Our Executive Leadership Team is responsible for the day-to-day guidance of Public Health Solutions (PHS). They are also highly committed to inspire PHS’ passionate and talented staff to learn more, do more, and become more.
Cassaundra Howell
President and CEO
Cassaundra Howell is the President and CEO at Public Health Solutions. She is a business executive with over 22 years of experience successfully leading teams, forging synergies, and maximizing organization-wide goals. From managing multi-billion-dollar budgets to strategic planning with Lean transformations, she is credited for wide-ranging experiences in Human Resources, Information Technology, Contract Management, Financial Management and Organization-wide Change Management. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate and Sustainability from New York University and a Master of Finance Degree from Pace University.
She previously held the position of Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Ichor Strategies where she worked in tandem with the CEO to set and drive the business’ vision and operational strategy by expanding the organization’s footprint nationally, formulating new business policies and adopting new technology.
Cassaundra also held the positions of Director of Discretionary Procurement and Assistant Comptroller at the NYS Governors’ Office of Storm Recovery where she had a direct role in managing HUD’s Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System, maintaining HUD compliance for community development block grant funds and overseeing the financial management and budgeting of recovery funds totaling $4.2 billion dollars.
Grace Gabala
Senior Director of Communications
Grace joined Public Health Solutions in 2025, bringing more than 16 years of strategic communications and policy advocacy experience across public health, global health, and international development. A development and gender advocate at heart, she has dedicated her career to advancing the global Sustainable Development Goals and addressing the social drivers of health that shape outcomes for underserved communities. At PHS, she oversees enterprise-wide communications to strengthen visibility, support fundraising, and amplify the organization’s impact across New York City’s most vulnerable communities.
Prior to PHS, Grace held senior communications roles at the Guttmacher Institute, where she led strategies to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights, and at John Snow Research & Training Institute (JSI), supporting global health programming and partnerships, with a focus on translating evidence and policy into community-level impact. Her earlier work within the United Nations system—including at UN Women—focused on women’s economic empowerment and gender equality, both critical determinants of health outcomes.
Grace holds a Master of Public Administration from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is fluent in English and French and conversational in Spanish.
Zachariah “Zach” Hennessey
Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President of WholeYouNYC
Zach Hennessey joined PHS in 2017 as Vice President of Neighborhood Health to lead PHS’ community work — including development, quality and evaluation, budget setting, knowledge management, and all internal and external relationship management. In 2021 he was named Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer to lead PHS’ innovative work to develop trustworthy and reliable pathways between healthcare systems, managed care organizations and community resources that advance health equity. In this role he is responsible for developing strategic partnerships across sectors and deploying innovative uses of technology to build community resilience in the wake of COVID-19.
Zach is a health and human services leader with more than 15 years’ experience partnering with NYC communities to advocate for just policies, secure critical resources, leverage innovation, and create opportunities that advance health and health equity. Prior to PHS, he served as Assistant Vice President for Community and Population Health at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center and co-directed the Special Projects Division of the Spencer Cox Center for Health at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York’s largest Designated AIDS Center. In these hospital leadership positions, he he worked to build community partnerships and preventive services into clinical care. Zach has also served as a consultant to a broad range of community-based organizations. He leads the NYC COVID-19 Rapid Response Coalition, serves on the Board of the Ridgewood, Queens YMCA, and previously served on the Mayor’s HIV Planning Council and the New York State LGBT Health and Human Services Network. He holds a Masters in Developmental Psychology from Teacher’s College, Columbia University, and was a Johnson & Johnson Undergraduate Research Fellow and Henry Rutgers Scholar at Rutgers College.
Krista Lepper
Chief Legal Officer
Krista Lepper first came to PHS as a Post-Graduate Legal Fellow, straight from Brooklyn Law School in 2009. After working through a variety of legal roles at PHS, Krista was promoted to General Counsel and Vice President of Legal Affairs. In this new role, she provides counsel to the Senior Leadership Team, Board, and staff; addresses nonprofit governance and ethical issues; oversees PHS’ contracting and compliance work; and engages in and supports employee relations. Over the past ten years at PHS, Krista has completely revamped PHS’ HIPAA program, engaged with numerous outside counsel on myriad contracting and other transactional issues and, most importantly, gotten to know her PHS colleagues. Krista has always had an interest in public health, working at Kaiser Permanent’s Division of Research prior to attending law school. Access to healthcare and health equity are two issues she and PHS are committed to fighting for.
Veronica Smith
Senior Director of Health Policy and Government Affairs
Veronica brings to her new position over 10 years of experience in the fields of community engagement, policy, and advocacy. In her most recent role as Principal for Client Management and Community Engagement at Ichor Strategies, Veronica advised Fortune 15 clients on strategy development and execution. She forged partnerships with corporate, philanthropic, and grassroots networks to steer corporate investment to historically excluded communities.
In her prior work as the External Relations Executive for the New York Government and Community Relations Department at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Veronica served as a key community engagement liaison to advance the agency’s mission, programs, and operations. She directed major public outreach campaigns, coordinating with interdepartmental teams for initiatives such as the “Restoring the George” Construction Program, the George Washington Bridge Bus Station Redevelopment Program, and the Port’s 2050 Master Plan.
Veronica is a native New Yorker who is fluent in Spanish.
Latoya Murphy
Chief Operations Officer
Latoya Murphy serves as Chief Operating Officer at Public Health Solutions, where she leads enterprise operations and partners closely with the executive team to strengthen organizational effectiveness, infrastructure, and cross-functional alignment in service of PHS’s mission.
With more than 25 years of senior leadership experience, Latoya has built and led complex operations across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Her career has been defined by translating strategy into execution, scaling systems and teams, and bringing clarity and momentum to organizations working at the intersection of equity, access, and impact.
Her public-sector experience spans leadership roles at the city, state, and federal levels, including service as a Senior Executive Service (SES) appointee during the Obama Administration. In these roles, she oversaw large-scale programs, managed significant budgets, and worked closely with diverse stakeholders to deliver results at scale.
In the private sector, Latoya has held senior leadership roles across technology, financial services, and fintech, leading large, matrixed teams and managing sophisticated operational portfolios in high-performance environments. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President at Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, where she led strategy and operations for a $500 million global impact platform focused on advancing inclusive economic growth.
A native New Yorker and first-generation American, Latoya’s leadership is grounded in purpose, service, and a deep commitment to building institutions that support long-term community wellbeing.
Peter Jensen
Chief Information Officer
Peter Jensen joined Public Health Solutions in 2001 and has been the Chief Information Officer since 2007. As CIO Peter overseas all corporate technology and communication systems. Peter has 30 years’ experience supporting numerous technology initiative in the public health and education fields. Prior to joining Public Health Solutions, he worked as the Content Manager for the Center for Collaborative Education which project supported 40 New York City Public Schools with educational technology. He has also worked at the Dalton School as the Associate Director of Technology.
Jemar Ward
Chief People Officer
Jemar Ward is a senior human resources executive with extensive experience in workforce strategy, organizational development, and employee relations. As Chief People Officer at Public Health Solutions, he leads initiatives that align HR strategy with the organization’s mission, ensuring a workplace culture that attracts, retains, and supports a high-performing team.
Jemar oversees key HR functions, including talent acquisition, performance management, labor relations, compensation strategy, and compliance. He partners with senior leadership to drive organizational effectiveness, implementing programs that enhance employee engagement, leadership development, and succession planning. His expertise in employment law, conflict resolution, and change management enables him to address complex workforce challenges and support a dynamic, mission-driven environment.
With over a decade of HR leadership experience, Jemar has successfully guided organizations through workforce transitions, developed policies that strengthen operational efficiency, and led cross-functional initiatives that improve employee experience and business outcomes.
In addition to his role at Public Health Solutions, Jemar serves as a Board of Trustees member for his local library and as a board member for a nonprofit dedicated to chronic illness and food and nutrition services, further demonstrating his commitment to community engagement and public service.
Jemar holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Political Science from Binghamton University. He is a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and the New York Urban League.