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.

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.

As the Director of Technology Strategy at Intrepid Ascent, Joanne aligns complex digital infrastructure with the humans it serves. Her approach to health data interoperability is centered on a simple philosophy: start with the human need. By translating technical hurdles into actionable roadmaps, Joanne ensures that data governance and compliance are not just “check-boxes,” but the foundation for sustainable, cross-sector trust. 

Joanne’s expertise is built on a career of unifying complex stakeholder ecosystems. Having held senior leadership roles in statewide health information exchange and community-based organizations, she is an expert at aligning health systems, payers, and public health agencies toward shared outcomes.

Her professional “superpower” is her non-linear background. With earlier roots in financial services and the literary world, Joanne brings a unique blend of systems thinking and storytelling to the tech space. She doesn’t just build architecture; she communicates the purpose behind it.

Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Joanne remains deeply connected to her local community through arts and civic initiatives. A frequent concert-goer, especially to her husband’s concerts, she is perpetually curious about how the intersection of creativity and collaboration can strengthen humanity and foster a deeper sense of shared purpose.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 San Diego. 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.

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 analyst, 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.

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.

As founder of Intrepid Ascent, Mark supports our dynamic team by providing strategic advisory support to our Executive Leadership team through his role on Intrepid’s Board.

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.