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 diverse expertise in health care quality, chronic disease management, Intensive Care/Emergency/Pediatric Nursing, Patient Advocacy, Healthy Lifestyle Coaching, Community Health Outreach, Integrative/Functional Medicine, Health & Wellness Programs, Injury Prevention Programs, and Parent/Caregiver Coaching.

Lannette serves as the PORH’s Quality Improvement Coordinator where she provides technical assistance and support to state’s critical access and other small rural hospitals on national quality improvement metrics and on population health. Since joining PORH in 2016, Pennsylvania’s ranking in the annual national recognition of the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Program has increased from fifth in 2017 to third in 2018 and is was first in the nation in 2019. Lannette received the Medicare Beneficiary Quality Improvement Project Spirit Award in 2019 from the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy.

Lannette is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at Frontier Nursing University. In 2023, she received the Preventive Measures Legacy Scholarship Award from the Preventive Measures Foundation which recognized the academic aptitude exhibited in her essay, “Impact on Humanity.”

Lannette graduated from Clarion and Edinboro Universities with a master’s degree in Family Nurse Practitioner and is a certified family nurse practitioner. She also has an M.S. in Health and Human Services Administration, a BSN, an Associate Degree in Nursing, and a Diploma in Cardiovascular Technology, all from Mount Aloysius College. She is also a Certified Independent Registered Nurse Patient Advocate (iRNPA), Certified Registered Health Coach (CHC), Certified Pediatric and Advanced Life Support Instructor, and AgriSafe Nurse Scholar. She was a contributing author for the Visiting Nurses Association of America Policy and Procedure 2011 Manual where she authored the chapter on Pediatric Intensive Care for the nursing textbook "Clinical Case Studies in Home Health".

In her spare time, Lannette enjoys writing for local publications and spending time with her husband and dogs.

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.

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.