ABOUT US
Meet Our Team
CHESS is a physician-led health care services company with the knowledge and experience to guide health systems, physician groups, accountable care organizations, or independent physician practices through the transition to value-based care.
Yates Lennon, MD, MMM
President
Dr. Lennon has served as the President at CHESS Health Solutions since 2021. Prior to this, he served as the Chief Transformation Officer, engaging physicians and their staff to drive practice transformation. Dr. Lennon is nationally known for his work in quality, previously serving on the American Medical Group Association (AMGA) Quality Leadership Council and presently on the National Association of Accountable Care Organization’s Quality Committee. Prior to serving as the Chief Quality Officer for Cornerstone Health Care before joining CHESS, Dr. Lennon was a practicing OB/GYN for 23 years.
Michael Berwanger, JD, CPHC
Vice President of Compliance and Legal Affairs
​Michael has served as the Vice President of Compliance and Legal Affairs at CHESS Health Solutions since June 2019, providing guidance related to legal compliance, risk management, regulatory affairs, and HIPAA Privacy programs. Prior to this, Michael was at MedCost LLC, where he served as the Director of Quality Management and Compliance and the HIPAA Privacy Official. Michael holds a JD from the New England School of Law.
Mark Dunnagan
Vice President of Health Informatics
Mark has served as Vice President of Health Informatics at CHESS Health Solutions since September 2022. Prior to this, Mark was at Smartlink Health, where he served as the Vice President of Health Informatics, leading pre-sales support, customer success, and product management of the rapidly growing interoperability startup. Mark holds a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from North Carolina State University and has over 30 years of experience in healthcare technology consulting and implementation.
Mark Lautzenheiser
Vice President of Finance
Mark has served as the Vice President of Finance at CHESS Health Solutions since February 2015. In this role, he not only focuses on the financial management of the company, but also provides financial and analytical experience to our clients, ensuring they achieve the maximum benefit for their ACO. Prior to this, Mark was at United Anesthesia, where he served as the Controller, overseeing accounting activities for the entire organization. Mark received his Bachelor of Mathematics from Hiram College.
Josh Vire, MBA
Vice President of Value-based Operations
Josh has served as the Vice President of Value-based Operations at CHESS Health Solutions since September 2022. Prior to this, Josh served as the Director of the North Carolina Market at NeueHealth, transforming healthcare delivery and building a provider enablement organization. Before NeueHealth, Josh was the Manager of Health Care Strategy and Transformation at Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina, leading alternative payment model design and healthcare strategy for its value-based care program, Blue Premier. Josh holds a Master of Business Administration from Darla Moore School of Business and a Master of Education in Speech Language Pathology and Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications from Georgia State University.
Nate Buckwalter, MBA
Senior Director of Value Strategy
Nate Buckwalter, MBA, has served as the Senior Director of Value Strategy at CHESS Health Solutions since February 2023. Prior to this, Nate was at Neue Health, where he served as the Clinical program and Performance Director, overseeing the creation and implementation of its clinical care model for over 550,000 members. Preceding that, he worked for Intermountain Healthcare and Kaiser Permanente driving enterprise wide strategic planning efforts and new clinical offerings. Nate holds a Master of Business Administration in Health Administration from University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brigham Young University.
Bethany Palmer, MBA
Senior Director of Network Development and Program Integrity
Bethany has served as the Senior Director of Network Development and Program Integrity at CHESS Health Solutions since March 2021. Prior to her 5 years at CHESS, Bethany worked at Cigna Medicare, where she completed a Managed Care Rotational Program, worked in Provider Relations, and then Ancillary and Facility Contracting. Bethany received her Master of Public Health from the University of South Carolina and her Master of Business Administration from Wingate University.
Derrick Stiller
Senior Director of Performance Improvement
Derrick has served as the Senior Director of Performance Improvement at CHESS Health Solutions since April 2021. Prior to that, he worked as the Manager of Value-based Contracts and then as the Director of Value-based Contract Operations. In his current role, Derrick leads the Operations, Performance Improvement, and Education departments to optimize contract performance. Derrick received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Liberty University and holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate from the Project Management Institute.
Kimberly Vass-Eudy, DO
Senior Director of Clinical Operations
Dr Vass-Eudy is a practicing physician at Conover Family Practice and has served as the Senior Director of Clinical Operations at CHESS Health Solutions since February 2022. She earned a BA in Chemistry and a BS in Biology from Florida Atlantic University before earning her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Vass-Eudy served her internship and residency with the Duke/Southern Regional AHEC Family Medicine. She is an NC Board Certified Family Physician.