Staff
Our Refugee Advocates Are Our Most Valuable Assets
Since its foundation in 2001, Nile Sisters Development Initiative ( NSDI ) has made it a priority to involve stakeholders. Our staff is a genuine reflection of this goal.
Rebecca Paida, Senior Program Manager
A former refugee, Rebecca is intimately aware of health disparities, as well as social and economic challenges one faces when relocating to a new community. This experience fuels her passion for service to underrepresented populations.
Rebecca is an alumna of San Diego State University, where she earned her bachelor of arts degree in public administration with a minor in Africana studies. From Loma Linda University, she achieved a master’s degree in public health with emphasis in health education. She is a certified health education specialist and holds a certificate of nonprofit management.
Rebecca belongs to several professional organizations, including American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Public Health Association ( APHA ). She chairs the San Diego Refugee Forum ( 2017—2019 ) and sits on the Community Advisory Board ( CAB ) of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute ( ACTRI ) at the University of California, San Diego.
As the Nile Sisters Development Initiative senior program manager, Rebecca
- procures cross-sector grants and other investments to implement NSDI programs
- oversees NSDI programs.
Danielle White, Health Advocacy Coordinator
Inspired by the ideology of social justice, Danielle is an experienced public health professional and native New Yorker. She received her master’s degree in public health from New York Medical College after receiving her bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University in Queens, NY. She is accomplished in performing integrated evidence-based research that has led to creation and implementation of health-promotion curricula used by the Westchester County Department of Health. During graduate school, Danielle was an active contributor to an organization devoted to children’s environmental health and was a Robert L. Popper grant winner, based on her work for and publications covering children’s environmental health advisories.
Danielle considers one of her greatest achievements to be the engineering and completion of facility operation plans that resulted in licensure from the Department of Social Services. Danielle now focuses her passion on global health and the refugee community in San Diego.
As the Nile Sisters Development Initiative health advocacy coordinator, Danielle
- conducts research on and publishes advocacy materials related to health disparities
- fosters relationships with elected officials and key stakeholders to improve health services and policies
- oversees the design, implementation, and evaluation of health promotion and education initiatives
