Joni to develop strong communication skills and the passion for helping people.

Joni earned a B.S. in Horticulture and Landscape Contracting from Penn State.  She and her husband live in Clearfield and have four adult children.

Laura is responsible for assisting in the development of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health’s annual budget and in planning expenditures. She assists in the development of state, federal, and other funding sources and monitor’s contracts, budget revisions and assists with Penn State budget expenditures policies.

Laura enjoys spending time with her family and watching her daughter play softball & twirl baton in parades.

Chris has over 30 years of experience in health care organizations and education. He brings an applied perspective to many of the health care challenges and policy questions facing the United States. His perspective is informed by previous roles as health portfolio and engagement director for Penn State Outreach, clinical liaison officer for the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, director of special projects for the College of Health and Human Development at Penn State, and as an educator and through a variety of roles in hospitals and other health care organizations. Chris is the co-author of the State Health Improvement Plan 2008-2013 for Pennsylvania, as part of the State’s Healthy People 2020 efforts. He has worked on state agency and health policy plans, independent research projects, and has developed courses and conferences on emerging issues in health care delivery.

Linda has been an Extension Associate through Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences since 2001. She is responsible for project management of the PA AgrAbility Project, coordination of the Northeast Ag Safety and Health Coalition through the Northeast Center, and participates in outreach, evaluation and social media for the Worker Protection Standard through PA Office of Rural Health, Safety in Agriculture for Youth (SAY) Project and Penn State Ag Safety and Health Program.

Linda holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Messiah College, and a master’s degree in Agricultural and Extension Education from Penn State. She lives on a farm in Centre Hall, PA with her husband and son.