To learn more about the projects our team works on, check out the OeHI Projects tab on the main menu!
Stephanie Pugliese, Director
As the Director of OeHI, Stephanie leads the strategic planning, partnerships, and funding for the Office in collaboration with the eHealth Commission. She is passionate about leveraging data and technological capabilities to improve individual and public health. Prior to joining OeHI as the State Health IT Coordinator in 2020, Stephanie served as an Operations Advisor for the Governor's Office, where she led the training and implementation efforts for the state in Agile methodology. Previously, Stephanie was a Public Health Investigator for the City and County of Denver, where she led inspections and compliance for food safety. She holds a Master of Public Health from CSU and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Hanover College.
Fun Fact: Stephanie lived and taught English in Taiwan for a year and still misses the food and culture of that incredible home-away-from-home.
Karen Shimamoto, Deputy Director
As OeHI’s Deputy Director, Karen provides strategic management and alignment across Colorado’s Health IT Roadmap projects, operations and initiatives as well as managing support on OeHI contracts and budgeting pieces. Karen is passionate about health equity, especially increasing access to healthcare and health outcomes for all Coloradoans. Prior to joining OeHI, Karen spent a decade at CU Boulder in the student success and social justice spaces and then 5 years in the telemedicine space at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, developing and managing public health and clinical learning opportunities for healthcare professionals across the state. She holds a Master of Public Health from the Colorado School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Fun Fact: Born and raised in Colorado, Karen has never been skiing or snowboarding, but loves participating in all the other outdoor activities that Colorado has to offer.
Bianca Melancon, Operations and Special Projects Coordinator
As OeHI’s Operations and Special Projects Coordinator, Bianca is responsible for providing operational support to the OeHI team, including, but not limited to, administrative support to the Director of OeHI, budget and communication for the OeHI team, scheduling travel for the team, and acting as a liaison between OeHI and applicable state agencies. Before joining the OeHI team, she worked in the mental/behavioral health field for seven years and saw firsthand the disparities in healthcare in Colorado and other states. Bianca holds a Bachelor’s in Psychology with a minor in Child and Family studies, is Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified, and is working towards her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Fun Fact: Bianca has lived in Colorado with her spouse and Goldendoodle, Oliver for three years. They moved from Louisiana, hence the Cajun French last name Melancon, pronounced muh-lahn-saw.
Michel Jurica, Contract Manager
As the OeHI Contract Manager, Michel serves as a resource for budgetary and contractual matters for OeHI initiatives. Her expertise is enriched by previous roles with CDPHE and as an Operations/General Manager for an Alaskan Native Corporation, where she managed government IT contracts nationwide. Michel’s academic background includes both a BA and MBA in Business Administration from the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
Fun Fact: Michel lived in Japan for 8 years and loves to make sushi.
Karen Haneke, Data Governance Sr. Project Manager
As one of OeHI’s Senior Project Managers, Karen’s work is focused on information/data governance. She has extensive experience in managing health care data and leading large scale IT solution development projects. Karen is passionate about the responsible use of data to improve health for all Coloradans, and making systems better.
Fun Fact: Karen loves adventuring in Colorado and beyond, and gets outdoors at every possible opportunity!
Ashley Heathfield, Telehealth & Digital Inclusion Sr. Project Manager
As one of OeHI's Senior Project Managers, Ashley's work is focused on virtual health and digital equity projects. She is passionate about leveraging technology and partnerships to create a more equitable healthcare landscape, and working collaboratively with local and state partners to decrease health and access disparities. Ashley has almost a decade of public service experience at the state level, and holds a Master of Public Health from Colorado State University and a Bachelors of Social Work from Grand Valley State University.
Fun Fact: Ashley loves to be out on foot, bike, or ski with her partner, daughter, and dog Duke. She enjoys volunteering and playing piano in her spare time.
John Kennedy, Rural Connectivity Sr. Project Manager
As one of OeHI's Senior Project Managers, John's work is focused on Rural Connectivity. He joins OeHI with a background as a HITECH Project Manager with Health Care Policy and Finance's EPMO and brings that expertise to bear on the HIE infrastructure and Rural connectivity. John is passionate about making healthcare available for all Coloradans and bolstering our data infrastructure making it easier for members in rural areas to receive Medicaid services. John has spent many years in various roles in the Military, Private Sector, and State Government serving the public.
Fun Fact: John has a degree in Korean linguistics and spent a portion of his life interrogating and interpreting for the U.S Army.
Gabby Burke, SHIE Sr. Project Manager
As one of OeHI's Senior Project Managers, Gabby's work is focused on technology-driven care coordination and social-health information exchange. She is passionate about all things interoperability and leveraging data and technology to make high quality healthcare more affordable, accessible, and equitable. Gabby has nearly a decade of public sector experience at the state and local levels, and has spent much of her career managing analytics and evaluation projects in public health and human services. She holds a Master of Public Affairs and a BA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fun Fact: Gabby 'minored' in Russian and Soviet Literature - this has come in handy (in pub trivia) more than you'd expect!
Amanda Smith, Dollars to Digitize Grant Sr. Project Manager
As one of OeHI's Senior Project Managers, Amanda's work is focused on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) projects, including the Dollars to Digitize ARPA 6.06 grant program which provides funding for HCBS and behavioral health providers in support of EHR upgrades and digital transformation projects. She is a certified project management professional (PMP) and servant leader with over eight years of project management experience with healthcare technology projects and systems. Amanda is an advocate for healthcare innovation, affordability, equitable access to care, and justice. She holds a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Regis University's Anderson College of Business and Computing, located in Denver, CO.
Fun Fact: Amanda loves the Colorado Rockies and has hiked sixteen "14ers".
Allie McGee, Consent Contractor
As an OeHI Project Manager, Allie’s work is focused on the Consent Management and Information Governance initiatives. She is the Project Lead for OeHI's Consent Management initiative and is responsible for ongoing project management, strategic management, and implementation. Allie is excited about the opportunity to improve patient outcomes by allowing Coloradans to share information with their providers and help those providers paint a picture of whole-person care for their patients. She is passionate about the patient experience because improving the experience for the most impacted patients improves the outcomes for everyone. Allie comes to OeHI with a background in healthcare management and IT. She is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), Scrum Master (CSM), and Product Owner(CSPO) and holds a Master of Healthcare Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Health Studies/Marketing/Management.
Fun Fact: Allie loves to travel, garden, and cook. She enjoys playing video games and curling up with her cats in her spare time.