Dr. Amy Kind is the chief executive officer of the Orion Initiative. Dr. Kind is also the inaugural associate dean for Social Health Sciences and Programs at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. In addition to the Orion Initiative, her leadership roles include serving as executive director of the $430 million Wisconsin Partnership Program grant-making endowment, director of the UW–Madison Center for Health Disparities Research, and leader of the Care Research Core at the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. Dr. Kind is an internationally acclaimed leader in the fields of social determinants of health and Alzheimer’s Disease, leading a $40 million NIH research portfolio and the team that developed the Neighborhood Atlas. Dr. Kind has earned multiple honors, including the American Geriatrics Society Award for Outstanding Scientific Achievement for Clinical Investigation; election as a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI); NIH/NIA Beeson Award; and membership on the White House Task Force on Aging and Technology. Her work has been published in top journals including The New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association. She is a sought-after advisor to state, federal, and international entities.
Megan Miller, MPA, is the chief operations officer for the Orion Initiative and the chief administrative officer for the Office of Social Health Sciences and Programs. In this position, she is responsible for broad administrative leadership across the office of Amy Kind, MD, PhD, who is the associate dean for Social Health Sciences and Programs at the School of Medicine and Public Health. Megan’s responsibilities include cross-cutting, programmatic strategic planning, liaising with key internal and external stakeholder groups, supervision of staff, and other associated tasks to optimize operational effectiveness across the office’s portfolio. In this position, she also serves as the executive administrative director for the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP) and the Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR).
Lindsay Barone, PhD, is the director of grantmaking evaluation and learning for the Office of Social Health Sciences and Programs, where she leads evaluation efforts for three grant initiatives. An applied anthropologist by training, the last ten years of her career have focused exclusively on nonprofit and public health evaluation work.
Christie M. Bartels is the chief medical officer for rural specialty initiatives at the Orion Initiative. Dr. Bartels, UW rheumatology chief, professor of medicine, is an implementation scientist who seeks to reduce disparities and improve outcomes in inflammatory diseases. Her leadership was instrumental in developing and implementing STARS-R, and she will continue to guide new project leaders to advance and disseminate their work with community partners.
Nicole Bonk, MD, is the chief medical officer of the Orion Initiative. Dr. Bonk is an academic physician trained in family medicine. She joins the Orion team from her previous role as vice chief of clinical operations for hospital medicine at the University of Wisconsin where she oversaw the clinical functions of 80 physicians at multiple locations in Wisconsin.
Kelsey McDermott is the communications manager for the Orion Initiative. She brings over a decade of experience in communications, digital marketing, and graphic design. Previously, she served at the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, where she co-led statewide campaigns to promote health insurance enrollment and improve health literacy. At Orion, Kelsey leads strategic communications, manages digital platforms, and collaborates with partners to amplify the initiative’s impact on rural health access across Wisconsin.
Veronica Rueckert is the chief communications officer for the Orion Initiative and the Office of Social Health Sciences and Programs. Most recently, she served as media relations manager at the Office of Strategic Communication (OSC), where her work focused on sharing the story of UW–Madison through earned media placements, proactive and reactive news, expert promotion, and thought leadership. She also founded and led the Media Fellows program to prepare faculty and leadership for media engagement. Before her tenure at OSC, Veronica was a longtime radio host at Wisconsin Public Radio, where she earned a Peabody Award on the PRI show To the Best of Our Knowledge. As a writer, her work has been published in the Washington Post, Newsweek, and NPR, and her book Outspoken was published in 2019 by HarperCollins.
Jennifer Stegall is the administrative associate director for the Orion Initiative. She joins the Orion Initiative team from her role as executive senior policy advisor at the Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) where she led special projects related to state and federal health care policy and administered a $230 million reinsurance program. Jennifer also served as the OCI representative on the Wisconsin Partnership Program Oversight and Advisory Committee where she reviewed and voted on grant proposals addressing social determinants of health and health equity.
Jonathan Thomas is the chief financial officer for the Orion Initiative and the associate finance director for the Office of Social Health Sciences and Programs (OSHSP). In this position, he is responsible for overseeing the financial operations of the Orion Initiative and other OSHSP grantmaking programs, including budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning. He specializes in partnering with organizations throughout the State of Wisconsin. Jon is a licensed certified public accountant in Wisconsin.
Maddy Vantassel, CHES®, is the Project and Engagement Officer for the Orion Initiative. She has a background in public health and community health education and brings experience in rural health, community outreach and program development. Maddy worked previously with GROW La Crosse and two rural public libraries to address health equity and wellbeing through community-based initiatives. At Orion, she supports rural health partners, coordinates outreach and engagement efforts, and contributes to operational processes that advance rural health access across Wisconsin.
Stacie Vik is the executive assistant to Dr. Amy Kind, CEO for the Orion Initiative and UW School of Medicine and Public Health associate dean for the Office of Social Health Sciences and Programs. Stacie provides high-level administrative support to the CEO and COO by managing schedules, coordinating meetings, and ensuring effective communication across departments and teams. By anticipating needs and proactively addressing challenges, Stacie helps maximize her leaders’ time and productivity, contributing to the overall success of the office portfolio. Stacie has had a career spanning over 20 years of combined administrative, research study, and project management experience.
