Co-Chair Donna Steward is Government Affairs Director for the Association of Washington Business. Ms. Steward is a native Washingtonian and graduate of the University of Washington. Before joining the Association of Washington Business, she was associate regional administrator-Division of Medicare Financial Management at the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She formerly was executive director of the Association of Washington Healthcare Plans. Earlier in her career, she covered health care and education issues as a legislative research analyst for the Washington State House of Representatives.
 

Co-Chair Allene Mares, RN, MPH is Assistant Secretary of Community and Family Health at the Washington State Department of Health. Ms. Mares, a Montana native, is a registered nurse with a bachelor’s degree from Montana State University and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Washington. She has held a series of increasingly demanding leadership roles throughout her career, including program manager, division director, regional health officer, department director, and health commissioner in health departments from Tacoma and Seattle to Salinas, Calif., and Dayton, Ohio.
 

Anthony Anton is the president and CEO of the Washington Restaurant Association. He interacts one-on-one with restaurateurs to determine their challenges, develop solutions and manage the efforts of the 80-year-old, 5,000-member organization. Anthony brings more than a decade of government affairs and association management experience to the WRA. He guided the WRA’s government affairs business from 1995 to 2001 when he left to manage The Boeing Company’s state relations in Olympia. Coming back to the WRA in 2004 as vice president, Anthony successfully marshaled the industry’s efforts to support important legislation and increase the WRA’s grassroots lobbying efforts. Anthony’s family has been in the restaurant business for more than 60 years, lending him a broad understanding of industry issues. Sumner native, Anthony graduated from Washington State University in 1991, with a degree in political science.
 

Don Conant, MBA, PhD is General Manager, Valley Nut and Bolt in Olympia. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Business Administration and Computer Science at St. Martin’s University, and Chairperson of the Health Care Reform Committee at the Association of Washington Business. Mr. Conant earned his PhD in Organizational Leadership at Gonzaga University in Spokane; his MBA at St. Martin’s University in Lacey, and two bachelor’s degrees in International Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands, and in Literature at Northwest University in Kirkland. His interests include backpacking, touring on his Honda ST1300, and rock and roll.
 

Lucy Culp is the Senior Director of Advocacy at the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Lucy is a Washington native and University of Washington graduate. Since coming to AHA in 2005 Lucy has served in a number of roles within the Advocacy Department, including grassroots organizing across a ten state affiliate. Most recently she has taken on supervising the advocacy work in Idaho and Hawaii as well as direct implementation of lobbying and government affairs in Washington. Before coming to the AHA/ASA Lucy worked at MESA, a non-profit Kindergarten through 12th grade outreach program.
 

Linna Dossett came to the YMCA in 1988 and has worn a variety of YMCA hats, including, Adult Fitness Coordinator, Health and Wellness Director, Membership Director, Association Senior Director of Total Health, Project Director for the West Coast YMCAs/Stanford Total Health Plus Project and Seattle Champion for the YMCA of the USA’s Adult & Family Collaborative. Linna is certified in the William Bridges’ Leading Individual and Organizational Transition and is often a community resource for helping organizations and individuals navigate the changing climate of our work environment. Most recently, she leads the YMCA of Greater Seattle’s Activate America work, and is part of the YMCA of the USA’s Activate America National Relationship Management Team. She received her BA in Law and Justice from Central Washington University and has numerous YMCA certifications and additional external Certification and Education in health & wellness.
 

Nancy Ellison, JD, PhD, currently serves as Vice President, State Government Affairs, Pacific Northwest Region, UnitedHealth Group. She held a previous similar position at Regence BlueShield. Formerly Deputy Secretary of Health, Washington State Dept. of Health; Administrator, Oregon Insurance Division; Deputy Commissioner for Health Policy, Washington Office of Insurance Commissioner; Regional Manager, Washington Dept. of Ecology. Law Degree, University of San Diego. Admitted to Washington and California Bar Associations. Masters' & doctorate in public health, University of Hawaii School of Public Health. Board member: Association of Washington Health Care Plans; WithinReach (non-profit linking health and nutrition services for low-income families)
 

Debra French, R.D., C.D. is Executive Director at the Washington State Dairy Council, 501©3 organization, Lynnwood, WA. Product marketing through nutrition education; Direct media and advertising programs including production and planning; Oversight of various sponsorships, retail and promotion programs i.e. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and Seattle Mariner promotions; Communications and industry relations; Public relations and media interviews; Budget oversight; Unified marketing plan integration with Dairy Management Incorporated (DMI); Team leader for Child Nutrition and Fitness Initiative with the Seattle Seahawks; Staff development. Direct the development and implementation Healthy Communities Partnership Steering Committee of nutrition education programs; Supervise professional staff; Report to Board of Directors and responsible for successful board operations, elections and annual meetings; Oversee the development and marketing of printed resources and annual catalog production; Oversees the development and enhancement of award winning website, www.eatsmart.org; Directs marketing of nutrition resources nationwide; Directs staff programming with health professionals and school leaders in the states of Washington and Alaska; Budget oversight; Stockroom and inventory management; Coalition, committee and board member.
 

Gary M. Goldbaum, MD, MPH is the Health Officer and Director of the Snohomish Health District, serving the approximately 700,000 residents in Snohomish County, Washington. A graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine (1978) and the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine (1989), he has been certified by the American Board of Family Practice and the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Dr. Goldbaum has worked in family medicine, epidemiology, and public health since 1978. He has conducted research at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Washington State Department of Health, and Public Health – Seattle & King County. His numerous journal articles reflect his interest in chronic disease, injury, infectious diseases, and the behaviors that place people at risk for disease. Dr. Goldbaum holds appointments as Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Adjunct Associate Professor of Health Services at the University of Washington. He also serves on the Board of the Snohomish County Medical Society.
 

Jeffrey R. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA is the Director of the University of Washington’s Health Promotion Research Center, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and is principal consultant to the American Cancer Society and its Employer Initiative. His work focuses on the practical steps that employers can take to control health and productivity costs by helping their employees to prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases. Before moving to Seattle in 2001, Dr. Harris served for 20 years with the CDC, where he headed up its work with managed care organizations and employers. He has consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies including General Motors, PACCAR, and Weyerhaeuser. An accomplished scientist, Dr. Harris has authored over 100 scientific articles. He recently received the Stay Well Award from the American Cancer Society.
 

Lydia M Andris is a Research Coordinator at the University of Washington's Health Promotion Research Center (HPRC), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Much of the Center's work focuses on the practical steps employers can take to control health and productivity costs by helping their employees prevent disease. Ms Andris has 17 years of experience in program development and evaluation with the Department of Social and Health Services, the Health Care Authority, Choice Regional Health Network, and Seattle Public Health prior to joining HPRC, focusing primarily on access and prevention.
 

Frankie T. Manning, M.N., R.N. is currently a Consultant to Health Care Organizations on Executive Leadership, Community organizing to improve population health, systems design to eliminate health care disparities and homelessness. She was the Nurse Executive at VA Puget Sound, where she had the overall responsibility for guiding the Nursing practice for a two division medical center, in the Seattle-Tacoma area. As a member of the Medical Center Executive Management Team, her responsibilities included establishing policies and programs to improve services to veterans and guide research and develop education systems for students and staff. In February 2003, she was selected as the first nurse to serve on the King County Board of Health, one of three health care professionals selected. In April 2004, she was selected for the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) Community Partnership Award and in July 2004, she was appointed by Governor Locke to serve as board member for a three-year term on the Washington State Board of Health. Ms. Manning's continued interest in improving the lives of others is reflected in the many hours of volunteer work she provides to elders and to the underserved population. This value is reflected in the numerous professional and community organizations she serves.
 

Martin Mueller is Assistant Superintendent for Student Support for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Prior to his appointment to this position in October, 2006, he was OSPI’s Director of Learning and Teaching Support for 5 years, and has also supervised various OSPI school health and safety programs. He has been at OSPI since 1996. Before coming to OSPI, Mr. Mueller coordinated school safety and prevention programs at Educational Service District 123 in Pasco, WA, and also provided direct student support services to several schools in Southeast Washington. Prior to that, he was the chief administrator of a small hospital in Southern Idaho that specialized in substance abuse and psychiatric care. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration.
 

Dr. Louise Parker is a faculty member in the Washington State University Human Development Department. Dr. Parker serves as Director of Extension Family Programs and as an extension specialist in family and community development. In her administrative role, she provides leadership for a variety of community-based health promotion programs that emphasize educational outreach to underserved and at-risk populations. Dr. Parker was also one of three program developers for WSU Extension’s cultural competency training, Navigating Difference. She is particularly interested in cultural adaptation of program planning and evaluation to improve outreach to diverse youth and families. Dr. Parker’s graduate degrees are from the Human Development and Family Studies Department at Oregon State University and she earned her B.S. from Western Washington University.
 

Becky Skaggs, Director of Consumer Affairs is a member of the executive team at Haggen, Inc., in Bellingham, Washington involved in many of the major decisions for the sixth-largest private company in the state of Washington. She is responsible for market and consumer research, consumer affairs, public relations and corporate donations for the company, which operates 32 grocery stores in Washington and Oregon. Skaggs started with Haggen in 1992 as an office assistant while attending Western Washington University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics with an emphasis in demographics. She also has completed the Food Industry Executive Program at the University of Southern California’s and Today’s Managers: Tomorrow’s Leaders at Portland State University. In addition to her responsibilities at Haggen, Skaggs is active with Bellingham-Whatcom County Commission Against Domestic Violence, the Northwest Chapter of the Network of Executive Women and the Food Marketing. Skaggs was awarded in 2006 the Food Industry Leadership Award for her contributions to Portland State University’s Food Industry Leadership Center.
 

Scott Pritchard is currently the Director of Employee Health and Productivity, the heath and productivity management program for Washington State employees. His 25 years in healthcare have given him a broad view of the health/healthcare delivery system, beginning with direct service as a nutrition consultant in a holistic Family Practice, adjunct faculty appointments at several northwest universities, to a decade of work at Health Plans in worksite wellness and disease management, through public health, and now from the perspective of a large public sector employer.