2023-28 MKE Elevate Steering Committee
Listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Chibuzor Abasilim
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Chibuzor is faculty in Epidemiology at the UWM - Zilber College of Public Health. He serves on the Steering Committee to support community-driven efforts of advancing environmental justice and addressing chronic disease burden in Milwaukee. His research investigates how environmental contaminants interact with biological systems—including hormones, genes, and metabolic pathways—and how these disruptions contribute to chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease, particularly in middle-aged and older adults. He also examines the role of occupation in shaping health outcomes, using data from multiple surveillance systems to better understand work-related health risks.
Rick Banks
Milwaukee County Office of Equity
Rick Banks is an activist, organizer, and radical thinker dedicated to improving quality of life for Black people in Milwaukee. He joined the MKE Elevate steering committee to help ensure that the voices of the often are unheard are being sought and documented. He’s been being doing equity work for over 10 years since working as a Intercultural Ambassador at the Inclusive Excellence Center at UWM.
Facilitating and navigating difficult conversations that traverse languages and values has been a key skill that he has learned then that has been useful in both his personal and professional life. It’s also a continuous process of learning, listening, practicing and revising, as we work towards progress.
Ann Christiansen
Milwaukee Health Care Partnership
Ann is the Executive Director of the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership. In this role, she is the mission-bearer, chief strategist, and operations manager for a public-private consortium dedicated to improving health equity and healthcare access for low-income and vulnerable populations in Milwaukee County. She joined the Steering Committee to support alignment around MKE’s Elevate’s Priority Action Areas and those of the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership, including areas like securing and retaining health insurance coverage, increasing access to medical, mental health, and oral health services, care coordination and navigation to health care and social services, and prioritized community health areas like violence prevention.
Demonte Dismuke
Demonte is a native Milwaukeean with 15 years of experience in social services community work. Creator of A DOPE Public Health Podcast - a show about health equity for Black & Brown people. He is also the Workforce Development Manager at Kinship Community Food Center
He joined the Steering Committee because he wanted to use his personal and professional experience to contribute to the betterment of Milwaukee, WI. He is involved in several DEI initiatives with his employer including, the Diversity Leadership Committee, Diversity Committee, and more. He created a platform solely dedicated to advocating for equity for Black & Brown people.
Radaya Ellis
Milwaukee Community Resident
Radaya Ellis is a dedicated advocate for mental wellness, hailing from the vibrant city of Milwaukee. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, majoring in Biological Sciences, and went on to pursue a Masters in Public Health at Zilber School of Public Health. With a strong foundation in biological sciences and public health, Radaya brings a unique perspective to her work with special research, storytelling, and communications skills. With her impressive educational background, research experience, and commitment to mental wellness advocacy, Radaya Ellis is an invaluable asset to the field of public health. Her dedication and passion continue to drive her efforts to create positive change and foster well-being in individuals and communities alike.
David Frazer
Center for Urban Population Health
David is the director of the Center for Urban Population Health (CUPH). He joined the steering committee because he has worked on this process numerous times and just completed the Milwaukee Healthcare Partnership assessment. He has both historic process memory to share as well as an understanding of organizations and professionals who are working in public health.
David holds appointments in both UW School of Medicine and Public Health and UW Milwaukee. He feels strongly that those closest to the issue be the drivers of the solutions and has built a career in facilitating collaborative, equitable involvement of communities in local and statewide research and programming. He seeks to create environments where community and academic partners can digest evidence and adapt what works into practice and local solutions that work for them.
Caroline Gomez-Tom
City of Milwaukee Health Department
Board of Health President
Caroline serves on the City of Milwaukee Board of Health and as the Milwaukee County Board District 14 Supervisor. She joined the Steering Committee because she is committed to making sure all people who live in Milwaukee have the resources and services they need to thrive.
She has committed herself to understanding and implementing racial equity and inclusion by surrounding herself with people who are dedicated to prioritizing racial equity and inclusion in all parts of life and we learn together how to best collaborate with our communities.
Anthony Harris
Milwaukee Community Resident
Anthony started his career as an AmeriCorps volunteer in La Crosse, WI, where he learned the importance and impact of community service. Since that start, he has accumulated an eclectic assortment of experiences including (but not limited to) LGBT youth development, volunteer recruitment / retention, financial awareness, and sexual health. He has developed skills to address the needs people have through a harm reduction lens, working to meet people where they are, and understanding that people are the experts of their own experiences. Anthony has a Bachelor of Science in social work from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.
Susan Hjelsand
Susan is the Senior Community Impact Director for the American Heart Association and creating a world of healthier, longer lives is both her work, and, personal mission.
She joined the steering committee because she wants to help to bring solutions forward and make the pieces of a healthy Milwaukee puzzle fit. Not only is it her job, it is a personal passion to see people thrive. She strives to listen, learn, understand, and move the conversation forward. She has sought out this opportunity to engage in conversation around health equity and lend the Association’s resources to create sustainable change.
Mary Homan
HRSA-funded MCH researcher with a DrPH and years of experience doing community health improvement and engagement. She joined the steering committee because she is good at asking questions that cut to the heart of complex issues and that move people toward action. She is an engaged community member who wants to help identify those changemakers and strategies for health improvement.
As a white woman, academic, and executive, she is well aware of her privilege and the tables she is invited to and she uses those opportunities to advance the interests of those she is called to serve whether through research, advocacy, or policy change.
Rev. Byron Marshall, Jr
Byron is a Milwaukee native born & raised, a husband and a father, and a proud graduate of MPS and Cardinal Stritch University, serving in the non-profit sector.
He joined the steering committee to assist in governing the organizational segment by providing direction on key decisions that can impact closing health and equity gaps for all Milwaukeeans and to work with peers and professionals alike to learn, engage, collaborate, and execute the vision of MKE Elevate. Racial equity and inclusion are rooted in the work fabric and culture of his political, nonprofit, social, religious, and personal beliefs and morals.
Rosamaria Martinez
City of Milwaukee Health Department
Family and Community Health
As Maternal and Child Health Director at the City of Milwaukee Health Department, Rosamaria provides leadership, direction, and planning for programs in the Community Health Branch.
Previously, she served as Vice President of Community Health Initiatives and WIC Director at Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers. Rosamaria Martinez holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, a Bachelor’s degree in Dietetics, and is a Registered Dietitian. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Public Health with the Medical College of WI.
She joined the steering committee because one of the priority issues that Milwaukee residents identified was maternal and child health, which she feels passionate about and works towards improving. Rosamaria is an experienced health administration leader with over 15 years of service in maternal and child health programming in diverse capacities. She is fluent in Spanish and grew up in Milwaukee, a city she loves and serves.
Lindsey O’Connor
City of Milwaukee Health Department
Human Resources
Lindsey O’Connor is a person who enjoys learning and experiencing new things. She is passionate about finding ways to fix broken systems to be fair and equitable for everyone.
She joined the steering committee to be an active part of the work being done to improve the Milwaukee community’s health. She is part of the city’s racial equity leadership team and works on the racial equity work underway with the Health Department employees. In her personal life, she volunteers with organizations where she can share her gifts and actively address racial inequities.
Benjamin Porter
Benjamin is a lifelong learner and social justice practitioner, including past service as a Trinity Fellow, an Ameri*Corps VISTA, and a Peace Corps Volunteer. Benjamin joined the Steering Committee to bring an anti-racist perspective firmly rooted in systems theory to this critical public health work.
Benjamin believes that racial equity and belonging are essential parts of building a beloved community capable of transforming society; Benjamin develops these values across all aspects of their personal and professional life.
Kristen Reed
City of Milwaukee
Department of Neighborhood Services
Kristen is a wife, mother, and daughter passionate about Milwaukee, with a strong background in code enforcement and community involvement and engagement.
She joined the steering committee to help Milwaukee continue to become a great home for all citizens and a place for businesses to thrive. She has taken advanced coursework at UW-Whitewater on Diversity and Inclusion and tries to embrace what she learns to be a better leader and participant in life.
Feras Rizeq
City of Milwaukee
Office of Community Wellness and Safety
Feras Rizeq serves as an epidemiologist for the City of Milwaukee’s Office of Community Wellness and Safety, bringing over a decade of experience in public health to his role. Throughout his career, Feras has specialized in studying population-level data to recommend evidence-based strategies and best practices that address systemic barriers and inequities impacting historically marginalized communities. His expertise in analyzing social determinants of health drives his efforts to create lasting, equitable improvements in community well-being.
Feras’s passion for advancing health equity stems from a commitment to fostering opportunities for all individuals to thrive, regardless of their circumstances. As a new father, he is deeply motivated to contribute to a brighter, healthier future not just for his child, but for every child in Milwaukee. By serving on the Steering Committee, Feras hopes to collaborate with other leaders to develop impactful policies and initiatives that ensure every child has access to education, safety, and the resources needed for a fulfilling life.
Musa Yahaya
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Musa Yahaya is a public health physician and a faculty member at the Zilber School of Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He has worked internationally on disease surveillance systems, immunizations, capacity building for health workers, and advocacy. His expertise lies in public health promotion and intervention programs focusing on research and development, particularly addressing risky lifestyle behaviors among youth and young adults. Musa joined the Steering Committee to provide research expertise in health promotion strategies aimed at enhancing the health and well-being of the community.