Staff
Morgan Wittman Gramann, JD
Executive Director
Morgan joined NCAH in 2015. In addition to her role as executive director, she also serves as one of NCAH’s registered lobbyists. Passionate about healthy equity and policy change, Morgan has been an advocate for public health since 2006, when she began advocating for commercial tobacco use prevention and cessation policies. Morgan earned her JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law and her BA in Anthropology from American University in Washington, DC. She is an active member of the North Carolina State Bar. Morgan lives in Durham with her husband, three children, and 19-year-old cat.
Morgan can be reached at morgan@ncallianceforhealth.org and 919.283.1399.
Marianne Hedrick Weant, MSPH, MA, CHES
Programs Manager
Marianne joined NCAH in 2018 after almost nine years with North Carolina PTA advocating for the health and well-being of North Carolina’s children. Marianne worked at Booz Allen Hamilton and the American Red Cross, quickly learning she was not about that corporate life. She started her career in health promotion at Be Active NC. Marianne completed her BA in anthropology and history at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and her MA in anthropology and development at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, both of which are universally considered vastly superior to the American University. She received her MSPH from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In her spare time, she manages her husband Tom, six kids, one very old dog, and five chickens, all of which make occasional appearances on Zoom. She also follows foraging and snake identification groups on social media, and is always happy to share her “expertise.”
Marianne can be reached at marianne@ncallianceforhealth.org and 704.678.8292.
Katie Herndon Dawkins, MLS
Communications Manager
Katie joined NCAH in the fall of 2020 but continued to tell everyone she was new until the summer of 2022. For the first ten years of her professional career, Katie focused on formal education in public schools as a teacher and librarian. In 2012, she transitioned to the non-profit world as director of Discovery Place-Kids, a children’s museum in Rockingham, NC. Katie earned her BA in American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and her Master of Library Science from East Carolina University. Katie has two dogs that often make appearances in our newsletters, social media, and Zoom meetings. Katie is the second funniest member of the NCAH team.
Katie can be reached at katie@ncallianceforhealth.org and 910.995.0624.
Alecia Sanders, MPH, CHES
Partner Engagement Coordinator
Alecia joined NCAH in November of 2022. Prior to joining our team she spent the first years of her career working in local public health providing health education on nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco cessation. Alecia completed her undergraduate degree in Public Health Studies in 2016 and Masters of Public Health in 2017, both from East Carolina University. She lives near Emerald Isle with her husband, son, and dog. In her spare time she enjoys photography, fishing and boat rides with her family.
Alecia can be reached at alecia@ncallianceforhealth.org and 252.916.4432.
Board
Pamela Perry | Chair | VP of Legislative and Government Affairs, Carolina Complete Health |
Trasha J. Black, PhD, LCMHC, LCMHCS | Vice-Chair | Executive Director, Genesis Project/Groundwater Solutions, Inc. |
Jan Jones | Secretary | Public Policy & Partnership Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC |
Roxanne Elliott | Treasurer | Policy Director, FirstHealth of the Carolinas |
Henry Crews | Founder, Green Rural Redevelopment Organization | |
Sarah Jacobson | Government Relations Director, American Heart Association | |
Deirdre Moyer, PhD | Director of Health Services, Guilford County Schools | |
Gregg Stave, MD, JD, MPH | Consultant |