MAP EJ Grants Hub Team Members

Alexia is a native Spanish speaker with over twenty years of experience working with public and private health entities at all levels and bringing together diverse groups to understand shared needs and wants. Her experience at JSI as a senior consultant and, prior to JSI, as Business Operations Manager at Kaiser Permanente and Manager of Market Strategy at Colorado Access, have provided Alexia with a keen understanding of the operations of healthy systems and their link to the community. At JSI, Alexia directs a group of initiatives funded by the Colorado Health Foundation that focus on transforming safety-net health centers and clinics throughout the state into high-performing primary care sites utilizing the principles of team-based care. Alexia also leads the Practice Transformation Coaching component of the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Technical Assistance, working closely with a team of practice facilitators to support health centers across the country to implement and strengthen high-quality integrative models of care. She has led dozens of projects at JSI focusing on these components and working with multiple stakeholders at a local, state, and national level. Her passion is to help communities and clients thrive through tailored and innovative approaches that involve all voices. Alexia holds an MBA in Health Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. Alexia is multilingual in Spanish (native), English, and French.

Elizabeth is a public health professional based in Denver with over a decade of experience working in communities around the world utilizing an equity lens and approach that uplifts the strengths, wisdom, and self-determination of communities. At JSI, Elizabeth is involved in health equity, evaluation, community health, and environmental health/climate work. She is also a graduate of Climate Advocacy Lab’s organizer training cohort. Prior to joining JSI, Elizabeth worked as an Evaluation Specialist, designing and managing equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDIB) assessments for health-related organizations, including community health centers. She also previously co-led a nonprofit organization that focused on building competencies for undergraduate students through a network of 36 university chapters in the US and Rwanda around cultural humility, decolonizing global health partnerships, and EDIB, a role in which she designed and piloted a new participatory impact evaluation effort. Her previous work in Detroit in her home state of Michigan focused on urban agriculture, food justice, and fair land access organizing, and influenced her guiding principles of collective impact, civil rights, feminism, and environmental justice. Elizabeth holds an MSW in community organizing from the University of Michigan, where she also studied global health epidemiology. Elizabeth is bilingual in English and Thai.

Meredith brings over 15 years of experience in health policy development, movement building, and organizational change. Meredith started her career as an environmental justice community organizer working side-by-side with communities on the front lines of climate change and toxic exposure. Later she brought her organizing and leadership skills to the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Health Equity where she helped to facilitate the Health in All Policies (HiAP) Task Force. Meredith was responsible for building collaborative partnerships to incorporate health, equity, and environmental sustainability considerations into decision-making and government operations across policy areas as diverse as transportation, land use, education, agriculture, and social services. Most recently, Meredith launched and led the Advancing Community Equity Branch where she worked to build equity infrastructure at the community and local, regional, and state government levels. Meredith has a BA in Biology from Pomona College and a Masters of Public Health (MPH) in Environmental Health from the University of California-Berkeley.
Contact info: meredith_lee@jsi.com

Liz is a project director and senior technical advisor of the International Division of JSI, and serves as the co-lead for JSI’s Climate and Environment Initiative. Over the past 30 years, Liz has worked in areas of infectious disease, family planning/reproductive health, maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), and environmental health, with senior management roles at JSI for more than 10 years. Presently, she serves as the JSI Operational Lead for the USAID Strategies to Prevent Spillover project that seeks to address the spillover of emerging zoonotic diseases from animals to humans. Liz previously served as the Project Director of the USAID Advancing Partners & Communities project, a seven-year activity that worked in more than 40 countries with more than 100 grants and multiple funding streams to advance and support community health programs focused on the post-Ebola response, HIV, family planning/reproductive health, and disability and inclusion. Liz has an MPH in health promotion and environmental health from the George Washington University School of Public Health and an MA in International Relations/ Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, (with a focus on health and environment studies). She has received several certificates in sustainable management and serves as a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps, begun by former U.S. Vice President, Al Gore.

For more than two decades, Lesly has worked in governmental, nonprofit and academic roles in her home country of Peru and in Boulder, Colorado. Most recently, she was the Colorado Health Foundation’s Program Officer for the primary care portfolio that includes youth and young adult resilience, adult recovery, early childhood and primary care. She managed over 100 grants and built relationships with nonprofit organizations, government entities, universities, hospitals, clinics and more. Lesly has been appointed by Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to be part of the Environmental Justice Advisory Board and has been the co-chair since 2022. Currently, she supports the development of the strategy, grant making and grant review process. Lesly is passionate in her belief that all Coloradan families must have access to resources that create more opportunities in their lives – now and in the future. Lesly is bilingual in Spanish and English.
Contact info: lesly_fajardo-feaux@jsi.com

Prior to joining JSI, Meghan served as an Executive Partner at the Pretrial Justice Institute, a nonprofit working with community advocates and government officials across the U.S. to advance safe, fair, and equitable public safety practices. She has spent the past 20 years providing training and technical assistance at the federal, state, and local level in support of collaborative public sector system reforms. Meghan began her career as a community health educator, working with families and young adults on environmental health, women’s health, and adolescent health initiatives. She received her Degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Boston University and a graduate certificate in Environmental Justice from the University of Colorado Boulder. Contact info: meghan_guevara@jsi.com

John has experience providing the people and institutions of Region VIII with technical assistance that meets their needs. As the Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded Health Information Technology Evaluation & Quality (HITEQ) Center, John collects data on the health information technology needs of federally qualified health centers across all U.S. regions and oversees the conceptualization and delivery of individualized technical assistance. John has also provided grant management-related TA to the Office of Population Affairs-funded Teen Pregnancy Prevention grantees across the country. In addition to technical assistance roles, John also serves as the project manager for the Pediatric Mental Health Care Access project funded by the Wyoming Department of Health. John received his MPH, with a concentration in epidemiology, from the University of Colorado School of Public Health in 2024. Contact info: john_karikas@jsi.com

Molly has 6 years of experience providing technical assistance, evaluation, and strategic planning to Tribes, health centers, community-based organizations (CBOs) and local and state governments on various public health projects. Molly is skilled in project management, community engagement, facilitation, graphic design, and quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and visualization. She has played a central role in projects related to Tribal health, environmental health, social determinants of health, health communications, chronic disease prevention, refugee health, HIV and HCV prevention, drug user health, and digitally-enabled healthcare. Molly currently works with health centers to ensure preparedness for extreme weather events and with health departments and CBOs to address the health effects and disproportionate impacts of extreme temperatures through equity-focused community planning. Molly is passionate about environmental justice and highlighting the intersection between the environment and health. Molly holds a BA in International Studies from Boston College. Contact info: molly_rafferty@jsi.com

Savannah is a Liaison for the Reproductive Health National Training Center where she supports Teen Pregnancy Prevention program grantees serving Native communities by connecting them with technical assistance resources. Savannah acted as the Project Director for the Denver Native Healing COVID-19 Relief Fund, a mini-grant program that served and helped sustain the recovery and healing of the local American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) community from the pandemic through American Rescue Plan Act funding. Savannah was previously the project manager and meeting facilitator for a Maternal Health Innovations program strategic planning project to reduce the overall maternal morbidity and mortality within federally recognized tribes in Arizona. She served on the evaluation team conducting site visits, interviews, and analyzing data for the Clinics Pathway Approach initiative, which promotes strategies for population health management and addressing social determinants of health for health centers in Texas. Savannah earned a MPH from North Dakota State University with a specialization in American Indian Public Health. Contact info: savannah_smith@jsi.com

Ali is an experienced outdoor and informal educator seeking opportunities to learn, collaborate, and grow in new and different environments. Ali moved to Denver to attend the University of Denver, where she studied Spanish, International Relations, and Studio Art. Post-grad, Ali joined the interpretation field at various zoos and wildlife centers, learning about how animals big and small impact even the largest spaces. Then, she joined The Greenway Foundation, a non-profit organization in Denver, to teach and share all about Colorado’s ecosystems, and loves continuing her own learning journey. She is empowered by the natural world around us, and is dedicated to sharing her experiences in order to make communities safer and healthier for all. Ali is bilingual in English and Spanish. Contact info: ali_witonsky@jsi.com

Natalie is a dynamic environmental policy expert with a strong track record in driving regulatory changes, advocating for renewable energy, and promoting sustainability. As the Director of Policy at the Colorado Solar and Storage Association, she has successfully shaped energy policy through strategic regulatory filings and active participation in stakeholder discussions. Natalie’s experience includes consulting for Physicians for Social Responsibility, where she developed health-centered advocacy materials and organized educational webinars on the impacts of hydrogen blending. With a MPH from George Washington University and a background in environmental science and anthropology from Bowdoin College, she has effectively bridged the gap between environmental justice and health policy. Her skills in stakeholder engagement, market research, and public speaking have been instrumental in her roles at various organizations, where she has led initiatives to enhance community collaboration, policy transparency, and member engagement. Contact info: natalie_youssef@jsi.com

Allie currently works on the Population Health Management Initiative and the Delta Center for Thriving Safety Net projects. She is passionate about many topics within public health, including environmental and food justice and strengthening primary care networks throughout the U.S. Allie has experience supporting project management, conducting and synthesizing research, performing data analysis and visualization, and coordinating events for community outreach. Prior to this role, she was an intern in the Neuroendocrine Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital where she contributed to research on diversifying participant recruitment in eating disorder clinical studies. Additionally, she was the assistant coordinator to the Tufts University Eco Reps, a student group operated out of the Office of Sustainability to promote environmental consciousness on campus. Allie holds a BA in Community Health and Environmental Studies from Tufts University.

Bianca graduated from the University of Richmond with a BS in Biology and Health Studies in 2023. Prior to joining JSI, Bianca worked as the Healthy Lifestyles Coordinator at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, implementing health and outdoor education programs for at-risk youth across the Denver Metro area. This included grant reporting, assessing community needs, and connecting families to health resources. Through internships, she developed a robust foundation in health education, analyzing health data, and assessing community needs. Bianca is passionate about considering individuals and populations’ whole health in helping pave a road towards health equity.