Invited Speakers

 

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INVITED SPEAKERS

 

Melanie Bella

Melanie Bella is the Director of the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This office, officially the Federal Coordinated Health Care Office, was established by the Affordable Care Act (Section 2602). As Director, Ms. Bella leads the work of this office charged with more effectively integrating benefits for individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid and improving coordination between the federal government and states for such beneficiaries.

 

Prior to joining CMS, Ms. Bella was the senior vice president for policy and operations at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). She led the organization’s efforts to integrate care for complex populations, including people with multiple chronic conditions, disabilities, serious mental illness, and dual eligibles. In addition, she directed a unique leadership training institute to help Medicaid directors enhance the skills they need to transform their state programs into national models for high-quality, cost effective care.

Prior to CHCS, Ms. Bella served as Medicaid director for the state of Indiana from 2001 through 2005. During her tenure, one of Ms. Bella’s most notable accomplishments was spearheading the creation of the Indiana Chronic Disease Management Program. She earned a master’s in business administration from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from DePauw University.

 

 

Belva Davis

Belva Davis is an award-winning journalist who has covered Bay Area politics for four decades. Her recently published memoir, Never In My Wildest Dreams: A Black Woman’s Life in Journalism, recount her near half century in media.

She was the first African American woman hired to work on television in the western United States and is one of 500 journalists nationally to be profiled in the NEWSEUM, the world’s first interactive museum of news.

She is the host of KQED Television’s Friday night current affairs program “This Week in Northern California.” Davis has earned eight local Emmys for her reporting and three honorary Doctorates, including one from Sonoma State University, for her television work and community service. She is the recipient of numerous community service awards for her volunteer work on behalf of a wide variety of causes. As the National Equal Employment Opportunities chair of AFTRA, the television union, she spent countless hours advocating for women, minorities, and the disabled.

 

Belva Davis is a trustee of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the War Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and the Institute on Aging. She is also a member of the San Francisco Chapter of Links Inc and an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Sorority.

 

 

Secretary Diana Dooley

Secretary Diana Dooley was appointed to lead the California Health and Human Services Agency by Governor Jerry Brown. As CHHS Secretary, Dooley oversees twelve departments and one board, while also serving on many boards and commissions such as the newly created California Health Benefit Exchange Board. Prior to leading CHHS, Ms. Dooley was President and Chief Executive Officer of the California Children’s Hospital Association, which advocates for children’s health on behalf of the eight, nonprofit regional children’s hospitals in California. Dooley is active in civic and community affairs, having served on the Boards of Directors of the UC Merced Foundation, Blood Source of Northern California and The Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno. She is also a past president of Planned Parenthood, the Visalia Chamber of Commerce and the Central California Futures Institute.

 

 

Jean S. Fraser

Jean S. Fraser is the Chief of the San Mateo County Health System. The System encompasses all health-related functions for the County, including the county hospital (San Mateo Medical Center), eleven clinics, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, Environmental Health, and all traditional public health functions, as well as Aging & Adult Services. Ms. Fraser has been the Chief since January 2009.

Prior to joining San Mateo County, Ms. Fraser was the Chief Executive Officer of San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP), a county-created health plan providing affordable health coverage to 53,000 low and moderate income families.

Prior to joining SFHP, Ms. Fraser was with the San Francisco City Attorney’s Office, where she was the managing attorney of the team advising the San Francisco Departments of Public Health and Human Services.

Ms. Fraser holds a law degree from Yale Law School, and a bachelor’s degree from Yale University.

 

 

Anne Hinton

Anne Hinton is Executive Director of the San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services. In this capacity she has responsibility for In-Home Supportive Services, Adult Protective Services, Public Guardian, Public Conservator, Public Administrator, Representative Payee, Veterans Services, Information and Referral, and the Partnership for Community Based Care and Support and the Community Living Fund. In addition the Department funds 45 community service providers for programs such as congregate meals, senior centers, home delivered meals, case management, family caregiving, etc. The Department of Aging and Adult Services serves older adults as well as younger disabled adults.

Her career spans more than 30 years including positions as the Director of Home Care, Care Management and Fiduciary Services Department for the Institute on Aging, the Director of Aging Services for San Francisco Catholic Charities and Director of the South San Francisco Senior Services. Ms. Hinton has experience as a lecturer/teacher in the field of Gerontology.  She is a member of the Board of the National Association of Area Agency on Aging and has served on other boards, professional associations and committees whose focus is long term care

 

 

David A. Ishida

David A. Ishida has worked in the field of aging since 1972. Mr. Ishida is the Regional Administrator for the Administration on Aging, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Regions IX & X where he has jurisdiction for Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada and the flag territories of the Outer Pacific – American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands and the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Mr. Ishida’s professional career has focused on working with the elderly population, particularly low income and minority seniors, and the providers who serve them. Mr. Ishida worked for the City & County of San Francisco Commission on the Aging (Area Agency on Aging) where he was the Executive Director. He was instrumental in the development of the Case Management Plan for Senior Services and Community-Based Long-Term Care and the Senior Services Plan 1994-2000. Mr. Ishida also provided the leadership in organizing the San Francisco Naturalization Project that instituted citizenship, legal and social services to the City’s immigrant and refugee population. Mr. Ishida was active in the restructuring of San Francisco’s and California’s Long-Term Care System and is a strong proponent of community-based programs and services.

Prior to his employment with the AAA, Mr. Ishida worked in San Francisco’s Japantown for Kimochi, Inc. Japanese American Senior Services. Mr. Ishida has been involved in a number of national, state and local aging organizations and foundations in various capacities. Mr. Ishida received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences and a Master of Arts degree in Gerontology from San Francisco State University.

 

 

Assemblymember Nancy Skinner

Elected to the State Assembly in 2008 and reelected in 2010, Assemblymember Nancy Skinner has been involved throughout her career in efforts to promote energy conservation.  During the oil crisis of the late 1970s, Ms. Skinner and others successfully lobbied the City of Berkeley to establish an Energy Office and a citizen’s Energy Commission.  

In 1984 Ms. Skinner was elected to the Berkeley City Council and became responsible for many of Berkeley’s groundbreaking environmental policies.  An early champion of integrating economic development with environmental protection, Ms. Skinner authored the legislation to establish Berkeley’s Community Energy Services Corporation, which continues to provide energy efficiency services to small businesses and homeowners throughout the East Bay.

During her time in the Assembly, Ms. Skinner has carried major legislation governing energy storage, net energy metering, renewable energy, and energy upgrade financing.  A nationally renowned leader in the fight against global warming, Ms. Skinner founded ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability.  As Executive Director of ICLEI’s US office, Ms. Skinner launched the Cities for Climate Protection program — the US movement of mayors and cities working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As US Director of The Climate Group, a London based organization, Ms. Skinner organized the July 2006 Climate and Energy Roundtable with Governor Schwarzenegger, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and numerous Fortune 500 CEOs, that paved the way for Governor Schwarzenegger’s signing of AB 32.

Ms. Skinner also served on the California Energy Commission’s Climate Change Advisory Committee and San Francisco’s Clean Technology Task Force. She also serves on the board of directors of a number of non-profit organizations involved in environmental and energy issues.