Officers
Chair – Brandon T. Jones
Brandon T. Jones is the Chief Information Officer of WAEPA. Mr. Jones is responsible for executing existing and developing new technology strategies for WAEPA as well as ensuring the security of regulated and unregulated data of WAEPA members and WAEPA corporate systems handling PHI and PII. He has over 18 years in Business Management, Cybersecurity, Strategy and Information Technology across the DoD, Commercial and Non-Profit sectors.
Mr. Jones has published various technology articles and holds a B.A. in Computer Science from the St. Mary’s College of Maryland and is a certified Project Management Professional and SCRUM Master.
Secretary – Kevin McHugh
Kevin is an experienced healthcare consultant working in the privatized Medicare arena. A New Englander at heart (Go Pats!), Kevin lives in Frederick, Maryland, with his wife, son, and temperamental cat. He holds a Masters degree in Public Administration and Policy from American University, and serves on the board of the Maryland Philanthropy Network, where he Co-Chairs the Policy Committee, as well as the Helen J. Serini Foundation.
Treasurer – Nikia Sankofa
Nikia Sankofa is Executive Director of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee. Focusing mainly on reducing racial and ethnic health disparities, Nikia’s public health work encompasses a broad range of functions, including, multi-site project management and team leadership; program design, monitoring and evaluation; data management and analysis; advocacy; and delivery of training and technical assistance.
As the director of an infant mortality reduction initiative in Baltimore City, Nikia oversaw the provision of intensive case management services consisting of recruitment, home-visiting, and parenting education to improve the health and wellness of women and families. Most recently, Nikia served as Project Director for breastfeeding at the National Association of County and City Health Officials.
She received her Bachelors of Science in Chemistry at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania. She later matriculated through the Master of Public Affairs program at Indiana University, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where she concentrated on Environmental Policy. Nikia also has a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she concentrated in Women’s Reproductive Health and earned certificates in Health Disparities and Health Communication.
General Board Members
Angela Alvarez
Sable D. Frazier
Alejandro Gutierrez
Alejandro is an Admin and Onboarding Specialist and a business mentor with Baltripeneurs Accelerator. He is also the CMO and co-founder of Shareable Innovations and CACEROLA Growth Marketing. He is a Pennsylvania native, and currently resides in Baltimore. He has a Psychology degree from Loyola University-MD and a Masters in Organization Development and Change from Penn State University. He has a passion for data-driven social and organizational change to make things work better for all of us. His hobbies include travel, good food, health and nutrition, and copious amounts of soccer, snowboarding, and coffee. He has a particular interest in small businesses, culture change, and DEI at larger organizations.
Vonzella McQueen
Vonzella Renee McQueen is the Assistant Registrar at Coppin State University, the only HBCU in the state of Maryland named after a woman. A native of Baltimore, she has worked in the educational sectors with over 20 years in non-profit and higher education. Her passion for education continues to be her driving force to an expert in her field of study in Organizational Leadership. With many organizational trainings, workshops, seminars and symposiums under her belt, she still aims to inspire, educate, and serve. The love she has for cultural awareness and exploration has been a motivational factor for her to travel the world and gain an understanding of how life experiences contribute to individual wholeness.
She is the current chair of the University System of Maryland Women’s Forum, were she takes pride in helping with professional development, community outreach, advocacy, and net-working opportunities on and off campus for women and supporting partners. One of her greatest attributes is her willingness to serve her community and be a life-long learner. Her faith is what continues to give her the balance, hope, and drive to move forward in her professional and academic career.
Vonzella has a Masters in Human Resource Development and Certificate in Project Management from Bowie State University (Bowie, MD), and a Bachelor’s of Science in Business with a focus in Management and Marketing from Penn State Altoona (Altoona, PA). She is also a proud member of Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc Kappa chapter.