Our Staff

Rhonda currently serves as the Executive Director of the California Black Health Network. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Life Serve Youth Foundation and as the Interim Executive Director for Integrative Medicine for the Underserved (IM4US). Prior to this role, Rhonda served as the IM4US Board President-elect. Before her tenure with IM4US, Rhonda was the Consultant/Project Director for the LiveHealthy OC Initiative, a three-year initiative that transformed the model of care of a network of FQHCs from a disease-focused treatment model to a prevention and wellness model to provide a whole person care approach.

Before the LiveHealthy OC Initiative, Rhonda served as the Consultant/Statewide Project Manager for the Susan G. Komen® Circle of Promise California Initiative, an intensive four-year effort to identify evidence-based strategies to decrease the high mortality rate of African American women diagnosed with breast cancer, and address disparities at the system, community, and individual levels.

Rhonda has also consulted on an NIH/NCI funded breast cancer survivorship research study at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in Miami targeting the diverse population of Black women in the South Florida community. The study focused on evaluating the impact of stress management and wellness education on survivors who were within twelve months of competing treatment. Her responsibilities included marketing, PR, community outreach and recruitment, and facilitating the study’s ten-week health and wellness education program to the control group cohorts.

Prior to her health disparities consulting experience, Rhonda worked in sales, marketing, learning and development consulting, and business management, with companies such as Eli Lilly and DuPont. Rhonda has broad international consulting experience and managed client engagements and projects on 5 continents and in more than 20 countries for companies such as GE, Office Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb, Glaxo SmithKline, Abbott Laboratories, Novartis, Rolls Royce, and Xerox Corp.

Rhonda earned her MBA in Marketing and Operations Management from the Colgate Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and her B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech. Rhonda served the Mission Integration Chair for the American Cancer Society 2012 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and a member of the Baptist Health South Florida Breast Center’s Patient and Family Advisory Council. Rhonda is a Leadership Charlotte alumnus, Past-Chair of the Board of The Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade, and a past CEO Forum member of The Commonwealth Institute South Florida. Rhonda served on the 2007 NFL Super Bowl Special Events Committee, and in 2006 was named one of South Florida’s “25 Most Prominent and Influential African-American Women” by Success South Florida Magazine.

Nina Greenwood is an experienced marketing and communications professional who has dedicated her career to crafting and executing impactful programs and campaigns for organizations in both the public and private sectors. She has leveraged her marketing, product, and project management background to provide strategic consulting to organizations dedicated to addressing health disparities within targeted ethnic or underserved communities.

As a classically trained product manager, she worked in strategic marketing and communication roles at Bank of America, Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland, and AAA before she began consulting with non-profits like Brighter Beginnings, an organization dedicated to supporting low-income children’s health and development. That role led her to Hill & Company Communications, where she implemented social marketing campaigns related to teen pregnancy prevention, nutrition education, mental health awareness, foster care, and others. Most recently, as a project manager for HNTB, she led engagement and outreach efforts for a large infrastructure initiative in the Bay Area.

Nina is a proud graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Mass Communications. She also earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Clark Atlanta University and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from California State University East Bay. Her community involvement includes mentoring at-risk youth and serving on the board of directors of two small non-profit organizations. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; 12 Days of Christmas, Inc.; and received an award as an outstanding staunch supporter of the Lend a Hand Foundation.

Nina has a passion for service and believes her work is the best way to make a positive change in the community.

Jessica Garza currently serves as Executive Assistant to CBHN’s Executive Director, Rhonda Smith. She comes with over 10 years of experience in support and organizational roles. Prior to California Black Health Network, Jessica was a Learning Initiatives Executive Assistant at PBS in Hawaii. She has also held positions at ESPN Deportes and Spanish Broadcasting System in New York City.

Jessica grew up in New York City, but hails from Ecuador. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies with a minor in English from Queens College, City University of New York. Since a young age she has always had a passion for helping people and joined CBHN to help make a difference.

Jamila Jabulani serves as the Network Membership Manager for the California Black Health Network. She has worked in the nonprofit sector for over fifteen years where she focused on civic engagement, health equity, education, and grantmaking. She is a former board member of an Autism chapter organization and founded the Differently Enabled Integrated Voter Engagement (DEIVE) Giving Circle which funds organizations committed to year-round voter mobilization, especially on behalf of people with disabilities.

Jamila holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in English Literature, a Certificate of Advanced Study in Philanthropy from Loyola University Chicago, and an M.S. in Organizational Leadership from Northcentral University.

Sandra Simpson is the Business Operations Manager for the California Black Health Network (CBHN). She brings a wealth of experience, integrity, and professionalism with her. Prior to CBHN, Ms. Simpson worked within the federal government and non-profits arenas in both the District of Columbia and California. She has managed the development and execution of a variety of programs, including administrative and organizational development. Her strong commitment to serving the underserved is reflected daily in her personal and professional life.

Sandra holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Sacramento.

Sylvie Wilson (she/her) serves as a Program Coordinator at California Black Health Network. Her public health interests lie in the intersections of health equity, neuroendocrinology, and reproductive health. She is earning an MSPH in the population, family, and reproductive health department in sexual and reproductive health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She holds a certificate in Health Communications from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg, as well as holds a B.A. in Neuroscience with a focus on neuropharmacology from Pitzer College. She aims to use her Public Health skills to dismantle the interlocking systems of oppression through community-based programs, education, and research.