Komal serves as the Associate Director of Systems Change, contributing towards building organizational culture, supporting leadership opportunities, and facilitating organization-wide convenings. She directs projects for external partners, including health systems, guiding the development of tools and practices for equity and systems change.

Komal combines her anthropological and public health backgrounds for systems change with a specific focus on health disparities in communities of color. Prior to joining Rippel, she served as the director of community health at the YWCA Kalamazoo, overseeing Cradle Kalamazoo—a countywide infant mortality reduction initiative. Komal has worked extensively with community organizations and health systems to increase access to reproductive health services, streamlining clinical processes, and ensuring equitable policies in support of pregnant and parenting families in the United States and abroad. She also worked in education as a curriculum coordinator and a grade school teacher, building her muscle for program design, collaboration, and individualized learning—all being key components of systems change.

Komal holds an MPH from Western Michigan University and a BA in Anthropology from Wayne State University. Komal loves DIY projects and watching horror movies with her dog, Ramona. She is a proud Pakistani-American and looks forward to traveling to Pakistan every year to spend time with loved ones and indulge in traditional foods. Komal is obsessed with penguins—her favorite animal.