The Senior Leadership Team is responsible for day-to-day operations, under the guidance of a Board of Trustees, with participation of the Assembly of Overseers.
Senior Leadership Team
Interim President & Chief Executive Officer
Steven R. Gordon
Steve served as President and CEO of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH) in Brattleboro, Vermont until his retirement in April, 2022. He has nearly 30 years of experience in health care and hospital management. Prior to joining BMH in 2011, he served as President of Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, MA, and as the Chief Administrative Officer for Children’s Hospital Boston developing and operating Children’s Waltham, MA campus. He also served previously as the Vice President for Physician and Business Development at Newton Wellesley Hospital, and as CEO of Parkland Hospital in Derry, NH for 13 years. Steve earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors and a master’s degree in environmental health engineering from Tufts University, as well as a master’s degree in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota. A Massachusetts native, Steve is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and now resides in Bedford, NH with his wife Sharon.
(603) 542-3400
Steven.Gordon@vrh.org
Chief Financial Officer
Jean Shaw
A valuable member of the VRH team for nearly 20 years, Jean brings strong accounting and leadership skills to the organization. Responsible for revenue cycle and finances at all levels of VRH, she also serves on the board of the Community Dental Center.
(603) 542-3421
jean.shaw@vrh.org
Director of Rehabilitation Services
Belinda Needham-Shropshire
Belinda Needham-Shropshire is the Director of Rehabilitation overseeing the Rehabilitation Department (encompassing Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech and Language Pathology, and Audiology) as well as the CardioPulmonary Department. Belinda’s role is a partnership with Mt. Ascutney Hospital where she has worked for 22 years. She therefore will be Rehabilitation Director for both organizations working to facilitate growth and collaboration between the two organizations. Belinda has her Bachelors degree in Occupational Therapy from Utica College of Syracuse University and her Masters in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami. She is currently pursuing her MBA in Leadership from St Joseph’s College of Maine. She has spent the last 35 years as a clinician with special interest in the rehabilitation of patients with Neurologic Diseases and Disorders. Although most of Belinda’s duties are in leadership and managing rehabilitation professionals, she still loves opportunities to provide patient care.
Belinda.needham-shropshire@vrh.org
Senior
Director of Human Resources
Timothy McNulty
Tim has been an HR leader for 20 years, working in both large healthcare systems and critical access hospitals. He earned Bachelor’s of Science is business studies and human resource management at Southern New Hampshire University and his Master’s Degree in business administration from Norwich University.
(603) 542-3491
Timothy.McNulty@vrh.org
Chief Information Officer
Patricia Witthaus, CHCIO
A Healthcare Information Technology Professional for more than 20 years and a member of the College of Health Information Management Executives, Patty oversees many of the organization’s strategic HIT initiatives including Healthcare’s Most Wired and HIMSS Analytics leading to improved technology for patient care and business operations. Patty serves on several state and regional boards including the Board of the New Hampshire Health Information Exchange (NHHIO), The New Hampshire Board for Health Information Technology and locally for Pathways of The River Valley.
(603) 542-7830
Patricia.Witthaus@vrh.org
Chief Nursing Officer 
Beverley Rankin, RN, MSA, BC-NE
Beverley is an RN with more than 34 years of health care experience with 12 of those years at the senior leadership level. Her leadership skills and experience serve as an excellent complement to the VRH Senior Leadership and Clinical Leadership teams. Beverley is passionate about high quality care and advocates considering what is best for the patient when making decisions. Beverley holds a BSN in Nursing from McGill University in Montreal and a Master of Science in Administration from St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. Beverley is certified in Nursing Administration and is an active member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE).
(603) 542-3410
Beverley.Rankin@vrh.org
Senior Director of Provider Practices
Christopher LaFave
Chris joined the VRH leadership team in 2021 as the Senior Director of Provider Practices. Chris has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and holds more than 35 years of healthcare experience at the local, national, and international level. Chris is active in the community holding leadership roles in his church and he holds affiliations with the following: Medical Fitness Association, Medical Group Management Association, and American Association of Orthopaedic Executives. Chris is a leader with a passion for service excellence, holds experience in all aspects of administration, and has the ability to collaborate to adjust and align disparate views.
(603) 543-6917
Christopher.LaFave@vrh.org