Staff Bios / UpFront Newsletter Spring 2022

Isaac Brown joined Health Brigade in July 2021 as a CHARLII Case Manager. He graduated from Old Dominion University with a B.S. in Human Services & Counseling in 2012. Along his journey in the social services field, he has worked with at-risk youth in Atlanta, Georgia assisting in family intervention, and individual counseling. Relocating to Los Angeles in 2018, Isaac worked with the formerly homeless population as a Resident Advocate for LA Family Housing in their North Hollywood location. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Isaac returned to Virginia where he attends Simmons University in pursuit of his MSW degree. The CHARLII program, Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Resources and Linkages for Inmates, assists individuals who are within 90 days of being released from prison or jail to receive services that are specific to their unique needs.

Marianny De Aza joined Health Brigade as the Clinic Manager in August 2021 She considers herself “a young dreamer”—not settling due to barriers or circumstances. She is bilingual speaking both Spanish and English. From the Dominican Republic, Marianny graduated from a School
of Medicine as a General Doctor. She practiced for a couple of years until she decided to expand her knowledge with new challenges and goals for her career. Her passion is to work with the community especially those in need. She is the mother of two beautiful girls ages eight and six. Marianny loves to travel, read, be outdoors, dance and do Karaoke.

Jenee Johnson, MSW, LCSW, BCD joined HB in August 2021 as the new Social Work & Support Services Manager. Jenee worked with HB back in 2014 in our HOPWA HIV Case Management Program and prior to that got her start as a Social Work Intern in our Medical Clinic. Since 2015, she has been in various Social Work positions at VCU Health and most recently provided mental health therapy in the HIV RWB program there. In her spare time, Jenee enjoys providing service to others in a private practice therapy setting, meditating, and is also liking life as a newlywed and proud dog parent to her beloved rescue pit, Petey. Her home base will be with the Medical Team, but she will be working across departments and leading the agency in building out a comprehensive vision of Social Work services at Health Brigade, including interdisciplinary care, SW intern program, clinical social work, case management and group work.

Josue Turrubiates joined HB in August 2021 as the 2nd Floor Administrative Assistant. He graduated from VCU in 2018 with a Political Science degree with a minor in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s studies. Since 2018, he has worked in the political sphere on campaigns such as Senator Kaine’s 2018 campaign, Delegate Dawn Adam’s 2019 campaign, last year on the Biden/Harris campaign here in Virginia, and this year on Delegate Elizabeth Guzman’s campaign for Lt. Governor. “I am very excited to be working here with everyone and doing my part in helping underserved communities especially as someone who is a first-generation Mexican-American and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. I live here in Richmond with my boyfriend and our two cats, Daisy and Taki and
am avid comic book collector. I plan to eventually go to law school and study immigration and civil rights law.”

Claire Westbrook joined HB in September 2021 as a Medical Clinic Bilingual Receptionist. She graduated from Syracuse University in 2011 with a dual major in International Relations and Spanish. She is currently enrolled in VCU’s SETI (Spanish English Translation Interpretation) certificate program. Claire first learned about Health Brigade through the SETI internship program and began volunteering with the Medical Clinic as an interpreter. In addition, she will further her role on the interpretation team, learning more here while also sharing her experience and classroom knowledge.
Although not native to Richmond, Claire has been a resident for the last eight years and has come to consider Richmond home.
Helping the underserved members of her community is Claire’s passion. She looks forward to this opportunity to assist in providing vital services and resources to those members who are vulnerable. Claire is especially passionate about working with the Spanish-speaking members of her community and looks forward to helping Spanish speakers break through some of the language access barriers they face every day.

Julie Lawson joined our HB as the new Finance & Operations Administrator in October 2021. Julie grew up in Denver and has spent the majority of her career in management. She started in “data processing” back before it was called “IT”. She has worked in multiple industries, but her first healthcare position was in surgical practice management 21 years ago—a shared position between the Department of Surgery for the University of Colorado School of Medicine and The Children’s Hospital. Julie has primarily been in academic healthcare and in 2016 switched from surgery and OR management to ambulatory services. She moved to VA in 2012 to work as the Administrator for the Department of Surgery at VCU and that is where she transitioned to VP for Ambulatory Care. Her most recent position was at Rutgers RWJ Medical School as the Executive Director for Ambulatory Care Services. Julie has a BS in Organizational Management from Colorado Christian University and an MS in Management from the University of Colorado, Denver. She is so excited to be back in Richmond with her two adult children and their spouses and her perfectly delightful 3 grandchildren. They are almost 5, 3 and 11 months. The oldest is autistic so she has a special place in her heart for those who struggle with social interactions. Julie’s mission in life is to reverse the effects of hate with love. She believes that every single person has great value and is so honored to be a part of Health Brigade!

Sasha Poggi started at HB in January 2022 as the Medication Coordinator. Previously, she worked at Walmart as a Certified Pharmacy Technician for
two years. “As a type 1 diabetic, I believe that insulin or any other medication is not a privilege but a right for all people. I was a patient at Health Brigade when I moved to Richmond 5 years ago and participated in many of the programs. I only dreamed that one day I would be helping people in the same way I was helped years ago. I am very excited to start my journey with Health Brigade and give back to the community!”

Emely Baez Salazar joined HB as a Community Health Worker to serve the Latino community in January 2022. She is from the Dominican Republic. She moved to the United States when she was two years old. “I have practically lived in Richmond my whole life while still visiting Dominican Republic every chance
I get. I speak both English and Spanish fluently. I like to consider myself hybrid in that aspect because I learned both languages simultaneously. When asked I always tell people I am fluent in Spanglish. “I am currently working on my associates degree at John Tyler Community College. My passion has always been to help others. From translating for my parents as a child, to advocating for international students all throughout high school. My dream is to be the voice for those who do not have one. I’d like to provide for others the support my mother didn’t have but desperately needed when she moved to this country.”

Jeanette Hall joined HB in January 2022 as the part time On-Site Program Leader with the CHR program. “I was also a volunteer with the program when it first started in 2018. I come with experience from multiple different Harm Reduction programs in San Francisco, CA including being a certified Narcan Trainer with The Dope Project. Currently, I am working towards my hours to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. “I graduated from San Francisco State University in May 2018 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Education and a concentration in Community Based Public Health. Prior to working here, I worked at Family Lifeline doing Early Childhood Home Visiting. Outside of work, I like cooking, live music, the beach and spending time with my family. I have 2 kids, ages five and eight, a kitty named Lobster and a dog, Bitty, that we rescued in 2020 from Richmond Animal Care and Control.”

Guadalupe “Lulu” Fernandez joined HB in March 2022 as a Medical Clinic Bilingual Receptionist. “I am originally from Northern Virginia, but have been living in Richmond since 2018. I originally came down to study Marketing at VCU and just decided to stay here after graduating in 2020. I have 2 Bichon Frise fur babies, Bebo and Beba, and they are my whole world! I also have a passion for makeup. I have been freelancing for 8 years now and absolutely love helping people feel like their most beautiful selves!”

Anthony Hayden joined HB in March 2022 as a Community Health Navigator. He was born and raised in Richmond. After graduating from Open High School, he became a community activist. Volunteering for years to educate, test and heal his surrounding communities on sexual health included HIV and STIs. Over the years, his work lead to and inspired helping more communities such as black youth, LGBTQIA individuals and homeless persons. He enjoys and competes in LGBTQIA activities such Ballroom and Pageantry. In his spare time, he operates a Black-Owned business called Midnight Soulfood & catering. His hobbies and interest are cooking, fashion and traveling.

Margaret Corum (she/her) joined HB in March 2022 as a Comprehensive Harm Reduction Associate. She grew up in Alexandria, Virginia and graduated with a degree in psychology from VCU. She has worked as a baker, copywriter, and most recently, as Lived Experience Coordinator at the VA Dept of Social Services through the AmeriCorps. Her work has focused on advocating for people who use drugs, peers, pregnant and parenting folks, harm reduction, and reducing the stigma around substance use. In her free time, she likes to read, cook, and play around with makeup. She would also like to work towards certification as a Peer Recovery Specialist.