Jannette Berkley-Patton, Ph.D., is a professor in the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine Biomedical and Health Informatics Department. She is also the director of the Community Health Research Group, the director of the UMKC Health Equity Institute, and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Her expertise is in using community-engaged approaches to test and disseminate evidence-based health screening and linkage to care interventions focused on HIV/STDs/Hepatitis C, mental health, dementia, diabetes/heart disease and youth resilience mental health in community settings with funding from NIH, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Health Forward Foundation and others.

She is dedicated to engaging students, community-health-academic partnerships and underserved populations in addressing health disparities using novel scalable and sustainable methods. She was recently was awarded funding from NIH/NIDDK to conduct a clinical trial focused on tailoring CDC’s evidence-based Diabetes Prevention Program with components tailored for Truman Medical Center African American patients (including social determinants of health). She was also recently honored with induction into the KU Women’s Hall of Fame, awarded the University of Missouri System Cross-Cultural Community Engagement Presidential Award, and appointed as a University of Missouri System Presidential Engagement Fellow. Just this year, she was appointed as the Mr. James. B. Nutter, Mrs. Annabel Nutter, and Dr. Harry Jonas M.D. Professorship in the School of Medicine.

Diego Abente serves as President and CEO of Casa de Salud, a St. Louis nonprofit dedicated to delivering high-quality clinical and mental healthcare to the uninsured, with a special focus on the immigrant community.

Prior to joining Casa, he served as Vice President of Economic Development for the International Institute of St. Louis and President of the International Institute Community Development Corporation, where he helped immigrant entrepreneurs access the credit and develop the business acumen needed to ensure their success.

Abente also served as Paraguay’s counselor representative at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC. Earlier in his career, he managed operations for a non-profit working to eradicate malaria in Equatorial Guinea, Africa. He began his career as a staff attorney for Paraguay's Department of Treasury.

Diego received his undergraduate degree in law from the Catholic University of Paraguay, a Masters in Governance and International Development from the University of Birmingham in the UK, and an Executive Masters in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Alexander Garza (B.S. ’90) currently serves as the Chief Community Health Officer for SSM Health in Saint Louis, Missouri, where he works to improve the lives of those in the regional community. He also serves as the Task Force Commander for the St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force. Previously, Dr. Garza served as the Chief Medical Officer for SSM Health; Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Associate Professor for St. Louis, University; Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and the Medical Director for Emergency Medical Services for the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Health Department. He is a Colonel in the US Army Reserves with over 20 years of service.

Riisa Rawlins-Easley has served in leadership positions and as an independent consultant for various nonprofits in the St. Louis Region since relocating to the area in 2004. She has over 20 years of experience in cultural competence and stigma reduction, integration of primary care and behavioral health, and positive youth development. Her passion for relationship building is evident in all that she does.

Qiana Thomason, a life-long Kansas Citian, has dedicated her career to the improvement of health and wellness across the region, with a special focus on communities with significant health disparities and those living in marginalized conditions. Thomason serves as the president and CEO of Health Forward. By focusing on people most in need, Health Forward works through partnership and advocacy to transform communities so everyone has a fair and just opportunity for better health.

Thomason currently serves on the City of Kansas City, Missouri, Health Commission, on the board of Urban Neighborhood Initiative, as a board trustee for William Jewel College, and is a former ArtsKC board member. She received her undergraduate degree in Social Work from Florida A&M University and has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Kansas.

Thomason came to Health Forward from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City (Blue KC), where she most recently served as vice president of community health. During her tenure at Blue KC, she spearheaded development and implementation of new care delivery and payment models in partnership with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and primary care providers throughout Kansas City. She was also a successful champion for the inclusion of health equity and the social determinants of health in Blue KC’s corporate strategy.

Prior to her tenure at Blue KC, Thomason spent eight years at Swope Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center, as program manager of a multi-municipality Mental Health Court and as the director of clinical operations, behavioral health. Qiana also served as deputy director and health and human services liaison for United States Senator Jean Carnahan.