Legislative Briefing: Cultivating Health Equity. Speaker Biographies Sacramento March 5, 2015

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1 Legislative Briefing: Cultivating Health Equity Speaker Biographies Sacramento March 5, 2015 Multicultural Health Policy Agenda Xavier Morales Latino Coalition for a Healthy California Xavier is the executive director for the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California. He is a longtime advocate for community-driven initiatives to achieve health equity and environmental justice. Taking an expansive view of what constitutes good health and community wellness, he diligently works to enable opportunities for youth development, workforce development, college access, prisoner reentry, early childhood development, affordable housing, and expanding access to culturally and linguistically appropriate heath care for all Californians. Xavier currently serves on the boards of The Praxis Project and the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, and advisory boards for the Diabetes Coalition of California and the California Department of Public Health's Biobank Community Values Panel. He was also a member of the Berkeley vs. Big Soda steering committee that passed the first local tax on sugary sweetened beverages to begin to address the diabetes epidemic in the Latino community. He is also in a leadership role in the efforts to pass legislation for a sugar sweetened beverage tax at the state level in California. Xavier often provides testimony in the California State Legislature and is also frequent speaker at legislative briefings, health conferences, health justice gatherings, and in college/university settings. Xavier, a former Peace Corps volunteer (Hungary-3), is originally from Sanger, California and studied environmental sciences at the University of California, Berkeley and city and regional planning at Cornell University. B. Darcel Lee President/CEO California Black Health Network Brenda Darcel Lee is the President and Chief Executive Officer of California Black Health Network. She is only the third executive to sit at the helm of the organization in its 32 year history. Darcel brings over 30 years of healthcare policy, legislative, and leadership experience to CBHN. Darcel began her healthcare career in Nashville, TN as a Director of Government Relations and a lobbyist at both the state and federal levels for Hospital Corporation of America, a Fortune 500

2 company where she trained hospital administrators and executives in the special art of legislative advocacy. Mrs. Lee has also held senior level positions with California Special Districts Association, California Primary Care Association, and as President/CEO of her own company, Harris Meeting Management Associates. Among her accomplishments since taking the helm of CBHN, Darcel has spearheaded the creation of a statewide African American Speaker s Bureau on Health; led CBHN in hosting a national conference call for African American leaders on the Affordable Care Act and its Implications on African American Communities; provided input to the California Health Benefits Exchange concerning the needs of California s African Americans as they prepare for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in California; established a 10 agency collaborative to conduct outreach and education on the Affordable Care Act and Covered California; and created and established the CBHN Black Infant Health Alliance. Darcel has a Bachelors in Business Management with an emphasis in organizational development. Amanda Wilbur Health Policy Analyst California Rural Indian Health Board Amanda Wilbur is CRIHB's Health Policy Analyst. Ms. Wilbur has a Bachelor's Degree from UC Santa Cruz in History and a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Arizona College of Law in Tucson, Arizona. At the University of Arizona, Ms. Wilbur's work focused on indigenous human rights and federal Indian law. Following her graduation, Ms. Wilbur clerked for the Honorable Stanley Feldman, former Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, and the Honorable Noel Fidel, former Judge of the Arizona Court of Appeals. Ms. Wilbur has also served as Counselor to the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the United States Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. and as General Counsel for the Pueblo of Tesuque in New Mexico. Ms. Wilbur is a member of the State Bar Association of Arizona and has practiced in the field of federal Indian law for fifteen years. In her current position she works to ensure meaningful access to healthcare for tribal communities throughout California. Iyanrick John Senior Policy Analyst Asian & Pacific-Islander American Health Forum Iyanrick John is a senior policy analyst for the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), a national health justice organization which influences policy, mobilizes communities, and strengthens programs and organizations to improve the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. He works on APIAHF s policy and advocacy efforts, including those to improve outreach, education, and enrollment of AAs and NHPIs into health insurance coverage through the Affordable Care Act. Page 2

3 Prior to working at APIAHF, Iyanrick worked as a policy analyst for the Maryland Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. In this role, he was responsible for analyzing state legislation, regulations, and policies to promote health equity and improve the health of minority populations in Maryland. He also worked as a research consultant for the Loma Linda University School of Public Health, where he managed health-related research projects, performed statistical analysis, managed research databases, and designed surveys and data collection tools. Iyanrick holds a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law, an M.P.H in Epidemiology from the Loma Linda University School of Public Health, and a B.S. in Biology from Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Maryland. Sarah de Guia California Pan-Ethnic Health Network Sarah de Guia is a graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law, where she was awarded the 2011 Student Award for Social Justice and was the 2010 recipient of the Herman Wildman Social Justice Writing Award. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley in Ethnic Studies and Public Policy in Sarah previously worked with CPEHN in 2008 as Project Manager for the Having Our Say Coalition, where she organized the statewide coalition to advocate on behalf of communities of color for health care reform. Sarah has also served as the Health Program Manager for Latino Issues Forum and as Legislative Analyst for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Sarah has advocated on women's health and reproductive justice, language access, immigrants' rights, and expanding health care to communities of color through legislative, budgetary and regulatory processes. From Coverage to Care: Ensuring Equitable Implementation of the ACA Michelle Cabrera Director of Research SEIU State Council Michelle Cabrera is the Director of Research for SEIU State Council. In this capacity, she coordinates policy development and research across various policy areas with a primary focus on health care policy. Prior to joining SEIU, Cabrera was a program officer in the California Health Care Foundation s State Health Policy Office. From Cabrera was a health and human services analyst with the California Legislature most recently as a senior policy analyst with the California Assembly Human Services Committee, and policy advisor to former longstanding California Senate and Assembly Budget Chair, Senator Denise Moreno Ducheny. In these capacities, she analyzed policy, Page 3

4 developed legislation, and organized policy hearings on issues related to health care reform, health care workforce, hospitals, community clinics, foster youth, and access to health care in rural and underserved communities. Early in her career, Cabrera served as a nonprofit administrator with community-based organizations such as Father Joe s Villages, the Centro Cultural de La Raza and Lideres Campesinas, all based in Southern California. Cabrera received a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations from Georgetown University and a Certificate in Community Economic Development from San Diego State University. Dong Suh Associate Director Asian Health Services Dong Suh is the Associate Director of Asian Health Services, a comprehensive community health center that provides medical, dental and behavioral health services, health education and patient advocacy to the underserved Asian and Pacific Islanders in Alameda County, California. At AHS, he coordinates policy, planning, development and advocacy programs and issues that affect its patients; serves as the compliance officer; oversees clinic construction and the Administrative Services and Member Services Departments. Prior to joining AHS, Dong served as a legislative and administrative advocate on health status, access, data and disparities at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum in Washington DC. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Korean Community Center of the East Bay and California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. Sonya Vasquez Health Coverage Policy Director Community Health Councils Ms. Vasquez is the Health Coverage Policy Director at Community Health Councils (CHC) CHC is a non-profit community-based health advocacy and policy organization. The Health Coverage Policy Area mobilizes a statewide and LA County based stakeholders in order to promote the development of policies that eliminate barriers to obtaining, utilizing and retaining health coverage. Most recently the work has centered on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in California. As a Covered California Outreach & Education Grantee and a Certified Enrollment Entity, Ms. Vasquez and her staff have played a critical role in educating and enrolling LA County residents about and into health coverage. Ms. Vasquez is also member of the Covered California Marketing, Outreach, and Assistance Advisory Group and has over 16 years of experience working on community issues. Page 4

5 Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies: Integrating Mental Health to Meet Diverse Community Needs W. Jahmal Miller Deputy Director Office of Health Equity, California Department of Public Health William Jahmal Miller was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown as Deputy Director to the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health, starting October In August 2014, the California State Senate unanimously voted to confirm Mr. Miller. Previously, he served as Communications Manager with Kaiser Permanente's National Offices - Community Benefit, Health Policy & Research Division. At Kaiser Permanente, he also served in the Central Valley Service Area, where he was Manager for Community & Government Relations within the Public Affairs Division. Mr. Miller has provided overall management for Sutter Health s Sacramento Sierra Region as Manager for Strategic Marketing & Communications and oversight of growth, marketing and communications efforts with largeemployer groups and brokers. Prior to that, he was the Program Manager for Sutter Children s Hospital at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento. Mr. Miller was responsible for managing inpatient and outpatient operations by providing strategic direction for Sutter Children s Cancer Program and Outpatient Clinics. He currently serves as a board member for the National Association of State Offices of Minority Health and recently served as a board member for the California Child Care Referral and Resource Network--one of the most respected systems of child care resources and referrals in the United States. Moreover, Mr. Miller previously served on a number of volunteer boards such as: American Heart Association's Western Region Health Equity Task Force, American Diabetes Association, BloodSource Community Advisory and Ronald McDonald House Charities. Mr. Miller completed an Executive Fellowship with the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program in conjunction with the American Leadership Forum and CORO. Mr. Miller is a proud graduate of Columbia University in New York City, receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and also earned a Master of Health Administration Degree from the University of Southern California. Sammy Nuñez Fathers and Families of San Joaquin Samuel Nuñez, of Fathers & Families of San Joaquin is a state and nationally recognized expert in the field of youth development, violence prevention and community organizing. He has coordinated a nationally recognized Male Involvement program and was the 2010 California Peace Prize recipient from The California Wellness Foundation. Sammy s work Page 5

6 was also highlighted in a memo as part of the My Brother s Keeper Launch to POTUS (The President of the United States) as an effective program working with young men of color. Samuel founded FFSJ as a catalyst for policy and systems change, reaching out to thousands of vulnerable, at-risk youth and struggling parents. Sammy works with inspiration, creativity, persistence, and a desire to promote peace, harmony and health each and every day to get at the underlying structures and systemic factors that must be addressed in order to make genuine progress toward well-being. Sammy s work applies race and gender as a filter to better understand the root causes and develop solutions for boys and men of color and practical ways that organizations and communities can build stronger multicultural youth/family movements that promote community empowerment and social change focused on reducing societal violence. Climate Change and Health Equity Linda Rudolph Director Center for Climate Change and Health, Public Health Institute Linda Rudolph is the co-director of the Climate Change and Public Health Project in PHI's Center for Climate Change and Public Health. She is also the principal investigator on a PHI project to advance the integration of Health in All Policies in local jurisdictions around California. Previously, Rudolph served as the deputy director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH)'s Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Public Health and the health officer and public health director for the City of Berkeley, CA. While at CDPH, Rudolph chaired the Strategic Growth Council Health in All Policies Task Force and the California Climate Action Team Public Health Work Group. Rudolph has also been the chief medical officer for Medi-Cal Managed Care, medical director for the California Division of Workers' Compensation, executive medical director for the Industrial Medical Council, staff physician in the CDPH Occupational Health program, and a physician for the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers' International Union. Rudolph received her doctorate in medicine and clinical training in pediatrics and emergency medicine from the University of California at San Francisco. She holds a master's in public health from the University of California at Berkeley. Rudolph is board certified in occupational medicine. Page 6

7 Martha Arguello Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles For the past 32 years, Martha has served in the non-profit sector as a health educator, policy advocate, and coalition builder. She joined PSR-LA in 1998 to launch their environmental health programs, and became in November She is committed to making the credible voice of physicians a powerful instrument for promoting social and environmental justice. She has expertise in a wide range of areas related to public health including: pediatric, reproductive and developmental environmental health; community based health planning and program development; strategic communications, policy development, civic and stakeholder engagement strategies; and strategic communications. She has built numerous successful advocacy coalitions addressing a wide range of health disparities issues including AIDS, Breast Cancer, and tobacco use. While at PSR-LA she has emphasized the need to link community organizing, strong science and health professionals in efforts to strengthen environmental health protections and encourage engagement in the environmental policy and regulatory arena. She serves as the chair of the steering committees for Californians for Pesticide Reform and Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy. She is part of South Los Angeles Building Healthy Communities and co-founded the Los Angeles County Asthma Coalition and the Coalition for Environmental Health and Justice. In 2006 and 2013 she was appointed to the California Air Resources Board s Global Warming Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. Page 7