Kristy Klein Davis is nationally recognized as a thought leader on health equity and the role of philanthropy in catalyzing positive change in communities. Currently President of Georgia Health Initiative, Klein Davis is a creative leader with deep expertise designing and implementing complex philanthropic strategies in public health and social sectors. In her role as President, she works collaboratively with the Board of Directors to achieve the Initiative’s vision of a Georgia in which all people have the opportunity to attain their fullest potential for health. She brings a creative approach to leadership and a strong passion for advancing health equity for all Georgians.

Prior to joining the Initiative, Klein Davis held various program and leadership positions at Missouri Foundation for Health, most recently Chief Strategy Officer. In this role, she drove the evolution of the foundation from a traditional grantmaker to a systems change institution, and built and leveraged internal expertise in grantmaking, policy, research, and communications to achieve long-term, equity-focused change.

In addition to her time at Missouri Foundation for Health, Klein Davis has also held positions in public health and health research organizations. Throughout her career she has worked to improve health equity through adaptive strategies that emphasize community-informed approaches that value and elevate lived experience. Klein Davis is a frequent writer and speaker on systems change, health equity, and modern philanthropy.

Klein Davis earned her Masters degree from The Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.

Samantha Beasley joined Georgia Health Initiative in July 2019 and serves as the Program Administration Manager. A key bridge between operations and programmatic functions, Samantha oversees all grantmaking and contracting processes, ensuring that grantmaking policies and structures are aligned with Initiative values and supportive of the work of partners in the community. She is responsible for organization-wide calendars, timelines, and workflows, ensuring appropriate balance between efficiency and effectiveness.

Samantha worked previously in Education Management and has always been an active community volunteer. Samantha holds a master’s degree in social work (MSW) as well as a master’s degree in education. Samantha graduated from Albany State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Professional Writing.

Troy is the Chief Financial and Operations Officer for Georgia Health Initiative. He is responsible for the sound execution of all financial and operational aspects of the Initiative’s work. He ensures that the finance, information infrastructure, data management, office administration, and human resources functions are operating in full support of the Initiative’s mission and vision.

Troy is a 21-year veteran of the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining Georgia Health Initiative, he served 12 years as CFO/COO of the Southern Education Foundation, a social justice organization. While at SEF, he oversaw an increase in grantors and overall program funding. The organization also grew in both staffing and program activity. Troy has worked with many organizations that focus on youth, health services and community development. He enjoys volunteering for several local charities, movies with his family, playing competitive tennis, and a relaxing round of golf in his downtime.

Troy has earned a BS in Finance from Hampton University and an MBA from Mercer University.

Joann earned a Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law, and a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Illinois.

Yolanda Kyle joined Georgia Health Initiative in April 2023 and serves as the Operations Manager. In her role she is responsible for human resources and facilities management, as well as employee and Board engagement.

Prior to joining the Initiative, Yolanda served for over 20 years in administration and management, much of it in the non-profit sector. Throughout her career, she has driven organizational change, improved team productivity, and enjoyed leading teams and individuals.

Yolanda received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Shorter University.

Ky earned a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, both from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

Stephany Nin-Feliz is a Rhode Island native who graduated from Rhode Island College with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She relocated to Georgia to attend Georgia State University, where she earned a Master’s degree in Social Work and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management and Social Enterprise. To her role as Community Engagement Fellow with the Initiative, Stephany brings ten years of experience in clinical work and four years of experience in social services. Stephany is passionate about community partnership, advocacy, and systems change, and she is eager to contribute to building opportunities for all Georgians to reach their fullest potential for health.

Faith Olatile was born in Nigeria and moved to Atlanta at the age of ten, where she developed a passion for public health. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Public Health from Georgia State University, specializing in Health Policy and Health Management. To her position as Health Policy Fellow, Faith brings diverse experience within nonprofit, corporate, and health research sectors and a well-rounded perspective on the healthcare landscape. In joining the Initiative, Faith is eager to apply her broad expertise to support strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing health outcomes and the healthcare landscape for all Georgians.

With a background in legislative relations, policy research and analysis, and advocacy training, Sarah Phillips develops and champions results-driven policy solutions in her role as Director of Policy Strategies at Georgia Health Initiative. In this role, she monitors the policy environment to design and implement policy strategies to advance health equity for Georgians.

Sarah has spent much of her career focused on the intersection between health access and financial protection. At The Carter Center Mental Health Program, her primary impact areas included the monitoring and implementation of behavioral health parity, payment for youth mental health services, and the decriminalization of mental illness and substance use disorders. As the Senior Manager of Policy & Advocacy at Georgia Watch, the state’s leading consumer advocacy organization, Sarah identified the needs and disparate impacts affecting historically marginalized populations and guided the development and implementation of equitable policies to combat these disparities. In addition, she worked at the Georgia State Capitol, fostering relationships with legislators, conducting policy research for new legislation and analyzing each bill’s impact, and tracking legislative priorities.
 
Sarah graduated with honors from Georgia State University with degrees in Political Science and Public Policy, and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation.

Ashli Price serves as Administrative Assistant with Georgia Health Initiative. With a background in public school teaching and a passion for promoting health equity, Ashli is a community health advocate with twenty-five years of experience empowering Georgians through trauma-informed education practices and hands-on support.

Ashli spent the last fourteen years building a personal chef business focused on Atlanta families with chronic health conditions and special dietary needs, using local food as medicine to improve physical and mental well-being. She also served community members through nutrition education classes that centered participants’ voices and provided tools and inspiration for meaningful approaches to wellness. Additionally, Ashli led and managed a dynamic team of volunteers fighting food insecurity in Atlanta through the grassroots organization Free99Fridge. Through this work, Ashli witnessed the barriers many people face when it comes to accessing food, clothing, medical care, and housing. This propelled her to dive into deeper work to make change at a systems level to improve health and quality of life for all Georgians.

To her role as Administrative Assistant, Ashli brings the organizational skills and adaptability of a teacher, the creativity and detail-oriented nature of a chef, and the resourcefulness and business acumen of an entrepreneur. She approaches every interaction with enthusiasm, dedication, and compassion, and is excited to join the Initiative in promoting health equity for all Georgians.