Our Staff
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Sandra Tibke
Executive Director
A tested and proven leader and public servant, Sandra Tibke has spent nearly 20 years serving the people of North Dakota. Through consensus-building and strategic, transparent budget management, Sandra led the city of Mandan through an oil spill, flood recovery, and downtown revitalization as an appointed and elected City Commissioner.
As Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota Sandra prioritized transparency, fairness, and dependability as her guiding leadership values, allowing the organization to grow its revenue, increase its visibility, and advance legislation. She believes in hiring and supporting the best and the brightest, and then getting out of the way to enable them to do their best work.
She has also served as a relationship builder and liaison to Tribal communities, consulting with Children’s Defense Fund and Child Care Aware to facilitate training, identify and encourage youth leadership, and contribute to policy development.
Sandra received both a B.A. and M.A. in Sociology from the University of North Dakota.
On any given weekend, Sandra can be found in her kitchen making meals from her collection of over 100 cookbooks, driving to work out with her teenager at the Amplified Athletics, or (most likely) typing furiously on her laptop to advance the causes she champions.
shelly davis
coalition health director
Shelly is a Coalition Health Director for the Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota and an Indigenous Populations Research Coordinator for the National Resource Center on Native American Aging.
Shelly also serves as the Indigenous Public Health Section chair and the Policy and Advocacy Committee co-chair for the North Dakota Public Health Association. She currently serves as a facilitator for a state-wide workgroup exploring critical questions of medical assistance coverage for perinatal health services in North Dakota, including doula care and behavioral health supports for pregnant and postpartum individuals.
Shelly has over 10 years of experience in public health and health administrative work. She holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of North Dakota and a Master of Public Health degree from the North Dakota State University, with a specialization in American Indian Public Health.
In her spare time, Shelly enjoys cooking chicken street tacos and making breakfast scrambles for her family.
Mary Lizakowski
coalition health director
Mary earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and her Master of Public Health from the University of South Dakota.
Mary’s previous work experience includes clinical research, program planning, implementation, management, and evaluation focusing on maternal and child health programs. At the Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota, Mary’s role is to co-lead the health coalition. Her focus is on stakeholder coordination, statewide coalition development, and leading training and education opportunities.
Mary also serves as the secretary for the North Dakota Public Health Association and enjoys being a public health advocate. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family camping by a lake and growing a wide variety of vegetables in her garden.
Elizabeth Pihlaja
Associate Executive Director
Elizabeth is a public health professional whose career has allowed her to follow her passion: Healthy, happy children and families. She received both her B.S. in Child Psychology and Master of Public Health degree in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
After over a decade in public health, and having held a wide variety of jobs, from teaching preschool to administering multi-million-dollar grant programs, Elizabeth considers herself a “jack-of-all-trades.” She is the Operations Director of the Foundation for a Healthy North Dakota, where she is able to merge her love of coaching, strategic planning, community outreach, and education. Elizabeth previously worked as a Senior Dissemination Specialist within the national nonprofit ZERO TO THREE. She was also the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program Administrator for the state of North Dakota for nearly five years.
When she’s not working, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her husband Chris, their two children, and their plethora of pets. She is a former theater nerd and karaoke enthusiast. Elizabeth wants to learn how to do everything one person can possibly do, and is currently learning to make a variety of baskets and vessels from natural materials. She also serves on the Prevent Child Abuse North Dakota and West-Central Initiative Boards of Directors.
Our Board of Directors
Travis Albers
Travis Albers is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians in North Dakota but grew up on the Oglala Lakota and Cheyenne River Lakota Reservations in South Dakota. Travis is currently in his fourth year as the cultural liaison and Title VI coordinator for the Mandan Public School District and second year as the Mandan Middle School Activities Director. He holds a bachelor’s degree in dietetics from the University of North Dakota and will graduate this spring with a master’s degree in teacher leadership and a master’s degree in athletic administration from the University of Mary.
Dr. Kathy Anderson
Dr. Kathy Anderson is a general pediatrician and integrative medicine physician who has been practicing in Bismarck, North Dakota for 15 years. She previously served as chair of pediatrics at both Mid Dakota Clinic (now Essentia) and St. Alexius Medical Center (now CHI) and also as president of the North Dakota American Academy of Pediatrics. She is founder and CEO of Nurturing Wellness Pediatrics in Bismarck. She completed her undergraduate and medical studies at Brown University before obtaining residency training in pediatrics through the University of Hawaii. She is board certified both in general pediatrics and in integrative medicine and is also a clinical assistant professor of pediatrics for UND School of Medicine; regional champion for equity, diversity, and inclusion for the American Academy of Pediatrics; and member of the board of directors for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota
Christopher Jones
Chris Jones is a senior fellow and vice president for healthcare policy at the Cicero Institute. He previously served as the commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services under Governor Doug Burgum for the state of North Dakota. Prior to that, Chris was a senior vice president for strategy and business development for Catholic Health Initiatives (now CommonSpirit). He has also held consultative positions at Allina Health System and VHA (now Vizient). Chris received his bachelor’s degree in healthcare leadership and Scandinavian studies from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, and his MBA from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. He’s an Aspen Ascend Fellow and was recognized by Becker’s Hospital Review as a “Rising Star: 25 Healthcare Leaders Under 40.”
Nicole Outka
Nicole Outka moved to Fargo, North Dakota in 2015 to pursue her undergraduate and graduate degrees in exercise and nutrition science from North Dakota State University. She currently works at Great Plains Food Bank as regional services manager, where she focuses on reducing barriers as well as education and strategy surrounding food insecurity across both the state of North Dakota and also Clay County, MN.
Pam Gulleson
Pam Gulleson serves on the North Dakota State Board of Agriculture Research. Prior to that, she was the vice president of public affairs for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota for more than a decade and served sixteen years in the North Dakota House of Representatives. She has also served as an advisory member for The Center for Native American Youth, as well as on the Fargo/Moorhead/West Fargo Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee, the North Dakota Suicide Prevention Advisory Board, the North Dakota Pediatric Mental Health Grant Advisory Committee, the March of Dimes board, and the Red River Valley Research Corridor advisory committee. Pam was recognized as Legislator of the Year by the ND Career and Technical Education Association and awarded the Excellence in Public Health Programming by the ND Center for Rural Health.
Brittany Maher
Brittany Maher is a registered nurse who has been providing pediatric care for the last 12 years. She’s currently clinical manager at the Sanford Children’s clinic in Fargo, North Dakota, where she serves on various committees that promote immunization advocacy and safety. She earned her nursing degree from North Dakota State University and is a graduate of Sanford’s Vax Champ program. She also manages Sanford Health’s wellness pantry, which serves children and families experiencing hunger who visit the clinic.
