Learning Symposium Speaker bios (in order of appearance)

Bonnie Wennerstom has been with the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Policy Division since January 2016. In her role as Policy Connector, Bonnie works with the Medicaid Transformation team, Accountable Communities of Health, and other state agencies and partners to move initiatives forward in ways that promote inclusivity and thoughtful progress. Bonnie also worked on Washington’s State Innovation Models (SIM) grant, and other initiatives related to health system transformation in Washington state.  Before her role in state government, Bonnie worked as a health center manager with Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands. 

  Alisha Fehrenbacher is the founding Chief Executive Officer of Elevate Health, and the President and Chair of the OnePierce Community Resiliency Fund. Alisha understands that disruption is an essential element to address population health challenges. She centers her approach to community care by listening to the community to advance local priorities, and her leadership and dedication to healthcare system reform is evident in the development and implementation of strategies to achieve the quadruple aim and greater health equity.

john a. powell is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, structural racism, housing, poverty, and democracy. john is the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, a research institute that brings together scholars, community advocates, communicators, and policymakers to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society and to create transformative change toward a more equitable world.

john holds the Robert D. Haas Chancellor’s Chair in Equity and Inclusion and is a Professor of Law, African American Studies, and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. Previously, he was the Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University where he also held the Gregory H. Williams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties at the Moritz College of Law.

john has written extensively on a number of issues including structural racism, racial justice, concentrated poverty, opportunity-based housing, voting rights, affirmative action in the United States, South Africa and Brazil, racial and ethnic identity, spirituality and social justice, and the needs of citizens in a democratic society. He is the author of several books, including his most recent work, Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society.

Liz Baxter is honored to act as CEO of the North Sound ACH, which works to advance health, equity, social justice and wellbeing across five counties in the North Sound region of Washington, which sit on the traditional homelands of the Coast Salish people, whose presence is imbued in the waterways, shorelines, valleys and mountains – since time immemorial. Liz has spent her career in executive positions that build bridges between complex policy discussions and the public's ability to understand and weigh in on these issues. Liz acts as a “translator” of technical knowledge for those who don’t live inside the policy world, and bridges information between community members and decision makers.

Pastor Anthony Steelewas born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is the pastor of Allen African Methodist Episcopal Church in Tacoma, Washington. Pastor Steele has been serving in the AME Church for nearly 30 years, as Senior Pastor of leading Methodist churches all over the country. Pastor Steele is the general manager of five buildings over 14 parcels in the Hilltop area of Tacoma. He oversees a computer Clubhouse for kids, a 3,000 sq. ft. commercial kitchen, and over 35,000 sq. ft. of billable commercial office space. He is the president of the Hilltop Business Association. 

Yusuf Bashir is the Executive Director and Founder of Falis Community Service. He is from Somalia, born into a Somali Bantu family. Yusuf grew up in Kenyan Refugee Camps, particularly in Dadaab and Kakuma, working as a social worker for the Lutheran World Federation. He immigrated to the United States in 2004. Yusuf has worked for King County since 2007. After experiencing a lot of difficulties adapting and understanding the United States, Yusuf founded Falis Community Service to help others with similar backgrounds with assimilating into the U.S.

Hadley Morrow is the Director of Equity and Engagement for Better Health Together. 

Born and raised in Spokane, Hadley has over 10 years of involvement with local community services and organizing. She graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in International Studies with a focus on conflict resolution and a minor in religious studies. In 2011 she embarked on a study abroad semester in Rwanda to research genocide reconciliation and peace-building. After graduating, Hadley moved to Seattle and gained early non-profit experience in outreach and communications roles, before returning home and joining the BHT team in 2016.

Barbe West leads the Southwest Washington ACH in its collaborative efforts to improve health and health equity. Barbe’s experience includes nine years as Free Clinic of Southwest Washington executive director, seven years leading a community health non-profit organization in Southwest Washington and over 28 years of health care leadership experience with Kaiser Permanente, retiring as President of the Kaiser Permanente Northwest region. Barbe has a BA in Sociology and an MBA/MHA from National University and is currently serving as the President of the PeaceHealth Community Health Board in Vancouver Washington. 

Tanikka Watford Williams is the Executive Director of The Moore Wright Group and works daily to put an end to abuse and the cycle of abuse, and be a resource for the community. Since COVID-19, the Moore Wright Group has impacted over 500,000 families nationwide. Tanikka has a heart for the community and a love of supply chains and is an advocate for survivors of abuse, and those who have been oppressed. Tanikka formed the first African American woman-owned produce distribution company, as well as a small batch co-packing company. 

Marta Martinez-Olivera is the Program Coordinator at the Catholic Community Services Farmworker Center and oversees the Plaza Communitaria Adult Education programs. Marta grew up in a farmworker family, working side by side with her siblings and parents in the fields of Skagit Valley. She always dreamed of going to college. After graduating from high school, Marta could only afford her first quarter of community college because, at the time, she was not eligible for financial aid. Through the DACA program (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Marta became eligible for financial aid and completed her Associates Degree in Human Services at Skagit Valley College.

Guillermina Bazante is an Outreach Coordinator at the Catholic Community Services Farmworkers’ Center. She is a native Mixtec speaker who worked diligently to learn English, earn her high school diploma and begin her studies in Human Services at Skagit Community College. Coming from a low-income, migrant farmworker family, gaining an education was her most important goal in life, and equally challenging. Guillermina draws motivation from her four children when circumstances seem daunting.

Veronica Farias is the Director of Communications for the Chelan-Douglas Health District, where she has worked for five years. Veronica comes from a hardworking family who migrated from Mexico to Washington in 1985. Veronica was born and raised in the Manson/Chelan area. She am the youngest of seven siblings and was the first (and last) to pursue a higher education. Veronica graduated from Gonzaga University in 2013. 

Kennedy Soileau joined the Health Care Authority in 2016. As Deputy Chief Communications Officer, she leads strategic communications for the agency’s policy, legislative, tribal, clinical, and behavioral health programs. Prior to joining HCA, Kennedy was associate director of communications for the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. She began her career as a journalist.

Mia Nafziger is a Senior Health Policy Analyst in the Policy Division at HCA. She is coordinating efforts to create a health equity strategy for the agency, and also advises leadership on health equity and value-based purchasing policy issues across HCA’s programs. Mia previously worked as an analyst at the Texas Legislative Budget Board, where she researched the implementation of Medicaid managed care programs, and as a research aide with the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, where she conducted meta- and cost-benefit analyses on a range of policy issues. 

Lena Nachand is the Tribal Liaison for Medicaid Transformation at HCA. In this role, she partnered with the American Indian Health Commission of Washington State and the 31 Indian Health Care Providers to establish a project that honors tribal sovereignty and meets the requirements of Washington's 1115 waiver. Lena has worked in the space of Medicaid Transformation/Healthier Washington since 2014. She graduated from the University of Washington Community-Oriented Public Health Program (COPHP) with a Master of Public Health in 2014 and from Whitman College in 2006.

Celeste Schoenthaler, MPH is the Executive Director of Olympic Community of Health (OCH), the Accountable Community of Health serving Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap counties and the sovereign nations of the Hoh, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Makah, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Quileute, and Suquamish Tribes. Celeste guides the advancement of OCH’s mission by directing the design, implementation, and administration of OCH’s governance, programs, and collaborative efforts. She approaches this by working closely with the Board of Directors, the staff team, and partners across the region. Coming from a Public Health background, Celeste brings a passion for health and equity to her work along with experience in policy, systems and environment change efforts, and strategic communications. 

Susan McLaughlin is Executive Director of HealthierHere, in the King County region. She has been working on system transformation for over 20 years at the intersection of psychology, child welfare and the law- improving the lives of children and youth involved in the justice system and foster care, especially those with mental health and substance use conditions. She was the Health and Human Services Administrator for the King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division where she led large scale system transformation initiatives. Susan is a Clinical Psychologist and has provided assessment and treatment to children, youth and families in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings. 

Carol Moser is the Executive Director of Greater Columnia Accountable Community of Health (GCACH). Carol Moser has served as Executive Director for the Greater Columbia Accountable Community of Health since 2014. Prior to her position with Greater Columbia ACH, Carol served six years as the Executive Director of the Benton-Franklin Community Health Alliance, one of the original health care collaboratives in the state of Washington. Carol was appointed by Governor Christine Gregoire to serve on the Washington State Transportation Commission from 2006 to 2011, and was a member of the Richland City Council from 1995 to 2006. She served as Mayor Pro-Tem from 2008-2010. Carol received her Master's in Business Administration from Seattle Pacific University, and a Bachelor of Music from Pacific Lutheran University. She is an active member of Columbia Center Rotary, and a Board member of the Benton Franklin Workforce Development Council.

A.J. McClure is the Deputy Director at Global to Local.  Having spent his career in both local government and the not-for-profit sector, AJ believes authentic community engagement and leadership development through the lens of racial equity is the foundation for building vibrant and healthy communities.  Prior to Global to Local, AJ held community engagement roles for the City of Seattle, King County and a variety of community-based non-profits.  He has developed and led local and regional initiatives focused on the community health needs of vulnerable populations and resilient communities. 

Craig Dublanko is the CEO of Coastal Community Action Program.  Mr. Dublanko has served as the CEO for 10 years and prior to that spent 11 years as the company’s CFO.  Mr. Dublanko is a St. Martin’s University Graduate and, with his wife Kristen, has raised their family two blocks from his childhood home in Aberdeen, WA.

Leslie Narramore hails from the Columbia River Gorge. She is the Executive Director of Washington Gorge Action Programs, a Community Action Agency which serves Klickitat and Skamania Counties. 

Amy Brandt is the Communications and Special Project Coordinator for Olympic Community of Health (OCH). OCH tackles health issues that no single sector or Tribe can tackle alone, ultimately fostering a region of healthy people, thriving communities. As the Communication Coordinator at OCH, Amy helps elevate local success stories and creative health solutions. She utilizes various storytelling platforms to support the voice of the Olympic region, such as community-wide health campaigns, partner spotlight blogs, a weekly newsletter, and the OCH website. Given her background in non-profit marketing and communications, Amy has a unique understanding of design and storytelling. She loves being part of a team that prioritizes community empowerment.

Pama Joyner is the Director for COVID-19 Vaccine and Care Coordination Response at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH).  Prior to taking on this role she served as the Director of the Office of Healthy and Safe Communities at DOH, working with local health jurisdictions, tribes, and community based organizations to make the healthy choice the easy choice in homes, communities, workplaces, healthcare settings, and schools working to prevent disease and promote health at every stage of life by implementing policies, systems, and environmental changes with a focus on health equity. Pama previously served as manager of the Cancer Prevention and Control Section in the Office of Community Wellness and Program Manager for the Breast, Cervical and Colon Health Program at the DOH.  She started her career in public service as a program manager for the state’s Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program and over the years has served as the State Chronic Disease Director and served in various roles on the board of the National Association Chronic Disease Directors, covering issues such as health reform, public health leadership, and evidence based-public health practice.

Vicki Lowe is the Executive Director of the American Indian Health Commission for Washington State. She is a Jamestown S’Klallam descendent. Vicki has worked in the Health Department of the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe since 1996 and is very involved in the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Community. She has been part of the Jamestown Canoe Family since 2009, pulling in the Tribe’s canoe since 2012. She supports singing and drumming, language, weaving classes and other culture programs. 

Toni Lodge is an enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mt. Chippewa Tribe of North Dakota but has lived in Washington State for the past 40 years.  She has worked as a newspaper reporter, Indian student educator, counselor, program developer, grant writer and program administrator.  A long time Indian community activist, Ms. Lodge helped establish and build the NATIVE Project in 1989, an urban Indian Health Services Title V and HRSA 330 FQHC Clinic that provides medical, dental, pharmacy, nutrition, licensed mental health and substance use disorder services, prevention programs and culture programs to members of over 300 tribes who live in Spokane and to people of all ethnicities.  Ms. Lodge has been the CEO of NATIVE Project for 27 years and has overseen its annual budget grow from $100 to $16 million over the last 30 years.

Toni has served on the board of directors for the Washington Association of Community Health Centers; serves on the American Indian Health Commission, the WA State Indian Policy Advisory Committee and the Governors Indian Health Advisory Committee; and currently represents Eastern WA on Gov. Inslee’s Safe Start Advisory group as Washington moves forward in reopening and recovering from the effects of COVID-19.

Katherine Saluskin is the Yakama Nation Behavioral Health Services Program Director and has served in that position for more than seven years. The Yakama Nation Behavioral Health Program provide services to children, teens, adults, elders, veterans and families and reflects the unique social cultural and traditional experience of its clients in strengthening the family system. Katherine has her MSW from the University of Washington.

Andrew Shogren is the Health Policy Director for the didgwalic Wellness Center, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Andrew has been involved in regional efforts to improve health care quality for American Indian/Alaska Natives for many years.  He has served as the Treasurer of the American Indian Health Commission, Delegate to the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, an Executive Board Member of the Olympic Communities of Health, and Technical Advisor to the National Institutes of Health Tribal Advisory Committee. Andrew graduated from San Diego State University with a Master’s in Public Health, Health Service Administration. He also holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Washington School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from the University of Washington.

Jean Clark, RN, BSN, MSN, MBA, brings a 27-year track record of successful leadership in multiple large healthcare organizations and Critical Access Hospitals to her role as CHOICE Regional Health Network and Cascade Pacific Action Alliance (CPAA) Chief Executive Officer. Jean has overseen physician enterprise development, clinical quality including patient experience and staff engagement, clinical operations, strategic service line development, consolidation of services, recruitment with retention, and state and national health policy development. Previously, Jean served in three senior leadership roles for Kindred Healthcare, a Fortune 500 company and the leading provider of post-acute healthcare delivery systems in the United States. As Chief Executive Officer at Kindred Hospital Seattle, Jean was responsible for achieving full and seamless integration of the entire clinical enterprise, including quality, patient safety and patient experience initiatives, and population health. As the West Region Senior Director of Clinical Operations, she lead 26 Chief Clinical Officers, ensuring regulatory and state licensure compliance. As the Chief Clinical Officer at Kindred Hospital Seattle, Jean lead the clinical teams to multiple quality and safety awards. Prior to joining Kindred Healthcare, she was Chief Nursing Officer at Astria Sunnyside Hospital, which included oversight of 6 hospital-owned clinics.

Dr. Bridget Beachy is currently the Director of Behavioral Health at Community Health of Central Washington (CHCW), an FQHC that is dedicated to the integration of BHC services in primary care.  Dr. Beachy is committed to providing BHC services, and spends a substantial time in clinic.  She is also a behavioral health faculty member at CHCW’s Central Washington Family Medicine Residency and is a primary supervisor for the Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship.  Dr. Beachy has experience training BHCs, medical residents, and medical and psychology students in integrated care and brief behavioral interventions.  Dr. Beachy regular presents across the globe as well as at the state and local levels. 

Mary Ann Woodruff, MD, FAAP is a board certified pediatrician in practice for 30 years in Tacoma with her remarkable colleagues at Pediatrics Northwest, a multispecialty pediatric practice, with 4 locations in the South Puget Sound. She currently leads practice wide behavioral health integration and serves on the leadership team for the Bridge of Hope, a partnership between HopeSparks and Pediatrics Northwest, funded and supported by Elevate Health, to integrate behavioral health at the primary care medical home. She sits on the COVID, IDEW (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Wellness) and Behavioral Health Committees at her practice. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and serves on the Early Learning, Behavioral Health Integration and Healthcare Transformation Committees for the Washington Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Currently she is the Medical Co-Director of the WCAAP’s First Year Families Grant, a learning collaborative for pediatric practices in implementing Perinatal Mood Disorder Screening. She sits on the Medical Provider Outreach Committee for Help Me Grow Pierce County and the Help Me Grow Pierce County Social Determinants of Health Subcommittee. Dr. Woodruff additionally serves on the WA Department of Health’s Essentials for Childhood Steering Committee and the Prenatal to Five Relational Health Sub Group of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group, advisory to the legislature. Since 2001, she has been delighted to practice pediatrics with books as part of Reach Out and Read. She cofounded Reach Out and Read Washington in 2007 and continues in her role as the Medical Director for Reach Out and Read Washington and on the ROR National Medical Advisory Board. She has served on local boards including the Pierce County Library Foundation, the Food Connection and the Children’s Museum of Tacoma (now GreenTrike). She continues as the Board President of Friends of Pediatrics Northwest. She earned her undergraduate degree at Seattle University, her medical degree at the University of Washington and completed her pediatric residency and chief residency at Mount Zion Hospital and Medical Center, Stanford University and the University of California, San

Eric Lawrence is currently a Captain/Paramedic with Clark County Fire & Rescue. He attended Spokane Community College to achieve his Associate of Science in Paramedicine and also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Management Information Systems from Washington State University.

Bruce Goldberg is a family doctor and Professor at the OHSU-PSU School of Public health and a national consultant and lecturer on health policy issues. Bruce served two Oregon Governors, as the Director of the Oregon Office for Health Policy, Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services, and then was the founding Director of the Oregon Health Authority.  In that role, Bruce led Oregon's nationally recognized health reforms transforming Oregon’s Medicaid system to one based on a model of coordinated care. In addition, he established Oregon’s Healthy Kids program providing health coverage for children and transformed the delivery of public human services to enhance efficiency and effectiveness. His experiences span time as an administrator of large complex organizations, a practicing clinician, teacher/academician, a county health officer, medical director for a Medicaid managed care organization and Clinical Director for the US Public Health Services in Zuni, New Mexico. He was a faculty member at the Oregon Health and Sciences University School of Medicine for more than 15 years. 

Representative Eileen Cody was raised on her family’s farm in Iowa. After graduating from high school, Eileen earned an associate’s degree in nursing from the College of Saint Mary and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Creighton University. Eileen recently retired after working at Kaiser Permanente (formerly Group Health Cooperative) in Seattle for the past forty years. She is a neuro-rehab nurse certified in both rehabilitation nursing and multiple sclerosis care. In addition to her work at Kaiser Permanente, Eileen is a founding member of District 1199 NW/SEIU Hospital and Health Care Employees Union. First appointed and subsequently retained to the House of Representatives in 1994, Eileen has dedicated her legislative career to achieving affordable, quality healthcare for all residents of Washington state. Eileen currently serves as chair of the House Health Care & Wellness Committee, where she has worked for improved patient safety, mental health parity, public health services, and to restore the universal purchase of vaccines. More recently, she has led efforts to implement the federal Affordable Care Act at the state level. Largely because of her work, Washington’s online health care marketplace, Washington Healthplanfinder, is a model for the rest of the country – helping thousands of Washingtonians access affordable coverage. Eileen has called West Seattle home since 1978. She and her husband, architect Tom Mitchell, share a home with their cats Steven and Mandu and their dog, Humphrey.

Chase Napier is the Medicaid Transformation Manager for the Washington Health Care Authority. 

Linda is currently the Executive Director of the North Central Accountable Community of Health (NCACH). Prior to accepting this position she was a member of the Washington State Senate and served the state's 12th Legislative District for 20 years, and filled the Elected Official position on the NCACH Governing Board. While in the Senate, Parlette served as Senate Republican Caucus Chair for 10 years, was a member of the Health and Long-Term Care; Ways and Means, Rules, and a variety of other committees, and was the ranking Republican on the Capital Budget in 2011 - 2012. In 1968 Senator Parlette earned her bachelor’s degree (with honors) in Pharmacy from Washington State University. She has worked many years as a pharmacist for many independent pharmacies across North Central Washington. Her pharmacy background informed her legislative work to improve access to health care, which included service on the National Conference of State Legislatures’ Health Care Committee; the governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Health Care; the state’s Joint Task Force on Mental Health Services and Financing; and the Adult Behavioral Health System Task Force, which she co-chaired. Locally Senator Parlette has served as a former member of the North Central ESD board and a former Chair of the Lake Chelan School board. Parlette served as a member of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center’s Advisory Board, is active in Rotary, and other community activities.

Alison has over 20 years of nonprofit and leadership experience. Before Better Health Together, she served as Executive Director for six northwest nonprofit organizations, leading them through significant change processes to better meet community needs. Alison joined Better Health Together in June 2013 after moving her family to Spokane from Seattle. Alison has a business degree with a human resources concentration from Pacific Lutheran University. When she isn’t working to improve the health of her community she enjoys running, exploring her backyard in Valleyford and taking care of her two sheep, nine chickens, three ducks, two dogs and her family

Nichole June Maher joined Group Health Foundation as president and CEO in October of 2018 after spending six years as the CEO of Northwest Health Foundation (NWHF). Under her guidance, NWHF became a national forerunner in equity and a champion of supporting communities to improve their own health. Previously, Nichole served for 11 years as executive director of Native American Youth and Family Center, an organization widely recognized as having one of the most effective and innovative wrap-around family service models for Native Americans in the United States. One of Nichole’s most satisfying and impactful accomplishments has been co-founding the Coalition of Communities of Color, a powerful advocacy group in Oregon and regionally.

Nichole has served on a number of governing boards, including Grantmakers in Health, Philanthropy Northwest, National Urban Indian Family Coalition, and Northwest Indian College Foundation. She holds an MPH from the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University. She also completed a fellowship at Harvard Medical School and the Robert Wood Johnson Minority Medical Education program at Yale Medical School. Nichole is proud of her Alaskan heritage and her connection to rural communities across Washington and Oregon. She is the mother of three young children.