We are pleased to welcome three new staff members to the HealthierHere team! After months of recruiting and careful consideration, we are thrilled to have Bethlehem Kebret, Heeju Suh, and Maria Escalera Maldonado join us.

Each of these talented individuals brings unique perspectives and skills – plus a shared lived commitment to HealthierHere’s values – that we are confident will enrich our organization’s culture and collective efforts to make health more equitable for the people of King County.  

Join us in welcoming the newest HealthierHere teammates! Learn more about their experience and passion below:

Bethlehem Kebret

Health Transformation Program Manager

Bethlehem completed her Bachelor’s degree in Medical Anthropology and Global Health at the UW. She has worked in community health helping community members enroll in Medicaid and Qualified Health Plans and navigate healthcare access while at HealthPoint through the AmeriCorps program. She has also served as a mental health case manager at DESC. Most recently, she comes to HealthierHere following the completion of an MPA in Health Policy and Management at NYU, as well as experience in working in healthcare operations at the Weill Cornell Medicine at New York Presbyterian where she applied her education, project management skills, and interests in continuous improvement. She brings a wealth of lived experience and expertise to HealthierHere and is committed to equity, social justice, and addressing health disparities.

Bethlehem will manage upcoming Culturally Responsive and Inclusive Healthcare grant projects funded by the City of Seattle’s Equitable Communities Initiative, as well as several of HealthierHere’s Community and Tribal Innovations. She joins our Clinical Practice Transformation team.

Heeju Suh

Data Analytics Manager

Heeju joins HealthierHere with skills in data analysis and process redesign to make internal business processes easier while lifting health and equity in local communities. Her career experience includes data analysis of Medicaid claims and eligibility and SQL programming at DESC, and finance, supply chain and security ERP technology consulting with PwC. She studied Mathematical Methods in the Social Sciences ("MMSS") at Northwestern University and enjoys learning human and programming languages. She stewards an epic garden and the happiest chickens on Earth.

Heeju will support the implementation of HealthierHere’s data strategy portfolio – with a focus on strengthening the organization’s data management operations and expanding the use of data to inform our work. She joins the Finance and Data Strategy team.

Maria Escalera Maldonado

Health Transformation Program Manager

Maria comes to HealthierHere with years of specializing in working with diverse and multi-system organizations. Most recently, Maria was working at Sea Mar Community Health Center as a Behavioral Health Coordinator where she worked administratively to deliver high quality, integrated care for BIPOC and underserved communities. Prior to that, Maria spent years providing linguistic and educational support to LatinX agricultural workers, empowering them to navigate L&I claims, and pursue H2A agricultural visa programs. Maria brings incredible expertise and passion for centering equity, transforming systems, and improving health literacy across the region. 

Maria’s work will primarily focus on the Health Literacy Project. She joins the Equity & Engagement team.

Click here to learn more about the rest of the HealthierHere team.