Sarah De Guia, JD

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.

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. 

Dr. Angelo Williams

Dr. Angelo Williams serves as Deputy Director of the California Black Health Network (CBHN), a 5013c focused on Black Health Equity and creating the conditions for #HealthyBlackPeople. CBHN's cycle of practice includes annual town hall meetings in seven cities statewide, advocacy for policy change at the California State Legislature and a biennial Black Health Agenda convening. Dr. Williams has served in a number of executive leadership capacities including his tenure as a Gubernatorial appointee and Assistant Vice Chancellor at the California Community College Chancellor's Office and as an Education and Family Economic Security Program Officer at the WK Kellogg Foundation. Angelo is active in his community where he serves as a professor of Sociology, African American/African Studies and Public Policy at UC Davis, CSU Sacramento, Sacramento City and Sierra Community Colleges. He is a Senior Fellow with the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program and serves as an executive board member with the Los Rios College Federation of Teachers. Dr. Williams is honored to have received the Distinguished Alumni Award from CSU Sacramento, Champions of Change Award from CSUS Education Department and MBA Magazine's Diverse Executive Leader's Award. 

Lisa Folberg

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.

Nahla Kayali

Yvette McShan

Virginia Hedrick

Virginia Hedrick is the Director of Policy and Planning for the Consortium for Urban Indian Health.  She is enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe of California and is also of Karuk descent. She currently oversees a statewide initiative addressing opioid use disorder in Urban Indian communities, as well both federal and state health policy. Her prior work includes chronic disease prevention, implementation and policy impacts of the of the Affordable Care Act for California tribes, as well health research. Mrs. Hedrick holds bachelor of arts degrees in Sociology and American Indian Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, a Graduate Certificate in Maternal Child Health Epidemiology from the University of Arizona and a Master of Public Health Degree from Drexel University.

Jessica Buendia

Jessica (Jessie) Buendia has fourteen years of experience in the foundation, government, and nonprofit sectors advancing progressive public policy and social impact programs.

Currently, Jessie is the Deputy Director of the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC). SGC promotes sustainability, health, and equity across the state by helping California achieve its climate change goals through place based and community driven programming.

Prior to joining SGC, Jessie was the Community Benefits and Social Responsibility Manager at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. She was responsible for implementing the agency's landmark community benefits and environmental justice policies across its Water, Power, and Sewer Enterprises, directing its social impact program, and leading its participation in the Government Alliance on Race and Equity. She has held positions at the San Francisco Foundation, Health Access Foundation, California State Legislature, City of Newark, Urban Habitat, and the Greenlining Institute. She has also lived and worked in Mexico, France, India, and South Africa.

Jessie has a Master's degree in Public Policy from Princeton University, an Advanced Project Management Certificate from Stanford University, and a Bachelor's Degree from Macalester College. She is also a certified life coach with a focus on building transformational leadership within the social justice sector.

Shireen Malekafzali 

Shireen Malekafzali serves as Senior Manager for Policy, Planning and Equity at the San Mateo County Health System, manages the Health Policy and Planning Program, Get Healthy San Mateo County (GHSMC) and the Children's Collaboration for Children's Success (CCCS). GHSMC is a collaborative initiative that partners with cities, community based organizations, leaders and other partners in building healthy, equitable communities with a focus on advancing policies to prevent disease and ensure that every resident has equitable opportunities for good health and well-being. Priority issues for the work include: housing stability; economic opportunity; complete neighborhoods with transportation options and food access; educational opportunities, and; civic participation. The CCCS initiative is a multi-agency initiative focused on overcoming the barriers to youth success through deep community engagement. Shireen brings over 20 years of experience advancing health equity through the non-profit, government and philanthropic sectors. She serves on the boards of Human Impact Partners and TransForm. Shireen has a passion for advancing a just democracy, eating Persian food, and playing with her two small kids.  ​​

Kismet Baldwin, MD

Kismet Baldwin, MD, is the Health Officer of San Joaquin County Public Health Services (PHS), providing leadership in a broad array of programs and services to protect, promote, and improve the health and wellbeing 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 San Joaquin County will be healthy, safe, equitable, and thriving, Dr. Baldwin and the 235-member staff are dedicated to removing barriers and addressing the root causes of health inequity.  PHS 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 by nearly 20 years. 

Dr. Robin Carter

Dr. Robin Carter is the Interim Dean of the College of Health & Human Services at Sacramento State University.  Dr. Carter has over 25 years of experience as a social work professor and administrator. As a clinical social worker, Dr. Carter's 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 Dr. Carter's 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.

Patricia Lee

Ana Gonzalez-Seda

Ana González Seda, MPH is the Director Programs for the San Diego/Imperial Valley Chapter for the Alzheimer's Association. She started her position December 2016. She manages the care and support arm of the local chapter and oversees the program department. Ana has worked in the non-profit sector for leading health organizations in San Diego for over 20 years. As a San Diego native, Ana received her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from San Diego State University and later earned a Master's Degree in 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 vivacious five year old son, Christian and husband, residing in La Mesa.

Simran Kaur

Simran Kaur is Community Health Specialist for Valley Children's Healthcare overseeing childhood obesity prevention and food insecurity initiatives. She is also Chair for the Fresno County Commission on the Status of Women. Previously, Simran was the Western Region Director for the Sikh Coalition, the nation's largest Sikh civil rights organization. In 2012, she led efforts to pass the California Workplace Religious Freedom Act, now the nation's strongest protection against religious discrimination in the workplace. In the past, Simran has served on the Board of Directors for The Women's Building, a women-led community space and has served as the Affirmative Action Officer on the Board of Directors for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California. She is an active member of the Sikh American community in California and her work was published in "Her Name is Kaur" an anthology of stories about Sikh American women.