Executive Committee:
Steve Kutz
Stephen Kutz RN, BSN, MPH
Mr. Kutz received his Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Intercollegiate Nursing program/Eastern Washington University in 1974 and has worked as a nurse for 50 years. He received his master’s degree in public health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in 1993. He has served 24 and 1/2 years on in the U. S Army with 20 years on active duty as a nurse in the U.S. Army in most all facets of their health care system at small to 1,000 bed hospitals, clinics, and with 13 of those years spent in preventive medicine and community health. He also worked for more than 12 years in a county health department in Washington as director of public health nursing, while also serving as the health department director for eight years. He is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe in SW Washington where he currently serves on their Tribal Council and has for more than 20 years, and served the Cowlitz Tribe for almost 16 years as the Clinic Manger, Deputy Director, and Executive Director of Health and Human Services. He is currently starting his 3rd year as the Health Division Director for the Suquamish Tribe and started up their health clinic. Health care was promised to the Suquamish in the Point Elliot treat Tribe in 1855 but was not delivered. They now have a health clinic in operation for 1 and ½ years. Mr. Kutz currently serves as the Suquamish Tribal delegate to the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and has been its delegate to the Health and Human Services American Indian/Alaskan Native Health Research Advisory Council 2008 until 2016, as well as serving as a delegate to the IHS budget formulation committee, Indian Health Care Improvement advisory committee, one term as the alternate to the HHS Secretaries Advisory committee, and one term as the delegate to the CDC Tribal advisory committee and is currently on the National Institute of Health Tribal advisory committee. He is active in health policy issues at the national, state, and local levels.
He also served as a delegate to the Washington State American Indian Health Commission for almost 20 years and currently serves as their Chair. He works on the State Mental Health Committee that is advising the state in its efforts to redesign how Medicaid mental health services are delivered to American Indians and Alaskan Natives. He has served for numerous years on the WSU Native American Health Science advisory board and also on the Community Council for the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine. He is the chair of the Governors Indian Health Advisory Council and is going on his 13th year representing Tribes on the State Board of Health and currently serves as the State Board of Health’s representative for 13 years on the Governors Interagency Council on Health Disparities. He also represents Tribes as a co-chair of the Foundational Public Health Steering Committee. He is also currently appointed by the Suquamish Tribe to represent them on the Kitsap Health District Board of Health. He also recently was sworn back into the WA State Guard where he will be working with them on Health issues. He also was recently elected to be a co-chair for the WA State Tribes committee to address the opioid epidemic which is disproportionally impact Tribal people.
Summer Hammons
Summer Hammons
Summer Hammons is a Tulalip Tribal member working as a Legislative Policy Analyst who works for the Treaty Rights & Governmental Affairs Department for the Tulalip Tribes. She primarily works on heath related issues amongst other topics. Tulalip hosted the National Opioid summit last August and she helped behind the scenes for that. Opioid Epidemic and social issues are her passion to help provide solutions and resources for her community. She currently is the Co-Chair for the Regional Tribal Social Services Council, Vice-Chair of American Indian Health Commission, &Vice Chair of Indian Policy Advisory Committee (IPAC). She has her Masters in Business Management and currently, is in her Doctorate Program for Business Administration.
Lona Johnson
Lona Johnson
Lona Johnson is a descendant from Nooksack and Swinomish Tribes. Her Indian name is Hysaleetsa. She is dedicated to improving quality and access to health-related programs and services for all Native Americans.
Lona strives to ensure that the quality of health services is continually improved at Nooksack Indian Tribe as well as throughout Indian Country. She has devoted her career to strengthening health promotion and disease prevention activities. She is committed to ensuring that the health care system can continually provide the necessary care today and has the capacity to identify and adapt to emerging needs and challenges of tomorrow.
Lona’s accomplishments include a two-year certificate in Continuing Health Care Administration from Malaspina University-College, an AAS in Public and Tribal Administration from the Northwest Indian College, a BA in Human Services from Western Washington University, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration in Tribal Governance from The Evergreen State College.
Lona is married to Joseph Johnson and they have 4 beautiful children: Hamilton, Alec, Shoshanah, and Moses. Lona enjoys competing competitively in our traditional war canoe races with Rikkole Cree Canoe Club as well as participating in outrigger competitions nation-wide.
Maureen Kinley
Maureen Kinley
Maureen Kinley ~ Qwe la’ es
American Indian Health Commission Secretary
Tribal Council, Lummi Indian Nation
Appointed Secretary of the American Indian Health Commission in 2023. In 2020 she was elected to Lummi Indian Business Council. Over several years, Maureen served as the Executive Director of the Self-Governance Communication and Education Consortium and currently holds an alternate seat to the SGCE Board of Directors. Maureen is also a member of the Community Health Aide Program Tribal Advisory Committee.
Throughout her tenure on Tribal Council, her focus has been on; the fentanyl crisis, health care, homelessness, elder care, sovereignty and self-governance. During Covid, Maureen worked closely with Council colleagues and the Lummi Public Health Team to keep the Lummi community safe, especially in support of Tribal Elders health and wellness. She is currently working with fellow council members to plan the construction of a Secure Stabilization and Withdrawal Management Service (SWMS) facility which is a much-needed resource for those seeking the first steps to recovery from substance use. Maureen has been working with others to overcome the many housing disparities, including elder housing and assisted living.
Maureen has been happily married to Steve Kinley for 35 years.
Linda Lauch
Linda Lauch
Linda (Stromberg) Lauch was born on the Spokane Indian Reservation in 1962 to Louis (Spokane Tribal Member) and Lois Stromberg.
She was employed at the American Indian Community Center as a receptionist during college in 1985. During her 39 years at AICC, Linda has spent most of her time running the Employment and Training programs and helping Indian people find employment, and get into higher education and vocational training. Linda was also instrumental in the founding of Goodheart Behavioral Health, an AICC Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health Treatment Program.
In October 2019, she was made the Executive Director of the AICC.
Other accomplishments:
- Founding member of the planning committee for the Spokane Falls Northwest Encampment and Pow Wow (now called “Gathering at the Falls”. (15 years)
- Planning committees for National and Regional Indian and Native American Employment and Training conferences. (1991, 2006, 2016, 2017)
- Recognized by the Department of Labor as “Outstanding Grantee” 3 times.
- US Census Complete Count and Tribal Complete Count Committee member, 2000, 2010, 2020.
- Member of Empire Health Foundation Community Advisory Committee. Working towards equity and inclusion in the distribution of ARPA dollars in and around Spokane, WA.
- Member of the Washington State Department of Commerce Steering Committee working toward equity and inclusion in the distribution of new Rental Assistance program dollars to “By and For” organizations in Washington State.
- Member of the (DSHS) Indian Policy Advisory Committee and (DCYF) Tribal Policy Advisory Committee.
- Member at Large Delegate to American Indian Health Commission
- Member at large member of the AIHC Board
- Member of the Tribal Leaders Collaborative (Better Health Together).
- Member of Tribal Leadership Alliance (Empire Health Foundation).
Executive Director:
Vicki Lowe
Vicki Lowe
Executive Director, American Indian Health Commission for Washington State
360-460-3580 | vicki.lowe@aihc-wa.com
Vicki Lowe, a descendant of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Bella Coola First Nations, began working in the Jamestown Tribes Health Program in 1996 and has seen this program through many changes in the world of healthcare. In 2012, she began working with The American Indian Health Commision (AIHC) promoted to Executive Director in July of 2015. Working with the AIHC, she has utilized her vast knowledge of the Indian Health Care Delivery System, state and federal regulations that govern the Indian Health system, to implement statewide strategies supporting Tribal and Urban Indian health programs. Some of these efforts include:
- Starting in 2012, developed Tribal Assister Project and Indian Health Care Reform Manual for Washington State
- Ensure Tribal engagement and inclusion in Medicaid Transformation
- Supported Tribal Leader development of Tribal Foundational Public Health Services definition and the appropriation of direct funding to Tribes from the Washington State Legislature for ongoing Tribal FPSH funds starting in 2020
- Help with drafting and passage of the Washington Indian Health Improvement Act (2019) and the Washington Indian Behavioral Health Act (2020 and 2024)
Boards, commissions:
- August 2020 to present, Washington State Women’s Commission
- August 2020 to present, Peninsula Behavioral Health Board of Director
- November 2021 to present, Chair- Washington State Universal Health Care Commission
- December 2021 to Sequim City Council, elected official
Ms. Lowe is also very involved in the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Community. She has been part of the Jamestown Canoe Family since 2009, pulling in the Tribe’s canoe since 2012. She supports singing and drumming, language, weaving classes and other culture programs. In 2012, she was honored as the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Volunteer of the Year. She has five children and seven grandchildren.
AIHC Staff and Consultants:
Kathryn Akeah
Kathryn Akeah
(Yakama/Diné) has over 20 years of experience in project management, contract management, meeting facilitation, and communications in public health, small business support, labor, and the justice system. She sees her work in a broad context of social justice, anti-racism, and healing from historical injustice. She is a Tribal Health Consultant for the American Indian Health Commission for Washington State focused on Medicaid Transformation and Tribal Behavioral Health Systems. Current project areas include provider/workforce training, behavioral health integration and behavioral health crisis response systems.
Kathryn is a citizen of the Yakama Nation, has an MBA from WSU, and a 7th grader full of sass. Her favorite traditional foods are roots, with huckleberries coming in a close second.
Heather Erb
Heather Erb
Chief Policy Advisor
Heather Erb provides policy and legal analysis for the American Indian Health Commission (AIHC) regarding Tribal public health issues, the implementation of the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, and statewide Medicaid transformation efforts. Her areas of concentration include drafting cross jurisdictional public health emergency preparedness guidance and mutual aid agreements; developing public health data sharing agreements with university research institutions; drafting state legislation and administrative codes; drafting model tribal public health codes and policies; and revising state agency consultation policies. Prior to her role with the AIHC, Heather practiced law for twenty years including as an assistant attorney for the Lummi Nation and as an assistant state attorney prosecuting felony crimes. Heather enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons hiking the beautiful Pacific Northwest and being a hockey, wrestling, and track mom.
Cindy Gamble
Cindy Gamble
Cindy Gamble, MPH, CLC, is a citizen of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska, and of the Kaax’oos.hittaan (Man’s Foot Clan.) Cindy has had the great fortune of working in Indian Country her entire career. She has worked to support the health of women, birthing people, children and families as a childbirth educator, school family life educator, DV/IPV prevention advocate, and Tribal Health Director in Alaska and Washington State. Currently Cindy works as a Tribal Community Health Consultant with the American Indian Health Commission (AIHC) as lead for their Maternal Infant Health and WIC and Nutrition projects. She represents the AIHC on a variety of state agency committees and work groups including the WA State Maternal Mortality Review Panel. Cindy is currently the vice-president of the Ttawaxt Birth Justice Board and the past president of Nutrition First, the WIC Association of Washington State. The decades of working with and for Tribal leaders, elders and communities, gives Cindy the guidance, experience and understanding of the importance of Tribally developed and led work for the sustained healing of American Indian and Alaska Native people. Spending time with family is a priority for Cindy, as is studying the Tlingit language and Indigenous healing practices. Cindy believes that the health and strength of Native families and communities begin with healthy mothers and babies and integrating the wisdom and ways of our elders and ancestors into our daily lives. Cindy and husband Jerry have 3 adult children and 5 grandchildren.
Heather Holzer
Heather Holzer
Heather Holzer (she/her/hers) is a Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal and Bella Coola First Nations descendent. She is a Public Relations and Communications consultant working with AIHC since 2024.
Heather has a bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University in Psychology, and has a background in communications and product management.
She spends her spare time with her husband and teen-aged child.
Terra Horton
Terra Horton
Terra Horton is from Port Angeles, WA and has an extensive background in revenue management, hospitality and event coordinating. She has been with the commission since 2017 and was our first finance manager. Now, as the Finance Administrator, she works closely on each of our grants, budgets, finance reports, and with consultants, staff, and the executive committee. Terra also coordinates and oversees our events all around the state. She studied at Peninsula College and spends her free time with her son, traveling, volunteering in the community, and raising awareness for social justice causes.
Ashley Lowe-Thaens
Ashley Lowe-Thaens
Ashley Lowe-Thaens is a Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and Bella Coola First Nations Descendant. She started at AIHC in 2020 as a Legislative Intern and is currently working as the Legislative Administrator.
Ashley is working towards her BA at the Evergreen State College, with an emphasis on Tribal Policy.
Ashley works with the Commission during the Legislative session; during the rest of the year, she works in Alaska with her longtime partner and son at a fishing lodge. You can also follow her cat’s adventures in Washington and Alaska on Instagram @ adventure_kitty0905.
Jessica McKee, MPH
Jessica McKee
Tribal Foundational Public Health Services Coordinator & Emergency Response Lead, American Indian Health Commission
Jessica McKee came to the Commission in 2022 as the Tribal Foundational Public Health Services Coordinator and Emergency Response Lead. Jessica holds a BS from Pacific Lutheran University, an MPH from Benedictine University, and is currently a PhD Candidate focusing on public health epidemiology. Before joining the Commission in December 2022, she worked at Washington State Department of Health in several emergency response roles. Jessica was mentored by Lou Schmitz and served as the COVID-19 vaccine liaison for Washington State Department of Health during the pandemic, ensuring Tribes/UIHPs had equitable access to COVID-19 vaccine in Washington.
Jessica also brings experience working at the local public health level, particularly around public health emergency response planning and working with volunteer organizations for seasonal immunization activities. Throughout her undergraduate and graduate education Jessica worked as a caregiver for the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, serving their elders who taught her a great deal about working in Indian country.
In her spare time Jessica prefers to spend time with the close-knit family she inherited when she married her Tlingit husband, Jake. They are busy parents to a toddler and are working to do their best to start him learning the Tlingít language. Jessica also enjoys making and growing things. If there is a crafty hobby, you can bet that she has tried it or wants to try it! She is currently looking forward to setting up her garden and taking her houseplant experience outside.
Jen Olson
Jen Olson
MS (Preventive Medicine), MA (Community Planning)
Jen’s works as a consultant with AIHC is focused on Medicaid Transformation and Tribal Foundational Public Health Services.
Jen has worked with Northwest Tribes and Urban Indian Health Organizations on public health and wellness programs since 1999. She has served as Epidemiologist, Evaluator and Program Director for Tribal Cancer Control, Chronic Disease and Maternal Child Health programs. She has served as a Health Information Technology Trainer for the Special Diabetes Program for Indians. She has served as Program Director and Consultant for Native Women’s Wellness Programs at both Tribal and Urban Indian Health Organizations. She enjoys kayaking on the beautiful Salish sea and hiking with her family.
Pam Priest
Pam Priest
Pam Priest joined AIHC in 2023 and provides Executive Support in both technical and administrative capacities. Her career was spent in a primary care setting in her hometown of Sequim, as well as behavioral health, working for the Chelan/Douglas County Regional Support Network. Her life has been touched most significantly by the opioid epidemic and she is committed to supporting, not only the health of all who are suffering, but also those who suffer along side them, and reducing the stigma whenever and wherever possible.
Pam was born and raised in Sequim, WA and is a proud Jamestown S’Kallam descendent. She enjoys being a Nana, gardening, saltwater beaches and a good book. She believes that family is everything and considers them her greatest blessing.
Wendy Stevens, MNPL, MSS
Wendy Stevens, MNPL, MSS
Tribal Immunizations/Tribal Health, American Indian Health Commission Tribal Urban Indian Health Immunization Coalition
Lisa Rey Thomas
Lisa Rey Thomas
Lisa Rey Thomas, PhD, is a member of the Tlingit Tribes and is a consultant with the Commission supporting the opioid response work. Lisa is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health at the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University (WSU). She is part of the Promoting Research Initiatives in Substance Use and Mental Health (PRISM) Collaborative team. Lisa is Co-Investigator on several PRISM projects including “Promoting Community Wellbeing through Indigenous Science and Healing” (PC-WISH) which is part of NIDA’s “Native Collective Research Effort to Enhance Wellness” (N CREW). For the last 30 years, Lisa has partnered with American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities to develop strengths-based and culturally grounded approaches to address behavioral health disparities impacting AIAN people. She has two sons, a daughter-in-law, and an amazing 2-year-old grandson!
Faith Turk
Faith Turk
Faith Turk is a citizen of Cherokee Nation with her BA in Medical Anthropology and Global Health, she started at the American Indian Health Commission as the Environmental Public Health Coordinator in fall 2023. Faith serves as a subject matter expert on environmental public health issues, provides related technical assistance to Tribes and UIHOs, as well as conducts public health advocacy, builds cross-jurisdictional public health collaboration, and partnerships; and develops public health training, technical assistance, and tools in coordination with AIHC staff, consultants, and Tribal experts. Previously, she worked as a research assistant for the URBANE study where she assisted in their pursuit to learn more about urban Native elders’ brain health as well as risk factors that may contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease and other related Dementias.
JanMarie Ward
JanMarie Ward
JanMarie Ward (Chumash) is a lineal descendant of Santa Ynez and Barbareño, California Mission Indians. She is a public health strategist focused on whole health and well-being of American Indian and Alaska Natives. With many years of public sector experience and in partnership with Tribal Leadership, Tribal Health programs, and community members, she works to support creation of Native approaches to health that draw on unique cultural resources and community vision with the engagement of Tribal elected officials.
With the wisdom of lived experience, JanMarie is a first-generation college graduate. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in public sector strategic planning and leadership and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Tribal Governance-management and policy from The Evergreen State College. JanMarie has served as adjunct faculty in the MPA Tribal Governance and General MPA Cohorts at The Evergreen State College and as a guest lecturer on Tribal governance, culture, and health policy topics.
She is also a certified master trainer in Neuroscience, Epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experience and Resilience (NEAR). JanMarie’s love for this work is from a grandmother’s compassion to serve our families and benefit future generations. She uses a historical and cultural context as a trauma-informed approach in a path to healing through acknowledgement of intergenerational core strength and self-determination. JanMarie’s focus is on raising awareness of our authentic stories of inherent strength and ancestral resilience within Tribal and Native communities that have existed and sustained people since time immemorial.
JanMarie has lived in the Pacific Northwest and worked with Washington Tribes for over 40 years in non-profit, state government, Tribal, and community sectors. Her work with the American Indian Health Commission started when she was the Tribal Liaison for the WA State Health Care Authority in the early 2000’s. In 2011, she joined the AIHC team as a consultant and continues to serve in multiple projects as the senior public health policy and project advisor.
JanMarie also serves on the Inatai Foundation Board of Trustees, Evergreen College Foundation Board of Governors, Governor’s Interagency Council on Health Disparities, co-Chaired the Governor’s Task Force on creating an Office of Equity, University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center Community Advisory Board, and is a past-President and current Chair of the DEI Committee of the Washington State Public Health Association.
Together, JanMarie and her husband Roger enjoy life with their family of four sons, their spouses, and their first granddaughter, Jayla ‘oqho’s (otter).
Maria Ness
Maria Ness
Maria is the American Indian Health Commission’s (AIHC) Legislative Consultant. She has served as the Legislative Consultant since 2016. In her role, she provides outreach to State Legislators and policymakers to improve understanding of legislative priorities, tribal needs and barriers. She organizes and assists with Indian Health Care Training to legislators and staff of the House and Senate Health committees and to AIHC staff, AIHC Delegates, Tribal Lobbyist and other partners. Maria connects with State Health Agencies legislative staff and other partners on Tribal Health legislation and AIHC legislative priorities. She also connects to organizations with similar priorities.
Maria assists in preparations for legislative session, monitoring timelines and advising AIHC when action is necessary on legislative priorities. She assists with legislative caucus staff and tribal lobbyist policy briefings and in arrangements for the AIHC Tribal Health lobby day. She reports any findings that could impact AIHC legislative priorities to AIHC Executive Director.
Maria assists the Executive Director in creating procedures to create legislation, including but not limited to; legislative support, collaboration and communication process, arranging testimony, timeline sensitivity issues, legislative outreach and identifying bill sponsors.
Prior to working at AIHC, Maria worked at the Department of Health (DOH) where she served as Program Manager for various Health Professions Licensing programs, Director of the Office of Health Systems Development and as a Divisional legislative and policy Lead.
- During her tenure at DOH, Maria also served as “Special Assistant” to Governor Gary Locke to address Farmworker Housing issues and as the Department of Health’s Multicultural Coordinator creating the agency’s only “Multicultural/Cultural Competency Plan”.
Maria was the first Tribal Liaison at DOH and worked with tribes to developed the Agency’s initial “Tribal Consultation and Collaboration Plan”. The “Plan” initiated Government to Government efforts within DOH. She retired from the WA State Department of Health in 2016 after 28 years of service and has served as the AIHC Legislative Consultant since her retirement. Previous to her work at DOH, she worked as Executive Director of Migrant and Community Health Centers in Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington for 15 years.
During her work life, Maria was recognized for many achievements and received the following:
- Recognition for being a founding “parent” and Board Chair of the Washington Association of Community Health Centers and Northwest Regional Primary Care Association.
- Elected the first “Hispanic/Latina” president of the National Association of Community Health Centers.
- Awarded DOH service awards that: recognized her as “The Ambassador” for contributions to the Office of Policy, Legislative and Constituent Relation and Outstanding Leadership Award for contributions as a member of Health Systems Quality Assurance (HSQA) Management Team for vision and excellence as Director of the Health Services Development office.
- Received the US Public Health Services “Directors Award” for dedicated service as a member of the National Advisory Council on the National Health Service Corps (1985-1988). An appointment by U.S. Secretary of HHS Margaret Heckler.
- Was invited and honored to; speak to University of Washington “Health Policy Analysis Program” masters students on Farmworker Housing efforts and to present to Evergreen State College students on Health Equity and Multicultural issues.
Maria is the second of 8 children in a Migrant Farmworker family, she was born in Texas, raised in Idaho. She now lives in Olympia and has four sons, five grandsons, one granddaughter and one great grandson that are the love of her life. She is a “lifetime adult learner” and has attended various educational institutions including; the University of Texas at El Paso, the Walla Walla Community College, the Yakima Valley Community College and Evergreen State College.