Our Team

Abriel Johnny is Cowichan (father’s side) and Tlingit (mother’s side). She was born and raised in King County. She is the Board of Directors Chair for United Indians of All Tribes Foundation. She has a Nonprofit Management Professional Development Certificate and a Bachelors of Arts in Law and Policy, both from University of Washington and a Master’s in Political Management from George Washington University. She is a cultural knowledge holder, a teacher, an artist, an athlete, an advocate, political strategist, a healthcare systematic oppression disruptor, and Decolonizer/Indigenizer. In 2020, she was named one of the Gates Foundations 100 local Changemakers Awardees. In 2021, she was awarded the Adaline Garcia Community Service Award as a Future Leader honoree. She was also a key contributor to the development of the “Wrestling with the Truth of Colonization” training curriculum and is a certified trainer of the curriculum. She currently works for HealthierHere as a Community and Tribal Engagement Manager with a primary focus on Tribal health. Her work focuses on equity within Healthcare policy and implementation for all communities with a special focus on Urban Indian and Tribal Nation’s health. In her personal life, she is an artist of multiple mediums including beadwork and clothing design. Her designs focus on blending and honoring historical cultural traditions with modern fashions.

Alexis Desrosiers has been with HealthierHere since 2018 and has over 10 years of experience managing data-focused initiatives with nonprofit and public organizations in a variety of sectors, including housing, community-based counseling and advocacy, public health, and emergency and supportive shelter programs. Alexis’ area of focus is building systems and capacities that enable organizations to effectively utilize and leverage data as a tool to support their work and their community - including strategies such as developing and implementing creative data collection and analytic strategies, identifying relevant and meaningful measures and ways to track those measures, and inclusive cross-sector data partnerships.  Outside of her work with HealthierHere, Alexis is lucky enough to have a wife and two young children to keep her very busy.

Anne's love of community health began in high school when she joined a community coalition focused on reducing adolescent pregnancy in her hometown of Auburn. There she learned about the value of community members coming together to address health priorities. Anne has spent most of her career in community-based nonprofits in King County and South Los Angeles focused on a wide range of programming to reduce health disparities including increasing access to cancer screening, violence intervention, and improving housing-related health conditions. Most recently she led the community workforce and partnerships section at the Washington State Department of Health where she led efforts in support of the CHW workforce across the state and supported DOH efforts to establish community-centered decision-making processes.

‍

A group of individuals who have a unique mix of amiable, creative, and technical skills makes the strongest product and technology teams. They are eager to problem solve and ready to collaborate with stakeholders. Bello, not only embodies these characteristics but also joins HealthierHere with over 6 years of experience in both product and leadership. With a dedication to delivering exceptional product solutions and elevating the people on his team to tap into their full potential, Bello exemplifies the mission and values at HealthierHere.

‍

Bethlehem completed her Bachelor’s degree in Medical Anthropology and Global Health at the UW. She has worked in community health helping community members enroll in Medicaid and Qualified Health Plans and navigate healthcare access while at HealthPoint through the AmeriCorps program. She has also served as a mental health case manager at DESC. Most recently, she comes to HealthierHere following the completion of an MPA in Health Policy and Management at NYU, as well experience in working in healthcare operations at the Weill Cornell Medicine at New York Presbyterian where she applied her education, project management skills, and interests in continuous improvement. She brings a wealth of lived experience and expertise to HealthierHere and is committed to equity, social justice, and addressing health disparities.

Catherine Seneviratne comes to HeathierHere with extensive experience in operations, administration, and community-based improvement networks. Catherine most recently worked at a talent development and executive search firm, where she led a portfolio focused on political organizing and movement building, health equity, and community-serving organizations in Washington and across the country. The majority of Catherine’s career was in global health supporting program growth and operations. She was part of the Malaria Control Program at PATH where she oversaw field operations, shared learning, and staffing, and supported the pilot of a health information systems in Zambia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Catherine is a lifelong South Seattle resident where she lives with her husband and 5-year-old son.

Christine’s background includes financial reporting, audit, and individual and corporate taxation. Christine’s focus includes internal and external financial reporting, the coordination of contract and grant requirements, as well as contract analysis.

Graeme brings a passion for harnessing storytelling as a tool for advancing social justice, equity, and community wellbeing to the HealthierHere team. He has spearheaded social impact communications strategy and multimedia campaigns for organizations and documentaries around the world. A working documentary filmmaker and photographer, his projects examine issues of health, social movements, education, and justice, and have shown at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Afropunk Festival Johannesburg, New York African Film Festival, Durango Independent Film Festival, and more. A born and raised Seattleite, Graeme loves exploring the cultural and natural wonders of the PNW.

Haley joins HealthierHere as a first-generation college graduate from the University of Washington class of 2022 with a BA in Psychology and Minor in Diversity. Haley has worked in varying capacities of social services both locally and globally. Most recently, Haley served as a Social Services Coordinator at Queen Anne Healthcare, a skilled nursing facility (SNF) and rehab center in Seattle that has an exclusive contract with Harborview to admit patients in need of additional support after hospital discharge. In her role, Haley was a key part of the care team, helping develop care plans and leading efforts around discharge planning, including connecting patients to social services, psychotropic medication management, outpatient mental health and SUD support, and primary care to help them transition back to the community or another care setting successfully. Haley is passionate about the implementation of culturally responsive and inclusive healthcare and has experience building relationships with organizations globally such as volunteering alongside a SUD recovery program in Medellin, Colombia. In her free time, Haley loves to travel, play volleyball or softball, and spend time with friends!

Hannah brings a diverse background of clinical patient care and is excited to embrace combining public health and clinical healthcare to HealthierHere. She loves spending quality time with her family and is always searching for a way they can all be active together enjoying the outdoors or playing a sport of some kind. Her two dogs keep the whole family busy and outdoors rain or shine!  A family favorite for everyone is traveling up to Lopez Island and enjoying the Island life when they have an available weekend, prioritizing beach walks and watching the sunsets.

Heeju joins HealthierHere with skills in data analysis and process redesign to make internal business processes easier while lifting health and equity in local communities. Her career experience includes creating reports with SQL and Python, analyzing Medicaid claims and eligibility, and customizing ERP and EHR systems. She studied Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences (“MMSS”) at Northwestern University and enjoys learning human and programming languages. She tends an epic garden and the happiest chickens on Earth.

John Kim is the CEO at HealthierHere, a cross-sector collaborative that elevates community voice into system transformation to achieve health equity for residents of Seattle/King County and beyond. He also serves on the community advisory board for the Health Promotion Research Center at the University of Washington and on boards of the Community Center for Education Results (Secretary) and the Financial Empowerment Network. He is a seasoned strategic leader who is passionate about making a meaningful difference in healthcare equity. John’s professional experience includes a diverse mix of settings from a national healthcare law practice to hospital senior management to social justice and equity-focused community organizations.

Mr. Kim graduated with a JD from New York University School of Law and a BA in Government from Dartmouth College.

‍

Julia received her bachelor’s degree in political science pre-law with additional majors in Philosophy and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies from Washington State University in 2020. She has since worked in varying capacities of social services such as being a Health Homes Care Coordinator and Employment Coordinator for Whitman and Lincoln Counties, where she provided direct services to participants based on their social determinants of health. She has several years of experience being on the board of directors for an organization where she later managed a 24-hour crisis hotline and provided trauma-informed crisis management to individuals impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault. She has a history of lobbying for undergraduate students at the WA State Legislature and working with elected officials to provide education and resources to constituents. She has presented research on political polarization and its effect on vulnerable populations. She has an unwavering passion for helping address health disparities and inequities in society and believes all individuals deserve access to health, education, and safety. In her free time, Julia is a published author and believes poetry is a space where all people can feel welcome to express themselves without barriers and structure. She enjoys cooking, watching live music, and spending time with her friends and family.

Laila’s most recent experience as a Procurement and Sourcing Analyst brings her to HealthierHere. Her experience has been mainly in project management and contract management for different industries for more than a decade, including for Boeing, Microsoft, and Puget Sound Energy. She will be handling procurement analysis, execution, and monitoring of contract lifecycles. She lives in Seattle with her husband and toddler baby boy.

Madelyn, BSN, RN, brings a background in clinical and public health nursing to her position at Healthier Here. She has previously worked as a Population Health Nurse providing team-based care to people living with diabetes, experiencing firsthand the importance of preventative healthcare and community-based care coordination. Most recently, she worked as a Public Health Nurse in Snohomish County focusing on reducing health disparities in the maternal child health population. She is passionate about cross-sector collaboration and health systems transformation that emphasizes the social, environmental, and political factors that impact health and wellbeing. Outside of the virtual office, you can find Madelyn cozied up with a good book, baking, knitting, or enjoying a walk outdoors.

Maria comes to HealthierHere with years of specializing in working with diverse and multi-system organizations. Most recently, Maria was working at Sea Mar Community Health Center as a Behavioral Health Coordinator where she worked administratively to deliver high quality, integrated care for BIPOC and underserved communities. Prior to that, Maria spent years providing linguistic and educational support to LatinX agricultural workers, empowering them to navigate L&I claims, and pursue H2A agricultural visa programs. Maria brings incredible expertise and passion for centering equity, transforming systems, and improving health literacy across the region.

Marya Gingrey is a committed Civil Rights and Social Justice Practitioner offering 25 years of successful social justice, equity and human rights experience. She previously served as the Executive Director for the Regional Equity Network. As a transformational leader skilled in vision sharing, consensus building, relational networking and authentic community engagement, Marya has assisted a variety of organizations in their efforts to become more equitable, diverse and inclusive in their programs and service delivery. She has worked to advance Social Justice, Equity and Civil Rights in health, education, housing, employment, transportation and the criminal justice systems. Firmly rooted in the Puget Sound Region, Marya believes in the collective power of community, organizations and institutions working together to create communities where all people can thrive.

Michael McKee has more than 25 years’ experience practicing community and public health education, administration and research in nonprofit, academic and government agencies, serving many diverse communities. Before joining HealthierHere, he was Director of Health Services and Community Partnerships at International Community Health Services. He is passionate about serving those who are often marginalized without a voice at the table and enjoys starting new programs. Areas of interest and experience include: health equity and health disparities for refugee and immigrant populations; community health workers; outreach and enrollment – including health system navigation; culturally and linguistically tailored health education; enabling services; population health and chronic disease self-management.

Monica is the Executive Assistant to HealthierHere’s Interim CEO. She has lived all over the place due to her previous work in the military. Monica holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology from ASU and a Masters in International Studies from UW. She hopes to bring over 10 years of experience in the government, civilian, and non-profit sectors to HealthierHere as we all seek to make an impact in our community. In her spare time, she loves to explore local shops and take road trips with my family and to explore all that the PNW has to offer.

Rogelio is an enthusiast in automating and streamlining processes by helping bridge stakeholder needs with technical deliverables. Transitioning from Molina Healthcare of Washington, Rogelio has gained extensive experience with HEDIS measures, tracking, partner/stakeholder support, and streamlining workflows. Prior to Molina, also served as a Health Care Advocate and PCMH Project Coordinator at Sea Mar Community Health Centers where he engaged directly with community members, providers, and payors. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and gardening.

‍

Tavish Donahue, MPH, MA has close to a decade of experience managing projects and improving processes for healthcare and non-profit organizations. Tavish came to HealthierHere after working in Long-term care and community health, ultimately coming to HealthierHere’s attention while working with Seattle-based affordable and public housing organizations to build a model of embedding Community Health Workers in low-income housing communities with residents from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Early on in her career Tavish was a music writer for an alternative weekly paper in her hometown of Charleston, SC and then spent the early 2000s working in the media/communications world of New York City. She loves the PNW lifestyle and outside of work she can be found frequenting local dog parks, seeing live music, and hiking in the mountains.

Thuy Hua-Ly’s expertise includes extensive state government financial background on Medicaid financing mechanisms, rate setting for Medicaid providers, and working with the state legislature. Her prior position as the Chief Financial Officer for the Washington State Health Care Authority prepared her for the unique financing structure of the Medicaid Transformation Project. Thuy’s focus is to provide excellent financial support, processes and strategies to ultimately support and make a difference in the lives of the clients we serve.

Tony graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with double majors in Marketing and Finance. Before joining HealthierHere, he worked for True Blue Partners, a boutique merchant bank in San Jose as an investment banking analyst during the Summer and serve as an investment analyst for the CPP Bronco Asset Management to help manage the multi-strategy asset portfolios over the years. He’s currently residing in Los Angeles with my family suffering the sweltering summer and will relocate to the PNW. He enjoys playing basketball, hangout with friends, and learn how to paint in his free time.