Ashley has over 10 years of experience working in professional office positions providing support to businesses and C-Suite Executives. She loves details, planners, and people, and works with enthusiasm to keep things organized and her customers feeling supported. Ashley helps keep core business operations, large meeting notes, logistics, new projects, and me, organized and moving forward. Her tireless encouragement, creativity, and belief in the work, make it all more beautiful and possible even when things get hard. I am deeply grateful for the risk she is willing to take on behalf of human flourishing.

Dolly was born and raised in Western NC. She serves as Chair of Department of OB-GYN at Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), in Asheville, NC. In addition to her leadership role, she practices full scope clinical nurse-midwifery. She values being "with women through their lifetime“ and promotes shared decision-making in all aspects of care. In addition to prenatal appointments and attending deliveries at Mission Health Systems, she provides well-women gynecologic, preconception counseling, and contraceptive services. Her research interests include maternal health equity, structural racism, and health outcomes for women historically affected by oppression,  discrimination, and indifference. She holds degrees from Wake Forest University, Yale University, and UNC Greensboro. In 2020, Dolly was named a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar. She is married to Dr. Brian Byrd and is mother to two college-aged sons, Ellery and Evan. 

Hardworking, strong, and charismatic describe Dr. Rod Jenkins, Public Health Director for Durham County Department of Public Health. He joined Durham in 2020 after serving nine years as Deputy Public Health Director in Cumberland County and three years as Assistant County Manager in Robeson County. A U.S. Army veteran, he also spent over a decade as a banking manager with Wells Fargo. Dr. Jenkins holds a B.S. in Business Administration from The Citadel, an M.H.A. from the University of South Carolina, and a Doctor of Public Health from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health (2024). He completed UNC’s Municipal & County Administration Course and fellowships with the Jim Bernstein Community Health Leadership Fellows Program and the Civics Federal Credit Union Fellows Program. His leadership during the pandemic earned him the Ronald Levine Public Health Award (2022) and the Reynolds Achievement Award (2023).

Leah has over two decades of experience in community transformation, specializing in participatory evaluation, organizational strategy, and advancing health equity. Her work in rural and underserved communities is rooted in a facilitative approach that centers community wisdom and lived experiences. Throughout her career, Leah has supported national, regional, and local networks to strengthen their evaluation capacity, design inclusive governance systems, and develop adaptive leadership.

In 2025, Leah brought her national work home to Asheville, North Carolina, as Executive Director of Thrive Asheville, an incubator for community ideas. She was also selected as a Collective + Mind Fellow in 2025 to complete a project identifying community ecosystems that foster resilience. Leah remains deeply committed to creating spaces where diverse voices—particularly those often left out of the main discourse—are elevated and valued in shaping healthier, more equitable communities.

Lisa Macon Harrison has served as Local Health Director for Granville and Vance Counties, NC, since 2012, leading at the intersection of public health research, practice, policy, and advocacy. She has advanced rural health and workforce development, established the NC Practice-Based Research Network and Rural Academic Health Department model, directed SEPHLI, and led regional initiatives addressing mental health, substance use, and integrated care. Lisa guided her counties through the COVID-19 response and continues to champion evidence-based approaches. She holds degrees in Public Health, Public Policy, and an MPH from UNC Gillings, and is co-author of 40+ peer-reviewed publications. A past President of the NC Public Health Association and former NACCHO Board member, she also serves with NCIOM, the Rural Justice Collaborative, and NACo’s Opioid Leadership Network. In 2024, she was named NC Health Director of the Year. 

Nash Gates is a senior at West Henderson High School and currently serves as an intern with the WNC Health Network, where he supports CHA data aggregation, survey response organization, and interpretation. He values organization, clear communication, and meaningful connection—and he thrives at blending technical precision with strong people skills.

His work has already contributed to projects that advance community health and human-centered innovation. With an eye for detail and a natural ability to engage others, Nash brings both energy and clarity to the teams he works with.

Robert Fields, MD is Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer for Beth Israel Lahey Health, leading health care quality, population health and clinical services. In this role, he oversees BILH’s primary care, pharmacy, continuing care, behavioral health, hospital at home, and laboratory services, as well as Beth Israel Lahey Health Performance Network. A board-certified family medicine physician who believes in the value of linking social care to health care, Rob possesses a unique blend of clinical leadership expertise in academic and community-based settings.