Diversity is our Strength

GI Alliance - Diversity and Inclusion

At GI Alliance, we believe a strong culture does not happen accidentally. We embrace all teammates because our differences allow us to connect with each other and our patients in a more powerful way. By creating a culture of respect, compassion and acceptance, we can offer our best when interacting and caring for the diverse patients that make up our local communities.

Our Practice Commitment Statement To Culture

  • GI Alliance is committed to building a workforce that resembles the diversity of our patients and communities.
  • GI Alliance is committed to recruiting talented employees with valuable expertise irrespective of race, religion, gender, age, or sexual expression.
  • GI Alliance is committed to sharing the goal of delivering high-quality patient care while coming from varying backgrounds.
  • GI Alliance is committed to pursuing an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace.
  • GI Alliance is committed to welcoming all as valued members of our community, despite being a patient, employee, physician or visitor.

Our Diversity and Inclusion Committee

While GI Alliance encourages local regions to build and embrace their local culture, our practice has two volunteer-filled committees comprised of practice members from various regions and skill sets. One committee is comprised of providers, and the other is comprised of non-physician members. Both committees aim to guide and develop an organizational culture focused on equity and diversity. Each committee meets regularly to celebrate successes in diversity and to discuss how to continue fostering a culture that aligns with our commitment statement.

Committee Leaders

Kate

Kate Conklin

Kate Conklin serves as the Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer for GI Alliance. Before joining GI Alliance, Kate served in senior executive roles at Steward Health Care, UT Southwestern Medical Center, and HCA. Throughout her career, Kate has championed the promotion of ensuring that organizations recognize foundational leadership pillars and the importance of ensuring a workforce that represents our diverse communities and the patients we serve. Kate serves as the Executive Leadership sponsor for the DEI Committee at GI Alliance.

Trissi Gray

Trissi Gray joined GI Alliance in May 2021 and is the Senior Director for Healthcare Compliance Operations. Prior to joining GI Alliance, Trissi has served in various senior leadership roles in the healthcare industry. Additionally, she is a doctoral student at the University of Southern California where her research focuses on reducing health disparities and improving patient outcomes for black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC). Trissi serves as the DEI Employee Committee Champion at GI Alliance.

Trissi

Committee Members

Fred

Fred Clayton

Fred Clayton joined the GI Alliance team in April 2021 and is the Executive Director, Information and Cybersecurity. Before joining the GI Alliance team, he served nearly 25 years of honorable service as a senior leader in the Signals and Cyber cohorts in the United States Army and was part of the cybersecurity leadership team for a large financial services provider in Fort Worth Texas.

Jess Hay

Jess Hay is Medical Records Team Lead for the central region of Austin Gastroenterology. Before pursuing a career in healthcare, he assisted in creating the first cooperative housing development for low-income residents in North America, and served as CEO of Athos Services, LLC. His personal interests include cinema, live performance art, making his wife laugh, and his cats.

Jess
Sara

Sara Morea

Sara Morea has been with GI Alliance since 2017. She serves as the assistant for Dr. Jones as well as the clinic supervisor for the Flowood, MS location. Sara is married and stays very busy with her two amazing children, Ava, and Deegan. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking and traveling.

Scott Olden

Scott Olden is the IT Manager for Illinois Gastroenterology Institute (IGI) in Peoria, IL. Scott is a graduate of Orla Roberts University and has been with IGI for 16 years. Throughout his tenure, IGI has been able to successfully move from paper to an EMR and now to the GIA cloud. Scott’s goal is that hopefully by reducing if not eliminating the hurdles of technology, we can improve the quality of care for our patients and providers.

Scott
Briana

Briana Stephen

Briana Stephen works in the Research and Education Department as a Clinical Research Coordinator for GI Alliance. Briana is a graduate of the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science in Physiological Psychology and a minor in Quantitative Sciences. Briana enjoys being a part of an organization that has a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Heather Walker

Heather Walker is the Director of Operations at Gastroenterology Associates in Baton Rouge, LA. Heather has been with the organization since 2004 and is dedicated to serving her community through her commitment to nursing.

Heather
Talisha

Talisha Williams

Talisha Williams joined GI Alliance in September 2021 as the Manager for Compliance Program Integrations. Prior to joining GIA, she served as a Senior Compliance Analyst and as the Compliance Audit Readiness Analyst for a large academic medical center and population health organization, respectively. Outside of her role at GI Alliance, Talisha also serves as an independent consultant/investigator for Child Protective Services (CPS). Talisha is a huge promoter of ensuring the recognition of unconscious bias and cultural competency in the workforce.