Susan is the President of Communities Lifting Communities (CLC). Susan is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and has worked in public health for over 35 years. She is a former director of the Riverside County Department of Public Health. In July 2018, Susan joined the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) as the Executive Director for CLC and since February 2021, serves as President of CLC, an affiliate nonprofit organization of HASC. Susan leads the development of strategic initiatives and projects to advance community health and reduce health inequities across Southern California. Susan develops and manages the CLC organization, staff, and strategic partnerships. Susan earned the DiversityFIRST™ Certified Diversity Executive (DFCDE) designation in June 2022.

Susan’s interests include astronomy and astrophotography, and she is a member of the Riverside Astronomical Society. Susan also enjoys RVing, boating, sewing, and spending time with her husband, children and five grandchildren.

Karen is the CLC Director of Health Equity Programs and Operations. Karen joined CLC in 2018
and manages projects and daily operations for the organization. Before joining CLC, Karen served as the Education Manager for HASC for 15 years. As an Education Manager, she supported the development of various educational programs that focused on leadership development for hospital clinical and health care executives. Karen Co-founded the L.A. Co-op Lab, a collective building L.A.’s capacity for worker ownership as a pathway toward a more equitable and democratic economy. She attended Antioch University, Los Angeles, for her undergraduate degree in Urban Communities and Environment and in 2014 received an M.A. in Urban Sustainability. Karen earned the DiversityFIRST™ Certified Diversity Professional (CDP) designation in May 2022.

Karen is a camping enthusiast who works toward the day when equitable community development is the new normal.

Dominique joined CLC in January 2021 as a Program Coordinator supporting the implementation of CLC’s initiatives. Dominique is drawn to leadership engagement and optimizing the community collective impact model to address Social Determinants of Health. Before joining CLC, Dominique worked for the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG), as a Quality Improvement Specialist. In this role, she was accountable for creating, leading, and executing the strategy for deliverables set forth by CMS across the Inland Empire, Orange County, and the Central Valley markets. She worked on various projects that included collaborating with hospital leaders and their post-acute partners to improve care coordination, improve patient outcomes, and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions.

While she wouldn’t consider herself a natural outdoors type, Dominique recently became enchanted with the National Parks system after a life-changing trip to Zion National Park. Following that, she spent two weeks camping and exploring Big Sur with her friends – and dreams of going back. Outside of nature, Dominique enjoys spending time at the beach, practicing yoga and interior design.

Claudia joined CLC as the Health Equity and Cherished Futures Program Coordinator in January 2022. Raised in South Gate, CA, by Mexican immigrant parents, Claudia acquired firsthand experiences with the effects of health disparities, which became the primary motivator to pursue higher education. She attended UC Berkeley for her undergraduate degree, where her perspective expanded beyond approaching health through medicine and began looking at health holistically through engaging in the world of public health. All the experiences deepened her passion for improving communities’ social and physical environment. In previous roles, she served as a Community HealthCorps Fellow for the CDC Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Program at AltaMed Health Services; a Health and Wellness Coordinator at L.A. Promise Fund; a Health Educator for Champions for Change at Para Los Niños. Claudia has led youth engagement efforts at Novelly and was a Research Scholar for the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Training Program. She recently completed her Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at CSUF, where she completed her graduate internship with the American Heart Association. Claudia earned the DiversityFIRST™ Certified Diversity Professional (CDP) designation in May 2022.

Claudia enjoys gardening and is an avid plant collector. She likes to dig into a good book; her favorite is Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Claudia also considers herself a lifelong learner and explorer; she likes to venture into the outdoors, travel, and learn about different cultures.

Vetannie joined HASC in 2016 as an executive assistant with the Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to Coordinator of Diversity, Health Equity, and Inclusion Programs in 2022. Over the past five years, she has successfully provided administrative and executive support to leadership, hospital members, and stakeholders. Before joining HASC, Vetannie worked on short- and long-term projects in construction and manufacturing, contributing to the entire project lifecycle. Skills included but were not limited to creating reports, tracking inventory, and working closely with vendors to ensure the project was moving forward on time and within budget. She used these skills to work closely and collaboratively with her executive on multiple public policy projects, including establishing Communities Lifting Communities.

Vetannie attended Fullerton college majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Computer Information Systems. Vetannie enjoys exploring nature with her two dogs, Sam, and Charlie. Her passions are cooking, eating delicious cuisines from different cultures, and traveling the world.

Julia joined CLC in 2020, during Cohort 1 of the Cherished Futures project, as a nurse consultant to coach hospital teams in their quality improvement efforts. Julia is an RN and has worked with HASC and the Hospital Quality Institute since 2011, initially as Vice President for Quality and Patient Safety. Her focus on QI began in the 1980’s and continued into her years with the CMS contracted Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for California from 2000 – 2011. Her bachelor’s degree is in Healthcare Management, and she is a Certified Practitioner in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ). Julia’s special expertise includes facilitating collaboratives in which multiple hospitals participate, improving patient care together. She is also a TeamSTEPPS Master Trainer and has led workshops to improve teamwork for more than 100 California hospitals over the past 15 years.

Julia considers herself a casual musician, and her primary instruments are voice and guitar. She also enjoys gardening, reading, and walking- especially in woodsy environments. Julia leads a Bible Study group, has published one book stemming from that avocation, and is in the process of writing more.

Kristina Tran brings over 25 years of experience in accounting and financial management. Prior to joining Hospital Association of Southern California as Controller and recently promoted to Vice President of Finance, Kristina worked in various nonprofit organizations such as Green Dot Public Schools and Skid Row Housing Trust. Working in the nonprofit space gives her a sense of contributing to the community by providing financial backbone and ensuring that the organization is fiscally stable to serve the mission. Kristina earned her Certified Public Accountant license early in her career while working for over 10 years in public accounting as an auditor, serving clients in the entertainment industry, local unions, and nonprofit organizations.

Kristina received her Master of Business Administration through the Executive MBA Program at UCLA Anderson School of Management and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University in Los Angeles.

When not reading financial statements, Kristina enjoys reading interesting stories ranging in autobiographies, biographies, suspense, and mysteries.