Our Leadership

Robert DeFelice, M.P.H., M.B.A.

CEO, First Choice Community Healthcare, Inc.

Trained at the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health and at the University of New Mexico, Robert O. Anderson School of Management, Bob has served as a health services program administrator in New Mexico for the past thirty-four (34) years. His entire professional career has centered on his interest in working with disenfranchised and vulnerable populations and communities. Bob has worked closely with the Navajo Nation, the Pueblos of Isleta and Sandia, and with the many Hispanic communities located throughout the Middle Rio Grande Valley of Central New Mexico. He was a founder and continues to serve on the Board of Directors of Nurse Advice New Mexico (NANM). He believes in shared leadership and in the maximization of the collective resource for the common good. Bob has served as Chief Executive Officer for First Choice Community Healthcare since January of 1999.

Christopher Grasty

CFO, First Choice Community Healthcare, Inc.

Christopher Grasty, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), has been with First Choice Community Healthcare since June, 2002. Prior positions held at First Choice include: Performance Improvement Coordinator within the Clinical Compliance Department, Decision Support Analyst, and Accountant. Christopher is a graduate of the University of New Mexico Anderson School of Management where he received a Baccalaureate Degree in Finance.

Melissa Manlove

COO, First Choice Community Healthcare, Inc.

Melissa has been with First Choice Community Healthcare since December 2002, first as a Regional Health Center Manager in Edgewood (to oversee the construction, licensing and management of that site) and, since March of 2005, as COO. Prior to joining the First Choice team, Melissa worked for almost 16 years with a not-for-profit agency where she was responsible for helping to recruit and retain health professionals for community health centers and other facilities serving rural and underserved populations throughout New Mexico. As Associate Director, she was also involved with budget management, staff supervision, statewide policy/advocacy roles and communication liaison/reporting activities. Melissa has been a resident of New Mexico since 1982, when she graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a BA in Natural Sciences.

Will Kaufman, MD MPH

Medical Director, First Choice Community Healthcare, Inc.

Monica E. Briones, MD

Assistant Medical Director

Dr. Jeremiah Dye

Dental Director, First Choice Community Healthcare, Inc.

Dr. Dye grew up in Socorro, New Mexico. Prior to dental school, he earned BS and MS degrees in Entomology at Texas A&M University. He graduated from the University of Colorado Denver School of Dental Medicine in May 2009 after serving as President of his class all four years of dental school. He has been working with First Choice since August 2009. He provides comprehensive dental care with emphasis on routine restorative treatment, endodontics and crown and bridge treatment. He enjoys serving the diverse population of patients at First Choice and helping them achieve optimal oral health. He was named Clinical Supervisor of the South Valley clinic in September 2010. When not working, his primary activities revolve around his wife and two children (boy and girl twins).

Vaadra Martinez

Personnel Officer, First Choice Community Healthcare, Inc.

Vaadra is a Society of Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional, respected business leader, diversity champion, and community advocate with over 25 years’ experience in Human Resource Management. Vaadra joined the First Choice Senior Management team in June of 2020, prior to that she spent several years in leading HR for local startups and nearly 20 years in a variety of HR roles at Intel Corporation.  Driven by a passion to help others achieve their full potential, Vaadra takes pride in working with individuals and teams to make great things happen.  Vaadra is a University of New Mexico Alumni and was honored as a 2015 Woman of Influence, she has always held a deep commitment to building up future generations and is committed professionally and personally to driving improvements in equity of access to opportunities. 

Chris Brennan

Workforce Training and Leadership Development Director/Recruiter, First Choice Community Healthcare, Inc.

Chris is a native New Mexican who recently returned to the country after a nearly three year stint with the United States Peace Corps. He served in the Central American country of Nicaragua as a professional trainer, developing the skills of educators, environmentalists, and healthcare workers on the Atlantic Coast. Chris received his BA in Peace Studies and Political Science in 2008 from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. He spent over a year working as an Obama Fellow, and since then has worked as an educator and trainer in underserved populations in Albuquerque. He currently serves double duty as Recruiter and Director of the Workforce Training and Leadership Development Center at First Choice, which aims to promote the life and clinical skills of FCCH employees and community members. He has a deep passion for promoting justice within the local community, and in his free time is a singer and composer for the local band Revíva.

Minda Brown-Jaramillo, LISW-S

Behavioral Health Service Director, First Choice Community Healthcare, Inc.

Minda Brown Jaramillo, LCSW attended graduate school at Case Western Reserve University and earned her Masters of Science in Social Administration. She attended Kent State University as an undergrad with an emphasis in Criminal Justice Studies. She has spent her career providing both direct service and management in the field of Social Work. Minda has extensive experience working with adolescents and families as well as adults in the field of Dual Diagnosis. She is trained in CBT, EMDR and other modalities of treatment as well as providing Clinical Supervision to staff. She is a certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer as well as providing training in the fields of trauma, women’s issues, substance use and abuse, and supervision. She is an Adjunct Professor at New Mexico Highlands School of Social Work where she teaches Substance Abuse to graduate level social work students.