Meet the SHERC Community Expert Board
Kalvina Belin, Tribal Liaison, First Things First
Kalvina Belin is of the Living Arrow Bitterwater clan and born for the Coyote Pass clan. The Tangle people are her maternal grandfather and Bitterwater are her paternal grandfather. And that is how she identifies as a Dine (Navajo) woman. Belin currently serves as the tribal liaison for First Things First Tribal (FTF). Her main role at FTF is to ensure effective partnerships with Arizona’s tribes to better support young children and their families.
Belin continues to promote the field of public health, Navajo first culture, and health research among Indigenous high school students, and she previously worked as the lead contact tracer and trainer for the Navajo Nation. She received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health with a minor in Indigenous Health Studies and earned her Master of Public Health in Health Promotion–Indigenous Health Track from Northern Arizona University.
Amanda Guay, Public Health Leader in Northern Arizona
Guay has more than 25 years of experience working with minority and underserved populations to improve health outcomes and is a native of Flagstaff. In her most recent role as director of Community Health at North Country HealthCare, Amanda Guay oversaw and developed community health and behavioral health programming for specific target populations. She has worked with multiple stakeholders from governmental agencies, local officials, community organizations, health departments and educational institutions, to conduct health promotion outreach to distinct populations and develop policies to achieve improved health outcomes.
Prior to working at North Country, Guay worked with affected communities on efforts to mitigate health impacts of environmental contamination at the state health department in Oregon. She also worked in a county health department and a school district to pass tobacco policy. Her focus has been to identify strategies to improve health outcomes by engaging the community and leveraging existing health resources. She previously served on the boards of the Flagstaff Leadership Program and the Coconino Regional Partnership Council for First Things First. Guay serves on the board for Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona and is committed to addressing the link between housing and health.
Gerilene Haskon, MPH, Tribal Liaison, Arizona Department of Health Services
Gerilene Haskon is a tribal liaison at the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), responsible for serving as a liaison between ADHS, Tribes, Indian Health Services, Urban Indian Organization, and supporting the Office of Health Equity initiatives.
Prior to joining ADHS, Haskon was the tribal relations coordinator at the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (BCBSAZ), serving as the liaison between BCBSAZ, tribes, Indian Health Services, Urban Indian Organization, and supporting the Foundation for Community and Health Advancement initiatives.
Previously, she was the Block Grants Program manager at ADHS managing federal funding for statewide maternal and child health program implementation and overseeing contracts with community-based organizations, counties, and Arizona’s tribes.
Jon Meyers, Executive Director, Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council
Jon Meyers became the executive director of the Arizona Developmental Disabilities Planning Council in March 2022 after serving as executive director of The Arc of Arizona starting in 2013. Meyers’ background in the Arizona’s non-profit sector spans more than 30 years and ranges from the arts and education to social services and animal welfare.
Throughout his career, he has held executive and development positions with, among others, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Arizona State University/ASU Foundation; Thunderbird School of Global Management; and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
He began his professional career in the External Relations Office at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. Meyers is a graduate of Santa Clara University with degrees in theater arts and history. He and his wife live in Phoenix, Arizona. They have three grown sons.
Floribella Redondo-Martinez, CHW, BS, President & CEO, Arizona Community Health Workers Association and Chair, CHW Section, American Public Health Association
Floribella Redondo-Martinez began her journey as a promotora (CHW) in early 1990s where she educated her farmworker peers on HIV and STDs in the agriculture fields of Arizona and California.
She is co-founder, president and chief executive officer of the Arizona Community Health Workers Association (AzCHOW), a state-appointed CHW advisory board member for the Arizona CHW Voluntary Certification, co-chair of the Arizona CHW Coalition, co-chair of the national CHW Core Consensus (C3) Project Advisory Council, member of the National CHW Common Indicators project team, founding board member for the National Association of CHWs, and American Public Health Association CHW section chair.
Redondo-Martinez is the lead faculty for the CHW Occupational Certificate Training Program for Arizona Western College. She received her bachelor’s of science degree in health and human services from the University of Phoenix in 2012.
She is nationally recognized as a leader in public health and most recently for her efforts in advocating for and leading a voluntary certification path for CHW workforce in Arizona. She has more than 30 years of experience as a promotora and more than 25 years in training, developing and implementing bilingual and bicultural CHW programs. One of Redondo-Martinez’s biggest passions is working and developing programs that build opportunities and strengthen the leadership of women in rural and underserved communities.
Beya Thayer, Executive Director, Yavapai Justice & Mental Health Coalition/ Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office and Director, Behavioral Health Services, Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office
Beya Thayer is a systems advocate supporting enhanced collaborations among multi-disciplinary teams and enjoys the opportunity to work as the director of Behavioral Health Services for Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office as well as the executive director of the Yavapai Justice and Mental Health Coalition.
Thayer works to develop and implement strategies that lead to the long-term and sustainable involvement of community institutions, organizations, and individuals within the intersections of justice and behavioral health—with the goal of addressing partnership and systems change.
Thayer’s career has given her the opportunity to create partnerships and collaborations with diverse communities, health professions, and agencies throughout Arizona to effect policy and change on both the micro and macro levels. She has a master’s in social work from Arizona State University and has worked extensively in the social services arena for over 25 years.
Jay Young, Executive Director, Southwest Fair Housing Council
Jay Young, the executive director of the Southwest Fair Housing Council, is a passionate civil rights advocate. Currently, he serves on the City of Tucson Planning Commission, the City of Tucson Directors Commission on Equitable Housing and Development, the Southern Arizona Prosperity Alliance, and the National Fair Housing Alliance board.
Young holds a bachelor’s in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a Peace Corps Fellow at the University of Arizona, where he earned a Master of Science in planning.