Equal Hope’s work is supported by a team of diverse, skilled professionals committed to our core mission of reducing women’s health disparities.
Our navigators provide highly valued frontline assistance to women in need of breast or cervical cancer services and to men in need of breast cancer services. Our outreach and community engagement staff work tirelessly to educate the public on these healthcare areas. Our advocacy staff empower community members to pursue change that will address health inequity and our research and quality improvement staff pursue innovative evidence based approaches to understanding our healthcare system and the root causes of health disparities so that we can take bold action to reverse structural racism in our healthcare system. Our work is led and supported by a governing board, and professionals’ expert advisory committees.
Paris Thomas MS | MCHES | PhD
Executive Director
Jiana Calixto MPH
Director of Community Health & Engagement
Maurice Byrd MBA
Director of Finance
Dana Wint MA | PhD (honorary)
Community Engagement Specialist
Natalie Brown MA
Policy Staffer
Maira Roman MSN | DNP
Nurse Navigator
Retha Cooper BSN | RN
Nurse Navigator
Oreletta Garmon
Navigation Program Coordinator
Melina Martinez
Bilingual Navigator
Diana Sanchez
Bilingual Patient Navigator
Donalynne Schaffer
Sr. Community Health Worker
Sherlene Branscomb
Development Assistant
Patient Navigator
Sarah Lomahan MPH
Director of Health Research
Leilani Lacson-Soltysiak MPH
Social Media Strategist
Veronica Sanchez Villa
Community Health Worker (Lake County)
Nacary Arreola
Community Health Worker (IBCCP)
Lydia Doe
Community Health Worker
John Tate
Community Health Worker (West Side Health Equity)
Jennifer Riera
Community Health Worker
Boards & Committees
- Board Members
- Advisory Board & Committees
Leslie Anderson-Rutland
- Global Head of One Client Wealth Management
- BMO
- Global Head of One Client Wealth Management
David Ansell MD | MPH
- Emeritus President
- President, Senior Vice President
Community Health Equity - Associate Provost
Clinical Affairs
- Emeritus President
- Rush University Medical Center
Judith S. Deutsch
- Community Philanthropist
- Community Philanthropist
Summer Dewdney MD
- Assistant Professor
Rush University Medical Center - Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology
Rush University Medical Center
- Assistant Professor
- Rush University Medical Center
Luisa Echevarria
Lakshmi Emory
- Chief Medical Officer
- Aetna Better Health
- Chief Medical Officer
Pastor Steve Epting
- Sr. Pastor
- Hope Community Church, Chicago
- Sr. Pastor
Richard A. Goldberg
- Treasurer
- Treasurer
- Retired Owner
- Fastsigns – Morton Grove
- Retired Owner
Jennifer “Jennie” Filicky Hull
- Chief Program Officer
- Nourishing Hope, Chicago
- Chief Program Officer
Rick Jasculca
Robin L. Jones MD
Eileen Knightly MHA | BSN
- Emeritus Vice-President
- Vice President
Patient Care Services - Chief Nursing Officer
- Emeritus Vice-President
- Little Company of Mary Hospital & Health Care Centers
Nita Karnik Lee MD
- Associate Professor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology - UChicago Medicine
- Associate Professor
Teresita Macarol RT(R) (M) (QM) | CN-BI | FNCBC
- Program Manager
- PenRad Clinical Team Leader
- Program Manager
- Advocate Health Care System Breast Imaging
Yamile Molina PhD
- Associate Professor
Division of Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health - Faculty Affiliate
University of Illinois Chicago Center for Research on Women and Gender - Associate Director for Community Outreach Engagement and Health Equity
University of Illinois Chicago
- Associate Professor
- University of Illinois Chicago
Mary Richardson-Lowry JD
- Secretary
- Principal and Managing Member
- Secretary
- City of Chicago Corporation Counsel
Patricia Robinson MD
- President
- Associate Professor
Feinberg School of Medicine - Associate Director for DEI
Lurie Cancer Center
- President
- Loyola University Medical Center, Stritch School of Medicine
Shari E. Runner
- CEO
- Strategic Business, Policy and Financial Planning Professional
Cross Industry Expertise
- CEO
- The Humanity Institute
Paris Thomas MS | MCHES | PhD
- Executive Director
Equal Hope
- Executive Director
Rosalyn “Roz” Varon
- Traffic & Transportation Anchor
- Traffic & Transportation Anchor
- ABC7 News, Chicago