Medicine for
the People

Clinical Care

Our vision is a multidisciplinary health care center designed to meet the needs of communities marginalized by mainstream medicine by offering culturally appropriate care for the people by the people. Our goal is to have a home for the TCHF clinic by 2025.

We are not currently offering medical or mental health services. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911 immediately.

Health Justice campaigns and policy

We work to eliminate systems of oppression that perpetuate illness by engaging in grassroots campaigns and policy efforts that promote liberation and public health for communities suffering from disparate health outcomes.

Health promotion initiatives and community programs

Through these efforts, we work to advance the health of Black, Brown, LGBTQI, disabled and low-income community members throughout the region.

About Tubman Health

Tubman Center for Health and Freedom is a community organization committed to the principles of healing and people’s liberation from systems that make us unwell. We work to advance health justice, culturally appropriate care and integrative medicine. We are designing an innovative community health clinic that specializes in meeting the needs of marginalized communities in Seattle’s Puget Sound region.

We are named after the heroine Harriet Tubman, who concentrated on both freeing people from systems of oppression that threatened their health as well as providing clinical care for patients as a Nurse in the Union army. We follow this same methodology of addressing health and wellness from both systemic and clinical approaches.

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Featured

WELL US Study

You are invited to participate in a study being conducted by Danisha Jefferson-Abye, MPHc at the University of Washington School of Public Health and a consortium of Seattle-area Community Organizations with a concentration on health equity.

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Blaxinate

It’s clear that vaccine uptake by the Black community in our region is among the lowest in the state. We have launched Blaxinate in order to bring #MedicineToThePeople.

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Exciting news! Tubman Health is expanding with our second site – the Healing House. Ready to serve 250 community members this year, the Healing House is a welcoming liberated space that delivers on community’s dreams and wishes for care while our health center is being built.

Representation Matters: Black Doctors Help Increase Life Expectancy and Reduce Mortality

We’ve known that having a healthcare provider that looks like you is important in creating trusting relationships and improving the health outcomes of marginalized communities. Now, a new study has found that simply having Black doctors in your county—whether you receive direct care from them or not—is associated with longer life expectancy and lower mortality among Black community members.

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Get Updates From Tubman Health

Staff & Board Members

AyeNay Abye

Dr. Peter Asante, MD FAAP

Stassney Jane Obregon

Monique Altheimer

Johnny Buck

Angela Garbes

Ben Danielson

Danisha Jefferson-Abye

Dr. Vanda Huang, ND, LAc

Karina Patel

Mariah Jiles

Imani Dinish

Nacala Ayele

Martine
Pierre-Louis

Julie Chinitz

Dr. Tiyanna Rodgers, DNP, ARNP

Trinh Vo

Kendra Canton

Makani Themba

Amiira Barton

LaKeith Asphy

Mersadies Sanders

Emma Ross Medicine White Crow

Nicole Hood

Logan Wilson

Francxs Placide

Marleen Haverty

Fernando Mejia-Ledesma

Emijah Smith

Amanda Shi

Ata Ma'ae

Tiara Ranson

Carmen Davis

Curtiss Calhoun

Get In touch with TCHF

AyeNay Abye

Chief Executive Officer

AyeNay Abye has led community organizing efforts for the past seventeen years. In their previous role as Deputy Director, for Seattle University’s Center for Community Engagement, AyeNay led external partnerships and strategy. This includes, the Seattle University Youth Initiative (SUYI), a place based community engagement model in partnership with the surrounding neighborhoods. Prior to that, AyeNay was the National Field Director for The Praxis Project, a movement building intermediary that supports organizing and change work by people of color at local, regional and national levels. In this role she worked to advance Communities Creating Healthy Environments (CCHE), a national capacity building initiative to support diverse, community-based organizations and indigenous groups in developing effective, cutting-edge and culturally competent policy initiatives in over 22 cities in the United States.

Dr. Peter Asante, MD FAAP
Director of Health SErvices

Dr. Asante is a board-certified General Pediatric Physician, who approaches his clinical practice from the backgrounds of community health and implementation science. He is passionate about his work as a child health advocate, particularly as it pertains to expanding access to comprehensive healthcare for under resourced youth and adolescents. He is committed to creating clinical spaces where providers can form impactful relationships with families that improve health and well-being, both inside and outside of the doctor’s office. As a child health advocate, he believes that through supportive relationships, we can make the world a better place for children.

Stassney Jane Obregon, MHA

HEALTHCARE ADMINISTRATOR

Stassney Jane Obregon, a Health Administration Professional with a Master of Health Administration (MHA) and B.A. in Medical Anthropology and Global Health from the University of Washington, is the first Filipina in her family to achieve these milestones in the United States. Recognizing the importance of “representation” and “diversity,” she reflects on the challenges she encountered while navigating institutions that lacked representation, especially, women of color in leadership roles. These experiences ignited her fervent desire to advocate for change and foster a more collaborative, representative, and inclusive space. Motivated by her journey, Stassney is committed to paying it forward, ensuring individuals with similar backgrounds and struggles have the resources to thrive. She actively shapes a future where diversity is not only acknowledged but celebrated, creating a landscape that fosters success for all.

Monique Altheimer

CERTIFIED PEER COUNSELOR AND CLINICAL SUPPORT

Monique is a native Seattleite, born and raised in the Central District. She is a speaker, activist, and advocate who understands the power of using her voice, efforts and energy to serve those whose voices remain unheard, undervalued and unseen. Her primary passion has been supporting victims of sex slavery and prostitution, and overall mental health of members of marginalized communities. She is also training to become a Certified Peer Counselor. Monique is fearless and steadfast in her pursuit to serve community, provide tangible solutions and resources to those in need

Johnny Buck

DESIGN AND RESEARCH FELLOW

Johnny Buck (Wanapum and Yakama Nations), from Priest Rapids, WA, completed the 1st year of his master’s degree at the University of Washington, Seattle’s Human Centered Design & Engineering program. Mr. Buck is the WISE Action Program Director at the Na’ah Illahee Fund. He is building power and capacity in Native and BIPOC communities by leading dynamic movements for social change through Indigenous leadership, community-based strategies, and priorities. He is a past recipient of the Samuel Huntington Public Service Award, which helped him set up camps and ongoing leadership mentoring in Washington State to support Native American youth and empower them to pursue careers in STEM. Much of his activism and professional experience has been building teams and their capacity to collaborate and address problems facing BIPOC communities; this has let him know how important it is to gain new and fresh perspectives and look at problems from multiple angles to create situations with many solutions. His goal is to empower people, BIPOC communities, Tribes, and organizations to design and manage products and technologies that strengthen the relationships of diverse stakeholders, increase collaboration and meet diverse stakeholder needs in cross-sector, statewide-to-global initiatives facilitated within complex social and organizational systems.

Angela Garbes

Angela Garbes is a journalist and the author of Like a Mother, a narrative nonfiction book exploring the emerging science and cultural myths of pregnancy and motherhood, as well as a community advocate for reproductive justice, working families, and equity and inclusion. Like a Mother was an NPR Best Book of the Year and finalist for the Washington State Book Award in Nonfiction. Her writing on care work and parenting has appeared in The New York Times, The Cut, New York, and featured on NPR’s Fresh Air. She also cohosts The Double Shift, an acclaimed independent podcast challenging the status quo of motherhood in America. She grew up in a food-obsessed, immigrant Filipino household and currently lives with her family in Seattle.

Ben Danielson, MD

Dr. Ben is a partner and advocate for the health and well-being of children and families with low incomes. He is a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. For 20 years, he served as the medical director of Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, based out of Seattle’s Central District. Ben also helped found the Washington Medical-Legal Partnership, which trains doctors to recognize when forces outside the examination room contribute to health problems. He earned a BA in biology from Harvard University and an MD from the University of Washington.

Danisha Jefferson-Abye

COO and Founder

Danisha Jefferson-Abye, MPH, LMT is the founder and Chief Operating Officer of the Tubman Center for Health & Freedom. Prior to founding Tubman Health, she had two established careers that inform and inspire her work. Beginning in 1994, Danisha worked as an Organizer on a variety of issue campaigns facing Black, Native, LGBTQ, and poor communities across the country. She has assisted community organizations, grassroots activists and tribal governments on campaigns ranging from national health care reform, health disparities, police accountability, and reproductive rights to defending traditional hunting and fishing practices, immigration policies and environmental justice. As a Massage Therapist, Danisha specialized in the treatment of reproductive conditions. She provided culturally appropriate care while working closely with her patients to help them meet their health goals. She’s worked cooperatively with Acupuncturists, OBGYNs and Reproductive Endocrinologists in the region, and saw firsthand the benefits of an integrative, collaborative practice. Danisha is a published researcher with research interests in: healthcare systems, indigenous medicine, public health policy as it relates to racism, healthcare needs of marginalized communities, biological responses to racism, and implementation science/action research, specifically. Danisha attended Seattle Central College and the University of Washington where she studied biology and health sciences before receiving a Master of Public Health degree with an emphasis on Healthcare Systems and Policy. 
 

Dr. Vanda Huang, ND, LAc
NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN AND LICENSED ACUPUNCTURIST

Dr. Vanda is an acupuncturist and naturopathic doctor. Along with acupuncture and cupping, she treats patients using botanicals, nutrition, and stress management counseling. She has a special interest in using acupuncture to address the impact that trauma and stress has on the nervous system and chronic conditions. She practices a combination of both Eastern and Western medicine to provide care to patients of all ages.

Karina P. Patel, MPH
Public Affairs Manager

Karina Patel has grown alongside the Tubman Center for Health & Freedom. She was one of Tubman Health’s first interns, the first fellow, and now focuses her work on strategic communications and policy/advocacy. 

Karina graduated with her BA in Public Health-Global Health from the University of Washington and her Master’s in Public Health from the George Washington University. 

With a strong background in journalism and writing, Karina brings a unique skill set to her role. Her commitment to health justice and Tubman Health’s mission has allowed her to bring life to the Tubman Voice. Karina brings vibrancy to Tubman Health’s public-facing materials — both visually and in the writing itself. 

Karina is passionate about upstream solutions, particularly policy change, to address the social determinants of health and systemic inequities that make our communities unwell. At Tubman Health, she has helped build relationships at all levels of government, advocating on behalf of the organization’s — and community’s — priorities. Karina also works on bridging the gap between our research and policy/communications work, making findings accessible to various audiences.  

As encapsulated in the organization’s guiding principles, Karina is “about that action.”

Mariah Jiles

APHA/KAISER PERMANENTE COMMUNITY HEALTH FELLOW

Mariah Jiles is a public health researcher passionate about creating a future where minoritized communities are able to reach the highest level of health and overall wellness imaginable. She sees public health research as a vital tool in uncovering health disparities that otherwise may be overlooked and ignored for marginalized populations. In this work, her experience spans both international and domestic contexts. Currently Mariah’s research focuses on the health of Black/African-American communities in the United States, particularly pregnant and birthing populations. She holds a BA in Global Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MPH in Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health from UC Berkeley. She is a Community Health Fellow with the American Public Health Association and Kaiser Permanente.

Imani Dinish

Vice President

Mr. Imani Dinish is a proud native of Seattle, Washington’s Central District. He has passion for Service and Advocacy that comes from the civic responsibility and Black American pride that was ingrained into his upbringing  as the Son, Nephew and Grandson of Seattle Public School educators and Civil Servants (local and National).

His participation in this Project/organization is a result of the positive effects from His experience as a Youth speaker/fundraiser for the YMCA Black achievers program, Original Staff member at the “New” Garfield Community Center (Seattle Parks & Recreation) C.A.Y.A. (Central Area Youth Association)  Athlete Scholar, University of Washington Early Scholars Outreach Participant under the tutelage of the Great Dr. Millie Russell, Paid Internships at The Microsoft Corporation, International brotherhood of Electrical Workers Member Since 2006, Seattle Street Car, Electrical Technician/Fabricator, Electro-mechanical manufacturing Engineer/Project Manager, Social Service Case Manager and Homeless Advocate with The Salvation Army of King County, and various other entrepreneurial pursuits in the middle of the forestated.

As you can see, his dynamic and evolving career experience is attributed to his passion for learning, adapting and thriving in ALL the areas of interests he chooses to endeavor. Imani brings to the Tubman Center his experience in advocacy, career training, client conflict resolution, personal and family crisis intervention, housing navigation and resource referral.

Nacala Ayele

President

Nacala was born and raised in the Occupied Territory of the Duwamish Tribe, also known as  Seattle Washington. She brings to the Tubman Center decades of experience of activism, community building, and direct service work in local shelters.

As an activist Nacala was a founding member of Cop Watch 206 in 1997.  Cop Watch 206 was created to address a string of local police murders of Black People. In a time before cell phones with cameras, organizers would document police stops and wait to make sure the person who was stopped left the stop alive. She participated on the Youth Action Committee for the African American Heritage Museum And Cultural Center, and built coalitions across the city around various issues ranging from police accountability to removing JROTC programs from local highschools.

As a healer, Nacala has been a massage therapist for 13 years in a variety of settings. Her other passion is African Diasporic food history and decolonizing your diet for health.

Nacala is most excited to bring her understanding of systemic inequity to collaborate and build a revolutionary healthcare center that centers the people who are most neglected and underserved in healthcare in a way that is loving, respectful and of the highest quality

Martine Pierre-Louis

Onè! Respè!

I was born and raised in Haiti. My family settled in New York city in the mid 1970s and I came onto Coast Salish lands in 1984.

I come to Tubman through my participation on the African American Health Board (AAHB). AAHB became a project of Tubman in January 2022. AAHB’s mission is to work collectively to achieve health equity and justice by impacting policy, creating systems change, and demanding institutional accountability. We advocate for antiracist, accessible, and community-centered approaches to wellbeing.

In addition to my community work, I am Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Harborview Medical Center. I hold a masters’ degree in public health with a focus in international health. I worked in language access for three decades and was a founding member and past board member for both the Society of Medical Interpreters and the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care. I have collaborated on multiple community-based public health efforts focusing on health care access and quality outcomes for refugee and immigrant families and BIPOC communities. My style is collaborative, but ultimately tactical and dogged. I aim to deliver.

Julie Chinitz

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Julie has more than twenty years of experience in public policy and community organizing, much of it focused on health justice. A graduate of Columbia Law School, she launched the Washington Rural Access to Health Project as an Equal Justice Works fellow at Northwest Health Law Advocates. Later, she directed public policy at Alliance for a Just Society, where she supervised policy researchers and helped lead efforts related to language access, Medicaid expansion, health insurance regulation, and more. She also has been on staff at Main Street Alliance and has written widely on a range of public policy topics.

Dr. Tiyanna Rodgers, DNP, ARNP
Lead Clinician and Nurse Practitioner

Tiyanna Rodgers is the Family Nurse Practitioner providing health services for the RVLA scholars, their families, and the faculty. She is dedicated to improving the health of our community by providing high quality, caring, culturally appropriate primary healthcare that addresses the needs of people, regardless of their ability to pay. In her free time, Tiyanna enjoys reading, baking, and spending time with her family.

Trinh Vo

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Kendra Canton

PUBLIC HEALTH INTERN

Kendra is a current capstone student working with the Tubman Health research team on the Community Design Phase II project. She is passionate about improving health equity and the quality of care for underrepresented communities through education, advocacy, and research. She is a second-year MPH student studying Health Services at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her research and public health practice interests include health services, health disparities, social determinants of health, community health, and program management. She has a professional background in clinical team management and care coordination, and has experience working on DEI, community engagement and other leadership efforts.  

Makani Themba

Makani Themba is Chief Strategist at Higher Ground Change Strategies based in Jackson, MS. A social justice innovator and pioneer in the field of change communications and narrative strategy, she has spent more than 20 years supporting organizations, coalitions and philanthropic institutions in developing high impact change initiatives. Higher Ground Change Strategies is her newest project, which she describes as “a place where change makers can get the support they need to take their work to the next level.” Higher Ground helps partners integrate authentic engagement, systems analysis, change communications and more for powerful, vision-based change.

Previously, Makani served as the founder and executive director of The Praxis Project, a nonprofit organization helping communities use media and policy advocacy to advance health justice. Under her leadership, The Praxis Project raised more than $20 million for advocacy organizations working in communities of color and provided training and technical assistance to hundreds of organization and public agencies nationwide.
These initiatives include Communities Creating Healthy Environments (C-CHE), an initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support policy advocacy to advance healthy food outlets and safe places to play in communities of color and Building Capacity Building Power, a partnership with Ford Foundation to support grassroots civic engagement and Policy Advocacy on Tobacco and Health (PATH).

Makani is a highly sought-after public speaker, capacity builder, and ethnographer. Her publications have helped set the standard for policy advocacy work and contributed significantly to the field of public health’s current emphasis on media and policy advocacy to address root causes of health problems.

Makani has published numerous articles and case studies on race, class, media, policy advocacy and public health. She is co-author of Media Advocacy and Public Health: Power for Prevention, a contributor to the volumes We the Media, State of the Race: Creating Our 21st Century, along with many other edited book projects.

Makani was chosen as one of “Ten Black Thinkers” asked to comment on Black conditions as part of the NAACP Crisis magazine’s 60th anniversary commemoration of the landmark article What the Negro Wants. She is author of Making Policy, Making Change, and she has also co-authored with Hunter Cutting Talking the Walk: Communications Guide for Racial Justice. Her latest book, a collaboration under The Praxis Project is Fair Game: A Strategy Guide for Racial Justice Communications in the Obama Era.

Amiira Barton

Amiira is Tubman Health’s first youth Board Member. At an early age, she was a dancer; taking ballet, contemporary, modern, tap, and African dance.  Dance is her main form of expression. Amiira also enjoys robotics, coding and cooking. Currently a high-school student, she takes her academics seriously, as a prospective Physician. She’s grateful for the various perspectives and learning opportunities that came as a result of traveling over her life.

Amiira was a key volunteer for Tubman Health’s Blaxinate Campaign during the Summer of 2021. “Working for Tubman this summer was a life changing experience and I truly believe that this team is going to save the world. I want to dedicate my life to helping my community through healthcare. Especially our community. We are so mistreated in the medical and healthcare system specifically and I can’t sit back and watch. Being with Tubman is my way of giving back and fulfilling my life’s purpose.”

Lakeith Asphy

Lakeith Asphy, a is an active member of the Seattle Community. He is Board member of Festival Sundiata, an active member of the Royal Esquire Club, Africatown SEA, the YMCA, and volunteers with the Umoja Festival, the Not this Time Foundation, as well as many other community efforts. Keith served on the Board of Directors for the Public Defender’s office for seven years, is a former volunteer fire fighter, lifeguard and is EMT certified.

In addition to his community service and activism, Keith has owned and operated businesses in Seattle for the last 30 years. He is currently the CEO of Presidential Transportation, a luxury ground transportation fleet of SUV’s, Party Buses, Executive and Charter buses. Keith also operates Presidential Services, a graphic design, printing and marketing agency and moonlights as a seasoned DJ and Promoter, as G. Prez. Who produces events and performs locally, nationally and internationally, with appearances in East Africa, Argentina, Dubai and Bahrain.  

  • Superpower: Hugs and Smiles
  • Kryptonite: Negative energy
  • Known on the streets for: Being active in the community
  • When not at work: Likes to sleep
  • I identify as: Straight Black Male, Seattleite, Entrepreneur
  • I dedicate my work at the Tubman Center for Health & Freedom to… increasing awareness, spirit of service and sharing of resources

Mersadies Sanders
Director of admin & finance

Emma Ross Medicine White Crow

SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER, TUBMAN GUIDES

MSc, Comanche/Cherokee, adopted Makah, (Turk Markishtum Family). She/Her pronouns. Born on the Lummi reservation in Ferndale, Washington. Raised with the Indigenous values of giving, working collaboratively, and listening. These values direct my work. I have over twenty-five years of experience working in Tribal, rural, BIPOC, refugee/immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities on heath equity, social justice and environmental work. I have worked as a subject matter expert for Maternal Infant Health, Infant Mortality, Suicide Prevention, Health and Wellness, Behavioral Health and Elders in-Home Support Services across Indian Country.
 

Nicole Hood

EVENTS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS LEAD

Nicole Hood brings empathy, resourcefulness, and dedication to all she does, from working in business and finance, purchasing and IT support services, to building and managing programs, supporting coalitions and community engagement, and volunteering in her local community supporting students and families. Regardless of her role or position, Nicole is driven to carry forward the legacy, history, and knowledge of where we’ve been and how we came to be in our current position, so we can move forward together into the best possible future for all.Nicole’s current work at the Tubman Center for Health and Freedom involves supporting Community Outreach and Engagement as the lead for Events and Special Projects, as well as supporting convenings for the African American Health Board.

Logan Wilson
Research fellow

Logan is a Junior studying Comparative History of Ideas and Social Welfare at the University of Washington. Their goal is to become a clinical social worker and provide therapy services to multiply marginalized clients. Logan comes from a Debate background, having coached and competed for championship teams. They were elected as the National Parliamentary Debate League co-president in 2020. They are a passionate advocate for social justice, with a particular interest in Disability Justice and Intersectionality theory. They currently serve on the University Of Washington’s Black Student Union board as the Historian.

Francxs Placide, PA-C, MMS

Francxs Placide is a Physician Assistant and Occupational Therapist who has devoted 30 years to public health and non-profit health service with one primary focus- ACCESS to QUALITY HEALTH CARE. An accomplished and passionate healthcare clinician, manager, and administrator with experience leading healthcare delivery system transformation, change management, and quality improvement (QI), she has abundant clinical, operational and management experience while facilitating collaborative teams to support patients and providers in delivering quality care. Having delivered care in military hospitals, Indian Health/Tribal clinics and hospitals, Federal prison clinics and rural Guatemala, Francxs has extensive experience working in service of BIPOC communities while delivering primary care, urgent care, orthopedic medicine, rehabilitative medicine and behavioral health care. She has also served as a Director of several Quality improvement programs that supported implementation of innovative approaches to care delivery, expanding competencies in population health management and improving access to contraceptive care.

Francxs received her BS in Occupational Therapy from Boston University in 1986, a Masters in Medical Science (MMS) for Physician Assistant Studies in 2000 from St. Louis University, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health from University of North Carolina in 2007. She retired from Active Duty in 2019- having served in the US Army and US Public Health Service (PHS) for a combined 30 years. While on active duty with the US PHS , Francxs contributed to healthcare policy and care delivery system improvements while working at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Indian Health Service (IHS), and Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). In the Army she worked at Madigan in Fort Lewis and Fort Carson Community Hospital in Colorado. Most recently, she served as the WA Director of Programs for Upstream USA- a non-profit organization for decreasing unintended pregnancy by improving access to contraceptive care.

Marleen Haverty, ND, LAc

Treasurer

Dr. Marleen is licensed in Oregon and Washington as a Naturopathic Physician and in Oregon as an acupuncturist. She has been in practice since 1997 and relocated to Portland from the Seattle area in 2009. She has been an herbalist since 1989 and has a Bachelor of Science from Cal Poly State University, and a Masters degree in Exercise Science from Penn State University. She graduated with a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine in 1997 from Bastyr University where she also received a Master’s in Acupuncture in 1996. She did her residency at Bastyr’s Center for Natural Health and was clinical faculty there for a year afterward.

Dr. Marleen continues to lecture at Bastyr University in Herbal Sciences, Naturopathic Medicine, and Botanical Medicine. She has consulted on several grants for complementary and alternative medicine and cultural competency at the University of Washington and lectured at the UW’s Schools of Nursing and Social Work. She has taught courses in traditional herbal medicines to tribal members at the Port Gamble S’Kallam and Lower Elwa tribes. As a primary care provider, she works with all types of patients and conditions. She believes empowering the patient, individualizing treatment plans, and encouraging the body’s own natural healing abilities are essential in the promotion of health. She uses a combination of physical modalities like herbs and acupuncture with a mind body approach focusing on patient awareness, empathy, and potential.

Outside the clinic she participates in her Lakota Sioux culture and traditions. She was interviewed by the NW Federation of Community Organizations for stories of Native Americans and healthcare in their publication, An American Debt Unpaid, which was presented to the US Congress in 2009.

Fernando Mejia

Fernando Mejia-Ledesma has years of organizing experience with many labor, community, and immigrant rights organizations. Fernando moved to the U.S. from Mexico at sixteen years old. He went on to join the Fair Immigration Reform Movement’s Youth Council. He has served on the staff of OneAmerica, Washington Community Action Network, United We Dream Network, and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21. 

Emijah Smith

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & PARTNERSHIPS

Amanda Shi, MPH, MPA
Research and Evaluation Manager

Amanda is a public health practitioner, researcher and designer passionate about engaging community co-design and equity-based decision making to address housing and mental and behavioral health needs in King County and Washington State. Her experiences focus on working with community-based organizations, on diversity, equity, & inclusion efforts within organizations, and in frontline service positions with people experiencing homelessness. She holds an MPH in Health Policy & Systems at the School of Public Health and a MPA at the Evans School of Public Policy & Governance at the University of Washington. She is a current Community Health Fellow sponsored by the American Public Health Association & Kaiser Permanente.

Ata Ma'ae

ADMIN & BOOKKEEPING ASSISTANT

Ata brings extensive experience in behavioral and mental health, as well as substance abuse services. She spent six years as a clinical discharge planner at Recovery Place and another six years supporting young adults in transitioning out of homelessness at New Horizons. During the pandemic, she worked with King County (DCHS), providing support at isolation quarantine sites and helping unhoused patients with treatment plans and housing. Ata wears many hats. 

Before returning to Seattle, Ata served four years as the first Pasifika woman on the city council of Whittier, Alaska. Additionally, she worked as a certified firefighter and responder for 10 years. 

Tiara Ranson

PUBLIC HEALTH INTERN

Tiara Ranson is a second year MPH student from the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington. Upon the completion of her masters, her goal is to lead and implement programs with hopes of dismantling systemic oppression for women of color on a global scale. She recently completed her practicum in Kenya where she conducted process mapping as a way to understand the interactions that women living with HIV have with providers in order to receive family planning care and counseling. Before starting her masters, she has aided research on the perceptions of Black women when it comes to cesarean sections, non-invasive prenatal testing, and sickle disease. In hopes of reconnecting with the work that sparked her interest in health, she has joined the Research Team at Tubman to explore health equity, race, policy and advocacy.

Carmen Davis

Carmen Davis is a proud Native American woman and member of the Makah Nation and also from the Chippewa-Cree and Yakama Tribes. She is extremely devoted to her culture and has spent her professional and personal life impacting native communities across North America.

Carmen is the publisher and executive editor of Native Business Magazine, president of Davis Strategy Group and owner of the Native Style clothing brand. Carmen has garnered more than 20 years of nationwide business operations, marketing and media experience and spends a great deal of her time serving as a public speaker and mentor across Indian Country.

In 2009, Carmen was named one of the first recipients of the NCAIEDs prestigious, “40 Under 40” award which recognizes up and coming Native American community leaders.

Carmen previously served as president of the non-profit organization, the Association for American Indian Development and its initiative, the Reach the Rez (RTR) program, the largest continuous effort of outreach ever conducted to American Indian communities.

Carmen managed RTR’s national fundraising efforts while simultaneously organizing and planning the project. When the project launched, she facilitated and managed the effort’s logistics by traveling to 450 Native American Tribes and communities across the country.

Today, Carmen continues to create and lead initiatives that have a positive and lasting impact on Native communities across North America.

Curtiss Calhoun

Curtiss R. Calhoun is a Leader, Coach, Trainer, Strategist, Speaker, Problem Solver, and Entrepreneur based in Seattle, Washington.

Curtiss has 20+ years of experience coaching and mentoring. In 2016 he founded Curtiss Calhoun Coaching & Consulting, a Seattle based coaching and consulting firm. With the mission of helping high performing Leaders and Organizations utilize Human Connection to communicate more effectively, build better relationships, and to optimize their success.

Curtiss uses wisdom gained from years of working with excellent mentors and coaches, diligent research and study, and his unique life experiences to help transform the lives of his clients.

Curtiss helps frustrated leaders identify and prioritize what is important to them, get clear about their direction and destination, perform at high levels and produce consistent results, to live their purpose and be profitable doing it, while maintaining peace of mind.

Regardless of where you are on your success journey; Curtiss will get you there faster, with less mistakes while saving you time, with greater impact, and better results.

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