Executive Committee

Nicole D. Vick, M.P.H., C.H.E.S., Board Chair

Adjunct Professor
Occidental College

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Nicole D. Vick is a public health advocate, educator, civic leader, author, and community connector. She has spent the last 18 years providing tools and strategies to diverse stakeholders to improve health and prevent disease in Los Angeles County. She has successfully merged her lived experience and public health expertise into a 14-year teaching career, currently teaching in the Urban Environmental Policy Department at Occidental College. Ms. Vick is also a strong community advocate. She chaired the LA City Health Commission, serves as an community/alumni advisor for USC and CSULA, and also finds time to foster economic development by hosting pop up shops supporting Black women business owners in her own backyard.

In her first book “Pushing Through: Finding the Light in Every Lesson” she shares both the heartbreaking pain and the extraordinary triumphs that led her to advocacy and social justice work. Her story takes place against the background of the long-neglected and overlooked community of South-Central Los Angeles, where she grapples with the grotesque imbalance of power and privilege as it unfolds in every aspect of her life and those around her.

Abner Mason, Vice Chair

Founder & CEO
SameSky Health

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Prior to ConsejoSano, Abner was Founder and CEO for the Workplace Wellness Council of Mexico, now the leading corporate wellness company in Mexico. From 2003-2008, he was founder and Executive Director of AIDS Responsibility Project, driving the creation of CONAES and JaBCHA, the first business councils on HIV/AIDS in Mexico and Jamaica. Abner previously served as Chairman of the International Committee and member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), appointed by President Bush in 2002.

Abner serves on the Board of Manifest MedEx and is also a member of the American Medical Association’s External Equity & Innovation Advisory Group. He recently served on the Biden-Harris Policy Committee.

Brenda A. Shipp, Immediate Past Board Chair

Chief Operations/Privacy Officer
WellSpace Health

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Brenda Shipp is the Chief Operating Officer of WellSpace, a federally qualified health center in the Sacramento region. In her role, she creates strategic alliances with organization leaders to effectively align with and support key business initiatives. In addition, she builds and retains high performance teams by hiring, developing and motivating skilled professionals. Ms. Shipp serves as the internal leader of the organization:  Coordinate the annual operations plan and budget. She also leads the performance management process that measures and evaluates progress against goals for the organization. Her role also includes providing all staff a strong day-to-day leadership presence; bridging operations and support an open-door policy among all staff. Prior to joining WellSpace Health, Ms. Shipp was the Chief Operating Officer of Lifelong Medical Care in Berkeley, CA. She holds a MBA in Business Administration from St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA.

Auleria S. Eakins, Secretary

Manager of Community Outreach and Engagement
L.A. Care Health Plan

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Dr. Auleria Eakins, is a native of Los Angeles, California, she is a graduate of the University of Southern California where she earned a Doctorate of Education with focus on Organizational Change and Leadership. Dr. Eakins also completed studies at California State University Dominguez Hills where she received a Bachelors degree in Health Care Management and Masters of Public Administration.

Dr. Eakins is currently employed by L.A. Care Health Plan as Manager, of Community Outreach and Engagement. In this role, she is responsible for the health plans eleven Regional Community Advisory Committees, and building collaborative partnerships designed to garner community insight into health disparities and health access issues.

Dr. Eakins currently serves as board member of the University of Southern California School of Social Work Advocates for African American Elders, Phenom Girls Inc. an empowerment organization for young girls and the Ohana Center of Antelope Valley, which supports children with special needs and at-risk families. Auleria is co -founder of Mixed Methods Consulting, which specializes in support to non-profit organizations in the areas of capacity building, program development, and Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Eakins has devoted the past 20 years volunteering her time to issues of health advocacy, mentoring young women, and education. Dr. Eakins has been noted as a “connector” and continues to lend her talents, experience and expertise to further advance diversity, equity and inclusion, public policy and “Voice” for marginalized communities through out Los Angeles County.

Floyd Amuchie

Vice President, Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair
Sientra, INC

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Mr. Amuchie has over 15 years of operational and strategic finance experience with medium and large sized public and private companies. Mr. Amuchie currently serves as the Vice President of Finance at Sientra Inc., a publicly-traded medical device manufacturer focused on the aesthetics industry. Previously, from April 2021 to June 2022, Mr. Amuchie served as the Vice President, Corporate Controller of Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc., a publicly-traded pioneer in the space tourism industry founded by Sir Richard Branson. Prior to this, from November 2016 to April 2021, Mr. Amuchie served as a finance executive for Iteris Inc., a publicly-traded transportation analytics firm, holding the Vice President, Corporate Controller role from 2018 until his departure. Mr. Amuchie also held various finance roles at Word & Brown Companies, UnitedHealth Group, and Armanino LLP. Mr. Amuchie began his career in the assurance department at the Big 4 accounting firm, Ernst & Young. Mr. Amuchie is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of California and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management Economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Mr. Amuchie has previously served on the Board of Directors for two nonprofit organizations, 100 Black Men of Orange County Inc., and Umu Igbo Unite Inc.

Board Members

Dr. Jerry P. Abraham

Director & Chief Vaccinologist
Kedren Community Health Center

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Dr. Jerry P. Abraham, MD MPH CMQ, is a renowned Physician and Public Health advocate who currently serves as the Director & Chief Vaccinologist of the CDU-KEDREN Mobile Street Medicine program, a joint initiative. Kedren Community Health Center is a Historically Black Institution HBI, Federally Qualified Health Center FQHC, and Acute Psychiatric Hospital located in South Los Angeles. Dr. Abraham also holds a joint Faculty appointment in the Departments of Family & Community Medicine and Psychiatry at the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, the 5th Historically Black Medical School in the nation and located in South Los Angeles. Dr. Abraham received his Medical Degree from the University of Texas School of Medicine and completed his Family Medicine Residency at the USC Keck School of Medicine. He also holds a Master of Public Health from Emory University and completed a Fellowship in Injury Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Dr. Abraham is currently the President of the Los Angeles County Medical Association LACMA, Trustee of the California Medical Association CMA, and Vice Chair of the American Medical Association AMA Council on Constitution & Bylaws. Additionally, Dr. Abraham is a member of the National Medical Association NMA and serves on the Board of Directors of the Charles R. Drew Medical Society, the Historically Black County Medical Society in Los Angeles. He serves on numerous boards including the Urban Voices Project. Dr. Abraham is a nationally-recognized leader in developing health policy, ending health disparities, advancing health equity, and achieving racial & medical justice.

Dr. Abraham’s expertise and leadership have been critical in the fight against COVID-19, particularly in communities of color that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. He has been a strong advocate for the Equitable Distribution of Vaccines, working tirelessly to ensure that his minoritized and marginalized, underserved and underrepresented patients and communities have access to COVID-19 vaccines and other resources. As Director of Kedren Vaccines, he oversaw the administration of over 400,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the residents of Los Angeles County.

Dr. Abraham remains a staunch advocate for expanding and delivering equitable access to public health and healthcare services for all people and has fought for several minority groups’ right to reliable and nondiscriminatory, culturally- and linguistically appropriate and responsible care including advocacy for Black, Latin@, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian-Native Alaskan, the LGBTQIA+ community, people experiencing homelessness, people living with HIV, people with substance use disorders SUD, people living with severe mental illness and developmental disorders, people with histories of incarceration, migrant workers, among others.

Throughout his career, Dr. Abraham has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to Public Health and Healthcare. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the California Black Health Network CBHN Health Equity Champion Award, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference SCLC MLK, Jr. Community Justice Award, Hero of Family Medicine Award, the CMA Compassionate Service Award, the AMA Excellence in Medicine Award, the LACMA Independent Physician Award, the KJLH 102.3 FM Proven Achievers Award, the Association of Black Women Physicians ABWP Humanitarian Award, the First AME Church Community Service Award, the Community Build Health Advocate Award and the Los Angeles Business Journal’s Healthcare Leadership Award. Beyond that, Dr. Abraham has been profiled on The Rachel Maddow Show, Vice, and in the Los Angeles Times, in addition to testifying before the United States Senate and Congress on the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been featured in numerous media outlets, including CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and is a regular contributor on Spectrum News and CBS.

Dr. Jerry P. Abraham is a dedicated and prolific Physician, Public Health advocate, and community leader who has made a significant impact on the health and well-being of countless individuals and communities, with a lens on ending health disparities, advancing health equity and achieving racial & medical justice.

Debra A. Cooper, PhD

Assistant Secretary
California Health and Human Services Agency

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Dr. Debra Cooper received her undergraduate degree in psychology from Duke University and her PhD in Neuroscience from Emory University. Her graduate research focused on studying treatments for drug addiction. After receiving her doctorate, she continued doing research in drug addiction as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. In 2014, Dr. Cooper was selected to serve as a California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) Policy Fellow where she was placed in the California State Senate Office of Research. She has since continued working for the California State Legislature with a role as a Principal Consultant for the California State Senate Appropriations Committee and currently as the Chief Consultant for the California State Assembly Human Services Committee.

Kristee Haggins, PhD

Executive Director
Safe Black Space

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Dr. Kristee Haggins (she/her/hers) is a community healer, African-centered psychologist, consultant, and professor who takes a holistic approach to healing mind, body, spirit and community. She received her B.A. in Psychology with Honors from the University of Southern California and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from The Ohio State University. Dr. Haggins has had a multifaceted career as a clinician, educator, trainer, and administrator.

She worked for 18 years at UC Davis in Student Health and Counseling Services, where she was the Director of Training and she was an Adjunct Professor in African American Studies. Dr. Haggins worked for five years at the California Institute for Behavioral Health Solutions (CIBHS), as part of their Health Equity Team.

Dr. Haggins is a founding member and the Executive Director of Safe Black Space, a developing non-profit focused on helping Black people heal and thrive in the face of anti-Blackness. In addition, she is the President of the Greater Sacramento Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists and a trainer for Emotional Emancipation Circles (EECs). For over 30 years Dr. Haggins has been dedicated to enhancing Black mental health and wellness and in 2016 she received the Community Healer Collaborator Award from the Community Healing Network. Dr. Haggins is an Associate Professor at California Northstate University where she teaches doctoral level psychology courses in advocacy and social justice – facilitating the development of multiculturally competent future psychologists. In addition, she consults with and provides trainings and workshops to agencies, organizations, and universities on mental health; diversity, equity and inclusion; Black racial stress, trauma and healing; and trauma informed care with a racial lens; among other topics.

Finally, Dr. Haggins is a Member of the Board of Directors for the California Black Health Network (CBHN) and for the American Psychological Association Council of National Psychological Associations for the Advancement of Ethnic Minority Interests – Leadership Development Institute.

Marisa Hall

Senior Healthcare Account Executive
Eisai, Inc.

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Marisa Hall is a seasoned leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, having played influential roles at Fortune 500 companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott, AbbVie, and GE Healthcare. Formerly serving as Commissioner for the Housing Authority in Los Angeles, appointed by Eric Garcetti, Marisa currently contributes her wealth of experience as a Senior Healthcare Account Executive at Eisai, Inc.

Passionate about healthcare equity, Marisa advocates for underrepresented communities, striving to eliminate barriers and ensure fair access to quality healthcare. She actively champions cause related to education, housing, financial literacy, and healthcare, organizing events and collaborating with local organizations to empower children and create sustainable solutions.

Beyond her professional and community commitments, Marisa is currently pursuing her Executive MBA at the University of Southern California. Finding joy in spending quality time with her family, she also enjoys the arts, traveling, and cherishing moments with loved ones.

Her inspiring commitment drives her mission to create a better future by addressing healthcare disparities and fostering community engagement.

E’Tiffany Jones

Communications & Strategic Partnerships
OneLegacy

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E’Tiffany Jones manages Communications & Strategic Partnerships at OneLegacy, the not-for-profit organ, eye and tissue recovery organization. She has a robust career of over ten years in communications, event producing and partnership development.

E’Tiffany leads the Donate Life Rose Parade© Float committee, under her guidance and direction the organization received the highest Tournament of Roses honor, the Sweepstake Award garnering global attention for the OneLegacy mission. She utilizes a mix of earned media, creative programming, civic engagement, and philanthropic strategies to reach a population of twenty-million diverse residents of Southern California with the message of organ, eye and tissue donation.

Prior to joining OneLegacy, E’Tiffany developed her extensive background in cable television, producing live TV shows and managing signature campaigns in conjunction with national media outlets such as NBCUniversal, Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), Viacom, BET and many other large scale media corporations.

E’Tiffany holds a Bachelor of Science in mass communications from Norfolk State University and is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalist, the Association of Multi-Cultural Affairs in Transplantation, the American Association of University Women and Vice President of NSULA Alumni Association. She is also a founding member of the OPO-Medical School HBCU taskforce and Co-Chair of the national OneLegacy Donate Life Float Committee.

E’Tiffany and her husband reside in Los Angeles, California with their children.

Caila Jones-Menefee

FQHC Program Manager
UC Davis Health

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Caila Jones-Menefee is an objective driven leader that delivers quantifiable impact and outstanding results through process improvement and strategy development. Caila maintains an organized approach, clarity of purpose, and goal orientation in rapidly changing environments.

In her current role at UC Davis Health, she facilitates partnerships between UC Davis Health and Federally Qualified Health Centers to offer Northern California’s most vulnerable populations access to UC Davis Health’s nationally renowned clinical resources.

After decades within the non-profit sector as a project manager, fund development professional, and trusted process advisor to executive leaders, she began The Jones Collaborative. The community development agency is a vehicle to leverage the talents of her exceptional colleagues to help mission-aligned initiatives do business better. In 2022, Caila expanded The Jones Collaborative to include campaign management and served as the Campaign Manager for Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson.

Caila is a native San Franciscan, who earned her undergraduate Business Administration degree from San Francisco State University and her master’s degree in organizational leadership from Saint Mary’s College.

BJ Snowden, PhD

Associate Vice President of Equity, Institutional Effectiveness, and Innovation
American River College

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Dr. Snowden has over 20 years of experience in education with 18 of those years in the California Community College system. He currently serves as the Associate Vice President of Equity, Institutional Effectiveness, and Innovation at American River College. In this role he works to institutionalize and implement the colleges strategic goals, student equity plan, and curate the campus professional development agenda. Prior to this role he served as Interim Vice President of Educational Services and Student Success for the Los Rios Community College District, Dean of the West Sacramento Center for Sacramento City College, Dean of Instruction at Folsom Lake College, Director of Inmate Education for the California Community College Chancellor’s office, and as a tenured faculty member in Radio, TV, and Film Production at Cosumnes River College.

Dr. Snowden is an innovative leader that has a history of developing programs that foster both student access and success, including targeted services for historically underserved populations as well as veterans. Moreover, he has worked to develop innovative partnerships that provide meaningful educational and job training experiences for the diverse student populations in the region. Most recently Dr. Snowden has garnered recognition for trainings he has provided in adatipve leadership, equitable hiring practices, digital equity and critical media literacy and implicit bias. He currently serves on the boards of: The United Way-Capital Region, The Village Demands, The Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce Foundation, and The American Leadership Forum-Mountain Valley Chapter.

Dr. Snowden holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, TV and Film from San Jose State University, a Master of Arts in Educational Technology from Pepperdine University and a Doctorate in International & Multicultural Education with an emphasis in Racial Justice from the University of San Francisco.

Starr Thompson

Chief People and Administrative Officer
Nonprofits Insurance Alliance 

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Starr Thompson, a Six Sigma Black Belt in Human Resources, currently serves as Chief People and Administrative Officer (CPAO) for Nonprofits Insurance Alliance (NIA), a nonprofit company based out of Santa Cruz, California, whose purpose is to serve and insure the 501(c)(3) community. In her current role, Ms. Thompson is responsible for leading NIA’s overall human resources strategy, talent acquisition, leadership development, JEDI strategy, organizational design, and cultural development. As CPAO, she has changed the function, culture, and impact of HR across the Company to support its business goals and strategies as well as the needs and aspirations of its employees across the United States.

Previously, Ms. Thompson served as Vice President of Human Resources for Fitness Club Manager, Director of Human Resources at The Medical Group Executive Services, and Human Resources Manager at Lemonade Restaurant Group, in which she had responsibility for all human resources related services for each organization, including employee/labor relations, diversity equity and inclusion, compliance, recruitment, talent planning, learning and development, organizational development, compensation, benefits, and workforce planning. She has led teams focused on developing and implementing strategies that drove business results and created positive work environments and experiences for Executive Board Members, employees, and customers.

Ms. Thompson currently sits on the Board of Directors for the African American Board Leadership Institute, Maternal Mental Health Now, and The Blind Children’s Center based out of Los Angeles, California. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading, listening to music, mentoring up-and-coming HR professionals with whom she shares her knowledge and passion for Human Resources, and advocating on behalf of Black women and girls by empowering, strategizing, and positioning them to understand their why and how to win.