BLACK
WOMEN’S
HEALTH
FORUM
2026

Carolyn Johnson, PhD, is the Founding CEO of the Black Cultural Zone CDC and a Strategic Futurist specializing in the nexus of culture and place-keeping.

A Columbia MBA and co-designer of the $100M RISE East blueprint, she has underwritten over $1 billion in real estate assets. In 2019, she led the East Oakland Black Cultural Zone Collaborative in forming the CDC, and in 2025, she co-led the launch of the Centers of Excellence Network.

Dr. Johnson designs innovative system architectures that combine institutional-grade finance with community-led sovereignty.

Carmen M. Ward-Sullivan, PhD, RN, is a nationally recognized nurse leader and humanitarian with 40 years of nursing experience. She serves in leadership at Samuel Merritt University.

Her research focused on symptom science and breast cancer symptom clusters. She is founder of Nyame Dua Foundation, Inc. where she led efforts to build the first maternity clinic serving 11 communities in the Ahafo-Asante Region, Ghana.

She was enstooled as HRH Nana Dr. Amma Maanu Nkosuohemaa for her humanitarian leadership, global service, & health equity.

Saidah Leatutufu-Burch, EdD, is a Black and Sāmoan organizer, orator, and liberationist. Her work is guided by a core belief: Liberate with love. Transform with power.

Serving at the forefront of nationally recognized reparative initiatives across housing, economic mobility, and education, Dr. Sai equips organizations seeking to advance change. Dr. Sai honors the power within neglected communities. She values joy, justice, and the power of the people.

She enjoys spending time with her husband, is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and participates in Niner Empire.

Since 2012, Regina Brown Wilson has served as executive director of California Black Media, a network of more than 30 outlets serving African American communities statewide. Her work focuses on increasing Black-owned publications in California’s media economy.

She co-convenes a coalition of Black, Latino, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Native American news publishers with American Community Media.

A former state government official, she served on the 2020 Census Complete Count Committee, helping secure over $50 million for outreach. She also chairs California’s first Black women’s think tank at CSU Dominguez Hills and serves on multiple advisory boards and civic organizations. 

Candice Thompson, MD, MSc, FACS, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist who completed her training at Georgetown University and her fellowship at Stanford University.

She serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at Stanford School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Stanford Cancer Institute Office of Cancer Health Equity. She has received multiple grants, including the National Cancer Institute Early Surgeon Scientist Grant, supporting research in circulating tumor DNA.

Dr. Thompson serves on local and national committees, including the NCCN Breast Screening and Diagnosis Panel, and co-hosts Pink Table Talk, a monthly breast health webinar for young Black women. 

Jackie L. Mungo is a cancer survivor whose journey through initial misdiagnosis inspired her life’s mission to support others battling cancer. A former staff member of the American Cancer Society, she gained extensive experience in patient advocacy and community outreach.

Jackie is a minister, mother, grandmother, and founding member of the African American Task Force of Contra Costa County, California. She also served as a health educator at the Rivkin Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. As Founder/Director of The Healing Institute Global Network, Jackie is dedicated to cancer prevention, early detection, and ensuring individuals and families never face cancer alone.

Khiara M. Bridges, JD, PhD, is the Earl Warren Professor of Public Law at UC Berkeley School of Law and a nationally recognized expert on race, class, and reproductive rights. Her scholarship has appeared in leading law reviews at Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and UC Berkeley. 

Dr. Bridges has authored four books, including Critical Race Theory: A Primer (2019) and Expecting Inequity (2026). She earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School and her Ph.D. with distinction from Columbia’s Anthropology department. She speaks Spanish and Arabic and danced professionally as a ballet dancer for twenty years.

Kimberly (Kim) Scott, MSN, MBA, RN, is a Nurse Leader from the San Francisco Bay Area. With nearly 30 years of health care experience, Kim has established herself as a nursing advocate, motivator, connector, and author with a passion for mentoring and building community, what she calls “Common Unity.”

She is the immediate past Chair of the National Black Nurses, Inc. Collaborative Mentorship Program, a past NBNA board member, and immediate past President of the Bay Area Black Nurses Association.

Kim currently serves as an adjunct professor, clinical research manager, and consultant.

Affectionately known as “Dr. Donna,” Donna White Carey, MD, MS is a physician, executive leader, and visionary driven by a mission to build a Generational Health Network across the U.S. and the global Diaspora, designed to break cycles of early death.

With over 20 years of experience, she serves as Chief Medical Officer of Alameda Alliance for Health where she leads innovative efforts to improve care for underserved populations in Alameda County.

Dr. Donna is also the Executive Pastor of True Vine Ministries in Oakland. She is married to Pastor Zachary Carey and has two amazing children.

Kimi Watkins-Tartt is the Director of the Alameda County Public Health Department, leading efforts to advance health equity and improve health across one of California’s most diverse counties.

With over 25 years of experience, she has driven initiatives such as Oakland’s Food and Fitness Initiative, advancing racial equity in government, and chronic disease prevention planning.

During COVID-19 response, she led a multi-pronged, community-based response, combining mobile testing and vaccination and community coalitions, that contributed to fewer deaths than comparatively sized counties across U.S.

Shakari Byerly, PhD, is Managing Partner and Director of Polling & Research at EVITARUS, with more than 25 years of experience conducting polling and opinion research nationwide.

She designs and conducts public opinion research across a broad range of issues — including health equity, racial justice, community safety, housing, and economic empowerment — on behalf of foundations, nonprofits, and public and private sector clients.

Dr. Byerly earned a Ph.D. and Master’s in Political Science from UCLA, a Master’s in Public Policy from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and a Bachelor’s in Government from Dartmouth College.

Zhonnet Harper is a Non-Clinical Breast Cancer Navigator in Alameda County, where for over thirteen years she has guided individuals through the intersection of cancer, poverty, and systemic health inequities.

Since 2016, Zhonnet has served on the Alameda County Public Health Commission, holding roles as Chair and Vice Chair, and currently leads the Health Equity in All Policies subcommittee focused on Cancer Care and Social Determinants of Health.

A 2020 American Cancer Society Health Equity Hero Award recipient, she also served as Lead Expert on an ACS/Pfizer grant addressing racial disparities in cancer care for Black patients (2020–2023). A trusted Community Thought Leader, Zhonnet remains committed to dismantling systemic racial and health inequities.

Flojaune Cofer, PhD, is a nationally trusted public health professional, California policy expert, and local advocate. She is currently a candidate for Sacramento County Supervisor in District 1.

An epidemiologist by training, she previously served as Senior Director of Policy at Public Health Advocates, led statewide health equity initiatives, and advanced maternal health and reproductive coverage through California’s preconception health initiative at CDPH.

In 2024, as a first-time candidate for Sacramento Mayor, she placed first in the primary and received 49.5% of the vote against a two-decade incumbent. That movement continues today under the banner More is Possible.