Speaker Bios & Presentations
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Nick Yphantides
Dr. Nick Yphantides is an advocate for those in his community who
need it the most. For eight years, Dr. Nick served as medical
director of one of the largest network of Community Health Centers
in San Diego and is proud of the fact that he has spent his medical
career serving those who need it the most.
Nearly seven years ago, Dr. Nick temporarily retired from all of
his job commitments to address his own personal health needs. Over
the course of a year he drove 38,000 miles, visiting every state in
America, and in the process achieved an enduring transformation of
his personal health.
His life story has been featured in People Magazine, Reader's
Digest, Washington Post, New York Times and on CNN, Fox News, Focus
on the Family and even in the National Enquirer!
He is currently advocating with the many others in the community
who also have a struggle with their personal health and fitness. He
serves as a medical consultant for many medical and non profit
community organizations as well as doing part time urgent care work
at the community clinic he used to direct. He is the appointed
Co-Chair of San Diego County's Childhood Obesity Task Force.
Dr. Nick is a cancer survivor, has been to as many countries as
he is old and is always willing to lend a helping hand where it is
needed the most. His wife Despina and their baby Veronique are the
joys of his life. They are enthusiastically expecting their second
daughter in early October. They make their home in Escondido,
California.
Ron Roberts
Ron Roberts has been instrumental in putting and keeping
childhood obesity at the forefront of the County of San Diego's
agenda.
In his State of the County Address in 2002, Supervisor Roberts
made fighting childhood obesity one his highest priorities. That
year, the Coalition on Children and Weight was established, which
brought together a distinguished group of health and nutrition
experts to focus on strategies aimed at reversing the obesity rate
and promoting healthy behaviors among children and families.
He also played an integral role in establishing the region's
Childhood Obesity Action Plan, which was released last year. The
San Diego County Childhood Obesity Initiative, which is responsible
for hosting this summit and related activities, was developed using
the Action Plan as its roadmap.
This year, Supervisor Roberts is working with the San Diego
Unified School District to develop a physical education training
program, which will be produced on DVD. Funded in part by the
County of San Diego, the program will provide instruction to
teachers, especially in schools that lack credentialed P.E.
instructors, so that they can provide students with quality
exercise activities specifically designed to improve their health,
and more importantly, it will give them the skills and knowledge
they can take with them into adulthood.
Pam Slater-Price
"Supervisor Pam Slater-Price has helped to re-make the
county into a model of efficient service, while cutting bloated
bureaucracy and wasted spending. During her tenure the county has
gone from the brink of bankruptcy to a balanced budget, an A rating
on Wall Street, and a strong reserve."
- Del Mar Mayor Carl Hilliard
Since her election to the Board of Supervisors in 1992,
Supervisor Pam Slater-Price has adopted a common-sense approach to
regional government, which has helped to make certain that the
County of San Diego is a well-managed, results-oriented government.
Slater-Price has been elected four times and ran unopposed in 2004.
As a member of the Board of Supervisors; Slater-Price oversees a
$4.7 billion budget serving nearly 3 million people.
When Slater-Price took office, the County of San Diego teetered
on the brink of bankruptcy. Throughout this tumultuous economic
period, Slater-Price remained committed to reform, accountability
and standards that ultimately restored the County's fiscal health.
Today, the County of San Diego is recognized by Governing Magazine
as the "best-run county in California" and the third best-managed
county in the nation.
A former teacher, Slater-Price is a vocal advocate for youth,
recently co-authoring the creation of a regional plan to tackle
childhood obesity. As Chair of the First 5 Commission of San Diego
County, Slater-Price secured funding for a "Pre-school for All"
project. In addition, Slater-Price has earned her reputation as an
advocate for fiscal responsibility, open-space preservation,
economic growth, increased transportation spending, law
enforcement, top-notch parks and libraries, animal welfare,
domestic violence prevention, and the promotion of the arts.
Above all, Slater-Price is committed to fiscal stability in
order to enhance quality of life for the County's residents.
During her tenure, the Supervisor has worked diligently to
improve communities throughout the Third District through
appropriation of nearly $10 million to numerous organizations and
projects that promote strong families, local businesses, sports,
the arts and environmental stewardship. Among her accomplishments,
Slater-Price helped secure more than $100 million to improve
Interstate 5, Interstate 805, and Interstate 15 and to build SR56.
She works to acquire sand to beautify and restore North County
beaches. Recently, she secured more than $9 million to build two
new animal shelters.
Supervisor Slater-Price's work has earned numerous awards and
recognitions. Recently, she received the "Healthy Hero" award
presented by the Combined Health Agencies for her efforts to ban
smoking in county parks and open spaces, and the Emilio Aguinaldo
Leadership Award.
Due to capable leadership and pioneering innovation, San Diego
County residents have reason to be proud. San Diego is a model for
other counties that aspire to develop the most innovative
strategies for encouraging economic growth, reducing crime, and
improving quality of life.
Jean M. Shepard
Jean M. Shepard is the Director of the County of San Diego Health
and Human Services Agency, overseeing an agency with an annual
budget of more than $1.8 billion, and a workforce of more than
5,000 employees.
The Health and Human Services Agency provides a wide range of
health and social services. They include programs to increase
access to health care for those without health insurance, child and
adult mental health services, welfare-to-work employment
assistance, programs to protect children and the elderly from abuse
and neglect, alcohol and drug dependency treatment and prevention,
immunizations, epidemiology and other public health programs,
adoptions and foster youth programs, and operation of the Edgemoor
in East County.
Prior to becoming Director, Ms. Shepard served as the Chief
Operations Officer of the Health and Human Services Agency since
1998. At that time, she led the effort to consolidate the operation
of seven departments, and more than 50 programs, into the Health
and Human Services Agency. The move saved taxpayers more than $29
million. Other major accomplishments include: the opening of San
Pasqual Academy, a first in the nation residential/educational
facility for foster youth; enhancing the region's public
health/emergency medical system capacity to respond to both natural
and man-made disasters; development of a financial and operational
plan for the reconstruction of Edgemoor; implementing a three-year
plan to disburse $30 million in tobacco settlement money to health
related programs; expanding alcohol and drug treatment services and
reducing waiting times for those programs; expanding the children's
mental health care system; and reducing the number of welfare cases
by more than half from 1995 to 2000, for a cumulative savings of
more than $820 million.
A County employee since 1976, Ms. Shepard brings to the position
more than 20 years in Executive/Management level experience in
County government, including 18 years in the health and human
services field. She initially worked in the administrative
department of the Auditor and Controller (1978-1985), then became a
staff assistant to the Chief Administrative Officer and Assistant
Chief Administrative Officer (1985-1989). From there she gained
valuable experience in the health and human services field through
various positions in the Department of Social Services (1989-1995).
As efforts to integrate the departments of health and social
services were just beginning, Ms. Shepard was tapped to be the
Assistant Director of Health (1995-1998). Her outstanding
leadership and communication skills, as well as her social services
background provided a unique combination of qualifications and
experience to lead the integration effort that resulted in the
creation of the Health and Human Services Agency. Ms. Shepard is
committed to improving the Agency's accountability to the community
through the efficient delivery of outcome-driven services.
A native of San Diego, Ms. Shepard received her bachelor's
degree in sociology from San Diego State University.
Wilma J. Wooten
Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H. is board-certified in Family Medicine
and has a master's degree in public health. She received both
professional degrees from the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, followed by residency training at the
Georgetown/Providence Hospital Family Practice Residency Program in
Washington, D.C. Dr. Wooten has been in San Diego for the past 18
years and practiced medicine as a faculty member in the UCSD
Department of Family and Preventive Medicine for the first 11
years. She remains a volunteer Associate Clinical Professor in the
Department and is an Adjunct Professor at San Diego State
University, Graduate School of Public Health. Her research
interests have focused on women's health and included studies that
assess risk factors and prevalence of cardiovascular disease, and
osteoporosis, in African-American women; she continues to be
involved in research efforts at UCSD.
In March 2001, Dr. Wooten joined the County of San Diego as the
Deputy Health Officer for Division of Public Health Services,
Health and Human Services Agency. In this position,
responsibilities included quality assurance, health disparity and
special project activities; media spokesperson, and medical
director for the HIV, STD, and Hepatitis Branch. In February 2007,
Dr. Wooten was appointed as the Interim Public Health Officer and
later in June 2007, she became the permanent Public Health Officer
for the County. Dr. Wooten continues to serve as a County appointee
to the HIV Community Planning Prevention Board and is a
commissioner of the First 5 Commission of San Diego. She is a
member of the California African-American HIV/AIDS Coalition and
works closely with the local regional constituent to this
organization.
Dr. Wooten is President of the San Diego Society of the National
Medical Association (NMA), Trustee of NMA Region VI, and co-chair
of the NMA Women's Health Section. From 1999 to 2005, she has
accompanied medical missions, organized by the Student National
Medical Association (SNMA), to Jamaica and Ghana. Utilizing her
public health background, she has assisted students with the
research and evaluation component of a HIV/AIDS Education and
Prevention Program.
Dr. Wooten is committed to public health and its mission to
prevent disease and disability, promote healthful behaviors, and
protect the health of all residents of San Diego County.
Jack O'Connell
Jack O'Connell was elected to a second four-year term as State
Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 6, 2006. He was the
only statewide official to be elected in the June primary election,
after earning more than half of all votes cast in a field of five
candidates. He was first elected to serve as California's 26th
State Superintendent on November 5, 2002, earning more votes than
any other contested candidate in the country. As chief of
California's public school system and leader of the California
Department of Education, Superintendent O'Connell has focused on
closing the achievement gap and preparing students for a rapidly
changing global economy by holding high standards for all students.
He is a strong supporter and facilitator of partnerships between
schools, businesses, communities, and philanthropies in order to
engage students with challenging, real-world education
experiences.
He has worked to smooth the transitions between all segments of
education, from preschool to college or the workplace. As a former
high school teacher and author of the legislation creating the
California High School Exit Exam, he has led a comprehensive effort
to increase rigor and improve student achievement in California
high schools. Superintendent O'Connell is a proven team builder
with the ability to forge consensus on contentious issues,
especially where challenges are strongest. He has worked to fortify
California's world-class academic standards, strengthen
California's school accountability and assessment systems and
bolster state funding for public school classrooms. He also has
been a leader among state school chiefs nationwide in an effort to
increase flexibility and fairness in the federal No Child Left
Behind school accountability system. He is a long-time advocate for
smaller class sizes, improved teacher recruitment and retention,
comprehensive testing, and up-to-date school facilities.
Superintendent O'Connell was born in 1951 in Glen Cove, New
York. In 1958, his family moved to Southern California, where he
attended local public schools. He received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in history from California State University (CSU), Fullerton
and earned his secondary teaching credential from CSU, Long Beach
in 1975. He returned to his high school alma mater to teach for
several years and later served on the Santa Barbara County School
Board.
He was elected to the 35th State Assembly District in 1982 and
was reelected by wide margins thereafter, once garnering both the
Republican and the Democratic nominations. In 1994, O'Connell was
elected to the 18th State Senate District on California's Central
Coast and easily won reelection in 1998.
Throughout his career, Superintendent O'Connell has worked to
improve public education in California. As the author of numerous
landmark education bills in both the California Assembly and the
State Senate, he made quality education his number one priority.
This commitment to the children of California earned Superintendent
O'Connell the praise and the respect of colleagues and educators
statewide.
Superintendent O'Connell and his wife, Doree, have been married
for more than 30 years and have a daughter, Jennifer, who is
20.
Randolph E. Ward
Dr. Randolph E. Ward was hired as San Diego County Superintendent
of Schools last summer. Dr. Ward was previously the state-appointed
administrator of the Oakland Unified School District and was the
state-appointed administrator in the Compton Unified School
District. He also served as an elementary school principal and an
area superintendent for the Long Beach Unified School District in
California. Ward's education career began in 1979, as a preschool
teacher in his hometown of Boston. Fluent in Spanish and English,
he has also taught in Colombia and Venezuela. Dr. Ward has a B.S.
from Tufts University in Early Childhood Education and Mental
Health, an Ed.M. in School Leadership from Harvard and another in
Educational Administration from the University of Massachusetts. He
also has an Ed.D. in Policy, Planning and Administration from the
University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He is married and
has two children, one boy and one girl.
Available for download:
Wellness
Policy Implementation Mini-Grant Awardees
Jeff Rossman
Jeff Rossman has been involved in San Diego's hospitality industry
since 1981.
Jeff started as a dishwasher in 1981 at Pam Pam Café &
Grill, the family's restaurant. He continued working there until
1986 when he graduated high school and continued on to UCSD. He
left the restaurant industry but continued at a hotel working the
guest services side. Upon graduation from college, Jeff's passion
for cooking led him to an externship in Boston with one of Food
& Wine's Best New Chefs of 1997, Michael Schlow, where he
learned the intricacies of fine dining. Upon his return to San
Diego and with the family's success at Pam Pam, Jeff convinced his
father to put their experiences together to open Terra Restaurant
& Bar in May 1998.
When the restaurant opened, Jeff managed the front of the house
while Chef Neil Stuart was at the helm in the kitchen. Jeff worked
with Chef Stuart on catering and menu development, and after Chef
Stuart left, Jeff continued learning and working with the kitchen
staff, until September of 2000 when he took over as Chef of the
restaurant.
Jeff Rossman is one of those rare talents who never attended
culinary school. His cooking knowledge has come mostly from dining
out and a lot of reading. Rossman has the genius of a "mental
palette" or taste memory to recreate and develop recipes in his own
style. Although he prefers not to label his food as fusion, when
pressed, he calls his cuisine "New American," borrowing techniques
and ingredients from South, Central and North America. Chef Rossman
uses only the best and freshest ingredients available, including
produce from local San Diego farms.
Executive chef/owner Jeff Rossman likes to give back. He is
proud of his profession and even more proud that he is a
self-taught chef who came up the hard way. Now in a position to
offer help, Rossman has reached out all over the San Diego region.
He has worked with the galley at the 32nd Street Naval Station
where he gave a series of classes in culinary basics to the crew to
help them understand the basics. In addition, he took one galley
staff per week as an intern at Terra to show them the difference
between cooking for hundreds and cooking a la minute in a
restaurant setting. He also took a three day trip to San Francisco
on The USS Okane, a naval destroyer, to cook with the galley crew
onboard.
He currently sits on the Advisory Board for Central Elementary's
"From The Ground Up" garden project as well as the Advisory Board
for the SDSU College Of Extended Studies Culinary/Wine Program.
Jeff's involvement in the school garden project has attracted
attention from the Childhood Obesity Initiative which adopted this
project as a pilot program for the County of San Diego. Jeff's
passion for his career has also landed him an appointment as
President of the board for The Chef's Celebration of San Diego.
This non profit group headed by the top Chefs of San Diego, hosts
an annual series of dinners raising money for chef scholarships to
keep San Diego's culinary scene moving in a positive direction.
Jeff also donates his time and product regularly to charities like
Mama's Kitchen, the San Diego Lung Foundation, the National Kidney
Foundation, American Liver Foundation and was asked to join other
San Diego top Chefs in the opening gala for the new John Moores
UCSD Cancer Center. BC Abalone chose Jeff to represent them in
National Chef demonstrations and cooking contests. In addition, the
California Avocado Commission has selected Chef Rossman to
represent them, as well, in cooking demonstrations and he has
donated recipes to their website.
Jeff's dedication to his own restaurant, Terra, is clear. With
an eye for detail and service, he has seen his business grow and
gain local and national media attention. Under Rossman's creative
guidance, Terra has achieved consistent acclaim from Zagat, the
Southern California Restaurant Writers Association, and the Wine
Spectator. In addition, Terra was recognized as a finalist in the
San Diego Magazine's Reader's Poll, in the Union Tribune's Reader's
Poll and voted Best Kept Secret in The San Diego Home/Garden
Lifestyles magazine. But never one to think only of himself,
whenever the opportunity occurs, he is quick to promote not just
himself but San Diego as well. When called upon by local television
studios to come in at 7am on Sunday morning, Jeff says "sure, I'll
take one for the team." He truly understands that making San Diego
a dining destination will help him and all the other restaurants in
the county. His love for cooking and promoting food and wine has
also advanced him into a teaching role to consumers. Once a month,
Jeff holds cooking and wine classes at the restaurant and also
visits other teaching facilities to conduct other classes
throughout the year.
Jeff also values his family and even with his very hectic
schedule, he finds time to be with his girlfriend and son and often
changes meeting times to be sure he doesn't miss a program or a
meeting at his son's school. His son's sporting events are very
special as well, and Jeff juggles his time in the kitchen to coach
and to never miss a big game.
Jeff recently decided to partner with Chef Edwin Blumberg and
the San Diego Jewish Academy to start Shalom Kosher Catering to
bring upscale kosher food to San Diegans.
Kelly Breaux
This Louisiana native is a former World Champion Houston Rockets
Cheerleader, an international fitness presenter, a renowned
choreographer for film and television and a personal trainer to the
stars. As a fitness presenter she is recognized all over the world,
having visited over 38 countries teaching alongside fitness'
biggest names. Her choreography has been featured in Paula Abdul's
Cardio Dance series, on FIT TV, ESPN's Crunch Fitness and Fox
Network's "Resort and Spa." She also created award winning routines
at major competitions such as Ms. Fitness World, Ms. Fitness USA
and FIT.X National Conventions. With a contagious energy, she
spreads messages of happiness and health and has been hooping it up
with hundreds of thousands of kids in KidTribe's "Hoopapalooza"
assemblies and teacher trainings for the past 3 years.
Paul Zykofsky
Paul Zykofsky manages the Local Government Commission's land use
and transportation programs and has been Director of the
Commission's Center for Livable Communities since 1995. As director
of the Center, he provides technical assistance to communities
throughout the nation. Mr. Zykofsky is co-author of Building
Livable Communities: A Policymaker's Guide to Transit Oriented
Development and is editor of documents on economic development,
traditional neighborhood street design guidelines, traffic calming
and traffic safety. During the past seven years, Mr. Zykofsky has
directed a first-of-its-kind project - in collaboration with the
California Department of Health Services - to promote physical
activity by improving the design of the pedestrian environment.
Through this project the LGC has provided technical assistance to
communities throughout the state and has taken the health and
physical activity message to local elected officials and staff
throughout the nation. For the past four years Mr. Zykofsky has
headed up work at the LGC on the national Leadership for Healthy
Communities project funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Mr. Zykofsky is a frequent presenter at local, regional and
national conferences on a wide range of topics related to land use
and transportation. During the past six years, he has given
presentations on the connections between health, physical activity
and community design at numerous local, state and regional
conferences in California, Minnesota, Utah, Illinois, Virginia and
Iowa. Mr. Zykofsky studied at Swarthmore College and obtained the
degrees of Bachelor of Architecture, summa cum laude, and Master of
Urban Planning from the City College of New York. He is a member of
the American Institute of Certified Planners. He was born and
raised in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish.
Available for download:
Presentation (30 MB PDF) / Handouts (1 2 3 4)
Mark B. Horton
In November 2005, Mark B. Horton, MD, MSPH, was appointed by
California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the position of
State Public Health Officer. In April 2007, Governor Schwarzenegger
appointed Dr. Horton as Director of the newly formed California
Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 2007.
Dr. Horton is a physician and public health official with over
ten years' experience directing state and local public health
agencies and served for six years as the Health Officer of Orange
County. For more than five years, Mark served as State Public
Health Officer for the State of Nebraska.
Dr. Horton has a strong background in local public health
programs and clinical practice and has been a leader within the
public health community. He has served on the executive committees
of both the California Conference of Local Health Officers and the
National Association of County and City Health Officers.
Dr. Horton received his medical doctorate from St Louis
University and his Master of Public Health from the University of
North Carolina. He was a diplomat of the American Board of
Pediatrics.
Available for download:
Presentation
Loel Solomon
Loel Solomon joined Kaiser Permanente's Community Benefit Program
in 2003 as the National Director of Community Health Initiatives
and Evaluation. In that position, Dr. Solomon is responsible for
the design, implementation and evaluation of a national effort to
improve health in Kaiser Permanente communities through
multi-sectoral, place-based efforts focusing on environmental and
policy change. This effort, Community Health Initiatives for
Healthy Eating and Active Living, or HEAL, is a critical element of
Kaiser Permanente's comprehensive approach to preventing obesity
and obesity-related diseases. He also leads the Community Benefit
program's overall evaluation effort.
Prior to coming to Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Solomon served as
Deputy Director of the California Office of Statewide Health
Planning and Development (OSHPD) for Healthcare Quality and
Analysis, where he oversaw the state's hospital outcomes reporting
program, analyses of racial and ethnic health disparities and
dissemination of healthcare data to researchers and members of the
public. He served as a senior manager at the Lewin Group in
Washington, D.C. and as a member of Senator Edward Kennedy's health
staff. He also served on President Bill Clinton's Task Force on
National Healthcare Reform.
Dr. Solomon received his Ph.D. in Health Policy from Harvard
University and a Master of Public Policy degree at University of
California, Berkeley. He is the author of several journal articles
and a book chapter.
Available for download:
Presentation (PowerPoint ppt file / video clip)
Note: In order for the PowerPoint to play correctly, you will
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Kathleen Sellick
Kathleen Sellick joined Rady Children's Hospital- San Diego on June
30, 2006. Prior to her appointment at Rady Children's, Kathleen
served as the Chief Operating Officer of the University of
Washington Medical Center (UWMC) beginning in 1999 and became its
Executive Director in 2001. Before coming to Seattle, Sellick
served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of
St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California for four years. Earlier,
she served in multiple leadership positions for eight years at Hoag
Hospital in Newport Beach, California. She received her MBA from
the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and has
served in a number of volunteer organizations, boards and industry
groups. She's currently active on the board of directors of the
American Hospital Association, Healthcare Association of San Diego
and Imperial Counties and chairs the AHA's Regional Policy
Board.
Available for download:
Presentation
Pastor Glovioell Rowland
Pastor Glovioell Rowland is co-chair of the joint steering
committee of the California Department of Health Services'
California Nutrition Network. A five-year recipient of a faith
outreach grant from the California Department of Health Services,
she directs a "Body & Soul" program coalition of churches that
provide health outreach to African American families in their
churches and communities. A national trainer for the "Body &
Soul" program, which is an initiative of the National Cancer
Institute, American Cancer Society, and Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention; she also chairs the program's clergy review panel
at the National Cancer Institute.
As a former assistant professor of psychology at Fuller
Theological Seminary and a postdoctoral research fellow at
University of California-Los Angeles, Pastor Rowland helped write
state legislation on child-abuse prevention. She is a member of the
California Dialogue on Cancer's health disparities team, a joint
venture with the Center for Disease Control, American Cancer
Society and the California Department of Health Services. In 2005,
Pastor Rowland was selected as a member of the advisory committee
for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Council on Physical Fitness
and Sports.
Pastor Rowland received a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from
Boston University. A licensed and ordained minister, she serves as
assistant pastor and pastor of health at the Pasadena Church of
God.
Available for download:
Presentation
Eileen Espejo
Eileen Espejo is a Principal Associate of the Children & the
Media Program at Children Now. She is currently leading Children
Now's efforts to educate and inform policymakers and the public,
including health advocates in California, about pressing children's
media issues such as advertising and its relationship to childhood
obesity. She recently directed The Future of Children's Media:
Advertising conference in Washington, DC and is editor of the
bi-annual Children & the Media Issue Brief. Prior to working
for Children Now, Eileen served as Director of Youth Governance for
the Youth Leadership Institute in the Bay Area, where she was
responsible for designing and delivering trainings to young people
serving on youth commissions. Eileen gained legislative experience
in Washington, DC at the Corporation for National Service and was a
Coro Fellow in Public Affairs in Los Angeles (1999-00). She
graduated cum laude from the University of California, Davis with a
B.S. in Applied Behavioral Sciences.
Available for download:
Presentation / Handouts
Christine L. Williams
Christine L. Williams, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician with expertise in
child nutrition, health education and preventive medicine. Board
certified in both pediatrics and preventive medicine, Dr. Williams
has been a pioneer in developing comprehensive health education
programs for preschool and school-aged children and their families.
Dr Williams earned the Bachelor of Science (BS) and Doctor of
Medicine (MD) degrees from the University of Pittsburgh, and the
Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Harvard University. In a
career that has spanned more than 25 years, she has successfully
combined clinical and epidemiologic research, with graduate and
post-graduate teaching, and the clinical practice of pediatric
medicine. She has published more than 100 scientific articles, book
chapters and books, and been recognized with academic awards in
preventive medicine and nutrition.
Dr. Williams is currently Vice President and Medical Director of
Healthy Directions, a non-profit organization aimed at promoting
child health and nutrition. She is also a founder and director of
Healthy Start, LLC, which developed and disseminates the award
winning preschool health education programs, "Healthy-Start" and
"Animal Trackers" (www.Healthy-Start.com).
Prior to her current position Dr. Williams held positions as
Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, and Director of the Children's
Cardiovascular Health Center in the Institute of Human Nutrition
and Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University, New York, NY;
Director of the Child Health Center at the American Health
Foundation in Valhalla, NY; Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
and Director of the Graduate Program of Maternal and Child Health
at New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY; and Deputy Commissioner
of Health, Westchester County, NY.
Dr Williams was the recipient of the Preventive Cardiology
Academic Award, and the Nutrition Academic Award from the National
Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of
Health. Dr. Williams also served as a member of the American
Dietetic Association's Expert Panel on Child Nutrition and Health,
and as a scientific advisor to the International Life Sciences
Institute. She was Executive Secretary of the Food and Nutrition
Council of the American Health Foundation, and Co-Director of the
Food and Nutrition Council of the Institute of Human Nutrition at
Columbia University. She has served as a scientific advisor and
consultant to both government and industry.
Dr. Williams is married to Dr. Gary Williams, Professor of
Pathology and Toxicology at New York Medical College. They have
three children and reside in Scarsdale, NY.
Available for download:
Presentation (12 MB PDF)
Dale Brown
Coach Brown is the only SEC coach to have appeared in 15 straight
national tournaments and is the second winningest coach in SEC
history surpassed only by Kentucky's legendary Adolph Rupp. 105 of
160 of Brown's players received their college degrees.
Brown and Rupp are the only SEC coaches that had 17 consecutive
non-losing seasons and Brown was the only coach in the nation to
have ever increased his number of victories six years in a row from
1976-81. From 1977-1986, LSU is the only school that finished in
the first division of the conference. The 1981 LSU team is the only
team in SEC history to win 17 consecutive league games in one
season. Only three coaches in SEC history, Adolph Rupp, Joe Hall
and Tubby Smith won more conference championships than LSU's Brown.
Brown and Rupp are the only two SEC coaches that won the conference
championship in three different decades. Only six SEC coaches have
led their teams to two Final Fours or more. They are Dale Brown,
Billy Donovan, Joe Hall, Rick Pitino, Nolan Richardson and Adolph
Rupp. As well as mentoring Shaquille O'Neal, Brown coached a bevy
of NBA first-round selections, and has the distinction of beating
Kentucky more than any coach in history.
On nine occasions, Brown was selected as the SEC Coach of the
Year or runner-up and seven times he was voted as the Louisiana
College Basketball Coach of the Year. On two occasions he was
chosen as the National Basketball Coach of the Year. He is a member
of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Basketball
Coaches Hall of Fame and was inducted as an SEC Living Legend.
He began his coaching career as a high school coach, teacher and
principal in North Dakota. Brown is a member of the North Dakota
Sports Hall of Fame and the North Dakota Basketball Coaches Hall of
Fame. Brown coached one year at Fort Riley, Kansas and received an
honorable discharge from the U.S. Army with the rank of
Sergeant.
He spent five years as an assistant coach at Utah State
University and one year at Washington State University.
In high school in North Dakota he was the state's leading scorer
and set the school record in the 440 yard dash.
Brown earned 12 letters in basketball, football and track at
Minot State University, making him the schools only athlete to
achieve that goal. He received a B.S. degree from MSU and his M.S.
degree from the University of Oregon.
George R. Flores
Dr. Flores is Senior Program Officer for the Healthy Communities /
Disparities in Health Program with The California Endowment, the
largest health foundation in the state. Dr. Flores' work focuses on
strategic program development and grant-making, primarily directed
at policy and systems change to improve community health. He guides
the Endowment's Healthy Eating, Active Communities initiative to
prevent childhood obesity, as well as projects to strengthen public
health systems. Dr. Flores is a member of the Institute of Medicine
committee that published, "Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in
The Balance." Previously, he has served as Health Officer and
Director of Public Health in San Diego County and in Sonoma County;
Clinical Assistant Professor for the UCSF Family Practice Residency
Program; Director, Project HOPE in Guatemala; and Deputy Health
Officer in Santa Barbara County. Dr. Flores is an alumnus of the
University of Utah College of Medicine, the Harvard School of
Public Health, the Kennedy School of Government, and the Public
Health Leadership Institute. Dr. Flores is also a member of the
Institute of Medicine committee that published, "The Future of the
Public's Health in the 21st Century." Dr. Flores has held
leadership positions in local, state, and national organizations,
including the National Association of County and City Health
Officials, California Conference of Local Health Officers, Sonoma
County Medical Association, and is a founding board member of the
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California.
Available for download:
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