President & CEO

peter a. brunnick, cpa

Peter Brunnick is the President & Chief Executive Officer for Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR), a multi-specialty, post-acute care organization with a focus on advanced illness and end of life care services.  HPCCR provides comprehensive hospice care, palliative medicine, and educational services to a daily caseload of approximately 2,200 patients and their families, reaching nearly 6,000 patients annually. 

Before accepting the position of President & CEO in February 2010, Pete served for 10 years as the Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer.  Prior to joining HPCCR, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of the Givens Estates in Asheville, NC.  

A graduate of North Carolina State University, Pete is a certified public accountant and is a member of NCACPA.  From 2007- 2009, he was the Chairman of the Board of Directors for The Carolina’s Center for Hospice and End of Life Care, also served as board treasurer, and was a 2007 recipient of the Center’s Spirit of Hospice Award.  Pete was appointed by the Governor’s office to serve as a provider representative on the North Carolina Hospice Certificate of Need Methodology Task Force.  In 2009, he was named not-for-profit CFO of the Year by the Charlotte Business Journal. 

Pete has served on the Governance Committee for The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO).  He has also served on the Board of Directors for The Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina since 2012; as Board Chair June 2014 to June 2016 and as Past Chair until June 2018.  Pete has served as a board member of PACE of the Southern Piedmont and as a board member for The Employers Association (TEA). He was appointed by Governor Pat McCrory to serve a three-year term in the first ever hospice seat on the NC State Health Coordinating Council. Pete was the 2016 recipient of Leadership Charlotte’s Unsung Hero award.  In 2020, Pete was elected to the national board of NHPCO.

Pete has been married to his wife, Vicki, for 36 years and they have one son, Mason, who is a graduate of Harvard University and now lives in the Boston area.

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Vice President Philanthropy

thomas h. atwood

For over nineteen years, Tom has helped donors and stakeholders connect with the organizations they love.  A graduate of Florida State University, Tom began his fundraising career as the Executive Director of the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation, the charitable organization of one of the nation’s largest men’s college fraternities.  While serving the fraternity, Tom oversaw all aspects of the fundraising operation including board development, annual support, planned giving, and capital giving. While leading the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation, Tom led or co-led three campaigns that sizably increased the assets of the organization.

In 2015, Tom moved to the YMCA of Greater Charlotte where he leveraged his fundraising and donor cultivation experience to help the YMCA, among other things, make measurable advancements in their childhood literacy initiatives and other elements within the YMCA’s case for support. 

Originally from the greater Tampa Bay area, Tom has lived in Charlotte since the mid-1990’s and, along with his family, now calls the Queen City home.  When he’s not working, Tom enjoys the outdoors, trying to replicate the woods and water experiences he had as a child growing up in Florida.

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Vice President & COO

michael s. bolewitz, pharmd, mba

Before joining Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR) in 2008 as its first in-house pharmacist, Mike was the clinical pharmacist for Carolinas Specialty Hospital, now part of Atrium Health.  Since 2013, Mike has served as HPCCR’s VP & Chief Operating Officer. 

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A graduate of Duquesne University, Mike earned his Doctor of Pharmacy in 2002.  Subsequently, he earned his MBA from Pfeiffer University and is also a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator (CHPCA).  Mike has served as Board Chair for NCMedAssist and is a board member of the Association For Home & Hospice Care of NC.  He also serves on the Pharmacy Steering Committee of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.  Mike has earned numerous awards including the Leslie Carswell Leader of the Year Award and Charlotte Business Journal’s Top 40 Under 40 award.  He routinely presents at national and state conferences, establishing a reputation for delivering high-quality patient experiences while scaling operations to significant profitability in evolving and high-risk environments.

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Vice President Business Development

tara connolly

Tara joined Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR) in 2016.  Prior to joining HPCCR, Tara spent most of her business development career in the pathology diagnostics space working for small, private equity funded and large Fortune 500 diagnostic companies.  Tara has earned numerous awards throughout her sales career including Rookie of the Year, multiple Top Performer awards, and Sales Director of the Year.  Tara also spent many years training and developing sales professionals and is certified in Achieve Global Professional Selling Skills (PSS) and Miller Heiman Blue Sheet Selling.  

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Tara is a graduate of East Carolina University and is based in Charlotte, NC with husband and two dogs.  When not working, Tara enjoys spending time with family and friends, snow skiing, and cooking.

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Vice President & CIO

pete davies

A graduate of the University of Wales, Pete has more than two decades of experience in the field of Information Technology. As a consultant for a UK based systems integrator, Pete worked for seven years engineering solutions for SMEs with a particular focus on bespoke software development, data mining, and financial applications. After a brief contracting spell in the US following a 4000 mile relocation, Pete joined Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR) in 2004 where he leads the Information Systems Department. 

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Pete is a seasoned engineer, technologist and solution provider; well versed in data mining, application development, information security, contingency planning, communications, project management, and strategic technology planning.

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Vice President & CFO

todd fontenot

Todd Fontenot joined Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR) as Chief Financial Officer in September 2018. In this position, Todd is responsible for the overall financial strategy and direction at HPCCR, as well as Facility and Materials Management.

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Prior to joining HPCCR, Todd held previous Hospice and Home Health CFO roles for Southern California based Mission Healthcare and Central California based Optimal Health Services.  He also spent just over 8 years at Amedisys serving as the Regional Director of Financial Operations for the Midwest Region. Throughout his nearly 14-year career in Hospice and Home Health, Todd has established a reputation for building outstanding teams and for aligning financial and business metrics to support business strategy and high-growth. He holds a BS in Finance and MBA from Southeastern Louisiana University.

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Vice President & Chief Medical Officer

jessica fox, d.o.

Dr. Fox received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She then earned her medical degree from Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania.  She went on to complete an Internal Medicine Residency at Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio.  Dr. Fox is board certified in Internal Medicine.  Following completion of her residency, Dr. Fox  practiced in the hospital setting as a hospitalist and as an  intensivist.  It was there that she found her true passion and desire for hospice and end of life care.  During her 14 years of hospital practice, Dr. Fox held several director and leadership positions, as well as was nominated and received several awards and accolades. Dr. Fox joined HPCCR in 2019.

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Dr. Fox has called the Charlotte region home with her husband and two daughters, since 2010.  When not working, Dr. Fox enjoys spending time with her family, downhill skiing, and running. She has successfully completed several marathons.

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Vice President & Chief of Staff

laura hampton, sphr, shrm-scp

Laura joined Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR) in 2021.  She is responsible for corporate governance and communications. Prior to joining HPCCR, Laura served as Chief Operating Officer for The Employers Association, a business association that provides human resources, learning, and benefit solutions to employers.  Her career includes leadership, operations, human resources, talent development, communications, marketing, and client development experience. 

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Laura holds her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) designations. She served as Board Chair of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont, President of Metropolitan Business & Professional Women, and currently serves on the Board of Girl Scouts Hornets’ Nest Council. The Mecklenburg Times recognized Laura as one of the area’s “50 Most Influential Women.” A cum laude graduate of Bryn Mawr College, Laura holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in French.  She lives in the Lake Norman area with her two children and enjoys travel, reading, music, and outdoor activities.

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Vice President Human Resources

cynthia l. tilley, sphr

Cindy, a Gaston/Mecklenburg County native, is a 1987 graduate of Appalachian State University, earning a BSBA in marketing and management.  Cindy began her career with Hospice & Palliative Care Charlotte Region (HPCCR) in 1995 and continues to enjoy overseeing the functions of Human Resources, Community Outreach, Volunteer Services, and Staff Training & Development.  In 2005, Cindy was awarded the prestigious Babcock Award from The Employers Association for excellence in the human resources profession and service to the business community.

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