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Meet Our Senior Leadership Team
Lynnette M. Watkins, MD, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO)
An ophthalmologist and widely respected health care administrator and leader, Lynnette Watkins, MD, MBA, comes to Cooley Dickinson from the Baptist Health System/Tenet Healthcare -Texas Group, where she served most recently as group chief medical officer.
Dr. Watkins’ tenure at Baptist Health System/Tenet Healthcare includes many accomplishments in performance improvement, quality, safety, provider relations and financial management, and executive oversight for its multi-hospital system that stretches across the state, with more than 3,600 beds and $3.45 billion in patient revenue.
Dr. Watkins also has significant leadership experience in community hospital settings. In addition, she has ties to Massachusetts and the Mass General Brigham system, having completed her residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where Dr. Watkins began her clinical career in ophthalmology and oculoplastic surgery and served on the faculty of Harvard Medical School.
Before joining the Baptist Health System, Dr. Watkins held the position of chief medical officer/chief operating officer at Paris Regional Medical Center in Paris, Texas. She has also served as chief medical officer in Tenet’s Abrazo Community Health Network in Arizona. Her career as a health care executive began in Mishawaka, Indiana, where she was vice president and chief medical officer for the Saint Joseph Health System/Trinity Health.
After earning her undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Dr. Watkins completed her internship in internal medicine at Truman Medical Center in Kansas City before coming to Boston in 1995 as a resident in ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear.
After residency, she completed a fellowship in oculoplastic surgery at the University of Iowa, then returned to Mass Eye and Ear, where from 1999 to 2004 Dr. Watkins directed the Emergency Ophthalmology Service/Walk-in Clinic and was an attending physician in the Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery Service. Read her full bio here.
Dr. Watkins and her husband, Ed Sackett, a Presbyterian minister and photojournalist, are the parents of three adult daughters. A second-generation ophthalmologist, Watkins’ father Garey L.C. Watkins, MD, is one of the first African American practicing ophthalmologists in St. Louis.
Emily Davis, Senior Director of Human Resources
Emily joined Cooley Dickinson in 2022. As the Senior Director of Human Resources, she provides forward-looking strategic Human Resources to the Cooley Dickinson leadership team. Emily is responsible for driving Human Capital strategy to further the organization’s mission and goals.
Emily came to Cooley Dickinson with 15 years of healthcare Human Resources experience, most recently as the Director of Human Resources at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Prior to that, Emily worked as a Human Resources Representative at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, where she focused on employee and labor relations. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at Connecticut College and Juris Doctorate from Temple University James E. Beasley School of Law.
Diane Dukette, Chief Development Officer
Diane joined Cooley Dickinson’s senior team at the beginning of 2016, returning to the organization after previously having led our fundraising efforts for a decade from 2003-2013. In the interim she served as vice president, fund development for the Sisters of Providence Health System and championed the capital campaign for the expansion of the Sr. Caritas Cancer Center. She previously served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Executive Director of Development at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Diane received a bachelor’s degree from Smith College and a master’s degree in business administration from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts.
She is a member of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and the Association for Fundraising Professionals of Western Massachusetts, where she was recently a board member. She has served on the boards of Women in Philanthropy of Western Massachusetts, the Alumnae Association of Smith College, and is a former Chair of the Board of Trustees for the West Springfield Public Library.
Diane is a recipient of the Outstanding Professional Fundraising Executive Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Western Massachusetts Chapter.
Michelle Helms, MD, Interim Associate Chief Medical Officer
As the interim Associate Chief Medical Officer, Michelle Helms, MD, works closely with the Mass General Brigham Office of the Chief Medical Officer. She collaborates with the quality and patient safety departments and the medical staff office. She also sees patients at Cooley Dickinson Medical Group General Surgical Care.
As a practicing general surgeon, Dr. Helms has been caring for patients and families in our community for more than seven years. She has held a variety of administrative and clinical leadership roles at Cooley Dickinson and is a member of the clinical teaching staff at the MGH Institute for Health Professions. She was appointed to the CDHC Board of Trustees in 2021. She assumed the role of Medical Staff President in October of 2022 after serving as Vice President and has served as the interim chair of the Medical Staff Quality Improvement Committee.
Dr. Helms attended Lehigh University where she obtained a B.A. in Biology with a minor in Sociology. She spent a year abroad in West Africa and Europe before entering New Jersey Medical School. She went on to Robert Wood Johnson to complete a general surgery internship and was honored with a humanism in medicine award during that time. During residency at Morristown Medical Center, Dr. Helms received two resident teaching awards. As a chief, she was given her department’s two highest honors for humanism and leadership and was recognized by the hospital for collaboration.
Laurie Lamoureux, Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Laurie Lamoureux was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Cooley Dickinson Healthcare in 2014. Laurie is a strong leader, a problem solver, collaborative team builder and executive who demonstrates not only strong financial acumen and the ability to manage and complete projects but a deep understanding of operations, clinical care and the interactions between those areas and finance. Born at Cooley Dickinson, she has deep roots in the community and an abiding love for the organization.
Laurie joined Cooley Dickinson in 1987 as a General Accountant. Since that time, she has assumed positions of progressively greater responsibility including Accounting Manager, Controller and Director of Finance before assuming the role of Chief Financial Officer. Laurie has both financial and operational experience, overseeing all Accounting, Financial Operations, Revenue Cycle, Central Registration and Scheduling, Materials Management, Health Information Management, Contracting, Legal, and Information Systems.
Laurie has extensive hands-on experience in business leadership, management, accounting, revenue cycle, budgeting, audits, LEAN principles, workflow redesign, negotiation, recruiting, hiring and prioritization of multiple and complex projects.
Kevin Whitney, DNP, RN, NRP, Interim Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer
Kevin is currently working as Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s Interim Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) and is the Chief Operating Officer for Mass General Brigham Home Care, Healthcare at Home.
With over 30 years of experience as a dedicated frontline registered nurse and an accomplished health care leader, Kevin is also a nationally registered paramedic. Kevin has earned multiple credentials, including Doctor of Nursing Practice, Registered Nurse, National Registered Paramedic, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, and Board-Certified Nurse Executive Advanced, that reflect his expertise and commitment to advancing the nursing and healthcare profession and improving patient outcomes. As a professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, Kevin teaches and mentors the next generation of nurse leaders and educators. He has been part of the Mass General Brigham team for the past 13 years. In addition to his current Healthcare at Home role, he has also held leadership roles at both Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.
During the winter months, Kevin is a ski patroller at Loon Mountain Resort, where he applies his emergency medical skills and passion for outdoor recreation.
Anthony J. Scibelli, MS, MBA, Vice President, Operations and Chief Administrative Officer
Anthony Scibelli is the Vice President, Operations and Chief Administrative Officer responsible for home care & hospice, laboratory, oncology services, pharmacy, medical imaging, rehabilitation, urgent care, environmental services, facilities management, nutritional services, patient transport, safety & security, organizational development & training, volunteer services and performance improvement. Anthony has been with the organization since December 2014. Previously, Anthony held the position of Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Support Services and Post-Acute with the Mohawk Valley Health System in Utica, New York. Anthony earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Worcester State College, Worcester MA and is a graduate of Lesley University in Cambridge, MA with a Master’s Degree in Training & Development. In 2012, he obtained a MBA from the University at Albany in New York.