Our Team

Angie Bakke is the dynamic and engaging leader of Doctors for America, a national non-profit physician advocacy organization. Her superpower is bringing people together to find mutually beneficial solutions to solve problems. She has expertise in health care, media, advocacy, fundraising, operations and change management. She enjoys helping others see their potential by creating a fearless culture to continuously learn and grow to create tremendous success.

As an executive, Angie became an expert in aligning big-picture goals with daily operations, strategic initiatives, and special projects working at the American Cancer Society, the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations and Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center. She has the great gift of supporting over 27,000 doctors and medical students that are a part of Doctors for America. These incredible individuals volunteer outside of their daily jobs to improve the health care system for patients. Her priority is to make advocacy as easy as possible. Angie is dedicated to working in a position where she can utilize her skills to foster systemic improvements to better the lives of others.

Angie’s educational background includes an MBA from the University of Sioux Falls, in South Dakota with a special emphasis in marketing. A lesser known fact is that she has over 35 years of experience as a radio personality working at rock stations from Seattle, WA, to Sioux Falls, SD. Her interest in communications has come full circle bringing diverse opinions and perspectives together to create dialogue and a way forward. Outside of the office, Angie is passionate about working with the homeless and enjoys antiquing, riding motorcycles and going to as many concerts as possible!

Raaya Alim is the Program Manager for Community Health & Prevention and Health Justice & Equity at Doctors for America. She brings extensive experience in health policy, program management, and advocacy to her role.

Prior to joining Doctors for America, Raaya served as the Policy Associate at the National Women’s Health Network, where she managed the Health Equity & Access Leadership Training Hub (HEALTH) Program, tracked and analyzed health-related legislation, and worked directly with federal lawmakers to advance health policy initiatives.

Raaya’s variety of policy experiences include her time as a Policy Fellow with the Every Voice Coalition, where she contributed to the development, passage, and implementation of Massachusetts’ landmark sexual violence prevention in higher education law (Ch. 337 of the Acts of 2020). She also testified in support of related legislation in Maine and served on a task force assembled by former Governor Charles Baker to implement the Massachusetts law. Currently, Raaya is an advisory member of the Quality and Equity in Abortion Seeking Travel (QuEAST) Study at the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, researching the impacts of abortion seekers traveling out of state post-Dobbs for abortion care in Massachusetts and Illinois.

Raaya earned her Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she honed her skills in policy advocacy. She also holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Psychology, with a concentration in Neuroscience, also from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

When she’s not working, Raaya enjoys reading, writing, exploring new restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area, and cross-stitching with the occasional help of her black cat, Binx.

Sophia Phillips is the Program Manager for the FDA Task Force where she works to educate and empower advocates to engage in FDA issues. Prior to joining Doctors for America, Sophia worked at the National Center for Health Research where she served as a resource to Members of Congress and Congressional staff on health policy issues pertaining to the FDA.

She was responsible for tracking and analyzing active legislation and regulatory changes within HHS. Sophia previously interned at Public Citizen in their Access to Medicines Program, where she was actively engaged in policy surrounding drug pricing and COVID-19 vaccine recipe sharing. She was also a research assistant with PharmedOut, a Georgetown University Medical Center project that works to educate healthcare professionals and the public on pharmaceutical marketing practices and their impact on public health. She received her M.S. in Health and the Public Interest from Georgetown University, where she was trained in health advocacy. Sophia also holds a B.A. in Psychology from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

In her free time, Sophia is an avid concert and movie goer!

Kyle Shields is the Digital Strategist and Brand Manager for Doctors for America. Over the last two years, he has overseen all of DFA internal/external communications activities including website, social media, marketing, and media relations. Kyle excels in creating compelling and engaging digital and video content that educates and inspires action. He works closely with DFA advocates helping them to be successful in their patient advocacy efforts across varying social media platforms. Prior to joining DFA, Kyle worked as a Digital Marketing Coordinator in banking where he managed internal and external websites, designed digital and print material, and developed motion advertisements for bank-wide promotions. 

Kyle’s educational background includes an MBA from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland with a concentration in marketing. While obtaining his MBA, he worked as a Graduate Assistant for the Sports Information Department. Kyle also attended Hood during his undergraduate years where he achieved his bachelor’s degree in Integrated Marketing and Communications with minors in Graphic Design and Film Studies. During this time, he was a member of the Hood College men’s soccer team which competed in NCAA Division 3 athletics.

In his free time, Kyle enjoys watching soccer, listening to music, and creating digital art. He currently resides in Washington, D.C. with his partner, Maddy, and their dog, Rupert.

Audrey Safman serves as the Membership Specialist for Doctors for America. In this capacity, she oversees all membership activities, encompassing recruitment, retention, outreach initiatives, and the organization and execution of specialty membership events. Furthermore, she manages the overall membership portfolio. Audrey brings a wealth of experience to her current role, having previously worked in Project Management for a wellness-oriented company. Notably, she also held the position of Director of Audience Development at a lifestyle publication, where she spearheaded the establishment of a specialized membership program for subscribers. This initiative fostered robust engagement from the local community and corporate partners, significantly amplifying audience outreach and involvement.

Audrey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Innovation of Society from Arizona State University’s top-ranked College of Global Futures, graduating summa cum laude. Throughout her academic journey, she undertook several fellowships, delving into diverse areas of research and advocacy. Her endeavors ranged from investigating Human Trafficking in Guyana, focusing on the psychological and socio-cultural dynamics contributing to the victimization of women turned traffickers, to exploring the integration of artificial intelligence in the education sector. Additionally, her interests led her to conduct Diversity in Hiring audits and develop educational initiatives for women and children in South Sudan.

Audrey enjoys writing, painting, and testing new recipes in the kitchen, and is an avid traveler. A certified book-nerd, she’s amassed a collection of antiquarian and rare literature. Her black lab, great dane mix, Maxwell, can always be found by her side.