Our People
C4 Innovations staff are dedicated, creative, hard-working, and bold. We are deeply committed to improving the lives of people who are systematically marginalized in our country. We are subject matter experts, trainers, technical assistance specialists, clinicians, and evaluators. We prioritize lived experience, and as a result, many of our staff bring first-hand knowledge about receiving and delivering services. We are committed to racial equity, reducing disparities, advancing person-centered care, supporting recovery and stable housing, and social justice.
Our office is based in Massachusetts, but because we work all over the country, so do many of our expert staff.
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Our Experts
Jill Amos
Trainer
Jill Amos has been working in mental health and addiction services for nearly 2 decades as a treatment provider and advocate for people in recovery. She oversaw the certification process for Peer Recovery Support Specialists for Oklahoma for 8 years after working as a Consumer Advocate in treatment services. She also managed the State of Oklahoma Employee Assistance Program where she supported state workers navigating tremendous change and losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about Jill.
Don Andrade
Chief Finance Officer
Don Andrade, CPA, is a seasoned finance professional with over 30 years of experience advising early stage companies to large Global 100 organizations. He currently serves as a virtual CFO for growth entities in various industries. Don has hands-on experience as a leader responsible for developing and implementing key organizational strategies and achieving growth objectives in challenging markets. Previously, Don was a partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP. Learn more about Don.
Ellen Bassuk
Founder and Senior Technical Advisor
Ellen Bassuk, MD, is an applied researcher, psychiatrist, and activist. Dr. Bassuk is at the forefront of research and evaluation, program design, and service delivery to homeless children, families, and other vulnerable populations. She has done extensive research in the fields of homelessness, trauma, mental health, and substance use. She has focused on co-occurring disorders, particularly mental health issues, in homeless individuals and addressed best practices in homeless services, especially for trauma-informed care in shelters. Learn more about Ellen.
Elizabeth Black
Trainer
Elizabeth Black, LADC, Trainer, has more than a decade of experience as a behavioral health program coordinator and trainer. She provides training and technical assistance for mental health and substance use providers. She is a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor and spent the last 10 years overseeing implementation of physical health and wellness interventions in behavioral health services across Oklahoma. Learn more about Elizabeth.
Jon Cox
Director of Housing Solutions
Jon Cox, BS, has twenty-five years of experience working in homelessness, substance use, and supportive housing in the U.S. and United Kingdom. Jon focuses on housing and homelessness technical assistance and is a subject matter expert in recovery housing. He has provided technical assistance to numerous Continuums of Care, led the design and implementation of a diversion program with Ohio’s Balance of State Continuum of Care, and supports communities to increase recovery housing capacity and implement Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) protocols within recovery residences. Learn more about Jon.
Livia Davis
Chief Learning Officer
Vice President, Recovery & Behavioral Health
Livia Davis, MSW, CSWM, has more than twenty-five years of leadership and management experience as well as 14 years of experience as a direct service provider working in homeless services, supportive housing, recovery communities, healthcare and behavioral health, and residential treatment for people experiencing co-occurring disorders. She leads work addressing behavioral health and recovery and drives C4 Innovations’ learning and organizational change strategies. Learn more about Livia.
Holly Echo-Hawk
Tribal Behavioral Health Specialist
Holly Echo-Hawk, MS, is an expert in tribal behavioral health service development, implementation, and sustainability. She focuses on integrating practice-based evidence and evidence-based practices in Native organizations as well as system and service transformation to improve services and operations. Her skills emphasize cross-cultural knowledge, human asset building, and employee behavioral health.
Alexander Fidalgo
Peer Support Specialist
Alexander Fidalgo is a certified addiction coach and has served as coach for various agencies in the state of Massachusetts. He is a bilingual coach, trainer, and curriculum developer on recovery coaching, including certification and recertification classes, overdose prevention training, and stigma and labels. He provides technical support and subject matter expertise in online learning.
Isabel-Kai Fisher
Project Coordinator
Isabel-Kai Fisher (they/them) is a Project Coordinator with lived experience of substance misuse and mental health recovery. From 2018-2021, they were involved in developing and implementing collegiate prevention and recovery programs and supporting students in these programs. Learn more about Isabel-Kai.
Judith Fox
Peer Workforce Development Specialist
Judith Fox, JD, designed, implemented, and managed Rhode Island’s efforts to train, certify, and coordinate the state’s peer recovery workforce. She was Program Director of the Rhode Island Women’s Prison Mentoring Program, a transitional program for women leaving prison. Judy began her career at Rhode Island Legal Services, representing low income people in civil legal matters.
Lindsey Giblin
Data and Impact Analyst
Lindsey Giblin, MSW, has 15 years of experience in the homelessness and affordable housing fields and supports communities working to reduce or end homelessness. She provides technical assistance to communities on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Her areas of focus include advancing racially equitable solutions, data analysis, data collection/visualization support, systems-level performance measurement strategies, and continuous quality improvement.
Laura Gillis
Senior Advisor
Laura Gillis, RN, MS, has over twenty-five years of leadership and management experience in the homeless assistance network and community-based organizations. Laura is a strategic leader who has expertise in program development, planning, and evaluation. She provides consultation on creating strategic plans, setting organizational goals, and securing funding to sustain ongoing programs and expand services. She develops theory-based curricula using adult learning principles and is an effective trainer.
Christy Hahn
Associate Director of Housing Solutions
Christy Hahn, MPA, (she/her) has worked in the homeless services field for 15 years. Christy has a leadership role in the housing and homelessness technical assistance work at C4 Innovations that is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development. Christy's experience includes developing and implementing a housing first approach to services in permanent housing programs. Learn more about Christy.
Ali Hall
Senior Trainer
Ali Hall, JD, is an independent consultant and trainer providing Motivational Interviewing (MI) coding training, coding services, and skill development coaching as well as training for trainers in evidence-based practices. She also provides consultation to systems for establishing communities of practice and effective, sustainable MI implementation. She is the co-developer of the Motivational Interviewing Competency Assessment (MICA) and serves on the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) Board of Directors.
Daisy Hernandez
Trainer
Daisy M. Hernandez, MSW, LCSW, MBA, is a native of Puerto Rico and has dedicated her clinical social work career to community mental and behavioral health organizations within under-served communities. Her professional experience spans the entire spectrum of substance use disorder (prevention through recovery). Daisy has leveraged her lived experience, education, and bilingualism to support and advance racial justice and empower individuals who are over-represented in behavioral health and social services resulting from negative impacts of social determinants of health. Learn more about Daisy.
Ronitia Hodges
Program Manager
Ronitia Hodges, MPA, CAPM, has over 10 years of experience in creating, implementing, and coordinating projects and programs. In her former role as Program Manager, Strategic Partnerships with an Atlanta-based charter school, Roni worked with community and educational partners to coordinate and manage projects bringing opportunity and access to students, families, and staff. Learn more about Roni.
Ken Kraybill
Senior Trainer
Ken Kraybill, MSW, has worked in healthcare, behavioral health, homelessness, and housing for more than 35 years. He has 18 years of experience working as a behavioral health practitioner in homeless services. For the past two decades, he has been developing curricula and facilitating in-person and online training nationally on topics including motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, outreach and engagement, case management, critical time intervention, and supervision. Learn more about Ken.
Keon Lewis
Subject Matter Expert
Keon Lewis is Equity Coordinator for the Cabarrus Health Alliance. Keon works strategically to ensure that his organization achieves total organizational equity by establishing an environment that promotes success for staff and clients. As an innovative thinker, Keon is driven to develop platforms and initiatives that create opportunities for staff to collaborate and enhance their work culture while advancing equity for those that they serve.
Chelo Lundquist Krag
Center for Youth Well-Being Coordinator
Chelo Lundquist Krag (she/her) is a Center for Youth Well-Being coordinator and has lived experience in behavioral health and trauma. She is currently working on implementing Project Amp Jumpstart, a youth-driven substance use prevention and early intervention program for middle schoolers. She also supports projects related to collegiate recovery, youth suicidality, and homeless services. Learn more about Chelo.
Kevin McCarthy
Trainer
Kevin McCarthy, MSW, is a person in long-term recovery, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and recovery advocate. He specializes in the treatment of clients with co-occurring disorders, focusing on challenges with housing and stigma. Kevin is a member of the boards of Heading Home Inc. and Massachusetts Organization for Addiction Recovery. He was a consultant for the Department of Youth Services and MORE Advertising for the Massachusetts State without Stigma campaign.
Daryl McGraw
Associate Director of Social Justice & Recovery
Daryl McGraw, MA, is a certified addictions counselor, recovery support specialist, and criminal justice professional. He focuses on supporting people experiencing addiction and overcoming obstacles upon release from prison. He was Program Director for the Yale University Department of Psychiatry and Director of the Office of Recovery Community Affairs for Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. Learn more about Daryl.
Christina Murphy
Director of Communications
Christina Murphy, MM, has more than 20 years of experience directing and implementing mission-based communications, marketing, public education, and policy strategies on social issues at the national, regional, state, and local levels. She also has experience with government relations, partnership and coalition building, and community organizing and outreach. Learn more about Christina.
Amnoni Myers
Senior Advisor
Amnoni Myers, MPA, is a child welfare advocate, public speaker, consultant, and Resource Family Approval trainer specialist for Stanford Sierra Youth and Families. Amnoni previously worked with the US Children’s Bureau, on Capitol Hill and the White House Domestic Policy Council, and for California Endowment. Amnoni became a ward of the state at birth, and through her experiences in foster care and aging out, she became committed to helping others understand the importance of their voice and experiences in breaking the cycle of poverty. She has received numerous awards for her contributions to child welfare nationwide.
Kim Noerager
Director of Project Operations
Kim Noerager, MPA, PMP, is Director of Project Operations at C4 Innovations. Kim has over 20 years of experience in government/mission-driven areas. She has been project manager for multiple online learning curricula and training products across C4’s government projects with a core focus on homelessness, housing, and recovery. Learn more about Kim.
Kristen Paquette
Chief Executive Officer
President
Kristen Paquette, MPH, is an accomplished leader with over a decade of experience directing C4 Innovations programs, operations, and business development. As one of the founders, she has contributed directly to the company’s success. Kristen’s primary areas of expertise include substance use prevention and recovery supports for youth and adults. She directs the development of a substance use prevention intervention for youth and leads C4 Innovations’ work to advance quality recovery housing. Learn more about Kristen.
Larry Robertson
Senior Advisor
Larry Robertson, MA, focuses on organizational development services that include consulting, coaching, training, and facilitation to help nonprofits and state and local governments assess, plan, and improve organizational strategies, governance, leadership, and talent. Larry specializes in substance use disorder treatment and recovery organizations and systems. Since 2010, he has been teaching courses on Human Services Administration and the Psychology of Group Behavior. He has an MA in Human Development from the University of Maryland and a BA in Psychology from the University of Miami.
Steven Samra
Senior Associate
Steven Samra, MPA, has expertise and lived experience in substance use and mental health recovery, harm reduction approaches, promotion of lived experience as critical experiential knowledge, developing and leading peer advisory councils, peer leadership, cultural competence, criminal justice, and effective outreach and engagement for challenging populations. He serves in leadership capacities for multiple recovery, substance use, mental health, peer involvement, and homelessness focused initiatives. Learn more about Steven.
Erika Simon
Senior Multimedia Producer
Erika Simon, MA, leads multimedia production at C4 Innovations. She has 15 years of experience as a documentary video editor and producer. Her expertise includes all phases of the production process, including video, audio, photo/text narratives, scripts and content, directing and casting talent, media management. She has produced award-winning online learning products. Learn more about Erika.
Ashley Stewart
Director of Health Equity
Racial Equity Subject Matter Expert
Ashley Stewart, PhD, MSSW, is a higher education professional and race equity researcher focused on anti-racist practices and addressing identity-based institutionalized oppression. She promotes self-awareness and advocacy skills through the lens of decolonization and anti-oppression. Prioritizing lived narratives, Ashley takes a person-centered and collaborative approach to identify solutions to equity issues. She is passionate about the translational aspect of research and assessment, promoting evaluative measures to ensure culture-shift, and sustainability of inclusion. Learn more about Ashley.
Nayenday Thurman
Chief Operating Officer
Vice President, Operations
Nayenday Thurman, MBA, has twenty-two years of experience in social justice, non-profit, and government organizations. Previously, Nayenday worked at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development as Director of Economic Development Programs. She strongly believes in supporting mission-driven organizations and also volunteers in her community, lending her expertise as treasurer and mentor. Learn more about Nayenday.
Katie Volk
Senior Advisor
Katie Volk, MA, is a child development specialist who has focused on poverty and related issues since 2000. She has worked with hundreds of community organizations to provide training and technical assistance in the U.S. and Australia. Katie understands the multidimensional needs of vulnerable children and families, needs of the paraprofessionals who serve them, and systems and contexts in which they live and work. She has provided consultation to dozens of organizations on trauma-informed care implementation.
Dwayne Watkins
Health Equity Manager
Dwayne Watkins, MPH, serves as Health Equity Manager at C4 Innovations. He has over 10 years of non-profit professional experience focused on driving the data culture to tell a story, streamline data practices, measure impact, and make data driven evidence-based programming decisions. He has spent the bulk of his professional career working for and with nonprofit organizations that are heavily focused on having long-lasting transformative change for groups and communities that are marginalized. Learn more about Dwayne.
Rowan Willis-Powell
Project Manager
Rowan Willis-Powell (she/they) is an experienced systems transformation advocate with 10 years of experience using their living expertise to uplift the voices of youth peers, guide development of youth peer programs, educate the behavioral health community about supporting LGBTQIA individuals, and advocate for appropriate and equitable suicide prevention and intervention for youth. Learn more about Rowan.
Amy SooHoo White
Program Director
Amy White, MA, has over ten years of experience in the homeless services and behavioral health fields. Her work focuses on supporting homeless service providers nationwide around effective data collection and implementation of best practices with a particular focus on the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program. She has previous experience providing outreach and counseling services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Boston, MA. Learn more about Amy.
Catriona Wilkey
Director of Youth Well-Being
Catriona Wilkey, MPH, MSW, has nine years of research and evaluation experience. Caty has designed and led pilot, feasibility, and evaluation studies as well as randomized controlled trials. She has expertise in mixed methods research and evaluation and in quantitative research. Caty brings a “public health social work” perspective to her work by applying a social/racial justice lens and translating findings to community practice. Learn more about Caty.
Staff Directory
Gina Albano, Lead Youth Wellness Coach
galbano@c4innovates.com
Jill Amos, Trainer
jamos@c4innovates.com
Rio-Madison Aracri, Youth Wellness Coach
rmaracri@c4innovates.com
Ellen Bassuk, Founder and Senior Technical Advisor
ebassuk@c4innovates.com
Elizabeth Black, Trainer
eblack@c4innovates.com
Geena Ciambelli, Youth Wellness Coach
gciambelli@c4innovates.com
Jon Cox, Director of Housing Solutions
jcox@c4innovates.com
Ciara Dacosta-Reyes, Technical Assistance Manager
cdacostareyes@c4innovates.com
Livia Davis, Chief Learning Officer; Vice President, Recovery & Behavioral Health
ldavis@c4innovates.com
Michelle Donovan, Senior Accountant
mdonovan@c4innovates.com
Rachel Ehly, Associate Director of New Business
rehly@c4innovates.com
Isabel-Kai Fisher, Program Coordinator
ifisher@c4innovates.com
Christy Hahn, Associate Director of Housing Solutions
chahn@c4innovates.com
Daisy Hernandez, Trainer
dhernandez@c4innovates.com
Roni Hodges, Program Manager
rhodges@c4innovates.com
Khara House, Senior Writer
khouse@c4innovates.com
Meggee Joseph, Project Coordinator
mjoseph@c4innovates.com
Adrienne Kasmally, Research Manager
akasmally@c4innovates.com
Prekiya Kennebrew, Youth Well-Being Manager
kkennebrew@c4innovates.com
Katie Kobie, Lead Youth Wellness Coach
kkobie@c4innovates.com
Kadyen Lanza, Youth Wellness Coach
klanza@c4innovates.com
Chelo Lundquist Krag, Center for Youth Well-Being Coordinator
clundquistkrag@c4innovates.com
Lee Locke-Hardy, Program & Project Operations Manager
llockehardy@c4innovates.com
Isaiah Moore, Youth Wellness Coach
imoore@c4innovates.com
Natalia Muñoz, Youth Wellness Coach
nmunoz@c4innovates.com
Christina Murphy, Director of Communications
cmurphy@c4innovates.com
Kim Noerager, Director of Project Operations
knoerager@c4innovates.com
Kristen Paquette, Chief Executive Officer; President
kpaquette@c4innovates.com
Emily Poitrast, Operations Manager
epoitrast@c4innovates.com
Steven Samra, Senior Associate
ssamra@c4innovates.com
Charlie Schatia, Youth Wellness Coach
cschatia@c4innovates.com
Tracy Schumacher, Training and Technical Assistance Provider
tschumacher@c4innovates.com
Erika Simon, Senior Multimedia Producer
esimon@c4innovates.com
Ashley Stewart, Director of Health Equity
astewart@c4innovates.com
Morgan Tessler, Lead Youth Wellness Coach
mtessler@c4innovates.com
Alicia Thompson, Controller
athompson@c4innovates.com
Nayenday Thurman, Chief Operating Officer; Vice President, Operations
nthurman@c4innovates.com
Dwayne Watkins, Health Equity Manager
dwatkins@c4innovates.com
Catriona Wilkey, Director of Youth Well-Being
cwilkey@c4innovates.com
Rowan Willis-Powell, Project Manager
rwillispowell@c4innovates.com
Melissa Witham, Technical Assistance Manager
mwitham@c4innovates.com
