Community Steering Board
Nikki Randall, MPH
Chairperson
Community Engagement / Navicent Health
Community Outreach & Civic Engagement
Randall.Nikki@NavicentHealth.org
Nikki T. Randall was born and raised in Macon Georgia, the youngest of five children born to the Honorable William C. and Lauretta Fults Randall. She attended Bibb County Public Schools and is a graduate of Tennessee State University in Nashville TN, where she received a Bachelors’ of Business Administration degree, she also holds a Masters of Public Health from Mercer University School of Medicine.
Ms. Randall, a third generation elected official, made history in 1999 by becoming the first African American female to be elected to the Georgia General Assembly from Middle Georgia. She retired from the Georgia General Assembly in December 2016. She currently serves as the Assistant Vice President of Community Outreach & Civic Engagement at Navicent Health. Ms. Randall serves on the boards of the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia, and Crisis Line Safe House of Middle Georgia.
Ms. Randall is a distinguished alumnus of Leadership Macon (1998) & Leadership Georgia (2004). She is also an active member of the Democratic Party of Georgia, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, Macon Chapter of the LINKS, Incorporated, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Randall is member of the Beulahland Bible Church, where she works with the single’s ministry, Beulahland Abroad Ministry, Women of Worship ministry and sings in the Women’s choir. When she is not working she enjoys reading, mentoring rising political leaders, and volunteering with senior and youth organizations.
Theresa R. Jacobs, MD, FAAFP
Co-Chair
Community Engagement
Medical Director
Dr. Jacobs is a board-certified family medicine physician and serves as the CMO for the Georgia Family Planning Systems and the Georgia Primary Care Association. She is a clinical advisor for the National Association of Community Health Centers Million Hearts Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes and a member of the Clinical Practice Committee.
She has a BS in Microbiology from Eastern Michigan University and her MD Degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her residency in Family Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine where she served as chief resident
Tabia Henry Akintobi, PhD, MPH
Director, Community Engagement
Morehouse School of Medicine
Professor and Chair of Community Health and Preventive Medicine
Associate Dean of Community Engagement
Dr. Henry Akintobi, Professor and Chair of Community Health at Morehouse School of Medicine, is a globally sought health equity champion and social behavioral scientist, leading, or collaborating in the implementation of translational research and participatory evaluations that address health disparities and advance community or population health transformation.
She serves as Principal Investigator of the Morehouse School of Medicine Prevention Research Center (PRC), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 1998. Dr. Henry Akintobi leads the Georgia Community Engaged Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She also represents Morehouse School of Medicine as contact PI or Director for other NIH grants including the Georgia Center for Diabetes Translation Research, the Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance Community Engagement Program, and Georgia RADx-Underserved Populations-Promoting Engagement and COVID-19 Testing for Health, among others. She is an extensively published contributor to the peer reviewed literature and co-author of the Johns Hopkins University Press text entitled The Morehouse Model: How School of Medicine, Revolutionized Community Engagement and Health Equity, editor of Black Health in the South and the CDC-NIH co-sponsored Principles of Community Engagement Primer (2nd and 3rd Editions) among many others.
As Associate Dean for Community Engagement at Morehouse School of Medicine, Dr. Henry Akintobi advances efforts to promote and strengthen effective partnerships between faculty, staff, and students and community residents and leaders, government agencies, faith-based organizations, or health and social service agencies. She has led collaborations with education, clinical, research, practice, and policy leaders to demonstrate preeminence in community health and related engagement strategies through successful acquisition of local and national awards including but not limited to the Carnegie Designation for the Advancement of Teaching in Community Engagement, and the Josiah Macy Inaugural Award for Excellence in Social Mission. Her public health research and practice leadership have been designed to advance the art and science of community engagement. Specifically, her work has focused on community engaged translational research science, the practice of community-based participatory research (CBPR), and approaches to build and sustain effective partnerships among academic institutions, community residents, health departments and policy leaders to understand, develop and shape research, policy, and practice strategies to address health disparities and their root causes thereby advancing health equity led. Her work is guided by training in public health social epidemiology, social marketing, community-based participatory research, and evaluation. Read Tabia's Bio
Omer T. Inan, PhD
CE Collaborator
Community Engagement / Georgia Institute of Technology
Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Chair in Bioscience and Bioengineering,
Professor, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
Adjunct Professor, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering
Omer T. Inan is Professor and Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Chair in Bioscience and Bioengineering in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Adjunct Professor in the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2004, 2005, and 2009, respectively. His research focuses on non-invasive physiological sensing and modulation for human health and performance. He has published 165 journal papers and 175 conference papers / abstracts, and has twelve issued patents. Dr. Inan, a Senior Member of the IEEE, received the IEEE Sensors Council Young Professional Award, the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, and the NSF CAREER Award in 2018. In 2021, he received an Academy Award for Technical Achievement from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Georgia Tech Outstanding Doctoral Thesis Advisor Award. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the American College of Cardiology. He is a Three-Time National Collegiate Athletic Association All-American in the discus throw.
Read Omer's Bio
Rowena Elliott, PhD, RN
Co-Director
Community Engagement / Emory University
Dr. Rowena W. Elliott is a Professor of Nursing at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. She serves as one of the Co-Directors for the Community Engagement function of the Georgia CTSA. Dr. Elliott earned a BSN in 1982 and an MSN in 1992 from the University of Mississippi School of Nursing. She also earned a PhD in Education from the University of Mississippi School of Education in 2003. She received a post-graduate certificate as an Adult-Geri Primary Care Nurse Practitioner from the University of South Alabama in 2013. Dr. Elliott is certified in nephrology nursing and nursing education. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the Academy of Nursing Education.
Read Rowena's Bio
Allisen Penn, Ed.D, M.Ed
Co-Director
Community Engagement / University of Georgia
College of Family and Consumer Sciences
Allisen Penn is the Associate Dean and State Program Leader for Extension and outreach in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences for the University of Georgia. She leads the college to fulfill the land-grant university mission to provide Georgia's residents, businesses, and communities access to quality educational experiences and the institution's knowledge base. Dr. Penn works with leaders of the other UGA colleges and units to successfully apply research to meet the state's priority needs through Extension faculty located in all 159 counties. She also serves as the co-chair of the Georgia Clinical Translational Science Alliance Community Engagement function to address health and wellness needs, particularly in rural and underserved populations, by strengthening and expanding research collaboration with faculty from various disciplines.
Dr. Penn has over 30 years of experience in the Land-Grant University Cooperative Extension System. Before accepting her current position on August 1, 2019, Dr. Penn was a regional program leader for the University of Tennessee (UT) Extension with responsibilities for family and consumer sciences and 4-H in 31 counties in middle Tennessee. She began her career with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service. D Over a 22-year career, she served as an Extension Agent in four counties; Associate District Director with leadership and administrative responsibilities for Extension agents and programs in the Ouachita District; and as a Leadership Specialist and Associate Professor directing a division-wide faculty leadership program.
Dr. Penn received her doctorate in higher education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and holds a master's degree in counseling and a bachelor's degree in home economics from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
L. "Neicey" Johnson, RN, BSN, Esq.
Member
Community Health Disparities in Elimination of Social Determinants of Health
Founder and Executive Director, VSNS, Inc.
L. Neicey Johnson, registered nurse and attorney, is the founder and executive director of VSNS, Inc. (Visions), a Georgia not-for-profit personal service and mentoring organization in metro Atlanta since 2003. Its purpose is to provide an environment where persons are empowered to improve their economic status through education and skills development by simply changing the way they think. Under her leadership, the organization seeks opportunities to ensure its program participants overcome barriers to success with adequate skills, education, and access to available resources; the basis for its corporate existence.
Neicey has over 25 years of varying administrative and clinical healthcare experience and is the founder of a healthcare consulting firm and served over 10 years as co-producer of a local public television show. She is an active volunteer and participant of several community-based business boards, including the Diversity Leadership Council of the American Heart Association, Southeast Region Health Equity Council, and lifetime member of the Association of Black Cardiologists.
Evonne R Perdue
Member and Secretary, CE Community Steering Board
Community Engagement
Evonne has been a business woman in the greater Atlanta area for many years. Her business ventures include a child care center, print shop and presently a partnership since 1985 in a beauty/ barber salon. Evonne is passionate about volunteering, beginning as a teen working in her neighborhood, church and school. She joined the American Business Women's Association over 30 years ago. She is Director of the "Weight Loss =Equal= Health Gain" Challenge, a community-based nutrition, exercise and life changing program designed to meet the emerging needs in the community, specifically public health and social issues of obesity and unhealthy eating/lifestyle habits from a domestic perspective.
Her volunteer experience includes:volunteer facilitator/lead support group instructor at CHHC Overcomer's Ministry; (prepared group meetings weekly and directed class in sharing and going forth in family aide to addicted family member); a past Alternate Atlanta Planning Advisory Board Member for NPU-Z; Thomasville Community Development Corporation Secretary; Thomasville Heights Community Association member; Satcher Community Health Leadership Institute graduate.
Dwight Curry Anderson, BA
Member
Community Engagement
Ryan White Planning Council, Jurisdictional HIV Prevention Planning Group for Fulton & Dekalb Counties
Dwight Curry Anderson has worked in the HIV/AIDS advocacy field for twenty years now. Being a former educator for Atlanta Public Schools, that experience garnered Mr. Anderson the ability to relay technical subject manner in a way that clients of HIV services could understand. Mr. Anderson has advocated and lobbied in Georgia and in Washington, DC on behalf of Georgia clients of HIV services. He has also organized conferences, seminars, and educational forums to inform clients of the best ways to improve health disparity outcomes. He has worked with the Ryan White Planning Council, Fulton County Department of Health, and the HIV Jurisdictional Prevention Planning Group for Fulton and DeKalb Counties. This often entailed working as an intermediary between clients and providers. Currently Mr. Anderson is the Patient Navigator at a Ryan White clinic for DeKalb County Board of Health, along with being a facilitator for a support group for HIV Positive individuals through the Fulton County Board of Health.
Dwight Curry Anderson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Ohio State University, with a minor in Black Studies, and has taken non-degree curriculums in Teacher Certification at the University of West Georgia, and Georgia State University. He has also embarked on numerous trainings in HIV related subjects like testing procedures, counseling and facilitation, and education.
Debra Stokes
Member
Community Engagement / Georgia Council on Aging
Executive Director
As Executive Director of the Georgia Council on Aging since 2021, Debra Stokes brings more than four decades of professional, non-profit, and government relations experience to the role.
While the positions have changed, her value to each organization has been defined by her ability to coalesce the many resources necessary to reach defined goals. To achieve the mission of the Council effectively and efficiently, bringing together multiple stakeholders is critical.
Among other positions, Ms. Stokes spent eight years “Under the Gold Dome” supporting the members of the Georgia General Assembly as they traverse the Legislative process to provide for the needs of all the citizens of our State. More recently, she served as Executive Director of the Georgia Rural Health Innovation Center (GRHIC) at Mercer University School of Medicine in Macon. GHRIC was created to specifically address the healthcare needs of citizens living in Georgia’s rural communities.
A 1977 graduate of the University of Alabama, Ms. Stokes holds a BA in Communications. As part of her governmental process experience, Ms. Stokes holds a Certificate in Legislative Health Policy from the Georgia State University Health Policy Center.
Ms. Stokes currently lives in Marietta and has been married for 47 years to her husband, Ralph Stokes. They had two adult daughters and two teenage granddaughters.
Rebecca Hardeman, PHR, SHRM-CP
Community Member
Community Engagement / Clayton County Extension
Director & County Extension Coordinator
Rebecca Hardeman currently serves as the County Extension Coordinator and Director of the University of Georgia Clayton County Extension. In this role, she provides leadership and management to county professionals in three (3) program areas and administrative oversight for program enhancement, resource allocation, and fiscal compliance. With over 20 years of experience educating on topics from personal and professional development to financial literacy, she is a life-long learner always desiring more knowledge.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and mathematics and a master’s degree in higher education administration. Rebecca has served as an educator in many capacities including as a professor, college administrator, and Extension agent. Her philosophy has always been motivating and empowering for job success while continuously encouraging for personal growth.
Christine Wiggins MS, MCHES
Member
Community Engagement / Community Health Systems for The-Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority (FDHA)
Vice President
Christine J. Wiggins is a public health practitioner and health educator with more than 16 years of experience in strategic planning, implementing, and facilitating community, statewide and national programs. Christine began her career working with a community-serving organization, moved to hospital administration, and eventually transitioned into public service, at both the federal and state levels. With a passion for strengthening and educating minority communities, Christine has done an extensive amount of work around partnership development and collaboration, as well as addressing health issues from an equity lens. Currently, she is the Vice President for Community Health Systems for The-Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority (FDHA). In this role, Christine is responsible for leading The FDHA’s efforts to strengthen the healthcare ecosystem in Fulton and DeKalb counties, close access and service gaps and, develop innovative strategies for improving overall health outcomes for county residents.
Prior to joining the FDHA, Christine served as a Deputy Director for the Georgia Department of Public Health, Chronic Disease Prevention Section for 6 years. During her time at DPH, she managed several program areas, as well as led and championed state efforts to develop a standardized community health worker (CHW) training and certification program. Christine also had the privilege of serving as the Health Disparities Initiatives Director for the Maryland Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (MHHD) and a Community Outreach Advisor for the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH). She was a contributing author/editor for the OMH National Stakeholder Strategy for Achieving Health Equity and was very instrumental in the establishment of 10 regional health equity councils across the country.
A native of Pottstown, PA, Christine received her B.A. in Health Sciences from Lincoln University (Lincoln University, PA) and a M.S. in Health Administration and in Health Education from Saint Joseph’s University (Philadelphia, PA). She is also a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES). Christine relocated to Georgia in 2015 and lives in the Atlanta metro region with her husband and four children.
Lori Lacy, CST, RPhT, CHW
Community Engagement / Barnes Healthcare Services
Director of Transitional Care
Lori Lacy is the Director of Transition Care for Barnes Healthcare Services, a community pharmacy providing pharmacy, chronic condition management and post-acute services. Barnes is headquartered in Valdosta, Georgia and provides services to the Southeast. Lori has spent 26 years with Barnes Healthcare Services.
Most recently as the Director of Transitional Care Lori is expanding chronic disease education along with medication management within community pharmacies. She is accomplishing this by building and leading the division within Barnes Healthcare consisting of community health workers focusing on rural lives and the health equity thereof driving increased patient outcomes as it relates to chronic disease management, addressing the social determinants of health and increasing education leading to greater health literacy.
Barnes Healthcare Services, with over 100 years of experience, put people first to deliver innovative, holistic solutions to put their patients on a pathway to greater health.
Rashad Richey, PhD
Community Member
Community Engagement
Dr. Rashad Richey earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and MBA from Beulah Heights University, Ph.D. from Scofield Graduate School (Research Focus: Global Affect of Western Religion on Politics, Policy and Government), Doctor of Education from Clark Atlanta University (Research Focus: Federal Policy and Political Analysis of Higher Education Reform) and completed studies in Executive Leadership from Cornell University. Dr. Richey is currently matriculating at Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School obtaining his Juris Doctor Degree.
Dr. Richey is a noted lecturer, university professor, broadcaster, writer, and entrepreneur. As a political analyst, Dr. Richey was Emmy nominated for his continued work as a television news analyst for CBS 46 News - Atlanta. Nationally, Dr. Richey is a frequent commentator on MSNBC, CNBC, BBC, The Young Turks Network, and the Fox News Channel, where he provides insight and analysis on various political, social and policy-related topics. He is also an award-winning radio personality who was voted “Best Talk Radio Personality in Atlanta” by readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (first African-American to receive this distinction) and named “Most Trusted Voice in Atlanta” by the Atlanta Business Journal. Beyond his broadcasting acumen, Professor Richey serves as Chief Editor and Sr. Writer for Rolling Out Magazine (largest free-print urban publication in America), with a national readership of 2.8 million and combined social media following of half-a-million.
“Ensuring the message is heard” is a frequent Dr. Richey quote. As a lecturer and speaker, his portfolio includes Morehouse School of Medicine, University of West Georgia, Clark Atlanta University, Mercer University, SCLC National Luncheon, Pinnacle Awards and the Atlanta NAACP Jubilee to name a few.
An industry influencer and marketplace leader for over 14 years, Dr. Richey is a practitioner and scholar who believes higher education is best achieved when pragmatic educational elements are combined with research and personal character development. Dr. Richey has both research and non-research material published through an array of platforms, including Grin Publishing, CBS, Fox News, Atlanta Business Journal and Rolling Out Magazine.
Dr. Richey is a well-known social justice leader and national speaker who is actively involved in policy reformation and addressing the social ills of racial disparity. This work has led to Dr. Richey being recognized by various local and national agencies for his collective work and societal impact, including being honored with a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from former United States President Barack Obama. Dr. Richey was also named Top 40 Under Forty Most Influential people in GA by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and one of Atlanta’s Most Powerful leaders according to Atlanta Magazine.
Believing service is a responsibility we all must share, Dr. Richey is a board member at Piedmont Hospital, Recovery Consultants of Atlanta, and Children’s Rights. He is a member of the Atlanta NAACP, National Association of Black Journalists, American Association of University Professors and the Atlanta Press Club.
Darrell Sabbs
Member
Community Engagement / Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (PPMH)
Community Benefits Coordinator
For over four decades, Darrell Sabbs has served the communities of Southwest Georgia through hard work and determination, driven by the shared belief that “service is the rent we pay for living.” From teenagers to the eldest members of society, his focus has remained strong – to recognize the struggles of the underserved and to provide tools to help them ensure a healthier future for themselves and their families.
Darrell currently serves as Community Benefits Coordinator for Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (PPMH) in Albany, Georgia. His work with the hospital includes identifying ways to impact community health, with particular focus on the underserved. He works closely with the hospital’s Network of Trust, a national award-winning in-school, interactive outreach program for pregnant and parenting teens in rural Southwest Georgia.
Darrell played a key role in developing health initiatives for “Men on the Move,” a faith-based partnership of more than 30 institutions designed to help Southwest Georgia men. His work with both underserved men and women led to the creation of two of Phoebe Putney’s most successful health events – a Women’s Health Fair and a Men’s Health Fair. More than 300 individuals attend each event annually. For many, these events empower participants to take control of their lifestyle and well-being. For even more, it is the first time they speak to a physician or nurse face-to-face and learn that they, too, can receive healthcare no matter how poor or underserved they may feel. They leave with tools to improve their lives and the lives of those around them.
In 2003, in large part a result of Darrell's commitment, Phoebe Putney was awarded the coveted Foster G. McGaw Prize for excellence in community service.
