Sarah De Guia

As chief executive officer, Sarah de Guia oversees development and implementation of ChangeLab Solutions’ long-term goals, priorities, strategies, and budget. She is committed to applying her legal expertise and leadership experience to advancing equitable laws and policies that ensure healthy lives for all.

Before joining ChangeLab Solutions, Sarah worked at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), first as director of government affairs and then as executive director. Sarah developed and implemented CPEHN’s policy, community partnership, and research goals. She also expanded the organization through creation of a Southern California office and increasing the number of permanent staff members in Sacramento. Sarah’s accomplishments during her tenure at CPEHN include passage of more than a dozen legislative bills to further health equity; critical administrative policy wins to incorporate health equity into land use and planning regulations; and improving the quality of health care for immigrants, patients with limited English proficiency, and communities of color. 

She has authored many publications on the health of communities of color in California, oral health disparities, mental health, and Latino health. Prior to working at CPEHN, Sarah was a health program director at Latino Issues Forum and a legislative analyst at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Sarah sits on the advisory committee for the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health. She earned her law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law and her bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Aaron Gardner

Aaron Gardner is an epidemiologist and program evaluator for the Epidemiology & Program Evaluation Branch of the Riverside County Department of Public Health (DOPH).  Aaron's 20 years of social science and epidemiological research experience includes 14 years investigating infectious and chronic disease in Riverside County with a focus on social epidemiology. His past research have included novel substance abuse treatment models for gay and bisexual men and African Americans. In the last decade, his research focus has shifted to health equity and the the social and environmental determinants of health and its impact on the chronic and communicable disease burden and life expectancy in minority populations and women. Aaron is on the forefront in research and policy development in his local health department coordinating the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative public health workforce training series and producing many of the county's first health reports on specific populations including the LGBT and transgender community.  

Simran Kaur

Jo Ann Julien

Jo Ann Julien leads the Office of Health Equity within Public Health Services, Health and Human Services Agency for the County of San Diego. She is also on the Center of Excellence for Health Promotion and Health Equity led by the University of California, San Diego.

Jo-Ann's public health career spans 20 years, starting at the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, the Canadian  equivalent of the Centers for Disease Control, Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. Jo-Ann has worked in the area of cultural diversity and human rights at the federal level helping to create inclusive institutions.

Jo-Ann speaks French, and holds a B.A. in Communications and a Master's in Education, specializing in Counseling. She is trained in mental health first aid, risk communication, facilitation, deliberative dialogue, regulatory affairs, and public policy and is certified with the International Association of Public Participation. She will make an excellent addition to the Office of Health Equity Advisory Committee.​

Kismet Baldwin

Kismet Baldwin, MD, recently transitioned to a new position of Deputy Health Officer of Sonoma County Public Health.  She continues to strive to provide leadership in a broad array of programs and services to protect, promote, and improve the health and well being of county residents.  Her dedication to public health started with her experiences as a neonatologist, where she saw first-hand the devastating effects that health inequity can have on a community; that dedication has been cemented by further experiences as a health officer.  With a vision that all communities in Sonoma County will be healthy, safe, equitable, and thriving, Dr. Baldwin and the public health staff are dedicated to removing barriers and addressing the root causes of health inequity.  Sonoma County Public Health works with colleagues across all sectors -- traditional and non-traditional community partners; private and public entities; with other county agencies and within their own -- to improve the social, economic, and physical conditions that have shortened our more impoverished residents' life-spans. 

Yvette McShan

Yvette McShan is the Chief Operating Officer of Victorious Black Women, an organization she co-founded in 2012, with the simple but powerful idea of Peers Healing Peers. In this model, women share their stories with state and local agencies to give voice to their identities and life challenges instead of allowing themselves to be defined by statistics. Her expertise lies in promoting life skills, mentoring, and substance abuse counseling. As a formerly incarcerated person, Yvette is a strong advocate for individuals and communities facing incarceration and re-entry difficulties, especially Black Women with mental health and substance abuse challenges. Yvette was one of the many pioneers of The Alameda County Pool of Consumer Champions (POCC) and has served on boards and steering committees on mental health and criminal and social justice issues for several decades. In 2018, Yvette spoke before the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on the inhumanity of mandatory isolation at Pelican Bay Prison. In 2019, she graduated from the Black Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (BWILD) in San Diego. 

Lisa Folberg

Valentine Antony 

Valentine Antony is a First Nations (Mohawk) native living in San Francisco. He is the Research and Evaluation Coordinator for the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH). As part of his work at CCUIH, Valentine is an evaluator for the GONA Cross Site Study funded by California Office of Health Equity (OHE), California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP) involving 5 Urban Indian Health Program members. Valentine also serves as an evaluator for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) funded Tribal MAT initiative which works with Urban Indian and Tribal partners across California on a program evaluation and data collection efforts with community members and medical providers. He continues to work in collaboration with AIAN health agencies, tribal agencies and statewide partnerships to develop innovative solutions to addressing the health needs of American Indian communities in California. Valentine graduated with distinction from the University of New Mexico with an MS degree in Public Administration and an MS degree in Community & Regional Planning. 

Ana González-Seda

Ana González Seda, MPH is the Director of Programs for the San Diego/Imperial Valley Chapter for the Alzheimer's Association. She oversees the education, social engagement, diversity, and inclusion for the chapter, focusing on senior health, people living with Alzheimer's and their care partners.  Ana has worked in the non-profit health sector for leading organizations in San Diego for over 25 years focusing on engaging communities of color. Ana sits on community boards which support quality affordable housing and livable neighborhoods, foster economic self-sufficiency and stimulate investment. As well as engaging communities of color to participate in translational research through university-based educational institutions. Ana most recently became a fellow for the Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) under the Leadership Institute established to train Latina leaders in leadership and advocacy skills to create fundamental change within their communities statewide. Ana is bi-cultural and bi-racial raised in San Diego. She received her bachelor's degree in Sociology from San Diego State University and earned a Master of Public Health with an emphasis in Health Services Administration. Ana recently received a certification in Project Management from the University of Redlands. In her free time, Ana enjoys spending time with her vivacous seven-year old son and her husband, residing in San Diego.

Terra Russell-Slavin

Terra Russell-Slavin, Esq. is the Director of Policy and Community Building at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the world's largest provider of programs and services for LGBTQ people, which she has been a part of for 15 years. Terra's policy work focuses on advocating for health and mental health services for the LGBTQ community, including HIV, STD and LBQT women's health; domestic, sexual violence, and hate crime services; and homeless youth and senior services. Terra regularly works in coalitions at the local, state, and national level with other community-based service providers representing LGBTQ community groups, larger community non-profits and governmental entities. 

Terra is a subject matter expert on issues related to LGBTQ domestic violence and is Chair of the LGBTQ Subject Matter Committee for the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. An attorney by trade, Terra has a strong community health perspective.  Terra received the Los Angeles County Betty Fisher Award for phenomenal leadership in the field of domestic violence and has been recognized by the National LGBT Bar Association as a Best Attorney Under 40. Terra is a graduate of Pitzer College and Northeastern University School of Law.

Angela Ball

Angela Ball has been the Director of the Division of Public Health Nursing for the Alameda County Public Health Department for 10 years and the COVID-19 Deputy Safety Officer.  She is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing public health nursing programs, including the Older Adults/Healthy Results, In-Home Supportive Services, Adult Protective Services, Foster Care Assessment Center, Medically Fragile and Services to Enhance Early Development Units, Community Outreach and Pre-Eligibility Units, and the program with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office to reduce truancy among youth.  Angela works towards improving access to and quality of care for incarcerated and detained individuals at the city and County holding cells, jails, and juvenile detention facilities through her management of the annual Title 15 jail inspections.  At the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, Angela was responsible for ensuring the provision of high-quality breast and cervical cancer screening services to low-income, underserved women in Alameda County. Her past and current work has been with very sensitive, vulnerable populations and she has strong partnerships with organizations such as, First 5 Alameda County, academic institutions, CBOs, local hospitals, and professional organizations.

Dannie Ceseña

Dannie Ceseña (he/they) is a transgender, two-spirit descendant of the Chichimeca tribe and is the LGBTQ Program Manager for the California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network. He has over 15 years of experience working with non-profits in program development and advocacy and extensive knowledge in creating Transgender, Gender Nonconforming (TGNC) healthcare collaborations utilizing upstream interventions and addressing the root cause of lack of access to TGNC affirming health care. His knowledge and leadership have assisted in the creation of two TGNC community health care clinics, and a monthly TGNC legal clinic, in Orange County. Dannie has become a trusted leader in LGBTQ health among partners in the California Tobacco Control Program. He is responsible for building We Breathe: Supporting Tobacco-Free LGBTQ Communities from the ground-up, and has established the program as a leader statewide, nationally, and even internationally.  Dannie is in high demand to present on LGBTQ health at trainings, meetings, and conferences throughout the country, and internationally. He is a graduate of CSU Long Beach with bachelor's degrees in English and Political Science and is a graduate of National University with a Master of Public Health degree.

Weiyu Zhang

Weiyu Zhang (she/her) is a Community Advocacy Manager with the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. As a public health practitioner, Weiyu is committed to leveraging the vision, knowledge, and toolkit of public health to solve racial and social inequities. She advocates for policy and decision-making processes that center community self-determination and expertise for Black, Indigenous and other People of Color communities in California. Weiyu has more than seven years of experience working in public health and social justice, including doing community health education and community crisis response, organizing multicultural coalitions, and analyzing public policy. She also has a strong analytical background from training as a biomedical scientist and working in clinical cancer research and biopharmaceutical production. Weiyu holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology and Biotechnology from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Weiyu is a native speaker in Mandarin Chinese. In her free time, she loves exploring Northern California’s woods and lakes and is always trying new creative hobbies.

Shireen Malekafzali

Shireen Malekafzali serves as Chief Equity Officer at San Mateo County. She focuses on building more equitable county government structure, policies, practices, and procedures in order to support more equitable outcomes in communities of color, low-income communities, and other communities facing inequities. Shireen brings over 20 years of experience advancing equity through the non-profit, government and philanthropic sectors. She serves as board chair of Human Impact Partners and board chair of the Social Justice Committee at TransForm. Shireen has a passion for advancing a just democracy, eating Persian food, and playing with her two small kids. 

Califia Abwoon

Califia Abwoon is a Peer Support Specialist (PSS), Certified Anger Management Coach (CAMF), Domestic Violence Management Facilitator (DMF), an Emotional Intelligence Rehabilitation Coach, and is in the process of earning her Substance Use Counseling License. She works with We Are Wayfarer, 1:1 Pilot Program developing relationships with the homeless population on Skid-row and in Long Beach. She advocates for underserved community members with mental health disorders who are homeless and lack effective case management services. She provides comprehensive mental health provisions that enhance the well-being of clinicians and patients. She also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Create Realistic Change Inc., a Peer Run Organization that is focused on the underserved community in Los Angeles. She is involved with the Service Area Advisory Committees (SAAC) 6 and 8, the California Association of Mental Health Peer Run Organizations on the Peer Action League Committee, the Alternative to Incarceration (ATI) pilot Reentry Health Advisory Collaborative (RHAC), the Community Coalition (CoCo) founded by Congresswoman Karen Bass, and with A New Way of Life Re-entry Project with All Of Us Or None (AOUON). Califia experienced homeless for 20 years and is a violence, sexual, and mental abuse survivor. Califia provides a unique perspective to the Advisory Committee given her first-hand experience of being part of the community that the Advisory Committee serves.

​Vong Mouanoutoua

Vong Mouanoutoua was the founding Advisory Board Member for the Hmong Helping Hands Project in the Central Valley. Vong represents and is part of the Hmong community in the central valley, a very vulnerable and underrepresented community.  His prior experience include that of a program director in a non-profit for serval years. In that capacity he had the opportunity to write grants and supervise over $13 million in funding. Vong's current occupation with the Community Medical Centers and as a Councilmember for the City of Clovis has afforded him the opportunity to be part of the California Reducing Disparities Project (CRDP), which has allowed him to learn more about the needs of the mental health services for diverse populations. Through his work at the Fresno EOC, Reading and Beyond, Community Medical Centers, CRDP Project and on the City Council, he has learned how important it is to provide services to communities that are many times forgotten. 

Robin Carter

Robin Carter is the Interim Dean of the College of Health & Human Services at Sacramento State University.  Robin Carter has over 25 years of experience as a social work professor and administrator. As a clinical social worker, she has worked with vulnerable populations, including the elderly, those with chronic health and disabling conditions, and people at the end of their lives. The focus of her scholarly and community work is mental health assessment and treatment; gerontology and equity and inclusion. She has been the principle investigator in several large grants and contracts serving students and totaling over $2 million.  She has held board membership in multiple professional organizations, including the Sacramento Family Justice Center, Cal Post Doc Advisory Board and the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. She is one of the founding members of the MLK Center at Sacramento State and in her previous role of Interim Executive Director of Diversity she was charged with developing the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at Sacramento State.

Nahla Kayali

A recipient of the "Champion of Change" award from the White House in 2014, Nahla Kayali works to empower underserved individuals and families to ensure they have access to health and human services.  Arriving to the United States as a Palestinian refugee from Syria at the age of 16, and only having finished the 9th grade, Nahla founded Access California Services (AccessCal) in 1998, a culturally and linguistically competent health and human services non-profit organization in Anaheim dedicated to empowering underserved populations, with a focus on Arab-American & Muslim-American communities. Under Nahla's leadership, AccessCal serves 11,000 unduplicated clients and provides over 65,000 services, annually. Nahla serves as the Chairperson of the Orange County Refugee Forum and holds the State Refugee Forum Seat for the State Advisory Council on Refugee Services.  Most recently in 2019, Nahla's work was featured in the book "Leadership with Impact: Preparing Health and Human Service Practitioners in the Age of Innovation and Diversity," written by Juan Carlos Araque, PhD, a Clinical Associate Professor and Eugenia L. Weiss, PsyD, LCSW, a Clinical Associate Professor who both work at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California. 

Michael Witte

Michael Witte has been a physician since 1970 and currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the California Primary Care Association, where he works with a dynamic group of health policy experts who support the most vulnerable populations in California. Family medicine and Federally Qualified Health Centers are his primary areas of expertise.

Jei Africa has made it his life's work to build equity and social justice in behavioral health care. Whether serving as a clinician, an admnistrator, an educator, or an activist, Jei constantly strives to integrate effective, culturally responsive and healing-focused practices into public health systems and services. As an immigrant and the first openly transgender behavioral health care director in California, Jei brings a deep connection to disadvantaged communities to his work. He champions love, compassion, belonging, justice, and equity at every turn. He is widely recognized as a thought leader who can transform his ideas into reality: Jei helped establish the first LGBTQ+ center in San Mateo County, created a resarch scholarship for aspiring Filipino clinicans, developed statewide leadership curricula grounded on equity, and put together a framework for providing high-quality, nuanced care to diverse populations, including justice-involved youth and adults. Jei draws his expertise from over two decades in the field. In that time, he has built relationships among diverse stakeholders to shape public policy, combat social stigma, and drive institutional change. He currently serves as director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services for Marin County and sits on several state boards and commissions.

Bernadette Austin

Bernadette Austin is the Executive Director of the Center for Regional Change at the University of California at Davis where she works to build bridges across disciplines and support research that is community-engaged, policy-oriented, and equity-focused. Bernadette provides leadership on several multidisciplinary research projects, including developing tools to support affordable housing, understanding megaregion migration, supporting transportation equity, and advancing carbon neutrality. She serves as a regional and statewide thought leader on a variety of topics, including land use planning, social equity, and gender equity. Prior to her work at the Center for Regional Change, Bernadette founded a consulting firm specializing in community development and has worked for an affordable housing developer, redevelopment agency, community development financial institution, and several nonprofit community health organizations. Her projects include Sacramento's first true transit-oriented development, West Sacramento's first urban farm stand, and the first project in the country to implement a program combining housing vouchers and health services for adults living with disabilities.

Jazmine Garcia Delgadillo

Jazmine Garcia Delgadillo is the Health and Equity Program Manager at the Strategic Growth Council. Jazmine has extensive experience translating research into health equity-centered policy, evaluating and designing community informed programs, and collaborating with diverse stakeholders and sectors, including community-based organizations, nonprofits, local government, associations, and policymakers. Previously, she served as a Health Policy Fellow for Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal where she had the opportunity to work on legislative health issues at the intersection of immigration and health. While a Doctoral Candidate, Jazmine also collaborated with California’s Primary Care Association, the National Collaborative for Health Equity, the District of Columbia’s Department of Public Health, Office of Health Equity, and Trust for America’s Health, among other organizations. Jazmine has a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and a Master of Public Health degree and bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley.