CEO: Kristy Bird MaKieve, MBA, CAE
Executive Director, Butte-Glenn Medical Society
kmakieve@healthyruralca.org
Kristy Bird MaKieve, MBA, CAE, is the founder, CEO and GME Administrator of Healthy Rural California in Chico. Healthy Rural California was initially accredited by ACGME in late 2021 and is planning a Community Psychiatry Residency and Integrated Behavioral Health Residency to launch in the coming years. Kristy is also the Executive Director of Butte-Glenn Medical Society. Kristy is passionate about workforce education and training as a key solution to access to care and mental health care in underserved, rural areas. Kristy worked at UC Davis for almost a decade helping launch the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and supporting the dean of medical education. In 2015, Kristy was the lead staff person who helped secure $15 million in funding to establish Behavioral Health research and policy centers at UC Davis and UCLA, where she became interested in system-wide solutions to the growing mental health crisis. Best described as a meandering path of interesting work, Kristy’s career started teaching art to people who are blind, teaching English in Japan, running Japanese language lessons at the Japan Society of Boston, launching a graphic design staffing service in Sacramento before running a statewide education program for the California School Boards Association. Kristy earned her MBA from UC Davis Graduate School of Management in 2015 and is the President of the Alumni Association. Kristy earned her BA from Barnard College of Columbia University in New York. She was born in Berkeley, California but grew up on Long Island, New York where she was often told she smiled too much and spelled her name wrong.

Lina Benton
Program Coordinator, Psychiatry Residency 
lbenton@healthyruralca.org
Lina Benton is the Psychiatry Residency Program Coordinator and Healthy Rural California’s Institutional Coordinator. Lina plays an integral role in launching HRC’s Graduate Medical Education programs. She is a member of the Butte County MHSA Steering Committee and of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT). Prior to joining HRC, Lina was the Project Manager for Community Outreach for a non-profit psychiatric residency facility in Kansas. In this role, Lina also had experience providing primary counseling for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry patients. She graduated with a Psychology B.S. degree from Kansas Wesleyan University. Lina loves donuts, pastries in general, and her dog named Quigley.

Rachel Sanchez, MBA
Director of Community Health 
rsanchez@healthyruralca.org
Rachel Sanchez is the Director of Community Health & Grants Program Manager for Healthy Rural California. In this role, she oversees grant applications and manages grants awarded, as well as participates in the coalitions represented in these grants. She is passionate about health equity, cultural appreciation and community capacity building especially in the rural and underserved areas of Northern California. She is a member of the Glenn County Behavioral Health Advisory Board and the Butte County Child Abuse Prevention Council. Rachel is an ACE Interface Lead Community Coach through North Valley Community Foundation. She has worked in public and private sectors. Her areas of expertise are community outreach and collaboration. Rachel earned her MBA from Western Governors University and her undergraduate from Eastern New Mexico University. Rachel loves plants and has over 100 succulents, 2 chickens and one Chihuahua. She loves to travel in her spare time.

Lisa Le 
Communications Assistant
lle@healthyruralca.org

Sarah Katris-Tyler
Family Medicine Project Assistant
sarahkt@healthyruralca.org

Callie Urner, CPA
Controller
curner@healthyruralca.org
Callie grew up in the Sierra Nevada foothills and loves the small, rural community she grew up in. She earned her B.S. in Business & Accounting from Sacramento State in 2008, as well as her California Certified Public Accountant license shortly thereafter. Callie has over 15 years of experience working in accounting and non-profits, including an urban education farm, a group of charter schools and a community building organization.

Elisa Chavez
Program Coordinator, Family Medicine Residency 
echavez@healthyruralca.org 

Susanna Garcia
Psychiatry Residency Project Assistant
sgarcia@healthyruralca.org

Isabella Gomez
Administrative Assistant ll
igomez@healthyruralca.org 

Click here to view the HRC Organizational Chart.