Wendy Madson is Healthy Communities’ Executive Director. Former director Christy McGill described her as “Healthy Communities’ own Mother Nature,” and wrote that, “Wendy has a fierce love for all things growing including people. You’ve seen Wendy at Community Roots, the community gardens, school gardens, and at many of the free dental events HCC organizes. Yes, both plants and teeth have roots and she feels quite comfortable beside a dental chair or a daisy.”
Jay Kolbet-Clausell is the Project Manager for the Nevada Community Health Worker Association
The NvCHWA supports advocacy, education, and professional development to increase access to health care and social services for Nevadans.
Alisa Howard, Program Coordinator for the Nevada Community Health Worker Association.
Octavio Posada, Bilingual Training Coordinator for the Nevada Community Health Worker Association.
Cody Wagner is the Training Coordinator for the Nevada Community Health Worker Association. His background is in Chemical Engineering, having earned a Master’s Degree from University of Nevada and worked six years in the insulation manufacturing industry. In addition to his work at Healthy Communities, he also owns and operates two businesses, chairs the Fernley Community Foundation, serves on the City of Fernley Planning Commission, and coaches football and basketball at Fernley High School.
Alisha Moss is HCC’s Alcohol, tobacco, prescription and other substance abuse prevention coordinator and Stand Tall leader for the region. Alisha is also a trained Community Health Worker.
Jesus Santos is Healthy Communities’ Data Coordinator. His wide range of experience, many skills, and enormous patience help maximize efficiency on multiple fronts.
SCHOOL-BASED RESOURCE COORDINATORS: Our newest group of Healthy Communities employees are our school-based resource coordinators. They work with the schools in their region to help families find connections to local resources and to help students locate clothing, food, health care, counseling, support groups, and other needs they may have, as well as coordinating education for the community by way of health care events, school assemblies, ATOD abuse prevention classes and more. We are excited to have these Resource Coordinators as part of our team. All of the Coordinators are trained Community Health Workers.
Safe Schools Professionals
Jessica Arrighi, Yerington Safe Schools Professional
Yesenia Hernandez
Lani Von Linsowe, Fernley Safe Schools Professional
Michele Watkins, Dayton Safe Schools Professional
Rikki Crider works with Healthy Communities’ Community Roots & Shoots garden center at 209 Dayton Valley Road. Find out more at our Community Roots website at https://www.communityrootsnv.org/
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS: Healthy Communities Coalition would not be who we are without volunteers. People from all areas of Northern Nevada in all types of circumstances give of themselves, their time, their dedication, their love to helping others. We are, on a daily basis, so touched by what volunteering means and how much joy and health we see it brings to so many, including ourselves. We thank you, the people who have helped bring Healthy Communities Coalition to where we are today.
Christy McGill was the previous Executive Director for Healthy Communities, which according to her was a totally awesome job. She got to interface with over 75 formal partners, youth, and many citizens to bring them together to discuss how to make our region thrive. She saw her role as part community organizer, part party hostess, part advocate, and 100%, of course we can do this! She believes in extreme inclusion because everyone is needed to make our communities flourish. She relishes helping put the pieces together to see what kind of beautiful mosaic members can make–she calls this collaborative mosaic–community. Today Christy is the Director for the Office of Safe and Respectful Learning Environment with the Nevada Department of Education.
