UTAH HEALTH POLICY PROJECT

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

	Linn J. Baker Board Chair Linn was the Executive Director of the State of Utah's Public Employee Health Program for 31 years. He was instrumental in developing the State's self-administered Health, Dental, Life, and Long-Term Disability programs. These programs are offered to state, school district, college and local government employees. He implemented a statewide preferred provider network for public employees in 1985 and organized two self funded HMO networks offered to public employees in 1991. Mr. Baker has worked closely with the State Health Department in developing "Health Utah," a health promotion program for employees who adopt healthier lifestyles. He is one of the founders and two time past president of the National State and Local Government Benefits Association. He served on the National Advisory Committee for State Data Commissions, and on the Executive Committee of the National Academy of State Health Policy. "As Utah's health reform process evolves, it is essential that the Utah Health Policy Project continue to provide credible research on quality improvement, cost containment, and expanded access as well as a voice for those that are unable to access quality, affordable healthcare."
	Elizabeth A. Nielson, CPA Board Finance Chair Elizabeth founded Nielson & Associates, PC in 1991. She has worked with a variety of closely held and family owned businesses in diverse fields such as retail and other inventory based businesses, service based businesses, and the real estate industry. Elizabeth works with the owners and managers to develop and implement business and tax strategies. In addition to the consulting services, she has provided tax preparation, compilation, review and audit services for all types of businesses and not for profit entities. She sold her successful business in 2008 to spend time with her family and is currently working on her MBA at Westminster College. Elizabeth had diverse experience prior to starting her firm including work as a staff accountant at both a local and national CPA firms. She started her career as an auditor for the Internal Revenue Service. As an active community leader, Elizabeth has served on the boards for the Utah Micro Enterprise Loan Fund, National Association of Women Business Owners, Family Counseling Center, and other organizations. She has also volunteered her time to teach classes for SCORE, and other community groups.
	Darrin Sluga Board Vice Chair Community Development Coordinator, Salt Lake Valley Health Department Darrin Sluga is the Community Development Director at the Salt Lake Valley Health Department. Mr. Sluga received a B.S. in Health Promotion and his Master’s Degree in Public Health, both from the University of Utah. He has served as the President and Treasurer of the Coalition for Tobacco-Free Utah and was a Board Member for the Health Education Association of Utah. In 2009, Darrin was elected to the Utah Public Health Association’s Board. Darrin began his public health advocacy while working for former Governor Mike Leavitt’s Utah Health Policy Commission. He later chaired the Health Education Association of Utah’s Legislative Committee for several years. In 2002, as President of the Coalition for Tobacco-Free Utah, he assumed a central role in advocating for tobacco tax increase legislation which passed that year. Mr. Sluga and his staff have worked with many city and community councils to adopt tobacco-free regulations, including the numerous smoke-free parks ordinances throughout Salt Lake County. Currently, Darrin is the Policy Committee Chair for the Utah Public Health Association. A staunch advocate of a data-driven approach when making public health decisions, Darrin fully supports UHPPs mission to promote evidence-based health reform practices. In addition, Darrin is firmly devoted to addressing the root of the problem, seeing the “big picture”, and promoting idealism, yet realism.
	Tom Metcalf, MD Board Policy Chair Dr. Metcalf began his career in academic pediatrics at the University of Utah, then later moved to Wasatch Pediatrics in Salt Lake City where he still works to fulfill the child advocacy role of pediatrician. Dr. Metcalf has worked with a number of groups to increase the health and safety of children and adolescents. These have included but are not limited to: the Coalition of Utah Traffic Safety, Utah Safe Kids, Primary Children's Medical Center's 'Hold On To Dear Life,' Utahns for Better Dental Health, and has served as Medical Director for Headstart, on the Advisory Council to the Utah Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Board of Directors of Voices for Utah Children, and on a Utah Children Polygamy Study Group. On a national level, Dr. Metcalf serves on the 12-member Access Subcommittee of The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Federal Government Affairs. "During Pediatric Residency at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York, my mentors Robert Haggerty, Bob Hoekelman, and Evan Charney impressed upon us that "pediatrics does not stop at your office door," that is, a career in pediatrics should involve not just an academic or private practice, but also involvement in local, state, national and perhaps even international communities, in order to affect the largest number of children possible. I believe in healthcare for all Americans, beginning with our children."
	Bryn Ramjoue Board Development Chair Marketing Director, Red Butte Gardens Bryn Ramjoue' is a Utah native, focused on marketing and an advocate for women in business. Her advantage in the marketplace is in creating clarity where there is chaos, in building confidence where there is mediocrity and in building success stories. For thirteen years, she worked for McCaw Cellular and AT&T Wireless on brand development and national marketing. Since AT&T, she worked successfully for ABC Television in Utah and then launched a women-owned advertising agency in 2004 called, The Storey Agency named the 2007 Small Business of the Year by the SL Chamber of Commerce. Ramjoue was also named one of 30 Women to Watch in 2007 and the 2006 Advertising Professional of the Year. She and her former business partner created and hosted Marketing Essentials Week for the Women's Business Center. She also founded a social networking group called SMART WOMEN IN MARKETING (SWIM) because she saw the need for women in the advertising industry to have resources, support and acknowledgement of their skills and challenges. Her clients over the years have included many health care companies such as Union Pacific Railroad Health Systems, BD Medical, Ortho Development, Origin Healthcare Solutions and Ultradent.
	John Grima Board Secretary John grew up in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. He has a PhD in linguistics from University of Michigan and a Masters in Health Policy and Management from the Ohio State University. He moved to Utah in 1986 to begin a job in planning at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden. Since then, he has worked in a number of planning roles within Intermountain Healthcare, mostly in Ogden and Logan. He is recently retired, but continues to work in a part time, temporary role with the Intermountain planners. John has been a member of the board of directors for Midtown Community Health Center in Ogden for the past eight years. He has served as chairman of the finance committee and president of the board. He was a board and finance committee member for the St. Joseph elementary and high schools in Ogden. He has taught as an adjunct professor in the Weber State University Masters in Healthcare Administration and with the Porter Family Practice Residency at McKay-Dee, teaching topics in strategy, economics, and health policy. He believes that healthcare insurers and providers cannot perform effectively without the benefit of a regulatory system than requires universal coverage and imposes some sort of macro level budget constraints.
	Stephen Hatch President, Hatch Family Chocolates Stephen Hatch, along with his wife, owns a very popular specialty chocolate shop, Hatch Family Chocolates, in the heart of Salt Lake City's Avenues district. As his small business continues to thrive, it becomes increasingly difficult to provide insurance to his employees, his family, and even for himself. Born with a condition called pseudoachondroplaysia, a common form of dwarfism, Steve is constantly made aware that he is "different" by the current health insurance business model which is to avoid risk and charge higher premiums for those with conditions that may become expensive to manage. Though Steve shares his "difference" with hundreds and thousands of people in the U.S. and he is an otherwise healthy, successful businessman, he cannot find decent affordable health insurance. "Today there are hundreds and thousands of people without basic health insurance. Tomorrow, you may belong in that statistic. The time to change is now: we must to ensure that everyone has affordable access to full health insurance coverage."
	Kory Holdaway Government Affairs Director, Utah Education Association
	Nancy Mitchell Consultant, Nancy Mitchell Consulting Nancy is small business consultant and expert on women's business issues. Previously, Nancy worked at the Women's Business Center, a partnership between the Salt Lake Chamber and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Nancy holds a B.S. in Business Administration, is a Certified Financial Planner and Retirement Counselor, and worked in advertising at Network Magazine. Nancy is a past president of several women's organizations, including the Salt Lake Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Women in Communications, and Salt Lake Branch AAUW, and Utah Division AAUW. In 2007 Nancy received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Salt Lake Chamber for her work with the Women's Business Center. She has received several other awards including; "Utah's Top 25 Most Influential Business Leaders in 2006" from Connect Magazine, "Woman of Achievement" from the YWCA of Salt Lake and “Woman of Achievement" from Governor Michael Leavitt and the Commission for Women and Families. In 2003 Nancy and the Women's Business Center was presented with the "Drum Major Award" by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Commission.
	Andrew Riggle Public Policy Advocate Disability Law Center & Medicaid Recipient Andrew has a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley and a Master's degree in Educational Counseling from the University of Phoenix. A resident of Salt Lake City, Andrew coordinates the Disability Community Alliance's work around the waiting list for services for persons with disabilities and analyzes state and federal Medicaid policy for the Utah Health Policy Project. He also orchestrated last year's Family Investment Coalition federal budget campaign for Utah Issues. He serves on the Utah Developmental Disabilities Council and the Disability Law Center's Board of Trustees. Andrew was appointed to the Committee of Consumer Services by Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. and formally approved by the Senate on June 21, 2006. His term expires on July 1, 2010.
	Luz Robles, MPA Director, Zion's Business Resource Center Luz holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Marketing and a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Utah. Luz Robles was appointed by Governor Jon Huntsman in 2005 to serve as the first Director for the State Office of Ethic Affairs- an office that focuses on facilitating institutional change within state agencies in order to improve services to the state's ethnic communities. As of September 2007, Luz joined Zion's Bank as the new Director for the Zion's Bank Business Resource Center. In this role she focuses on assisting new and existing businesses. She currently is running for the State Senate to represent the Westside neighborhoods of Senate District 1. She is committed to equity and justice for all people.
	Martha Wunderli Network Coordinator, AAA Fair Credit Lending Martha D. Wunderli is the State Director of the Utah Individual Development Account Network, a program of AAA Fair Credit Foundation. She has over 30 years of experience working in the nonprofit and for profit sectors and believes in collaborative community solutions that enhance self sufficiency and self determination. Martha designed and implemented the Utah Individual Development Account Network (UIDAN) an asset building strategy that allows low income working families to move into the financial mainstream by acquiring a first home, obtaining post secondary education, or starting or capitalizing a small business after one to three years of regular savings and financial education. UIDAN matches eligible savers' each $1 deposit with $3 and writes a check directly to the vendor at the successful completion of the program. Martha is recognized as a leader in the asset building field, provides technical assistance to start-ups across the country and participates in performance improvement and policy discussions at the national level. Ms Wunderli has a Bachelors degree in Humanities from Binghamton University and a Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in health from Central Michigan University.