Community Advisory Board

Dr. Rebecca (Becky) Ashare (she/her), is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology. Her work focuses on enhancing behavioral health among typically underserved populations including people with HIV and individuals with serious mental illness. Prior to joining the faculty at UB in 2021, Becky served as a Core Investigator for the University of Pennsylvania Center for AIDS Research Prevention Science and Community Engagement Core where she worked with community partners to inform and disseminate HIV-related research. She also provides clinical supervision to students in the clinical psychology PhD program at UB.

Khristopher Decker serves as Vice President of Behavioral Health for Evergreen Health, a non-profit healthcare organization that specializes in providing medical, supportive, and behavioral health services to diverse and underserved communities. Khris provides clinical and administrative oversight for all Center for Behavioral Health programs, including mental health, substance use, drug user health, syringe exchange, and harm reduction services. Khris has additionally been a part-time faculty member at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work for more than 13 years.

Alessandra Paola Duarte (She/They) is a Community Social Worker and owner of Pa’lante Diversity Consulting. A first-generation Colombian, Alessandra was born and raised in Buffalo, NY. Alessandra is passionate about social justice and maintains a “Nothing About Us Without Us” ethic in her work. In 2017, she received her Master’s Degree in Social Work with a Certification in Global Social Work from Tulane University. Her areas of expertise include LGBTQIA2S* liberation, refugee and immigrant justice, as well as disability access.

Professor Emerita, Cancer Prevention & Control, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Medical Anthropologist with 30+ years of community-based intervention research experience. Founder and Research Director of The National Witness Project (501c3); and Witness CARES, LLC (organization and business to optimize health care access and cancer screening for African American and Medicaid clients).

For more than two decades, Latise has advocated for those who have been marginalized and disenfranchised. Latise has worked as a social worker, counselor, and activist for social justice, interrogating systems of oppression. Through a multi-year contract with Buffalo State College and the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, Latise was instrumental in the strategy, field test, pilot deliveries, and statewide social welfare practice change. Latise has served as a Global Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is the Founder and Chief Impact Officer of HOPE Consulting. HOPE specializes in diversity, equity and inclusion, training/facilitation, leadership, and organizational development. Latise also is an adjunct faculty member at two universities. Latise holds an MS in Counseling, MS in Creativity and Change Leadership, and a PhD in Leadership and Policy (concentration in Organizational Behavior). Latise is a certified coach and diversity professional, and published researcher.

Retired Higher Education Administrator. PhD, SUNY Buffalo, School of Education, Higher Education Administration, specializing in student affairs at public, private and community colleges. Community service past and present: Dress for Success Buffalo; FBI Citizens Academy; AIDS Association of Western New York; Girls Sports Foundation.

President and Founder of Witness CARES, LLC. Served as staff to the National Witness Project® (501c3) Board of Directors for 10 years, Assistant Director of Training for the National Witness Project® for the past seven years and Director of the program for the past two years. Locally, Dee and the Witness Lay Health Advocates (LHAs) and survivors in Buffalo currently reach over 2,000 African American women a year and navigate over 1,000 women over 40 years of age to breast and cervical screening services in the area. Over the past six years, Johnson has become proficient in coordinating research between the National Witness Project® membership and scientific investigators through her considerable work on many research studies. She has over 18 years of experience in community outreach, recruiting and coordinating volunteers, performing patient and community-based navigation to health services, and building community contacts, trust, and networks. Dee has a bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Bio coming soon.

Rosaura acts as Community Engagement Manager for UBRI, providing direct support for outreach, communications, project management, and reporting for East Side Avenues, with a specific focus on the Community-Based Real Estate Development Training program, which trains East Side residents and building owners in real estate development and works to build a pipeline of citizen developers interested in taking an active role in revitalizing their commercial corridors. She has a passion and commitment to serving systematically disenfranchised communities, through social justice-based initiatives and promoting equitable practices and has eight years of community development experience.

Dr. Sarah Taber-Thomas (she/her) is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Psychological Services Center. She oversees the clinical training of advanced clinical psychology graduate students, and focuses on training students and practitioners in the community in evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for children and families. Dr. Taber-Thomas is a Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) International Certified Regional Trainer, and is committed to ensuring all families in need have access to evidence-based care.