Our Team

Erika began serving as the Executive Director of the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization and North Country Initiative (NCI) Director in December of 2016. 

Prior to her role as Executive Director, Erika joined the NCI team as DSRIP Director in December 2015, in which she provided oversight and coordination of all projects within the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program (DSRIP). 

Erika served as Executive Director of the Watertown Urban Mission from February 2011 through December 2015. Prior to joining the Watertown Urban Mission, she served as the Regional Recruitment Project Manager for FDRHPO. She began her career in public service at the Children’s Home of Jefferson County, starting as direct care staff and advancing to Assistant Director of Residential Services.

Erika has a Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Oswego and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, with a concentration in Healthcare Administration.

She currently serves on the North Country Regional Economic Development Council, vice president of the Watertown Local Development Corporation Board of Directors and is an active member of the Watertown Noon Rotary Club. She is also a past board member of Jefferson County Community Services , WPBS-TV, the North Country Family Health Center, and Samaritan Health Network Auxiliary, as well as a past member of the Greater Watertown Jaycees and the Northern New York Community Foundation’s LEAD Council. Erika is a graduate of the Greater Watertown Chamber of Commerce’s Jefferson Leadership Institute, and is a recipient of NNY Business Magazine’s 20 Under 40 Award, the ATHENA Leadership Award®, and the 2015 Successful Business Award in Social Services.

Erika resides in Dexter, NY, with her husband, Travis J. Flint, and their two sons.

Joanna Loomis joined the North Country Initiative (NCI) team in 2018 as Director of Provider Strategy and Transformation and assumed the role of Deputy Director in January 2021.

Previously, she served as the Executive Director of the Watertown Urban Mission, where she provided leadership and oversight to its seven major programs, which provide basic needs and empowerment to individuals and families in need in greater Jefferson County. She has also served as the Mission’s development director and critical needs coordinator, and as a child protective services caseworker with the Jefferson County Department of Social Services.

Joanna has a M.A. in social and public policy from SUNY Empire State College and a B.A. in philosophy from St. Lawrence University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she lived in New Delhi, India, where she taught English in a public school as part of a Fulbright grant.

Joanna has served as a co-president for the North Country Council of Social Agencies, is a director on the boards of the North Country Family Health Center and North Country Prenatal-Perinatal Council, a member of the Northern New York Community Foundation’s LEAD Council and Watertown Noon Rotary, a graduate of the Jefferson Leadership Institute, and continues work with the region’s emerging Bridges Out of Poverty initiatives. Joanna is a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and is certified through the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home Content Expert (PCMH-CCE).

Joanna was raised in Rodman and Adams, New York. She lives in Henderson with her husband Chaz, son Henry, daughter Margot, and their dog Sadie.

Lindsay Baldwin served as Deputy Director of the North Country Initiative (NCI), and in January 2021, she became Chief Financial Officer for both NCI and FDRHPO. She joined the team in August 2015 as Director of Finance, a role in which she managed the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program financial implementation plan and funds flow. In 2017, Lindsay also managed the implementation of the DSRIP program for NCI and assists with management of the regional Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and Independent Practice Association (IPA).

Lindsay began her studies at Jefferson Community College and completed her Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. Over the course of her professional career, Lindsay has gained extensive experience in financial analysis. As a former Financial Analyst, she supported the U.S. Navy while employed as a government subcontractor to manage budgets for fleet support. Lindsay is also Lean/Six Sigma Green Belt certified, having led multiple process improvement projects and events, and currently serves on the North Country Family Health Center Board of Directors.

Lindsay resides in Adams, New York with her husband Trevor and their two daughters.

Heather serves as the Office Manager for both NCI and FDRHPO, providing administrative support to all members of the NCI/FDRHPO team. Prior to becoming Office Manager, Heather served as DSRIP Administrative Coordinator. She holds an associate's degree in Business Administration from SUNY Jefferson and Associate of Applied Science degree in Medical Office Technology. Heather lives in Watertown, NY, with her husband and two children.

Heather joined NCI in February 2022 following her role as a Community Health Worker at North Country Family Health Center (NCFHC). Her work has revolved around addressing patient barriers to care, to include social determinants of health. She has extensive work in care gap closures, EMR documentation to include ICD coding for quality compliance, working with HealtheConnections, and has been instrumental in helping NCFHC provide transitional care management to their Medicaid patients. Heather holds an associate degree in Humanities and Social Psychology and soon will be receiving her bachelor’s degree in Human Development. She is also a trained in Bridges Out of Poverty, Health Literacy, and Trauma-Informed Care. 

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Heather currently lives in Adams Center, NY. She has three children at home and in her spare time likes to read and volunteer in the community.