team

Executive Director of Louisiana Community Health Outreach Network (LACHON)
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Catherine Gray Haywood is the Executive Director for the Louisiana Community Health Outreach Network and the co-founder of the Louisiana Community Health Outreach Network and Women With A Vision, Inc. For more than 30 years, Catherine has advocated for people living below the poverty level and educated communities around health disparities. She provides a structured mentoring process and implements training programs for community members. Catherine also partners with LSU Community Health Workers Institute to train Community Health Workers in the state.

Areas of expertise: nutrition, disaster response, training CHWs, teaching basic cleaning techniques, HIV and AIDS education

Program Manager/ Director Alameda Co. Health Pipeline Partnership/Alameda County Health Coach Program
Representing: Alameda County Healthcare Services Agency
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Born and raised in Oakland, CA, Tia attended UC Berkeley where she earned a BA in Sociology after which she moved to Boston and earned her Master of Public Health, Maternal and Child Health from Boston University.   It didn’t take long for her to realize that the east coast winters didn’t agree with her so she returned to the Bay Area and began her active career in public health. 

What began with an interest in sexual health over a decade ago has led Tia on her current path of focusing on health equity.

Her innate curiosity , thirst for knowledge, and passion for education makes her comfortable teaching both in the classroom and public health spaces.  For more than a decade she has worked extensively with families and is currently training CHWs while also helping those with rich lived experience transition into more structured health department positions.

 Tia lives near her native Oakland with her husband, 3 1/2 yr old daughter,  and is expecting her second child.

Areas of expertise:  teaching, project management, research, health education, medical terminology, Qualtrics, survey platforms

CHW, CHW Consultant
JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc.
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Durrell Fox Has been a CHW since 1991 and has dedicated more than 30 years to advancing the goal of health equity. In his role at JSI, his experience with research and training has elevated his ability to evaluate CHW training and implementation. He has served as one of the founding members of the CHW Section of the APHA, the American Association of CHWs, the Massachusetts Association of CHWs, and the New England CHW Coalition. He currently serves on the American Diabetes Association National Health Disparities Council, the MHP Salud Board of Directors and the National CHW Core Consensus (C3) Project team. Durrell is a founding board member of the National Association of CHWs (NACHW) and serves as a co-chair of the NACHW Policy Committee. Durrell is also a CHW with the American Public Health Association and is a former leader with NACHW.

Areas of expertise: education,CHW policy development and advocacy, job training, board involvement, SDOH, fatherhood, men’s health, youth violence prevention

Community Member, CHW
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Ella is new to the community health worker role but she’s no stranger to healthcare. She’s worked as a health professional since 1975. In addition to working for the National Institute of Health, Rogers brings experience as a pediatric nurse specializing in oncology and an Emergency Room nurse. When the pastor of her church received a grant, he asked Rogers to work with COVID testing and vaccinations. She’s been actively involved in community health work ever since.

Areas of expertise: pediatrics, emergency medicine and trauma, special needs of oncology patients, faith-based collaboration

Co-founder & CEO of Arizona Community Health Workers Association (AZCHWA)
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Ms. Floribella Martinez-Redondo has spent more than 25 years in community health. Born in Mexico, she migrated to California at age seven and worked along her family during vacations and weekends, and as a full-time migrant farmworker herself from the age of 13. Today, while serving as president and CEO of AzCHOW and AZ CHW Training Center, she serves as founding board to NACHW, Senior CHW Advisor to C3, Chair-Elect of the APHA CHW Section, and working on returning to get her Master’s in Public Health, she still considers her primary role as that of an advocate and CHW.

Areas of expertise: Planning, developing and implementing programs. Community mobilization, Policy and Advocacy. Public health issues such as Health Equity, SDoH, and community research and evaluation.

President of the North Carolina Community Health Worker Association
Representing: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
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Honey Yang Estrada is the President of the North Carolina Community Health Worker Association. She was born in Fresno, California and moved to North Carolina when she was 11 years old. The daughter of Hmong immigrants who sought refuge in the United States during times of war, Honey understands the struggles families face in navigating various societal systems and the existing barriers that inhibits them from achieving positive outcomes.

A proud Community Health Worker, Honey has worked in healthcare and public health for over 20 years. Her experience is rooted in community health and advocacy. Throughout her career, Honey continues to serve as a catalyst for change where she champions racial and health equity.

She holds a Masters in Public Health and currently lives in Newton, NC with her husband and two teens and teaches Zumba at the local library.

Executive Director, Micronesian Islander Community (MIC)
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Believing that racism is a public health crisis, Jackie brings informed insights as a city councilor, local government, and policy perspective. She serves on boards and commissions including maternal and child health, hunger, health equity, prenatal health, and Medicaid accessibility. While working toward her Ph.D. in Public Health at Oregon State University, Jackie utilizes her law degree (from Willamette University) to help people navigate complex systems where citizenship status can present barriers.

Areas of expertise: legal implications and immigration status, maternal and child health, building non-profits, Micronesians, COFA citizens, community health workers, policy & advocacy

CHW, Austin Public Health
Representing: City of Austin, Austin Public Health
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A core belief for Lorena is that a CHW needs to have passion to help the people in their community. Her community is in Austin, Texas where she and her husband immigrated to in 1995, raised their three children, and still live today.

Joining a March of Dimes program (Starting Well / Comenzando Bien) shortly after her second son was born launched her journey in community health when she quickly became a Spanish language facilitator for the program. By 1999 she had also received her GED having learned English as a second language.

Her work with the El Buen Samaritano): Promotora / Community Health Worker group was recognized by the State Health Department Director leading to Lorena being a part of the first group of certified CHWs in the state of Texas in 2003.

In January 2020 Lorena was hired by Austin Public Health as a CHW where she currently works.

Areas of Expertise: Planning and organizing, Community and family environmental conditions in Eastern Crescent, Interviewing techniques, Case management, Cultural and linguistic competency, Bilingual, Community Organizing and Advocacy , COVID-19 Response and Resource Referral, support groups facilitation, planning & leading classes

Navajo Department of Health
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As a community leader and president of the Forest Lake chapter of the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona, Mae Gilene has witnessed how easily some communities on reservationsfall through the cracks. She feels strongly that CHWs must be equipped with the proper tools to effectively do their work. Mae Gilene hopes to be of help in planning, developmentand reaching out to CHWs and CHRs to provide additional training.

Areas of expertise: planning, development, case management, social work, neglected and abused children and elderly, incest, treatment and therapy model

Executive Director of the Virginia Community Health Worker Association
Representing: Institute for Public Health Innovation
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Shanteny Jackson is an Afro-Latina mother, wife, community advocate, and leader.   As an immigrant and a young mother, Shanteny had to learn how to navigate and understand the US healthcare system.  This experience was life-changing because it realigned her calling and purpose in life.  As she became more seasoned in her career, Shanteny fully embraced her role as advocate and community community leader.  

Shanteny is the Executive Director of the Virginia Community Health Worker Association. She earned her B.A. in International Studies with minors in Spanish and Education from Mary Baldwin College.  She also earned a Master’s degree in Counseling with a concentration in Addictions and Recovery from Liberty University. 

Shanteny was nominated and recognized as “Persona de Poder” (Radio 1380 Poder).  The Virginia Latino Advisory Board also awarded her the  “Civic Engagement” award. 

Shanteny continues to elevate and highlight the role identity and representation plays in communities of color, particularly in the Latino diaspora. 

Robin Sharma eloquently said, “your environment influences your mindset.” Shanteny is the product of many environments, including the VCU Nonprofit Learning Point (2010),  Ginter Urban Gardener Program (2018), Community Trust-building Fellowship (2019), Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute (2019), and Circles USA (2019).

Director of Community Prevention Programs at the Mobile County Health Department
Representing: Mobile County Board of Health
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Tokie Dunn holds over 20 years of experience working in public and private health services programs, management, and administration. Driven by a passion for helping others, her career has focused on improving quality health services, education promotion, and delivery for marginalized individuals, groups, and communities.

An avid community activist, she promotes positive and sustainable solutions to health disparities affecting the underserved and disadvantaged. Her notable community memberships include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; Rural Community Health Workers Network (RCHWN), National Association of Community Health Workers (NACHW); Alabama Public Health Association (AlPHA); National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO); Executive Board member for the Sickle Cell Disease Association-Mobile Chapter; Executive Board member for Redemption’s Place, a community mental health services organization; and advisor for Concrete Rose, a 501c3 organization devoted to improving the lives of teen girls. She has also served on several civic, social, and professional committees promoting healthy individuals, families, and communities.   

Tokie received a BS in Human Services with an emphasis in Sociology and Psychology and an MPA with a concentration in Health Care Administration from the University of South Alabama. She currently serves as Director of Community Prevention Programs at the Mobile County Health Department which is the state’s oldest health department, and which predates the state of Alabama’s ratification into statehood. As director, she oversees several community programs including Tobacco Education, Maternal & Child Health, Lead Poisoning Prevention, Family Support/Home Visitation, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and Community Health Workers. She is a certified Community Health Worker, certified Community Health Worker supervisor, and certified Community Health Worker Trainer.