Senior Leadership Team
Maria Celli
Chief Executive Officer
Maria Celli, PsyD, has been with BNHC since 2016, serving as the Director of Social Services, Chief Operating Officer, and most recently, as the Deputy CEO. Maria is a psychologist trained in primary care behavioral health integration, the treatment of complex trauma and perinatal and early childhood behavioral health care. She has strengthened BNHC’s long history of strong BH-Primary care integration across clinical departments. Having trained in early-childhood mental health, with a particular interest in attachment, Maria promoted the development of a BNHC Pedi-OB BH Integration team. That team has grown from two to more than 10 total staff who serve the women and families of BNHC. Maria shared this passion and experience as a past Chair of the Mass. League of Community Health Center’s BH Directors Forum, and as an advocate for BH services on the state level as well.
Maria assumed the role of the COO in the fall of 2020. In that role, she coordinated internal and community stakeholders to launch Brockton’s first drive-through COVID testing operation, and then its largest vaccination clinic. In addition to critical operational projects, Maria is committed to BNHC’s continued improvement in the domain of equity. As COO, Maria worked with the Executive Team and members of BNHC’s Cultural Equity Committee to design a new role: Health Equity and Engagement Manager. As the Deputy CEO, Maria continues to work with Health Equity Manager to implement BNHC’s equity work plan.
Dr. Joe Panerio-Langer
Deputy Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Joe Panerio-Langer, MD, joined Brockton Neighborhood Health Center as a Primary Care Physician in 2009, and has served as Chief Medical Officer since 2019. He has assisted with the implementation of the health center’s Patient Centered Medical Home, value-based care initiative, and behavioral health-primary care integration. He is passionate about the treatment of substance use disorders using a harm reduction approach, provider education, and working to dismantle systemic barriers that prevent health equity and access to care. When working with patients, he believes in meeting people where they’re at and using shared decision-making to find treatment and care that meets each patient’s unique needs.
Joe obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Creighton University in 1998, his MD from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2006 and completed his Internal Medicine Residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, in 2009. Between college and medical school, he spent two years teaching high school in the Marshall Islands. Outside of healthcare. he enjoys spending time with his family, trips to the art museum, reading science fiction, and hiking with his dog.
Jessica Prince
Chief Operating Officer
Jessica Prince joined Brockton Neighborhood Health Center in 2021, and has worked in the FQHC setting for more than 10 years. She has led in both Nursing and Operations and strives to continuously improve patient care services and increase access to care. Jessica has worked to develop and/or launch various programs and services, including substance use, integrated pharmacy services, HIV, Infectious Diseases, Dental, value-based care, and many other initiatives. Jessica assisted with the success of the COVID-19 Vaccine Program and the launch of the Shaw’s Center clinic in Brockton that vaccinated more than 45,000 individuals. Jessica has been a member of the Nursing Advisory Council at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth since 2015. She was named the 2020 Massachusetts Adult Immunization Champion and received the 2019 Community Nurse Home Care Star Power Award. Jessica is certified as an Ambulatory Care Nurse and in Infection Control (CIC®). She holds a Master’s Degree of Nursing in Patient Care Services from Sacred Health University and a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Nursing from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
Melvin E. Benson
Chief Financial Officer
Melvin E. Benson has been BNHC’s Chief Financial Officer since 2007. As CFO, he oversees all aspects of the health center’s financial operations, including patient accounts receivables, third party billing, purchasing, accounts payable, budgeting, payroll, accounting, IT, and managed care. Mel assumes a lead role in the financial administration of federal grants and contracts. Mel also takes a leadership role in quality improvement activities at BNHC. While this role is unusual for a CFO, his involvement in quality improvement brings a well-rounded approach to these efforts, which helps prevent conflict between the financial and quality improvement priorities of the health center.
As CFO, Mel assumes leadership in the financing and contract negotiation for major projects such as our acquisition of leased space at 103 Commercial St. and the refinancing of our Vicente’s Pediatric site. Mel works with department heads to develop viable business plans to facilitate growth and new services. An example is his work with the Eye Services Director that resulted in the development of BNHC’s successful eye services. Mel shares his financial expertise by working with the Chief Medical Officer and others to understand the business perspective of the health center. Mel uses his general business knowledge to improve the patient and employee experience by working with departments under his purview to develop priorities, create work plans and maintain deadlines, and has experience working with the culturally and linguistically diverse populations served by BNHC.
Mel also provides great external leadership. He is seen as one of the key financial leaders in community health centers in Massachusetts, and has played critical roles within the ACO, on behalf of the MA League, and at the state level to provide analysis and leadership on financial issues. He was one of two CFOs to lead MassHealth rate negotiations with the state, which resulted in much needed rate increases, especially in psychiatry. He also serves on the advisory board of Commonwealth Purchasing Group, the group purchasing subsidiary of the Mass. League of Community Health Centers. Mel serves as Chair of Community Care Cooperative’s (C3) Finance Committee, which is the only CHC-led ACO in Massachusetts. In that role, Mel speaks on behalf of all member CHCs to design C3’s financial structure in a way that is most beneficial to CHCs.
Mel came to BNHC from Senior Whole Health, where he was one of the founders and served as Corporate Ombudsman and Vice President of External Affairs. He also served for seven years at Neighborhood Health Plan in the roles of Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Treasury and Corporate Affairs.
Mel served on BNHC’s Board of Trustees and served as board treasurer before becoming CFO. Mel holds an MBA in Finance from Atlanta University and a BS in Business Administration from Benedict College.
Board of Trustees
- Sethia Lochard, president
- Scott Kimball, vice president
- Scott Mason, treasurer
- Joyce Rain Anderson
- Ellie Teixeira
- Maryjane Anene
- Rev. Moses Sowale
- Pauline MacDonald
- Matthew Holden
- Gail Russell
- Felicita Sepulveda
- Carole Arena Maloney
- Leandra Monteiro
- Gary Tessier
- Melisa Williams
