We are excited to introduce you to the BUILD Awardee Council of 2024-2025!
This council brings together past and current BUILD awardees—individuals who know firsthand the challenges and opportunities of community collaboration and health equity. Representing residents, community-based organizations, public health departments, and health systems, their perspectives will shape the future of BUILD. As council members, they will work closely with the BUILD team to guide activities, refine products, and influence strategies ranging from event planning and policy engagement to outreach and technical support.
Meet these local leaders below:
Moyosore A. S. Buari
- San Diego, CA (BUILD 4.0)
- Community-Based Organization
Moyosore is dedicated to creating transformative community partnerships and leading strategic initiatives within nonprofit health systems. She collaborates with key federal, state, national, and local community stakeholders to enhance health policies that address the social determinants of health for California’s vulnerable populations, focusing on the connection between wellness dimensions, especially living conditions, and healthcare outcomes. Her work centers on the holistic healing and well-being of communities and stakeholders within nonprofit organizations.
She is a distinguished Public Health Institute (PHI) Inaugural Together Toward Equity Leadership Fellow, and visionary leader with 15 years of experience in nonprofit and community health, program management, and clinical care. Moyosore excels in implementing community health initiatives that uplift nonprofit organizations and support vulnerable populations through preventive measures and strategic social innovations. She oversees the Community Health Initiative (CHI), by building capacity and providing strategic and operational leadership to the cross-functional community health workforce within twelve ethnic community-based organizations of the San Diego Refugee Communities Coalition.
Moyosore’s clinical background and training include Medicine, Surgery, Community Health, and Primary Care, an MBA in Healthcare Management, and NBC-HWC with FACHE in progress. She thrives on authenticity and clarity in communication, using humor to forge meaningful connections. As an avid reader with a blue mind, she enjoys the ocean, her folks, laughing, tai chi, tennis, and exploring multiple cultures through storytelling, travel, and colorful halal meals.
Nicky Clark
- Omaha, NE (BUILD 3.0)
- Community-Based Organization
Nicky Clark holds a Masters in Social Work from the Grace Abbott School of Social Work at University of Nebraska-Omaha. Her career has centered on community-based and driven programming and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility work. Nicky is a born and raised Omahan and still resides in the community she grew up in and which inspired her to choose a career where she can advocate for healthy communities and equitable systems. She is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leader, a Midlands Business Journal 40-Under-40 awardee, a UNO College of Public Affairs and Community Service Alumni of the Year recipient, and a USA Today Woman of the Year representing Nebraska. However, her most important role is mother to David and Nome. She also has an adorable cat named Patty. For fun, Nicky likes to travel with her kids, thrift, try new restaurants, study astrology, and read dystopian fiction.
Ariel Foster
- Payette, ID (BUILD 4.0)
- Hospital/Health System
Ariel has worked in healthcare for 15 years in Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, and Alaska. During her work with cancer patients in Oregon and Idaho, Ariel found her passion for rural health and healthcare access. Ariel worked for the State of Idaho in the Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care expanding healthcare access and healthcare services into the most rural areas of Idaho. In Alaska, Ariel worked with families located in some of the most remote areas to bring healthcare services and prevention education to remote villages and towns. Currently, at Saint Alphonsus Health System Ariel works in all aspects of Social Influencers of Health in both Idaho and Oregon. She leads out on housing accessibility issues, food insecurity projects, mental and behavioral health awareness and education, and leads a regional coalition of service providers addressing the access to care issues in a ten-county region in Idaho.
A part of her work with Saint Alphonsus Health System, Ariel is the Mobile Healthcare Clinic Coordinator, and with help from her clinical coordinator, Ariel coordinates, schedules, supervises, and provides outreach for Saint Alphonsus Health System’s Mobile Health Clinic, a clinic built to serve the most underserved population in Idaho and Oregon, providing free healthcare to the community and working to ensure that patient’s needs beyond healthcare services are met. In her three years at Saint Alphonsus Health System Ariel has been a part of the regional leadership team leading out on a ten-county Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Implementation Plan, as well as leading out on the Community Health Needs Assessments and Implementation Plans for two frontier counties in Eastern Oregon. Ariel is proud to be working in rural and urban areas increasing access to healthcare throughout the region by eliminating barriers to healthcare and increasing service access for patients across Idaho and Oregon.
Nichole Gladney
- Milwaukee, WI (BUILD 3.0)
- Hospital/Health System
Nichole Gladney, who has worked for Ascension Wisconsin for 20 years, currently serves as Senior Director of Community Health Services and Strategic Partnerships, with lead responsibility for the development and growth of the Ascension Wisconsin community health/safety-net clinics along with a portfolio of community health initiatives and programs. Through her leadership, Nichole has demonstrated an effective ability to build collaborative partnerships, implement community health improvement strategies and advocate on behalf of vulnerable populations.
Under Nichole’s guidance, Ascension Wisconsin is leading the way to redefine what healthy means to individuals and the community through intentional partnerships, strategic community engagement and grassroots multicultural marketing designed to reach targeted populations; particularly the African American and Hispanic communities. Nichole is responsible for managing a $5 million community investment portfolio to improve the social determinants of health in the communities where Ascension has a presence and aligning investment strategies to connections, create goodwill and re-instill confidence in Ascension Wisconsin’s mission and long term commitment to the community.
Prior to her current role, Nichole held the position as Senior Director of Philanthropy and led all strategic and operating objectives for the Ascension Wisconsin Foundation including the implementation and coordination of all fund development campaigns to secure an annual revenue budget of $5 million. Of significance, Nichole executed the community health improvement fund development component of a highly successful $42 million Beyond Medicine capital campaign for Ascension.
Vanessa Rodriguez
- Greenville, SC (BUILD 3.0)
- Community-Based Organization
Vanessa Rodriguez serves both Hispanic Alliance and LiveWell Greenville as the Community Action Coordinator. She comes to this role with over twenty years of communications and public relations experience in government agencies, corporations, and nonprofit organizations.
Vanessa is originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico, and served her government as the Director of Public Relations for the Commission of Women’s Affairs for the Office of the Governor of Puerto Rico, and the Communications and Press Director for the Office of the Women Advocate for Puerto Rico’s Government.
Like many of her fellow Puertoriqueños, Vanessa and her family were hit hard by Hurricane Maria in 2017, which devastated the island’s economy and infrastructure. Though they tried to persevere in their home, they were drawn to Greenville after being invited by friends to visit. Over time her husband and she found jobs in the city, and their son, Lorenzo loves to play on the CESA soccer fields (Greenville, SC).
Vanessa’s life project is DESCALZA, a movement to share Spanish daily messages of optimism and faith with more than 8,500 Hispanic followers. Through social media, mentorship, and social work she wants to ease the way for Hispanic women and their families, who are walking the challenging path she has already traveled.
Vanessa’s extensive cross-sector experience assisted her in the complex role of Community Action Coordinator for two Organizations. She coordinates efforts of multiple health and research institutions. Her strategies use the existing network of bi-cultural community health workers to survey the health behaviors and needs of Hispanic residents, returning vital information to participants and researchers at the same time.
Kellie Teter
- Denver, CO (BUILD 1.0)
- Public Health Department
Kellie lives in an intentional community in Denver where she seeks out activities to feed her justice craving, pediacentric, possibly artistic soul. Her training is in sociology and public policy. She has spent three decades bending the edges of public health into a more equitable shape. She is fascinated by the intersection of social justice, public health practice and community development. Maternal and Child Health, as not only a population (women, mothers, fathers, children and youth), but MCH as a discipline, provides her with a platform for advancing equity. Her background in implementation science and degree in Public Administration give her a scientific lens for learning from the experts on the ground, in community, and for translating the evidence into actionable plans.
Victoria Williams
- New Orleans, LA (BUILD 3.0)
- Community-Based Organization
Dr. Victoria Williams, DHA, LMSW, CBS, and Doula, is a dedicated maternal-child health professional and advocate with over a decade of experience. As the Advocacy Director and Member-Owner of Birthmark Doula Collective, she has spearheaded initiatives in program development, maternal health, and reproductive justice. Her work centers on creating equitable and inclusive practices for families across the New Orleans metro area, including in parishes identified as maternal healthcare deserts by the March of Dimes.
Birthmark Doula Collective provides comprehensive, trauma-informed support and education to families, with a strong focus on recognizing maternal health warning signs. Dr. Williams is also a leading force in policy reform, particularly through her role in the Mama+ Health Package, a legislative initiative aimed at addressing maternal health disparities for Black birthing people in Louisiana.
Her advocacy efforts have driven significant legislative changes, including Medicaid expansion and the improvement of maternal mental health services. Dr. Williams is committed to ensuring that all families have access to the care and resources they need during pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
