Council Members

Chair (2015-2017) - CAPT Sandra M. Lahi, M.B.A., RHIA

Chief Executive Officer, Jicarilla Service Unit

To serve a 2 year term (effective 1/2015)

CAPT Sandra Lahi is a member of the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. She has worked with Indian Health Service for over 23 years and began her career in the Medical Record Department at the Chickasaw Indian Hospital. She continued her education and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Medical Record Administration from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma and ultimately her Masters of Business Administration at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

During her career, she has worked in the Health Information Management, Business Office and Information Technology systems. She is accredited by AHIMA as a Registered Health Information Administrator and as a Certified Coder through AAPC. She has been stationed at the Mescalero Indian Hospital, Santa Fe Indian Hospital, Headquarters Office of Information Technology, Headquarters Office of Resource Access and Partnerships and the Oklahoma City Area Office. CAPT Lahi transferred to the position of Chief Executive Officer at the Jicarilla Service Unit in Dulce, New Mexico in October of 2010.

Throughout her tenure with IHS, she has served on multiple Area and national workgroups and committees within Indian Health Service and has participated in many initiatives to strengthen the Agency's capacity for increasing third party revenue. Her passion while working in all of these locations has been to improve health care systems with the ultimate goal of improving patient care to the Native American population. She is honored and proud to be working for her own tribe on health care issues and working in collaboration with the local tribally managed programs to improve patient care.

Vice Chair (2015-2017) - CAPT Laura Herbison, RN, BS, BSN

Chief Executive Officer, Chemawa Indian Health Center

CAPT Laura Herbison, RN, BS, BSN is a graduate from the University of Oregon and Oregon Health Sciences University. She has worked for the Indian Health Service since 2002 beginning at the Northern Cheyenne Service Unit as an ER nurse, Director of Nursing, Clinical Director, and Acting CEO. She was then detailed to Rockville as the QILN Collaborative Director for the IPC Program. Throughout her journey, CAPT Herbison has provided consultation and presentations to both federal and tribal service units, at IPC conferences, and at numerous Direct Service Tribes meetings on improving patient care. She has been with the Portland Area as the Director of Ambulatory Services for the Western Oregon Service Unit since 2012. Currently, CAPT Herbison is the Chief Executive Officer at Chemawa Indian Health Center.

Secretary (2015-2016) - Rita (Pocknett) Gonsalves, RN, ASN, MM

Chief Executive Officer, Mashpee Wampanoag Health Service Unit Service Unit

Rita (Pocknett) Gonsalves is a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Nation of Massachusetts. Rita received her ASN in 1992 from Cape Cod Community College, and worked as a Registered Nurse for over 18 years. Her career began at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and led her across country to UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles where she continued as a critical care nurse. Both facilities are leaders in Medicine. These teaching arenas set the pace, high quality and standards which she brings to her position. She completed administrative training offered to her in 2009 at Brigham and Women's hospital. In 2010 she was hired by the Nashville Area Office as CEO to build the Mashpee Wampanoag Health Service Unit. Rita continues to guide the development of health systems for the service unit at Mashpee, it is the first IHS facility in the State of Massachusetts. It's been a huge undertaking. Rita acted as the regional Federal Liaison for Direct Service Tribes and assumed these duties for 2 years. Rita continued her education to earn a Master’s Degree in Management from Cambridge College in Boston, MA in 2014.

Council Members by Area