Our Team

Anne Kelsey Lamb, MPH, Director

Anne Kelsey Lamb is the Director of RAMP. Serving as the Director since 2002, Anne provides overall leadership in establishing RAMP’s vision and mission and ensuring success in achieving the goals and activities developed as part of our strategic plan. With a strong interest in both chronic illness and social inequities, she leads all components of the organization’s efforts to reduce the burden of asthma with a focus on equity including: building capacity of the field, creating linkages among stakeholders, and advocating for policy and systems change. Under Anne’s guidance and direction, RAMP has evolved as an organization, significantly expanding its breadth, scope, and impact, as well as acquiring funding from diverse foundations and agencies. Previously, Anne was a Health Educator at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA. Other previous professional affiliations include: the National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Genetics Program, and the Prevention Center of Boston. Anne is a graduate of Bowdoin College and received a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan.

Connect with Anne at anne@rampasthma.org.

Joel Ervice, Associate Director

Joel Ervice is the Associate Director of RAMP. In partnership with RAMP’s Director, Joel manages organizational development, financial sustainability, and communications activities in support of RAMP’s mission of reducing the burden of asthma with a focus on health equity. Joel also manages two strategic areas: 1) Healthy Air for All, which shapes policies to reduce air pollution in inequitably burdened communities; and 2) Healthcare equity, which increases access to prevention-oriented services within healthcare, and advances workforce development for asthma professionals. Joel leads the California Asthma Financing Workgroup, a network of diverse stakeholders committed to improving the financial sustainability for asthma education and in-home environmental trigger reduction. Prior to joining RAMP in 2003, Joel was a public health media advocacy trainer for the Berkeley Media Studies Group and worked on child care and economic development policy for the National Economic Development and Law Center. After graduating from Whitman College, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, South America.

Connect with Joel at joel@rampasthma.org.

Brandon Kitagawa, MS, Senior Policy Associate

Brandon Kitagawa is a Senior Policy Associate for RAMP. He leads RAMP’s work to improve housing quality through leadership of the California Healthy Housing Coalition, which brings together diverse stakeholders to advance state-level solutions to substandard housing conditions. He also collaborates with partners who work on tenant protections and preservation of affordable housing to advance the broad and comprehensive goal of housing stability and supports local healthy housing projects that can serve as models and be scaled statewide. Brandon also leads Community Action to Fight Asthma (CAFA), a network of asthma stakeholders in California focused on peer learning and collective action on a comprehensive range of both clinical and environmental policy priorities. Prior to joining RAMP, Brandon was a Community Organizer in Sacramento, CA working with local communities on youth development, neighborhood safety, and affordable housing. Between his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Brandon served as a Peace Corps Volunteer assisting environmental education, monitoring, and protection efforts of a marine reserve in Belize, Central America. Brandon is a graduate of Santa Clara University and received his MS degree from UC Davis.

Connect with Brandon at brandon@rampasthma.org.

Nilo Ventura, Program Administrator

Nilo Ventura joined RAMP as Program Administrator in June 2015. Nilo has been a Program Administrator for the Public Health Institute (PHI) since February 2014. Prior to joining PHI, Nilo worked in higher education including CSU Los Angeles, CSU East Bay and CSU Sacramento. At CSU Los Angeles, he served as A/P Manager and Management Analyst for the University Auxiliary Services Inc. Contracts and Grants Department. At CSU East Bay, he served as Fiscal Manager/Programmer Analyst for the Division of Continuing and International Education, where he developed an integrated financial system designed to monitor the Division’s $12M operation. He also consulted with the English Language Institute at CSU Sacramento where he created a database system for student enrollment, grades, and course management. Nilo retired from the U.S. Navy and served on both active and reserve duties. In the Navy, Nilo fulfilled various assignments as Disbursing Officer, Controller, Military Pay Auditor, and Fiscal Manager. Nilo holds a B.S. Degree in Computer Information Technology from Mt. Sierra College, Monrovia, CA.

Connect with Nilo at nilo@rampasthma.org.

Cassie Mohawk, MPH, Communications Assistant

Cassie Mohawk is RAMP’s Communications Assistant. She manages a range of communication initiatives, including producing RAMP Digest content, maintaining the website, and developing social media materials. She also serves as a point of contact for general inquiries and supports administrative efforts to further RAMP’s mission, goals, and grant objectives. Cassie is deeply committed to improving the health and well-being of infants, children, mothers, and families through equitable approaches in research, intervention strategies, and data dissemination. She holds a BAS in Public Health Education from the University of Minnesota Duluth and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Connect with Cassie at cassie@rampasthma.org.