Jessica Ice, Ph.D., Executive Director
681.265.9008

Jessie is a native of Braxton County and received her BA in History and African American Studies from the University of Virginia. After graduation, she moved back to West Virginia and attended West Virginia University for Masters’ in Social Work and Public Administration. It was there that she discovered her passion for promoting public policy that works for the people. To that end, she continued her education at Florida State University, receiving her MS and PhD in Political Science with a concentration in Public Policy and then moved back to West Virginia in 2011 where she has remained ever since, putting her skills to use in a variety of ways from working with labor unions to volunteering with non- profits to analyzing policy to teaching others.

Kat Stoll, Policy Director 

Kat currently serves as the Policy Director for the West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, based in Charleston, WV.  Kat works out of her home near Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. She served more than 8 years on the board of West Virginians for Affordable Care.

Prior to returning to her home in West Virginia to live full-time seven years ago, Kat served as the Deputy Executive Director for Families USA, based in Washington, D.C.  She worked with the team at Families USA for 15 years. Families USA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the voices of consumers to health care debates at the national level. Families USA played a key role in the development and passage of the Affordable Care Act.  In her leadership role at Families USA, Kat coordinated “strange bedfellow” coalitions and led strategic campaigns to advance access to affordable, quality health care for lower income families.  Kat constructs original data analysis and has written over 50 earned media reports on health care issues over the past 20 years.  Kat serves as a key spokesperson to the media on health policy issues including the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and Health System Improvement (payment and delivery reforms).

Prior to Families USA, Kat worked for the Center for Women Policy Studies and the National Health Law Program, both based in D.C.  She is an attorney and has a Masters degree in Economics.

Julianne Yacovone, Director, Child Health

Julianne studied Psychology at Liberty University before moving to Charleston in 2014. Raised in a military family, she enjoys to travel but now calls West Virginia home. She is active in the anti-human trafficking movement and continues to educate others about human trafficking prevention. She has served as the A21 Walk for Freedom host in Charleston for the past several years. Julianne joined the WVAHC team in 2019 after working for the City of Charleston. Julianne serves as our Director of Child Health and is passionate about working with others to create a happier, healthier West Virginia for our kids. 

Mariah Plante, Story Collection Coordinator

Mariah is a Kanawha County native who has recently returned home to Charleston after several years working in the theatre industry in New York City.  Mariah is a founding member of the Appalachian Artists Collective and holds a BFA in Acting and Drama Therapy from Marymount Manhattan College. “As a theatre artist, activism and storytelling have always gone hand in hand for me. Sharing a lived experience is one of the most influential ways that people can contribute to the policy conversations that impact our daily lives.”

Cindy Harless, Website Coordinator and Database Management

Cindy is a native West Virginian who has worked in public service for more than 30 years, with a longstanding focus on health care in West Virginia  -- she has worked in both State and Federal government positions.  She studied Nursing at the University of Charleston and joined our team in 2015.