Faculty

Panelists

Christopher King, PhD, MHSC, FACHE is inaugural Dean of Georgetown University’s School of Health and works collaboratively with internal and external constituents to establish a world-class academic destination for advancing health. He is also responsible for academic and operational leadership of the school.

As an associate professor, his teaching, research, and scholarship is at the intersection of healthcare, public health, and racial justice. These areas of focus were inspired by more than 20 years of lessons learned during his work in the healthcare sector. Prior to joining Georgetown University, he served as the first Assistant Vice President of Community Health for MedStar Health where he led efforts to translate the public health components of Affordable Care Act (ACA) legislation into practice. Accomplishments included planning, launching and managing a new corporate function that applied more rigor in community health needs assessments (CHNAs), including implementation and evaluation. Prior to his work with MedStar Health, Christopher held leadership capacities at safety-net hospitals and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland. 

Carlos Smith, DDS, MDiv, FACD, is the inaugural Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence, Ethics, and Community Engagement and an Associate Professor in the Department of Dental Public Health and Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry. He is a member of the board of directors of the Academy for Professionalism in Health Care and is currently President-Elect of the American Society for Dental Ethics. Also an ordained clergy, Smith completed Clinical Pastoral Education at Duke Medical Center, with emphasis on providing care and crisis management to families of cardiac pediatric patients. Dr. Smith has a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University and a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. He graduated from Hampton University, the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, and Duke Divinity School. His scholarly activity currently focuses on conceptualizing a reimagined professionalism, the history of racism in healthcare, inclusive excellence in dental education, and provider wellbeing and burnout. Dr. Smith remains committed to clinical care, continuing practice as a general dentist within the VCU Dental Faculty Practice.

Annita Hetoevehotohke'e Lucchesi, PhD, MA is a researcher and scholar of Cheyenne and Italian descent, currently residing on her ancestral homelands in southeast Montana. Annita earned her PhD from the School of Geography, Development, & Environment at the University of Arizona, with a minor in Gender & Women's Studies. She was a graduate scholar in the Native Nations Institute's Collaboratory for Indigenous Data Governance, and is a Board member of UA's Gender Based Violence Consortium. She earned her BA in Geography with a minor in Global Poverty and Practice from the University of California, Berkeley, and her MA in American Studies from Washington State University.

Annita also serves as Founder and Director of Research & Outreach of Sovereign Bodies Institute, a non-profit research center dedicated to gender and sexual violence against Indigenous peoples. SBI is based in Montana, but works alongside Indigenous peoples across the US, Canada, and Latin America. For more information on SBI, visit its website at sovereign-bodies.org. 

Annita has years of experience in academia and higher education, community based research, cartography, community organizing, and advocacy. Her areas of specialty include violence against Indigenous peoples, femicide, gender and sexual violence, Indigenous cartography and geography, Indigenous data sovereignty, and Indigenous research methodologies.

Sonja Diaz, JD, MPP is a practicing civil rights attorney and policy advisor. She is the Co-Founder of the Latina Futures, 2050 Lab, a pioneering initiative that envisions a society where Latinas have an equal opportunity to lead, and where everyone thrives. For seven years, Diaz directed all aspects of the UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute, a comprehensive think tank that addresses the domestic policy challenges facing communities of color in the U.S. Prior to UCLA, Diaz served as policy counsel to Vice President Kamala D. Harris during her first and second terms as California Attorney General and directed voter protection programs in Virginia during the 2016 election. Diaz routinely briefs state legislators and local elected officials from across the U.S. on evidence-based governance and emerging trends in domestic policy. Her research and commentary have been mentioned in major news outlets, including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, NBC, and NPR. In 2021, Diaz was appointed to the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission and served as Vice Chair of data and mapping. Diaz received her JD from UC Berkeley’s School of Law, holds a MPP from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, and a BA in politics from UC Santa Cruz.

Moderator/Discussant

Deann Butler, DHA, MHA, MBA is an unwavering advocate for health equity. With over two decades of experience spanning nonprofit, corporate, and healthcare startups, she is emerging as a prominent figure in healthcare consulting. As the CEO of Connected Consultants, she spearheads initiatives to implement EQUITY with Ease through internal and external strategies. She brings a wealth of work, education, and lived experience.  Most recently, assisting organizations in obtaining health equity accreditation and facilitating conversations on critical topics such as the impact of structural racism in healthcare.  

Beyond her professional endeavors, she cherishes moments with her partner and two children. Her ultimate aspiration is to continue traveling, supporting women in healthcare to launch businesses, and pushing organizations past the performative. Dr. Butler is not just a healthcare professional but a catalyst for positive change in pursuing accessible and high-quality healthcare for every individual.

Weitzman Institute Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of the Weitzman Institute to ensure that Continuing Education (CE) activities are independent and free of commercial bias. To ensure educational content is objective, balanced, and guarantee content presented is in the best interest of its learners' and the public, the Weitzman Institute requires that everyone in a position to control educational content disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Examples can be found at accme.org.

Faculty participating in a Weitzman Institute-sponsored activity must disclose to the planning committee and audience all financial or other relationship(s) with ineligible companies.