Katrina Williams, MPA, PhD Candidate

Email: drkatt@dsfaging.com

Katrina Williams has devoted more than a decade to managing, advocating and organizing health and human service programs for disadvantaged and disenfranchised individuals and communities, nationally and locally. She accomplished these tasks independently, through the labor movement--via the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and its affiliates. As a public health servant, Katrina continues to assist in leading efforts to deepen alliances and networks within communities and underserved populations for "access to service" and "quality of care".

Katrina holds a Masters in Public Policy Administration/Non-Profit Management from Southeastern University. In addition, she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Labor Studies from the National Labor College/University of Baltimore, and two Associate Degrees of Applied Science, one in Criminal Justice, and the other in Paralegal Studies. Both Associate Degrees were earned at the Community College of Philadelphia, where she was inducted into the National Honor Society (Phi Theta Kappa) and nominated to the National Dean's List for two year colleges. To further her knowledge in Health & Human Services, Katrina is currently completing her PhD in Public Policy Administration-Health Services at Walden University.

Patricia A. Ford

Email: PFord@dsfaging.com

Patricia A. Ford is the founder and principal of DeElla & Associates, LLC. Founded in 2007, DeElla & Associates is a political strategy and labor relations consulting firm that provides campaign strategy, political and public relations services to an array of clients. Ford has devoted more than three decades to advocacy and organizing of working people through the labor movement and civic participation.   She served as the Special Assistant to the President for Civic Affairs of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO from 2005 to 2007 and was Campaign Director of Unity ’04, a massive nationwide voter registration/voter mobilization drive coordinated by the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. Their efforts helped generate unprecedented African American voter participation in the 2004 Presidential Election, registering over 100,000 new voters.

Served on the Alameda County Alliance For Health Board - The Board was responsible for providing health care primarily to the Medicaid/MediCal recipients; Served on the Alameda County Home Care Committee - Established recommendations for the creation of the Public Authority - a governing body responsible for the In Home Support Program;Founding Member of the Vote Health Coalition - Advocacy organization for medically indigent and the underinsured population; Former Consultant for United Healthcare Workers-West the largest health care union in California; Former Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union - The largest union representing health care employees in North America

Ford is a leader in civil and human rights as well.  During her tenure at Local 616, the local developed and hosted the first SEIU-sponsored Civil and Human Rights Conference.  The International Union expanded these conferences to all regions of the U.S.  This led to the establishment of eight regional caucuses within SEIU-the African-American, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Islander, Latino, Women, Seniors and Retirees, Lavender (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender), and Disabilities caucuses and two National caucuses, The Caucus of African Descent of which she is a founder, and The Lavender Caucus.  Ford didn’t stop there, at the SEIU 2000 Convention Ford brought a Social & Economic Justice resolution which called for the adoption of a Social & Economic Justice Program to be adopted at the 2004 Convention and, in the November 2002 Collector’s Edition, Essence Magazine listed Ford as one of “Fifty Women Who Are Shaping The World”.

Ford served on the Democratic National Committee from 1997 to 2005.  She is a former member of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, the Alameda County Alliance For Health, the global justice organization TransAfrica Forum and the FUTURE PAC, a black Women’s political action committee where she was a founding member.  Ford is a member of the board of the Congressional Black Caucus Education, Training And Leadership Institute (CBCI) where she served as the chairperson of the Debate Committee that planned and produced the historic 2008 CBCI Presidential Debate in Myrtle Beach, North Carolina and oversees the annual CBCI Political/Education Boot Camp.  Ford also serves on the Boards of the Walter Reuther Library at Wayne State University, the Women’s Leadership Forum of the Democratic National Committee, the National Black Caucus of States Institute, SCLC WOMEN and the National Board of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists.

Phylisa Carter, Esquire

Email: PCarter@dsfaging.com