OUR TEAM
Lee Taylor-Penn, Founder & Principal Consultant
Lee Taylor-Penn is a health policy expert passionate about advancing equitable policy solutions that center community needs. She has over 13 years of experience working at the local, state, and federal levels on issues ranging from maternal and child health to telehealth, rural health, climate and health, contraceptive care, and mental health policy.
A first-generation college student and Mississippi native, Lee found her calling in public health while working as an educator in an under-resourced Richmond, Virginia neighborhood shortly after graduating from undergrad. She is also the mother of a first-grader and believes every family deserves access to the social and financial support they need to thrive.
Most recently, Lee served as Associate Director of Brown University's STAT Network, where she led a weekly forum of more than 1,100 state and county public health leaders, sparking rapid peer exchange on pressing issues like extreme weather preparedness, data centers, and community resilience, and generating guidance that has shaped policy and practice across all 50 states. Before that, she was Policy Director at the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, where she managed the organization's policy portfolio and significantly expanded its professional network. Lee has also held roles at the National Academies, Families USA, and the National Governors Association.
She holds a Master of Public Administration and a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor and a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Mississippi. Lee lives in Alexandria, Virginia, on the ancestral land of the Piscataway and Anacostan peoples, with her daughter, dog, and tabby cat.
Shums Alikhan, Senior Consultant
Shums Alikhan brings a wealth of experience in health policy consulting and project management, coupled with a dedicated commitment to fostering equitable access to healthcare. Over the years, she has worked with many stakeholders, including life science companies, non-profit organizations, health plan executives, and state and federal clients. Shums has experience in conducting comprehensive policy research and formulating evidence-based solutions to address a spectrum of health policy issues, ranging from behavioral health and substance use disorders to infectious diseases.
As a member of the South Asian community, Shums is driven to dismantle barriers to appropriate treatment and affordable care, particularly for racial minorities. During her time at Real Chemistry, a consultancy specializing in enhancing the value and affordability of healthcare services and products, Shums collaborated with clients across therapeutic areas such as depression and schizophrenia.
During her time at the National Governors Association, Shums led the substance use and addiction portfolio within the NGA Health team. In this capacity, she provided technical assistance to state agencies grappling with the opioid overdose epidemic. Her initiatives included organizing policy academies to educate state agencies on evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery strategies for opioid use disorder. Shums also offered strategic guidance for enhancing access to non-opioid management of chronic pain.
Shums holds a master's degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts and a bachelor’s in science from Boston University. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two little girls.