Tanya “T.J.” Riggs, BSHS, MA

Oncology Services Program Director, Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation

T.J. is a member of the Navajo tribe, and her clans are Mexican Navajo (mother’s clan) born for Edgewater (father’s clan), her maternal grandparents are Red Streak Running Into Water, and her paternal grandparents are the Bitterwater people.  She resides in Northern Arizona, in a small community called Teec Ya Kin (Homes Under the Trees), with her husband, and has four sons, who are born for Coyote Pass (her husband’s clan). 

She holds a master’s degree in Administration – Leadership and bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences – Community Health from Northern Arizona University.  She has over twenty-five years of healthcare experience and her involvement in program design, development, and strategic partnerships are integral parts in ensuring oncology services remain sustainable in her tribal community. 

She is strongly committed to improving the health and wellness of Native Americans and advocates for patients and community members who encounter the challenges of health care accessibility and equity.  Especially for those who are forced to seek treatment hundreds of miles away from home.  Advocating for cancer treatment for Native Americans is her passion.

Deren P. Abram

Producer and Filmmaker

Denver, Colorado-based, Emmy Award winning producer, filmmaker/videographer, editor, and writer, with over 25 years of extensive experience in film and television including: feature films, reality programming, promos, episodics, MOWs, and over a decade of producing thousands of highly conceptual marketing, commercial, educational, and various internal and external videos for a variety of global corporations with strict branding guidelines and deliverables. Resume includes The ESPY Awards, X-Games, Food Network, ABC Sports, NFL’s Monday Night Football, IFC, Sundance Channel, ESPN, History Channel, Sony, HBO, Documentary Channel, Comedy Central, INSP, PAX, E!, Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, just to name just a few. Deren originally founded his company Film Pharm, Inc in 1996 as a film production company producing farmed out work for many studios and networks in Hollywood. Deren’s first office was in a Hollywood backlot in Bungalow #two-24. It was there that Deren pledged to himself to take on the hard work that’s worth doing, challenge the status quo, and to only deliver exceptional work that meets incredibly high standards. After 15 years in Los Angeles, Deren moved his family to Colorado and is now based in Denver, Colorado. Film Pharm has rebranded to Two24media as a reminder of that pledge, the company’s roots, and its commitment to its work and clients.

Kim Thiboldeaux

CEO, NEBGH

Kim Thiboldeaux is a seasoned, passionate health care leader with experience in both the private and non-profit sectors, spanning multiple disease areas and health care topics including HIV and AIDS, organ transplant, oncology, caregiving, patient navigation, and health equity.

Kim served as CEO of the Cancer Support Community (CSC) for 20 years, from 2000-2020, leading a global nonprofit network that operates at 175 locations, including CSC and Gilda’s Club centers, and in multiple hospitals and cancer clinics. Combined with a toll-free Helpline, a Research Institute, and a DC-based Policy Institute, Kim grew this network of professionally-led services five-fold during her tenure. In her last year as CEO, the organization provided more than $50 million in free support and navigation services to patients and families.

Kim’s service includes appointments to the nation’s premier health care panels and boards. In 2019, Dr. Francis S. Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, appointed Kim to the Novel and Exceptional Technology and Research Advisory Committee. This panel is focused on providing advice and serving as a transparent forum for discussion of the scientific, safety, and ethical issues associated with emerging biotechnologies. In 2017, Kim was appointed to serve on the Biden Cancer Initiative’s Board of Directors.

In serving as a patient advocate on these high-profile boards and panels, Kim has brought attention to inequities in our health care system. In 2019, she joined Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, Dr. Jill Biden, and leaders of the Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation in Arizona to mark the opening of the first-ever full-time cancer and support center on an American Indian Reservation. Kim helped convene key Navajo Nation leaders, private sector supporters, and other officials to establish this culturally-adapted program located in an area larger than the state of West Virginia. That work led to the opportunity to develop a full-length, feature documentary, Navajo Nation USA, about the cancer center and the triumphs and challenges of the Navajo people. Kim is Executive Producer and Writer on the film (www.NavajoNationUSA.com).