Meet Our Leadership Team
Dr. Allison Van der Velden
Read Dr. Allison's Bio
Dr. Allison van der Velden, DMD served as Chief Executive Officer since August 2020. She has worked at the Community Health Center of Franklin County as a dentist since 2015, becoming the Oral Health Director in 2018. Dr. Van der Velden completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Hampshire College, where she focused in Microbiology. She earned her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Midwestern University, in Glendale AZ in 2013, and earned a Masters of Public Administration from Suffolk University in 2021.
She is passionate about the Community Health Center Movement and holds a certificate in Community Health and Community Health Center Management from Suffolk University and also completed the Geiger Gibson Health Policy Fellowship Program at George Washington University. Her interest and commitment to improving lives in her community is a driving force outside the Community Health Center as well. Dr. Van der Velden sits on the Board of Director’s for the Amherst Survival Center, a local non-profit dedicated to addressing hunger and the stigmatization food insecurity, and she serves on the Finance Committee for the Town of Deerfield.
Dr. Van der Velden is a dedicated healthcare administrator who uses her perspective as a healthcare provider, her education in leadership and management, and her values of respect and excellence to lead the Community Health Center of Franklin County.
Katalin Krieger, BSHA
BIO Coming Soon
Michael Schmittlein
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Mike Schmittlein has been working in technology at the Community Health Center of Franklin County since 2017, and took over as the Director of the department in 2026.
Mike earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and has completed a Certificate in Community Health and Community Health Center Management from Suffolk University. He had also been given Holyoke Community College's Excellence in Computer Information Systems Award in 2015, and was honored with the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Community Health Center Employee Award in 2025.
Mike is committed to the community health center movement and works to ensure that CHCFC leverages technology to optimize and support the patient care of our community.
Maria Heidenreich, FNP
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Ms. Heidenreich has been employed with the Community Health Center of Franklin County since 2013. She brings six years’ experience as a family nurse practitioner, as well as a background in epidemiology, computer science, and hospital and community health nursing. She expanded her role at CHCFC in January 2016 to include the administrative and leadership duties of Chief Medical Officer.
Ms. Heidenreich graduated with a Master of Science in Nursing Degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She completed her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Computer Science from Smith College in Northampton, MA.
Ms. Heidenreich is responsible for overseeing the medical staff, both the physicians and nurse teams. She oversees quality of care, peer review, and performance management. Maria works closely with the CEO on the retention and recruitment of staff clinicians all in accordance with the board’s strategic plan.
Arley Hoynoski
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Mrs. Hoynoski has been the CFO since April of 2017 at CHCFC. She brings over 15 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors in the non-profit and banking industries. Arley graduated with a Master’s Degree in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Like most accounting majors Arley pursued a career in public accounting after graduation. During her time in public accounting her clients consisted of non-profit and real estate insuring GAAP and other applicable accounting standards were followed. Her work on her non-profit clients gave her exposure and a complete overview of non-profit accounting and reporting.
After her career in public accounting, Arley worked at several local publicly traded financial institutions. She also managed various operational and compliance audits throughout the Bank. Arley spent the major of her banking career in financial reporting and investor relations as the Vice President and Financial Reporting Manager. Arley managed all aspects of the Bank’s public and regulatory reporting. In addition, she managed all the financial duties and budgets of each Bank’s non-profit foundations in Massachusetts and Connecticut, respectively.
In 2017, after eight years in the banking industry, Arley decided to accept the opportunity at CHCFC because non-profits has always been her passion. Besides the monthly accounting and reporting to the Board of Directors and Senior Management Team, Arley prepares the annual budget in collaboration with the CEO and in accordance with the board’s strategic plan. Arley manages all of the regulatory and tax filings that are required for FQHC’s. In addition, Arley is Treasurer of the Board of Directors for a local non-profit, Guidewire, Inc. Guidewire services individuals with severe mental disabilities. She has been on the board since 2011.
Sarah Horan, MBA, SHRM-SCP
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Sarah Horan serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer at the Community Health Center of Franklin County, where she leads the organization's human resources strategy and initiatives in support of CHCFC's mission. She oversees talent acquisition, employee relations, leadership development, compensation and benefits, compliance, and employee engagement for the health center's multidisciplinary workforce.
With more than 20 years of human resources leadership experience, Sarah is passionate about building workplace cultures where employees feel supported, valued, and empowered to succeed. She believes that investing in people is the foundation of exceptional patient care and organizational excellence, and she is committed to helping leaders build engaged, resilient teams that serve the community with compassion.
Sarah earned her Master of Business Administration from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and holds the Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) credential from the Society for Human Resource Management.
Naman Rao, DMD, MMSc
