Celeste Denipah

Celeste Denipah serves as a key procurement professional within the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Service, overseeing acquisitions that directly support the delivery of culturally competent health services to American Indian and Alaska Native communities across the Southwest. Responsible for managing the full lifecycle of contracting actions, she ensures compliance with federal mandates while advancing the agency’s mission to modernize clinical infrastructure and expand access to preventive, dental, and behavioral health services. Her portfolio is exclusively focused on testing laboratories and services, aligning with the agency’s emphasis on diagnostic accuracy, public health surveillance, and laboratory quality assurance in remote and underserved tribal settings. Denipah maintains long-standing partnerships with a select group of specialized contractors, including DT-TRAK CONSULTING, INC., NATIVEARC II, LLC, NATIVEVET MATERIEL, LLC, BADGER HEALTH & ASSOCIATES LLC, and MONTECH INC. These vendors are consistently selected for their expertise in laboratory diagnostics, medical equipment calibration, clinical data management, and culturally responsive health technology deployment. Her procurement approach prioritizes vendor reliability, technical proficiency, and alignment with tribal health priorities, fostering collaborative, mission-driven relationships rather than transactional engagements. Her contracting activity is fully aligned with the Buy Indian Set-Aside authority under 25 U.S.C. § 1637, with 100% of her acquisitions reserved exclusively for Native-owned businesses. This reflects a deep institutional commitment to economic self-determination and the empowerment of Indigenous enterprises within the federal health procurement ecosystem. She actively leverages socioeconomic programs to ensure that contracting opportunities directly benefit Native communities and strengthen tribal capacity. Denipah’s technical domain is singularly focused on NAICS 541380—Testing Laboratories and Services—encompassing clinical lab testing, specimen analysis, quality control systems, and laboratory accreditation support. Her procurements support critical public health functions including infectious disease screening, environmental health monitoring, and diagnostic service delivery tailored to tribal epidemiological needs. Her expertise lies in ensuring laboratory services meet CLIA and CDC standards while integrating seamlessly into tribal health information systems.