TFAH - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Senior Government Relations Manager at Trust for America 's Health
Brandon Reavis is Senior Government Relations Manager at Trust for America's Health (TFAH). He leads TFAH's advocacy of the behavioral health portfolio, focusing on substance misuse, suicide, and mental health.
Most recently, Brandon served as Chief Counsel for Senator Jon Ossoff on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, where he directed all investigative activity for the majority staff. He previously served as Chief Investigative Counsel for Senator Claire McCaskill on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Counsel and Policy Advisor for the late Congressman Elijah Cummings on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. In these roles, Brandon investigated drivers of the opioid epidemic, rising prescription drug costs, emergency room expenses, child exploitation, and federal waste, fraud, and abuse, among other issues.
Brandon earned a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University in International Relations and received his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. Following law school, he worked at Tsinghua University Law School in Beijing, China, as a Henry Luce Scholar.
Breanca Merritt is TFAH's Director of Policy. In that role she leads a portfolio of policy initiatives, convenings, and partnerships designed to develop and support health promoting programs and policies and advance TFAH's policy goals.
Job Titles:
- Senior Government Relations Manager
- Senior Government Relations Manager at Trust for America 's Health
Cecelia Thomas is Senior Government Relations Manager at Trust for America's Health. In this role, Cecelia leads TFAH's advocacy around infectious disease and other public health issues, including funding for prevention. Most recently, Cecelia served as Manager of Legislative Affairs for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund. In that capacity, Cecelia advocated to protect federal funding for health centers, implemented PPFA's legislative strategy and co-led the National Sex Education Coalition. Prior to her time with PPFA, Cecelia was a senior advisor in the U.S House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Associate Director of Oversight at the U.S. Department of Commerce Office of the Secretary. She has also served on the staff of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders.
Cecelia received her J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law and graduated cum laude from University of Michigan with a degree in political science.
Cecelia Thomas is a TFAH Senior Government Relations Manager focusing on advocacy around infectious disease and other public health issues, including funding for prevention.
Job Titles:
- Director of Government Relations
Dara Alpert Lieberman is TFAH's Director of Government Relations, overseeing the development and implementation of federal government relations strategies and working to advance and ensure implementation of TFAH policy priorities. Prior to that, Dara served as TFAH's Senior Government Relations Manager, leading the organization's advocacy around infectious disease prevention, disease surveillance, and strengthening the nation's public health emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Ms. Lieberman previously served as a legislative representative for the American Counseling Association, where she advocated for mental health access issues. Ms. Lieberman has also served as a staff member for the Senate Committee on Armed Services.
She secured an MPP from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. She graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Public Policy Studies from Duke University. Ms. Lieberman currently serves on the board of directors for Healthcare Ready, a nonprofit that works to protect patient access to healthcare in the face of disaster through collaboration with public health and healthcare.
She also serves on the board of directors for the Coalition for Health Funding, a nonprofit alliance working to preserve and strengthen public health investments.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Associate Dean for Public Health and Director and Professor
Dr. Cynthia M. Harris is Associate Dean for Public Health and Director and Professor of the Florida A&M University Institute of Public Health (IPH) (administratively housed in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences).
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
- Distinguished Visiting Fellow
Dr. David Fleming is currently serving as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at TFAH. He is the former vice president of Global Health Programs at PATH, an international non-profit focused on improving global health through innovation. At PATH Dr. Fleming led a 1,000-person staff, bringing PATH's deep country expertise and its diverse technical expertise to improve the health outcomes of vulnerable people and communities across the globe. He also oversaw PATH's scientific programs in sexual and reproductive health; maternal, newborn, and child health, nutrition; noncommunicable diseases; malaria; neglected tropical diseases; HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis; health systems innovation and delivery; and digital health.
Prior to joining PATH, Dr. Fleming was the Director and Health Officer for Seattle and King County Public Health Department in Washington State and oversaw all elements of the Department's operations. Prior to joining the Seattle and King County Department of Public Health, Dr. Fleming directed the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Health Strategies program. His work at Gates focused on vaccine-preventable diseases, nutrition, maternal and child health, community-based solutions, leadership and emergency relief.
From 2000-2003, Dr. Fleming served at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as Deputy Director for Science and Public Health, and, in 2002, was Acting Director of the agency. While at CDC, Dr. Fleming provided oversight of the agency's global health portfolio, including HIV/AIDS prevention, polio eradication, global tobacco prevention and funding for global immunizations. Before joining CDC, Dr. Fleming worked at the State of Oregon Health Division as State Epidemiologist. He also has served as President of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and on numerous Institute of Medicine, federal, and global health advisory committees. Dr. Fleming has a BS and an M.D. from the State University of New York.
Job Titles:
- Chief Medical Officer
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Vice Chancellor
- Chief Medical Officer and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at the University of Texas System
Dr. David Lakey is the Chief Medical Officer and Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at The University of Texas System. Dr. Lakey previously served as the Founding Dean of the School of Community and Rural Health and Isadore Roosth Distinguished Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler. Dr. Lakey received his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine and his postdoctoral clinical training from Vanderbilt University Medical Center specializing in internal medicine, pediatrics and infectious disease. He earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Rose Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind.
Dr. Lakey served as the Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, where his responsibilities included the state's public health regulatory programs, emergency medical services and trauma services, WIC services, family planning, vital statistics and health data, infectious disease control, chronic disease prevention, public health laboratory services, substance abuse services, the mental health system and the health components to disaster response. Accomplishments during his tenure include responding to emergencies such as H1N1, West Nile, Ebola, West Fertilizer Company explosion, and multiple hurricanes. Dr. Lakey led efforts to decrease infant mortality and prematurity, expand and improve the Texas Newborn Screening program and Texas Mental Health System, and improve agency infrastructures. Dr. Lakey was instrumental in implementing an eliminate tobacco use policy on all health and human services campuses and encouraged other state agencies to implement eliminate tobacco use policies of their own.
Dr. Lakey served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) in 2011-2012, and received several national awards including the AMCHP President's Award, the March of Dimes President's Public Health Leadership Award, and the Arthur T. McCormack Award.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- President and CEO of Trust for America
Dr. J. Nadine Gracia is the President and CEO of Trust for America's Health (TFAH), a nonprofit, nonpartisan public health policy, research and advocacy organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community. Dr. Gracia is a national health equity leader with extensive leadership experience in federal government, the nonprofit sector, academia, and professional associations. As President and CEO, she leads TFAH's work to advance sound public health policy, advance health equity, address the social determinants of health, and make health promotion and disease prevention a national priority.
Before being appointed President and CEO, Dr. Gracia served as TFAH's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In that role, she developed and implemented strategic policy priorities and managed TFAH's business operations. She also strengthened and broadened partnership relations focused on health equity.
Prior to joining TFAH, Dr. Gracia served in the Obama Administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and Director of the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In that capacity, she directed departmental policies and programs to end health disparities and advance health equity, and provided executive leadership on administration priorities including the Affordable Care Act and My Brother's Keeper. Previously, she served as Chief Medical Officer in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, where her portfolio included adolescent health, emergency preparedness, environmental health and climate change, global health, and the White House Council on Women and Girls. Prior to that role, she was appointed as a White House Fellow at HHS and worked in the Office of the First Lady on the development of the Let's Move! initiative to solve childhood obesity.
A first-generation Haitian-American, Dr. Gracia received a Bachelor's degree in French from Stanford University, a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and a Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed pediatrics residency at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and later was a clinical instructor and research fellow at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where she conducted research on community risk factors for violence.
In 2023, Dr. Gracia was appointed by President Biden to a two-year term as a member of the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. In addition, Dr. Gracia is active in many professional and civic organizations, including the Aspen Global Leadership Network, the Dean's Council at the University of Maryland School of Public Health, and the National Academy of Medicine Culture of Health Program Advisory Committee. She is an Ex Officio Member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Roundtable on Obesity Solutions, a member of the Milken Institute Center for Public Health Advisory Board, and a member of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) Advisory Board at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors of Vaccinate Your Family and the Global NGO Executive Committee. She is a member of Women of Impact, and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Director of the RUSH BMO Institute for Health Equity
Dr. John A. Rich is the director of the RUSH BMO Institute for Health Equity, a part of the Rush University System for Health. The RUSH BMO Institute coordinates health equity programs across the University System for Health and within its diverse communities.
Prior to his appointment at RUSH, Dr. Rich was a professor and former Chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy at the Drexel Dornsife University School of Public Health. He was also the Co-Director of the Drexel Center for Nonviolence and Justice, a multidisciplinary effort to address violence and trauma to improve physical and mental health. Dr. Rich's work has focused on issues of urban violence and trauma and health disparities, particularly as they affect the health of men of color. Dr. Rich is also an expert in qualitative research methods and narrative analysis. In 2006, Dr. Rich was granted a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. In awarding this distinction, the Foundation cited his work to design "new models of healthcare that stretch across the boundaries of public health, education, social service, and justice systems to engage young men in caring for themselves and their peers."
Prior to joining Drexel University, Dr. Rich served as the Medical Director of the Boston Public Health Commission where he led the city's initiatives on Men's Health, Cancer, Cardiovascular Health and Health Disparities. As a primary care doctor at Boston Medical Center, he created the Young Men's Health Clinic and initiated the Boston HealthCREW, a program to train inner city young men as peer health educators. His book about urban violence titled Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Trauma and Violence in the Lives of Young Black Men (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009) has drawn critical acclaim.
Dr. Rich earned his AB degree in English from Dartmouth College, his MD from Duke University School of Medicine, and his MPH from the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his internship and residency in primary care internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and a fellowship in general internal medicine at the Harvard Medical School. In 2009, Dr. Rich was elected to the National Academy of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Job Titles:
- Policy Development Manager
Dr. Karon L. Phillips is the Policy Development Manager at TFAH, where she works with the Policy Development team on the age-friendly public health systems initiative. Dr. Phillips has been engaged with the field of aging for over 20 years. Most recently she served as the Program Manager for USAging. In this role, she developed content and resources for enGAGED, The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults. Prior to her work at USAging, she served as a Scientific Review Officer contractor for the Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this position, she supported the scientific review of research grant applications made to the NIH. She also has experience leading the implementation of programs and services focused on health promotion, including chronic disease self-management and falls prevention, and developing new partnerships to provide community -based services to older adults.
Dr. Phillips received her undergraduate degree in English and Women's Studies from Cornell University and earned her Master of Public Health degree and Ph.D. in Aging Studies from the University of South Florida. She currently holds leadership positions with the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the American Public Health Association. She is also fellow of GSA.
Dr. Karon L. Phillips is the Policy Development Manager at TFAH, where she works with the Policy Development team on the age-friendly public health systems initiative. Dr. Phillips has been engaged with the field of aging for over 15 years.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Chief Medical Officer ( CMO ) for Prevention
Dr. Sanchez serves as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for Prevention and is the American Heart Association (AHA) lead on Target:BP (a joint initiative with the American Medical Association), KnowDiabetesbyHeart TM (a joint initiative with the American Diabetes Association) and COVID-19-related activities. Prior to joining AHA, he served as Vice President and CMO for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) and before that, he served as director of the Institute for Health Policy at the University of Texas (UT) School of Public health. Dr. Sanchez served as Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services from 2004 to 2006 and Commissioner of the Texas Department of Health from 2001 to 2004. He oversaw the SARS response in 2003-04, the influenza vaccine shortage of 2004, and the response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005.
He served as the local public health officer in Austin-Travis County from 1994 to 1998. He has served on numerous health-related boards and advisory committees at the local, state and national levels. From 2008 to 2012, he served as chair of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dr. Sanchez obtained his M.D. from the University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, an M.P.H. from the UT Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health, and an M.S. in biomedical engineering from Duke University. He holds a B.S. in biomedical engineering and a B.A. in chemistry from Boston University. Dr. Sanchez is board certified in family medicine.
Job Titles:
- Finance, Human Resources & Compliance Manger
Emmanuel Sarfo is Financial, Human Resources, and Compliance Manager at TFAH. Emmanuel manages financial operations, ensures compliance with 501(c)(3) reporting requirements and federal and state labor laws, and manages employee enrollment in fringe benefits, payroll processing and all aspects of human resources. Prior to TFAH, Emmanuel was Senior Staff Accountant at the Progressive Life Center, and earlier, Accounting Officer at the International Center for Christian Ministries. He received a BS in Accounting from Mary Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Government Relations Manager
Kevin McIntyre is a Government Relations Manager at TFAH, where he works to advance the organization's legislative priorities on age-friendly public health systems environmental health and other issues. Before joining TFAH, Mr. McIntyre worked at the Alliance for Health Reform as a Program Assistant for Health Policy & Congressional Outreach, providing support for the group's events on Capitol Hill. Prior to that, he held internships with Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) and Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA). Mr. McIntyre graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Maryland in 2013 with a BA in Government & Politics.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Organizational Operations
LaToya Gibson is the Manager of Organizational Operations at TFAH. Prior to joining TFAH, Ms. Gibson served as Office Manager and Evaluation Coordinator for an independent evaluation firm working primarily with school districts, private non-profit organizations and universities. Her background includes K-12 education, grants management and program evaluation. She is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a BS in Elementary Education.
Job Titles:
- Government Relations Manager
Madison West is a Government Relations Manager at TFAH. She leads TFAH's advocacy of the chronic disease portfolio, focusing on obesity and nutrition, in addition to equity and social determinants of health.
Job Titles:
- Senior Health Policy Researcher and Analyst
Matt McKillop is a Senior Health Policy Researcher and Analyst. He is the lead writer on selected TFAH reports and helps to manage TFAH's overall research and strategic communications program.
Job Titles:
- Senior Policy Development Manager
Megan Wolfe is the Senior Policy Development Manager at TFAH, where she works with the Policy Development team to advance a modernized, accountable public health system. Ms. Wolfe has been engaged in public policy and advocacy for over 20 years and has represented Fortune 500 and non-profit organizations.
Job Titles:
- Senior Health Policy Researcher and Analyst
Molly Warren is a Senior Health Policy Researcher and Analyst at TFAH. Prior to joining TFAH, Molly served in policy and research roles at Enroll America, an organization focused on maximizing healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Job Titles:
- Senior Officer of Grants and Business Management
Monica Rao is the Senior Officer of Grants and Business Management at TFAH. She is a management professional dedicated to bringing operational excellence to the social impact arena.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Secretary of the Board
- Environmental Policy Consultant
Mr. Theo Spencer is an Environmental Policy Consultant based in New York City.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- President of Leavitt Partners Collaborative Advocates
Mr. Vince Ventimiglia is the President of Leavitt Partners Collaborative Advocates and leads the Leavitt Partners D.C. office, including the firm's alliances and federal advocacy work.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Dr. Octavio N. Martinez, Jr., is executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health at The University of Texas at Austin.
Job Titles:
- Director of Strategic Communications and Policy Research
Rhea K. Farberman is the Director of Strategic Communications and Policy Research at TFAH. In that role, she manages TFAH's reports creation process and executes TFAH's strategies to communicate its work to policymakers, stakeholder organizations and the news media. Farberman is an experienced communications strategist and manager with specific experience in the health, social science and science sectors.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Senior Public Affairs Officer
Ryan Fox is the Senior Public Affairs Officer at TFAH. He helps lead media relations efforts and provides communications support to TFAH leadership and staff. Ryan began his career as a newspaper reporter, after earning a B.A. in print journalism at Howard University where he was selected to participate in the New York Times Institute for emerging student journalists of color.
Stacy Molander is TFAH's Chief Operating Officer. In this role, she works in partnership with TFAH's President and CEO to shape and implement the organization's strategic direction and organizational priorities and helps build and execute strategic partnerships to promote public health and equity.
Throughout her over 30-year career Dr. Mayfield has focused on transforming private and public health systems through a dedicated focus on the social determinants of health.
Job Titles:
- Social Media and Web Publishing Manager at Trust for America 's Health
Tamara Coombs is the Social Media and Web Publishing Manager at Trust for America's Health. She leads engagement and communications through TFAH's social media presence on platforms such as Twitter and LinkedIn.
Tekisha Everette is TFAH's Executive Vice President. In this role, she works in partnership with TFAH's President and CEO to chart and implement the organization's strategic direction and priorities, provides counsel on current and emerging policy issues, and engages with key organizations, policymakers, and other partners to advance policy priorities to improve public health and promote equity.
Job Titles:
- External Relations and Outreach Manager
Tim Hughes is the External Relations and Outreach Manager at TFAH. He works to connect with current and new strategic partners to mobilize advocates in support of TFAH's priorities and manage efforts to engage elected officials, public health partners, and non-traditional partners on prevention priorities.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
- Secretary of the Board of Directors
Dr. Umair Shah is the Secretary of Health for Washington State. He was appointed to this position by Washington Governor Jay Inslee in December 2020.