TCHPP TEAM
Christina Friedt Peters // MJ
Tribal Community Health Provider Program Director
Email: cpeters@npaihb.org
Graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Economics and received a Masters in Jurisprudence from the University of Washington School of Law.
As the project director, Christina and her team assist tribes in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho as they explore opportunities to tackle important social determinants of health such as educational attainment, financial security, and access to health while improving the system of health care through the implementation of the Community Health Aide Program. The TCHP Project focuses on breaking down barriers to education and care and dismantling the institutionalized and structural racism that denies health equity and educational attainment to tribal communities.
Miranda Davis // DDS, MPH
Dental Health Aide Program Director
Email: mdavis@npaihb.org
University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry; University of Washington School of Public Health; University of California, Los Angeles.
Dr. Davis has provided clinical care with Tribes in the northwest for fifteen years, in addition to several years of private practice and international volunteer work. Dr. Davis is passionate about public health, disease prevention, and expanding access to high quality oral health care.
Carrie Sampson Samuels
Community Health Aide Program (CHAP) Project Director
Email: csampsonsamuels@npaihb.org
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR)
Licensed Nursing Certificate 2004, Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and Community Health Education from Portland State University in 2011, Healthcare Management Graduate Certificate from Oregon Health and Sciences and University (OHSU) in 2019.
Carrie’s lifelong goal is to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for all Native people. She realizes that addressing the root of the problems is key and recognizes that the return of our traditional foods and ways of life are key to becoming healthier nations.
Danica Love Brown // MSW, CACIII, PhD
Behavioral Health Director
Email: dbrown@npaihb.org
Dr. Brown is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma born and raised in Northern New Mexico.
Indigenous Wellness Research Institute ISMART fellow alumni, Council of Social Work Education, Minority Fellowship Program fellow alumni, and Northwest Native American Research Center for Health, fellow alumni. Her research has focused on Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Decolonizing Methodologies to address historical trauma and health disparities in Tribal communities.
She has worked as a mental health and substance abuse counselor, social worker, and youth advocate for over 20 years. She has a history of working in the areas of prevention, drug and alcohol/mental health treatment, community and restorative justice, and sexual health with Native American and adjudicated youth. She specializes in working with culturally and socio-economically diverse populations and Tribal communities.
Tanya Firemoon
Tribal Community Health Provider Program Contractor
Email: tfiremoon-contractor@npaihb.org
(Nakoda) a member of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.
Tanya has been involved in the American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) non-profit health arena focused on child welfare, children’s mental health, research, and public health for 20 years and supports capacity building and workforce development for local communities. Tanya continues to work with students throughout Indian Country obtaining post-secondary education relevant to their tribal communities, supports various advisory committees, student’s training opportunities, elder and culture keeper mentorship, and service provider certification board efforts. Her strengths are in advocacy work, streamlining culturally appropriate community-based events and relationship building.
Pilamaya (Thank You).
Lisa Griggs
TCHPP Program Specialist
lgriggs@npaihb.org
Lisa is a descendent of the Blackfeet Nation. She is the Tribal Community Health Provider Project (TCHP) Specialist at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Marylhurst University. She has been at the Board for 17 years. Starting with Project Red Talon (PRT) where they helped build capacity around STI/HIV testing. Also as the Program Ops Assistant working with legislative and policy staff for many years. For the past six years she was the Executive Coordinator at the Board. She is excited to continue her work here at the Board and expand my knowledge and skills to serve in a different capacity to our NW Tribes.
Dolores Jimerson // LCSW, ADS
Behavioral Health Clinical Supervisor
Email: djimerson@npaihb.org
Seneca // Bear Clan
Dolores is a licensed in both WY and OR as a clinical social worker (LCSW) and certified by the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) as an acudetox specialist (ADS.) She is registered to train others in using the NADA protocol. She is an advocate of ‘nothing about us without us’ and the importance of growing our own to bring healing to tribal communities. Her passion for behavioral health comes from witnessing the impact of boarding schools and trauma on her own family.
She has over three decades of experience in behavioral health, twenty with tribes. Her career includes inpatient psych, community mental health, state level behavioral health administration, university instructor, tribal children’s mental health, CEO of a FQHC in frontier Wyoming, Quileute Tribal Health Director, and serving nationally when with NICWA as Director of Community Development. Dolores served on national level boards and Governors’ advisory councils in both WY & OR.
She of her more rewarding experiences included indigenizing therapy with those she served, becoming an acudetox provider, creating integrated care programs and witnessing children grow into thriving adults thanks in part to culturally resonant prevention.
Katie Hunsberger // MPP
BHA Program Manager
Email: khunsberger@npaihb.org
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
Bachelor of Science in Communications with a minor in Political Science at Elmhurst University; Master’s degree in Public Policy at Loyola University Chicago; Certificate in Native American studies at Washington State University.
Katie (she/her) is an advocate, empath, and the Student Support Coordinator for the BHA Education Program. She works closely with Native adults and youth interested in pursuing behavioral health in Tribal communities to provide holistic, culturally-specific, and trauma-informed care. She is also currently working on receiving her Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Postsecondary Education at Portland State University. Katie aims to help Native students find educational pathways that are accessible, supported, eye-opening, and life-changing.
Sasha Jones
CHAP Program Manager
Email: sjones@npaihb.org
Newe-Numu People // Shoshone-Paiute
am honored to serve the tribes of the Northwest and be a part of the NPAIHB organization. I’ve worked in tribal health care for the past 10 years. I worked as a grant coordinator for the past 6 years, while obtaining a bachelor's degree in Social Work from the University of Nevada Reno. While working in the public health field, I was inspired to continue my education. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Nevada Reno. I am passionate about being of service to indigenous communities and improving the health and wellness of indigenous people. I am also a certified lifestyle coach and hold a paraprofessional level I and level II with the American Association of Diabetes Educators.
I have three children, and a spouse of 17 years. I love to garden, sew, read, hike, travel, and practice traditional crafts in my spare time. I look forward to serving the NPAIHB organization and those that benefit from all the great work being done.
Pamela Ready // RDH, BSDH, MSDH ©
DHA Education Manager
Email: pready@npaihb.org
Puyallup Tribe of Indians
Pamela has been a clinical dental hygienist for 18 years as well as a dental hygiene professor, and will graduated from EWU with her Masters in Science in Dental Hygiene in May 2022. Pamela’s focus and passion are recognizing the origin of oral health disparities for Indigenous people and providing pathways to overcome and heal. Pamela’s work involves developing educational programs for Indigenous people to become dental healthcare providers in tribal communities- delivering culturally-specific, trauma-informed & holistic oral health care in the community, and to represent the Tribal community in the Dental field .
Kari Ann Kuntzelman
Dental Health Aide Education Specialist
Email: kkuntzelman@npaihb.org
Chickasaw Nation
Kari Ann graduated from the Alaska Dental Therapy Education Program earning an Associates of Applied Science focusing on Dental Health Aide Therapy in 2019. Kari is a Dental Health Aide Therapist and now the Dental Health Aide Education Specialist with the Tribal Community Health Provider Project. Kari hopes to inspire others to become interested in Dental Therapy and to represent the tribal community in the Dental field. She is very passionate about Minimally Invasive Dentistry as it uses evidence based research to practice good dentistry.
MorningRose Tobey
TCHP Education Data Coordinator
Email: mtobey@npaihb.org
Assiniboine-Sioux/Washoe-Paiute
Han Mitakuyepi! My name is MorningRose Tobey and I am an enrolled member of the Assiniboine/Dakota Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck, Montana, and a descendant of the Washoe/Paiute tribes of Nevada. I’m 26 years old and currently reside in Pocatello, Idaho with my fiancé and 2 dogs. I earned my BA in Community Health Sciences Public Health while playing Division 1 Women's Basketball at the University of Nevada-Reno. I’m passionate about giving back to Indigenous communities and my previous work includes leading disease prevention and health and wellness workshops, basketball camps, and motivational speeches for tribal youth. In my free time, I love to fancy dance at powwows, play rez ball, watch my fiancé relay race, and travel around the world with my family and fur babies. I’m grateful to work with the TCHPP team and work with so many great leaders and continue helping our tribal communities. Pidamaya!
Stephannie Christian
TCHP Education Program Director
Email: schristian@npaihb.org
Stephannie Christian graduated from Stanford University as a Physician Associate in 2006. She has 15 years of experience working with the Community Health Aide Program in Fairbanks Alaska as the Regional Instructor and sight Supervisor. She moved to Oregon in 2020 and started working for the NPAIHB in 2023. Stephannie is passionate about bringing health the Community Health Aide Program to the Pacific Northwest.