Support Staff Members

Julia G. Zell, Executive Director

Julia Zell is an attorney experienced in public health and regulatory law, specifically concerning universal vaccine purchase programs. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Washington Vaccine Association program. She has managed a government affairs team that successfully guided a statutory fix through Congress for military healthcare dependents (TRICARE), and continues to work on ameliorative, legislative projects for state departments of health.

Julia received her B.A. from Furman University in political science, her M.A. in Government from the Robertson School of Government, where she earned the “Most Outstanding Scholarship Award”, and her J.D. from Regent University, graduating magna cum laude. Following law school, she served as a law clerk in the Federal District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia. She now resides in Boise, Idaho with her two daughters.

Patrick Miller, MPH, Administrative Director

Patrick serves as the Administrative Director of the Washington Vaccine Association and is a Principal and Shareholder with Helms & Company, Inc. He is an experienced consultant and trusted advisor whose 30+ year career has been primarily in healthcare and human services. His skillset lies at the intersection of public policy, operations, technology, and strategy. During his career, Patrick has worked across the private, nonprofit, education, and government sectors. In addition to his consulting clients, Patrick currently serves as Executive Director of the NH Vaccine Association. He sits on the board of directors for Speare Memorial Hospital. Patrick holds a bachelor of science degree in Health Management and Policy and a master's degree in public health, both from the University of New Hampshire.

Leslie Walker, CPA, Chief Financial Officer

Leslie Walker, CPA, is a Director with Mason+Rich, PA who works with Helms & Company, Inc. as the Chief Financial Officer for the Washington Vaccine Association. Leslie chairs her firm's Finance Committee that oversees accounting protocols. Leslie also manages financials for a number of her firms larger clients and is an expert with Federal Grant A-133 Audits.

Holding a Bachelors Degree from New Hampshire College, Leslie is a member of the New Hampshire Society and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Cheri Cagle, Stakeholder Liaison

Cheri Cagle serves as the Stakeholder Liaison of the Washington Vaccine Association program. She is a Certified Professional Coder and has worked in the Pediatric office setting for over 24 years. Her previous position provided her with the ability to gain proficient knowledge in medical coding, billing and revenue cycle management. She has experience communicating with insurance companies on various matters such as claim denials, payment edits, contracts and credentialing. She initiated the training and education of the provider and clinical staff on the WVA and Department of Health requirements for the Childhood Vaccine Program. In addition, she worked with the billing software vendor and clearinghouse to set up the electronic billing of the dosage-based assessment claims to payors.

Cheri served as the President and Secretary for the Tacoma Chapter of American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) for four years ensuring the local chapter members received monthly free continuing education for maintaining their credentials. She continues to serve on the local chapter’s Conference Planning Committee which provides additional low cost continuing education to AAPC members in her community.

Ashley Ithal, MPH, Compliance and Project Support Leader

Ashley is a Project Support Leader for the Washington Vaccine Association and is employed by Helms & Company, Inc. as a Senior Consultant. Prior to her current role with Helms, she spent over ten years as a Project Director at the University of New Hampshire working for the Institute for Health Policy and Practice and within Academic Technology. Ashley has experience managing large-scale projects in the nonprofit, education, and government sectors, conducting research related to health care transparency, performing claims-based data analytics and informatics, and conducting stakeholder engagement and strategic planning activities. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology and a Master degree in Public Health, both from the University of New Hampshire.