Leadership

Jenna is the president of Abound Health where she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the business. She also works as a direct support staff, most recently providing respite service to an Abound client. She began her career in healthcare investment banking, advising companies in different facets of the healthcare continuum. From there, she joined Goldman Sachs’s principle investing group where she specialized in insurance. Before joining the Abound family, she was the president and general manager of Blue Point Brewing Company, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch. Jenna is a graduate of Hamilton College and holds a MBA from MIT. She lives in Charlotte NC with her family. She loves hiking, reading and attempting to play tennis.

As the CEO of Abound Health, Dennis is responsible for strategy, growth and client success. In addition to his leadership role, Dennis works as a direct support staff, providing weekly services to a long-standing service recipient.

He began his career advising healthcare service and software providers, where he built a deep understanding of our healthcare system. He then went on to cofound and serve as the CEO of a B2B software company that focused on improving the lives of older adults while increasing resident occupancy rates for senior living organizations.

Dennis is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from MIT Sloan. He lives in Charlotte with his wife Christina and their dog, Roger. He loves golden retrievers, Monopoly and the life-long struggles of golf.

Doug has more than 20 years of senior management experience in both the behavioral healthcare and technology fields. He has a solid track record of delivering growth, efficiency and technological evolution to home and community-based service agencies. Prior to joining Abound Health / A Small Miracle, he served as COO of Aym Technologies for 8 years. In that role he led the customer service and implementation teams and managed the daily operation of OnTarget® – a powerful and flexible EHR and business management system designed for small to mid-sized human service providers. Prior to Aym, Doug spent 7 years in leadership roles at Ambleside, a human service organization providing residential living, case management, and day program services throughout North Carolina.

Nicole is an avid developer of talent and a commercially minded, strategic HR leader who has found success driving critical business outcomes through strengthening leaders and their teams. As a compassionate, direct and results oriented coach she will help you not only feel confident in your best practices but also gain fresh perspectives about existing challenges. Sifting through ambiguity is her specialty. She will partner with you to pinpoint the root cause of obstacles and challenge limiting beliefs as you pursue a journey to drive change and outcomes. Nicole has expertise working with both individuals and teams spanning for-profit, not-for-profit and academic organizations. Outside of her professional passions, she has a heart for adventure and can often be found traveling with her family to enjoy great hikes, great music and great food. 

Tisha received her Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Master of Health Administration as a full-time working mom, raising three wonderful children alongside her husband (John). She’s dedicated nearly two decades to healthcare operations and experiences immense joy when supporting others through challenging experiences. Her family is native to North Carolina, and they enjoy dividing their free time between the mountains and the coast. A few of her favorite activities are cuddling cats, visiting wineries, reading sci-fi books, or kayaking on quiet lakes.

With a passion for servant leadership, Raheed has over 20 years of leadership experience in behavioral health, education, and non-profit management. He currently serves as the Director of Advocacy. This position is responsible for data collection/analysis, program development/implementation and communication with various stakeholders to produce positive outcomes and provide quality care for all individuals. As a graduate of Winston-Salem State University Raheed continues to hold true to the moto of “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve.” Raheed lives in the greater Charlotte metro area with his lovely wife, Jennifer and their three children: Makalah, Zoe and Savion.

Jake received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Accounting from Appalachian State University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Manchester.  Jake’s background is largely in global/regional manufacturing solutions and services via Ingersoll Rand and PSI Power and Controls, however his career began in professional financial services at AXA Equitable.  He has a wife of 11 years (Hannah) and 3 kids (1 girl/2 boys).  They are from the Charlotte area and enjoy the closeness of the Appalachian Mountains for family hikes.  Jake also enjoys a good Saturday full of yard work and continually pranking his kids.  One fun fact about him is that he basically has a farm at their house…3 kids, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 5 chickens, honeybees, and during early Covid, they experimented with tadpoles.

As SVP of Clinical Operations for Abound Health, Andrew is responsible for assuring the efficient and effective execution of delivery of services. He has been involved in providing services for people with IDD for 25 years in residential and community settings. Andrew holds a Master of Health Sciences degree from Western Carolina University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Mars Hill University. He lives in Hendersonville with his wife and son. He spends most of his free time with his family. He also enjoys hunting, fishing, monster truck rallies, and volunteering in his church and community.

As Eastern Regional Vice President of Clinical Operations, Keri is responsible support, growth and clinical oversight from the Raleigh office to the coast. Keri has been part of the clinical team since 2001 when she started the Raleigh are office. Keri graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of North Carolina and Wilmington. With a desire to support individuals with special needs, Keri provided 1: 1 services for children and adults with IDD and Mental Health diagnosis for over ten years. She has received formal training on several therapeutic approaches such as Discrete Trial Training (Lovaas), Verbal Behavior, Teacch and Relationship Development Intervention (RDI). Keri lives in Raleigh with her husband Patrick, daughter Riley and fashionable Chihuahua, Rocco. She is obsessed with travel and instilling in her daughter a love to learn about different cultures around the world.

Ann Newsome, VP of Clinical Compliance, manages the administrative and clinical compliance requirements for the organization.  Employed by A Small Miracle in November 1998, Ann started as a Qualified Professional when the organization served less than 40 people.  Due to the company’s growth and expansion, her position changed to Program Director then into role of Vice-President.  Living by her values and commitment to serving people with I/DD, Ann has been involved with Special Olympics, Mayor’s Council on Disabilities, O’Berry Center Foundation Board of Directors and spearheaded the project to making the NC Project Lifesaver available to Wayne County residents. Family members of people living with I/DD and other cognitive impairments can purchase a tracking bracelet and that reduces the amount of time searching for their loved one if they wander from home.  Traveling, reading, singing, and playing the piano are some of Ann’s joys! She resides in Goldsboro, serves as Minister of Music at Christ Memorial Ministries and volunteers at the 3HC Hospice Center.

As Vice President of Community Engagement, Leilani is responsible for initial screenings & referrals across the state of NC. Her professional endeavors include pivotal roles at two MCOs & NC IDD provider agencies. She utilizes her various experiences to help others effectively navigate the IDD service system. She is a graduate of Barton College & holds a master’s degree from UNCG. She lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband Donnie & three kids.