CENTER FOR NATIVE HEALTH

Executive Board

Trey Adcock

Executive Director

Roseanna Belt

Executive Board Chair

Madison Leatherwood

Director of Programming

Caleb Hickman

Executive Board

Blythe Winchester

Executive Board

Carol Long

Executive Board

Kristina Hyatt

Executive Board

Tom Belt

Cultural Specialist

Turner Goins

Treasurer

Micah Swimmer

Executive Board

Onita Bush

Executive Board

Tashina Kalonaheskie

Executive Board

Manuel Hernandez

Executive Board

Center for Native Health
25 Water Tower Lane
Whittier, NC 28789

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Center for Native Health
25 Water Tower Lane
Whittier, NC 28789

Trey Adcock, Executive Director

Trey Adcock (ᏣᎳᎩᎯ ᎠᏰᎵ, enrolled Cherokee Nation), PhD, is an Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Director of American Indian & Indigenous Studies at the University of North Carolina Asheville. He was named one of seven national Public Engagement Fellows in 2018-2019 by the Whiting Foundation for his work documenting a Bureau of Indian Affairs run day school in the TutiYi “Snowbird” Cherokee Community. He obtained his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a Sequoyah Dissertation Fellow focusing on technology integration at an American Indian boarding school in Oklahoma. Dr. Adcock’s work has been published in the Journal of American Indian Education, Teaching Tolerance and Readings in Race, Ethnicity and Immigration. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Center for Native Health and sits on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Cherokee Studies.

Madison Leatherwood, Director of Programming

Madison graduated from Western Carolina University in May of 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in Integrated Health Science and a concentration in healthcare management. She hopes to return to school to obtain her Masters degree in Business Administration and bring her knowledge back to her community. As an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians she hopes to be a positive influence and role model for upcoming youth and college students. In her free time she can be found spending time with her husband and three dogs on their family farm in Sevierville Tennessee.

Caleb Hickman, Phd

Is the Supervisory Biologist for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) and is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, where he grew up. With over 20 years of experience in the field of ecology, he has worked from deserts to mountains to restore, conserve and study a variety of plants and animals and understand their interactions with people. He holds a bachelors and master’s degree in biology from Missouri Valley College and Missouri State University, respectively, and a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Since 2013, he has worked for EBCI to manage culturally and economically important natural resources for the tribe. His research and interests are primarily concerned with how people interact with their environment, especially related to capturing traditional Cherokee knowledge and weaving humans into the health of the environment for the benefit of future generations.

Blythe Winchester MD, MPH, CMD

Is a board-certified Geriatrician and member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in Cherokee, NC. She practices at Cherokee Indian Hospital and is the Certified Medical Director at Tsali Care Center. She received her MD and MPH at UNC-Chapel Hill and did a Family Medicine Residency in Greenville, SC. Her Geriatrics fellowship was completed through the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville, NC. She is board- certified in Family Medicine and Geriatrics and is a Certified Medical Director through the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

She has served on the Ethnogeriatrics Committee for the American Geriatrics Society since 2011. Her presentations often focus on neurocognitive disorders among tribal communities and her research focuses on tribal elders. She is a mentor for the Jones Bowman Leadership Award Program and a recent graduate of the Right Path Adult Leadership Program through the Ray Kinsland Leadership Institute. She lives on the Qualla Boundary with her husband, five dogs and one cat. She was selected for the Remember the Removal bicycle ride and completed a 950 mile bike ride in 2019 retracing the Northern Route of the Trail of Tears. She is a retired member of the Smoky Mountain Rollergirls roller derby team. She loves music, reading, and being outdoors.

My name is Carol Long. I am an enrolled member of the EBCI. My husband and I have 5 children. I was born and raised in Cherokee. I spent my teenage years working at the Oconaluftee Indian Village as a tour guide for tourists. In my later years I worked at Dairy Queen and Pizza Inn. I attended South Western Community College and obtained an associate degree in paralegal technology which enabled me to secure a job with the Cherokee Tribal Court system. I worked 11 years with the Tribal Drug Court. I have spent an enormous amount of time volunteering with different community organizations. I served as a vice present for the Cherokee Healing and Wellness Coalition for 8 years. I have served as the vice chair for Indians in sobriety for 10 years. I have served as Vice President for the American Legion Auxiliary for 5 years. My hobbies include beading, sewing, camping, volunteering, and educating people on our history and culture. I have proudly served on the Center for Native Health Board for several years.

Kristina Hyatt is a mother, dental hygienist, former Miss Native American USA, and an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from the University of North Carolina Asheville and an Associates in Applied Science degree from Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College to become a registered dental hygienist. She has travelled across Indian Country as the Native American Tooth Fairy, educating Native youth about the importance of oral health.

Turner Goins

Turner is a gerontologist with her PhD from UMass-Boston. For the past 20 years, her research has focused on American Indian and Alaska Native aging-related issues, including diabetes, mental health, physical functioning, caregiving, and social support. She most enjoys collaborative projects with tribal communities that address their identified priorities with respect to elder health and well-being.

Micah Swimmer, Executive Board

Micah Swimmer, M.A. was born and raised on the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee, North Carolina. He is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokees. Micah earned his Associates and Bachelors degrees from Haskell Indian Nations University and his Master’s degree from the University of Kansas. His focus has been Indigenous Studies, with a special concentration in Language Revitalization and Preservation. Micah has utilized his familial knowledge of the Cherokee language and culture along with his western education to serve in several capacities with the Eastern Band of Cherokees, most recently as the Cherokee Language and Culture Specialist for the Human Resources Department. Throughout his career he has worked in language preservation efforts focused on all age groups, from newborns to adults.

Micah is an active community member, serving as a youth basketball and football coach and is also a keeper of Cherokee traditions as a member of the Warriors of Anikituwah and the Kolanvyi Indian Ball team. He is also the leader of a dance group for young people, the Aniyvwiyahi Analsgisgi (The real people dancers) who perform traditional Cherokee dances. Micah travels regularly to provide educational workshops on the Cherokee language, dances, and culture. He is often accompanied by his wife Carrah and their children: Dvdaya, Ogana, and Yona-Uweluga who are all also ambassadors of the Cherokee language and traditions.

Tashina Kalonaheskie

I work for Tribal In-Home Care Services with the Public Health and Human Services Division. I am the part of the Administrative team. I am a co-facilitator for the Alzheimer’s Support Group in Cherokee. I am on the Onboarding Process Team for Public Health. I completed my certificate for Native Health Studies May 2019. I teach Historical Grief and Trauma training to every new employee that comes to work with the Public Health and Human Services Division. I am also a certified nurse aide and co-assist with the Lifeline program for the Cherokee Community.

Manuel Hernandez

A current resident of the Big Y community, Manuel Holds has dedicated 15+ years with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians: Public Health & Human Services (EBCI:PHHS) in different capacities. Manuel currently serves as a Training Coordinator at the EBCI: PHHS Regulatory & Compliance department where he is tasked with workforce development, professional development and orients new employees on the culture of PHHS and Cherokee health disparities. He is a member of the Patient Family Advisory Council at the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority (CIHA) were he advocates for community input on policies, administration recommendations and building better relations with family and care teams.