MEMBERS
Here are our incredible members who inspire the mission and vision of NHACC.
To get in contact with a member, please click their photo.
Kaitlin Schoewe
Co-Founder and Co-Chair
University of Washington MHA
After receiving my B.A. from Vanderbilt University, I went on to pursue my Master's in Health Administration at the University of Washington. Through my education and experiences I have come to recognize and prioritize the interconnected fates of environmental health and human health. As healthcare leaders it is our responsibility to facilitate health, not directly damage it through unsustainable operations. Prioritizing sustainability in healthcare is essential in ensuring health for our communities, especially for the most vulnerable. Our health systems need to work in synergy with our ecosystems.
Zayna Salveter
Co-Founder and Co-Chair
University of Washington MHA
Growing up in the Oregon foothills, and as a second year MHA student at the University of Washington, I have stuck to my true Pacific Northwest roots. With the outdoors being an integral part to both my personal mental and physical health, I was exposed to the fundamental link between our planet’s health and people’s health. As future (and current) health care leaders, we have the unique opportunity to alter how we view, adapt and deliver wholistic health in the communities in which we inhabit to not only create efficient systems, but sustainable ones.
Committee Chairs
Alexandra Sherman
Education Chair
University of Missouri MHA
Climate change and healthcare are incredibly intertwined, and it is important for us as emerging leaders to take responsibility in the sustainability within our industry and communities. I am a passionate healthcare leader who strives to resolve root causes and find innovative solutions. Climate change is one important issue that can't go undiscussed, and I joined NHACC to cultivate change and increase awareness for climate control within the healthcare industry.
Mary Jane Shafer
Community Engagement Chair
Xavier University MHSA
I seek to engage with my community and world, incorporating environmentally-focused ideals in all I do. In pursuing a Bachelor of Political Science, I have found great importance in the advocacy for and writing of policies that govern our country. As a healthcare professional, I is dedicated to driving success within our communities by listening to the current needs of my peers. Through collaborative efforts, I intend to promote health and wellbeing and create safe and healthy places to live, work and play.
Caroline Volgman
Advocacy Chair
Rush Health Systems Management
After graduating from Vanderbilt University, I joined the Health Systems Management program at Rush University with an aspiration to serve my city and its people. I value empathy and authenticity and thrive amongst people different from myself. I am intent on bringing my commitment to health equity and sustainability to my work, focusing specifically on structural racism, urban environmentalism, and the social determinants of health.
Education Committee
Kyla Borders
University of Washington MHA
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I have always been close to nature and always loved to learn about the environment. As climate change continues to intensify, the effects it has on the human population are becoming increasingly hard to ignore. From exacerbating the symptoms of asthma to natural disasters growing in frequency and strength, the consequences of climate change on the health of individuals and communities are intensifying. We are seeing the devastating effects that it has on our current population but as a healthcare administrator through my actions and decisions I have the ability to change the course we are on now to improve the health outcomes that future generations face due to global warming and climate change.
Kim Guido
George Washington University MHA
I received my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor in 2016 and currently serve as a Registered Nurse at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). I am also a Master of Health Administration candidate at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. I am passionate about improving the health of the environment and, in turn, improving the health of the community. I am a strong proponent for environmental sustainability and health, and ultimately seek opportunities to combine sustainable food production practices with improved healthy food access to decrease diet-related disease within the community.
Tyler Matayoshi
University of Washington MHA
Climate change will play a significant role in the well-being of our communities. We will be facing a severe public health crisis unless something is done to reverse this. I was surprised to learn that 10% of carbon emissions in the United States is attributed to healthcare and realized I can reduce this impact in my role as an administrator.
Shruti Patel
George Washington University MHA
I am a first-year MHA candidate at The George Washington University. I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in Public Health - Environmental Health Science. I am passionate about the environment and its intersection with healthcare administration. I believe it is critical to my role as a healthcare administrator to understand how health-related organizations play pivotal roles in environmental outcomes and impacts. Climate change exacerbates various environmental processes which in-turn influence health impacts. It is part of my role to be aware of these processes and outcomes in order to promote best practices.
Community Engagement Committee
Dante Cilento
Johns Hopkins University MHA
I graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Health Science, and I am focusing my work around developing cross-sector collaboration to scale impact and improve the health of vulnerable populations. I am currently conducting research on opioid use disorder at the Johns Hopkins Center for Drug and Safety and Effectiveness, with a special focus on rural communities. The environment that individuals grow up in impact their risk for developing substance use disorder and this kickstarted my journey to understanding how urban forests and greenspaces impact mental and behavioral health.
Doug Nasby
Xavier University MHSA & MBA
I am a dual degree student at Xavier University working towards the MBA and MHSA degrees. I earned my bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota in Health Management. Before enrolling at Xavier, I served in the U.S. Navy from 2013 until 2019 as a hospital corpsman. My interests include healthcare, climate change, politics, technology, and my community. My passion for the environment and climate change stem from my political interests and legislation such as the Green New Deal.
Rebecca Jacobs
Virginia Commonwealth University MHA
I am a first year MHA student located in Richmond, VA. Going to college in a rural town situated in the Blue Ridge mountains I began to feel strongly about living a more sustainable personal life like finding ways to reduce single use plastic and shopping responsibly. Even with those changes I knew there was more work to do and I could be one of the people to do it. In my first semester of my graduate education I felt a strong conviction that if I was not working to actively better the planet, whatever I was doing was a waste. Discovering the intersection of climate change and healthcare administration was a game changer for me and gave me so much hope for the future. I hope to be part of the generation of healthcare leaders that shifts US healthcare to prioritize environmental sustainability in all facets of care.
Veena Pillalamarri
University of Washington MHA
Hello! I became passionate about the environment and giving back to my community through my involvement doing river clean-ups throughout my high school education. As an undergraduate student at the University of Washington, I took a class regarding climate change and its impact on commonly used resources. As a healthcare administrator, it's important for me to learn about environment-friendly resources and to use that knowledge in my work because climate change, healthcare, and health are all interconnected. I am excited to be a part of this group of leaders and to take this work forward throughout my career!
Advocacy Committee
Hope Woolf
Johns Hopkins University MHA
Hello! My name is Hope Woolf, and I am from Greenville, South Carolina. I am a first-year student enrolled in the Master of Health Administration program at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Because of my background in public health, I am passionate about combating the impacts of climate change and its influence on population health and chronic diseases. As a future healthcare leader, it is important to learn about the ways healthcare delivery systems can be an advocate in this arena to bring about systemic change.
Laura Catherine Vaughn
University of Alabama Birmingham MSHA
My name is Laura Catherine Vaughn, but I go by LC! Being from Birmingham, AL, I understand the denial and avoidance southern states feel in regards to climate change. I was not raised by either my parents or education system to comprehend the detrimental effects of climate change such as warming oceans or carbon dioxide emissions, but it is my role as a steward of the earth to be responsible and accountable for the planet I live on.
Apoorva Somayazulu
University of Washington MHA
I am an advocate for equity within my program and community, and my work has centered around antiracism and equity. I am passionate about climate justice as it pertains to healthy communities, and I believe in leadership for underserved communities who are hardest hit by climate change and pollution. In my role as a future healthcare leader I aim to explore the intersections of EDI work, climate advocacy, and community well-being.
Katie Larin
University of Minnesota MHA
I am a Master of Healthcare Administration student at the University of Minnesota. As a native Michigander, I have been interested in the environment since seeing the effects of climate change on the Great Lakes and in communities across the state. I am passionate about addressing social determinants of health and eliminating health inequalities, especially those stemming from the effects of climate change on health. I see healthcare organizations as both a cause and the potential problem solvers of the climate crisis, and am looking forward to working with healthcare students and leaders to address these issues together.
Judah Soray
University of Central Florida MHA
Richard Olin
University Washington MHA
Samta Bhakta
University of Minnesota MHA
Austin Gleed
University of Utah MHA
New Members
Jay Potvien
University of Washington MHA
Rachel Rahman
University of Minnesota MHA
Sydney Burdin
Xavier University MHA
