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.