How long have you been a member of the Black Health Network, and what drew you to CBHN?

Providence officially joined CBHN as a corporate sponsor in 2025 to advance health equity and help Black Californians navigate the complex health care environment. While some informal collaborations existed during COVID, the formal partnership began this year, strengthening efforts to address health disparities.

What is your current profession?

In my role as Chief Philanthropy and Health Equity Officer for Providence’s South Division, I believe that I’m in a unique position to help manifest love and healing in the world in different ways. I’m responsible for the 14 philanthropic foundations supporting 17 hospitals across California and we raised over $155 million last year. Alongside my philanthropy responsibilities, I support community health and health equity teams, which provide services ranging from mobile health and dental care to complex case navigation and family resource centers. The goal is to make our vision of health for a better world a reality through meaningful partnerships and community engagement.

Where does this passion come from?

My commitment to philanthropy and health equity is rooted in my family’s history. Growing up in Oklahoma City, surrounded by nonprofit and clergy influences, my family members instilled in me a passion for community service. My father was a minister who was passionate about civil rights and started a direct service agency. I grew up in this environment of grant writing and going to board meetings alongside more typical things like youth sports. After college, I found fundraising to be the perfect blend of a strategic mindset, business pace, and social impact. This background shaped my approach which is building high-performing teams, setting a clear vision, and translating community health work into language that resonates with executives and stakeholders.

From your perspective, what barriers exist in achieving health equity for Black Californians?

Trust is the hallmark for every health care experience, no matter who you are. There's nothing more vulnerable than being sick, or someone you love being ill, and that vulnerability requires trust. This is a challenge because the medical system has sometimes been distrustful, which may lead to hesitancy in seeking care and following medical advice. Trust needs to be increased, and representation is a big part of that.

The percentage of Black physicians has remained stagnant since 1974, making it difficult for patients to see themselves reflected in their caregivers. We see similar lack of representation from other minority groups, and  considering the diversity of California, we’re called to support a more diverse workforce.

The other piece that makes this difficult for everybody is misinformation. The availability of information does not match the credibility of information. The abundance of information, especially on social media, often lacks credibility, making trusted health care relationships even more critical. If you don't have that counterbalance of a trusted health care provider to raise concerns and questions, then you only have what you saw online. This is where all of these issues relate to each other.   

Both in your work and with CBHN, how have you been able to prioritize the health of Black Californians? 

Providence’s large footprint in California brings tremendous responsibility and opportunity to form meaningful partnerships.  We’ve worked closely with trusted faith-based organizations, media outlets, and other non-profits. We’ve also leaned heavily on community health workers to reduce the health disparities we see in our patients and communities.  An important part of our work has been diving deeply into the data to identify, understand, and address important health disparities such as hypertension and cancer screenings.

What inspires you to keep doing the work you do?

I draw inspiration from personal experience, family history, and a sense of justice. Because I’m biracial, Black and white, I've seen firsthand the differences between how long and how well members of my family lived. Witnessing disparities in life expectancy and health outcomes fuels my determination to create change. There's a sense of justice I inherited in my family, but I also see any premature death has a net loss to all of us. Innovation, creative arts, social programs, entrepreneurship, ministry … these arenas and so much more suffer when members of society are injured or die prematurely from things that could have been avoided. I desire to see as many people working for humanity’s common good for as long as possible.

What's the bravest thing you've ever done?

I’ve had to push past fear to be a public voice and to represent multiple communities. There’s a weight of responsibility that comes with the privilege of that representation, and I try to use my voice for good. Every time I add to the public sphere, there’s a risk in being misunderstood or misspeaking. The risk is worth it, and it’s something I take very seriously.