Class of 2008-09 Policy Analyst National Council of Urban Indian Health 924 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Washington, DC 20003 Phone: (202) 544-0344

Profile:

Danielle graduated summa cum laude from Seattle University with two BAs in philosophy and political science. She was also a scholar-in-residence at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.  Danielle graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2005.  While at Georgetown, Danielle served as the President of the Women’s Legal Alliance, took part in the Women’s Leadership Forum at the Democratic National Convention, and was a campus organizer and alumni activist for the National Organization of Women.  After law school, Danielle worked in the private legal field as a defense attorney, and she is licensed to practice law in Maryland.  She continues to provide pro-bono legal assistance for the Maryland juvenile court system. Her written works include “Boondocks: Accessibility of Healthcare for Alaska Natives,” “Congress & the Attorney-Client Privilege: the Fine Art of Balancing Power,” and “Sandman and the Oresteia: Images of Justice and Mercy.” Currently, Danielle is the policy analyst for the National Council of Urban Indian Health specializing in health care and community wellness. Her work focuses on Medicare, Medicaid, community-based public health policy, culturally competent health care, and health disparities.

Danielle’s organization was asked to testify before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on health care reform at a hearing for the three national Indian health organizations (NCUIH, National Indian Health Board (NIHB), National Congress of American Indians) to present their joint recommendations.  This was the sixth hearing for which Danielle drafted testimony on behalf of NCUIH.  She also completed a one year transition plan for NCUIH and its member organizations in preparation for the Obama Administration.  This document articulated how the national organization intended to move forward with the new Administration and outlined priorities areas in terms of health policy and health reform.  To prepare for the transition, Danielle arranged for meetings with various agencies’ transition teams and prepared briefs outlining the regulatory action NCUIH found favorable or unfavorable.  She also successfully worked with the House Majority Leadership and other Representatives to ensure that the Urban Indian Health Program line item was included in the Continuing Resolution.  She was in charge of educating specific lawmakers about the Health Care for America Now! (HCAN!) project.  She also assisted the HCAN! policy committee in developing a comprehensive policy brief that discusses not only health care access issues in terms of insurance, but also actual access to physicians.  NCUIH has also begun developing an internet database.  Danielle helped write contracts, draft MOUs, and finalize negotiations with two universities, several independent researchers, and other AI/AN organizations to provide materials, review, and oversight of the database. The goal of the database is to focus on culturally specific best practices across the medical field from primary care to substance abuse prevention and treatment.  Before November’s election, Danielle assisted with the Native Vote Project.  She worked with the National Congress of American Indians to ensure that urban Indians were included in the Native Vote Project dedicated registering all eligible Native Americans and Alaska Natives. NCUIH helped organize registration drives at 25 urban Indian clinics and Danielle wrote several region-specific facts & myths sheets, distributed registration dos & don’ts, and was on hand to answer election law and registration questions. She also worked with clinics in major urban centers to develop voting transportation and legal protection and with NCAI to develop a Native specific election law hotline for Election Day.  She also helped find attorneys and staff centers in Montana, California, Utah, Oregon, and New Mexico.  These efforts paid off, and NCUIH is very proud of the Native Vote project as there was a higher than average voter turnout.  Danielle also prepared a two hour advocacy and grassroots networking workshop for the annual NIHB Conference in California.