Board of Directors

CWHC’s Board of Directors is charged with furthering our mission, securing philanthropic support for our work, and being an ambassador for us in the communities that we serve and beyond.

 

Riya Desai

Riya Desai (she/her) hails from metro-Detroit (Go Blue!) She is a B.S. / Master of Health Administration graduate of Cornell University, where she studied at the intersection of public policy and economics with a sharp focus on the U.S. healthcare system. Her background with payors, providers, nonprofits and in consulting have bolstered her skillset to improve quality, cost and accessibility for all. Following her lifelong passion for providing equitable healthcare - especially for womxn - Riya has experience leading social justice organizations and supporting healthcare organizations in uplifting their communities.

Hannah Garrett

Hannah Garrett, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, AOCNP (she/hers) has a background as an oncology nurse practitioner and currently works as a clinical content training manager for the oncology division of a clinical genetic testing company. She is passionate about improving collaborative relationships between patients, caregivers, clinicians and health-related systems with a shared-decision-making approach and removing barriers to access.

Akanksha Graves

Akanksha (she/her) has extensive experience in marketing and communications leadership roles across multiple industries, including healthcare. As a visionary strategic advisor and innovation agent, she has successfully ideated and implemented large-scale projects, initiatives, and new technologies at some of the world’s top companies. 

Passionate about social justice and equality, particularly for marginalized communities, Akanksha is committed to improving healthcare access, education, equity, and empowerment for current and future generations. 

She holds a degree in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 

 

Suzette Guzman

Having attended Scripps College, a women's college, Suzette's (she/her) passion for women's health and
preventative medicine was ignited. Her journey continued at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where she delved into medical studies, worked as a research assistant, and provided compassionate care at various free clinics. Suzette's equity-driven mindset and commitment to community health have significantly impacted marginalized communities, aligning with her dedication to creating meaningful change in healthcare.

KT Hawbaker

Originally from rural Iowa, KT (they/them) is a storyteller and recovering journalist, now the Communications Manager at Builders Vision. An organizer and artist at heart, KT uses stories to support Builders Vision's mission and build community within the team. Their career blends social justice and creativity. KT made history as the Chicago Tribune’s first openly genderqueer Arts & Entertainment Writer and later became the Marketing Manager at Emerald City Theatre, serving all of Chicago's 50 wards. At the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, KT's strategic communications helped pass several bills protecting survivors' rights.  In their spare time, KT enjoys baking, making zines, dreaming up tattoos, and drawing comics—though their two energetic toddlers keep them on their toes!

Stephanie Madden

Dr. Stephanie Madden (she/her) the founder of an integrative wellness center in Wicker Park / Bucktown Chicago.  Her vision to create a healing practice where patients feel at home and enjoy the journey of wellness inspired the integrative wellness clinic that is now Copper Wellness. Dr. Madden is a licensed professional acupuncturist, board certified herbalist, and integrative medicine specialist. She graduated from AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine where her doctoral research focused on chronic pain and psychosomatic therapies. Outside of work Madden loves to travel near and far, spend time with her kittens, and has an intense love of in-home gardening. 

 

Monica Paulson

Monica Paulson (she/her) has spent her career supporting community groups and social justice minded nonprofits with a focus on grassroots community organizing, reproductive rights, immigrant rights, and access to care. She is deeply inspired by CWHC’s collaborative approach and commitment to healthcare access regardless of ability to pay. 

Dannie Shaw

Dannie Shaw is a committed advocate for bodily autonomy andaccess to reproductive and sexual healthcare. She has dedicated her career to improving the lives of families and children and is the strategy lead for a national, remote organization that works to destigmatize abortion across systems of care.  She brings lived experience as a queer black single-parent-by-choice and an intersectional focus to bear on her role as a Board Member within the Chicago Women's Health Center Collective.  Dannie lives with her little one in Rogers Park where, no matter the season, they spend as much time as possible enjoying the beautiful lakefront.  

Tameka Walton, Finance Chair 

Tameka (she/her) studied Public Policy at DePaul University and went on to work in the field of nonprofit administration and development.  She is the founder of an organization that focuses on Black women's health and mental wellness with a focus on mothers, and she enjoys teaching yoga, baking and watching her children grow. 

 

Renée Woods

Renée (she/her) is a proud Chicago northsider for 15 years and counting, raising a city kid who loves nature and city pets who love air conditioning. Community is a primary focus in Renee's life- from her career in technical Community Management, to her personal life of chosen family caring for one another. Renee joins the Chicago Women's Health Center Board for community-centric reasons as well; to lend her professional skills to help facilitate access to equitable healthcare for all.