who we are
our founders are actively making an impact in the community to advocate to eliminate the healthcare disparities for lgbtq+ individuals and populations.
Our Mission
To improve healthcare access, experiences and services for LGBTQ+ people
in the greater Grand Rapids region.
Our Vision
We are a collaborative consortium serving to improve health equity for the LGBTQ+ community.
Our Founders
Grace Huizinga, RN, MSN, EdD (she/her/hers)
Ex-Officio
Dr. Grace Huizinga is a former professor of nursing education. She has received an Associate degree as a Registered Nurse, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, has been certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner,
received a Master of Science in Nursing and a Doctoral degree in Educational Leadership
with a focus in nursing education.
Dr. Huizinga’s research/scholarship interests are centered on vulnerable populations and health disparities with a particular focus in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer+ individual and population health.
Dr. Huizinga has 30 years of experience in nursing clinical practice, academia, management/leadership.
She began and has served as the facilitator of the Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium since 2018.
Jennie Knight (she/her/hers)
Executive Director
Jennie has been part of the LGBTQIA+ community for over 30 years and part of the Grand Rapids community for 29.
Jennie has been on several board of directors in Grand Rapids including as secretary for the Grand Rapids Pride Center and as chair for the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce OutPro Steering Committee.
Jennie has worked for Cherry Health Services, Spectrum Health, and Catherine’s Health Center. Jennie is passionate about making Grand Rapids a safe, affirming, and wonderful place for all to live, work and visit.
Our Board of Directors
Lisa M. Lowery, MD, MPH, CPE, FAAP, FSAHM (She/Her/hers)
Board of Directors - Chair
Dr. Lisa Lowery is a native of Grand Rapids and a graduate of Ottawa Hills High School. She attended Michigan State University for her Bachelor’s degree. She then went on to receive her medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School. After medical school, she completed a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatric Residency program at Spectrum Health Grand Rapids. Her desire to work with young people led her to complete a subspecialty research fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD.
Her research during her fellowship concentrated on sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive health. While at the Johns Hopkins, she obtained an MPA.
Currently, Dr. Lowery is an Adolescent Medicine specialist at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Dr. Lowery also serves as Adolescent Medicine Section Chief. She is an Associate Professor MSU’s College of Human Medicine.
In April 2020, she started at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine as the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Cultural Initiatives. In December 2016, she obtained her CPE- Certified Physician Executive from the American Association for Physician Leadership. She is the president of West Michigan Medical Society/National Medical Association and serves on the Grand Rapids Urban League Board of Directors and the Michigan Eating Disorders Alliance Board. In the summer of 2018, started serving on the Cherry Health Foundation Board and the Kent County Community Health Advisory Committee.
Doug Booth (he/him/his)
Board of Directors - Vice Chair
Doug works in Economic Development for the City of Grand Rapids and has been actively involved with the Grand Rapids LGBTQ Healthcare Consortium since its inception. With a steadfast commitment to ensuring that all community members can live equitable lives, Doug has dedicated his career to identifying and removing barriers and integrating social services with formal healthcare systems in the region.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Central Michigan University and a Master’s degree in Healthcare Leadership, Policy & Regulation from the University of Denver. Doug's research has notably focused on the challenges the LGBTQIA community faces in accessing healthcare.
Doug was instrumental in the successful effort to ban conversion therapy in the state, leveraging the coalition he built across the West Michigan community. Passionate about embedding equity throughout community systems, Doug frequently volunteers his time and expertise to various initiatives aimed at driving systemic change and fostering inclusivity across West Michigan.
Jay Knight, DNP, MSN, RN (They/them/theirs)
Board of Directors - Secretary
Jay is a doctorally prepared nurse. They focused their dissertation on addressing LGBTQ+ health disparities and inequities associated with HIV and HIV prevention. They have been a healthcare professional since 2004 beginning their career in hemodialysis. Since then, they have worked in roles as an ED staff nurse, hospital supervisor, stroke nurse navigator, healthcare payer innovations, and most recently nursing faculty at Grand Valley State University.
Jay identifies as a nonbinary person. They seek to create safe spaces as well as brave spaces for all. Acting as an advocate and educator for the LGBTQ community in both clinical and community settings.
Jay is an experienced nurse, educator, and speaker. They also look for opportunities to bring data to life to address needs and build bridges towards positive outcomes including research related to clinical decision support for care team members offering affirming care. Jay has used their experience in informatics as a major contributor to the implementation of a tool for sexual orientation and gender identity for the largest healthcare system in Grand Rapids. Jay also has partnered with organizations to develop and disseminate inclusive care practices and treatment plans for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Jay also has been a member of clinical support tool designs specifically aimed at addressing gender diverse health maintenance needs, HIV risk, and PrEP candidate recognition.
Lisa Manor, BBA, CPA (She, Her, Hers)
Board of Directors - Treasurer
Lisa Manor is a Finance and Supply Chain professional with over 30+ years of experience in Health Care and other Not for Profit arenas.
Lisa spent 16 years at Corewell Health as Director of Financial Reporting for Priority Health and as Director of Procurement for Corewell Health. Prior to that , she served as Chief Financial Officer for Lifelink Corporation, a large Health and Human Services organization in Bensenville, Il. During her tenure at Lifelink, the organization constructed a 126 bed Continuing Care Retirement Community under a tax exempt bond financing. Lisa started her career in public accounting for KPMG in Chicago, IL. She left KPMG as a Senior Audit Manager and during her time there, worked on audits of several large heath systems and other NFP organizations throughout the Metro Chicago area.
Lisa is a Grand Rapids native and recently retired from full time work and has been enjoying traveling, golfing and spending more time with family. She also serves on the Board for RMCHWM for the past 3 years. Lisa desires to improve health care access, affordability and equity by collaborating with various disciplines, providers and communities. She is energized to be a part of this work.
TJ FOX, MSW (He/Him/His)
TJ has been in the field since graduating with his master’s degree in social work in 2007 and currently operates Fox Counseling Services of West Michigan, LLC and is affiliated with Grand Rapids Specialty Therapy.
TJ has professional experience treating the transgender population for over 7 years and has treated approximately 200 transgender/gender non-conforming clients. TJ also provides education and training to healthcare professionals to build more transgender inclusive service environments as well as speaks at universities to educate students about the transgender population.
TJ is a transgender individual himself who started his own physical transition in 2009. He brings personal and professional experience to the education, training, and therapy he provides.
Peter Kulas-Dominguez, BA, JD (He/Him/His)
Peter Kulas-Dominguez is an attorney-referee for the 17th Circuit Court Family Division where he presides over family law, juvenile delinquency, and child protective matters.
Before accepting this position, Mr. Kulas-Dominguez practiced family law litigation with an emphasis on divorce and nonmarital domestic relationships. He counseled individuals through LGBT family issues, domestic relations mediation and collaborative law, spousal support, child custody and support, complex business valuations, and pre- and postnuptial agreements. In addition, Mr. Kulas-Dominguez represented adoptive couples, single parents, stepparents, and guardians as they navigated through Michigan adoption laws and procedures.
He is a member of the Grand Rapids Bar Association. Mr. Kulas-Dominguez is a council member for the State Bar of Michigan LGBTQA Law Section and the State Bar of Michigan Family Law Section, where he co chairs the Court Rules Committee. He was named as a 3 in 10 Award recipient by the Grand Rapids Bar Association in 2018 and as a Michigan Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2018-2019.
Shahryar Oliai, MS-BI, MPA (he/him/his)
Shahryar Oliai is an independent health information technology and clinical informatics consultant who has lived and raised his family in Grand Rapids for nearly four decades. He is passionate about connecting healthcare providers and patients and creating a more just and equitable healthcare system using technology, analytics, and relationship and change management.
Shahryar believes that understanding and addressing problems from a systems-based approach is critical to impacting lasting change. He is thrilled to contribute to the Consortium’s work of breaking down systemic barriers to promote the LGBTQAI+ community’s access to safer and more accessible healthcare services and support. We all benefit from a more equitable community when we give voice and support to those not at the table, through intentional and productive engagement, conversations, and meaningful actions to foster such change.
His professional experiences span from nonprofit to private sectors, including finance, healthcare, and technology. Throughout his career, he has actively sought to serve others, from volunteering his skills as a carpenter/handyman at a women’s shelter, tutoring inner city students, and serving on the board of his children’s school. Shahryar holds two master’s degrees in public administration (health policy) and biomedical and health informatics. He enjoys learning about diverse cultures, good conversations, art, woodworking, reading, poetry, gardening, and most of all, spending time with his wife, family and friends. He states, “I am humbled to serve on this Board and look forward to our ongoing learning and impact along with the incredibly thoughtful individuals and change agents in our community.”
Nirali Bora, MD, MPH (SHE/her/hers)
Nirali Bora is a family medicine physician who went to high school in Kent County. After completing her medical training at the University of Michigan and residency training in Rhode Island at Brown Family Medicine Residency program, she cared for patients on a Navajo reservation in New Mexico. She has been practicing in Grand Rapids since 2013 and transitioned in the fall of 2018 from being faculty at the Mercy Health Family Medicine Residency Program to the medical director at the Kent County Health Department until fall 2024. She recently completed her Master in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University and is passionate about health equity, listening to people’s stories, and working together to improve the wellbeing of our community.
Chris Eakin (he/him/his)
Chris is an office administrator at the Kent County Health Department. He possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Calvin College (now Calvin University) and a Master of Public Administration from Grand Valley State University.
He is a proud bi man and is passionate about pushing back on binaries and embracing the expansiveness of the human experience. In his non-working hours, Chris enjoys spending time with his family, running, cooking/baking, reading, traveling, and playing Mario Kart.
Jamie Alan, RPh, PharmD, PhD (she/hers/her)
Dr. Jamie Alan (she/her) received her PharmD in 2005 from Ohio Northern University and her PhD in Pharmacology in 2010 from UNC-Chapel Hill. She currently holds active Pharmacist licenses in Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina. She is passionate about Gender Affirming care, and she is the faculty advisor for the Gender Affirming Care Elective (GACE) at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. Along with Dr. Knight, she is conducting research aimed at defining appropriate reference values for sex-based laboratory tests (such as hemoglobin) for gender diverse individuals. Her greatest joy in life is teaching future physicians to provide compassionate and inclusive care to all in Michigan and beyond.
Juliana Keeney is a West Michigan native and a proud member of the queer community. Juliana is currently Applied Epidemiology Fellow with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. She is placed at Virginia department of health and her focus areas are neonatal abstinence syndrome, maternal child health, and substance use . Juliana possesses a Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Epidemiology and a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health with a minor in Nonprofit Administration from Grand Valley State University. Juliana’s master’s project focused on assessing cancer screening disparities among gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults in the United States for which she had the opportunity to present her findings during an oral session at the Michigan Epidemiology Conference in April 2024. In the summer of 2024, Juliana will begin her post-graduate fellowship in maternal and child health with the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists at a state health department. Juliana is passionate about data equity and improving LBGTQ+ health outcomes by increasing knowledge around the unique experiences that queer people encounter during their lives. Her other passions include health equity, maternal and infant health, HIV prevention and education, cancer, and drug overdose prevention.
Juliana Keeney, MPH (she/her/hers)
Americorps Members
Natalie manor (She/her/hers)
Natalie Manor is thrilled to be here serving with the Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium! As an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Specialist, she connects members of the queer community to healthcare resources. She also identifies educational content for websites, social media, and events. Natalie is a proud lesbian and is so excited to learn more about her own community and help & connect with others in the Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ community!
Natalie attended Oakland University from 2015-2020 pursuing a BFA in Acting. While she has ultimately chosen a different path for herself, acting and the performing arts remain one of her passions and she’ll always hold her acting journey close to her heart.
In her free time, Natalie loves to read, embroider, and listen to her record collection. But nothing beats spending time with her Caviler King Charles Spaniel, Eddy.
Cam’Ryn Robinson (He/him/his)
Cam’Ryn Robinson is a Grand Rapids Native, and graduate of Innovation Central High School’s Academy of Business, Leadership and Entrepreneurship. Throughout high school and beyond, Cam’Ryn has found this path in Community Engagement.
He has worked in tandem with the Public Library Association and the Grand Rapids Public Library-Ryerson Branch, to coordinate a Financial Literacy Workshop series for teens, ALMOST ADULTING. In addition to forming programs to teach the city’s youth, Cam’Ryn has developed programs toward social change, Declaration of Peace Experience (D.O.P.E). Bringing together the City of Grand Rapids Office of Special Events and the Grand Rapids Hip Hop Coalition to encourage youth to make good life choices and decrease violence in Grand Rapids. Now in serving with the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium, he will connect all members of the community to healthcare resources and provide thoughtful assistance to members of the queer community to services specific to them.
He plans to continue his education through earning his undergraduate degree in Community Health and Human Services. Working to address the many health disparities of the African American and LGBTQIA+ communities.