People thrive in connected communities

Danielle Carter is CEO of Intrepid Ascent, the consulting partner for community health transformation. She has dedicated her career to redesigning systems to support individuals, improve health outcomes, and enhance well-being for all. Danielle leads Intrepid with this passion, applying her expertise in public health, quality improvement, and change management with the organization to help clients make meaningful connections and transform their communities for lasting change.

Over her past six years at Intrepid, Danielle played a key role in shaping the organization’s strategy and approach to community health transformation. Danielle has also expanded the company’s co-design service offerings and led major projects focused on Medicaid Transformation/CalAIM and the development of data exchange ecosystems. As a thought leader in community health, she frequently shares her expertise through speaking engagements, contributing to the broader conversation on community health and systems transformation.

Before joining Intrepid, Danielle contributed to public health initiatives both locally and internationally. She worked at an international health clinic in Malawi, organizing public health events for local residents, and led community-focused programs in the Bay Area aimed at improving well-being. At Partnership HealthPlan of California, a large Medi-Cal managed care organization, she spearheaded multiple large-scale projects that utilized quality improvement methodologies to enhance health outcomes, address the opioid epidemic, and tackle social determinants of health for members. Danielle holds a BS in Physiology and Neuroscience from the University of California, San Diego, and an MPH from Touro University California.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: When not working, Danielle loves spending time with family. On the weekends, you can find her chasing her boys around the playground and spending time in her garden.

As founder of Intrepid Ascent, Mark supports our dynamic team to guide clients through the design of community ecosystems for people-centered care. With an interdisciplinary background in anthropology, technology, and policy, Mark applies integrated local approaches to global challenges. See this interview for more about Mark and his perspective on health care in the US.

Prior to founding Intrepid Ascent in 2014, Mark played key roles in California’s implementation of federal programs to advance health IT. He received a B.A. from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, where his research was supported by the Fulbright and National Science Foundations. Mark currently serves on the Board of the California Association of Health Information Exchanges (CAHIE).

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Mark has embraced life in Medellín, Colombia, bringing new ideas back and forth to the San Francisco Bay Area.

With over 14 years of experience, Alex leads Intrepid Ascent’s consulting team, overseeing the organization’s three core areas of consulting service delivery—technology, policy, and community change. Alex manages deploying these services with an approach centered on understanding and meeting clients and their communities where they are and guiding them to where they need to be. 

Alex has a keen understanding of the diverse skill sets within his team and how to leverage them for maximum effect. His background in health data interoperability, population health management systems, and health data strategy remains an expert resource, having previously led Intrepid’s data and technology consulting services for a decade. Alex ensures that health data and technology are integral to the organization’s programs.

Based in Brooklyn, Alex has led transformation and strategy initiatives related to New York State’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, the Community-Based Organization Planning Grant program, and the Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver for social care networks, as well as California’s CalAIM. His leadership and expertise have been critical in aligning these programs with broader strategies, ensuring they meet their objectives.

Since co-founding Intrepid in 2014, Alex has been instrumental in growing the organization from a small team of three to a robust group of over 25 consultants located across the country. Alex was raised in rural California and received a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Having made Brooklyn his home Alex spends most of his spare time exploring every nook and cranny of the borough with his growing family, trying to perfect a new recipe, or working at the Park Slope Food Co-op.

Katelyn combines her curiosity, resourcefulness, and creativity with a breadth of operational and consulting experience to lead our Operations staff in equipping Intrepid Ascent with the people, processes, and systems necessary to meet organizational goals. Since joining Intrepid Ascent in 2016, she has developed and grown the firm’s financial, IT, strategic planning, and capacity planning infrastructure to accommodate the firm’s growth over that time. In her previous role as a Consultant at Intrepid, Katelyn also served as an implementation project manager for the San Joaquin Community Health Information Exchange (SJCHIE) and with Marin County’s Whole Person Care program. 

Passionate about health and social supports for the LGBTQIA+ community and the de-stigmatization of mental health, Katelyn has worked in operations roles supporting social justice and healthcare for over a decade. Prior to joining Intrepid Ascent in 2016, Katelyn worked at the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare as a program manager, events planner, and financial analyst. Katelyn received her BA in Political Science and History from the University of California, Berkeley.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: An avid baker, Katelyn challenged herself during the pandemic by opening a home-based bakery business in her spare time. After a very busy year fulfilling orders, she is now reclaiming the joy of baking, as an amateur.

Denise is passionate about collaborating with Intrepid partners to leverage data, solve inefficiencies, and push toward transformative community health. With more than 20 years of experience in relationship management, Denise has cemented her keen communication skills, supported by diplomacy and tact when navigating complex business partnerships. She’s highly skilled in community collaboration with varied stakeholder groups, including executive leaders at partnering organizations, community stakeholders, and technology vendors. Before joining Intrepid Ascent, Denise served nearly a decade as the director of community service and then as chief engagement officer for the Rochester RHIO, one of New York State’s most successful regional health information exchanges (HIEs); in that role, she was responsible for executing RHIO’s mission and vision. Grounded in the world of data exchange is where she began her journey toward community change in support of health equity.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Living in Upstate New York, Denise soaks in the benefits of experiencing all four seasons, finding the most joy in autumn.  No matter the season, Denise values quality time with family and friends. When she’s not working or spending time with loved ones, she’s on a quest for the next great record to add to her extensive vinyl collection.

Sokkim has an interdisciplinary focus that sits at the intersection of policy, systems, clinical interventions, and community-based services. She has more than 10 years of experience assisting providers across various health care and social service sectors with data-driven pathways to improvements in coordinated, patient-centered care. She regularly manages time-critical, high-stakes projects that often involve complex strategic issues and multidisciplinary stakeholder environments. Her recent projects include providing expertise to local and state public health departments for the prevention and management of chronic diseases as well as community information exchange (CIE)–related initiatives, including the Whole Person Care Pilots program, which seeks to coordinate health, behavioral health, and social services in a patient-centered manner in California.

Sokkim serves as the lead for the portfolio of state and local interventions under the California Department of Health Care Service’s California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, which seeks to transform and strengthen Medicaid in the state.

Prior to joining Intrepid Ascent, Sokkim played key roles supporting the implementation of Meaningful Use and California’s Medi-Cal EHR Incentive Program and developing innovative approaches to improving care coordination in the medication and pharmacy practice areas. She received her PharmD from the University of California San Francisco.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Sokkim’s personal intrepid ascent is spending quality time with her family and introducing her two young and very active children to new foods and places. Every day is an adventure!

Lauren is a person-centered systems strategist whose mission is to create lasting change in communities while operationalizing ‘nothing about me without me.’ With a multidimensional focus on the many systems impacting health, Lauren focuses on the intersection of social drivers of health and healthcare to advance racial health equity. Lauren believes the people we seek to serve best understand how to transform the care they receive. She leverages tools from Human-Centered Design, Systems Thinking, and Quality Improvement to pursue a more just and impactful design in ecosystems serving the social safety net. Her greatest joy has been bringing together different organizations — in healthcare, public health, community-based organizations, advocacy agencies, and philanthropy — to collaborate on the advancement of equitable approaches to care.

Before joining Intrepid, Lauren worked over a decade at Health Leads, a non-profit that helped to inspire and support market adoption of addressing the social drivers of health as a standard part of healthcare in the U.S. While at Health Leads, Lauren advanced strategic responses to multiple state and federal 1115 waivers such as Accountable Health Communities, Comprehensive Primary Care Plus, New York State DSRIP, California Whole Person Care, CalAIM, and MassHealth ACO. She’s founded and helped design a multi-organization collaborative focused on homelessness prevention, and applied research methodology and learning-forward frameworks to evaluate and discover more just, efficient, and impactful approaches and practices to health equity and community health efforts. A vision-forward pragmatist, Lauren also focused on the financial elements of care delivery and transformation in recognition that ‘effort goes where money flows’ with a deep belief that those providing services can and must be equitably compensated. Lauren’s relentless focus on systems and the many details that make up those systems stems from her degrees in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience and Biology from Johns Hopkins University and her lived experience as a first-generation college graduate.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Lauren is using her positional privilege these days to pursue activities she didn’t have resources to growing up in rural Pennsylvania and Brooklyn, New York: music and fitness. She dreams of getting those saxophone lessons she always wanted and, after more than a decade of practice, is pursuing multiple fitness certifications in the hopes of making physical exercise accessible, fun, and impactful for everyone.

Brian serves as the director of technology strategy, identifying and aligning health IT industry trends to market growth strategies, coaching and developing technical staff, and providing solutions to the clients. He has a BBA from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in Information Technology and an MBA from Northeastern University in both Information Technology and Finance. Brian is also a member of HL7 and is a certified FHIR implementer.  

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Brian enjoys mountaineering in his free time.

Lauren works at the intersection of multiple teams to inform strategic initiatives for organization development. She is a champion of company culture, process improvements, and goal alignment. Lauren seeks to bring out the best of any organization, whether she’s engaged with internal or external best practices. Lauren has worked directly with Intrepid’s clients as a Consultant for almost 5 years, and her past experience with public health, health equity, and change management offers a unique approach to internal operations. Before joining the Intrepid Ascent team, she interned at the Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency. Lauren earned her Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University and B.A. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Lauren recently got to cross yet another National Park off her list by traveling to Alaska. She boated and hiked around in the pouring rain for 2 weeks – the weather (and the bears!) did not phase Lauren and her friends, and she cannot wait to go back!

Alexandra has a passion for improving the health care delivery system in the United States. With more than eight years of experience in health care consulting, primarily working with safety-net organizations, she understands the impact that strategic health improvement initiatives can have on vulnerable populations. Alexandra joined Intrepid Ascent in August 2020 and leads strategic business development initiatives as business development manager. Previously, in her role as a consultant with Intrepid Ascent, Alexandra led several technology adoption engagements and provided technical assistance to local and state health departments in California for the prevention and management of chronic diseases.

Previously, she was a senior consultant at Los Angeles–based COPE Health Solutions, where she provided both project and account management and supported clients in strategic planning, transforming business models from fee-for-service to services that complement coordinated care risk models such as capitation or bundled payments. In that role, Alexandra developed assessments and evaluations for service line redesign and innovations and identification of opportunities for performance improvement. She’s a graduate of the University of Southern California, where she received her Master of Health Administration and a certificate in Management of Ambulatory Care Systems. She also received her B.S. in public health from San Diego State University. Alexandra hopes to be an active participant in our country’s health care reform and strives to create efficient structures to address social determinants of health.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Alexandra is a first-generation Croatian who loves to practice yoga daily, especially after a long day of work. In her free time, she’s usually plotting her next trip and has a bucket list of countries she plans to visit.

Bringing over three years of hands-on experience supporting network operations and IT in healthcare environments, Harman is passionate about strengthening security while delivering smooth, user-friendly experiences across teams. As IT Manager, Harman will leverage technology as a tool to streamline Intrepid’s internal operations and optimize performance. 

Driven by a mindset of continuous improvement, Harman uses strategic thinking and practical problem-solving. He manages daily IT operations, supports core IT internal infrastructure, and works closely with all Intrepid staff to ensure tools and systems meet evolving needs. Harman also evaluates new technologies, oversees our vendor partnerships, and improves internal support processes to keep tech-operations and support running efficiently.

Intrepid Ascent: Outside of work, Harman enjoys playing cricket, keeping up with the Premier League, and diving into history podcasts and documentaries. Harman’s Intrepid Ascent is to focus more on reading than watching – an ambitious shift, though he’s starting small, one page at a time.

Samuel is a self-described policy wonk with nearly a decade of experience in policy research and consulting. He currently serves as the firm’s lead behavioral health policy subject matter expert. Samuel is currently leading the implementation of California’s Medicaid behavioral health delivery system redesign in Santa Cruz, Merced, and Stanislaus counties through the Behavioral Health Quality Improvement Program (BHQIP). He also supports various firm-wide projects as a subject matter expert on information privacy laws/regulations, telehealth policy, data governance, and state and federal Medicaid policy. He brings to Intrepid Ascent a deep understanding of the safety net and a history of working closely with Medicaid and public sector stakeholders, having previously worked with the Center for Evidence-based Policy in Portland, Oregon, and the Center for Connected Health Policy in Sacramento, California. Samuel holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in policy and research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Samuel took up DJing as a passion project in March 2022. He spends most of his spare time and weekends spinning at San Francisco venues and clubs. His next ascent? Music production. Samuel is currently working on producing his own music.

DeeAnne brings over a decade of expertise in health information technology (HIT) policy, focusing on HIT adoption, interoperability, and innovative solutions to improve care quality. She specializes in bridging clinical, community, and social services information into accessible resources for individuals, organizations, and care providers.

In 2023-2024, as Deputy Director of the Data Exchange Framework (DxF) at the Center for Data Insights and Innovation (CDII), DeeAnne led stakeholder engagement, policy alignment with statewide initiatives like CalAIM, and launched programs such as the Qualified Health Information Organization (QHIO) Program. She chaired the DxF Policy & Procedure Subcommittee and facilitated advisory committees to advance interoperability efforts.

Previously, DeeAnne served as HIT Director at the California Primary Care Association (CPCA), supporting Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the Regional Associations of California (RAC) through Electronic Health Record (EHR) adoption and interoperability initiatives. Before CPCA, she spent nearly a decade at California Health Information and Partnership Services Organization (CalHIPSO), maximizing federal funding to support HIT adoption and Meaningful Use efforts across California’s safety net. DeeAnne has been a steadfast leader in advancing HIT for better care delivery statewide.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Beyond her love for spending time outdoors, DeeAnne cherishes maintaining connections from past experiences while fostering new relationships in the present and those yet to come.

Rachel translates and applies complex data sharing and privacy policies at the community and organization level. As a subject matter expert on California’s Data Exchange Framework (DxF), she walks clients through what this initiative means for their organization and the state’s data sharing landscape as a whole. Rachel also advises on data governance and helps craft innovative ways of enabling data exchange to promote cross-sector collaboration. Beyond policy and privacy, Rachel guides programs through adopting new technology and redesigning workflows. After finishing her B.A. in behavioral neuroscience from Colgate University, Rachel conducted mixed methods research focused on tobacco control and lung cancer stigma at University of California, San Francisco. She then completed her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in behavioral health from the University of San Francisco. 

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Rachel loves to challenge herself with baking and cooking. She has been using more physical cookbooks lately (both functional and good home decoration), and she loves to make meals with friends.

Andrew is a senior consultant at Intrepid Ascent who has a passion for healthcare technologies with the mission of improving the overall experience for people and for caregivers by improving adoption, functionality, and facilitating communication between systems. Coupling extensive experience in digital transformations and change management practices with a client-centered approach, he excels in delivering targeted and effective strategies for a broad spectrum of organizations. He enjoys using his expertise to serve those who serve and to care for those who care; solving the organizational problems for those who keep the community healthy so they can focus on the people who need it.

Before joining Intrepid Ascent, he worked in one of the largest healthcare systems in New York helping to implement, build, and improve their Electronic Health Record (EHR) and patient access technologies. He has also consulted for the health and wellness division of a major financial institution on its healthcare processes and data governance.

Andrew earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2011 from George Washington University and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Hofstra University in 2015. Andrew also earned his PMP in 2020.

Personal Intrepid Ascent: Outside of the office, Andrew can be found in a dojo practicing martial arts, by his smoker trying to perfect his rub, but for the most part, he usually can be found spending time with his young children playing in the yard.

Jenny is a consultant passionate about health care data, public health, system design, and project management. She uses her experience in analytics, problem-solving, and communication to become a trusted advisor to both clinical and community partners. Jenny is committed to improving workflow processes, interoperability, and data sharing to better assist organizations in meeting the needs of their clients.

Prior to joining Intrepid Ascent, Jenny was a supervisor at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) Center for Data Science Office. She led a team that improved operational efficiency, identified new workflows, and resolved technical issues. In that role, she also supported the maintenance, operations, and enhancement of DOH surveillance systems to support COVID-19 response operations. She’s a Registered Health Information Administrator and received her Master of Health Informatics and Health Information Management from the University of Washington.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Jenny is a Washington native who enjoys yoga and bouldering. She’s also a food enthusiast who loves to try new restaurants and boba (tapioca pearl tea) shops with her friends and family. In her spare time, she’s planning her next adventure. Jenny has visited nine countries and loves to learn about different cultures.

Ryan is passionate about collaborating with community stakeholders and building relationships across service sectors to collectively facilitate change and solve complex social issues. As a Consultant, he leverages human-centered design to foster innovation and provides alternative perspectives to system-level challenges, especially elevating the voices of community-based organizations. He develops and monitors user feedback loops in a way that amplifies the voice of the customer and aligns his expertise with a broader understanding of health care and social service environments to generate insights that support innovations in the field.

Ryan understands the importance of providing quality, person-centered services to communities facing barriers, and he brings more than 15 years of experience in human services where his roles have included facilitating enrollment in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, overseeing elementary school-based mentoring programs, and managing a transitional housing program for families with children. Most recently, Ryan was a Senior Consultant at Coordinated Care Services, Inc. (CCSI) in Rochester, NY where he supported projects across CCSI’s areas of practice and was responsible for the development and implementation of a Coordinated Entry system that helped streamline access to permanent housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Ryan received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and his M.A. in Community Social Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is a Certified Salesforce Administrator and has been instrumental in helping our clients customize their Salesforce platforms to meet their specific business needs so they can spend more time supporting the community members who depend on their services.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Outside of work, Ryan and his wife take on the daily adventures of raising two very active kids. Ryan also enjoys running, hiking, and almost anything outdoors. He aspires to one day complete a triathlon and dreams of running in the Boston Marathon.

LaRandi has a fervent commitment to making a positive impact on communities through her expertise in health policy and a profound understanding of the social determinants of health. Equipped with a strong educational foundation, a passion for collaboration, and a dedication to direct service work, LaRandi recognizes the critical importance of actively engaging communities to bridge information gaps and foster enhanced collaboration across various sectors.

Before joining Intrepid Ascent, LaRandi also spent several years as a direct service worker providing health education to high school students in the Bronx, and an additional two years serving as an AmeriCorps National member. In her spare time, LaRandi is also a full-spectrum Doula, offering emotional and physical support to parents and families in New York City. LaRandi holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Syracuse University and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in health policy from New York University.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: LaRandi’s passion for reproductive rights is also present in her personal time as she volunteers on the Leadership Circle for The Doula Project in New York City, helping to operationalize their medication abortion support hotline. LaRandi also enjoys being active through Pilates and “hot girl walks” around Brooklyn and spending lots of quality time with her cat Rico.

Kate Thomas is a seasoned health policy reformist with a passion for creating positive change in healthcare systems. With extensive experience in policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and coalition building, Kate has dedicated her career to advancing policies that improve access to quality health care for all. Kate currently works as a Consultant for Intrepid Ascent’s Community Change Group, where she helps clients implement innovative quality improvement methods. Her expertise in project management, stakeholder engagement strategies, and change management is instrumental in driving impactful reforms in healthcare.

Prior to her role at Intrepid Ascent, Kate worked as a Consultant at Aurrera Health Group, where she played a key role in supporting California’s Department of Health Care Services’ roll-out of their Medicaid behavioral health redesign initiative, CalAIM. In this capacity, Kate conducted analyses on the potential impact of CalAIM policies on industry stakeholders, facilitated quarterly CalAIM workgroup meetings, and provided extensive technical assistance to educate stakeholders about the evolving policies. Kate also previously worked with McDermott + Consulting and served on Senator Jeff Merkley’s health policy team in Washington D.C. Kate holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Kate is a jack of all trades and frequently runs out of time to complete all her hobbies. She is currently teaching herself how to roller skate and use her new sewing machine. Kate also spends extensive time hiking, painting, and playing with her spunky Dalmatian and hyper Aussiedoodle.

Desa thrives on the collaborative process and brings with her a background contributing to community health transformation efforts through local and statewide (CA) initiatives. Desa carries on this momentum at Intrepid by supporting diverse client engagements, with a focus on behavioral health and Medi-Cal transformation efforts (e.g., CalAIM). She collaborates closely with various stakeholders and is currently leading the implementation of the DHCS Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program (SBHIP) in partnership with select local education agencies and the local managed care plan in Merced and Monterey counties. Desa also supports policy areas internally and across projects, including tracking both federal and California legislative activity.

Desa previously was a community worker for the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, where she engaged in policy, systems, and environmental change interventions as part of the local Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) implementation. She also completed an internship at Health Net where she worked on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma–informed care initiatives within a robust cultural competency framework. Desa earned her MPH from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and a B.S. in Health Science from California State University, Long Beach.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Desa has recently embarked on playing at-home barista with her new espresso machine. Catch her trying to recreate some of her favorite drinks (currently a salted cream vanilla latte!) and practicing pulling espresso shots. Although she loves recharging at home (a self-proclaimed homebody), Desa won’t turn down an outing that involves food followed by coffee or boba!

Hannah has a passion for public health and the intersection of health and the social sector. She has been conducting mixed-methods research for over a decade with an interest in community health that is centered around social determinants. With her deep understanding of human-centered design and putting community first, Hannah serves as a methods specialist in advising on ways teams can use design thinking to support client engagements. With a background in conducting and analyzing primary and secondary research, Hannah also focuses on reviewing, interpreting, and analyzing federal and state policies, including research and analysis of current guidance and best practices for policy implementation. Her direct service experience as a teacher, project management skills, and human-centered design thinking gives her a unique perspective into thinking of innovative approaches to systems change and transforming community health.  

Hannah is a former Contra Costa County public school teacher, where she taught pre-school and second grade. She received her Master of Public Health degree with a focus in program planning and evaluation and understanding health and social behavior theory from the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley, she also completed a specialty certificate in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health. Hannah received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biopsychology with a minor in Black Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Personal Intrepid Ascent: Hannah is a life-long learner and has recently utilized her professional development resources to learn Spanish. She loves to travel and hopes to incorporate it more into her life (she and her partner recently spent time exploring their favorite city, Buenos Aires, Argentina)! When not working, Hannah loves to throw the ball around with her chihuahua-dachshund mix, Darwin, and embraces life as an Auntie to her adorable niece and nephew.

Skylar joins the Intrepid team as an enthusiastic public health systems thinker. She thrives in collaborative building roles which led her to join the Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) initiative, a five-year $1.85 billion initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity and infrastructure of local partners to effectively participate in the Medi-Cal delivery system as California implements Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports. With her background in program management, design, and implementation, she is supporting Intrepid’s Collaborative Planning and Implementation (CPI) facilitator role for both Contra Costa and San Diego Counties. She is a motivated learner who is passionate about policies that impact children and families. Skylar looks forward to applying a human-centered design approach with clients to inspire possible solutions as California communities continue to engage in the implementation of California’s CalAIM roll-out.

Prior to joining Intrepid Ascent, Skylar worked for the Population Health Innovation Lab, a program of the Public Health Institute, as a Coach for ACEs Aware, a statewide initiative from the Office of the California Surgeon General in partnership with the CA Department of Health Care Services. Skylar supported ACEs Aware’s Round 3 funding called Preventing and Responding to ACE-Associated Health Conditions and Toxic Stress in Clinics through Community Engagement (PRACTICE). As a Coach, she worked closely with multi-disciplinary teams across California comprised of primary care clinic leaders, Community Based Organizations, and Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans to strengthen partnerships to screen for ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and respond to toxic stress, increase evidence- informed services that target ACE-Associated Health Conditions, and expand the workforce to fill gaps and address toxic stress among Medi-Cal beneficiaries in a sustainable way. Skylar also supported ACEs Aware’s Round 2 Network of Care Planning Grants as Program Manager for East Valley Community Health Center, a Federal Qualified Health Center system based in Pomona and the San Gabriel Valley. During graduate studies, she was selected as a Public Health Fellow at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to participate in a 9-month experience with the University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) to engage in interdisciplinary training, education, and advocacy for individuals and families impacted by special developmental, behavioral and/or health care needs Skylar earned a Doctor of Public Health with a Minor in Policy and Master of Public Health with a concentration in Leadership & Management from Claremont Graduate University. She also has a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health from University of California, Irvine.

Personal Intrepid Ascent: Skylar has made it her mission to become an above average tennis player and enjoys the social aspect of the sport. She is always on the lookout for her favorite bands in town and made a goal to see a show a month in 2024. She loves to travel and curate the perfect itinerary to discover the best things to eat and drink. When not working, Skylar enjoys exploring Southern California with friends, the company of her spunky Aussiedoodle, Cosmo, and time with family.

Shelby serves as an Analyst, bringing with her 4 years of health program coordination, data-centered evaluation, and customer service experience. With a background in health policy, healthcare data analytics, and quality improvement, she is excited to support Intrepid’s clients navigating the complex health information technology policy landscape. 

Prior to joining Intrepid Ascent, Shelby worked for the global health nonprofit Orbis International and then transitioned to a role in the Bureau of Equitable Health Systems at the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. While working at the Department of Health, she coordinated several primary care value-based care transformation initiatives and COVID-19 pandemic relief programs for BIPOC communities living in New York City’s outer boroughs.

Shelby received her Master of Public Health degree in Health Policy & Management with two graduate certificates in Applied Data Science and Health Management from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a BA in Political Science from New York University. 

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Shelby aspires to visit all 50 states and 100 countries (next up: state #34 and country #25)! When not out and about exploring new places, Shelby loves to take care of her ever-growing collection of houseplants.

Saadia is an analyst with 4 years of experience in local & federal government, non-profit, and consulting. She has experience in program evaluation, project management, quality improvement, and a passion for innovating and improving the current healthcare data landscape. She loves building relationships with external partners as well as designing and implementing workflows. After completing her master’s in Health Economics from Johns Hopkins University, Saadia worked for the National Institutes of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases where she was a project manager for a team that was developing an electronic care plan for patients with multiple chronic conditions.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Saadia is a part-time reformer pilates instructor at a local East Bay Pilates studio. She also loves traveling, coffee, and spending time with her active Bengal cat.

Alea is an Analyst with 3 years of experience in non-profit healthcare. She has experience in project implementation, quality improvement, and data analysis. Alea is passionate about improving healthcare and building connections across communities. She enjoys building relationships with external partners, as well as designing and testing innovative solutions.
Alea received her Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College in History of Science, with a focus on maternal health care. Prior to Intrepid Ascent, Alea worked as a Research Assistant at Ariadne Labs, where she worked with health care teams to improve shared-decision making and increase patient autonomy throughout maternity care.
Personal Intrepid Ascent: Alea is always working on growing her personal library! She enjoys exploring her city through book stores and author events.

Chelsea brings with her a background in community health research, project management, and healthcare client service. Passionate about improving access to quality health care and improving patient outcomes for vulnerable populations, she is excited to create innovative, strategic technology solutions in collaboration with community stakeholders to do so.

Prior to joining Intrepid Ascent, Chelsea was a Research Manager at Guidepoint, where she was responsible for delivering research insights and working closely with clients, specifically institutional investment firms focusing on the healthcare sector. She also completed an internship at Commonwealth Care Alliance, where she contributed to the operational expansion of its Mobile Integrated Health program within Rhode Island. Here she gained a deep passion for policy regulation and program development, deepening her commitment to building and scaling healthcare programs from the ground up. Chelsea earned her Bachelors of Science from Tufts University, double-majoring in Biology and Community Health.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Chelsea loves to try different creative endeavors. While she is still trying to find her niche, she has enjoyed learning how to crochet, journaling, painting tote bags, or reading new books in her book club, to name a few. She is also currently on the hunt to find her favorite cafe in New York City.

Pua is dedicated to improving health and social care ecosystems through human-centered design. Her work is driven by the belief that communities know themselves best and that each system of care is anchored by the people who create these environments, which can celebrate gifts, help each other achieve goals, and ultimately rally for shared success and improved outcomes. With over four years of experience across the nonprofit, academic, and federal sectors, Pua brings an interdisciplinary mindset and diverse skillset to her role at Intrepid Ascent. Before joining the team, Pua worked in Hawaii’s nonprofit sector, where she helped facilitate cross-sector partnerships by tackling local misalignment, building trust, and fostering collaboration in areas such as housing affordability, regenerative tourism, and circular food systems.

She gained research experience at the Center for Indigenous Health, collaborating with healthcare providers, tribal stakeholders, and patients to design and implement AI tools for suicide prevention. At the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, she managed policy and operations for the federal healthcare marketplace. Pua is also a returned Peace Corps volunteer. She earned her M.S.P.H. with a focus on social and behavioral interventions from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in public health from the University of Hawaii.

Outside of work, Pua enjoys Muay Thai, weightlifting, cooking, reading, and true-crime media. She has a fondness for Sunday morning pastries and aims to visit every pastry shop in Washington D.C. and the Bay Area.

As the people operations coordinator, Allie helps with all aspects of Intrepid Ascent’s business and people operations from talent recruitment and new employee onboarding. With a passion for helping others, her favorite part about being a member of the operations group is knowing she is directly impacting the growth of our team, projects, and clients. Allie earned her B.A. in communications from California State University, East Bay and has a strong background in process improvement, project management, operations, and administration.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Allie enjoys trying new restaurants, traveling with friends, immersing herself in a good book and spending time with her cat Remi.

Erick brings a passion to his work as a finance and operations analyst for intrepid ascent. Erick is responsible for the financial aspect of intrepid ascent from the day-to-day operating procedures to financial presentations and budgeting for future forecasting. He looks to enhance our strategy with his ability to simplify and interpret the complex issues that may arise. With over 5 years of administrative experience, his analytical skills, and his drive to help others, Erick looks to succeed in his role in any way possible and always puts his best foot forward at Intrepid Ascent when it comes to assisting and creating solutions.

Erick received his B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in finance from California State University, Sacramento and previously worked as an office manager for a storage facility in his hometown of Fairfield, CA. Erick prides himself in being able to solve any problems he may come across and creating new ideas to address any future obstacles. He takes pride in being that person anyone can count on no matter the circumstances.

Personal Intrepid Ascent: Erick is an avid outdoorsman who looks to explore all that nature provides. He loves to fish, hike, camp, and spend time with his family. Erick is hoping to explore the many hiking trails that Northern California has to offer.

After nearly seven years at a New York-based health information exchange (HIE), Emily comes to Intrepid with an extensive understanding of data exchange’s impact on community collaboration. During her tenure there, she documented and developed process improvements of workflows, built and facilitated training for community participants, hosted external and internal employee HIPAA compliance training, and identified and developed new content for training during platform migrations. She understands the needs of a dynamic audience both in developing and facilitating community education events. Emily has worked extensively in the areas of customer support services, account management, and privacy and compliance where she’s built and monitored robust auditing portfolios. Emily holds a Masters of Science in Education from Nazareth College and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the State University of New York, Geneseo.

With an advanced degree in education, Emily uses her passion for educating others while working as an Analyst. Emily supports content development and analysis along with project coordination across project activities and deliverables.

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Emily spends most of her time outside of work chasing around her two- and three-year old children. When not toddler-wrangling, Emily enjoys reading, playing board games, and silence. Her current ambition is to hand feed the birds who frequent her backyard feeders.

Creative at heart, Julie is a passionate advocate for health promotion and destigmatizing seeking care. With over 7 years of clinical operations experience, Julie plans to support Intrepid with her extensive expertise in marketing, communications, operations, and event planning as an Operations Coordinator. Before coming to Intrepid Ascent, Julie worked for a lung cancer non-profit and a behavioral health organization, where she played a key role in operational success and marketing initiatives.  

Julie holds her B.S. in Business Administration from Colorado State University and a Master of Public Health from University of Sydney in Australia. She also recently completed a Digital Marketing Certification, reflecting her commitment to staying ahead in ever-evolving marketing practices. 

Personal Intrepid Ascents: Julie and her husband love exploring international destinations or relaxing at their neighborhood pool with their three nephews. As a professional photographer, she is the first to document social events. She is always immersed in music, whether attending concerts, spinning her vinyl collection, or dominating music trivia.

As a member of Intrepid Ascent, Nyri brings a robust background in public health data analysis, program evaluation, and project management. With a deep commitment to health equity, she is passionate about leveraging data-driven approaches to address complex challenges and enhance organizational efficiency. Nyri is most inspired by the opportunity to translate intricate public health research into actionable strategies that empower communities and foster systemic improvements.

Nyri’s career spans diverse roles in public health, including program coordination, data analysis, and regulatory compliance at organizations such as the New Jersey Department of Health and Medicines360. Throughout her journey, she has designed impactful health promotion programs, led cross-functional teams, and conducted research that advances public health initiatives. She earned her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from Emory University and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Global Public Health from New York University.

As a Project Coordinator at Intrepid Ascent, Nyri collaborates with multi-disciplinary teams to synthesize complex technical information into actionable insights, amplify community voices, and develop innovative solutions that drive meaningful change. Her work reflects a steadfast dedication to strategic planning and meticulous research, always guided by a vision of creating equitable and sustainable outcomes.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Nyri is an adventurous spirit. She loves traveling, exploring new cultures and landscapes, and playing video games. An avid Star Wars fan, she balances her curiosity for science fiction with a passion for hiking and discovering new trails. Whether diving into research or embarking on her next adventure, Nyri approaches every challenge with enthusiasm and a drive to make a lasting impact.

Aksa brings a strong commitment to sustainability and public health in her role as Project Coordinator at Intrepid Ascent. With a background in project management and policy, Aksa thrives in her work on complex projects that focus on fostering healthy relationships between the health and social sector. She is skilled at developing innovative solutions through collaboration with diverse stakeholders, ensuring that each project aligns with both Intrepid Ascent’s and the client’s goals. Aksa’s ability to effectively coordinate resources, timelines, and communication makes her a key player in driving successful outcomes across multiple initiatives.

Aksa holds a deep passion for creating lasting, positive change and seeks to make an impact in the communities she serves. She earned her degree at the University of California, Berkeley where she harnessed her passion for environmental justice and public health to advocate for disadvantaged and marginalized communities.

Personal: Outside of work, Aksa is an avid fan of DIY projects and enjoys exploring new ways to create and improve her surroundings. She is deeply passionate about environmental conservation and loves to bake as a creative outlet. Aksa values spending time with her family and enjoys discovering new coffee spots.