Staff & Board

Jennine Smart

Executive Director 

Jennine Smart has worked in the healthcare and public health sector for over 25 years. Her experience is rooted in advocacy, social justice and anti-oppressive practices. Most recently she served as Equity and Inclusion Portfolio Manager at Health Share of Oregon, where her work included operationalizing equitable and inclusive practices and developing traditional health worker strategies to support workforce diversification, development, retention, and access.

Jennine holds a Master of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development. She is a strong advocate for collaborative, community-driven processes and strives to create inclusive systems that enable communities most impacted by systemic and structural oppression to thrive. Jennine believes that community health workers hold an instrumental role in addressing health inequities. While currently serving as the Traditional Health Worker (THW) Commission chair, she has been a Commissioner since 2014.  Laughter, connection, and time with her loved ones keep joy at her center. 

Deputy Director

Katrina Gonzalez Yuen brings a deep commitment to advancing social and economic justice to ORCHWA. With extensive   experience in advocacy, movement building, and community based nonprofits, Katrina also has over twenty years of expertise in human resources and operations. Before joining ORCHWA, she served as Deputy Director and Interim Executive Director at Family Forward Oregon and Family Forward Action, where she worked alongside folks to fight for gender, racial, and economic justice for mothers and caregivers. Prior to Family Forward, Katrina was Interim Executive Director and Human Resources Director at the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO).

Katrina enjoys traveling and exploring with her family, celebrating with loved ones over delicious food, running to clear her mind, and cheering on her favorite teams. Born in the Philippines and raised in Corvallis, Oregon, she balances her professional work with time spent with her husband, two teenagers, cats, and community.

Program & Evaluation Manager 

Cammisha Manley brings a passion for community-led, social justice-driven public health programs that ignite needed change within health and social service systems. Having served as a mentor to undergraduate students, a staffing coordinator for nursing clinicians, and a case manager to individuals living with HIV, she understands the value of helping others navigate systems, advocate for their needs, and access much needed resources to live thriving and healthy lives. She is excited to support the CHW workforce and Community programs by building open, collaborative, and supportive partnerships. 

In 2020, Cammisha completed a dual-degree program earning a Master in Public Health and Master in Social Work with a mission to dismantle structural barriers to services and advocate for communities and individuals to hold influence and ownership over the systems they engage with. She is particularly interested in issues of reproductive justice, maternal and child health, mental health challenges, houselessness, and culturally-responsive healthcare. She’s gained experience in community engagement, program evaluation, and organizational change while working OHSU’s Transgender Health Program, Trauma Informed Oregon, Providence Nursing Administration, and Cascade AIDs Project.

Outside of building a meaningful career, she enjoys biking around the city, hiking in the forest, listening to music, cuddling her cat, and spending time with friends and family. 

Program Coordinator

Ashley Bans is an Indo-Fijian born and raised in Oregon. She is a first generation graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Portland State University and with a Master of Public Health in Public Health Practice from OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. Ashley’s interest in the public health sector has grown over these past few years leading her to become Certified in Public Health through the National Board of Public Health Examiners. 

Before she began her academic journey, she knew she wanted to do something that would allow her to make a difference in healthcare. Her experiences of working as a Certified Nursing Assistant and as a Homecare Worker in the State of Oregon allowed Ashley to develop an understanding of the limitations that healthcare workers may face. She aspires to make a positive impact for those who are facing similar challenges in their role as a healthcare worker. 

As our new Program Coordinator, Ashley strives to make positive improvements for community health workers by fostering and maintaining strong relationships with collaborative partners and community health workers. When not working Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband and family and engaging in activities that promote well-being and self care.

Molly 

Workforce Development Program Manager

Molly  (she/her) brings twelve years of experience within the non-profit sphere, with the lion’s share of those being focused on community health, prevention services, and clinical care.  Life experience in addiction and recovery spawned an interest in public health and a passion for tangible change, which culminated in bringing her to this work.  Before coming to ORCHWA Molly managed two low barrier micro home shelters in Olympia, which was a transformative experience for herself as a human and as an ally to our unhoused population. 

Molly is a birth and postpartum doula, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Science, minoring in Psychology.  Molly is currently pursuing her Master of Management from Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University, which focuses on the decolonization of leadership and building inclusive equitable systems in the global environment. Curiosity, humility, and found joy are the cornerstones in which Molly fosters both professional and personal growth.

A tried-and-true Oregonian, Molly finds solace in the depths and richness of each season, and can be found baking seasonal delights to the beat of that change. In her spare time she enjoys learning and playing new games with her son and partner, and values the logical creative problem solving that hobby has instilled.   

Veronica Garcia Martinez

CHW Curriculum Development & Trainer

Veronica Garcia Martinez is a bilingual (Spanish/ English) community health worker who was born and raised in Washington County, Oregon. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a Minor in Spanish from Western Oregon University. Veronica has had the privilege of working with children and families in community-based, health care, and educational settings for over ten years. 

Most recently she worked for the Public Health Institute where she partnered with Washington County to provide community outreach to families and individuals impacted by COVID-19. Additionally, Veronica helped with the Health Literacy Grant that focused on the advancement of community health workers. Serving communities has given her a great deal of gratitude. She is excited to support the learning of and with other CHWs and is excited to learn more and grow at ORCHWA. Veronica enjoys spending time outside, going on walks, and spending time with my family, our dog Xur, and our two cats, Sleepy and Curry.

Joy Mulumba

Joy Mulumba was born in Kinshasa, DR Congo, to a family of descendants of the Luba and Rega tribes. He is fluent in Swahili and Lingala and aspires to gain proficiency in Luba, Spanish, Japanese, and Arabic. His experience as a caregiver in the medical field has taught him the profound impact of compassion, irrespective of physical trauma.

With a major in English, Mulumba  understands the power of language to shape perceptions. Joy currently serves as the executive director of African Family Holistic Health Organization. Through his vast experience community organizing work with African Immigrant and Refugee Communities, he continuously learns from the rich, diverse strengths and wisdom they bring.

Having lost three family members in consecutive years, experienced vicarious trauma from the Rwandan genocide, and been a refugee for three months, Mulumba advocates for deep, intentional, internal healing to become an integrated human being who experiences life in truth and love.

Kelly Volkmann

Kelly Volkmann, MPH, is the Project Director of the Community Health Worker Institute for the Northwest Regional Primary Care Association. Ms. Volkmann is committed to advancing and advocating for Community Health Worker (CHW) programs in primary health care. Her work history includes providing direct care as a registered nurse in California and Oregon, and as a program manager for a robust team of CHWs at the Community Health Centers of Benton and Linn Counties in Corvallis, Oregon.

Ms. Volkmann was a charter member of the Traditional Health Workers Commission in Oregon and co-chaired their Scope of Practice Subcommittee.  She presents nationally about the value of CHWs in primary care and how to successfully integrate them into care teams while keeping their connection to the community intact. Ms. Volkmann’s experience working with CHWs, direct patient care, and public health has given her a deep appreciation of the unique qualities and value CHWs bring to healthcare systems and the importance of building sustainable programs to support them.

Magdalena Ramirez

Magdalena Ramirez (she/her/ella) is a Texas native, born and raised in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. As a first-generation Mexican American, former migrant and seasonal agricultural worker, and first-generation university graduate, Magdalena has experienced different disparities in her personal life and observed these in her community as well. She has served as a community health worker for more than 15 years to help address these disparities in her community. She continues to serve as a liaison and advocate regardless of the distance, this includes continuing to support her community in Texas and her new community in the Pacific Northwest. Magdalena obtained her bachelor’s in biomedical sciences in 2011 from Texas A&M University Kingsville and in 2018 a master’s degree in public health from Texas A&M University School of Public Health. Magdalena currently serves as the Senior Program Coordinator leading and supporting Traditional Health Worker strategies and initiatives at Washington County Public Health. As a service leader, Magdalena has had the privilege to collaborate with CHW partners across the region in efforts to advance personal and organizational health literacy, build community capacityand resiliency.  

Magdalena enjoys cooking traditional family meals from Mexico and Nigeria, continuous learning, exploring, and enjoying family time with her spouse and 3 children. 

“My current role at Washington County and engagement as an ORCHWA board member not only provides a professional fulfillment but also personal. CHWs [have] been there for me, my family, and friends. Providing us with support and information to access and navigate various systems that would have otherwise been difficult to reach.  Community Health Workers are essential for community resilience and well-being. Having faced personal hardships and having a CHW to support our family left a positive impression in my mind and heart and this influenced my education and career choice.” -Magdalena Ramirez