Impact Global Health Alliance Global Board Of Directors
Tom Cannon, MD
Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Tom Cannon, MD
Since my medical school faculty years at Bowman Gray School of Medicine, I have had a longstanding interest in and commitment to international health and have seen firsthand the very profound, positive impact of healthcare projects in Bolivia, Honduras, and Haiti as well as the life-changing experience of volunteer team members who participated in these activities.
My own overseas experience began in 1995 in Bolivia with a church team trip to Malco Rancho and has continued with my leading twenty-three teams to either Haiti or Honduras and participating as a team member in other trips to Haiti and Lithuania. As chair of Centenary UMC’s World Outreach Committee and later as chair of the Mission Committee, I have witnessed the impact of our mission initiatives in multiple settings.
I have been very impressed with the community health model that he has helped develop. I experienced that model in action in Bolivia when I traveled with the community health workers from village to village.
I have had multiple board experiences, including Centenary UMC Board of Trustees, Board chairman of a two hundred provider medical group, and a lengthy tenure as board member of Partners National Health Insurance Co. of Winston-Salem, an organization with an annual budget of four hundred fifty million dollars.
As a senior partner in my forty-two years of medical practice, I focused especially on strategy and finance. As Patient-Centered Medical Home Coordinator for Novant Health, I helped develop and implement a primary care strategy utilized in over one hundred eighty clinics. I have discussed the proposed future strategy of Impact Global Health Alliance with Andrew Herrera and believe that this strategy will position the organization well for continued success in coming years. Haiti Outreach Ministries is a great partner with which to implement this model in “Our Healthy Mothers, Healthy Children” project in a very poor area of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Tom has been an independent, voting member of the Board of Directors since January 2024.
Danielle Pipher Clement, M.Ed, MSN, AGNP, WHNP
Board Member
Danielle Pipher Clement, M.Ed, MSN, AGNP, WHNP
Danielle Pipher Clement is a double board-certified women’s health and adult gerontology nurse practitioner. She brings over a decade of professional experience in reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, STIs, cervical cancer, and COVID-19 clinical research and patient care from rural community health clinics to academic medical institutions. She currently works as a Women’s Health Clinical Manager at the global med-tech company Becton Dickinson, where she drives strategic partnerships and collaboration with key opinion leaders in women’s health and spearheads clinical marketing initiatives in molecular diagnostics for women’s health and infectious diseases. She is a clinical instructor at the Duke University School of Nursing (her alma mater), where she teaches advanced perinatal courses in the nurse practitioner program and mentors the next generation of sexual and reproductive health providers.
Danielle first connected with Curamericas in 2014 as the President of Nursing Students Without Borders at the Duke University School of Nursing. In that capacity, she played a key role in initiating the partnership with Duke and went on to volunteer at the Guatemala site, a transformative experience.
Elizabeth Cohen, MBA
Board Member
Elizabeth Cohen, MBA
Elizabeth Cohen is the founder of EMC Strategy LLC, a Chicago-based brand strategy consultancy with a mission of helping marketing leaders use strategic insights to fuel innovation, brand growth and market performance. Her clients include small, mid-sized and enterprise companies in Food, Beverage, Wellness, and other consumer sectors. Elizabeth’s corporate career spanned 20+ years leading and expanding brands at Kraft, PepsiCo, and other CPG companies, as well as a PE-backed beauty company. She brings years of board experience and volunteerism within the Chicagoland Jewish community, and is excited to expand her passion for outcomes-focused service to a global level (and to refresh her Spanish language skills!) while engaging with Impact Global Health Alliance’s partners. Elizabeth holds an MBA from University of Chicago Booth and a BA in English from the University of Michigan.
Jordan Jones
MPA, MRCP
Vice Chair
Jordan Jones
Jordan Jones is a development advisor for DFI where he supports the mission through providing his real estate expertise through consulting and teaching. He has focused his career on reactivating communities, particularly downtowns, through transformative real estate development projects. He has specialized in creative financing (including historic and new markets tax credits) and public private partnerships to deliver curated developments, particularly in lower wealth communities. With DFI, Jones has advised on more than 20 projects representing more than $600m of development potential.
Jones is also the principal of JA Jones Ventures, his development company that has active projects in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Through JA Jones Ventures, Jones is one of the lead partners behind $65m of private development in his hometown of Fayetteville, NC. These Fayetteville projects include the historic renovation of the Prince Charles ($17m), acquisition/re-positioning of the Festival Park Plaza office building ($6m) as well as new construction of a public parking garage ($17m), upscale select service hotel ($22m), and Class A office building ($20m). These projects are part of the $110m public private partnership with the City of Fayetteville that also includes the delivery of a minor league baseball stadium. JA Jones Ventures has an additional $55m of projects in its pipeline.
Jones received a dual master’s degree from UNC in public administration and city & regional planning. He completed his undergraduate studies from Wake Forest University in business and enterprise management.
Sara Lewis, MA
Board Member
Sara Lewis, MA
As a former employee of Andean Rural Health Care (now Impact Global Health Alliance) in the 1990s, Sara is honored with the opportunity to join the Board of Directors in this new era. During her 28-year professional career, she provided technical assistance in the areas of maternal and child health/nutrition, participatory training approaches, reproductive health, performance improvement, strategic planning and organizational development. Sara speaks fluent Spanish, making her ideally suited for her early career in Latin America. Later she went on to support projects in the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, West Bank/Gaza, South Asia, and Africa.
Upon retiring from her public health career, Sara became a Certified Holistic Health Coach, which enabled her to create and manage her own health coaching business for over 10 years. She provided group and individual health coaching, led wellness workshops and taught culinary classes. She is now semi-retired, spending her time teaching yoga, volunteering, hiking, and playing pickleball!
Tricia Markoff, PhD
Board Member
Tricia Markoff
Tricia Markoff teaches Health and Wellness at Western Carolina University. Prior to teaching, she worked in a family practice medical office where she provided lifestyle coaching. She earned her doctorate in public health with an emphasis in preventive care from Loma Linda University.
Tricia serves as the administrator of a breakfast kitchen that provides weekly meals to those in need. Outside her community, she has been able to serve in developing countries via building and public health projects. All these experiences have strengthened her desire to uplift and empower underserved populations. Tricia has been able to observe the CBIO method in action in Bolivia and is looking forward to visiting additional sites in the future.
Henry Perry
MD, PhD, MPH
Co-Founder of Impact Global Health Alliance Global, Director Emeritus
Henry Perry
At age 12, while attending his Methodist church in Greensboro, NC, Henry Perry felt God’s call to become a medical missionary—a call that has guided his life’s work. After earning his medical degree from Johns Hopkins, his MPH and PhD in International Health, and completing a five-year general surgery residency, Dr. Perry began serving as a Methodist missionary in Bolivia. There, he co-founded what became Impact Global Health Alliance and pioneered the Census-Based, Impact-Oriented (CBIO) approach—an innovative method that cut child mortality in half by equipping and mobilizing community health workers to bring care directly to families. This model continues to save lives today in Guatemala, Kenya, Liberia, and beyond.
Henry currently serves as Senior Associate in the Health Systems Program of the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, MD. He has a formal background in medicine, general surgery, public health, sociology, and anthropology, and has lived and worked in Bolivia, Bangladesh, and Haiti—leading efforts in maternal and child health, primary care, hospital care, and community development. From 2003–2009, he worked with the NGO Future Generations to establish its innovative Master’s Degree program in Applied Community Change and Conservation.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Perry has:
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Authored or co-authored 235+ publications advancing community-based primary health care.
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Created the Coursera course Health for All through Primary Health Care, reaching over 80,000 learners worldwide.
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Served as a trusted advisor and consultant for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, the World Bank, USAID, and World Vision.
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Led major health programs in Bolivia, Bangladesh, Haiti, and the United States.
Dr. Perry is among the world’s most cited researchers—a rare honor achieved by just 1 in 1,000 scientists and social scientists globally. His many awards include the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Johns Hopkins University (2018), the Carl Taylor Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Public Health Association (2015), and the Ronald McDonald House Charities Medical Award (2013), which came with a $100,000 gift to Impact Global Health Alliance.
Today, Dr. Perry lives in Durham, NC, with his wife, Mirlene, who works in Duke Cardiology. He continues to teach, mentor, and support programs that bring hope and health to the world’s most vulnerable communities—a living example of how faith in action can transform lives.
Michelle Richter
Board Chair
Michelle Richter
Michelle received a BS in Chemical Engineering from NC State in 2011. She works in project management for labs, CROs and clinical trial implementing institutions. Michelle has served as the Chair of the Young Women in Bio organization. committed to promoting careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences. She has traveled with Impact Global Health Alliance Global to Guatemala and Bolivia to see first hand our work. She has also supported the Strategic Planning process. As vice-chair, she will now lead our next Strategic Planning process. Michelle has been an independent, voting member of the Board of Directors since February 2017. She is in her first term.
David Rainey, MD, MPH
Board Member
David Rainey, MD, MPH
Public health has shaped his career from the start. Born in Lusaka, Zambia, he earned his BS in Biology, magna cum laude, from Augusta College and his MD from the Medical College of Georgia. He went on to complete a Diploma in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from UNC-Chapel Hill, and residencies in pediatrics at Wake Forest and preventive medicine at UNC, serving as chief resident in both, followed by an adolescent medicine fellowship at the University of Colorado. He has served on the boards of Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem, the School Health Alliance for Forsyth County, and the Salem Pregnancy Support Center.
David has made nearly 30 medical mission trips, including 19 to Haiti, as well as trips to Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Honduras, and Mexico.
Beth Snyder
DVM
Board Member
Beth Snyder
Dr. Beth Snyder holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from Texas A&M University.
Beth has long been passionate about the health and welfare of women and children. She has served on numerous mission trips to Mexico, Honduras, Ecuador, and Guatemala over the last twenty years.
Throughout her thirty-six years as a veterinarian in Western North Carolina, Beth served in various volunteer and leadership roles in her local and international community. Beth has served as a nonprofit board member, missions committee chair, church treasurer, elder, and small group leader.
Impact Global Health Alliance Global Team
Andrew Herrera, MPH, MBA
Executive Director
Andrew Herrera, MPH, MBA
Before joining Impact Global Health Alliance Global in 2009, Andrew served with the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation for four years and spent a year studying in Ecuador. In 2004 Andrew was a State Department Ambassador to Jiaonan, China through the American Field Service. He has a B.A. in Hispanic Studies and Religious Studies from East Carolina University and an MPH from the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health in Public Health Leadership and a concentration in Field Epidemiology (August 2017). He also has his MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
In 2020, Andrew led the Impact Global Health Alliance COVID response in NC, reaching 10,000 Spanish speaking families with an innovative volunteer network. He led an $11M contract with NCDHHS to provide 209 community health workers across 26 counties, reaching over 160,000 people in NC in less than one year. The focus of the COVID response was to bring our learnings from abroad to our work here, providing resources to forgotten communities so families could stay safe during a very uncertain time. Andrew has been awarded the Triangle Business Journal 40 Under 40, the Latino Diamante Award for Health and Sciences and the Triangle Business Journal Health Care Hero award, among others.
As Executive Director of Impact Global Health Alliance Global since December 2013, Andrew has been responsible for leading strategic initiatives, development of the Board of Directors and the day-to-day operations of an international Nongovernmental Organization.
From Andrew:
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Montgomery, AL 1957
We must do good for others, but good is not good enough. We must use our minds so that every dollar and every minute of our work is for the most impact. We must hold ourselves to the highest standard, always seeking excellence and using data to ensure our work is verifiable and targeted.
I enjoy practically all music, especially if it is something I haven’t heard before. Some things that make me smile in life are trying to speak different languages, ping pong, laughing with friends, and dancing.
Barbara Muffoletto, MPH
Senior Program Manager
Barbara Muffoletto, MPH
Barbara joined the Impact Global Health Alliance Global team in December 2013. Barbara holds an MPH in Health Behavior from UNC Chapel Hill and a BA in both Political Science and Spanish from UNC Asheville. Before coming to Impact Global Health Alliance Global, Barbara worked with AmeriCorps VISTA, triangle-based nonprofit organizations Stop Hunger Now and International Focus, and with Contextos, a nonprofit organization in El Salvador focused on improving critical thinking and decision-making abilities through literacy. Barbara has also completed capacity-building and research with global health projects in Sierra Leone, Guatemala and with Latinx populations in NC. View Barbara’s resume.
From Barbara:
Working in global health is more than about helping people. Global health is about finding creative solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems. Global health practitioners often work in areas where there is little infrastructure, stability, or funds. They provide the opportunity and impetus for communities to live healthier, wealthier lives and create systems that have the ability to improve the lives of many for generations to come. I am passionate about global health programs that work and prioritize those most vulnerable to illness and death. I feel fortunate to be working with Impact Global Health Alliance Global’s programs serving mothers and children in Latin America and Africa.
“Don’t ask what the world needs, ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” – H. Thurman
Stacie Arechavala
M. Eng. Biomedical Engineering
Director of Partnerships and Transformation
Stacie Arechavala
Stacie has been involved in a substantial way since early 2020. As a member of our inaugural Young Professionals Board, then as co-chair in 2021 as well as an active member of the Strategic Planning Committee. Today she is an Innovation Fellow at Stanford and working in Artificial Intelligence in Health care.
From Stacie: My family is from Nicaragua — I grew up experiencing the healthcare gap between developed and developing countries firsthand. There are many stories, including some of my own, of the perils and/or consequences of low quality and/or limited access to healthcare that drive me toward wanting to help others by closing that gap. I’m passionate about nonprofit work because everyone deserves access to good healthcare and an equal opportunity to a healthy and full life.
I have always been drawn to maternal and neonatal/child health, but it became even more important to me when I traveled to Kampala and was able to experience the neonatal ward first hand. Impact Global Health Alliance Global’s mission is what intrigued me as it aligned well with my passions.
Partnering with the local community to provide women and children the healthcare they need to eliminate preventable deaths.
Lisa Hoskins, LCSW
Global Volunteer Coordinator
Lisa Hoskins, LCSW
Lisa became connected with Impact Global Health Alliance (Formerly Curamericas Global) in 2016 when she traveled to Guatemala with her 16 year old daughter and faith community. She was able to see first hand the amazing and impactful work being done in remote communities. As international work has always been an interest, learning and serving in this capacity has been a wonderful experience.
Lisa has a Bachelor and Master Degree in Social Work and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Her main area of practice has been in healthcare, aging, life limiting illness and end of life care. She worked for Hospice of Wake County (now Transitions LifeCare) as well as spent many years as a full-time, stay-at-home mother and volunteer.
Marva Richey
Volunteer
Marva Richey
Marva has been volunteering with us since 2016 and works with us weekly on our database of donors and saying thank you in a timely manner.
From Marva
“Living in the US, we sometimes forget or even not aware that women here and around the world still die in childbirth and that many women and children do not get the medical care and healthcare that they need. By partnering with local governments and health organizations, Impact Global Health Alliance establishes relationships and provides education that remains in the community and serves that community long term.”
JoAnn Heiser
Volunteer
JoAnn Heiser
JoAnn Heiser was born in Virginia and grew up outside of Philadelphia and is now a retiree from Wake County Public Schools. She has been happily married for 50 years with three children and seven grandchildren. JoAnn’s husband is her inspiration for helping others because he consistently pushes her outside of her comfort zone. She believes that Impact Global Health Alliance (Formerly Curamericas Global) shares her desire to help others and admires their mission. Currently, JoAnn handles depositing checks and credit card contributions and updates the donor database. She provides support on the home front, enabling her husband to go on mission trips. JoAnn believes that Impact Global Health Alliance is essential because they are working to reduce maternal deaths and ensure safe childbirth for women. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to their mission. Thank you, JoAnn, for your dedication to improving the lives of women and children around the world.
Maria Tranquillo
Art Director
Maria Tranquillo
Maria Tranquillo is the owner and art director of Tranquillo Creative, where she partners with organizations to deliver thoughtful, innovative design through a multidisciplinary art direction approach. With more than 25 years of experience, Maria has helped clients achieve strategic objectives by taking a big-picture view across branding, packaging, collateral design, publishing, and interactive projects.Her work spans a wide range of industries and organization sizes, with each client seeking out her vision and award-winning design solutions to support their goals. Maria brings the same level of strategic thinking, attention to detail, and problem-solving to every project, ensuring a collaborative process and exceptional results.
Jeff Hurley
Web Master
Jeff Hurley
Jeff brings more than 30 years of experience in web development, digital strategy, and design to Impact Global Health Alliance. With a career dedicated to mission-driven organizations, he has supported similar-cause nonprofits including Breast Cancer Resource Partnership of North Carolina, Cancer Services of Gaston County, The Martin Truex Jr. Foundation for Childhood Cancer, and SherryStrong for Ovarian Cancer Awareness. Through thoughtful design and user-focused development, Jeff ensures the Alliance’s digital presence communicates its work clearly and effectively, strengthening engagement, accessibility, and global reach in support of improved health outcomes worldwide.
Sonya Schofield, BSN, RN
Global Volunteer Team Leader
Sonya Schofield
Sonya Schofield is a Labor and Delivery nurse at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill and a Clinical Instructor at Duke University School of Nursing (DUSON). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duke University in 2019 after many years as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. During her teaching career, Sonya worked with diverse student populations in Mexico, Washington, D.C., and North Carolina. Her passion for education continues to shape her work as both a nurse and educator.
Sonya is passionate about global health and advancing women’s and children’s health through compassionate, evidence-based care and education. She is committed to improving maternal and newborn outcomes while fostering culturally responsive care for diverse populations. Since 2024, she has led global clinical experiences for DUSON and is excited to expand her role as a trip leader with Impact Global Health Alliance. She is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Education.
Our Board of Advisors
Donna Akuamoah, J.D.
Donna Akuamoah, J.D.
Donna Akuamoah is an activator and organizer for women health. For over 5 years, Donna served as Executive for International Ministries at United Methodist Women’s National Office where she assisted over 70 community health workers across Central Africa to access maternal and child health resources. She has led workshops for more than 2000 women in the United States to raise awareness of health needs and mobilize communities to take action.
Born in Ghana, Donna is the youngest child in a family of 6 children. She completed her primary and secondary education in Ghana, and her Bachelors degree at Claflin University, a United Methodist affiliated college in South Carolina. In 2011, Donna received her Juris Doctor from Duke University. Donna remains a dedicated advocate for human rights worldwide.
Reed Altman, Ed. D.
Reed Altman, Ed. D.
Reed grew up in Chapel Hill, but has lived in Raleigh for over 25 years. He went to NC State and Carolina and has a background in Biology, Aquaculture and Adult Education.
He was a Peace Corps volunteer in Liberia and did his doctoral research in Kenya. He has spent his career involved in Leadership, Organizational Development and Human Resources and has extensive experience with the interface of technology with all of these topics.
He currently works with the Office of State Human Resources in the Talent Management Division.
He and his immediate family (wife, Elizabeth; son, Sebastian; and daughter, Mari) have traveled to Guatemala a number of times, visiting extended (foster) family members and doing service projects. He believes that all people are family, though, and we should treat each other accordingly.
Sonny Bandyopadhyay
Sonny Bandyopadhyay
Sonny is a Product & Strategy professional focused on early stage company building. He’s currently a Product Manager at Cie, an LA-based startup studio which creates both in-house startups as well as corporate ventures. Sonny is also a Fellow with Tech Coast Angels (TCA), an angel investment group based in SoCal.
Earlier in his career, Sonny helped to form a non-profit organization named Global HEED, which partnered with Impact Global Health Alliance to develop infrastructure and programs for Calhuitz, in Guatemala.
Sonny is an avid pro basketball fan (especially when the Lakers win) and is a graduate of Emory University.
W. David Bell
W. David Bell
David Bell is a retired banker, serving over 40 years in NC Community Banks most recently as a part-time management consultant with Fidelity Bank of Fuquay-Varina. David is a native of North Carolina and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
David has been involved with numerous work teams with Impact Global Health Alliance partner in Bolivia, Consejo de Salud Rural Andino (CSRA), as well as the project site in Guatemala. David has witnessed first-hand the enormous impact on these local communities, and embraces the Census-Based Impact-Oriented methodology (CBIO) having first observed it in 2001 while visiting Montero Bolivia. The CBIO methodology focuses on building a partnership with communities, completing a census of all households, and regularly visiting every household. David believes that we should respect the cultures and traditions of the indigenous people and work with them to address their healthcare needs. As a retiree David looks forward to having more time to devote to Impact Global Health Alliance.
Sita Chandra, MPH
Sita Chandra, MPH
From serving as a student volunteer at Impact Global Health Alliance Guatemala project site in 2011 to serving as an Outreach and Development Intern in the Raleigh office in 2015, she shares a passion for the health and well-being of mothers and children around the world.
With her experiences abroad, she has learned the value of health education and the need to implement it in rural communities, starting with children. Therefore, she believes that Impact Global Health Alliance Global fully embodies that mission and is excited to continue the work with us!
Sita holds an undergraduate degree in Health Communication and Spanish from Campbell University and a Master of Public Health from the University of Georgia. She enjoys writing, videography and a good cup of fresh coffee.
Irene Felsman, DNP, MPH, RN
Irene Felsman, DNP, MPH, RN
Irene Felsman, DNP, MPH, RN, is an assistant professor at Duke University School of Nursing, with a focus in global and community health, where she teaches in the area of health promotion, wellness, community and global health. Dr. Felsman’s expertise includes community engagement methods and the development of culturally aligned community interventions to improve health and access to care for woman and children in diverse settings, both locally and globally. Dr. Felsman relocated to Durham in 2011 from South Africa after 25 years of working in developing countries (Latin America, Asia and Africa) in the capacity of program advisor, consultant, clinician and educator. Populations of particular interest to her include immigrants, refugees and underserved families, women and children. Her research interests include risk and resiliency in refugees and immigrants resettled in the United States, and the implications for quality improvement in community health interventions.
Dr. Felsman received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duke University, her MPH and Certificate of Health Care in Developing Countries from Boston University School of Public Health and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Duquesne University.
Dave Heiser, PE, BCEE
Dave Heiser, PE, BCEE
With 43 years of hydraulic engineering experience to contribute, David Heiser serves as Water Consultant on the Impact Global Health Alliance Global’s Board of Advisors. He is passionate about constructing water treatment centers because he believes clean water is the first step in developing healthy communities. Once communities have access to clean water, they can build schools, hospitals, and a higher standard of living.
About David
David started his global experiences from an early age. At the age of 5, David’s family moved from Denver, Colorado to New Delhi, India because of his father’s job as a dam engineer. Throughout his childhood, he lived in India, Pakistan, and Iran. He then attended boarding school in Switzerland where he learned French and German. In 1964, he returned home to the US to complete his final years of high school.
After spending 6 years in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War, David attended Pennsylvania State University. He graduated with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering, focusing on pure hydraulics. His college days sparked his interest in professional organizations. David has since been active in many engineering organizations including Engineers without Borders, American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists, and the North Carolina Section of the American Water Works Association and Water Environment Federation. In 2003, David earned the title of Engineer of the Year from the Professional Engineers of North Carolina organization.
David currently works at CDM Smith as a Senior Environmental Engineer. He was able to continue his global travels during his career through projects in Hong Kong, Egypt, and Guam. For the past 8 years he has mainly been involved with wastewater treatment plant construction in Greensboro, North Carolina. After a multitude of contributions to design, construction management, pumping stations, and pipelines, David will be retiring at the end of 2018.
Wells of Hope
Between work responsibilities and spending time with his family, David contributes his expertise to constructing clean water facilities in low-income communities. In local North Carolina neighborhoods, he conducted engineering reports at no cost, which are needed to apply for grant money. He has also volunteered abroad in Nicaragua, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Guatemala.
With Impact Global Health Alliance Global, David is paving the way for women and children to access health care in the Mayan highlands of Guatemala. “Usually, when I go on a mission I like it to be water or wastewater related. I get a sense of satisfaction that, when I leave, I’ve helped the community.”
Clean water is necessary for the health of every community. Improper sanitation leads to many illnesses, especially diarrheal diseases. We all know hydration is important in daily life, but drinking water is even more important during an illness. David’s help in developing water systems brings Impact Global Health Alliance Global one step closer to caring for women and children in remote areas of the world. Check out more pictures of David in action on our Facebook page.
Flowing Forward
After retiring at the end of the year, David is excited to devote more time to humanitarian efforts. He looks forward to accompanying Impact Global Health Alliance Global on more international mission trips. David will be continuing projects in Guatemala and Bolivia that help maintain clean and healthy environments for women and children.
David works to make sure that water is accessible for everyone in all corners of the world. His expertise and enthusiasm for helping others has flowed both near and far. At each stop, he creates a spout that will flow into buckets for years to come.
Mark Jayne, MS
Mark Jayne, MS
Mark Jayne is the lead data scientist for Orchard, a Series B startup in NYC that is transforming how homes are bought and sold. In his role at Orchard, Mark developed an automated valuation model (AVM) for residential real estate — <3% median absolute error, 0% bias, 2x better than leading competitors and 30% better than human driven valuation. He achieved this by using computer vision algorithms to extract data from images. He also designed and sold the concept to stakeholders, built the algorithm, and assisted in productionizing it to avoid technical debt.
Wow, that’s some serious technical talk. He is a smart guy and more! Mark is a passionate traveller, co-founding the “Travel Lovers Meet-up” in the Triangle and growing membership from zero to thousands! He is an avid photographer and is deeply committed to Impact Global Health Alliance Global’s mission. He has seen our work first hand in Guatemala and Kenya.
Katie King
Katie King
Katie first became involved with Impact Global Health Alliance Global as a design intern in 2014 and has continued to work closely with the organization on various design projects. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015 with bachelor degrees in journalism (editing and graphic design) and global studies (politics and social movements). In 2013, she spent a semester in Cuzco, Peru, where she studied indigenous peoples and globalization and researched the impact of a local non-governmental organization on a rural community. The following summer, she completed a marketing internship at an eco-hotel in Costa Rica, where she continued to develop her Spanish skills and promote the hotel’s local, environmentally friendly ethos. While she is especially drawn to Latin America, she loves to travel anywhere at every opportunity, and she’s always planning her next trip. As an intern, she saw the perfect opportunity to combine her passions for journalism and international issues with her desire to make a difference in communities around the world.
Katie currently lives in Greensboro, NC, where she volunteers as an ESOL tutor, freelances for Impact Global Health Alliance Global and UNC Global, and works full-time as an editor at North Carolina’s Our State magazine.
Breanne Lesnar, MPH
Breanne Lesnar, MPH
Breanne volunteered at the Impact Global Health Alliance Guatemala project site for two months in the summer of 2017. She worked alongside staff to update the maternal complications registry, pilot test a positive deviance interview tool, and conduct maternal and child health education outreach in the community. She also interpreted for nurses in the Casa Materna clinic. She especially enjoyed playing soccer and basketball with the lively Casa Materna staff in the evenings.
As a volunteer, Breanne was moved by the passionate dedication of the Guatemalan staff and impressed to witness the successful deployment of Curamerica’s Community-Based, Impact-Oriented approach firsthand. Breanne is excited to support Curamerica’s positive global impact on health by joining the Board of Advisors.
Breanne currently works as a Program Coordinator for Research Engagement with AVAC, a global advocacy nonprofit organization for HIV prevention. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Community Health Education & Promotion and Spanish from Central Michigan University and a Master’s of Public Health from the University of North Carolina.
Shayanne Martin, MPH
Shayanne Martin, MPH
Shayanne wears many hats, she is a mom, a researcher, an educator and a volunteer. As a program manager for the South Texas CHW Workforce Preparedness Collaborative at UT-San Antonio she supports training partners to provide and extend CHW training for 38 counties across South Texas. She also facilitates improvements in CHW curricula, training recruitment and retention, and experiential learning (internships and apprenticeships) to bolster the South Texas community health workforce to advance health equity. Previously, she provided training founded in adult learning theory, training monitoring and evaluation, and workforce performance improvement strategy to the UCSF & SF Department of Public Health collaboration on COVID-19 contact tracing. She also worked for USAID for two years after her masters in pubic health from Johns Hopkins. She first experienced global health when recruited to go to Guatemala in 2011 with Impact Global Health Alliance Global, a formative experience to which she attributes her passion for community-based primary healthcare. Trained as a Community Health Worker, she believes that community health is best improved by community members and is driven to optimize support for community health workers locally and globally. Beyond UCSF, through research and technical advising, she has supported community health workforce development in California, Guatemala, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Uganda, and Kenya.
Jason Mose
Jason Mose
Jason Mose, PhD, MBA, MS, CHFP, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services and Information Management at East Carolina University. Jason earned a baccalaureate degree in business administration with a concentration in information management systems from Montclair State University in New Jersey, a master’s degree in health services management and policy from New School University in New York, an MBA from New Jersey City University, also in New Jersey. Lastly, Jason earned his PhD in Health Policy and Management from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill. His dissertation topic was “Estimating the Effects Of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Sophistication and EHRs Years of Experience on Health Care Quality, Patient Experience, 30-Day Readmissions, and Profitability in U.S Acute Care Hospitals.”
Hilary Moshman, MPH
Hilary Moshman, MPH
Hilary is an international development professional with a background in monitoring and impact evaluation in humanitarian response and tuberculosis control. While earning her Master of Public Health at Emory University in 2010, she visited the model community-based primary health care program in Montero, Bolivia, where Impact Global Health Alliance first began in 1983. For her Masters thesis, she studied the Census-based, Impact-oriented (CBIO) methodology, and measured the impact of the program. She found that infant and child mortality had been reduced by 90% over an 18 to 19-year period! Her experience with this study fueled her passion for community-based primary health care, and strengthened her belief in the vital role of community health workers and home visits.
Hilary currently works as Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at a small consulting firm, monitoring humanitarian response projects in Syria for the United Nations. She lives in Boulder, CO, with her daughter, Chava, and enjoys cooking, meditation, and being outdoors
Ira Stollak, MA, MPH
Ira Stollak, MA, MPH
Ira came to international public health work via a life-transforming two years as a middle-aged Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala and Belize, where he designed and implemented projects to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS. Prior to this, he had long careers directing educational programs for at-risk youth and teaching college English and Literature. He returned to grad school at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine, where he earned an MPH in International Health; his thesis work, funded by the Gates Foundation, examined the HIV dissemination risk of Mexican truckers in the Yucatan. He then worked for a year in Alaska for the Alaska Center for Rural Health, doing research on inequities in health care provision in rural Alaska, and then joined the team at Impact Global Health Alliance Global, initiating two new projects in Liberia and Haiti, before becoming Program Manager for Latin America, supporting CGI’s Guatemala project in partnership with Impact Global Health Alliance Guatemala. View Ira’s résumé.
Ira believes passionately in equity and social justice, and is a great supporter of CGI’s signature methodology, CBIO, since it has the capacity to empower marginalized communities to improve their own health. Ira also has a Master’s Degree in Literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz and is a formally trained mediator. His avocational passions are playing guitar, photography and photojournalism, hiking, and bird-watching.
