Shelisa Howard-Martinez is Care Share’s Director of Community Engagement. She directs Care Share’s technical assistance program, serves as lead staff to the Collaborative Network Committee, and provides onsite technical assistance to communities primarily in Eastern North Carolina. Shelisa also facilitates a national learning collaborative and the Safety Net Advisory Council, a group of representatives who collaborate and coordinate strategies for the safety net at the state level.

A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, Shelisa has served as an advocate, program coordinator, and project manager for a variety of community-based organizations. She is committed to improving health outcomes for underserved communities. Shelisa has taught English as a Second Language to farm workers in Person County, coordinated a literacy program for adult immigrants, advocated for increased access to family planning services for low-income women, and worked to increase the capacity of local Domestic Violence programs to serve women of color, immigrant women, and women with disabilities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she also was a Francis L. Phillips Travel Scholar. Shelisa earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from North Carolina Central University and a graduate certificate in Ethnic and Rural Health Disparities from East Carolina University.

Linda joined Care Share in the fall of 2008.  Linda is responsible for the overall vision, strategic direction, fundraising, and governance of Care Share with the goal to ensure fiscal strength and viability of the organization. She provides on-site technical assistance to the central and western regions of the state with expertise in collaboration building, Collaborative Network development, strategic planning,  collective impact and leadership development.  Previous to her position as the Executive Director of Care Share Health Alliance, Linda Kinney served as the Deputy Director of Care Share,  Executive Director of the North Carolina Association for Healthcare Access and Director of Health Access for the Buncombe County Medical Society Foundation.  During her tenure with the Buncombe County Medical Society, she directed Project Access and was instrumental in replicating the model in communities across North Carolina. Linda has a background in fundraising and community organizing through her work with the Girls Scouts of Western North Carolina and the Farm Worker Health Project in South Texas.  Linda received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from University of Wisconsin at Madison and her Master’s of Health Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Willona joined Care Share Health Alliance as ACA Project Specialist in October 2014 and was promoted to Director of NC Get Covered in March 2016. She works closely with the NCGC Advisory Board to develop and implement a strategic plan to help guide the work of the coalition and ensure its sustainability. In addition, Willona plans and facilitates monthly coalition meetings on critical topics related to the ACA, reports outcomes from the coalition’s work to local funders, manages the program budget and website, serves as the state’s point of contact for Health and Human Services Region IV, and supports the ACA Project Specialist position.

Willona has more than 15 years of experience in program development and management, grant writing, stakeholder engagement, and data management. Before joining Care Share, Willona served as the founding director of the NC Council of Churches’ health initiative, Partners in Health and Wholeness – helping to promote health as a faith issue and to connect people of faith to statewide resources, including mini-grants. She also served as Public Health Program Consultant II for the NC Sickle Cell Syndrome Program and Statistical Research Assistant II for the NC State Center for Health Statistics..

Willona holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master of Public Health degree, with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.