Welcome to Dr. Naomi T-T Levine’s Website

I am an Organizational Communication Scholar, trained Anthropologist, and research translation specialist.

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CV
Research
Organizational Relationships
Empathy Modeling Efforts
Methodologies, Data Management & Metatheoretical Approach(es)
Art
Haikus about Everyday Objects
Former Teaching Experience & Thoughts

Current Work

Kitsap Public Health District: Community Liaison

• WSPHA 2025 poster presentation - “Am I alone in Kitsap County: An effort to dismantle silos in Kitsap County”
  Description: Kitsap Public Health District, in partnership with members of management and front-line service providers across different types of organization throughout the county who serve people who use opioids, have held quarterly meetings and taken on the big project of conducting a social network analysis of relationships between organizations both within and outside of the county. This work began with the question, ‘am I alone doing this work?’ This common outcry ripples throughout professional spheres as we realize that we are operating within systemic silos that do not serve us as professionals nor the community we seek to aid. With network analysis and a systems thinking approach to designing regular convenings, Kitsap County is taking bold swings to chip away at the boundaries between us.

Takeaways:

1. that the heart of taking a network approach and systems level approach to dismantling silos in communities is about supporting individuals in all positions within and between agencies.
2. that the mind of taking a network approach and systems level approach to dismantling silos in communities is about iterative planning done in consultation with different sectors throughout the community.
3. that the chutzpah (guts) of taking a network approach and systems level approach to dismantling silos in communities is about building up the personal, interpersonal, and inter-organizational support to stay the course in uncharted waters.

• WSPHA 2025 40-minute Oral Presentation - “Praxis for Systemic Change”
  Description: Organizational communication theory can be a great starting place for inspiring our approaches to changing our systems to better meet the needs of our communities. From this theoretical vantage point, we learn that organizations are not static entities that are separate from and control people, but dynamic systems that are continually produced and reproduced by people. In this presentation, the speaker will introduce the audience to the communicative constitution of organizations–an organizational communication perspective– and talk about practical actions that can be derived from this theoretical work to improve the systems change work being done by public health professionals. The aim of providing this information is that it can ground our work that often feels nebulous and never ending in a perspective that both affirms the longevity of our work as well as encourages the audience to continue to engage in the seemingly small acts of communication that really do change systems over time. Showing up for one another, asking ‘why’ processes must occur as they do, and regular acts of choosing to stand with your community are some examples of everyday actions that can feel like we are ‘being difficult’ or that we aren’t doing enough because the gesture isn’t grand. However, it is these acts that, when acted upon consistently, change one another and change our systems. This is a professional love letter to my fellow community liaisons to keep pushing the boundaries presented to them in pursuit of a more just community.

Takeaways:

1. An introductory understanding of the communicative constitution of organizations.
2. Tangible action they can take in their everyday work that doesn’t require funding that changes systems.
3. A clear explanation of what it means for us as public health officials that ‘organizations are made by people’.

• July 2024-Present “Opioid Response Partner Meeting”
  Description: This meeting convenes community service organizations dedicated to breaking down silos and strengthening relationships among partners focused on substance use supports, including prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. In this past year, the group created a map that highlights connections between organizations and shows where organizations are not connected.

• Salish Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization: Advisory Board Member

  If you are interested in contracting work from or collaborating with Dr. Levine, email her/them at naomit.tlevine[at]gmail[dot]com