Fall is a time of transitions, and here at NoHLA we’re preparing for a bittersweet but exciting season of change. 

We are honoring 25 years of courageous leadership from our founding Executive Director Janet Varon, who has announced she will retire at the end of this year. And we’re very excited to be moving forward with a new co-leadership model that will take NoHLA into our next 25 years in the fight for health justice. NoHLA remains invigorated in its mission to improve access to health care for all Washingtonians with a team that now spans Spokane, Kitsap, King, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties. 

Please join us in celebrating Janet and welcoming our incoming team! You are a critical  part of the NoHLA community and we look forward to moving forward together.

Warmly, 

Introducing Daphne Smith, Co-Executive Director of Operations (Spokane)

As NoHLA’s incoming Co-Executive Director of Operations, Daphne Smith is thrilled to advance NoHLA’s health advocacy work using her deep experience leading multi-dimensional teams, developing innovative programs, and fostering community partnerships. 

Daphne has dedicated her career to incorporating inclusivity and equality into the development, culture and infrastructure of the organizations she’s served. For the past twenty years, she has specialized in human resources management and organizational development, successfully leading teams in various industries including nonprofit, philanthropic, and federal contracting.

A self-proclaimed eternal student, Daphne maintains certifications in Sustainable Management, Professional in Human Resource Management (PHR) and Society for Human Resource Management – Certified Professional (SHRM-CP), and a bachelor’s degree from Weber State University.

In her spare time, she enjoys laughing, leisurely walks, and delicious meals.

Reintroducing Emily Brice, Co-Executive Director of Advocacy (Seattle) 

Emily Brice (NoHLA’s former Deputy Director) is delighted to join Daphne in leading NoHLA into the future as our incoming Co-Executive Director of Advocacy. 

Emily brings 18 years of experience as a lawyer and health policy expert advocating for a health care system that centers patients. Emily is a long-standing part of NoHLA’s community, from her roots as a NoHLA legal intern to her time as a Staff Attorney starting in 2011 and later return to NoHLA in a senior role in 2020. 

Emily has served in government in two states, first as the Senior Health Policy Advisor to Washington State Insurance Commissioner Kreidler and later as the Deputy Chief of Policy & Strategy for the Massachusetts Health Connector, a state-based Marketplace agency. Earlier in her career, Emily developed and managed clinic-based social services program as the Chicago Site Director for Health Leads. She is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law and the University of Chicago. 

Outside of work, you can find Emily reading science fiction to dream of better worlds and finding new playgrounds with her kindergartener.

Welcoming Vanessa Saavedra, Senior Attorney (Spokane)

Alongside with our leadership transitions, NoHLA is also excited to welcome Vanessa Saavedra to the team as a Senior Attorney. Vanessa brings to NoHLA a breadth of legal and policy experience in state and tribal government and nonprofit work, including as a staff attorney for the Department of Social Services and a deputy legal affairs secretary for the Office of Governor Jerry Brown, both in California, and as an Assistant Attorney General III for the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona. 

Her healthcare background includes serving as senior policy analyst for the 988 program at the Washington State Department of Health, as a staff attorney on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s healthcare team, as Assistant Director of Policy and Legal Affairs for the California Primary Care Association, and as Policy Analyst/Staff Attorney for the Health Rights Hotline, a former project of Legal Services of Northern California. Vanessa earned her JD from Duke University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree from California State University, Chico. 

Vanessa enjoys hiking with her canine friends, cycling, and attending live music and comedy shows.