Our Team

Jessica Espinoza Jensen

New Mexico Health Equity Partnership
Grants & Capacity Building Strategist
jjensen@nmhep.org – 505.988-9715 ex.7019

Jessi is responsible for strategy development, coordinating HEP’s community-driven research, planning community gatherings, and grants management. A Latina born in California and raised in New Mexico, Jessi deeply values the strengths, creativity, and histories of resistance of people of color. Jessi is committed to supporting communities to develop their own solutions on issues that affect them. She works with community partners to share their ideas and transform how decisions are made so the processes, and decisions themselves, center the lived experiences of people most impacted. Jessi loves utilizing creative engagement strategies, such as art and play so people of all ages can actively participate and tell their own narratives.

Jessi holds a Masters in Sociology and a BBA in Marketing & Accounting. Her past professional endeavors include: policy research, technical assistance to non-profits, and teaching English abroad. When Jessi’s not at HEP, you can find her running long distances in the desert or mountains. For Jessi, her work at HEP and trail running are interrelated. She experiences trail running as an exercise in learning, understanding, and connection. Jessi’s other passions include spending time with friends and family, hiking, skiing, and adventuring with her husband, Brian, and beagles, Bogus Basin and BurčáK Bilo.

David Gaussoin

New Mexico Health Equity Partnership
Communications & Marketing Associate
dgaussoin@nmhep.org – 505.988-9715 ex.7018

David Gaussoin provides communications, web site, newsletter, and social media support for the NM Health Equity Partnership. In addition, he serves as support for network engagement and external communications, as well as, currently works with the Together for Brothers HIA team. In the past, he has worked with other HIA teams, such as the Lobos CO2 Pipeline, Chainbreaker Collective, Indian Health Services team on various issues.

David holds a BBA in Business Marketing from the Anderson School of Business, at the University of New Mexico. He has a background in applied fine arts and arts education.  David’s previous experience includes teaching at the Institute of American Indian Arts and the Santa Fe Community College, as well as, producing and selling his own jewelry and fashion internationally. David is a Native of Santa Fe, as well as, a proud member of the Navajo Nation and Picuris Pueblo. David is a strong advocate for the arts. He has worked with the Pueblo Opera Program, Avant Garde, the New Mexico Museum Foundation, and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. He enjoys traveling, learning about new cultures, and sharing with others his own cultural background.

David strongly believes in equity and advocacy for grass roots community action-

“I believe community members hold the knowledge and answers; they just need to be asked. I do this work because we all have a responsibility to honor our past, present, and future generations, because this is our home.”

Some pictures of past “Hepsters”….Once a Hepster always a Hepster!!!

WHAT WE DO

NMHEP, an initiative at the Santa Fe Community Foundation, focuses on building an infrastructure of community-based leadership that has the capacity and knowledge to change systems and address issues that make it possible for every New Mexican to have an opportunity live a healthy life. New Mexico needs residents actively involved and invested in making a difference, and it needs a strong set of community-based organizations that are effective and are a galvanizing force that is able to inform decision makers. HEP is building the foundation to make this possible.

WE PROVIDE TRAINING TO STRENGTHEN ADVOCACY

NMHEP trains residents and community groups on how to make a more compelling and impact case when engaging decision makers on issues they care most about. One critical tool that we provide and teach how to use is a tool call the Health Impact Assessment (HIA). Through the HIA, advocates and residents learn how to collect and utilize data that can inform policy change, and hold decision makers more accountable.

WE CREATE CRITICAL CONNECTIONS AND LINKAGES

NMHEP facilitates relationships among like-minded organizations and communities throughout New Mexico via convenings and our online forum. We identify non-profits and community members from different regions and provide the platform for them to learn from each other and share best practices.

WE FOSTER AUTHENTIC COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

NMHEP supports community members to be their own champions, and ensure that local residents have a real voice and seat at the table. We train non-profits to develop the skills needed to better listen so grassroots community members have the opportunity to play an activity role in advocacy and decision making.

WE PROVIDE RESOURCES TO INCREASE ORGANIZATIONAL AND ADVOCACY CAPACITY

NMHEP funds advocates’ efforts to move an issue forward and coaches them each step of the way. That could be training them on a HIA. It also has included help with planning and design of community focused gatherings, as well as back-end operations including budgeting and reporting. HEP also coordinates the HIA Train the Trainers program building local knowledge, skills and expertise in providing high quality HIA technical assistance services.