Our Leaders

Kate Downing Khaled is the CEO and Founder of Imagine Deliver. With nearly two decades of experience in philanthropy, community-based research, and human-centered design, Kate has transformed Imagine Deliver into a leading national firm. She works with C-Suites and Boards across healthcare, financial services, philanthropy, state and local government, and community development collaboratives to reimagine thriving and inclusive futures and build pathways to achieve them.

Kate pioneered the User as Designer® and Coalition Action Model™ methodology, harnessing the wisdom and genius of community to transform large, complex systems. Under her leadership, Imagine Deliver has quadrupled its revenue and received national and international recognition for its social and environmental impact. Partnering with organizations such as Ford, the Minneapolis Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, the City of Saint Paul, and the State of Minnesota, Kate has demonstrated how equity-centered design can lead to transformational impact. She is an expert at leading teams in bold directions and believes in the potential of those around her, empowering them to create more equitable and inclusive solutions.

Key Qualifications:

• Bilingual leader fluent in French, with dual citizenship in Canada and the U.S.
• Holds a Master’s in Public Health Administration and Policy from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University, grounding her work in rigorous academic training
• Serves on the Community Advisory Board of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve and the Board of Directors for the American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa, actively shaping community and global initiatives
• Recognized as an honoree in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and Tech 20 of 2022 for her outstanding contributions to business and technology
• Sought-after speaker and panelist on human-centered design, inclusive cities, and nonprofit-philanthropy relationships, sharing her expertise at prominent forums and conferences

Taqee Khaled is a seasoned executive strategist with over 20 years of experience in health, technology, and philanthropy, dedicated to driving systems change for just and equitable futures. His extensive background includes corporate strategy and business development, grantmaking/CSR, mergers and acquisitions, consumer experience strategy, operations improvement, and digital transformation. As a former Corporate Strategy & Development Principal at BlueCross Blue Shield MN, Taqee led initiatives in health equity, social epidemiology, global public health research, and public health systems improvement, with a strong focus on healthcare IT strategy, digital consumer experience transformation, and global health systems ERP implementation.

Taqee is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Imagine Deliver, where he’s focused on the growth and sustainability of the firm. His community leadership  includes roles on the MHealth Fairview Foundation Board and active engagement with the University of Minnesota. Recognized in TCB Magazine’s 2021 Tech20 and MSPBJ’s 2019 40 Under 40, Taqee’s notable projects include leading a statewide nutritional equity strategy, directing the Super Bowl 52 Legacy Fund, and governing the equitable redevelopment of Saint Paul’s Ford Plant site. He holds a graduate degree from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, a Bachelor’s in Neuroscience, and speaks four languages fluently.

Key Qualifications:

• Member of the Board of Directors at MHealth Fairview Foundation, guiding strategic decisions for one of the leading healthcare systems.
• Former Commissioner on the St. Paul Planning Commission and Advisor to the Urban Land Institute Board, influencing urban development and planning initiatives.
• Actively involved with the University of Minnesota, serving on the U of MN Foundation Medical Philanthropy Advisory Board, the Alumni Association Awards Committee, and as a two-time Board of Regents Semi-Finalist.
• Successfully managed a $251M tobacco settlement fund, directing investments towards innovative urban health equity projects.
• Recognized in TCB Magazine’s Tech20 of 2021 and MSPBJ’s 40 Under 40 of 2019 for exceptional contributions to technology and business leadership.

Tiffany Xiong is the Head of Growth & Operations at Imagine Deliver, bringing extensive expertise in community leadership, strategic partnerships, fundraising strategy, and stakeholder engagement. She has dedicated her career to building equitable and inclusive spaces through cross-sector collaborations and amplifying community voices. Her experience in community and campaign organizing, as well as fundraising strategy and execution, has significantly impacted political campaigns, grassroots efforts, and leading cultural and philanthropic organizations.

With 13 years in philanthropy and fundraising, Tiffany has spearheaded and evaluated innovative grantmaking initiatives and a national scholarship program. Before joining Imagine Deliver, she served as the Advancement Director at the Constellation Fund, an evidence-driven grantmaking institution focused on alleviating poverty, where she partnered with businesses, foundations, and top companies like McKinsey, US Bank, Piper Sandler, and Varde to channel funds and resources to impactful nonprofits. As the Development Director at Theater Mu, the second-largest Asian-American theater company in the nation, she increased the donor base by 200% and secured substantial local and national corporate sponsorships.

Key Qualifications:

• Board member of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), the largest Asian nonprofit in Minnesota focused on leadership development, policy advocacy, and education.
• Member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Minnesota (AFP-MN) IDEA and Fellows Subcommittee, and Co-chair of Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) – Twin Cities Chapter, advancing equity and diversifying the fundraising and philanthropic sector.
• Participant in Leadership Minnesota 2024-25, a program that connects and develops influential leaders across the state.
• Led the design and implementation of the Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund (NSRCF), in the Twin Cities, where $50K+ was awarded to Southeast Asian and Somali students. 
• Recipient of the TakeAction Minnesota Leadership Award in 2013 for exceptional community leadership and a 2023 Core Values Award judge for IAP2 North America that’s dedicated to improving public participation practices.

Johnna Emiko White is a Principal Strategist at Imagine Deliver with over 15 years of expertise in programming and policy development focused on amplifying the voices of those most affected by systemic oppression. She oversees some of the firm’s most complex, high-stakes projects, partnering with leadership teams at multibillion-dollar organizations that aim to effect long-lasting change across communities. Her leadership earned the firm international recognition at the 2023 International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) North American conference, where Johnna received the Creativity & Innovation Core Values Award on behalf of Imagine Deliver for setting a high standard for public participation around equitable healthcare design.

Johnna’s passion for justice and equity is evident throughout her career. She has led equity-focused, community-led system and service design projects with public, philanthropic, and healthcare leaders. Before Imagine Deliver, she led health equity policy strategies at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and Metro-Parks Tacoma and co-led violence prevention, gender equity, and anti-human trafficking programming and policy development at the University of Washington Women’s Center. Johnna began her career in Washington, D.C., as a Federal Relations Specialist, advocating on behalf of Minnesota cities and counties, and served as a staff assistant to MN-4 Congresswoman Betty McCollum. 

Key Qualifications:

• Member of the City of St. Paul Financial Empowerment Community Council, advises strategies to enhance financial stability and empowerment within the community
• Holds a masters’ degree in Public Administration from University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy and Governance
• Former executive member of the Yoga Behind Bars Board of Directors
• Championed a successful pilot participatory policymaking project, focused on health equity and community resilience, to co-create policy solutions between leaders from Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and LGTBQIA+ communities and local elected officials. 
• Co-led two cross-divisional teams at the forefront of the Health Department’s system transformation efforts. 

Monica Cruz Zorrilla is a Principal Strategist at Imagine Deliver, developing strategies that connect community insights to client goals using equity-centered design and creative engagement methodologies. With over 18 years of international experience spanning the private, government, and nonprofit sectors, Monica has excelled as a management consultant, diplomat, program manager, and researcher. She is an integrative thinker, adept at identifying patterns and issues, evaluating options, and analyzing future scenarios. 

Her work has included leading complex outreach and direct service initiatives, managing teams worldwide, and developing new business and programming areas, including for a Fortune 100 technology conglomerate. A proud Latine immigrant, Monica is dedicated to elevating communities often underrepresented in decision-making processes. She received the University of Minnesota School of Public Health Community Star Award in 2017 and serves on the Advisory Board of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center and the Board of Saint Mary’s Health Clinics. Additionally, she is a 2021 Líderes Fellow with Hispanics in Philanthropy. She holds a graduate degree from the University of Cambridge and a BA in International Relations and Future Studies. 

Key Qualifications:

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, her work at Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment Through Research (HACER) earned the Minnesota 2021 Community Star Award from the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. 
• As the Associate Director at HACER, she took the annual research and evaluation project portfolio from 7 to over 20+ projects, with a sixfold budget increase
• Head of Community Affairs at the Consulate of Mexico in Saint Paul, where she led the strategy and implementation of 20 free health, education, and financial literacy programs impacting over 22,000 individuals annually across multiple states and established international memorandums of understanding
• Strategy Consultant at Accenture, where she crafted the online strategy for a  telecommunications client and assessed the merger strategy for a bank’s 13 contact centers