NASHP Announces the Class of 2022 Emerging Leaders of Color Fellows

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National Academy for State Health Policy

Apr 26, 2022, 14:10 ET

Meet the Next Generation of Leaders Fostering Equity in State Health Policy

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) announced10 fellows from 9 states who will participate in the Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC) Fellowship this year. The fellows will each be paired with a senior-level state advisor for the next seven months to engage in health policy projects across a range of topics including health equity, behavioral health, housing supports and services, and oral health. NASHP received over 160 applicants in just its second year of the program.

The goal of the ELC Fellowship is to advance health equity through the active empowerment of emerging and aspiring state health policy leaders from communities of color. Powerful partnerships between ELC fellows and senior state advisors from across the country and from diverse communities are designed to provide learning and inspiration for how to effectively lead in state government. The program is designed to create accessible pathways for emerging leaders to enter and lead the development and administration of state health policy informed by lived experience.

"NASHP's Emerging Leader of Color Fellowship Program is committed to seeking out aspiring health policy leaders from communities of color and working with them to shape the future of state health policy, "said Hemi Tewarson, President and Executive Director of the National Academy for State Health Policy. "Listening to and amplifying the voices of those with lived experience is essential to the development of equitable health policy."

Core elements of the program include a fellowship experience within state health policy, guided learning opportunities and hands-on experiences for fellows, and a developed community to share support and educational/professional opportunities. Each fellow is paired with a senior-level advisor from communities of color who are leaders in state government. State advisors mentor fellows in learning about and navigating a state health policy career and support the fellows in the development of their health policy project. The fellowship program cycle will culminate with the chance for fellows to share their experiences at the NASHP annual conference and other venues, as well as continued opportunities for fellows to engage after their fellowship ends. See the ELC Fellowship program overview to learn more about specific program activities.

"I was honored and humbled to have been identified by NASHP to participate in this effort, and I do see how the role of mentors, of Black leaders, can help our young people in terms of helping to shape the future of the populations that we serve and our various state programs," said Rene Mollow, ELC advisor and Deputy Director, Health Care Benefits and Eligibility, California Department of Health Care Services.

The Class of 2022 Emerging Leaders of Color Fellows and Advisors are:

Fellow	Advisor
Alyzah Virani Texas	Shabnam Salih Director, Office of Health Care Affordability and Transparency, Office of Governor Murphy, New Jersey

Anzhane Slaughter Washington	Heather Burris Immunization Program Chief DC Health

Christian Minter Nebraska	Michelle Robinson Director of the Office of Health Equity Wisconsin Department of Health Services

Eduardo (Eddie) Orduño Colorado	Kevin Patterson Executive Director, Connect for Health Colorado

Ibrahim Konate New York	Ana Novais Interim Secretary Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services

Kevin Han Virginia	Rene Mollow Deputy Director, Health Care Benefits and Eligibility California Department of Health Care Services

LaKaija Johnson Oklahoma	Karrah Herring Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity Officer, Indiana

Maureen Johnson Maryland	Lynnette Rhodes Executive Director, Georgia Medical Assistance Plans Division

Michaela Minnis Michigan	Cheryl Roberts Deputy Director for Programs Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services

Wenrui Chen New York	Rachael Banks Director of Public Health Division, Oregon Health Authority

Learn more about the Emerging Leaders of Color Fellowship.

For over 35 years, NASHP has been a nonpartisan organization of, by, and for state policymakers, committed to developing and advancing health policy innovations and solutions. NASHP provides a unique forum for the productive exchange of strategies across state government, including the legislative and executive branches.

SOURCE National Academy for State Health Policy