2027-2028 Chapter Officer Nominees
Get to know this year's Richmond Chapter board nominees!
Fardia Ali, CPC, CPB
President
Fardia Ali is a certified professional biller and coder. She has served previously as AAPC RVA's member development officer and education officer.
"I obtained my Bachelors degree in Health Science through Stratford University, Medical Assistant diploma with Fortis College and Medical Coding certification at J. Sargent Reynolds’s community college. Although a native to Richmond, Virginia, in my younger childhood years I grew up in Brooklyn, New York.
Over 14 years of experience within the healthcare industry over multiple scopes of practices. I currently work as a practice administrator for local sleep apnea therapy private office. I enjoy outdoor adventures such as going to the race tracks, James River and walks at various recreational parks throughout Virginia."
Londyn Carter, CPC-A
Vice President
Londyn has previously served as member development officer and is the current 2026 AAPC RVA Vice President.
"My passion for learning and my dynamic work ethic have led me towards earning a CPC certification. I am dedicated to expanding my education in order to remain compliant with new policies and guidelines. I have experience working as a soldier serving the United States Army, salon owner, and Xtreme Step Instructor. I use this knowledge and experience to guide my advancement within the medical coding field. My excitement for my job shines through in every task in which I engage, and I work with a strong focus on results, to achieve goals quickly and efficiently."
Jeannette Rivera, CPC-A
Secretary/Treasurer
Hello! My name is Jeannette Rivera.
I am originally from NYC and have resided in Virginia for 19 years.
What I enjoy doing is traveling, reading and of course, shopping.
Last summer I became certified. Since then I have enjoyed attending the Richmond chapter. This led me to wanting to learn more and volunteer on the board.
Unique Smith, CPC, CRC
Member Development
Unique Smith, CPC, CRC, has built her career in medical coding, risk adjustment, and
value-based care. She has been a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) since 2016 and a Certified Risk Adjustment Coder (CRC) since 2019. Her professional experience
includes E/M coding, HCC production coding, auditing within value-based care, and
provider education. She currently works as a CDI Program Manager for a value-based care network.
Throughout her career, Unique has developed a strong appreciation for continued
learning, professional growth, and connections that help individuals succeed in the
coding profession. Her experience across different areas of coding and healthcare has influenced her appreciation for mentorship, networking, and becoming involved in the coding community.
As the Member Development Officer for the AAPC Richmond Chapter, Unique looks
forward to helping members feel welcomed, connected, and engaged. She hopes to
encourage greater participation within the chapter, foster professional connections, and help members take advantage of opportunities to learn, grow, and become more involved in their local coding community.
Marenn “Renn” Santos-Thomas, CPC, CRC
Education Officer
Marenn “Renn” Santos-Thomas is a coding and clinical documentation professional with experience in risk adjustment, CDI, provider education, and program management. Her work has focused heavily on helping providers and healthcare teams understand coding and documentation requirements while identifying opportunities to improve accuracy, specificity, and overall documentation quality.
Renn has experience with prospective and retrospective coding review, risk adjustment analytics, documentation improvement, provider education, and developing educational resources around complex coding concepts. She enjoys taking technical information and turning it into practical, approachable education that connects coding guidance to real-world clinical scenarios.
As the Education Officer for the Richmond AAPC Chapter, Renn will focus on organizing educational events that bring members relevant topics, knowledgeable speakers, and a variety of professional perspectives. She looks forward to connecting the chapter with educators and industry professionals from different backgrounds and specialties, with the goal of expanding how members approach coding, documentation, and healthcare in their day-to-day work. For Renn, continuing education is not just about earning CEUs, but about creating opportunities to learn something new, challenge familiar ways of thinking, and bring useful ideas back into everyday practice.
Outside of work, Renn enjoys anime, theme parks, trying new restaurants and experiences, and discovering entirely too many things to do through TikTok. She is also an identical twin, so occasionally seeing double may be completely justified.