Leadership

Stephen J. Kerrigan

President & CEO

Stephen J. Kerrigan has held a number of key positions in government and politics for nearly three decades. Steve currently serves as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center with sites in Worcester, Framingham and Milford, Massachusetts.

Prior to joining Kennedy Community Health, Steve was the Principal of the Kilgeever Consulting Group, a public affairs firm that focused on government relations, business development and management consulting. In addition, Steve served as the Chief Executive Officer of both the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee and the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee, as well as in the role of Chief of Staff for President Obama’s 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee.

As Chief of Staff to Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, Steve played a pivotal role in shaping public policy and driving the initiatives of New England’s largest regulatory and law enforcement office. Prior to his tenure in state government, he spent two decades as a trusted advisor and Senior Aide to Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), both in the U.S. Senate and in private capacities. A committed public servant at all levels, Steve also served on the Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen in his hometown of Lancaster, Massachusetts.

Outside of his professional career, Steve is deeply committed to public service and civic engagement. He serves on the Board of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and is also the co-founder of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, where he has been a dedicated board member for 20 years. In 2014, he was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, bringing his leadership and advocacy to the forefront of statewide politics.

A graduate of Saint John’s High School and the University of Maryland, Steve lives in Lancaster, Massachusetts with his husband, Jacob.

Ruby (Cherfils) Pezanetti

Chief Operating Officer

Roberlyne “Ruby” Pezanetti joined the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) bringing extensive leadership and operational experience from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Mrs. Pezanetti brings a diverse background within the healthcare, regulatory, and insurance industries. She is a seasoned leader with specialties in strategy, transformation, regulatory environments, operations, compliance, and scalable, sustainable programs and services, all with a focus on health equity. Mrs. Pezanetti’s greatest strength is the ability to balance vision, strategy, and execution. She enjoys the challenges of transitioning from creative vision to operational implementation and excellence.

Mrs. Pezanetti was recognized as an Outstanding Woman in Business by the Worcester Business Journal in 2025 for her many growth initiatives that expand access to care. A lifelong learner, Mrs. Pezanetti brings a renewed focus on delivering innovative, compliant management for the diverse mind. Mrs. Pezanetti always thrives on how to engage stakeholders, leverage capacity, resources, and experience to realize business needs in an ever-complex, changing, and regulated healthcare environment in a community setting. Leveraging her Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, she is a champion of change, applying lean methodology to drive continuous improvement.

Before joining Kennedy Community Health, Mrs. Pezanetti served as COO and CEO of Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, one of the four public safety-net hospitals in the Public Health Hospital System within the Department of Public Health (DPH). There, she led the stellar management of a global pandemic, ensuring the health and safety of patients and staff. She also served as the Executive Director of Multi-Boards in the Bureau of Health Professions Licensure from 2016 – 2020, where she led the administration of seven health profession registration Boards under the strategic vision of protecting the health and safety of the people of the Commonwealth through policy creation and implementation, licensing, and enforcement. Her hands-on experience in operationalizing legislation offered insight into the realities of pivoting from theory to practice, common challenges, and leveraging stakeholders and advocates.

Prior to joining the Commonwealth, she’s held leadership positions with DentaQuest as Regional Director of Client Engagement for the Northeast markets; Liberty Mutual as Director of Operations for Awards and Recognition for Personal Markets; Nationwide Insurance in several roles countrywide as Manager of Process Management, Compliance Manager, and Manager of Sales Operations for the Mid-Atlantic region; and Travelers Insurance as an Agency Portfolio Manager in the New England markets.

Mrs. Pezanetti is passionate about supporting and promoting community service to disenfranchised and underserved populations. Giving back to her community is the cornerstone of her personal values. She supports and volunteers with nonprofit organizations serving in various capacities on several committees of the National Association of Community Health Center, the Mass League of Community Health Centers, Caritas Communities, YMCA of Central Massachusetts, the Commonwealth Purchasing Group, The Collective Energy Advisory Group, and is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Mrs. Pezanetti holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Virginia State University. She currently lives in Marlborough, MA.

Christopher Wilbur

Chief Financial Officer

Christopher Wilbur serves as Kennedy Community Health’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He is a seasoned senior accounting professional with an exceptional record of managing a diverse network of non-profit and corporate finance teams with a proven ability to successfully communicate and build strong working relationships across a broad range of organizational hierarchies, departments and key internal and external stakeholders: Board Members, executives, staff, volunteers, partners and vendors.

Mr. Wilbur joined Kennedy Community Health in September 2018 as the Director of Accounting and was promoted to CFO in February 2020. Prior to joining the Health Center, he served in various finance roles including Director of Finance for Children’s Friend, and Chief Finance and Administration Officer for Horizons for Homeless Children. Mr. Wilbur is a graduate of Franklin Pierce University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and received his Master of Business Administration from Anna Maria College.

Candice Richardson

Chief Clinical Operations Officer

Candice Richardson, RN, serves as our Chief Clinical Operations Officer. A member of the strategic leadership team, Ms. Richardson is a graduate of Quinsigamond Community College and launched her career at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Framingham.

While working in correctional services, she was introduced to the mission of community health centers by a colleague and in 2015, Ms. Richardson joined the Kennedy Community Health team as a nurse manager at our Worcester health center. Within two years, she was promoted to Site Manager of our health center in Milford. In late fall 2019, Ms. Richardson was promoted to Vice President for Nursing and Clinical Services, and in a short time her skills and expertise were greatly challenged by COVID-19. Throughout the two-year height of the pandemic, she led the quality control and infectious disease efforts, implementing processes and protocols to ensure the safety of patients and staff. In early April 2022, Ms. Richardson was promoted to her current position of Chief Clinical Operations Officer.

David Small

Senior Vice President, Human Resources

David Small joined Kennedy CHC in 2014 as the Vice President of Human Resources. He has 18 years of human resources experience working in a broad range of companies, including health care and other not-for-profit organizations. Most recently, he worked as the Director of Human Resources for Steward Health Care System.

Mr. Small received his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University, his JD from CUNY Law School, and a Certificate in Human Resources Management from Bentley University. He serves as a board member of the Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.

Karen Grant

Senior Vice President, Development

Karen Grant brings over 20 years of experience in development, communications, strategy and nonprofit management to her role as SVP of Development. Prior to joining Kennedy Community Health, Karen served as Chief Development Officer at Heading Home, the state’s largest provider of family shelter. She served as Vice President of Giving Factory Direct at Cradles to Crayons, where she led the development and growth of the organization’s online clothing donation platform, driving significant increases in the number of children served, registered donors and overall revenue. Her leadership experience spans a variety of roles at Cradles to Crayons, including VP of External Affairs and VP of Development, where she successfully raised millions in funding, expanded the organization’s footprint and drove national growth initiatives.

She also served as the Vice President of Development & Communications at Peace First. There, she was responsible for leading the organization’s fundraising, communications and marketing efforts including helping to launch a national peacemaking award for young people. Additionally, Karen spent several years working in political communications. She serves as Co-Chair of the Melrose Commission on Women, Co-Chair of Melrose Grad Night, and Chair of the Cummings Foundation Site Visit Committee. Karen received her BA from Boston University.