Governing Board Members
| Lesley Hunt, Chairperson | Kim Dodge |
| Angela Jarnaghan, Vice Chairperson | Marjorie Colegrove |
| Karen Kyle, Secretary/Treasurer | Elizabeth Turner |
| Dr. Eva Smith (ex-officio member) |
Executive Staff
Emmett Chase MD MPH, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Chase began work here in 1997. A native of Hoopa and a Hupa Tribal member, Dr. Chase attended Hoopa High before going to UC Davis, Stanford Medical School, and UCLA School of Public Health. Preventive medicine and public health are Dr. Chase’s special interests. His primary interest off the job is his family, followed by reading and golf.
Mary Benedict, CFO
Ms. Benedict is an experienced financial officer with more than twenty-five years of experience in billing, finance, trust fund accounting, and business financial management. She served as the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Treasurer tracking and auditing the Tribe’s trust fund reserve and worked on national workgroups to develop modern systems for federal trust fund monitoring and protection. She has more than ten years of experience working as a lead finance person in combined tribal and private sectors in healthcare, business, and construction.
Eva Smith MD, Medical Director / Acorn Provider
Dr. Smith is family practice physician with more than thirty years of experience in public health, addiction treatment, and preventative medicine. Her major emphasis has been on public policy relating to Native Americans administered through the Indian Health Service (IHS) and medical facilities delivering services. As one of the major authors of an IHS plan to address alcohol treatment-related findings from reports of the Office of Inspector General, her guidance in shaping policy and treatment made her ideal for roles as a Branch Chief and Medical Advisor.
As a public health service officer, the Hoopa Valley Tribe requested her assignment to K’ima:w Medical Center from the Headquarters office of IHS in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Stephen Stake DrPH, Chief Operations Officer
Dr. Stake is a specialist in health system administration, program development, monitoring and evaluation, analysis, teaching, and cross-cultural communication. He has over ten years of public health leadership focusing on social and behavioral interventions for indigenous populations including Apache, Mixtec, and Sylhetti.
As a Johnson & Johnson Community Health Care Scholar for his work in developing sustainability in poor areas, he comes to K’ima:w Medical Center from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health where he was an Associate Faculty member.
Jessica Mosier, Executive Secretary/CQI Coordinator/Joint Commission Liaison
Ms. Mosier has been with K’ima:w Medical Center for nearly twenty years. She has been the Executive Secretary since 2005 providing continuity to the medical center administration and orienting each new Governing Board member to organization policies. In addition, she acts as a continuous quality improvement monitor and a liaison for Joint Commission accreditation standards.
Judith Surber, Grant Writer, Acting HR Director
Ms. Surber has been with the Hoopa Valley Tribe for nearly 30 years. Her most recent post has been as a Grant Writer for K’ima:w. Her previous assignment at K’ima:w involved running Project Connect, a domestic violence prevention program, that spanned multiple grant funding sources.
Medical Staff
Dagim Taddesse PharmD, APh, CDE, Pharmacy Director/Advanced Practice Pharmacist
Dr. Taddesse has started working at KMC since January of 2017. Dr. Taddesse received his BA in molecular and cell biology (MCB) degree from the University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) and he received his Doctor of Pharmacy from Touro University California. Recently, Dr. Taddesse becomes an advanced practice pharmacist who will deliver patient centered care service in a clinical setting. Dr. Taddesse will focus on and deliver services in different areas such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, anticoagulation, depression/anxiety, and safe medication use in geriatric population. Dr. Taddesse makes every effort to provide high standard and quality patient centered care services for his patients.
Susan Walsh FNP, River Ducks Provider
Ms. Walsh started at KMC in February 2000. She attended Humboldt State University (CSU Humboldt) and received her NP from Sonoma State (CSU Sonoma). Her special area of interest is Diabetic care. She is also interested in gardening and reading. What she wants patients to know about her is that she thinks KMC is a great place to work and that she likes her patients.
Acorn Team Provider
Dental Staff
Doyle Bradshaw DDS, Dental Director
Yecenia Torres, Dental Hygienist
Yecenia Torres is a dental hygienist with eight years of clinical practitioner experience. Prior to becoming a hygienist, she spent eight years as an assistant to dental practitioners. She attained her education in New York— receiving her Associates of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. Later, she continued her education in Florida where she then earned her Bachelors of Science in Dental Hygiene. Her goals are to continue her education towards a Masters Degree in health to enhance her skill set. Her decision to attend dental hygiene school was based solely on her love for dentistry after seeing many smile makeovers. On a personal note, she has come to Hoopa with her dog and is looking forward to the adventures California has in store. She has an adventurous soul, enjoys watching sports, remaining active, and helping out where she can. Yecenia is grateful for these small yet grand blessings.
Trang Nguyen DDS, Dentist
Dr. Nguyen has earned her bachelor degree at the University of California, Davis and received her doctorate degree at the University of the Pacific, San Francisco in 1994. She has practiced general dentistry since and also has served as Clinical Adjunct Instructor at the University of the Pacific teaching second year dental students. Dr. Nguyen enjoys working with patients of all ages providing dentistry in a cost-effective care with the underlying foundation of overall health and esthetic restoratives.
Behavioral Health Staff
Boyd Ferris MSW CADC II, Behavioral Health Director
Boyd began work at K’ima:w Medical Center in 2012. He attended College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State. He is a CADC II and enjoys helping others make a change. Boyd is a Hupa tribal member and is very involved in the ceremonies. The hobbies that he enjoys are gathering firewood, fishing, and hunting. One day he would like to help create a curriculum that incorporates tribal culture and traditions.
Damon Cross, CADC I
Damon Cross is currently a certified alcohol and drug counselor I. Damon is a recovering addict/alcoholic himself who has been clean from alcohol and drugs since 2012. He began in this field as a volunteer for a substance abuse treatment center and worked his way from the bottom up. Damon has dedicated his life to helping the suffering addict/alcoholic. Damon is a member of the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals.