June 20, 2025 (Smithfield, RI) – Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood) announced Alison Croke, CEO of Wood River Health Services, as the new Chair of its Board of Directors and welcomes two community leaders to its Board of Directors.
With 30 years of experience in healthcare, Croke has focused on publicly financed health care programs, including roles in program management, health policy, and strategic planning. Prior to joining Wood River Health in 2018, she served as Vice President of Medicare-Medicaid Integration at Neighborhood.
Croke succeeds Brenda Dowlatshahi, Chief Operating Officer at Tri-County Community Action Agency. “We are grateful to Brenda for her stewardship and unwavering dedication during her tenure as Board Chair,” said Peter Marino, President and CEO of Neighborhood. “Her guidance and commitment to our mission have been instrumental in advancing our work to improve the health and well-being of Rhode Islanders. We look to Alison to continue to help and grow Neighborhood during these challenging times,” he said.
Additionally, Neighborhood added two new members to its Board of Directors: Allison Brindle, MD, a board-certified pediatrician and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown, and Liz Catucci, President and CEO of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce. Both will help shape Neighborhood’s long-term initiatives that strive to build a holistic culture of care.
- Allison Brindle, MD
With over 20 years of experience practicing pediatrics, Dr. Brindle specializes in general pediatric preventative care and care for the infant through adolescence. She has a special interest in providing a medical home for children with medical complexity. Dr. Brindle is also affiliated with several area hospitals, including Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital. She is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. A member of several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, where she previously served as President of the Rhode Island Chapter, Dr. Brindle received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Brindle to Neighborhood’s Board of Directors,” said Marino. Her experience and perspective are invaluable as we continue advancing our mission to improve health outcomes especially for Rhode Island’s children, who all deserve a healthy step forward in life.”
- Liz Catucci
Liz Catucci is the President and CEO of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce. Catucci is responsible for all the internal operations and advocacy efforts and is charged with carrying out the Chamber’s mission. Prior to this role, she served as Director of Marketing and Business Development for PKF O’Connor Davies, a full-service, certified accounting and advisory firm. Ms. Catucci earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Providence College and earned the honor of Providence Business News’ “40 under 40” in 2019.
“Neighborhood has had a long affiliation with the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce,” said Marino. “The Chamber works hard to develop ideas and seek opportunities to improve the business environment, and Liz has been the driving force behind that work throughout the state. I admire her community-minded spirit, and I am confident she will be a strong advocate for businesses on our Board.”
Neighborhood’s 17-person Board of Directors is comprised of Neighborhood President & CEO Peter Marino as well as Peter Bancroft (WellOne Primary Medical & Dental Care), Allison Brindle, MD (Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown), Liz Catucci (Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce), Alison Croke (Wood River Health Services), Daniel Da Ponte (Axis Advisors, LLC), Brenda Dowlatshahi (Tri-County Community Action Agency), Rilwan Feyisitan, Jr. (East Bay Community Action Program), Dioscaris Garcia, PhD (Central Falls Children’s Foundation), Chuck Jones (Thundermist Health Center), Christopher Mansfield (Comprehensive Community Action Program), Elena Nicolella (Rhode Island Health Center Association), Cristina Pacheco, MD (Blackstone Valley Community Health Care, Inc.), Yahaira Placencia (Bank of America), Lisa Ranglin (Rhode Island Black Business Association), Pablo Rodriguez, MD (Warren Alpert Medical School) and Merrill Thomas (Providence Community Health Center, Inc).
About Neighborhood: Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (Neighborhood) is a not-for-profit health maintenance organization (HMO) founded in December 1993 in partnership with Rhode Island’s Community Health Centers and the state to ensure everyone in Rhode Island has access to high quality, cost-effective health care. Neighborhood serves over 220,000 members in the state with 77 percent of its membership Medicaid eligible through its ACCESS and TRUST plans and 5 percent of its membership utilizing Neighborhood’s INTEGRITY Medicare-Medicaid Plan (MMP). About 16 percent of Neighborhood’s members are individuals, families and small businesses who select one of nine Neighborhood Commercial plans available through the health exchange, HealthSourceRI. Of these members, about 85 percent qualify for federal subsidies to cover a portion of their costs. Today, Neighborhood—with nearly 650 employees and $1.6 billion in revenue—serves one out of every five Rhode Islanders. Learn more at nhpri.org.
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