Community Advisory Board

Chanda K. Aloysius Yates, MBA

Deputy Executive Director Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation

Chanda K. Aloysius Yates is a seasoned executive with more than two decades of leadership experience advancing the missions of tribes, tribal organizations, and Indian health systems across Alaska, Oregon and California. Chanda’s leadership focuses on driving meaningful change and strengthening community wellness in diverse settings. Her work centers on promoting health and education equity and leveraging innovation to enhance collaboration between Tribal communities and academic institutions.

Kody Cayson

Research & Implementation Manager
Oregon Department of Human Services

Kody is a lifelong Oregonian who graduated from Oregon State University in 2013. After graduation, he began working for the Oregon Youth Authority at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility. Following several roles within the Youth Authority, Kody transitioned to the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), where he currently serves as one of two Research Managers. In this role, he focuses on integrating data-informed decision-making across ODHS, with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of every Oregonian who interacts with ODHS systems through an ethical and equitable lens.

Meagan English, MS

Chief People Officer for Marquis Companies
Consonus Healthcare and AgeRight

Over the first 15 years of her career, Meagan served as nursing home administrator at multiple Marquis campuses, then led the AgeRight Care at Home business line before being promoted to director of operations, with oversight over half of the facility portfolio. In 2014, she fulfilled a dream to start her own executive coaching company, preparing aspiring and established leaders to lead with authenticity and compassion.

At Marquis, Consonus and AgeRight, she now leverages all those experiences as the chief people officer. Meagan is responsible for succession planning for the executive team, as well as leadership development, including identifying rising leaders through the Rise, Ascend, and internship programs. She also oversees DEIB initiatives, as well as a number of other teams. She’s an accomplished speaker on topics including emotional intelligence, team building and values-based leadership, and has authored “Uninvited Guest: The Art of Living with Anxiety, Stress and Overwhelm.”

Leah K. Feldon, JD

Director
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality

Leah serves at the Director of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, beginning her service with the agency in 2005. Throughout her tenure, Leah has served in a variety of leadership positions, gaining broad experience across air, land and water programs, and in 2016 she was appointed as Special Advisor for Governor Brown’s Cleaner Air Oregon initiative. She serves as a member of the Oregon Environmental Restoration Council which oversees how the state’s Monsanto settlement money is invested and distributed; is Vice President of the Environmental Council of the States and board member of the Environmental Research Institute of the States. Leah earned her Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Lewis and Clark Law School and her Bachelor of Arts from University of Dayton in Ohio. 

Sean A. Jessup

CEO, Eastern Oregon CCO; Senior Vice President, Medicare & Medicaid Programs – Moda Health

With over 28 years of experience in the industry, Sean Jessup is a leader and innovator in communities which work to provide and pay for healthcare. Sean uses his accumulated experience to lead the operational and financial performance of the Eastern Oregon Coordinated Care Organization (EOCCO), a widely acclaimed CCO serving 80,000 members in 12 rural counties. He also oversees Moda’s partnership with the Oregon Health & Science University Integrated Delivery System (OHSU IDS), a 60,000-member organization serving Medicaid recipients in the Portland metro region. In these roles, Sean works closely with the EOCCO and OHSU IDS boards, elected officials, health policy advocates, as well as with a wide range of hospital and provider partners to implement innovative programs and Value-Based-Payment (VBP) models that reinvest savings back into communities served.

Sean is also responsible for the operational and financial performance of Moda’s full range of Medicare Supplement programs throughout Oregon, Alaska, Idaho and Texas. Sean currently serves on the board of Lifeworks Northwest, providing mental health and addiction services to the Medicaid population across Washington, Clackamas, and Multnomah counties, and is an alumnus of the Strategic Marketing Management Executive Program at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Kelley C. Kaiser, MPH

President and Chief Executive Officer
Sonoma Valley Hospital

A forward-thinking visionary and seasoned operator with more than 30 years of leadership experience, Kelley served as chief administrative officer of Samaritan Health Services prior to assuming her current role at Sonoma Valley Hospital.

Kaiser received both her bachelor’s degree in health care administration and her master's degree in public health, focused on health policy and management, from Oregon State’s College of Health.

Cynthia Levesque, LMHC, LPC, CADC III

Chief Behavioral Health Officer
Greater Oregon Behavioral Health and Eastern Oregon CCO

Cynthia is an accomplished clinician, clinical supervisor and educator with over a decade of leadership experience in behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment, and program administration. She has guided the development and oversight of behavioral health policies and services across Oregon, with a strong emphasis on strengthening systems and supporting workforce development.

A champion of evidence-based, trauma-informed care, she works to expand access to high-quality services while advancing collaboration and continuous improvement. Cynthia has served as an adjunct professor and advisory board member for Rogue Community College and Southern Oregon University, helping align human services programs with community workforce and credentialing needs.

Kimberly Lindsay

Executive Director
Community Counseling Solutions

Kimberly Lindsay has worked as a sexual assault crisis response responder, research assistant, clinician and clinical supervisor. For the last 22 years, she’s served as the executive director of Community Counseling Solutions, a community mental health program serving five Eastern Oregon counties. Kimberly has a passion for building strong relationships within the communities she serves and providing quality behavioral health and developmental disability services to the residents of Eastern Oregon.

Wendy Polulech, MPH

Director of Operations
Oregon Health Authority, Public Health Division

Wendy has served OHA’s Public Health Division since 2018, starting in the Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Program. She came to Oregon from Colorado with a strong history in worksite wellness. As director of operations for the Public Health Division, she addresses workforce development, staff engagement and retention, and academic partnerships.

Florence Pourtal, MPH

Public Health Division Director
Lincoln County, Ore.

Florence Pourtal has served the Oregon public health system for the past 11 years. Prior to her work in Oregon, Florence served internationally for non-governmental organizations such as Doctors without Borders for 10 years. 

Florence is a public health graduate from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She has been dedicated to working, collaborating and coordinating across systems to improve health outcomes for all. Florence is an active contributor to the conversation around modernizing the public health system in Oregon.