Herb Alexander

Chief Diversity & Learning Officer

he/him/his

It is an honor to be the first Chief Diversity Officer at Cayuga Health System. It is a role that I do not take for granted. As we build a house for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, my commitment is that we will work alongside all our community members to ensure our system is built on equity, inclusion and belonging.

I am excited to use my abilities to influence our path towards diversity, equity, and inclusion. My skills are in the areas of strategy development, talent management, professional development coaching, conflict resolution, mediation, program implementation and social justice advocacy. Prior to joining the Cayuga Health team, I worked in higher education for many years. During my time in higher education, I served in many roles including a Director for Multicultural Student Success, a Chief Diversity Officer, an Associate Dean of Students, and a Division II Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach. I plan to use the learning from each of these positions to help equip our health system with the tools needed to address health and workforce inequities.

The most beneficial part of my former work in higher education was the consistent interactions with students. The value of working with students was that it never allowed me to forget who was being impacted by the decisions made by myself and my colleagues. I bring this same mindset to our work in healthcare. Regardless of initiative, every decision will be made with our patients, community members and employees as a top priority.

Dr. Jennifer Gil-Rai

Program and Operations Analyst

she/her/hers

Jennifer is a Doctor of Medicine and Public Health practitioner who joined the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team at Cayuga Health in 2023. Initially a Health Equity Curriculum Specialist, she now serves as the Program and Operations Analyst. Born in Syracuse, NY, and raised in Colombia (proud Latina), she graduated as a Doctor of Medicine in 2020. Following medical school, she worked as a general practitioner in the emergency room of a rural hospital in Colombia, where she discovered her passion for public health.

In 2021, Jennifer enrolled in Cornell University’s Master of Public Health program, graduating in 2023 with a concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology. During her time at Cornell, she gained valuable experience as a Pandemic Response Officer conducting COVID-19 contact tracing, researching racial inequities in the U.S. healthcare system, working as the Wellness Director at a 4-H camp, and serving as a research assistant for the Weill Cornell Medicine Meyer Cancer Center, where she developed a youth-focused curriculum for HPV prevention.

At Cayuga Health, Jennifer has focused on supporting educational needs and coordinating a Community Engagement Curriculum for internal medicine residents, nursing students, faculty, health system staff, and additional learners. This program aims to cultivate compassionate and culturally competent healthcare providers. In her current role as Program and Operations Analyst, she focuses on analyzing, optimizing, and implementing DEI programs and operational procedures.

Outside of her professional responsibilities and passion for Public Health and Medicine, Jennifer enjoys cooking, dancing, and running.

Julia Ressler

Manager

she/her/hers

Julia is the Manager for the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is a public health social worker with a passion for systemic transformation and connecting the dots. She graduated from Temple University with Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Health and lived and worked in and around Philadelphia prior to moving to Ithaca. At health systems, non-profits, and public agencies, she has helped to coordinate multidisciplinary teams, grant projects, and collective impact partnerships to improve community health. Julia has a broad range of experience in the areas of mental health, harm reduction and overdose prevention, LGBTQ+ health and gender affirming care, trauma-informed care, public health program planning and evaluation, and community health education.

In her current role, she supports a variety of initiatives to improve policies and data practices, build capacity, and provide education to advance health and organizational equity. In her spare time, she loves baking bread, hiking, learning new things, and taking her cat on road trips.

Morigan (Mori) House

Health Equity Intern

they/them/theirs

Ritza Francois

Project Coordinator

she/her/hers

Ritza is a Haitian-American non-profit administration leader, marketing innovator, relationship builder, art enthusiast, and food access warrior. Originally from Crown Heights Brooklyn, NY, Ritza found her way to Ithaca as a student where she graduated from Ithaca College with a BS in Business Marketing ‘15. She fell in love with business marketing, management, and leadership and has been working in the community ever since. She was formerly the Director of Development at the Children’s Garden and Member Relationship Manager with the Tompkins Chamber of Commerce in Ithaca, NY where she advocated and supported over 650+ businesses annually in areas of business consulting, marketing opportunities, and networking programs. Ritza has experience working at Planned Parenthood of NYC as a Business Associate and is excited to be back in the health field working in equity. She sits on the board of the Community Arts Partnership (CAP) and is a volunteer with the Friendship Donation Network. She looks forward to bringing her skill sets to Cayuga Health and is thrilled to be working closer in the community.