Board Members

[1]

[2]

Rea Panares [2]

Chair

Rea Pañares, MHS, a Filipina American, is director of Minority Health Initiatives at Families USA, a national nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the achievement of high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

[3]

Debra Nakatomi [3]

Vice Chair

Debra Nakatomi is president of Nakatomi & Associates, a strategic communications firm she founded in 1989 and a leader in communications initiatives at the nexus of issues advocacy, community engagement and philanthropy.

[4]

Joyce O'Brien [5]

Secretary

Joyce O'Brien, MPH, a Native Hawaiian, is the associate director at the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center which is located on the island of Oahu in the state of Hawaii.

[6]

Kathy Ko Chin [6]

President and CEO

Kathy Lim Ko is president and chief executive officer of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), a national health policy organization dedicated to strengthening policies, programs, and research to improve the health and well-being of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.

[7]

Dr. Dexter Louie [7]

At Large

Dr. Louie is a practicing otolaryngologist, since 1977, in San Francisco‘s Chinatown, where he was born and raised. He attended Stanford University, Tulane Medical School (MD, residency), then Golden Gate University (JD, MPA).

[8]

Dr. Butch de Castro [8]

At Large

Butch de Castro, PhD, MSN/MPH, RN is Assistant Professor and Director, Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing Program Psychosocial & Community Health at the University of Washington, Seattle.

[9]

Bill Imada [9]

Bill Imada is chairman and chief executive officer of the IW Group (formerly Imada Wong Communications Group), a full-service communications firm that specializes in the growing multicultural markets in the U.S.

[10]

Victor Kaiwi Pang [10]

Victor is currently president of the Pacific Islander Health Partnership and is co-chair of the Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander Alliance.

[11]

Niyanta Spelman [11]

Niyanta Spelman is the founder and executive director of Rainforest Partnership. Between 2000 and 2007, Niyanta owned PPPMC Inc, a public sector-oriented management consultancy. Niyanta’s broad public sector experience includes working for the Legislative Budget Board, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Texas Legislature, the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe located in Budapest, Hungary, and the first lobbying firm in London, England.

[12]

Gayle Tang [12]

Gayle Tang, MSN, RN is senior director overseeing National Linguistic & Cultural Programs, Institute for Culturally Competent Care and Diversity Infrastructure Management at Kaiser Permanente. She is also a faculty member at City College of San Francisco.

[13]

Lori Villarosa [13]

Lori Villarosa is the Executive Director for Philanthropic Initiatives for Racial Equity (PRE). Prior to launching PRE, Lori was a program officer with the C. S. Mott Foundation, where she worked closely with numerous organizations operating at local, regional, national and international levels from a diverse range of approaches.