Akela is a Clinical Operations and Quality Assurance professional driven by a deep commitment to advancing accessible mental health treatments and social justice in clinical research. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah on the traditional lands of the Northwestern Shoshone people, she brings over a decade of experience in GxP compliance, clinical operations, and pharmacovigilance across academic, industry, and CRO settings.

She currently serves as a Project Manager with Changemark, leading the operational rollout of the MAPS-sponsored MJP2 Phase 2 PTSD study. In this role, she helps connect scientific innovation with regulatory integrity—overseeing feasibility, vendor qualification, and site readiness to study completion while fostering transparent, values-based collaboration between sponsor, CRO, and site partners.

Before her current role, Akela led cross-functional teams in clinical quality and operations, guiding the development of inspection-ready systems and fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and care. She has supported research at the intersection of innovation and ethics, with a focus on advancing psychedelic-assisted and other emerging therapies. Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to equity, integrity, and the belief that quality research should serve the communities most in need of healing.

Services Offered:

• Clinical Operations + Project Management

• Training, Mentorship + Systems Development

• Clinical Quality Assurance + Compliance

• Inspection Readiness + Audit Hosting