Jo Ann Kauffman (Nez Perce) has built KAI from a one-woman shop into one of the most well respected and influential Native-advocacy organizations in the country. As president and founder, she remains actively involved in all aspects of KAI operations, where her experience, perspective, and insight ensures high-quality management support.
Since founding KAI in 1990, Jo Ann has received numerous awards for her work advancing minority representation and social justice, including being named the Business Beat Minority Small Business Person of the Year and a Woman of Achievement by the Carl Maxey Racial & Social Justice Awards.

She currently serves on the board of trustees at Eastern Washington University (EWU), where she also leads the advisory committee for the newly founded Lucy Covington Center. In addition to the honorary doctorate from EWU she received in 2017, she holds a master’s of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kevin Ollokot Keefe (Nez Perce) has been the CEO of Kauffman and Associates, Inc. since 2020. Kevin brings more than a decade of experience in strategic planning, operational improvement, and private sector management consulting. He frequently leads strategic planning, operational improvement, and financial forecasting engagements with KAI’s tribal clients.

He holds a master’s of economics from the University of San Francisco and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Josephine Keefe is KAI’s vice president of communications. Josephine has over a decade of experience in the creative field, specializing in developing culturally competent, targeted communication products that support outreach to vulnerable populations on public health topics. Her extensive creative background ensures that all of KAI’s clients receive the best products possible and allows her to craft innovative, multiplatform communication strategies. Ms. Keefe oversees a process involving project managers, writers, graphic designers, and web developers, and prides herself on her ability to unify the many aspects of a complex individual project into a single, compelling message. She earned her master’s of fine arts from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Theater, Film and Television.

Danica Brown (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) serves as KAI’s vice president for behavioral health transformation with more than 29 years of experience supporting all aspects of system and service transformation to improve services and operations for vulnerable youth and family populations. Dr. Brown provides subject matter expertise in social work, public health research, cross-system program development, historical trauma impacts on health outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and using a resilience and strength-based framework and Indigenous Ways of Knowing. Prior to KAI and as behavioral health program director with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, Dr. Brown acted as the primary resource for behavioral health technical assistance, training, management, quality assurance and supervision of the behavioral health program. She also instructs at Portland State University’s School of Social Work and Indigenous Nations Studies, teaching students about substance abuse in social work practice, social work in American Indian communities, and tribal critical race theory. Dr. Brown holds a doctorate of philosophy degree in social work from Portland State University, a masters in social work from Colorado State University, and a bachelor of science in human services, with a minor in high-risk youth studies from Metropolitan State College of Denver. She is also a certified addition counselor III (CAC III) through the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies.

Jennifer Gillissen is KAI’s vice president for meeting and event planning. With over 20 years of experience in the field, she is a certified Project Management Professional, a Certified Meeting Professional, and a Certified Government Meeting Professional, in addition to being Virtual Event & Meeting Management–certified. 

This expertise allows Jennifer to manage projects throughout the United States, including events ranging from 10 to 14,000 participants. She provides all levels of support for domestic and international participants, including project management, logistics, travel, reimbursement, conference planning, reporting, and administration. Jennifer additionally plans and facilitates government events, including a wide variety of Federal Advisory Committee Act activities such as meetings, tribal consultations, award ceremonies, webinars, summits, and listening sessions. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sports management from Towson State University with a minor in business administration. 

Dr. Chesleigh Keene (Diné/Navajo) serves as vice president for KAI’s research and evaluation team, bringing over a decade of experience advancing health and wellness in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities and improving health and wellness outcomes through culture-centric research, teaching, and service. Guided by Indigenous values, Dr. Keene integrates cultural and ceremonial elements into her work, focusing on cancer prevention, mental health, and education initiatives for AI/AN populations. She has collaborated on multidisciplinary teams, promoted cultural sensitivity in research, and taught graduate courses with a focus on Indigenous perspectives. Dr. Keene’s career spans impactful roles in academia, mental health treatment, and community health, including leading the first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Day of Honor at Northern Arizona University. She has worked with the Native American Research Centers for Health and the National Cancer Institute, championing diversity and inclusion in health research. Dr. Keene holds a doctor of philosophy degree in counseling psychology from the University of Denver; a master of art degree in community counseling from Loyola University; and a bachelor of art degree in psychology from Fort Lewis College.

Holly Echo-Hawk (Pawnee Nation) serves as KAI’s Senior Behavioral Health Advisor. She has more than 35 years of senior-level experience in supporting all aspects of system and service transformation for vulnerable youth and family populations. She is a former behavioral health director of both tribal and non-tribal programs, where she was responsible for overseeing child and family services in coordination with primary care providers, child psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical staff, and paraprofessional supports.

Her knowledge of complex trauma, cultural influences, assessment tools for trauma and suicide risk, and best practice treatment approaches are key to her national behavioral health leadership. She brings a high level of expertise to KAI as subject matter expert for the training and technical assistance, and research & evaluation service lines. She attended the University of Oklahoma, the University of Texas-Austin, and the California School of Professional Psychology, where she earned a master’s in organizational behavior.

Chanda Aloysius Yates (Holy Cross Tribe) serves as a senior advisor on Indian health systems for KAI’s research and evaluation team. She has over 35 years of experience in Indian health, including primary care and behavioral health, healthcare administration and management, organizational development, strategic planning, policy development, healthcare accreditations, revenue cycle optimization, and quality assurance and improvements. As a healthcare leader, Chanda has worked to transform and manage teams, oversee financial and budgeting operations, optimize revenue, build organizational infrastructure, develop strategic plans, support change management, provide mentoring/coaching, and conduct fundraising and business development activities. She has focused her career on transforming community health and healthcare through best practices, thought leadership, advocacy, and capacity building. A dedicated leader, Chanda has overseen financial operations, revenue optimization, and change management, and has provided executive leadership for tribal health clinics and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). Chanda earned her master of business administration degree from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor of arts degree in business administration, with a focus in organizational management, from Alaska Pacific University.

Rochelle Hamilton (Ehattesaht First Nation, Tulalip Tribes descendant) is a tribal 988 advisor on KAI’s behavioral health transformation team, bringing over 20 years of experience in inclusive service transformation for vulnerable youth, elders, and families. Rochelle is a trailblazer in 988 and crisis response in Indian Country. She led the design, launch, and implementation of Washington State’s Native and Strong Lifeline (NSLL), the first American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) focused crisis lifeline within the National 988 system. Under her leadership, the NSLL became a fully Native-operated, culturally responsive service, supporting over 4,500 individuals in its first year. Rochelle also revitalized and reconfigured the Native Resource Hub (NRH), a vital statewide linkage system connecting AI/AN individuals to tribal health organizations (THOs). The NRH serves as both a follow-up program to the NSLL and a connector to all Washington State tribal and non-tribal behavioral health resources. Rochelle received her master of science degree in management and leadership from Western Governors University, a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences-political science from Washington State University, and an associate degree in arts and sciences from Everett Community College.