Deanna Drake
Graduate School attended: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Graduate Degree or expected: Master Public Health Administration and Policy (MPH)
Undergraduate School attended: University of California, Berkeley
Undergraduate Degree: English Literature and French Literature
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Why did you want to be a Kruse Communities of Excellence Scholar?
I have worked in a variety of non-profit organizations, in health care, and with local government. Each entity has its mission, its goals, and passionate people working to achieve them. Unfortunately, the issues they hope to solve are too complex to be effectively addressed with a siloed approach. Intentional, high quality collaboration is the only way communities will be able to sustainably improve lives and mitigate health disparities. I was drawn to the Kruse Scholars program because it offered an opportunity to learn about a community application of the Baldrige Excellence Framework. I am honored to have this opportunity to deepen my understanding about how the Community Excellence Framework can be applied to improve the health of my community in Sacramento, California.
