George McFarland has more than 46 years of experience developing programs and providing service in the areas of health care, education, employment and economic sustainability. A resident of Montgomery County for more than 41 years, Mr. McFarland has worked closely with numerous federal, state and community organizations in the County and throughout the U.S. to improve the quality of life for people whose lives are affected by health risks. He has authored and implemented more than $100 million in grants and contracts to promote health and human development, playing a major role in shaping our understanding of the influence of behavior on overall health and wellness.

Under his leadership, McFarland & Associates, Inc., provides program and management consulting services in health care, social science research, education, criminal justice, housing, information technology, and substance abuse prevention. A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, George McFarland holds a bachelors in political science from Howard as well as a master of social work in social policy formation from Howard University.

Dr. Nkossi Dambita is the Director of Clinical Services at McFarland & Associates in the African American Health Program in Montgomery County, Maryland. Dr. Dambita is a public health physician trained in epidemiology at SUNY at Buffalo where he received his Master of Science degree. Dr. Dambita received his MPH in health systems management from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and a master's in health sciences informatics from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. For more than two decades, he has directed public health programs at the state and local levels, as well as internationally. He has successfully managed major public health projects, including the serological monitoring of HIV in Maryland and the surveillance of bioterrorism in Baltimore City.

Dr. Dambita has provided education and advisory services to governments and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). He has been faculty at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine since 2006. He is a passionate advocate of knowledge management systems as a means of delivering knowledge at the point of need for better decision-making in Public Health.

Andrea Guy-McFarland began her long career in public service and social work as a community organizer in Philadelphia. In support of services and programs that help the mentally handicapped, mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed, and children in need of protection, she has held leadership positions that involved developing policy and procedures; designing, implementing and evaluating programs; assisting in the preparation, monitoring, and adjustment of budgets; and managing and supervising staff, among other tasks. For ten years, she served as the District Program Manager, Deputy District Administrator, and District Administrator (on an as-needed basis) as well as the Vice-president of operations for two social service organizations.

In these roles, she was responsible for a welfare reform case management contract and supervised and coordinated social services for programs related to alcohol and drug abuse, mental health, and other health issues. After relocating to the DC metropolitan area, she worked as the Deputy Director of Planning, Policy and Program Support for DC Child and Family Services for 15 years. In 2015, she joined McFarland and Associates as a senior associate for project development and quality assurance, where she is responsible for staff development and quality assurance. Ms. McFarland holds a bachelor’s in liberal arts from Temple University as well as a master’s in social work from University of Pennsylvania. She also has numerous professional affiliations, volunteers extensively, and has been recognized for her work and dedication with accolades that include the Valeria Bullard Black Administrator of the Year Award.

Monica Brame has more than 15 years of federal contracting, program management and accounting experience with several health and human services agencies. Early in her career, she worked for KPMG performing client engagement and later worked as an analyst for Lockheed Martin, where she provided financial support and leadership. Prior to joining McFarland and Associates, she worked as an accountant for the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Ms. Brame joined AAHP as a finance manager providing managerial leadership and staff direction for financial and accounting administration, company operating budgets, payroll operations, accounting deliverables, cost management and pricing proposals, internal audits, fiscal reporting, and business controls.

She later became McFarland’s CFO and business operations office; in that role, she provides guidance in the design and implementation of strategic plans and initiatives for measurement of company progress against contract requirements. She also currently works as a consultant in finance, contracts, human resources, accounting and sales. A certified PMP, she holds a bachelor's in accounting from Morgan State University and a master's in management, and an MBA from University of Maryland University College. She is a member of the National Association of Black Accountants and Beta Gamma Sigma, a business honor society.

Currently pursuing her Master of Public Health at George Washington University, Geraldine Briggs aspires to create equity in health through research and policy changes. With concentrations on health policy, environmental health, and epidemiology, Ms. Briggs is particularly interested in promoting cancer screenings for Blacks/African Americans and crafted a mock program that would increase cancer screenings within the community.  Ms. Briggs was a member of the Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students during her time at the University of Cincinnati, where she received her bachelor’s degree.

Sybil Cooper has seven years of professional experience as a registered nurse and is an IBCLC (International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners)-certified lactation consultant as well as a doula. Her clinical experience has focused on providing prenatal, birth, and postpartum support and education to women and children through adolescence. She has also worked as a charge nurse, homecare nurse, and as a care manager. Her wealth of experience delivering high-quality care to expecting and postpartum moms and their infants serves her well in her role as AAHP’s SMILE nurse case manager.  Ms. Cooper holds a bachelors from Coppin State University.

Charlene Day has twenty years of experience as a registered nurse specializing in maternal and child health and labor and delivery. She most recently worked to provide nursing care for antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum patients at Walter Reed National Military Hospital and as a travel nurse with Inova Fair Oaks and Montgomery General Hospital. Prior to that, she worked as a clinical nurse specialist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and Washington Adventist Hospital. Ms. Day received her associate’s from the Helene Fuld School of Nursing, her bachelor of science in nursing from the C.W. Post Long Island University, and her master’s in nursing from Hunter College.

Stacy Gantz is a public health professional with expertise spanning multiple fields including outpatient care, rehabilitation, health advocacy, and health education. Prior to joining AAHP, Ms. Gantz worked as a contact tracer investigator for the Department of Health. In this role, she educated residents about COVID-19 mandates and helped manage programs and initiates for COVID outreach. As an assistant physical therapist at Forever Fit Physical Therapy, she helped patients get the care they need by helping doctors and planning health-related events. Ms. Gantz has certifications as a Physical Therapist Assistant from Montgomery College, Takoma Park and received her BS in exercise science as well as her MPH from Trinity Washington University.

Tania Joseph is registered nurse with more than nine years of experience caring for premature babies and newborns. She has worked as a lactation consultant, a patient care coordinator with Kaiser Permanente, and as a travel nurse. She has also worked as a registered nurse for Children’s School Services; in this role, she provided ongoing care for students with chronic illnesses and promoted healthy lifestyle habits and good hygiene. She has a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Ottawa, and associate degrees in nursing and liberal arts from Dawson College.

As a Community Health Worker, Dylan Owens brings her passion for public service and health education. She has led and managed several projects for AAHP's breast cancer program, developing multi-media educational materials and collaborating with different organizations to coordinate community events, successfully raising awareness and providing Montgomery County women access to mammograms. She assists with literature reviews, grant proposals, and identifying students for internships with AAHP. Additionally, she has experience working with high-risk patient populations and developing customized care plans to address their medical, functional, and psychosocial needs. She received her Bachelor's of Science at James Madison University as NCAA Division I tennis player and member of the Honors College. She then spent two years working as a registered behavioral therapist for children with autism spectrum disorder, and has interned at the National Cancer Institute, before receiving her Masters in Public Health from George Washington.

Deborah Rodriguez-Gummo, AAHP's nurse supervisor, is a registered nurse with expertise in health screenings and caring for patients with Diabetes or Cardiovascular diseases. Since 2017, she has worked as an independent contractor with various wellness programs in Maryland, DC, Virginia and Pennsylvania. In addition to her nursing experience, she has also worked in hospital and pharmaceutical sales for Johnson & Johnson. Deborah received her BSN degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center - San Antonio.

Mahalet Samson is currently an accomplished senior at the University of Maryland, where she is majoring in biochemistry and minoring in mathematics. Through the University of Maryland’s Gemstone Honors Program, Ms. Samson has conducted extensive research on biomarkers and Alzheimer’s Disease throughout her undergraduate career. Since 2019, she has worked as a medical scribe at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD, where she documents patient information, procedures, radiographic findings, medication lists, and more. Ms. Samson also gained professional care experience through her internships for the Pregnancy Aid Center and at Holy Cross Hospital. Active in her school and her community, Ms. Samson holds leadership roles for the Student Success Leadership Council and the Ethiopian and Eritrean Students Association, and is a team leader with the Maryland Mentor Corps and the vice-president of the Hopeful Project, a food and resource pantry for homeless Prince George’s County residents.

Kumba Sankoh is a registered nurse and lifestyle coach who previously worked as the COVID Vaccine Registration Lead for Montgomery County DHHS. Ms. Sankoh also has experience as a travel nurse at Rockville Ambulatory Surgery Center where she assisted doctors with endoscopy and colonoscopy procedures and as a pre- and post- operating room nurse at Washington Hospital Center where she planned, coordinated and implemented nursing care services for surgical patients. Ms. Sankoh has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bowie State University and is an active member of the National Council for Negro Women.

Darlene Saunders is a highly accomplished professional with more than 25 years of experience in public health and public health education. She has worked in various administrative and leadership positions within the private sector and government organizations, most recently serving as Administrative Program Manager for the Prince George’s County Health Department. In this role, she was responsible for developing, implementing, and managing programs that improve the health of her community. She has also served on the faculties of and provided expertise for various academic institutions including Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, University of Vermont, University of Maryland, and Duquesne University. Dr. Saunders holds certifications as a master trainer with the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program and Diabetes Self-Management Program from the Self-Management Resource Center and as a lifestyle coach from the CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program. Dr. Saunders holds membership in several professional organizations, including the Society of Public Health Education and the American Association of Public Health. Dr. Sanders has a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland School of Public Health, and holds an MPH from the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Darlene also has dual degrees in School Health Education & Community Health from Old Dominion University.

With a professional emphasis on therapy, crisis intervention, case management, education and community outreach, Wanda Smith’s career in social work spans over twenty years. Ms. Smith recently worked as an adult protective services supervisor for the Fairfax County Government, where she oversaw case outcomes and ensured compliance with federal and state laws and procedures. She also has experience serving the aging and disabled population. Ms. Smith received her bachelors in social work from California State Polytechnic University and her masters in social work from University of Maryland at Baltimore.

Elsa Sohahong-Kombet has a Nursing Assistant Certification and a bachelor's in biology from the University of the District of Columbia. She has a Master of Business Administration in Health Service Administration and Master of Science in Human Resources Management from Strayer University. She has held internships at Howard University Hospital, George Mason University and The United Nations in New York. Ms. Sohahong-Kombet has managed incoming payments in accounts receivable in the hotel industry in the accounting department; summarized receivables on a weekly and monthly basis; and analyzed accounts to discover discrepancies. As a front office assistant manager, she coordinated activities with other hotel departments in order to increase levels of communication and customer satisfaction. She also acted as a liaison between sales and front desk staff in order to ensure that all group events were executed perfectly. She speaks French, English, and some Spanish and Chinese.

Autumn Williams works as AAHP’s community health worker while also pursuing her Master of Public Health at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Ms. Williams brings to AAHP a wealth of key skills such as presentation design, grant writing, research, and client-customer relations. Prior to joining AAHP, she worked as director of legal and compliance/HR manager at a political field firm in Washington, D.C. She served as a Maternal and Infant health intern at the Department of Health and Human Services where she reviewed needs assessments, conducted literature reviews, and assisted the Thrive by Five Coordinating Council. Ms. Williams holds several certifications, including FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Assistance) certification. She received her bachelor’s in chemistry from Albany State University in Albany, GA.

Ms. Williams brings to her position as a community health worker a strong background in recruitment, community outreach, coordinating and training volunteers, and fundraising. She spent more than a decade as an account executive with the National Marrow Donor program’s Be the Match Registry, where she helped increase the number of African Americans in the National Bone Marrow registry by 200% and was recognized as one of the top five account executives nationally. Ms. Williams received her bachelors from Virginia State University and completed graduate coursework at Howard University and the University of Iowa.

Robina Barlow is a Certified Food for Life Instructor focused on improving health outcomes for individuals through food and nutrition. Her classes provide nutrition information and food preparation demonstrations. Class topics include healthy basic, kickstarting your health, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and weight control. She has enjoyed watching her class participants improve their biometrics and health through healthy eating and other lifestyle changes.

Ms. Barlow's Food for Life Instructor certification was granted by the Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine, which researches and promotes the benefits of a plant-based diet. She is also certified in plant-based nutrition from the Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University. 

Her training includes the Rouxbe Cooking School’s Forks Over Knives Cooking Course, general nutrition training from Wageningen University, the Lifestyle Training Seminar at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, and the International Conference on Nutrition in Medicine. Ms. Barlow is a graduate of Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Ms. Barlow’s work as a nutrition instructor follows many years of work as a project manager in the area of information technology.

Dr. Joseph Bruce Latta has provided outstanding service to patients in Montgomery County for more than 40 years. His pediatric dental practice, Latta and Associates, is widely recognized for implementing groundbreaking strategies to motivate children and youth to practice good oral hygiene. Active in the community, Dr. Latta is s a resource for dental health programs and is a member of several professional organizations including the American Dental Association, the American Society of Dentistry for Children, and the Maryland State Dental Association. Dr. Latta received his bachelor's from Florida A & M University and his doctorate in dental surgery and his certificate in pedodontics from Howard University.

Dr. Lawson is Founder and Director of the Institute to Reduce Disparities. LLC, and Director of Psychiatric Research for the Emerson Clinical Research Institute, and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Emeritus professor and former chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Howard University School of Medicine, Dr. Lawson is a leader and pioneer in the field of mental health, particularly as it pertains to minority populations. He has held numerous senior positions including former positions as the president of the DC chapter of Mental Health America, president of the Washington Psychiatric Society, past Chair of the Section of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of the National Medical Association, and president of the Black Psychiatrists of America. Dr. Lawson received his PhD in psychology from the University of New Hampshire, his MD from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, and completed his residency at Stanford University and completed a fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health.