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Experience

I’ve worked for twenty years in the field of public health. I earned a Master in Public Health degree from UCLA. In my career, I have been in complex situations where finding common ground, articulating a shared truth, and developing a plan forward have been essential.

The critical skills needed to accomplish this work include:

  • Leadership
  • Cultural competence
  • Community Organizing
  • Facilitation
  • Inclusive meetings
  • Program planning
  • Policy analysis and development
  • Strategic planning
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Trauma informed approaches
  • Evaluation
  • Research and writing
  • Storytelling

Some knowledge areas that I have specific expertise in include:

  • Health Equity
  • Adolescent development and health
  • Violence prevention
  • School mental health
  • Student chronic absenteeism from school
  • Developing partnerships to improve health and well-being
  • Evidence based and promising practices in public health

If you or your organization need some help to move forward, let’s talk.

You can find more information about my work experience and education by reviewing my resume, below.

Employment:

Truthteller Consulting, LLC

Director, July 15, 2018 – Prese­nt

  • Designed and facilitated a year-long set of workshops and meetings for community members working to identify and address health inequities.
  • Led a qualitative data review process for community members seeking to select a project to improve health and equity in Southeastern Connecticut.
  • Developed a health equity, organizational pretest to support the work of the Health Improvement Collaborative of Southeastern Connecticut’s goal to dismantle racism.
  • Drafted language about healthy adolescent development and evidence based school and community gun violence strategies for a national organization
  • Facilitated a process where a community collaborative developed formal and documented governance and decision making practices.
  • Co-facilitated digital storytelling classes with StoryCenter
  • Developed audio pieces that tell the stories of community based organizations forwarding racial equity in Connecticut.
  • Developed a partnership with an independent radio, in Connecticut, station to broadcast my audio stories.
  • Project management to forward a variety of work. This includes a Robert Wood Johnson racial equity grant and other social justice projects.
  • Storytelling consultation and creation of supporting documents for organizations and collaboratives

Oregon Health Authority- Public Health Division, Office of the State Public Health Director

Policy Specialist, January 15, 2014 – June 22, 2018

  • Developed and maintained a formalized interagency partnership between the Oregon Public Health Division and the Oregon Department of Education in order to support the health and academic achievement of children and youth.
  • Served as a member of the Oregon Department of Education’s School Discipline Advisory Committee. This group worked to reduce the disproportionate suspension and expulsion of students of color.
  • Collaborated with the Oregon Early Learning Division to support decision-making around reducing the lead exposure of infants and young children.
  • Participated in state and national work groups to maximize opportunities to address health related barriers to learning in the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
  • Staffed a high-level cross agency workgroup composed of managers and staff from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Public Health Division in order to support population health strategies dependent on transportation planning.
  • Developed long- and short-range goals and plans to guide cross-sector partnership work with the Oregon Departments of Education and Transportation.
  • Coordinated the development of legislative policy concepts for the Public Health Division

Oregon Health Authority- Public Health Division, Adolescent Health Section

Team Lead, Healthy Kids Learn Better Program, July 1, 2007 – January 14, 2014

  • Staffed Healthy Kids Learn Better, a statewide education and health coalition composed of that successfully advocates for linkages between Oregon’s education and health sectors.
  • Convened high-level education and health stakeholders to develop a state-level school health policy concept.­
  • Supervised the evaluation of a school-based mental health project
  • Coordinated research and report writing focused on a return on investment analysis of school health capacity building as a pathway to boost the high school graduation rate.
  • Provided professional development to school staff and county public health staff to address health using a Coordinated School Health Approach.
  • Prepared budgets, program rules, and administered contracts to support school health priorities.

Oregon Health Authority- Public Health Division, Adolescent Health Section

Mental Health Specialist, Healthy Kids Learn Better Program, Nov 5, 2005-June 30, 2007

  • Led the implementation of a State Mental Health Demonstration Project utilizing a Coordinated School Health model.
  • Pioneered a new school mental health self-assessment and planning instrument modeled after the School Health Index.
  • Developed and provided professional development, utilizing adult learning techniques, for school staff in order to support them in addressing student and staff mental health.
  • Managed the reporting and communication for the federal and foundation grants that supported the project.

Oregon Health Authority-Public Health Division

Contractor – Program Technician 2, July, 2004-October 2005

  • Identified barriers to health access experienced by Latinx people in several Oregon counties.
  • Facilitated meetings and conducted presentations to solicit input for the Maternal and Child Health Title V needs assessment with managers.

Contra Costa County Health Services, Tobacco Prevention Project, Martinez, CA

Youth Mobilization Coordinator. October, 2001-June 2004.

  • Earned the trust of young people of color and provided them with community organizing knowledge and skills in order to support them as they advocated for their views with the local police department and the County Board of Supervisors.
  • Provided technical assistance on youth issues to tobacco control programs statewide.
  • Co-authored a youth community organizing curriculum based on youth development principles.

Peace Over Violence (formerly the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women) Los Angeles, CA

Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator. July 1999-July 2001

  • Worked with mothers who were non-native English speakers to support their efforts to understand and advocate for their children in the LA Unified School District.
  • Supported youth of color in their work to petition the LA Unified School Board to provide rape prevention education in school.
  • Co-wrote a violence prevention and health promotion policy for the Los Angeles Unified School Board.

Education:

  • Story Center Facilitator Certification 2021
  • Developing Equity Leadership through Training and Action (DELTA). Oregon Health Authority, Office of Equity and Inclusion: 2017-2018 Cohort
  • Poverty Institute. Communication Across Barriers, Portland Oregon: Completed July, 2015
  • Northwest Public Health Leadership Institute. Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, University of Washington, Seattle: Completed: January 2014
  • Master of Public Health. University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health. Degree Completed: June, 2000
  • Bachelor of Science. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, School of Natural Resources and Environment. Degree Completed: December, 1996

Other Experience:

  • Digital Storytelling
  • Narrative Storytelling
  • French
  • Volunteer – Planned Parenthood of Southern New England; Peoples Action

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