Chief Operating Officer

Jen started working at Community Health Connections in 2007, after completing a practicum for the Master of Counseling program at Fitchburg State University. From there she has spent nearly 2 decades in a variety of roles from providing behavioral health therapy as an LMHC to overseeing Operations for Behavioral Health, Medical, and everything in between. With a passion for high quality care and operational excellence, Jen's current role as COO allows for that passion to be shared across CHC.  Jen speaks English fluently, basic Spanish and can be reach at JCruickshank@chcfhc.org

Chief Financial Officer

John Melehov has been working in the healthcare industry for over 20 years, including experience at both for-profit and non-profit organizations. John is a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute and received his MBA in Accounting from Fitchburg State University. He is licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Massachusetts. John has worked with diverse populations including asylum seekers and is committed to making care accessible to all. John fluently speaks English and can be reached at jmelehov@chcfhc.org 

Chief Behavioral Health Officer

Arni Casareale, LMHC is a recent addition to the CHC leadership team and serves as the Chief Behavioral Health Officer. He received a master’s degree from Tufts University in Counseling Psychology, and earned a certification in Health Care Management from Yale University School of Management. Mr Casareale, is also in the process of completing an MBA program from Fitchburg State University. Mr. Casareale has held a number of leadership positions in the behavioral health care industry for over 25 years serving as the COO for Arbour Counseling for 7 years, and the Director for Hospitalization diversion services at Youth Opportunities Upheld Inc. He has also played a key role in the design and implementation of Kiwi recovery LLC which provides hospital diversion services for adolescents. Mr. Casareale, continues to deliver clinical services with specializations in children and adolescents, anger management, substance abuse, anxiety and depression. In the clinical setting he utilizes evidence-based strategies such as CBT and DBT, as well as complimentary strategies such as guided imagery and hypnotherapy.  

Arni speaks English fluently and can be reached at acasareale@chcfhc.org

Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Mark Franciosa, MBA has been a practicing physician for 15 years and started as CHC’s Chief Medical Officer in March 2021. Prior to joining CHC, Dr. Franciosa worked at Sound Physicians for five years as the Regional Medical Director/Hospitalist and Population Health Medical Director where he developed and managed Population Health Programs at 28 separate hospitals from Maine to Georgia. Previous to that, Dr. Franciosa cared for patients as a Hospitalist and ACO Physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital for six years. Dr. Franciosa trained in Internal Medicine at Boston Medical Center and participated in research projects in Vellore, India, Milagro, Ecuador, and Lusaka, Zambia. Dr. Franciosa’s publications include articles about Stretta Radiofrequency Treatment for GERD, nutritional supplementation in patients with tuberculosis and HIV-tuberculosis co-infections, perilipin A and B’s effect on tumor necrosis, and BRL 49653 as a potential insulin-sensitizing mechanism for thiazolidinediones. Dr. Franciosa received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Boston University in 1996, a Master of Science from Northeastern University in 2000, his Doctorate in Medicine at Boston University in 2006, and his MBA from MIT in 2019. Dr. Franciosa speaks English fluently and can be reached at mfranciosa@chcfhc.org

Chief Nursing Officer

Ellyn Guinding has served as CHC's Director of Nursing since June 2020, and was promoted to Chief Nursing Officer in May 2023. Ellyn is a Registered Nurse with specialty experience in psychiatric/mental health nursing, Addiction Nursing, Acute care and Chronic Disease management as well as extensive clinical experience combined with administration oversight and staff leadership. Most of Ellyn’s career has been in a non-profit community setting aimed towards health equality and access. Ellyn has worked in all areas of nursing care over the past 14 years, including as a Clinical Instructor at Blackstone Valley Technical since 2018, Nurse Manager and Director of Nursing at Community Healthlink (over the span of four years and overseeing over 43 programs that aimed care towards underserved and vulnerable populations), and a Per Diem and Weekend Nurse for the Fay School in Southborough, MA. Prior to this, Ellyn also served her country as a United States Army Reserves Preventive Medicine Specialist from 2010 to 2018. Ellyn was also the Homeless Outreach Nurse at Community Healthlink’s Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Program (HOAP) for over five years, working with individuals in tent encampments, clinics and shelters. Ellyn holds an Associate Degree in Science as a Registered Nurse from Quinsigamond Community College, a Master’s Degree in Nurse Education from Grantham University, and a Certificate in Advance Nursing Leadership from Saint Anselm College. Ellyn fluently speaks English and can be reached at eguinding@chcfhc.org

Chief Information Officer

Robert A. Hobbs has been CHC’s Chief Information Officer since 2018. He joined the organization in 2015 as the IT Systems Manager. Robert previously served as CEO at Alpha NetSolutions, Inc. following more than twenty-five years managing communications, hardware and software systems for private and public entities. Robert has devoted close to fifteen years in the healthcare industry including management positions at Cigna/Healthcare and Healthsource CMHC. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science from Worcester State College and numerous certifications related to communications and information technologies. Throughout his career in IT and healthcare, Robert has worked with and served diverse populations. Robert fluently speaks English and can be reached at rhobbs@chcfhc.org