Carolina Headache Foundation Leadership Team
Alan Finkel, M.D. FAAN FAHS is the Medical Director of the Carolina Headache Institute. Professor, Psychiatry, Anesthesia and Dentistry at UNC Chapel Hill.
Founder/Chair
Executive Director
Treasurer
Holly Harding has spent more than 30 years leading nonprofit organizations through periods of growth and transformation. Her work has spanned HIV/AIDS, sexual assault, domestic violence, early childhood education, migraine, and global health. Her work with Carolina Headache Foundation is especially meaningful because it brings together her professional experience and her own lifelong journey with chronic migraine. She believes lasting change begins with strong relationships, thoughtful strategy, and helping mission-driven organizations thrive.
Vice Chair
Secretary
Leeann Garms has over a decade of executive leadership in healthcare, most recently as the CEO of one of the largest private practice neurology groups in the country, helping organizations grow sustainably while serving patients and the broader care community. She is passionate about connecting people, ensuring business success remains aligned with the company's mission, and designing cultures that inspire collaboration. At her core, she believes relationships drive meaningful change and lasting impact.
Kris Herfkens is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist in private practice in Durham, North Carolina. Her practice is focused on diagnosis and treatment of adult neurocognitive disorders with a subspecialty focus on geriatrics and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In addition, she has over twenty years of experience in forensic neuropsychology in both civil and criminal litigation.
Kevin Kahn, M.D. is the Director of the Carolina Headache Institute and Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Anesthesia and Dentistry at UNC Chapel Hill.
Board & Staff Members
Karen Chapman has practiced law for more than 20 years and is currently Associate General Counsel for a Fortune 500 company, where she handles complex litigation and advises business leaders on legal matters. Outside of her professional work, Karen has had the privilege of serving on numerous nonprofit boards and enjoys helping mission-driven organizations grow and strengthen their impact. Having personally benefited from specialized migraine care, she is honored to be part of helping advance CHF's mission so that others may have the same opportunity to experience the difference that proper headache diagnosis and treatment can make.
Kelley O'Brien is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Management and Corporate Communications at UNC-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler Business School, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in communication. She is also owner and principal of KTO Strategy & Communications, which provides fundraising and strategy consulting to mission-driven organizations. Prior to starting KTO Strategy & Communications in 2016, Kelley spent 14 years at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government, first as the Director of the North Carolina Civic Education Consortium and then as the Director for Strategy and Innovation.
Sara Sacco, M.D. is the owner of Carolinas Headache Clinic and Board Member of the Southern Headache Society.
Kristen Certic, MBA, serves as Practice Manager at Carolina Headache Institute, a neurology practice specializing in headache medicine and dedicated to improving the lives of individuals living with headache disorders and migraine. After earning her MBA from Paris School of Business, Kristen built her career in healthcare administration, developing a passion for leadership, problem-solving, and supporting healthcare teams dedicated to improving patient care. She joined the Carolina Headache Foundation to learn more about nonprofit leadership while contributing her healthcare operations experience to the Foundation’s mission of education, advocacy, and awareness.
Dion Chavis brings 15 years of program coordination experience to his role as CHF Program Coordinator, most recently leading a nationwide training initiative across more than 100 school districts for Sandy Hook Promise and co-chairing North Carolina's statewide Fatherhood Conference for five years, where he coordinated physician keynote speakers and community health programming. This work is personal for him as well — his family's own experience navigating a delayed migraine diagnosis gave him a firsthand understanding of exactly what PRIME exists to change. Dion is passionate about building the systems and relationships that let good programs grow, and he's excited to help take PRIME statewide.
