The LKA Network

We believe in a team approach. With LKA’s experienced writers, planners, researchers, clinicians, and data and finance specialists, your organization benefits from a wide range of expertise. We also draw from the experiences of our client base, and from your staff who are at the front lines in service delivery. We bring these perspectives together to assist your organization in developing competitive applications, designing effective programs, and creating strategic plans.

• SHARING THROUGH THE LKA NETWORK
  Through site visits, strategic planning, and the proposal development process, we note areas of particular strength or experience, and areas where you ask for help. Some of you will be asked to share your expertise—how to start up a pharmacy, clinical policies and procedures, QI plans. Others will benefit from those willing to share. We aim to increase this free sharing of resources, ideas, and expertise among the LKA client “network.” Sharing doesn’t cost a thing, but it has tremendous value.
• BUILDING LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS
  In order to provide services tailored to fit your needs, LKA invests time in learning about your organization and the community you serve. While some consultation is through internet and phone, site visits provide valuable information to the client and LKA team. We are also able to assist organizations through the strategic planning process, which dovetails with preparing annual applications and lays the groundwork for competitive opportunities. Lorie Kayler and Jason Hamilton provide onsite consultation, strategic planning, and workshops.

Lorie Kayler

Team Leader/Editor/Strategic Planner

As a UNC-CH School of Public Health undergraduate, Lorie interned at a rural health center, working with migrant farmworkers. That internship resulted in a job at the N.C. Office of Rural Health where she provided consultation to health centers. Lorie began writing grant applications during those years, and completed her Master’s in Health Policy & Administration at UNC-CH. After 5 years with the State, Lorie “retired,” relocating due to her husband’s career, and settled into caring for their newborn son. What started with a few health centers requesting assistance has grown by word of mouth to over 90 clients located throughout the US.

Jason Hamilton

Project Manager/Editor/Strategic Planner

Jason has helped many organizations define their mission, think outside the box, implement effective systems, refine and better communicate their message. A Quality Improvement Specialist emphasizing measuring and improving the impact.

Kelly Benning

Editor/Team Writer

As an undergraduate at Furman University in Greenville, SC, Kelly began her professional writing career contributing articles to the Greenville Magazine. After graduating with Cum Laude honors in 2001, she accepted a position as District Executive for a co-ed character education and school to careers program of the Boy Scouts. It was in this position that she secured her first grant. She has worked with LKA since 2009, with a focus on competitive grant applications, program design, and strategic planning. Areas of interest include HIV/AIDS, reproductive and maternal health, and behavioral health.

Yvonne Dailey

Team Writer/Graphics Specialist

Yvonne’s career has focused on various aspects of communication in commercial, government, and non-profit entities, including technical documentation, business communication, image marketing, and website development.

Tim Freer

Team Writer/Editor/Attachment Specialist

Tim completed a Bachelors Degree at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011 for Editing and Graphic Design. In his time at school, he wrote for The Daily Tar Heel and was a writing, editing, and graphics intern at Well Magazine (affiliated with UNC Health Care). Since graduation, he has earned well-rounded experience at different organizations as a writer, proofreader, transcriptionist, and grant writer. He has worked with Lorie Kayler & Associates since July 2013.

Jennifer Clark

Team Writer

Jennifer is an independent consultant with 20 years of experience in the planning, implementation and management of health services in the community health center setting. Throughout her tenure as a Chief Operating Officer, she assisted with the development of numerous federal and private grant applications for construction, service expansion and the implementation of new health center services for the uninsured, homeless, and persons living with HIV/AIDS. She and her husband live in Liberty, SC near their beloved alma mater, Clemson University.

Alyson Iott

Team Writer

After earning her BA in English from Kenyon College in 2003, Alyson Iott worked as a newspaper journalist and freelance writer in the Midwest, Southwest, and Canada before embarking on a second career as a middle-school teacher of math and Language Arts. Her writing has appeared in national and international publications.

Emily Rodman

Data Specialist

Emily graduated from Cornell University in 1997 with her BS in Natural Resources. Her interest in Public Health developed during her experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador and through her work with immigrants and low-income communities in the United States upon her return. She earned her Masters of Public Health from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2006.

JANIE KENNEDY

Finance

Janie’s career has focused on various aspects of financial analysis for both non-profit and for-profit companies in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and North Carolina. Janie spent four and a half years working for Wake Health Community Health Center (Raleigh, NC) as a Senior Accountant in both full-time and contract roles. She began working for LKA in June 2010. She currently assists the finance team with various responsibilities, including financial analysis and budgets.

PETER BAUMGARTEN

Systems Designer/Finance

Excel data zen master and technical writer for the team, Peter attained a degree in business and computer science and has spent much of his career at the juncture of the two, working as an intermediary between technical personnel and business professionals. He has worked with software developers to help them “think like the user,” addressing ease-of-use concerns to successfully create an engaging and rewarding user experience.

LEIGH STANTON

Research Manager/Lead Writer

Leigh Stanton has more than twenty years experience as a grant writer, having written, edited and prepared competitive federal and private funding applications for numerous health organizations. Prior to this, she served in administrative positions in community health/human service organizations and earned a Master’s degree in Education at the University of South Carolina. Leigh resides in Upstate South Carolina.

Angie Miller

Data Entry

Angie graduated from Appalachian State University with a BS/BA, double majoring in Marketing and Management. Most of her work experience over the past 20 years has been in the areas of customer service, human resources, accounting, and purchasing. Angie has worked for a home care agency as a staff supervisor responsible for recruiting and hiring nurses, and staffing cases. She currently works for a children’s clothing company in customer support.

Kathy McLendon

Editor/Team Writer/Healthcare Environmental Specialist

Kathy brings to the team over 18 years of experience in community health care, including having served as Deputy Director of the Tennessee Primary Care Association (TPCA). During her thirteen years with TPCA, the organization expanded its funding portfolio to include Bureau of Primary Health Care grant-funded programs, federal contracts, state contracts, and private foundation grants.

YOUJIE HUANG, MD, MPH, DRPH

Research and Evaluation Specialist

Youjie brings expertise in epidemiology and evaluation to this team. He is the State Chronic Disease Epidemiologist with Florida Department of Health. He has 20 years experience in epidemiologic research at universities and governmental agencies in South Carolina and Florida. His research areas include health care delivery for underserved populations, chronic disease, clinical outcomes, and environmental exposure related health conditions.

“LKA provided tremendous guidance and leadership in pulling together our federal grant application. The LKA team kept us on track with regular communication and updates and challenged us to put together the best application possible. We would definitely work with LKA again.”

Molly Talbot Metz

VP of Programs Mary Black Foundation

“LKA continues to do a magnificent job and the price is a bargain. We will continue to use LKA for our grant writing services as long as they are available to us.”

Carolyn McClain

CEO, Margaret J. Weston Community Health Centers

“We enjoy working with the LKA team. They are knowledgeable and professional. Their expertise makes the grant writing process successful for our organization.”

Theresa Brock

CEO, Morgan County Health Council, Inc.

“Wow!!!! You & your team are GREAT, Thanks!”

Roland Gardner

CEO, BJHCHS

“Lorie, thanks to you and your team – you made this grant cycle very easy on me.”

Joan Ivey

Executive Director, Stony Creek Community Health Center

“LKA made the federal grant process easy to understand and maneuver. Expertly completed application.”

Bryan Haynes

CEO, Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems, Inc.

“You guys have been exceedingly helpful. I wish I found you years ago.”

Carlos Gomez

CEO, Western NC Community Health Services

“LKA has been tremendous in the services they have provided for us. They are very punctual and very professional. I believe they are among the best grant writers available.”

Jeff Taylor

CEO, Oakhurst Medical Centers Inc. GA

“Having Lorie and Jason onsite gave me an opportunity to see things through another set of eyes with fresh ideas while hashing out strategic options for our health center.”

Wilbert L. Jones

Executive Director, Greater Meridian Health Clinic, Inc. MS

“The LKA team is knowledgeable, thorough and extremely skilled as grant writers. Their abilities have enabled us to consistently win grant awards to expand our scope of services and to grow.”

R. Michael Hill

President CEO, PanCare of Florida, Inc.

“I think you will be pleased with both depth of LKA’s professionals, their good utilization of your time, and the quality of the product they deliver with an excellent time management system to help ensure that everyone stays on task to completion. I know we have! LKA has become another great asset to ABCCM through their professional and timely skills. They are great team players who have brought about $200,000 in new resources.”

Scott Rogers

CEO ABCCM, North Carolina

“You will be absolutely pleased and overly satisfied with the level of expertise and thoroughness of LKA. They are always professional, efficient and consistently produce in-depth, high quality products. LKA ascertains that you will be fully prepared to meet all criteria and deadlines. They provide excellent feedback and continuously strives for excellence in developing your end product.”

Lisa Duck

Executive Director, Guilford Adult Health, Inc., North Carolina

“We love working with Lorie and her staff. She has a great team and they are all dedicated to achieving outcomes for our health center. One of my biggest fears in working with outside consultants is that they will not understand the inner workings of our company and that they will not share our passion for what we want to accomplish. Lorie and her team make it a point to fully understand everything about us they feel like part of our staff, part of our family. Just as important, they hold themselves to a high degree of accountability and are serious about living up to their obligations. When we complete a project with LKA, we always feel that we got our moneys worth and more!”

Carl Humphries

CEO HopeHealth Inc., South Carolina

“LKA is very knowlegable, and dependable. Makes the proposal/grant process very easy to get through. Great asset. Friendly, resourceful, helpful. Less stress, is always best!”

Ashley Barnes

CEO Low Country Health Care System, Inc.