Office of Minority and Multicultural Health Staff Profiles
José L. González
Director
651-201-5818
jose.gonzalez@state.mn.us
José was born in Durango, México and immigrated to Aurora, IL (30 miles west of Chicago) and remains bilingual and bicultural. He came to Minnesota in 1975 to attend St. John’s University and eventually graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in social work. José has a variety of health and human service work experience, including county economic assistance and child protection programs, migrant farmworker support, child/adolescent in-patient psych units, public health clinics (school-based, family planning, and prenatal care), and spoken-language interpreter programs. His most recent position before coming to OMMH was as a program officer with the Bush Foundation in Saint Paul. José also has served on numerous community boards, including as a trustee with the Minneapolis Foundation, Tubman Family Alliance, Centro Inc., Minnesota Council on Foundations, and Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees. He continues to serve on Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s National Advisory Committee for the Local Funding Partnership.
Xiaoying Chen
Asian American Health Coordinator
651-201-5822
Xiaoying.Chen@state.mn.us
Prior to joining the Minnesota Department of Health as an EHDI grants manager, Xiaoying worked for Hennepin County and the City of Minneapolis managing federal, state and county grants. Her work experience also includes being a multicultural liaison, and serving on several advisory committees to develop policies and programs (including a clinic for the homeless with serious mental illness and other health related needs). Passionate about health-related issues, she completed her internship and volunteered at Children's Hospital in Boston. She is committed to working for the underprivileged from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds to improve their health status. She holds a B.A. degree from Nanjing University in China and an M.S. degree in Family Studies from Wheelock College in Boston.
Babette Jamison
African/African American Health Coordinator
651-201-5814
Babette.jamison@state.mn.us
Babette Jamison has more than 15 years of experience in management and administration in the nonprofit sector. Prior to coming to MDH, she was employed at Model Cities of St. Paul as the Director of Program and Services, responsible for overseeing the agency’s three supportive housing programs, crisis intervention services, targeted children’s mental health case management and youth development services. Ms. Jamison has also worked as the Director of Development for African American Family Services and the Director of Community Outreach for Girls Incorporated of Central Alabama. In her various leadership roles, Ms. Jamison has been responsible for strategic planning, program and organizational systems development, program evaluation and research, resource development and grant administration.
Babette has a master’s degree in public administration from Jacksonville State University. She provides leadership, consultation and cultural expertise on health disparities affecting African/African Americans and other populations of color and American Indians living in Minnesota.
Mary M. Johnson
Administrative Principal
651-201-5816
mary.m.johnson@state.mn.us
Prior to coming to MDH in 1996, Mary worked for the Minnesota House of Representatives in a non-partisan position for eight years. Upon joining MDH, Mary provided administrative support for the director of the Office of Legislative Affairs, tracking bills, planning meetings with legislators, compiling transition documents and strategic plans for the agency. Mary served as administrative assistant for two commissioners over a period of six years.
Along with administrative support, Mary works in community outreach. She is an active member of the HIV/AIDS Cross Cultural Collaborative and is certified to do HIV counseling and testing. She is broadening her knowledge in health education in order to be a positive force in eliminating health disparities for people of color and American Indians.
Rosemarie Rodriguez-Hager
Latino Health Coordinator
651-201-5819
Rosemarie.Rodriguez-Hager@state.mn.us
Rosemarie Rodriguez-Hager, the Latino health coordinator for the Office of Minority
and Multicultural Health, has worked for the Minnesota Department of Health
since 1998 in what was then called the Office of Minority Health. From 1998
to 2001 she was project coordinator for the OMH's African American Teen Pregnancy
Prevention Project. In that role she worked collaboratively with many community
agencies in the Twin Cities metro area to coordinate community events and create
public awareness around the issue of African American teen pregnancy prevention.
She was instrumental in creating training events for community residents, who
learned to advocate for themselves and their communities at the Legislature.
Rosemarie came to the Office of Minority Health because of her commitment to
improving the quality of life for populations of color in Minnesota. She has
been in Minnesota for 12 years and has a B.A. in Sociology from the University
of Minnesota.
Nyagatare Valens
Grants Specialist
651-201-5817
Nyagatare.Valens@state.mn.us
Nyagatare Valens moved to the Twin Cities in 1999 after receiving a business administration degree from Iowa State University. In 2009 he received a Master of Business Administration degree from Capella University, Minneapolis. In addition to management of numerous grants awarded to community organizations and tribes, Nyagatare will be helping in functions related to management of administrative tasks required to assure effective, efficient and responsive operations of the office.
