Staff

Prior to joining the AHC/CHCN team, Karen served for nearly 19 years at Alameda Health System managing areas of the Revenue Cycle Division that included Enrollment Services and Training, Revenue Integrity, and Patient Financial Services. Being passionate about education/training, in her senior role, Karen initiated provider education on coding and documentation compliance to improve billing clean claims. Following her tenure with the health system, she was Call Center Manager for Sutter Health Patient Access and Rehabilitation services. Her last position was Dental Program Manager for LifeLong Medical Care with a focus on improving oral health care access and delivery for school-based health clinics and other safety net populations. Karen received a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from California State University East Bay.

Jody joined Alameda Health Consortium in 2018  as its Manager of Advocacy and Communications and became the Director of Advocacy and Communications in 2025. Jody brings over a decade of experience in advocacy at the federal level during her work with California Humanities, a state-wide nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Jody holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Toronto and has done post-graduate work in English Literature, also at the University of Toronto. Jody has always had a passion for advocating for causes she believes in and has worked at the local level on many political campaigns as well as advocating for social justice.

Carolina graduated from California State University, East Bay with a major in Spanish Language and Literature, and a minor in International Studies. Prior to Alameda Health Consortium, Carolina worked for La Clinica de La Raza for 9+ years, the first five years as the Front Desk Clerk and as a Human Service Specialist for the latter four years.

Carolina assisted patients in enrolling in Covered California, HealthPAC, and through active outreach to Medi-Cal, and CalFresh. Carolina brings not just experience in enrollment but a passion for working with our underserved community members and with patients from all backgrounds to ensure that they have access to quality healthcare. Carolina understands and appreciates the importance of educating our patients on accessibility to public health coverage programs.

Zara brings over eight years of experience in U.S. health policy, public health, and health systems operations. Prior to joining the consortium, Zara served as a public policy manager at Medicines360, a nonprofit pharma focused on addressing equitable access to medicines for women. She brings subject-matter expertise in 340B and Medicaid reimbursement policies and is passionate about leveraging policy and evidence-based solutions to target health outcomes.

Zara earned her Bachelors from the University of California, Irvine, and earned a Masters in Public Health from Columbia University, where she focused on understanding structural and social inequities impacting underserved communities’ health. Raised in the San Francisco, Bay Area, Zara is a baker, swimmer, scuba diver, sunset lover, and farmers market fiend.