Tekisha Dwan Everette, PhD, MPA, MPH
Dr. Tekisha Dwan Everette has built a successful career in public policy, particularly health care policy, and advocacy in the non-profit, state, and private sectors. She has served as the Managing Director of Federal Government Affairs with the American Diabetes Association, where she provided strategic leadership on policy and advocacy initiatives with the White House, several federal agencies, and Congress, which led to important victories for people with and at risk for diabetes. Prior to this, Everette worked as a government relations consultant with Drinker, Biddle, and Reath, LLC, where she represented the interests of several nonprofit health care organizations on issues such as health reform, Medicare, Medicaid, and federal appropriations. Everette has also worked for the Service Employees International Union, RESI, the State of Maryland, and the Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation. After a seven-year stent as the Inaugural Executive Director of Health Equity Solutions, Inc., a 501c3 non-profit organization focused on promoting policies, programs, and practices that result in equitable health care access, delivery, and outcomes for all people in Connecticut, Everette has returned to the DC/MD/VA area.
Tekisha has earned a doctor of philosophy in Sociology from American University with a concentration in race, gender, and social justice as it relates to social policy. She received her Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree from the Center of Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (popularly known as Virginia Tech) and holds two Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Studies from the same institution. A 2023 graduate of Yale University, Everette also has a Master of Public Health Degree and a Certification in Public Health from the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Everette is an alumna of the Masters Series for Distinguished Leaders and the National Urban Fellows America’s Leaders of Change program. She is a lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Association of Black Sociologists.
When Everette is not advocating for health care policy and social justice, she enjoys fulfilling her thirst for cultural enrichment through travel. She believes seeing the world helps one to expand their worldview and cultural understanding and her goal is to visit every US city and touch every continent at least once. In her spare time, Everette enjoys listening to music, writing poetry, dancing, and cooking.