Araceli Mendez received her MPH in health systems and policy from Oregon State University.

In her prior role, she worked for Benton County Health Department as a school health navigator, also known as a community health worker. In this role, she worked with an interdisciplinary team to facilitate access to community resources for families. She also worked on COVID-19 response efforts and collaborated with various partners to reach vulnerable populations.

In her role as a program coordinator for the OSU-OHA Surge Bench, she will continue to support COVID-19 response efforts.