Our team.

Public Health is one of Terrell Engmann’s foremost passions. As a recent Molecular Biology graduate from the University of Washington, he embarked on a five month international journey spanning eight countries via the Bonderman Fellowship. Terrell spent his time as a Bonderman Fellow gaining perspective in regard to health equity and biological interventions abroad, visiting hospitals, labs, and reproductive health facilities along the way. With this experience in mind, Terrell is determined to see unprecedented change in his community by dismantling practices that disparately affect health outcomes. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Biomolecular Sciences. Community health, environmental justice, and educational outreach are all areas he hopes to leverage for the benefit of all.

With a commitment to serving his community, Jordan Jackson works to change the modern urban landscape from a place of inequity and heavy pollution into an accessible, green, and clean place to live. He has a passion for community building projects, founding an annual supply drive, and being involved in tutoring and mentorship programs for underrepresented students. As he moved deeper into his studies, he learned techniques like gene editing and bioremediation could be used in the communities he came from and worked with. Jordan is currently a second-year PhD student at the University of Washington studying the gut microbiome and colorectal cancer development. He looks forward to bringing about a more equitable and forward thinking era of this world.

Lauren Sarkissian (she/her), MPH, is an infectious disease researcher and science communicator at the Washington State Department of Health. She strives to make health information accessible so individuals can make informed choices. Her professional interests include zoonotic and vector-borne disease, One Health, environmental justice, and innovative communication. She has been a part of the Basilica Bio team since 2021. Lauren loves getting to bring science into the community and collaborating with others. In her free time, she spends time making art and taking her corgi Pebbles on walks around the lake.

Lexi Rohrer graduated. from the University of Washington (UW) in June 2021 with a degree in Human Centered Design and Engineering. She aspires to create usable technology that sits at the crossover of sustainability and social justice. Her experience as director of Northwest Women at UW has motivated her to support underrepresented communities’ equitable access to environmental resources and activities. At Basilica Bio she’s working to to make information and involvement in initiatives more accessible to volunteers and frontline communities.

Alicia Kusaka is committed to health equity and transparency. With a background in bioethics, she strives to change the reality of a zip code determining your health and ensuring everyone is educated on the environmental health factors present in their community. As a Master of Environmental Health - Toxicology student at the University of Washington, she will be learning and researching the way environmental toxins adversely affect one’s health. At Basilica Bio she’s working to make this scientific information understandable and accessible to all communities through educational material.

Nina (she/her) graduated from the University of Washington in 2024 with a Bachelors in Environmental Studies. Her 9 month capstone project researched the most effective marketing strategies for small environmental non-profits. At Basilica Bio, she aims to make scientific literature on environmental practices more accessible. Nina is creating community through humor, sharing knowledge, and enabling action. She is also a certified yoga teacher, and spends her free time rock climbing or crocheting.

Quinn Luthy (they/them) is a queer ecologist and educator whose work explores the intersections of ecologies, communities, and collective care. They hold an MA in Environmental Humanities from the University of Utah, where their thesis traced how bodies of water in New York City (where they lived for five years) can be understood as emergent queer embodiments. Their practice is grounded in the belief that alternative and parallel networks of care can both sustain life and reimagine the boundaries between human and more-than-human worlds. In their free time, Quinn likes to ski, hike, swim, and read. Quinn grew up in Durango, Colorado on the ancestral and contemporary homelands of the Ute, Diné, and Apache people.

Carolyn Coyne (she/her) graduated from Pomona College in 2025 with a Bachelors in Environmental Analysis. Her senior thesis drew on her three-year working relationship with the Costanoan Rumsen Carmel Tribe. In her thesis, Carolyn examined the legacy of fire suppression in California, Indigenous fire rights, and the relationship between current wildfire media and early colonial writings. Carolyn is passionate about amplifying tribal storytelling, local resilience, and climate justice. At Basilica Bio, she’s working to deliver high-impact events to frontline communities. Carolyn is also a professional photographer and loves any outdoor time she can share with others.