2022 Annual Advocacy Conference

Keynote Address: Building Bridges to Healthcare Access

Antrell Tyson, Esq, Director of U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Region 4

Regional Director Tyson is responsible for eight Southeastern states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, as well as the Region’s six federally recognized Tribes. His work focuses on initiatives that address the challenges and the health inequities often prevalent in rural communities, while working to foster and promote strategic federal, state, and local partnerships.

Before his Presidential appointment to join HHS, Regional Director Tyson served as the Director of Business Services and Policy for the City of Atlanta’s Workforce Development Agency. He also worked as District Director for Congresswoman Lucy McBath, where he helped to advance policy priorities including expanding access to affordable healthcare, lowering prescription drug costs and decreasing maternal mortality rates.

Tyson holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Colgate University and a Juris Doctor from the T,C, Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond.

Natalie Brevard Perry

Natalie Brevard Perry is the Regional Administrator of HRSA, Region 4, the largest of 10 regional offices. She leads the development and implementation of innovative strategies to address regional priorities and accomplish the goals of the Agency.  Formerly, Ms. Perry served as the HRSA Region 4 Deputy Regional Administrator and as an Interim Regional Director, Region 4. 

Ms. Perry has devoted the majority of her federal career to the Department of Health and Human Services.  Her career includes experience in health systems research, public health policy, program evaluation, human health risk assessment, preventive and occupational health.  She has held leadership positions within the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Ms. Perry is a Family Nurse Practitioner with nursing experience in the public and private sector.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Clemson University as well as a Master’s Degree in Nursing and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Emory University.

Barriers to Maternal Health

Tonya Elkin, LAPSW,IMH-E®, Director, Maternal Infant Health Outreach Worker Program

Tonya Elkins is the director of the MIHOW program, a peer to peer home visiting program where mothers help improve health outcomes in their communities through guidance and support of other mothers. As part of her MIHOW work, she facilitates a weekly group with pregnant women and young mothers in substance abuse recovery. She has worked with the MIHOW program since 2003, training community health workers, writing curriculum, and coordinating program evaluation and research. Her past social work experience includes community organizing, case work with Hispanic families, resettlement work with immigrant and refugee families, and emergency assistance. She has been trained by the State of TN Department of Health as an ACEs trainer and has completed the SAMSHA training on Trauma Informed Care.

Education: MSSW, University of Tennessee, College of Social Work, BS, Belmont University
Certifications: Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), Infant Family Specialist, Association of Infant Mental Health in TN

The Ethics of Self Care

Chanda Dunn, EdD, LCSW, University of Memphis Professor

Dr. Chanda Dunn is a licensed clinical social worker and clinical supervisor in the State of Tennessee. She holds a Doctorate of Education from the University of Memphis and a Masters of Social Work and Bachelors of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences from the University of Georgia. Her research interests include trauma and learning, Black mental health and education, and Black feminist. She has 10 years of experience in psychotherapy with a specialization in providing trauma-focused therapy, working with populations that operate within the margins, and children and adolescents living with disabilities. For the last 18 months, Dr. Dunn has been working with providing mental health treatment and social work services to veterans. Dr. Dunn also has 6 years of experience teaching at the University of Memphis in the Social Work Department and is the owner of Soul Healing Counseling, a private practice specializing in clinical supervision, consultation, and psychotherapy.

Preparing for the End of the Public Health Emergency

Emily Fauchet, Assistant Director, Affordable Care Act Navigator Program at Family & Children’s Services.

Emilie has worked in a variety of capacities assisting individuals with Medicaid, CHIP, and ACA Federal Marketplace cases in Tennessee for more than 7 years. Emilie holds a B.A. from the University of Rochester.

Kinika Young, JD, Senior Director of Health Policy and Equity, Tennessee Justice Center

Kinika Young is a lawyer and health policy advocate who frequently speaks on issues concerning access to healthcare, focusing on the role of public benefit programs to help people who lack adequate resources to meet their needs. As the Senior Director of Health Policy and Equity at the Tennessee Justice Center, she leads efforts to build a movement across the state to protect and strengthen the safety net for children, families, seniors and people with disabilities, and to move towards the equitable allocation of resources to all Tennesseans. Since joining TJC in 2017, Kinika’s work has helped Tennesseans understand their role in ensuring that every child has a healthy start and that every person has a pathway to reach their full potential. She is a certified Building Strong Brains trainer and a member of the Leadership Team of ACE Nashville. Kinika also serves on the Healthy Nashville Leadership Council, Tennessee’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, and as a board member of Nurture the Next.

Black Maternal Health & Policy Perspectives

State Senator London Lamar, Senate District 33

Senator London Lamar currently serves Tennessee as the youngest female legislator in the Tennessee General Assembly. She is also the youngest African American to ever serve in the Tennessee State Senate. As the conscience of the legislature, Senator Lamar champions strong schools, healthy families, and safe neighborhoods. She has passed legislation that advances maternal health, criminal justice, and voting rights and that works to eliminate human trafficking.. Representing Senate District 33, Senator Lamar holds membership to two Senate committees, and chairs the Shelby County Delegation of State Legislators. Senator Lamar is honored to have received recognition from over 10 organizations and to have appeared in three publications for her work that uplifts families and communities. Senator London Lamar will continue to advocate for her constituents, Tennesseans, and all Americans to ensure that they have choice-filled lives.

Cornelia Graves, MD, Medical Director Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine and Medical Director for Perinatal Services at St Thomas Health Systems. Professor at the University of Tennessee and clinical and adjunct professor for Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College, respectively.

Considered an international expert in the management of maternal disease, Dr. Graves is extensively published and has received numerous teaching, research, professional and community awards. She has been actively involved in research and has served as an investigator on studies involving asthma, HIV, diabetes, and drug addiction during pregnancy. She is an immediate past member of the Board of Directors of the Society of
Maternal Fetal Medicine(SMFM).

In 2012, Dr. Graves along with Dr. Stacy Davis, a cardiologist, started the Collaborative Perinatal Cardiac Center, a joint venture between Tennessee Maternal Fetal Medicine and St. Thomas Health, which is one of the first in the nation to address maternal heart care from the preconception period through postpartum care with a focus of long term prevention. She has been instrumental in the formation of a Maternal Mortality Review Committee
(MMRC) for the State of Tennessee and currently serves as a member of the review committee and a member of the CDC committee on Bias in Maternal Mortality. She is currently the Co-Chair of the ACOG/CDC committee on Racism and Bias in MMRC as well as a member of the SMFM committee on Cardio-Obstetrics. She also serves as the project leader and advisor for the Maternal Section of Tennessee Initiative for Perinatal Quality Care.

Education: Baylor University undergraduate, University of Arkansas, MD internship and residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Maternal-Fetal Fellowship at Vanderbilt University.

Chemyeeka Tumblin, MSPH, MMFT, Owner of PositivelyMyeek, LLC

Chemyeeka Tumblin is a Marriage and Family Therapist, under supervision, specializing in Maternal and Reproductive Mental Health with a subspeciality in grief and loss. Chemyeeka’s purpose and passion is to end the stigma around Mental Health within Black and Brown communities through sharing it is both God and therapy that aid individuals in creating their desired behavioral changes.

Chemyeeka has been working in the field of Behavioral Health for over 7 years and currently serves in the Nashville area as a Full Spectrum Doula and Master Life Coach in addition to seeing therapy clients. On a National level she works for a Maternal Child Health Organization and is a current Show Your Love Ambassador where she focuses on creating and promoting messaging around Preconception Health. She is a speaker, teacher and advocate for changing the narrative of mental health and birthing outcomes/experiences within Black and Brown communities.

Education: BS Georgia Southern University, MSPH Meharry Medical College, Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy, Trevecca Nazarene University

Miajanell Peake, MSPH, MMFT, CD(DONA), Peake Wellness

Miajenell Peake (she/her) has over ten years of experience in public health services particularly involving reproductive health and justice. She has dedicated her life’s work to be of service to one of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in the United States. She is the Founder of Peake Wellness, LLC, a private doula service in Memphis, TN that seeks to improve pregnancy, birthing and maternity care processes through customized services that uniquely meet the needs of pregnant people. Affectionately known as “Mia”, she earned degrees in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Georgia State University and a master’s in Public Health and Health Policy from Meharry Medical College. Miajenell is certified by the doula training and certification organization, DONA International and a returned Peace Corps Volunteer. As a native of Memphis, TN, and a full spectrum doula, Miajenell Peake considers her mission in life is to bring the conversation of injustice and health disparities that black women face to the forefront of all conversations and to be a part of the solution. She is the CHOICES Fellowship Certified Nurse Midwifery Coordinator, a nursing student, certified placenta encapsulator, and certified yoga instructor.

Mental Health Care Access in Rural Tennessee

Ty Borders, PhD, Director of the Rural and Underserved Health Research Center

Dr. Borders is a leading expert on rural health services research and policy in the U.S. He serves as Director of the federally-funded Rural and Underserved Health Research Center, one of only seven rural health policy research centers, and Editor of The Journal of Rural Health, the nation’s only scholarly journal focused on rural health issues. He has received funding as Principal Investigator from the NIHand numerous other agencies to investigate rural health and health services. Dr. Borders teaches courses at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing on applied epidemiology and research.

Education: BA University of Kansas, MA Health Administration, MS Epidemiology. PhD Health Administration, University of Iowa

Elliot Pinsly, LCSW, President & CEO of the Behavioral Health Foundation

Elliott Pinsly directs a Tennessee-based nonprofit driving more equitable access to evidence-based mental health and addiction care through meaningful policy and systems change. Elliot is an award-winning advocate and passionate thought leader who has helped develop and expand crisis walk-in centers, pre-arrest diversion and deflection programming, emergency mental health transportation reform, insurance parity enforcement, harm reduction services, behavioral health workforce investments, and innovative mental health awareness initiatives. Elliot’s legislative proposal for 2022 led directly to the decriminalization of fentanyl test strips in Tennessee, opening up access to an important tool for preventing overdose deaths. Education: Master of Social Work degree from Tulane University

Building Strong Coalitions for Medicaid Expansion

Abby Emanuelson, Executive Director of Care4Carolina

Abby Emanuelson is the new Executive Director of Care4Carolina, a coalition of more than 150 organizations across North Carolina dedicated to closing the state’s health insurance coverage gap. Abby joined Care4Carolina as a grassroots and advocacy consultant in June of 2021. Over the last year, she has grown Care4Carolina’s social media presence and increased messages to lawmakers by Medicaid Expansion advocates. During the 2022 session she was part of the Care4Carolina lobbying team that saw both chambers pass Medicaid Expansion language. Prior to joining Care4Carolina, Abby was the Associate Vice President of Advocacy and Activist Engagement for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society where she led federal and state advocacy communications and engagement as well as managed a national team of policy and advocacy professionals. a statewide dedicated to closing the state’s health insurance coverage gap.

Ready for the Road Ahead – Closing Plenary

Judy Roitman, LMSW, Executive Director, Tennessee Health Care Campaign

Judy is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign, a grassroots non-profit health justice organization. She brings to this effort a career in nonprofit management and health care advocacy. Judy moved to Tennessee 40 years ago to organize health care workers with the Service Employees International Union. Since that time, she has worked to improve women’s health, erase HIV stigma, increase vaccination rates, promote organ donation and connect people to the resources and insurance they need. Her resume includes Summit Medical, the Knox County Health Department, The National Kidney Foundation and Planned Parenthood. She joined the staff of Tennessee Health Care Campaign in December, 2020 in the midst of the COVID pandemic, at a time when the organization’s mission of equitable, affordable, quality health care is more important than ever
Education: BA Dartmouth College, MSSW University of Tennessee.

THCC Staff:
Silvia Calzadilla, Director of Enrollment Services
Meryl Rice, LCSW, Insurance Agent
Juana Hodge, Vaccine Equity Program Manager
Tom Savage, Outreach Coordinator

THCC Conference Committee:
Jacquelyn S. Dalton, Chair
Clare Sullivan
Judy Roitman
Ann Lucas
Joe Clabough
Rich Henighan