Author: Laken Richer

Mary Brown

Co-Founder of Life Pieces To Masterpieces

As one of Life Pieces To Masterpieces’ Co-Founders in 1996, Mary Brown has worked for decades to create meaningful change in the lives of young people and their families locally and nationally. Sister Mary is currently LPTM’s Executive Director, working with the team to advance the critical mission of using artistic expression to develop character and leadership, unlock potential, and prepare Black boys and young men to transform their lives and communities. Mary was a member of the national faculty at NeighborWorks America for 17 years, responsible for the design, facilitation, and evaluation of training programs nationwide for youth development workers, community developers and organizers.

Dr. Yolandra Hancock

Director of Community Impact Division for United Planning Organization

Dr. Yolandra Hancock is a board-certified pediatrician and obesity medicine specialist who combines her hands-on clinical experience and public health expertise with her passion for building vibrant families and communities by providing patient empowering, “best in class” health & wellness care to children and adolescents who are fighting childhood obesity. Dr. Hancock’s background includes degrees from UCLA and John Hopkins, Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed her medical residency at the acclaimed Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, where she gained considerable knowledge and experience while working with some of the nation’s leading physicians. Dr. Hancock plans to become the “21st Century Dr. Spock,” using technology to transform children’s health. Most recently in her first ever attempt, she applied and was awarded National Institute of Health (NIH) funding to further her work in childhood obesity prevention and care by developing of technology to tackle the pediatric obesity epidemic.

Regina Murphy

Director of Community Impact Division for United Planning Organization

Regina Murphy is a fifth generation Washingtonian that has a strong passion in addressing the needs of individuals and families in the District of Columbia. She has been an employee of the United Planning Organization for over 39 years. As the Child Adult Care Food Program Coordinator for 23 years she also coordinated, oversaw, and managed the daily activities of the Child and Adult Care Food Program for twenty-five licensed Family Day Care Providers, four Early Head Start, twelve Head Start programs, three Pre-K programs, eight Delegate Agencies and five Slot Purchase programs. Regina worked as a Compliance and Evaluation Analyst within the Quality Assurance Division, head of the Planning and Research Division within the Office of Strategic Positioning and is now serving at the United Planning Organization is Head of the Community Impact Division. She has also served on the following panels: Capital Area Food Bank, Mayors Commission on Health and Nutrition, Edward Mazique Parent Child Center Health Advisory panel and WETA and Chairperson of the 13th Street Church of Christ.

Diane Taitt

Executive Director for YMCA Anthony Bowen

Diane Taitt has practiced interior architecture in the U.S. for more than 20 years. She launched De Space Designs in 2005 to focus on “Earth-Centered Design,” a wholistic integrated design concept she created. She studied architecture in Italy and Denmark, backpacked through North Africa, led commercial interior architecture projects in China, and documented a spiritual journey through Indonesia. She has worked with the YMCA, schools, Creative Associates, and The Refuge of Hope and served as a mentor and adjunct professor. Pratt Institute, NYC, Bachelor of Architecture; Baruch College, NYC, Master of Business Administration, Marketing and Management; Parsons, NYC, Certificate of Set Design.

Lisa Fitzpatrick, M.D.

Public Health Advocate and Former Chief Medical Officer of DC Medicaid

Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick is a physician, CDC-trained medical epidemiologist and former Chief Medical Officer for DC Medicaid. She is an adjunct clinical professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and a professorial lecturer in the School of Public Health.

Jehan El-Bayoumi, M.D., F.A.C.P.

Physician and Founding Director of the Rodham Institute

Dr. El-Bayoumi received her BS and MD degrees from the University of Michigan before completing her Internal Medicine Residency and Chief Residency at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.  She then joined the faculty at GW and is an Academic General Internist. Her career focus has been on Medical Education and she had been the Internal Medicine Clerkship Director for 5 years before serving as the Program Director of the IM Residency for 15 years.  In 2013, she established the Rodham Institute, named for her late patient Mrs. Dorothy Rodham, which is dedicated to improving health equity in Washington DC.

Melissa Clarke, M.D.

Physician and Health Educator

Dr. Melissa E. Clarke is a pioneering leader in population health and patient advocacy. A Harvard-educated Emergency Medicine physician, she works at 3M as a Physician Consultant for Healthcare Transformation. Dr Clarke is an author, health empowerment speaker, and medical contributor on nationally syndicated radio, who is using her platform for health equity, community education and advocacy in the COVID 19 epidemic and beyond.

Reed Tuckson, M.D.

Former Commissioner of Public Health for The District of Columbia

Reed Tuckson is a multigenerational Washingtonian who was privileged to serve as his hometown’s Commissioner of Public Health during the height of the HIV/Aids epidemic where he learned to respect the importance of collaborating with community leaders and residents to advance health.

Rubin Patterson, PhD

Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Howard University

Dr. Rubin Patterson is Dean of Howard University’s College of Arts and Sciences.  He is a sociologist and an environmental justice scholar and advocate.

Ashanti Carter

Program Manager for the Rodham Institute

Ashanti Carter serves as the Program Manager for the Rodham Institute. Before joining the Rodham team, she served under the leadership of world-renowned researcher, Dr. Thomas LaVeist, as the Executive Special Assistant to the Chair at the Milken Institute School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Ms. Carter used her student affairs skills to transform the services that students received. She organized the Master of Health Administration (MHA) Residency Fair where graduate students networked with hospital administrators and even secured internships.

Ms. Carter spent 6 years as a teacher for the Los Angeles County Office of Education where her students were justice-involved youth. Ashanti later transitioned her career into higher education, working as the Third Year Medical Student Coordinator in the Office of Medical Student Affairs at the Charles R. Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program. While working full-time, Ashanti earned a master’s degree in public health and used her knowledge to implement programming into the third-year medical curriculum which included a lecture series about the social determinants of health and health disparities in the Watts/Willowbrook community of southeast Los Angeles. Ms. Carter is currently a doctoral student at the Graduate School of Education and Human Development in the Higher Education Administration Program. Her goal is to be a higher education administrator in student services.

Josh N. Williams

President of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO

Josh N. Williams is the first African-American President of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO, having been first elected in 1982 and re-elected every three years since. Formerly, he had been the Director of AFSCME Council 26, representing federal employees.

Rev. Dr. Kendrick E. Curry, PHD

Pastor, The Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church, Washington, DC

Reverend Dr. Kendrick E. Curry has pastored the Pennsylvania Avenue Baptist Church (PABC) in Washington, DC for 17 years. He earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Prairie View A&M University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor. He also earned a Master of Divinity from Virginia Union University, and has completed advanced studies in theology at Northern Theological Seminary. Rev. Curry has a passion to transform challenged East of the River communities and the DC at-large. As such, he has partnered MBI Health Services to deliver a day-treatment, mental health program at PABC. Additionally, he serves on Board of Directors for the DC Water and Sewer Authority, Education Forward DC, and AARP DC State Office, where he is currently the State President. Rev. Curry is married to Rev. Karen Curry and they have two children, Keyona and Kendrick II.

Shanna Peeks

Executive Board Member for the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist

Shanna Marie Peeks was born and raised in the DC metropolitan area. She has two beautiful children Madison and Mason.  Shanna is the first Civil and Human Rights Coordinator for the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).  Since working for the UMWA, Shanna has grown to have a deep appreciation and respect for Unions and what they represent.  She is an Executive Board member for the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist (CBTU) and president of their DC chapter, on the executive board of A. Philip Randolph Institute, and a Lifetime member of the NAACP.

Joni Eisenberg, MPH

Public Health Advocate, Community Radio Host WPFW 89.3FM Jazz & Justice

Joni Eisenberg, MPH, a lifelong public health advocate, has hosted and produced a weekly program on WPFW 89.3FM Jazz & Justice Pacifica Radio (“To Heal DC”)  since 1992.  She’s been active in DC community health issues for 40 years, has worked in DC’s health department for decades and served on the front lines at the height of DC’s AIDS epidemic with Dr Reed Tuckson. She is passionate about encouraging participation  from cross sections of the community (youth, musicians, poets, seniors, labor, health professionals, low income, healthy food advocates) to mobilize for health equity. As a young person, she helped coordinate the national office of Medical Committee for Human Rights (MCHR) in Pittsburgh, where she was mentored by the legendary physician Dr Paul Cornely (HU), and other medical workers committed to health justice.

Angela Owens Clark

Business and Community Leader

Angela Owens Clark: writer; former TV journalist; former member, station management team, NBC owned station, Washington, D. C.

Ambrose Lane Jr.

Public Health Activist and Community Leader

Ambrose Lane, Jr. is a known long-time activist and community builder in the District of Columbia.  Over 25 years of leadership experience as an effective organizer and executive, working directly with youth, elected officials, community leaders and businesses. He is an institution builder and specialist on organizational development, including board development, infrastructure analysis and organization, program assessment and strengthening, entrepreneurship strategies, and development. He is the original author of legislation creating the DC Youth Advisory Council, was instrumental in creating the youth non-voting position on the school boards of Washington, DC and Howard County, MD, is the founder and creator of DC’s largest youth advocacy organization, the DC Alliance of Youth Advocates, is a former COO of the Marshall Heights Community Development Organization, and in 2014, was the Campaign Manager for the DC Council At-large candidate Rev. Graylan Hagler. In late 2013, Mr. Lane organized and founded the Health Alliance Network, a.k.a. the Ward 7 Health Alliance Network, the strongest and largest DC community health advocacy group, to advocate for residents of poor and low-income communities in Wards 5, 7 & 8, the issues of health equity, population health policy, chronic disease prevention strategies and the need for a “change in community health culture” to bring about healthy and thriving communities.  He has assisted in the writing of past DC Council health legislation and current pending legislation on Health Impact Assessments (HIA’s). In 2019, Mr. Lane was again selected by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to serve a second term as a Commissioner for the DC Commission on Health Equity. He was recently named the Health Committee Chair for the DC Democratic Black Caucus.  Mr. Lane is a current Master Trainer for both of Stanford University’s Diabetes and Chronic Disease Management Programs, is a past Chairman of the DC Department of Health’s (DOH) Chronic Disease City-wide Collaborative, and is involved in the Healthy Youth and Schools Commission, the Cancer Action Partnership, and the recently formed Birth to 3 Coalition. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Mr. Lane attended Howard University, is a Ward 7 resident, is the father of four children, and is married to Dr. Nura Green Lane.