I currently serve as the Assistant Commissioner for the Health Improvement Bureau at the Minnesota Department of Health. I care deeply about people and the humanity of employees across our public health system, as well as the individuals, families & communities we serve across this great state. My approach to administration and operational oversight is systems based. I am a visionary and holistic leader who aims to strengthen connections and deconstruct organizational barriers to achieve better outcomes. I harness opportunities for collaborative innovation and strategy to strengthen our public systems and private partnerships. Prior to my appointment at the Minnesota Health Department, I served as the Director of Aging & Disability Services at Ramsey County - Social Services. I also served as Deputy Director in the Office of Civil Rights at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. I helped oversee Medicaid Eligibility Policy while serving at the Minnesota Department of Human Services during the roll out of the Affordable Care Act. I am also a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Public Health Prevention Service Fellow under the Obama Administration, and was deployed to serve at the Minneapolis Health Department; where I conducted community based participatory research on the impacts of food and culture within racially and ethnically diverse communities, and indigenous people who experience higher rates of chronic conditions. I am originally from Chicago and of Mexican descent. I identify as Latina. I use ella, she, her pronouns. I have more than a decade of experience in the Chicago not for profit sector where I worked in areas of wrap around services, social justice, workforce development, women and girl’s empowerment, positive youth development, and public policy & administration.I hold a Bachelor of Arts from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration. I enjoy spending time with family and teaching my children the value of cultural traditions as well as how to climb trees and roller skate. I am a work in progress with leaning into the power of pause to stay balanced through unprecedented times of change and opportunity.