Experience

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  Americorps national service organization

  May 1997 - Jun 1998

  Assistant team leader

  •Worked as assistant team leader on environmental youth conservation corps for teens on parole or probation•Taught in English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom for high school and middle school aged students•Participated in bilingual Spanish/English after school program for at-risk Latino youth

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  Sheridan americorps

  Jun 1998 - Jul 2000

  Program coordinator

  • Designed and evaluated trainings that followed the principles of hands-on experiential learning• Recruited, interviewed, trained, supervised and coached 30 staff members as tutors and mentors for K-12 students in five separate school placements• Organized and supervised summer enrichment camp for 250 K-12 low income students• Managed and complied with regulations for $250,000 a year federal AmeriCorps grant

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  Catholic charities samaritan house

  Sept 1998 - Feb 2003

  Intake and resource coordinator

  •Conducted initial intake and needs assessment for homeless families and individuals at 300-bed shelter•Coordinated access for families to education services, food, clothing, and other resources to facilitate transition to stable housing

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  Sheridan family resource center - mckinney homeless family advocate

  Aug 2000 - Sept 2001

  Mckinney homeless advocate

  •Coordinated health and education resource for federally funded grant program targeting 400 homeless children and families •Created youth mentoring program to connect school staff and students for weekly needs assessments and counseling •Performed child safety assessments, home visitation and crisis intervention, identified individual/family needs and provided case management services •Responsible for bi-annual statistic and grant compliance reports

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  Peace corps

  Feb 2003 - Mar 2005

  Peace corps honduras public health volunteer – hiv/aids prevention and child surviv

  •Developed and implemented HIV/STI prevention education trainings for over 1,000 local youth, community health workers and volunteers, NGO (non-governmental organization) workers and community members •Trained 75 community health volunteers to implement and manage the USAID funded MOH nutritional assessment and monthly weight monitoring program for infant health•Implemented a 20-hour family planning and reproductive health training seminar based on a local community needs assessment and trained 40 health volunteers to share knowledge gained to improve health outcomes •Collaborated with the Honduran Ministry of Health (MOH), Public Health Departments, International Non-governmental organizations (NGO), health centers and local agencies to improve the health of the Honduran people Show less

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  Wake county

  Aug 2005 - Aug 2007

  Bilingual english/spanish hiv case manager

  •Provided culturally competent, client-centered, strengths-based case management for 80 HIV-positive clients focusing on prevention and stabilization versus tertiary care interventions•Established and maintained effective working relationships with an interdisciplinary team of case managers, healthcare professionals, clinic and service organization staff, and family members to ensure continuity of care in institutional and community settings•Counseled and educated clients on transmission, prevention, disease progression and control measures of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STI) Show less

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  University of north carolina at chapel hill

  Aug 2007 - Aug 2009

  Bilingual english/spanish hiv case manager

  •Supported 45 HIV-positive prisoners transitioning from the NC Department of Corrections to the community by providing intensive multi-dimensional, client-centered, strengths-based, re-entry case management•Assessed and identified psychosocial, environmental and overarching health issues that impacted the client’s HIV disease progression•Empowered clients to develop a holistic life plan to address unique personal and family situations, including substance abuse, mental health issues, domestic violence and other barriers to positive health outcomes Show less

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  Partner for surgery

  Nov 2010 - May 2011

  In-country director

  •Strategic and organizational planning for all field operations and programming in Guatemala •Strengthened a network of local community leaders and health promoters to connect surgical and other medical services to extremely marginalized populations•Supervised an international team of eight full-time and 25 part-time staff, mostly indigenous Mayans who spoke Spanish as a second language•Oversaw all field operations including accounting/budgeting, ordering/managing medical supplies, volunteer logistics, health promoter trainings, screening patients, scheduling surgery, coordinating interpreter services, and project reporting Show less

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  Peace corps

  Apr 2011 - Aug 2011

  Health technical trainer

  •Provided training for 37 Peace Corps Guatemala Healthy Homes Volunteers in the Experiential Learning Cycle and Non-formal Education methods•Prepared volunteers to implement Train-the-Trainer programs in rural health and basic hygiene (WASH) and HIV/AIDS prevention designed to improve health outcomes

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  Fimrc: foundation for international medical relief of children

  Aug 2012 - Feb 2014

  •Site investigation, selection, and development to expand sustainable health programming and projects to underserved populations from the high Sierras to the jungle regions of Peru•Assess program and project effectiveness, make strategic leadership decisions to meet short and long-term local and organizational goals, creating sustainable change and ensuring quality improvement to improve outcomes•Oversee all field operations including sustainable programming, accounting/budgeting, staff supervision, partnership development and management, volunteer logistics, and project reporting•Directly supervise and coordinate activities for over 200 medical/public health volunteers and interns focusing on sustainable health projects and curriculum implementation for under-served populations•Engage existing entities within the local health care system by identifying and strengthening partnerships with over a dozen agencies and developing contracts to formalize working relationships Show less •Site investigation, selection, and development to expand sustainable health programming and projects to underserved populations from the high Sierras to the jungle regions of Peru•Assess program and project effectiveness, make strategic leadership decisions to meet short and long-term local and organizational goals, creating sustainable change and ensuring quality improvement to improve outcomes•Oversee all field operations including sustainable programming, accounting/budgeting, staff supervision, partnership development and management, volunteer logistics, and project reporting•Directly supervise and coordinate activities for over 200 medical/public health volunteers and interns focusing on sustainable health projects and curriculum implementation for under-served populations•Engage existing entities within the local health care system by identifying and strengthening partnerships with over a dozen agencies and developing contracts to formalize working relationships Show less

  • Field Operations Manager

    Feb 2013 - Feb 2014

  • Field Operations Manager

    Aug 2012 - Jan 2013
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  United nations

  Jun 2014 - Jul 2015

  Programming and training officer hiv/aids unit - united nations mission in south sudan

  •Provided HIV/AIDS awareness training and education for more than 1500 Peace Keeping Troops and 350 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in the Protection of Civilians (PoC) camps – conflict and post conflict setting •Coordinated and facilitated HIV testing, treatment, and care with international humanitarian agencies in the PoC for the IDPs •Administered HIV Voluntary Confidential Counseling and Testing Services to UNMISS Peace Keepers, international staff and independent contractors•Co-facilitated Training of 60 Peer Educators (TOPE) for United Nations Peace Keepers and staff, IDPs and South Sudanese community members – Two-week intensive Train-the-Trainers course•Distributed and provided awareness campaigns for more than 15,000 condoms in the UN compound and PoC site Show less

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  Colorado department of public health and environment

  Nov 2016 - now

  *Lead and manage a dynamic team of EpiTrax informatic specialists developing CDPHE's groundbreaking new data system, overseeing a wide spectrum of tasks, such as, creating interactive trainings, surveillance form design, date migration, and user websites and newsletters*Coordinate the transition to the new state of Colorado reporting system, the Reportal, for infection preventionists (IPs), healthcare facilities (HCFs), and laboratories, in order to capture cases not reported through electronic systems and establishing protocols to ensure correct data flow from the Reportal to the EpiTrax system*Collaborate with team members and stakeholders to create a portal system tailored to IPs, HCFs, and laboratories to report communicable diseases, hospitalizations, and treatments in a reliable, efficient, and secure manner*Create comprehensive policies and procedures to ensure safety and security within the new reporting system, safeguarding sensitive data and protecting confidentiality*Partner with the training team to design customized training materials, plan, monitor, implement, and evaluate the the training program materials in order to facilitate smooth system adoption and user proficiency *Construct informative and engaging content for a variety of multimedia outreach materials including websites, newsletters, user guides, live demonstrations, and e-learning training modules to engage and inform new users on the system implementation and standards*Manage comprehensive customer service operations, addressing requests, inquiries, questions, while resolving issues and scheduling troubleshooting and training sessions with users*Leadership Team Sponsor for the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Employee Resource Group (ERG) Show less *Supervised a team of enteric disease interviewers/investigators comprised of two Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH) students and twelve CDPHE COVID-19 investigators with the support of six CDPHE COVID-19 team leads while continuing to manage the CO-IRP COVID-19 program*Completion of more than 450 enteric interviews for different counties in Colorado including over 60 interviews for the cyclospora outbreak on the western slope and crucial case interviews for over fifteen cyclospora cases for the Kansas State Department of Health and Environment*Managed daily line list, case assignment, review of enteric cases, and epidemiology data across the state to ensure timely and accurate investigation*Created, updated, reviewed, and standardized operating procedures (SOPs), guidance, and protocol documents to identify any gaps in information and to align with latest recommendations and guidance for communicable disease enteric interviewing Show less Program Manager, CO-IRP COVID-19 CI/CT March 2022 to August 2023Co-Program Manager, CO-IRP COVID-19 CI/CT May 2021 to March 2022*Manage CO-IRP program with five unit managers, seven team leads, and 100 case investigators/contact tracers staff*Co-managed CO-IRP program with eight unit managers, thirteen team leads and 200 case investigators/contact tracers staff*Supervise disease management activities such as outbreak and case investigation, contact tracing, exposure monitoring, data management, surveillance, evaluation, and reporting of pathogens including: COVID-19, mPox, viral hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola/Marburg Virus Disease), Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu and enteric outbreak investigation for incarcerated individuals*Provide cross program coordination, oversight of data quality, and workflow development for case investigation and contact notification of pathogens mentioned above*Strategic planning for staffing and response to the changing COVID-19 variants and subsequent surges*Maintain oversight on project management plans and provide leadership on projects including planning, developing, directing, evaluations, quality assurance, and implementing the overall program*Determine plans; develop budgets, staffing patterns, work units, guidelines, and processes to accomplish work in order to achieve program objectives*Collaborate with program managers and program leadership on overarching response strategies and activities; act as a representative of the State with local public health agency partners*Provide epidemiological subject matter expertise necessary for COVID-19 database utilization, maintenance, development, and implementation - Dr. Justina, REDCap, CEDRS, and EpiTrax*Oversee management tasks such as interviewing/hiring, on/offboarding, staff evaluations and performance reviews, feedback/coaching/mentoring, position description development, organizational chart vision/updates, timekeeping/scheduling oversight, and other human resources activities Show less Branch Manager, CO-IRP (COVID-19 Outbreak and Investigative Response Program) COVID-19 CI/CT 8/2020 to 5/2021*Oversaw COVID-19 specific response activities such as case investigation, contact tracing, data management and reporting, and provided assistance to local public health communicable disease staff and local public health directors*Co-managed a team of four team leads and 60 case investigation/contact tracing staff*Planned, prioritized, assigned, analyzed, and monitored workflow; maintained appropriate staffing levels and reviewed progress to ensure the quality and quantity of work met standards, deadlines for deliverables, and program goals and objectives*Ensured data integrity by running reports, health record searches, and database reviews (eHARS, PRISM, CEDRS, QHN, CORHIO, LPHA Portal, Dr. Justina, TLOxp)*Responded to inquiries from interviewers and LPHAs about the transmissibility, risk factors, and prevention of COVID-19 Show less ● Conduct epidemiological field investigations, interviews, and risk reduction counseling and testing for people livingwith HIV/STIs in order to locate the source of disease outbreaks and prevent disease spread (average 425clients/year)● Illicit sex partners and associates at high risk of HIV/STIs and provide testing, risk reduction counseling services,partner notification, connecting to testing/treatment, linking new cases of HIV to care and treatment● Consult with and make recommendations to public and private health care providers regarding testing andtreatment for HIV/STI, pre/post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP/PrEP), and prevention services● Provide follow up with private and public health care facilities (e.g. clinics, hospitals, staff such as physicians andlaboratory personnel) to facilitate rapid and thorough referrals to services and follow-up care● Member of LGBT Employee Resource Group Show less ● Provided TB technical support and consultation to local public health agencies and hospitals on necessary actionsfor managing a suspected case of TB● Managed the statewide internet-based TB case/contact information management system (TBdb)● Liaised, developed, coordinated, and implemented the state-wide TB training plan for health care providersfocused on public health agencies, communities disproportionately affected by TB, and long-term care facilities● Participated in and promote TB outreach activities such as World TB Day, targeted testing, and community levelinterventions Show less

  • Program Supervisor, Colorado Informatics Response Program (CO-IRP)

    Aug 2023 - now

  • Interim Enteric Disease Interview Team (EDIT) Supervisor

    Apr 2023 - Aug 2023

  • Program Manager - Colorado Outbreak and Investigative Response Program (COIRP)

    May 2021 - Aug 2023

  • Branch Manager - Colorado Outbreak and Investigative Response Program (COIRP)

    Aug 2020 - May 2021

  • Disease Intervention Specialist, Office of HIV/STI/VH

    Jan 2018 - Aug 2020

  • Tuberculosis Training and Education Coordinator

    Nov 2016 - Jan 2018