Staff

The MFP/ANA team is comprised of dedicated professionals who have extensive experience in

• non-profit management,
• mental health, and
• substance misuse nursing

Our experience includes both clinical and research settings as well as technology development in support of those disciplines.

Principal Investigator: Eugenia Isabel Flores Millender, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, CDE, FAAN.  As an indigenous Afro-Latina nurse scientist, Dr. Eugenia Millender has dedicated her career to increasing access to mental health equity and providing culturally appropriate care. Dr. Eugenia Millender is currently the Co-Founder and Co-Director for the Center for Population Sciences for Health Equity and an Associate Professor at Florida State University College of Nursing. Dr. Millender's program of research is to investigate ways to reduce mental health disparities by exploring how socio-cultural stressors and trauma influence transgenerational psychological and co-occurring physical illness through gene-environment interaction among vulnerable, underserved, and marginalized populations. She works with community-based organizations to co-create community-academic partnerships, meaningful investigations, and interventions for diverse communities. Previously, Dr. Millender was a Research Associate at the Center for Indigenous Nursing Research for Health Equity (INRHE) at Florida State University. In addition, in 2014, she founded the Florida Atlantic University Christine E. College of Nursing Nurse-led community health center in West Palm Beach, Florida. This center is grounded on caring philosophy and dedicated to increasing access to quality and culturally sensitive integrated care for underserved populations while serving as a vibrant laboratory for current and future practitioners and scientists. 

Dr. Millender currently serves on several national boards and leadership positions, such as the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) board as Member-At-Large. She is also a Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice Global Mental Health Task Force member to promote social justice and human rights and reduce behavioral health disparities. She is also a Florida State University Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Steering Committee member. In addition, Dr. Millender serves on several community boards, including the Center for Child Counseling (Vice-chair; 2013–present), EmpowHER of the Palm Beaches (advisory board; 2017–present), and the Mental Health Council of Leon County (advisory board; 2018–present).  

Project Director: Michelle Allender, MS, BSN, RN, is  Project Director of the SAMHSA funded American Nurses Association's Minority Fellowship Program ANA MFP. In this role, she provides strategic leadership and day-to-day oversight of the program’s operations, staff, and grant activities, ensuring that all initiatives align with ANA’s mission and SAMHSA’s goals to advance excellence in behavioral health. She works closely with the Principal Investigator, fellows, and partners across the country to strengthen the pipeline of mental health and substance use professionals committed to providing behavioral health care to communities. 

Ms. Allender brings over 4 decades of experience in healthcare, spanning clinical practice, health systems leadership, and federal service. Prior to joining ANA, she spent more than a decade at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where she spent fourteen years as the Director of the Office of Health Equity (OHE) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In that role, she served as the agency’s principal advisor on minority and underserved population health, providing leadership in the development and implementation of policies and initiatives designed to improve population health and improve outcomes for communities nationwide.

Communications Manager: Indrias G. Kassaye joined the MFP Team in August 2021 as the Communications Manager. Career highlights include work as a photojournalist; as a communications specialist with UNICEF in Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone during the Ebola epidemic; and as a multi-media producer and media trainer for UN agencies and international NGOs. He is also the author of Beyond the Throne: The Enduring Legacy of Haile Selassie I. Indrias is the host of Mental Health Trailblazers, Psychiatric Nurses Speak Up! the MFP/ANA’s podcast and Moderator of the ANA MFP's online community.

Program Management Support: Dr. Ebonē Hooks, DCJ, MS, joined the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) team in September 2026 as the Program Support Specialist. She is a U.S. Army veteran with over 13 years of experience in intelligence, research, and public service supporting several federal agencies during her career. She holds a Doctorate in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Intelligence Studies with a concentration in Strategic Intelligence.

After years of supporting national security missions, Dr. Hooks transitioned her career toward advocacy, public service, and criminal justice reform. Her professional interests focus on advancing evidence-based policies that support vulnerable populations, particularly individuals impacted by the criminal justice system, mental health challenges, and systemic barriers. She is passionate about bridging research, policy, and advocacy to promote equitable outcomes and meaningful systemic change.

Statistical, Research and Publications Consultant: Shanita D. Williams, PhD, MPH, APRN, is the Owner and Lead Consultant of Frankie V. Williams Consulting, LLC, a professional nursing, public health, and leadership consulting firm dedicated to advancing leadership development, organizational excellence, and career progression for nursing and public health professionals — from emerging leaders to C-suite executives and entrepreneurs. Dr. Williams provides expertise in leadership and career coaching, program and workforce development, academic and grant writing, research, strategic planning, data analytics, and technical consultation. Her work is grounded in a strong commitment to excellence, leadership transformation, and evidence-informed practice. A Family Nurse Practitioner, Social Epidemiologist, and nationally recognized expert in social and public health policy, Dr. Williams brings extensive experience in human capital strategy, talent management, organizational development, and systems transformation across academic, healthcare, and public health settings. Dr. Williams earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing degrees from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina; her PhD in Nursing from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia; and her Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. She completed postdoctoral training as a Cancer Prevention Fellow at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) within the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Surveillance Research Program in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Williams is the recipient of an NCI Fellows Merit Award and three Minority Scholar Awards in Cancer Research from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). She is also a legacy DREAM Scholar through the NIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.