Program Manager/ Director Alameda Co. Health Pipeline Partnership/Alameda County Health Coach Program
Representing: Alameda County Healthcare Services Agency
Envision CHW council

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

Community Member, CHW
Envision CHW Council

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

Senior Program Manager at Mass General Brigham
Envision CHW Council

Having immigrated from Brazil at 17, Erica understands the barriers immigrants face in a healthcare setting. Her work reinforces her passion for improving health equity. In her current role, Erica oversees primary care strategies focused on expanding Social Determinants of Health screening. She also oversees the expansion of Community Health Workers at 22 primary care sites, including program operations and implementation to support disease management, remote BP monitoring, and access to social resources.

Areas of expertise: addressing barriers faced by immigrant communities; CHW workforce development, program operations and implementation

Contect Director
CHR Program Supervisor;
Community Health Representative Program Ho-Chunk Nation Health Department

Lanette Walker began rebuilding the CHR Program for the Ho-Chunk Nation in 2019. As a Health and Wellness Coach she adds coaching as the foundational piece of the CHR Program. Lanette is also a Family Spirit Program Supervisor with four certified home visitors on staff to reach out to expectant and experienced mothers and their families to build strong, resilient families. As a community collaborator, Lanette has spent more than ten years working on suicide prevention with youth, including building the bridge between the generations of youth and elders. The Ho-Chunk Nation CHR Program is also currently addressing end-of-life support services in their program by becoming trained facilitators in Advanced Care Directives as part of the COVID response to the community.

Areas of expertise: youth leadership and development, youth advocacy, community advocacy, suicide prevention