Brenda
Bell Caffee’s work with community and government
agencies seeking
cultural competence has gained nationwide
recognition. She has led the
California African American Tobacco Education
Network in developing nationally recognized model
community initiatives. She is a founding Elder of
the National African American Tobacco
Prevention Network, and creator of the “Not in
Mama’s Kitchen” ETS Program, which is partially
funded by the Environmental Protection Agency.
“Not in Mama’s Kitchen” is unique in its success in building
infrastructure through collaborations with such
non-traditional partners as clergy, CBO’s Historical
Black Colleges (HBC’s)
and state and local health departments. As a result,
the NIMK project has been replicated in excess of 25
sites nation wide reaching over 20,000 households.
In her capacity as a national consultant she has created statewide
tobacco control networks and coalitions. Her
contracts have included facilitating network
creation through the Minnesota Partnership Against
Tobacco (MPAAT) and Minnesota Blue Cross and Blue
Shield, and the state of Oregon in assisting in the
design and creation of its Multicultural tobacco
prevention consortium. She has worked in a technical
capacity in the creation of culturally competent
health programs in the elimination of disparities
with consultation activities in
Louisiana, Indiana, Maryland and the state of Ohio
for its Restitution Foundation in their efforts to
reach disparate populations.
Brenda has assisted in the coordination of events for the World
Health Organization’s World No Tobacco, and
strategic planning and mobilization of the western
regional activities with the National Association of
African Americans for Positive Imagery in the
eradication of X brand cigarettes.
She continues to serve as an advisor to the
National Healthy Aging Research project and the
American Legacy Foundations committee on priority
populations. And is a sought after motivational
speaker and continues her work in program
evaluation, trainings, and remains a staunch
advocate for social justice issues.
