When Savannah Gene, M.S., MCHES®, talks about her work, it’s immediately clear that community, culture, and accountability aren’t just priorities—they’re foundational to how she leads. As Program Director of the Community Health Education and Resiliency Program (CHERP) at the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Board, she oversees trauma-informed initiatives in STI/HIV prevention, substance use, positive youth development, and mental health across 27 tribal communities in New Mexico, Southern Colorado, and West Texas.
“I serve as the program director for CHERP, and we provide person-centered capacity building,” Savannah explains. “Our team is committed to addressing systemic challenges facing tribal communities—racism, white supremacy, and historical trauma—through culturally grounded approaches.”
Savannah has been with the organization for 14 years, starting as an administrative assistant while finishing her undergraduate degree in community planning. Her career shifted when she discovered a deep connection to health education and promotion. “I wanted to work with community,” she says. “So, I pursued my master’s in community health education at the University of New Mexico instead of a more research-focused public health track.”
That choice ultimately laid the foundation for a thriving career in public health practice—and a personal decision to pursue the CHES® credential in 2019.
“The CHES® certification helped me commit to ongoing professional development,” Savannah shares. “It also gave me more justification to attend trainings and conferences to earn credits, and helped me build competency across all Areas of Responsibility.” In April of 2025, Savannah chose to pursue the advanced-level credential, and successfully achieved MCHES® certification.
Culturally Grounded Innovation
Among her many accomplishments, Savannah is especially proud of tailoring the nationally recognized Sister to Sister: Take Control of Your Health intervention for American Indian and Alaska Native women. The original curriculum—developed by CAI, Inc.’s National HIV Learning Center in collaboration with the CDC—features scenarios and actors that were not reflective of Native communities. “We led the adaptation process,” Savannah says. “We started by showing the original videos to our partners and community stakeholders and asked what needed to change.”
From there, she gathered recommendations that reshaped the videos and scripts—shifting scenes from coffee shops to family kitchens and centering intergenerational conversations between aunties and nieces. “That’s how we highlight kinship and family ties, which are so important in our communities.”
One video originally featured a somewhat tense negotiation around condom use. “The feedback we received on it was powerful,” she recalls. “Our communities experience higher rates of domestic violence, so we revised it to show a healthy, respectful conversation—modeling what positive relationships can look like.”
Savannah wrote the new scripts herself and led a collaborative effort with Native actors and a professional production company. “The final product is something our community can see themselves in—and that really matters.”
Leading with Kinship and Care
Under Savannah’s leadership, the CHERP team has grown from five to 15 staff. She emphasizes the importance of cultivating a values-driven work environment.
“We created team values through a consensus workshop. That guides how we operate—how we communicate and care for one another,” Savannah says. “We revisit those values regularly and adjust them based on what we’ve learned, including trauma-informed practices.”
In keeping with the concept of kinship—deeply rooted in Native cultures—Savannah believes that a healthy team culture helps drive meaningful, community-centered work. “I want our team to feel supported and to know their health and families come first. That’s how we build sustainability in the work.”
Advocacy, Mentorship, and Advice
Savannah’s work extends to national advocacy. She helped co-found the National Native HIV Network, which has grown into a federally funded Technical Assistance Center. “Despite our small numbers, Indigenous communities are still deeply impacted by HIV. This network gives us a unified voice,” she says.
When asked what advice she’d give to newer professionals, Savannah emphasizes humility and relationship-building.
“Cultural humility is critical. Listen deeply. Build relationships with the community. They know what’s best for them—and we can’t do this work without them,” she says. “Find key partners. Find mentors. And never stop learning.”
Looking Ahead
Savannah and her team are now working on a new educational video about HIPAA rights, to be featured in tribal clinics and hospitals. “There’s a fear around privacy when accessing STI or HIV testing in small communities,” she explains. “We want people to know that HIPAA protects them and that they deserve access to care close to home.”
Savannah Gene’s career reflects the strength that comes from centering culture, community voice, and compassion in health education. Through her leadership, she continues to build pathways for wellness and resilience in tribal communities—ensuring that programs not only meet public health goals but also honor the lived experiences and values of the people they serve.