our board Members
TAMIKA SPELLMAN
Board Chair (Interim) · She/Her · Alabama
Executive Director, Grammy's Place
Board Expertise: Advocacy, Policy & Movement Leadership
Tamika is a nationally recognized harm reduction advocate who has spent more than three decades advancing policy, organizing, and systems change on behalf of Black transgender communities, sex workers, and people who use drugs. Her leadership has helped shape local and national legislation, and she continues to advise policymakers while building Grammy's Place, a safe housing initiative for Black transgender women.
MARGARET BORDEAUX
Board Secretary · She/Her · North Carolina
Director of Strategy & Implementation, brighter NC (bNC)
Board Expertise: Community Leadership, Health Justice & Governance
Margaret is a health and justice advocate whose work centers on Black and Brown women and girls, advancing gender-responsive and culturally responsive approaches to substance use and legal system reform. Drawing on experience in sociology, public health, and healthcare administration, she develops community-driven strategies that strengthen health systems and support people navigating complex systems.
RICKY BLUTHENTHAL, PhD
Board Member · He/Him · California
Chair & Distinguished Professor, Keck School of Medicine, USC
Board Expertise: Clinical, Public Health & Research
Ricky is an internationally recognized public health researcher whose work has advanced HIV prevention, harm reduction, and drug policy through more than 210 peer-reviewed publications. His research has helped shape evidence-based approaches to improving health outcomes for people who use drugs and other historically marginalized communities.
KANIKA CUNNINGHAM, MD,
MPH, CPE
Board Member · She/Her · Missouri
Director of Public Health, St. Louis County Department of Public Health
Board Expertise: Clinical, Public Health & Communications
Kanika is a physician and public health leader who has advanced community-centered approaches to improving health outcomes through clinical care, public health leadership, and systems change. Her work has focused on expanding access to care, integrating harm reduction into public health practice, and reducing stigma through community partnerships and education.
ANTHONY B. EDWARDS, MBA, CCF, MFM, AMA, AFA, MFP
Board Member · He/Him · New York
Chief Financial Officer, Urban Resource Institute
Board Expertise: Finance & Fiscal Oversight
Anthony has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit social services finance. As a seasoned financial executive, he brings deep expertise in fiscal oversight, organizational stewardship, and the financial systems needed to support long-term organizational stability and growth.
MARIAH FRANCIS
Board Member · She/They · Kentucky
Founder, BridgePoint Birth & Repro Care; March of Dimes Fellow
Board Expertise: Policy, Coalition Building & Communications
Mariah is a health policy strategist and coalition builder who helps translate complex policy into coordinated action. Her work bridges advocacy, government, philanthropy, and community partnerships to strengthen maternal health, reproductive justice, harm reduction, and community health initiatives.
ALEXIS R. POSEY, Esq.
Board Member · She/Her · New York
Founder & Principal, Lineage Law & Strategies, PLLC
Board Expertise: Legal, Governance & Policy
Alexis is an attorney, strategist, and executive leader whose work helps organizations navigate complex questions of governance, policy, and systems change. Through Lineage Law & Strategies, she advises leaders across public health, philanthropy, and nonprofit sectors, bringing a deep understanding of how law, policy, and institutional culture shape community outcomes.
STELLA SAFO, MD, MPH
Board Member · She/Her · New York
Physician & Founder, Just Equity For Health
Board Expertise: Clinical, Public Health & Health Equity
Stella is a physician, public health leader, and healthcare strategist who has led clinical transformation initiatives across health systems while advancing racial and gender equity in medicine. Through Just Equity for Health, she partners with organizations to redesign care delivery, strengthen health equity, and translate research into more equitable healthcare systems.