The Community Health Planning and Policy Development Section congratulations and welcomes new elected officers.  About 9 percent of Section members voted in the election, held May-June, compared to 12 percent APHA-wide.

Secretary Elect (2007-2008)

Wendy Todd, MPH, is a program associate with the Blue Shield of California Foundation.  Todd says that she brings three key skills to the CHPPD Section as the secretary-elect:  “First and foremost, I would accurately and concisely capture the conference call conversations.  Complete meeting minutes will help members follow through on the next steps and course of action determined on each call.  Second, I would bring strong organizational skills to the Section so that members can easily and efficiently access necessary information.  Finally, my strong networking skills would help this Section conduct outreach to potential new members.” Todd acknowledges that she is very passionate about addressing complex health issues through a public health approach.  She says, “I am beginning to realize that many of my colleagues in the world of philanthropy do not have the same orientation.  Therefore, I am looking forward to participating in the CHPPD Section, where I will be able to collaborate with colleagues committed to advancing a public health approach.  I think this Section has the potential to make great accomplishments within and beyond APHA, and I look forward to playing an active role in the Section’s efforts.”  Todd is a member of the Northern California Grantmakers’ Organizational Effectiveness and Professional Development Committee and participates in the Marin County Chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. E-mail: wendy.todd@blueshieldcafoundation.org.

Section Council Members (2007–2010)

Katharine E. Witgert, MPH, is a legislative policy analyst with the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability in the Florida Legislature. Witgert has served for the past three years on the Section Council, acting as secretary for two years.  She brings her knowledge of the Section’s evolving priority issues and emerging strategies for achieving our annual goals.  She is interested in continuing to expand Section activities to be inclusive of its large membership and in further developing the section's role in APHA governance. E-mail: kwitgert@hotmail.com.

Mohammed Saka, MJ, FMCPH, MBA, MPH, is a program officer with Pathfinder International in Abuja, Nigeria.  A medical doctor and specialist in public health, Saka has over eight years of experience in clinical medicine as well as public health practice and management. Having acquired a solid academic and research-oriented training, he is focused and result-oriented in his practice of public health. Saka’s background in clinical practice has enabled him to view health from a human angle and prepared him for the challenges of managing community health interventions as a humanitarian activity, not as an analysis of facts and figures. Saka has lived in and had professional stints in more than 15 Nigerian states across all the geopolitical regions. This has enabled him to understand the multi-cultural nature of various Nigerian communities and the customs of people in many parts of the country. His humble background and disposition make it possible for him to communicate and work effectively with all people, with excellent results. Saka says, “I have a good sense of humor, which has helped me in no small way to coexist effectively with the people with whom I work.” Dr. Saka has a special interest in: epidemiology; control of infectious diseases, specifically STI/HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria; reproductive health; routine immunization; nutrition; and family planning as well as health planning and management. E-mail: msaka@pathfind.org, sakamj1@yahoo.com.

Governing Council Members (2007-2010)

Apryl R. Brown, MPH, MD, BS, is an instructor in physiology, anatomy, and introductory biology at the Wayne County Community College District in Detroit, Mich. As the Detroit Medical Reserve Corps Coordinator,  Brown oversees a local unit affiliated with a national community-based organization whose agenda is to address the public health priorities of the U.S. Surgeon General, such as increasing disease prevention, eliminating health disparities, improving health literacy, and strengthening public health preparedness.  At Wayne County Community College District, Brown works as a biology instructor preparing students for various careers in health care.  Brown co-reviewed an environmental public health book for the CHPPD Section newsletter in winter 2007.  In addition, she belongs to the Michigan Public Health Association as well as the Global Health Council.  As a Genetic Alliance Advocate Partner, she participated in the Genetic Alliance Day on Capitol Hill by visiting members of the House of Representatives to discuss genetic-related issues.  She was inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society of Public Health as a result of her dedication to public health community service.  As an APHA Governing Councilor, Brown would utilize her leadership skills evolved from her professional and civic public health endeavors to insure that all residents of the United States have the knowledge and access to live hazardous-free and healthy lives. E-mail: aprylrbrown@yahoo.com.

Monica Chan, MBA, is a contracts and grants analyst at the University of California, San Francisco. Chan has been a core member of CHPPD’s leadership team for over 10 years. She has served as secretary, chair, and both Section and Governing Councilor.  As chair, she also served as a member of the Intersectional Council.  Chan actively works to develop and strengthen CHDDP’s relationships with other sections and SPIGs, and participates in abstract reviews and the annual program as a presenter, moderator, and/or session monitor.  Currently, she also serves on the board of the Diabetic Youth Foundation (www.dyf.org), an organization that assists children and families in gaining confidence and independence in dealing with conditions  in a constantly changing treatment environment. Chan brings with her knowledge of how CHPPD and other sections fit into APHA as an organization, and the negotiation skills to promote our interests.  With her knowledge of CHPPD’s interests and priorities and her relationships with representatives of other sections and SPIGs, she says she will "work with newer members to help them grow within the organization.  At the end of my term, I hope to have represented the interests of CHPPD, and have shared my knowledge so that the section has an expanding group of active leaders.” E-mail: verdi74@earthlink.net.

Judith Gorbach, MPH, PhD, is a public health consultant based in Massachusetts.  For seven years, Gorbach has served as the program chair and as a member of the Section Council of CHPPD. In 2004, Gorbach received a lifetime award for serving on the executive board of the Massachusetts Public Health Association.  At MPHA, Gorbach worked on policy issues in the field of reproductive health and was chair of Child Health for eight years.  For 10 years, Dr. Gorbach served on the executive board of the New England Public Health Association in the positions of treasurer and advocacy chair. She identified, researched, and developed advocacy positions for the six New England states, used APHA policy positions for guidance, and became familiar with APHA’s process of developing and voting on policy issues. Gorbach’s career in public health includes working in Massachusetts, the University of Chicago, and India. In the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Gorbach was director of Adolescent Health, Family Planning and director of Prevention Services in the HIV/AIDS office.  She says, “My professional background has prepared me for serving on the Governing Council, where I will push for expanding services for improving the public’s health.  I am interested in the area of new scientific developments that move us into previously unthinkable approaches and treatments."  E-mail: jagorbach@post.harvard.edu.

Shari Kinney, MPH, MS, RN, is an administrator with the Cleveland and McClain County Health Departments at the Cleveland County Health Department/Oklahoma State Department of Health, Kinney is a current Governing Council member and was interested in being elected by the Section for a second term. In her first year as Governing Councilor, Kinney participated in the CHPPD Leadership meetings, midyear Governing Councilor meeting, the APHA policy forums and APHA strategic planning meeting. She also participated in all the Governing Council sessions at APHA. She has gained experience as a Governing Councilor, and has become more effective in representing the section at the Governing Council. Based on what she has learned this year, Kinney is working more closely with the other Governing Councilors and the Action Board. Kinney brings several assets to the position of Governing Councilor. She is an administrator for a local county health department, which means she works at the local level doing community health planning and policy development. She also has experience working at the state level in community planning and policy development, having worked for the Oklahoma State Department of Health for many years in maternal and child health. Kinney is an active member of the Oklahoma Public Health Association, currently serving as chair of the Finance Committee and is a past president. She is currently a DrPH student at the University of Oklahoma College of Public Health in health administration and policy. She says, “My goal this year is to get more input from our section regarding APHA policies, procedures, and candidates for APHA leadership positions."  E-mail:  ShariK@health.ok.gov.

Karen Valenzuela, MPA, MA, is the local health liaison with the Washington State Department of Health Office of Drinking Water. After serving one year on the Governing Council, representing the Section, Valenzuela was elected to APHA’s Executive Board and is serving out her last year of a four-year term on the board.  Prior to that, Valenzuela chaired APHA’s Nominating Committee (2002) as well as the Committee on Affiliates (1999), and represented the Washington State Public Health Association on the Governing Council for six years.  She has also served on a number of APHA committees and working groups. Valenzuela’s goal while a member of APHA’s Executive Board is to work mainly on improving the board’s transparency in decision making and planning, improving its relationship with the Governing Council, and encouraging fellow CHPPD Section members into positions of leadership.  Having served as an Executive Board member provides Valenzuela with a better understanding of how to get things done in APHA, what challenges face our organization, and the role of the Governing Council in APHA’s structure, decisions, and actions. Valenzuela says, “I believe the relationship between APHA’s Executive Board and the Governing Council needs to be strengthened, and I think the Governing Council must continue to hold the Executive Board accountable for all it directs the Board to accomplish.  Though I see the board as far more transparent now than five years ago, I think the Governing Council should never relax its vigilance, and should continue exerting strong influence in APHA’s policy- and decision-making.” E-mail: Karen.valenzuela@doh.wa.gov.

By Priti Irani, Nominating Committee Chair, pri01@health.state.ny.us. Priti worked with Tom Piper, Immediate Past Chair, and Jennifer Lavely, Director of Gilpin County Public and Environmental Health Services, Colorado.