Working together to enhance recovery

Felicia Davis Blakley is a socially conscious executive leader, who leads with radical authenticity, unparalleled passion, and inspirational vision. A proven leader in the government, public policy, higher education, and philanthropic sectors, she is deeply committed to community through inclusive service to others. Felicia is a self-described girl from the Southside of Chicago and for more than 30 years, has worked at the intersection of public policy and community equity and inclusion. For her, the transformational idea of being a social change agent coexists with a deep awareness of the practical realities facing our society. Felicia believes profoundly in the power to transform individual lives, families, and whole communities through collective efforts and that advancing equality and equity in society are causes worth fighting for.

Most recently, Felicia served as President and CEO of Chicago Foundation for Women, where she led the Foundation's strategic efforts in investing in women and girls as catalysts, fighting for gender equity, and building stronger communities for all. Successfully completed CFW’s Comprehensive Fundraising Campaign, raising over $45 million over 4 years. In September 2021, under her leadership, CFW launched the SHEcovery™ initiative. A commitment to raise over $11M, identify, uplift, fund, advocate for, and support a more equitable system to ensure women and their families emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic stronger than before. Prior to joining Chicago Foundation for Women, Felicia held diverse executive positions in Chicago city government, including Inaugural Executive Director for the Mayor’s Office of Public Engagement, Commissioner, and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety.

An advocate and acclaimed public speaker, Felicia has appeared on local and international news outlets, been a presenter at forums and featured in a diverse roster of radio & television outlets, as well as various online and printed publications. Davis Blakley gives generously of her personal time, serving on several civic and charitable boards. Previously she served as a member on JB Pritzker Gubernatorial Inauguration Committee and served as an appointee to the Illinois Senate Sexual Discrimination, Harassment Awareness and Prevention Task Force. Presently, she is a member of the Board of Regents at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, Trustee with Court Theatre at University of Chicago, Board Member at The Partnership for College Completion, and the Better Government Association, and she serves as a Co-Chair for the National Community Engagement Group and Executive Committee member for RECOVER, a research initiative from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), seeks to understand, prevent, and treat PASC, including Long COVID.

Marta Cerda is a Co-Chair of the NCEG and serves on the RECOVER Clinical Trials Steering Committee, Health Equity Subcommittee and RECOVER Vital. Marta has more than 38 years’ experience in corporate, not-for-profit, philanthropic, and political arenas. She is currently CEO of ASI, a not-for-profit organization that provides home health, telehealth, home care services, employment, and training programs.

Marta is a dynamic leader who takes a transformative approach to leadership, using her experience and global vision to analyze trends and forecast where the healthcare industry is headed. She has transformed ASI from a fee-for-service model to a population health model.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marta led ASI’s vaccine outreach initiatives. Her efforts led to ASI receiving a grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to conduct COVID-19 vaccination and outreach in 5 underserved Latino and African American communities in Chicago. ASI also created a team of 13 Community Health Workers who reached most of Chicago with resources and vaccinations. She is working on a Long COVID Summit in partnership with UI Health scheduled for September 2024.

Marta earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University’s Chicago School of Law. She is a candidate for the Northwestern-Kellogg School Executive Scholar Program. As a National Hispana Leadership Institute Fellow, she has attended the Center for Creative Leadership and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Marta completed How Women Lead’s global fellowship, Women Leaders for the World 2024. She was named a Notable Woman in Healthcare in Crain’s Chicago.

Victor H. Clash is a Co-Chair of the NCEG and a RECOVER Patient Representative. Victor has been a patient in the RECOVER adult observational study since August 2023. He is a former police officer and has a dedicated and rich background in customer service. Prior to contracting COVID-19, Victor was also an automotive service manager for 28 years. Victor is driven by helping others and committed to giving back to the community. He takes pride in spreading goodwill through his efforts.

Brittany is a public health practitioner with 14 years of experience overseeing and implementing projects focused on chronic disease management and prevention, health equity advancement, infectious disease control, tobacco cessation and maternal health. She has served in leadership positions on several grants and research projects funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. She has held leadership positions with the CEAL Alliance, National Million Hearts Initiative, Deloitte, CDC Diversity & Inclusion Team, and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, Cardiovascular Health Leadership Council. Brittany is a graduate of the College of Charleston where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and of Mercer University where she earned her Master of Public Health degree. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.

Heather works for West Virginia University as a Case Manager in The Office of Student Rights & Responsibilities. She is originally from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, but currently resides in Morgantown, West Virginia with her husband. Heather is a 1995 graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She is the mother of two adult children. She worked in social service for over 20 years, 10 of which she served as Executive Director of CASA of Beaver County, PA. Heather has a passion for advocacy and helping others, which explains her enthusiasm for her volunteer work within the RECOVER Initiative. As a PASC patient since 2020, Heather hopes that her participation in the study will help the medical community better understand why specific individuals are more susceptible to Long COVID and how to successfully treat the wide range of symptoms. In addition to her participation in the study, Heather is also an NCEG Co-Chair, a member of the RECOVER Steering Committee and serves on the RECOVER National Community Advisory Board.

Mike Zissis is a Co-Chair of the NCEG and a RECOVER Patient Representative. His initial COVID infection was in January 2021, followed by Long COVID 5 weeks later. He has been a patient participant in the RECOVER adult observational study since April 2022. Mike advocates for having strong, respected, and effective patient input and communication included in all aspects of the RECOVER Initiative.