Administration Team

Tim Evans

Chief Executive Officer

LaCosta Tipton

Chief Operating Officer

Jamie McMahan

Director of Business Development

Tim Evans is the Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Community Health Partnership, a Federally Qualified Health Center providing health care in Mitchell and Yancey Counties in western North Carolina.

Receiving his bachelor's degree from Connecticut College in 1988 and his Master’s Degree in Social Work from The University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in 1998, Tim previously worked as a Behavioral Health Provider, construction manager and small business owner.

Tim served as Manager of the Celo Health Center before its merger with Bakersville Community Medical Clinic to form Mountain Community Health Partnership. Following the merger, Tim served as Director of Grants and Business Development for Mountain Community Health Partnership, establishing a successful grant funding portfolio that has helped provide the capital resources to grow Mountain Community Health Partnership’s healthcare services in the community.

When he is not at work, Tim loves to be outside. He lives with his wife and sons in Yancey County. Prior to becoming a nonprofit administrator, he spent as much time as he could cycling, hiking, camping, and skiing.

LaCosta Tipton began her career as a Critical Care Registered Nurse. She then received an opportunity to return to her hometown in Yancey County, where she worked as a Public Health Nurse Supervisor for 12 years. With her exceptional management and leadership skills she was offered the Nurse Manager position with Mountain Community Health Partnership in 2020. Within six months of joining MCHP she transitioned to their Chief Operating Officer.

LaCosta completed her Associates Degree in Nursing in 2005 at Walter's State Community College and was then accepted into the first full time RN-BSN cohort through ETSU, completing her BSN in 2006. In May of 2021 she completed a new chapter in her education, graduating from the UNC-Chapel Hill with a master's degree in Public Health, Leadership in Practice Concentration.

LaCosta enjoys spending time with her friends and family, especially her Husband and two children.

Jamie McMahan is the Director of Grants & Business Development for Mountain Community Health Partnership. A native of the Pensacola community of Yancey County, Jamie previously served as the Director of Planning & Economic Development for Yancey County until joining MCHP in February 2023. Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree from Berkeley College, is a graduate of the Yale School of Management’s Executive Business Administration program, and holds a professional certification in Economic and Community Development from Duke University. Jamie is proud to be a member of the MCHP team and to lead the organization’s grant funding and business development efforts as MCHP grows and expands its efforts to provide quality healthcare to all Mitchell and Yancey Counties residents, regardless of their ability to pay. Jamie lives with his partner in the Seven Glens community in Weaverville and enjoys volunteering in the community, traveling, fly fishing, and golfing in his spare time.

Patricia Hall, DO

Chief Medical Officer

April Briggs

Finance Officer

Kayle Buchanan

Human Resources Manager

Patricia is the Chief Medical Officer at MCHP. After receiving her undergraduate degree from Berea College and graduating from medical school at the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) at Virginia Tech, Patricia completed residency through the MAHEC Hendersonville Family Medicine Program in North Carolina. She then pursued an additional year of training in Sports Medicine. Today, she deeply enjoys her work as a Family Doctor and as Medical Director of MCHP. Patricia cares for people of all ages, and believes in working together to find the path to health that is best for each individual and for our community.

When not at Celo Health Center, you can find her trail running, biking, or otherwise enjoying these beautiful mountains and rivers with her husband and their black lab, Shelby.

April is the Finance Officer at Mountain Community Health Partnership. She obtained her associate in Medical Office Technology and bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Gardner-Webb University while working as the payroll clerk for Blue Ridge Regional Hospital. She spent the next 15 years as Blue Ridge’s accountant/financial analyst. In 2014 she transitioned to MCHP.

April is a native of Yancey County where she resides with her family. She enjoys crunching numbers and counting beans.

Kayle Buchanan began her career with MCHP in February 2017. Her starting position was a Data Entry Clerk, later moving to Administrative Assistant, where she worked directly with the CEO and DOO. The experience and knowledge she gained in those positions lead to her next endeavor as the Human Resources Manager in January 2021. During her tenure at MCHP, she obtained a B.A. in Business Administration and Law through Western Carolina University. During her free time, Kayle enjoys spending time with her daughter, family, and friends. She has enjoyed being a part of MCHPs growth and looks forward to what is in store for the organization, herself, and her family.

Candace Winters

Dental Site Manager

Harvey Bates

Compliance Officer

Santana Wright

Site Director

"I have a strong passion for dentistry and making sure our patients receive quality service and attention from our team. My highest priority as the Dental Site Manager is to ensure that all of our patients have a wonderful dental experience and understand the importance of oral health".

Candace Winters began her dental career in 2004 as a Dental Assistant II, (DAII) assisting licensed dentist(s) in comprehensive dental care to both children and adults. After spending 16 years in the clinical department, she later transitioned to Dental Site Manager with MCHP in April 2020 where she oversees the operation of the dental clinic and leads the dental team to promote a well-organized and efficient practice.

Outside of work, you'll most likely find her spending time with her husband, Will, and their two daughters. They love spending time at Lily Branch Church located in Bakersville, NC where her husband pastors, and enjoying family time at the beach.

“I love working with the ‘Mountain Community Health Partnership team’ in an effort to provide the best patient care possible for our local community.”

Harvey Bates is a Registered Nurse, serving in the position of Site Manager for MCHP’s Bakersville and Spruce Pine locations.

Prior to earning his Nursing Degree from Mayland Community College and Lees McRae College, Harvey served in the U.S. Military. During this time, he met his wife of 25 years and settled in the NC mountains near her family. There they raised two children...and a couple of dogs!

"I have always had a passion for Primary Care and the services that our team is able to provide to our community."

Santana has worked with MCHP since early 2012 where she first started as a Medical Assistant for the first five years of her career. She then pursued her education in Business Administration and transferred into the Site Manager position in 2017. She is so proud to be a part of such an amazing team and the efforts that are made to better the health in their communities.

In her free time she loves spending time with her family and vacationing at different beaches.

Amber Dillinger

Communications and Outreach Director

Karey Rocha

Quality Director

Amber has been with MCHP since June 2015. As Outreach Manager, she oversees the Community Health Worker Program, Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Outreach, and the Outreach and Enrollment Programs.

Amber has almost 20 years’ experience in the medical field. Amber serves as the Chair for the Healthy Yancey Coalition.

Amber has a degree in Healthcare Administration and a passion for serving her community. She knows the value of hard work and the hardships that face local families. She is dedicated to improving the quality of life for MCHP patients and the community as a whole.

Amber loves spending time with her family. Outside of work you can often find her at the softball field with her daughter or reading a good book.

Karey Rocha has been a part of the MCHP team since June of 2021. She began here as a Registered Nurse before moving into the Quality and Risk Manager position. She obtained her Associate Degree in Nursing from Mayland Community College and later obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Karey has a genuine passion for helping others and creating new processes that will improve patient care.

Outside of work, Karey enjoys cooking and spending time with her son and family.

Michelle Walker

Executive Assistant

Michelle joined MCHP in 2020 starting in Patient Services Support at the Front Desk. In early 2023, she moved to a Care Coordinator position in Care Management and transitioned to the Executive Assistant position in late 2023. Growing up in a military family, she absorbed lessons in adaptability, communication, loyalty and being of service. Michelle has had a long career in customer service and administrative positions. Prior to working for MCHP, her most memorable job was serving as an Admin III for the Research and Development group at the Arizona Department of Education. Her team created and implemented educational programs that served the diverse youth of Arizona based on inclusivity. Michelle is both grateful and honored to be working at MCHP with dedicated coworkers that serve our community daily. During her free time, Michelle enjoys spending time hiking & traveling with her husband, tending to her many houseplants, baking and crafting.

Kristen Kuhn

Nurse Manager

Lori Fox

Celo Site Coordinator/

Laboratory Manager

Kristen Kuhn was born and raised in Charlotte, NC and began visiting the local area as a child. She began her career as a Labor and Delivery nurse in 2009 in Columbia, SC. Moving to Burnsville in 2014, she worked her way up as a floor nurse to charge nurse, to nurse manager, obtaining her BSN from UNC Charlotte in 2016 to then earn her Master's in Nursing from Queens University of Charlotte in 2021. She then had the opportunity to expand her passion for the community with MCHP in April 2023. Kristen again expanded her role and became Nurse Manager in January, 2024. Kristen enjoys reading and spending time with her husband and three daughters. She enjoys the sunshine in both the beach and mountains and looks forward to spending time outdoors during the spring and summer.

Lori has been with MCHP since February 2023. She has worked in the lab as a medical laboratory technician and in management positions for 29 years. Lori has a passion for serving the community and loves being a part of the MCHP team. In her free time, Lori enjoys running and spending time outdoors with her husband and German Shepherd Rex.

Janet Hughes

Bakersville/Spruce Pine

Site Coordinator

Janet began her career at MCHP in February 2021 as a Front Desk Clerk at Celo Health Center. Janet worked there until February 2023 and then took a position in Care Management as a Care Coordinator in the Bakersville office. Janet moved to Site Coordinator in April 2024. Janet loves her job at MCHP and loves assisting patients and her co-workers in any way that she can. Janet lives in Bakersville with her 7-year-old son. He is her whole world and keeps her going. Janet love Jesus and going to church. She also love going to the beach and spending time with others.

Before coming to MCHP, Amanda worked for 12 years as Human Resources manager for a large trucking company. During that time, Amanda received FMCSA certification in the DOT Drug and Alcohol testing program. She came to MCHP in 2022 as a front desk clerk at Celo, then transferred to the Burnsville office when it opened. In July 2023, she became Front Desk Lead and became Site Coordinator for Burnsville in March of 2024. Amanda is very proud of the care provided to all patients and the positive work environment at MCHP. Amanda truly enjoys coming to work with people who she considers to be her second family. Amanda moved to Burnsville from Greeneville, TN when she was 3 and has lived in Yancey County since then. Amanda has two children that she is extremely proud of. Amanda spends all of her spare time with her kids but loves reading whenever she gets a chance.

Amanda Robinson

Burnsville Site Coordinator