For Immediate Release

10 December 2019 | Washington, DC

National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) announced today that it has appointed Mia Keeys, Director of Health Equity Policy and Advocacy for the AMA, Rosalyn Kumar, Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs at CVS Health, Winta Menghis, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at CHCI, and Victor Yang, Legislative Assistant to Rep Barbara Lee (D-CA) to its Advisory Board effective December 16, 2019. “We are pleased to welcome Mia, Rosalyn, Winta, and Victor to the NMQF board and especially look forward to their input on the direction and progress of our organization,” said Dr Gary Puckrein, NMQF Founder and CEO. “They join NMQF at an exciting time as we continue to drive our strategy forward and build deeper relationships with our community, as well as improve the direction and quality of the national healthcare conversation. The addition of these advisors complements our board’s skills and experiences, and we are confident they will provide valuable perspectives as we continue to execute our strategy, drive change and enhance health-care value for everyone across the country. We look forward to their contributions and are excited they chose NMQF.” NMQF’s Board regularly evaluates its composition to ensure it includes the appropriate skills, experience and perspective necessary to drive growth. With these four additions it feels it continues to drive toward perfecting its mission and purpose.

About Mia Keeys

Mia Keeys serves as the Director of Health Equity Policy and Advocacy for the American Medical Association. She is the former Policy Director of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust and Health Policy Advisor to Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-IL). Previously, Mia has also been a Kaiser Family Foundation Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholar; a Fellow for the City of Philadelphia in the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Health and Opportunity; an HIV/AIDS researcher in South Africa; and a U.S. Fulbright Fellow to Indonesia, where she worked on education and public health initiatives on behalf of youth and their families for three years. The National Minority Quality Forum recognizes Mia as a 40 Under 40 Leader in Minority Health. The National Academy of Medicine features Mia’s children’s book on health equity in their 2017 national exhibit, “Visualizing Health Equity.” Her research on youth and the imagination is featured in a TEDx Talk, titled “A Racial Imagination Quotient”. Mia holds Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and Psychology from Cheyney University, and a Master of Arts degree in Medical Sociology from Vanderbilt University, where she was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellow through Meharry Medical College. She is currently a doctoral student at The Milken Institute School of Public Health at The George Washington University. Mia is also a creative non-fiction writer, with training from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. She is originally from Philadelphia, PA.

About Rosalyn Kumar

After spending almost 12 years working as a Congressional staffer, Rosalyn Kumar joined CVS Health in 2019, as a Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs. While on Capitol Hill, Rosalyn served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Floor Director for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) where she was in charge of the Congresswoman’s member services and Appropriations Committee portfolio. Prior to that, she served as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director for Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) and as tax counsel for Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). She also served as Rep. Jared Polis’ (D-CO) Legislative Director and Rules Committee Counsel during the historic 111th Congress, where she worked on major legislation including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Affordable Care Act, and Dodd-Frank. Having worked in both the House and the Senate, she has a deep institutional knowledge of Congressional culture. Rosalyn is a first generation, Indian-American woman who came to Washington, D.C. more than a decade ago with no professional political network or connections. A Texas native, she graduated from Southern Methodist University as a Hunt Leadership Scholar with a B.A. in International Relations and Affairs, and studied law in the U.K. She is married with one child and currently resides in Washington D.C.

About Winta Menghis

Winta Menghis serves as CHCI’s Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations. She is responsible for helping define and implement strategies to build and maintain sustainable relationships with corporate partners and foundations whose work aligns with CHCI’s mission. She serves as the primary point of contact for the majority of CHCI’s healthcare mission partners and helps lead fundraising and developing content for CHCI’s healthcare and other convenings. Prior to joining CHCI, Winta served as a Senior Program Officer at the International Association of Women Judges, where she worked closely with the Executive Director and the senior team to raise funds, spearhead, and manage international rule of law and leadership programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, South East Asia and the Middle East and North Africa. Before joining the IAWJ, Winta worked extensively on a broad range of issues with international and national organizations including the Center for Reproductive Rights and the World Bank. Winta also worked in private law practice where she focused on issues related to immigration law. She earned an LL.B. from the University of Asmara, Eritrea and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law, where she was a Hauser Global Scholar.

About Victor Yang

Victor Yang serves as Legislative Assistant to Rep. Barbara Lee (D- CA). He covers a number of issues but specifically focuses on health disparities that affect minorities, underrepresented groups, and socially disadvantaged populations. Victor previously worked for Rep. Charlie Crist (D- FL) and Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA). Prior to Capitol Hill, Victor spent time working at a non-profit in Boston that provided healthcare and social services to Chinese immigrant families. He also worked in the Massachusetts State House for a state senator. As a child of first-generation Chinese immigrants, Victor’s experiences growing up with first generation parents contributes to his passion for making the United States a more equitable country for all Americans. Victor holds a Bachelors of Science from Syracuse University. He is originally from Lexington, Massachusetts, the site of the first shots of the American Revolutionary War. His favorite animal is the duck because it can walk, swim, and fly!

About the National Minority Quality Forum

The National Minority Quality Forum assists health care providers, professionals, administrators, researchers, policymakers, and community and faith-based organizations in delivering appropriate health care to minority communities. This assistance is based on providing the evidence in the form of science, research, and analysis that will lead to the effective organization and management of system resources to improve the quality and safety of health care for the entire U.S. population, including minorities.

Media Contact

Brandon Garrett, Chief Operating Officer

bgarrett@nmqf.org | 222.223.7560