Executive Certificate in Diversity and Health Equity: Faculty

Dr. Toni Flowers is an Award-winning Diversity Professional and is honored to serve as the inaugural Chief Diversity & Social Responsibility Officer at LCMC Health. Where she designs and implements organizational strategies for their 9 hospitals: to ensure equitable healing environments, to promote equitable and inclusive workplaces and demonstrate via social impact efforts, the organization’s social responsibility. She is a registered nurse, medical anthropologist, adjunct professor and returning guest lecturer for several prominent universities.

Dr. Flowers is the recipient of numerous local and national awards and recognitions. These honors and acknowledgements reflect her influence demonstrated to impact how organizations approach health care delivery, develop health care policy and advocate for the next generation of leaders. Dr. Flowers has provided training, development and executive coaching to new and emerging healthcare diversity practitioners in hospitals and health systems nationally for over a decade.

She is recognized, nationally, as a leader and trainer on the topics of diversity strategy and action planning, customer experience, health equity, cultural competency, community health, health literacy, organizational culture change and social marketing, providing presentations to national, regional, and local audiences annually. She was distinguished by the Department of Health and Human Services for designing and implementing a project that resulted in the greatest reduction of healthcare disparities in the country, a 60.1% reduction. She is a passionate servant-leader who is committed to equity and social justice.

Andrés Gonzalez has successfully created and implemented community engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and supplier diversity programs for a number of the country’s most respected health care organizations. His teams have positively affected their organization by penetrating diverse markets and make a substantial impact on the communities they serve, ensuring patients receive culturally and linguistically competent care that can lead to better health outcomes. They proactively address community health needs through innovative programs and partnerships that improve population health and reduce disparities.

Gonzalez joined Froedtert Health in 2015. He currently serves as the Vice President for Community Engagement and Chief Diversity Officer for the health network, which includes 11 hospitals, over 2,000 physicians and more than 45 health centers and clinics in Wisconsin.

• In his role as Chief Diversity Officer, he leads diversity, equity and inclusion strategic initiatives including Business Resource Groups (BRGs), the Community Engagement team, Diversity Action Teams (DATs), diversity and cultural competence education, emerging markets initiative, health equity, language services, supplier diversity, leadership development, and diverse talent acquisition, development and retention efforts.
• As leader of Community Engagement, Gonzalez develops core principles to address community needs and minimize health disparities. He is responsible for expanding community collaborative governance, partnering with physician leaders to address population health, and improving access to care for those living in poverty. He facilitates community relationship development with stakeholders to grow the health system's reputation, business, and impact on health.

Gonzalez served from 2012 to 2015 as the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for Baystate Health in Springfield, Massachusetts. He supplied direction to the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, where he led broad strategic initiatives including Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs), diversity council, leadership development initiatives, diversity and cultural competence education, supplier diversity and New England’s premier diversity conference.

From 2007 to 2012, Gonzalez was the Director of Diversity & Community Outreach and Interim Supplier Diversity Director at Cleveland Clinic Health System. He designed and implemented initiatives across the health system such as Employee Resource Groups, diversity councils, language enrichment, supplier diversity programs and community outreach.

Gonzalez began his career as an alcohol and drug prevention specialist and was promoted to Executive Director of the community-based Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program (UMADAOP) in Cleveland. He also served as Executive Director of El Barrio, a workforce development agency in Cleveland.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in education (M.Ed.) with a concentration on community agency counseling, both from Cleveland State University. He also completed the certification program at Cornell University’s Industrial and Labor Relations Department and earned a Cornell Certified Diversity Practitioner/Advanced Practitioner (CCDP/AP) certification. He is a member of the faculty at Elevate, an education and career-development partnership with University of California-San Diego Rady School of Management.

Gonzalez is a graduate of Cleveland Public Schools, is a German Marshall Fund Fellow, and a graduate of: Esperanza (Cleveland); Cleveland Bridge Builder’s Flagship Program; Leadership Cleveland; and Next Generation Executive Leadership Program (The Partnership Inc., Boston).

Gonzalez serves on the national boards of American Heart/Stroke Association’s Diversity Leadership Committee and Health Equity Taskforce, American Leadership Council for Diversity in Healthcare (ALCDH), and American Hospital Association Institute for Diversity and Health Equity’s Equity of Care Committee.

He is a member of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE). He also serves on the following local boards: Employ Milwaukee; La Causa, Inc.; Milwaukee Repertory Theater; National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives Wisconsin Chapter; Nativity Jesuit Academy; Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers; YMCA Metro Milwaukee and Waukesha County Land Conservancy.

Guided by her passion for advancing justice, cultural competence and equity, Peggy has a long track record of developing leading-edge strategies and innovative DE&I practices in leadership. Having started her career as a Registered Nurse, Peggy has a diverse work history and has held multiple leadership positions throughout her career.

In her role as Regional Chief Diversity Officer at Atrium Health, Peggy is responsible for DEI Strategy Execution and Administration, which includes the alignment of workforce DEI activities, oversight of System Resource Groups and DEI councils, DEI community engagement, military, and veteran affairs, as well as DEI education, consulting, and communications for the Greater Charlotte Region. She and her awesome team support strategy and initiatives that advance the Atrium Health Diversity Agenda and For All mission; and positively impact the lives of patients, teammates, learners and communities.

Ms. Harris received a BSN from Florida State University, a master’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in Healthcare Administration and a Certificate in Diversity Management (CDM) from the Institute for Diversity in Health Management and Simmons College in Boston, MA. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and earned the certification of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

Peggy is a nationally recognized leader and serves as chair of the Leadership Council of the Institute for Diversity & Health Equity(IFDHE) -an organization of the American Hospital Association (AHA), as well as on the boards of several other national and local organizations. She is a past recipient of the Diversity in Business Award from the Diversity Council of the Carolinas and the Charlotte Business Journal. She has received national recognition as a Diversity Champion and as one of the Top 100 Healthcare Diversity Officers. She is married to an OB/GYN physician and has four lovely and accomplished daughters.

Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, MA, UW Health Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Associate Dean for Diversity and Equity Transformation, leads a cross-functional office that consists of the SMPH Office of Diversity and Equity Transformation and the UW Health Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. leading the for the design and implementation. She is responsible for overall vision, coordination and strategic initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion including partnerships with community organizations to better connect and serve historically marginalized communities.

She completed her undergraduate degree at Ecole d´Interprètes Internationaux in Mons, Belgium, followed by a Master of Arts in International Policy Studies at Monterey Institute of International Studies in California. In 2015 she earned a Certificate in Diversity Management from Georgetown University.

In 1997 she first joined the health system to establish UW Health’s medical interpretation services program. She became director of community partnerships for UW Health, and then UW Health Chief Diversity Officer. In 2020 her health system role was elevated to a vice president position.

Bidar-Sielaff is an established leader and effective champion for advancing equity and diversity at the individual, organizational, and community levels. She has served as an alder on the City of Madison Common Council and serves on the Governor’s Health Equity Council, co-chairs the Latino Health Council of Dane County, and is a member of the Madison Community Foundation Board. Her many accolades include being named as a 2019-20 UW–Madison Outstanding Woman of Color.

Heidi Gartland is a health care executive, community leader and health policy expert at University Hospitals of Cleveland, a $5.3 billion comprehensive health system with a national reputation for providing world class health care, research and education.

Headquartered in Cleveland, UH serves over 1 million patients through a network of 21 hospitals, more than 50 health centers and outpatient facilities, and physician offices in more than 200 locations across 16 counties in northern Ohio.

She leads UH’s strategy for community relations, community benefit, community health strategic investments, corporate reinvestment, strategic economic-development projects, government and regulatory affairs, and diversity and inclusion commitments. She advocates for University Hospitals at the federal, state and local level, and is a decorated government relations leader.

Ms. Gartland is also a dedicated civic leader at the local, state and national levels. In 2023, she was appointed by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to serve as the Deputy Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, after serving on the board as an elected Class B member since 2021. She previously served for three years on the Bank’s Community Advisory Board. She also serves as the Chair of the Trauma Centers Association of America Board (Charlotte, NC), the Region 5 Policy Board for the American Hospital Association (AHA) (Washington, DC), Ohio Children’s Hospital Association (Columbus), Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (Cleveland), and Cleveland’s In Counsel with Women. Ms. Gartland is a member of The United Way Greater Cleveland’s Community Investment Committee of the Board. In 2019, she was appointed to Ohio’s Medicaid Medical Care Advisory Committee, a federally designated policy advisory body.

Previously, she chaired the boards of the Institute for Health Innovation (Columbus); NewBridge Cleveland; the Foundation for Healthy Communities (Columbus); Center for Health Affairs (Cleveland) and Voices for Ohio’s Children (Columbus). She also co-chaired the 2016 United Way of Greater Cleveland campaign, the Cleveland Foundation’s Economic Inclusion Management Committee, the Infant Mortality Community Health Action Team, which is part of the Greater University Circle Initiative, and was a member of the Northeast Ohio Area wide Coordinated Agency’s Advisory Committee.

Honors include election as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (Chicago, IL) and as a board member of the American Leadership Council for Diversity in Healthcare (Chicago, IL). In 2023, the American Hospital Association honored Ms. Gartland as a Health Equity Pioneer and the YWCA of Greater Cleveland honored her as a Woman of Achievement. Previously, Ms. Gartland was recognized as a Health Care Hero by Crain’s Cleveland Business and profiled for her advocacy leadership by Inside Business magazine.

Ms. Gartland completed her undergraduate degree at Ohio’s College of Wooster. She earned a Masters of Health Administration at The Ohio State University and a Certificate in Diversity Management from Georgetown University. For over seven years, Ms. Gartland served as an adjunct faculty member at Baldwin Wallace University, teaching Health Policy and Law in the MBA program. Currently, she is an instructor for AHA’s Certificate in Diversity Management. She is a regular speaker nationally and in Ohio on emerging health policy issues.

Prior to working at University Hospitals, Ms. Gartland worked at the Ohio Hospital Association (Columbus), the Illinois Hospital Association (Naperville, IL), Rush Medical Center (Chicago, IL); The Ohio State University (Columbus) and Akron Children’s Hospital (Akron).

Ms. Gartland and her husband, Dan, live in Hudson, Ohio and they have two adult daughters and a son-in law.

Dr. Jakki Opollo is the Vice President of Talent Initiatives and Regional Chief Diversity Officer at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, now part of Advocate Health. In this role she is responsible for leading organizational strategies that embed diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices in the programming of DEI initiatives that impact patients, teammates, learners, and communities served. Prior to this role, Dr. Opollo served as VP of Nursing Talent Acquisition and strategy at Atrium Health during the pandemic. With 20 years of nursing and healthcare experience, she brings a vast experience in healthcare including critical care, research, academia, leadership, administration, and a deep commitment to global health issues. She has successfully led the pursuit and attainment of ANCC Pathway to excellence designation.

Dr Opollo has held graduate faculty appointments at the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovations and Baylor Louise Herrington School of Nursing, Dallas, TX. She holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of North Texas Health Sciences Center. She is certified as an Advanced Nurse Executive by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is a member of several professional organizations including the American Organization of Nurse Leaders and the Society for Human Resources Management.

Originally from Kenya, Dr Opollo is highly respected for elevating nursing practice and professional excellence in nursing globally. She has been the recipient of numerous nursing excellence awards and honors including the DFW Employee of the Year Award, DFW Great 100 Nurse Award, D Magazine Nursing Excellence award and HCA Frist Humanitarian award. She is also the recipient of several diversity leadership awards including the 2023 Linkage @ SHRM Company Women in Leadership Executive Impact Award, 2023 Atrium Health Pinnacle Award Finalist, 2022 Top 100 Under 50 Executive Leader by Diversity MBA and the 2022 Atrium Health African American Women Exemplifying Commitment to Equity & Leadership Diversity Champion of the Year award. Her ability to connect, collaborate and influence organizational decisions has earned Atrium Health National recognitions including but not limited to the 2023 Top Diversity Organization by Modern Healthcare, 2023 Parity.Org Best Employer for Women and People of Color and 2022 AONL Nursing Prism Award for advancing DEI in the nursing profession. She has published several articles in peer reviewed journals, and has presented locally, nationally, and internationally.

Kevin is the third president and chief executive officer of the National Institute of Minority Economic Development in Durham, NC. The Institute, a 37-year-old nonprofit management consulting and services firm, is focused on business diversity and inclusion. They are trusted advisors to businesses large and small, government agencies, policy makers and organizations that understand the key roles diversity and inclusion play in ensuring business and economic success. Their client services include customized one-on-one assistance, training, knowledge, networks and solutions that create diverse, globally competitive companies. The Institute is an award-winning organization and leading voice and constant advocate for public policies and business practices that promote marketplace diversity and inclusion. In June 2020, The Institute successfully merged with the North Carolina Community Development Initiative and rebranded it as Institute Capital (ICAP). ICAP is a community development financial institution, providing vital financing to diverse businesses, community development corporations and HBCUs throughout the state. Both organizations are headquartered in Durham, NC on Parrish Street, which was once known as the “Black Wall Street” of the south.

Price’s career has been steeped in community economic development for over 30 years. He joined The Institute as a veteran business leader in healthcare, supplier diversity, faith-based affordable housing, community development and commercial banking. Immediately prior to joining The Institute March 9, 2020, Price was Senior Director of Supplier Diversity & Performance Analytics at Novant Health for 14 years. While there, he launched their supplier diversity activities, growing spend by more than 500% utilizing over 550 diverse suppliers resulting in over $1 billion in spend since its launch in 2006, automated Tier I and II reporting, encouraged numerous majority/diverse joint ventures, collaborated with the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth to add a healthcare component to their Minority Executive Training program for six consecutive years and launched a $5 million loan guarantee program for diverse suppliers, in partnership with M&F Bank. Price also served as a master diversity and inclusion facilitator/trainer for the company.

Prior to joining Novant Health, Price spent many years in banking as a commercial lender and business development officer, real estate developer and community development and CRA leader. He served as Vice President/Senior Business Development Officer for M&F Bank, Vice President/Director of Faith-Based Initiatives for Regency Development, a subsidiary of SunTrust Bank and Group Vice President/Corporate Community Development & CRA leader for SouthTrust Bank.

His banking experience was preceded by several years spent working as Vice President of Special Programs at Project Homestead, a community development corporation, in which he managed credit lines with nine banks and produced more than $40 million worth of single family, multi-family and retail developments.

Some of Kevin’s awards and civic engagements include:

Awards

• 2023 Black Business Ink – Power 100 award
• 2022 NC Project Lead – Changemaker award
• 2021 North Carolina Business Council – Outstanding Service Award
• 2020 Federation of American Hospitals – Corris Boyd Leadership award
• 2019 National Minority Manufacturers Summit – “Making A Difference” award
• 2018 NC Veterans Business Association – Advocate award
• 2017 James B. Dudley High School Hall of Fame/Hall of Distinction Inductee
• 2015 Diversity MBA – “Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Executive & Emerging Leaders”
• 2014 Owens & Minor – Earl G. Reubel Civic Leader award
• 2014 CVMSDC – Advocate of the Year award
• 2013 NCIMED – Minority Business Advocate of the Year award

Leadership & Community Involvement

• Governor Cooper Appointee – Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental and Health Equity Task Force
• Board Member – Downtown Durham, Inc.
• Board Member – Institute for Emerging Issues
• Board Treasurer – Diversity Information Resources
• Advisory Board Member – Healthcare Management Program– Winston-Salem State University
• Advisory Board Member – Healthcare Management Program – Pfeiffer University
• Guest Faculty – AHA Institute for Diversity in Health Management
• Previous Governor Hunt Appointee – NC Small Business Council
• Active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

Price is a US Army veteran. After completing military service, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science/Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He also completed his Masters in Health Administration and Masters in Business Administration, both from Pfeiffer University. He is married to Michelle Y. Price and they have three young adult children.

Juana Spears Slade is chief diversity officer and director of language services with AnMed.

Under her leadership AnMed has developed an integrated diversity, inclusion, and health equity framework to support the region’s increasingly diverse patient population and workforce. AnMed’s transformative work in cultural and linguistic competence has been recognized by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; the South Carolina Hospital Association; the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce; and the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity in Health Equity (IFDHE); South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation; The Riley Institute of Furman University (Greenville, SC); and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. Earlier this year, AnMed received the Drive to Zero Harm award issued by the South Carolina Hospital Association for their work to reduce health disparities.

Juana on numerous boards and not-for-profit organizations. She is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the South Carolina Hospital Association, immediate past chair of the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina and founding member of the Anderson Area Remembrance and Reconciliation Initiative.