Meet The RHI Collective

Director of Community Engagement

Liana Bethala is an early career public health project manager who is passionate about infectious disease control and prevention. She holds a Masters degree in public health infectious diseases from George Washington University where she gained experienced conducting lab research, particularly in HIV/AIDs, and studied public health microbiology. As both an academic and creative writer, she believes in the importance of communicating research to the broader public and is currently working on publishing her research in peer reviewed journals. She recently gained a certification in project management, and is excited to work with communities to drive public health initiatives. She lives in Atlanta, GA, and spend her free time writing, reading, and exploring the city!

Community Engagement Liaison Director

Alicia L. Andrews, M.Ed., (she/her), is a public health educator, sexuality educator, and community engagement strategist with more than 18 years of experience designing programs, strengthening partnerships, and translating public health information into accessible community resources. As Director of Education and Outreach for a youth development initiative within Duke University’s Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research, she has supported the expansion of teen pregnancy prevention programming and resources across seven Eastern North Carolina counties, increasing annual participation from approximately 350 to more than 1,000 young people. Through BeFree Wellness Education and Consulting, Alicia leads training and community initiatives, including the first ever, Ayden (NC) Juneteenth Health and Wellness Festival. Her statewide and national experience includes sexual health conference planning, professional presentations, grant review, and sexual health education leadership. She also teaches Community Health at North Carolina Central University and was recognized as an NCCU Forty Under Forty honoree in 2025. Alicia believes freedom is strengthened through communication, knowledge, and community voice.

Director of Marketing & Communications

Ortecia Guity is a public health professional dedicated to advancing health equity through communications, research, and community engagement. Her introduction to public health began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uganda, where she facilitated HIV prevention interventions and community health education. She has since earned her MPH from Tulane University and contributed to projects spanning digital health, podcasting, and global health research. Ortecia currently volunteers with her local Department of Public Health in the HIV division, supporting outreach and prevention efforts. She is passionate about blending data, storytelling, and advocacy to improve outcomes for underserved communities.

Social Media Engagement Liaison Director

LáDeia Joyce McNeal, MBA, is a doctoral student in Health Law, Policy, and Management at Meharry Medical College’s School of Global Health. Her work sits at the intersection of public health, health policy, strategic communication, advocacy, and lived experience. A communications and marketing leader with more than 20 years of experience, McNeal has spent the past decade working with community-based and advocacy organizations to turn complex health and policy issues into information people can understand and use. As a Black woman thriving with HIV, she also brings lived experience to her scholarship and public health work. Her research centers Black women living with HIV in the U.S. South, with a focus on health law, governance, policy, and the knowledge Black women build through survival. She holds an MBA in Marketing and bachelor’s degrees in Communication and Music Industry Business. McNeal is also a 26-year member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. Her personal mantra, die empty, guides how she approaches both her life and her work: use what you have, share what you know, and leave nothing you were called to give still inside you.

Director of Operations & Implementation

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Khiala Tyson is a high-impact senior project leader with over eight years of experience bridging the gap between public health, data science, and clinical technology. As a PMP, Certified Health Education Specialist and Certified Scrum Master, she has a proven track record of managing multi-million dollar vendor portfolios while leading cross- functional teams through complex Agile transformations. Khiala holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master of Public Health from Tennessee State University, a premier Historically Black College and University (HBCU), where she developed her expertise in EHR optimization, change management and regulatory compliance. Currently a Doctoral Candidate in Strategic Leadership, her research explores operational leadership frameworks designed to improve AI implementation in healthcare and bolster clinician trust in AI-enabled systems. Beyond her professional achievements, she is a dedicated mentor and community leader, serving in executive roles for the PMI-DC Chapter and a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Director of Research & Insights

At heart, Hannah is a storyteller. She is passionate about advocating for health equity and she believes storytelling is both a meaningful research methodology and an effective community builder. Working in sexual disease intervention, Hannah values the connections she makes with her patients and she sees every day the benefits that motivational interviewing can have on sexual health outcomes. Hannah is adept in communicating with broad and diverse audiences, and she combines her client service experience with her creative, empathetic instincts to build strong relationships across differences. Hannah completed her master's degree in public health with a certificate in health disparities, and she deftly applies her technical education with her talent for narrative building and communicating to reduce health inequity, protect and promote bodily freedoms, and to support the health and wellbeing of all.

Business Development Director

Kayla Little is a Program Associate at the National Council on Aging’s Center for Economic Well-Being, where she supports federal and private initiatives that expand access to public benefits and strengthen the economic security of older adults. She provides technical assistance to community-based organizations, monitors grant performance, facilitates trainings and peer learning opportunities, supports program implementation, and contributes to RFP development and grant application review. Kayla has led multiple grant-funded initiatives, including the Capacity Building Grant, Equity Grant, and Digital Safety Lunch and Learn Series Pilot, and served as a technical assistance lead for the Senior SNAP Initiative. Prior to NCOA, she interned with Pyxis Partners and the Public Health Foundation, developing training and communications materials, policy briefs, and quality improvement resources. Kayla holds a Master of Public Health in Health Equity and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Maryland and is Certified in Public Health (CPH).

RHI Advisor

Jada Johnson is a public health professional and strategist working at the intersection of workforce development, social impact, and community engagement. Currently serving as a Program Analyst at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), she manages federal grant programs supporting 800+ public health professionals annually, leads national performance improvement initiatives, and directs storytelling campaigns that have grown member engagement by 50 percent. She also served as a Project Coordination Associate at Real Health Impact LLC, where she supported business development and built the operational infrastructure that keeps mission-driven work moving. Her background spans federal consulting, direct community health work at the county level, and training and technical assistance at the national level. Jada holds a B.S. in Public Health and a B.A. in Spanish from Mercer University, as well as a Master of Public Health from Georgia State University.