Leadership Team
Kiran Savage-Sangwan, MPA, Executive Director
Kiran Savage-Sangwan is the Executive Director of the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN). CPEHN is a statewide multicultural health advocacy organization, focused on eliminating persistent health inequities and addressing structural racism in health care. Prior to becoming Executive Director in 2019, Kiran served as CPEHN Deputy Director and Health Integration Policy Director. In those roles, she was the chief architect of many CPEHN bills, in particular the groundbreaking bill to prohibit hospital patient dumping that became California law in 2018. Kiran has been instrumental in positioning CPEHN as a leader in the health equity field, expanding CPEHN’s work in public, mental, and oral health, deepening CPEHN’s local advocacy impact, and developing new partnerships and campaigns.
Kiran has a background in immigrant and mental health organizing and advocacy. Immediately prior to joining CPEHN, Kiran worked as the Director of Legislation and Advocacy for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) California. There, she led policy initiatives to improve access to behavioral health care and to reduce the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness. Before NAMI California, Kiran worked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California as an Organizer, primarily focused on immigrants’ rights, and at the New York State Youth Leadership Council, which she co-founded.
Kiran graduated from New York University with a B.A. and a Master of Public Administration. She is currently a member of the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission, and previously served as the Commission’s chair, advocating to substantially reduce the use of force by police against people of color and people living with mental illness. Kiran frequently testifies before state boards, commissions, and legislative committees, and is often cited by state and local media. She lives in Sacramento with her spouse and daughter.
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Email: ksavage [at] cpehn.org
Kiran will be out of office September to December 2022
Ronald Coleman Baeza, Managing policy Director
Ronald E. Coleman Baeza joined CPEHN in February 2021 as the Managing Director of Policy. He leads CPEHN’s legislative, budgetary, and administrative advocacy portfolio and manages our Policy Team.
Prior to joining CPEHN, Ronald was the Director of Policy and Legislative Advocacy at Health Access California representing California’s health care consumers in the State Capitol.
In 2018, Ronald also managed his own advocacy firm and lobbied on behalf of the ACLU of California, the California Low-Income Consumers Coalition (CLICC), and the California Street Vendors Campaign. Before going out on his own, Ronald was the Director of Government Affairs at the California Immigrant Policy Center for 7 years, where he led numerous legislative and budgetary campaigns to improve the lives of California’s immigrants and communities of color. Ronald was also the Legislative and Policy Director at both ACORN and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), where he represented low-to-moderate income families on a wide range of economic justice and consumer protection issues.
Ronald received his Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center, and his BA in Political Science from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. He is originally from New Jersey, and a member of their State Bar.
Email: rcoleman [at] cpehn.org
Rachel Katz, Finance and administration director
Rachel Katz specializes in building the strength and effectiveness of organizations, especially in times of growth. In this role she oversees finance, human resources, technology, office operations, and grants administration.
Prior to joining CPEHN, Rachel has provided nonprofit management at a variety of organizations over the last twenty years including the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, Global Student Embassy, The Mosaic Project, and as a founding member of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. She has a BA in Feminist Studies from Stanford University and MS in Biology from Truman State University.
Email: rkatz [at] cpehn.org
Cary Sanders, mpp, Senior Policy Director
Cary Sanders earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining CPEHN, Cary worked as a policy analyst for the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) promoting pro-immigrant policies that address and respect the needs and contributions of California’s diverse immigrant communities and their families. She has also worked as Assistant Policy Director for SEIU United Health Care Workers-West representing over 150,000 health care workers in California and as Policy Director for Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) in San Jose. Cary is proficient in Spanish after having lived and worked in Guatemala.
Email: csanders [at] cpehn.org
Carolina valle, MSW, senior Policy director
Carolina Valle holds a MSW from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Black Studies & History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Carolina brings a unique mix of expertise in mental health advocacy, consumer-driven policy analysis, and intensive case management experience to CPEHN. Prior to joining CPEHN, Carolina worked as the Resource Coordinator at Maternal and Child Health Access, where she was the lead advocate for high-risk pregnant and postpartum women dependent on the county mental health system. Carolina also served on the Coordinating Committee for the Los Angeles County Perinatal and Early Childhood Home Visitation Consortium. During her tenure, Carolina emerged as the regional expert on the barriers to utilization of mental health benefits for communities of color in Los Angeles County. Carolina is a graduate fellow of UC Davis’s Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship Program.
Email: cvalle [at] cpehn.org
Strategy & External Affairs
Ronald Coleman Baeza, Managing Director of policy
Ronald E. Coleman Baeza joined CPEHN in February 2021 as the Managing Director of Policy. He leads CPEHN’s legislative, budgetary, and administrative advocacy portfolio and manages our Policy Team.
Prior to joining CPEHN, Ronald was the Director of Policy and Legislative Advocacy at Health Access California representing California’s health care consumers in the State Capitol.
In 2018, Ronald also managed his own advocacy firm and lobbied on behalf of the ACLU of California, the California Low-Income Consumers Coalition (CLICC), and the California Street Vendors Campaign. Before going out on his own, Ronald was the Director of Government Affairs at the California Immigrant Policy Center for 7 years, where he led numerous legislative and budgetary campaigns to improve the lives of California’s immigrants and communities of color. Ronald was also the Legislative and Policy Director at both ACORN and the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), where he represented low-to-moderate income families on a wide range of economic justice and consumer protection issues.
Ronald received his Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center, and his BA in Political Science from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. He is originally from New Jersey, and a member of their State Bar.
Email: rcoleman [at] cpehn.org
Andre Barrios, Senior Community Advocacy Manager
Andre Barrios joined CPEHN in 2022 as a Senior Community Advocacy Manager. Prior to CPEHN, Andre worked as the Organizing Manager at the California Immigrant Policy Center, and on several electoral campaigns throughout LA County.
Andre graduated with a B.A. in Political Science and is a first-generation college student born to Guatemalan immigrants. He strives to use his experiences growing up in Los Angeles to help fight for immigrant inclusion in the state of California and for equitable policies.
In his spare time, he likes to DJ and play the drums.
Johan Cardenas, Legislative Associate
Johan Cardenas joined CPEHN in August 2022 as a Legislative Associate. Prior to joining CPEHN, Johan worked for Public Health Advocates (PHA) advocating for reducing distress, removing barriers to access, and increasing the cultural responsiveness of Public Health Services for communities of color.
Johan is a first-generation college graduate from Sacramento State University, where he earned his B.A. in Political Science.
His experience growing up in an unhealthy and unsafe environment allowed him to visualize a world where children could thrive, and he knew he wanted to be part of that change.
As a Legislative Associate, Johan looks forward to advancing policies and legislation that adequately assist in developing better systems and procedures that help improve the lives of underserved communities of color.
During his free time, Johan enjoys playing soccer and discovering new coffee shops.
Andrea Rivera, Senior legislative Advocate
Andrea Rivera joined CPEHN in June 2021 as the Senior Legislative Advocate. Andrea is responsible for the development and management of CPEHN’s state legislative and budgetary agenda. She plays an integral role building relationships with state policymakers, partners, and other allies.
Andrea’s commitment to uplifting the voices of communities of color has led her on a path of social justice advocacy. Prior to joining CPEHN, Andrea was with the California Immigrant Policy Center and advocated for inclusive, pro-immigrant policies that addressed the needs of California’s immigrant communities. Her particular background on issues related to immigrant detention and deportation, provides Andrea with a unique perspective on the intersections between public safety and health system disparities for BIPOC communities. Andrea formerly worked on K-12 education policy before joining CIPC and is also a graduate of the distinguished New Leaders Council Institute.
Andrea is a proud daughter of immigrants and a Bay Area native. Growing up in the Bay Area, Andrea experienced the first-hand realities of displacement and this fueled her desire to pursue a career in public service. Andrea moved to Sacramento in 2016, after receiving a B.A. in Political Science and Chicano/a Studies from San Jose State University. In her spare time, you can typically find Andrea gardening, thrifting, and exploring trails with her partner and their dog, Adobo.
Email: arivera [at] cpehn.org
Health Systems and Prevention
Cary Sanders, mpp, Senior Policy Director
Cary Sanders earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of California at Berkeley. Prior to joining CPEHN, Cary worked as a policy analyst for the California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) promoting pro-immigrant policies that address and respect the needs and contributions of California’s diverse immigrant communities and their families. She has also worked as Assistant Policy Director for SEIU United Health Care Workers-West representing over 150,000 health care workers in California and as Policy Director for Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) in San Jose. Cary is proficient in Spanish after having lived and worked in Guatemala.
Email: csanders [at] cpehn.org
Seleny Diaz, Senior Community Advocacy Coordinator
Seleny Diaz joined CPEHN in March 2022 as the Senior Community Advocacy Coordinator. Prior to joining CPEHN, Seleny was a part of several nonprofit organizations in Fresno, more recently advocating for immigrant rights and equitable access to nature. She is an avid supporter of local journalism and serves on the board of San Joaquin Valley Media Alliance.
Seleny holds a bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from California State University, Fresno, and is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
In her spare time, she supports local animal rescue efforts and enjoys spending time outdoors.
Email: sdiaz [at] cpehn.org
Andrea Mackey, mph, policy manager
Andrea Mackey is a Policy Manager with California Pan-Ethnic Health Network. Her commitment to challenge health disparities and under representation in research is rooted in her experiences as a mixed Filipina Scottish American. She brings over 6 years of community organizing experiences of youth empowerment and youth leadership development having equipped elementary to college Filipinx/a/o Americans and Tongan youth with the knowledge and skills to be lifelong learners and to act as agents of social change. She is was the Project Coordinator with Youth and Allies Against Homelessness, a podcast host with Filipinx/a/o Community Health Association, a Community Health Worker with the International Diabetes Center and a high school educator with Pin@y Education Partnerships. She earned her Masters in Public Health with a focus in Health and Social Behavior at UC Berkeley and B.A. in Neuroscience at Scripps College. Through her experiences as a community organizer and leader in the Filipinx/a/o and Pacific Islander communities, Andrea has become further empowered to promote access and equity for all historically marginalized communities as well as increase Asian American and Pacific Islander representation in healthcare, research, and education.
Email: amackey [at] cpehn.org
Mental and Oral Health
Carolina valle, MSW, Senior Policy director
Carolina Valle holds a MSW from the University of Southern California and a B.A. in Black Studies & History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Carolina brings a unique mix of expertise in mental health advocacy, consumer-driven policy analysis, and intensive case management experience to CPEHN. Prior to joining CPEHN, Carolina worked as the Resource Coordinator at Maternal and Child Health Access, where she was the lead advocate for high-risk pregnant and postpartum women dependent on the county mental health system. Carolina also served on the Coordinating Committee for the Los Angeles County Perinatal and Early Childhood Home Visitation Consortium. During her tenure, Carolina emerged as the regional expert on the barriers to utilization of mental health benefits for communities of color in Los Angeles County. Carolina is a graduate fellow of UC Davis’s Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship Program.
Email: cvalle [at] cpehn.org
Ruqayya Ahmad, mpp, Policy manager
Ruqayya Ahmad is a Policy Manager with CPEHN. As a proud Muslim-American immigrant, her passion for eliminating health disparities stems from her background as a beneficiary of Medi-Cal. Growing up, she witnessed firsthand the challenges within the health care safety net, and understands the significance of reimagining our health care systems to ensure that they work better for marginalized communities. Prior to joining CPEHN, Ruqayya worked at former Senator Kamala Harris’ office helping to resolve constituents’ issues with various federal agencies. She also conducted research on the COVID-19 pandemic with Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, focusing on the importance of addressing systemic racism and other social conditions that inhibit positive health outcomes for BIPOC. Previously, Ruqayya has interned at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health where she was responsible for a data-intensive project contributing to the County’s Vision Zero initiative, as well as the Council on American-Islamic Relations providing direct service to immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers in her community. She earned her Master of Public Policy from the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, and her B.A. in International Studies from the University of California, Irvine. In her free time, she can be found at the park reading in a hammock, out and about in search of scenic views, or looking for new boba shops to try in her neighborhood.
Email: rahmad [at] cpehn.org
Vincent Chou, Community Advocacy Coordinator
Vincent is a proud second-generation Mien American and South Sacramento native who received his Bachelor of Arts in Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to joining CPEHN, Vincent was the Citizenship Project Coordinator at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, where he led one of the nation’s largest naturalization programs and was a key leader in establishing a local worker’s Union at the organization. He also has extensive experience working for the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance as a Human Services Specialist where he specialized in securing public benefits; such as CalWorks, CalFresh, and Medi-Cal, for low-income families in his community.
Email: vchou [at] cpehn.org
Alej Fernandez Garcia, Community Advocacy Manager
Alej Fernandez Garcia (they/them) is deeply committed to intersectional public health advocacy that unapologetically centers the liberation and self-determination of Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color communities. La Cultura Cura. Alej strongly believes that art and culture are critical components of this people powered movement to envision and create new systems. Raised in South Sacramento, Alej is a proud grandchild of immigrants from Guatemala, Mexico, and Cuba. As a 1st gen college graduate, Alej started at community college and went on to earn a B.A. from California State University, Sacramento in Ethnic Studies and Sociology. Alej has worked across public health state agencies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and grassroots community collectives. Prior to joining CPEHN, Alej helped create the first community college Pride Center serving LGBTQIA+ scholars in Sacramento. Out in the world, Alej loves serving as a board member for their favorite local queer Lavender Library (LLACE), dancing to cumbias, spending time with their furbabies, and spontaneous adventures.
Email: afernandezgarcia [at] cpehn.org
Public Health
Weiyu Zhang, mph, Associate Policy Director
As a public health practitioner, Weiyu (she/her) is committed to leveraging the vision, knowledge, and toolkit of public health to solve racial and social inequities. She advocates for policy and decision-making processes that center community self-determination and expertise for Black, Indigenous and other People of Color communities in California. Weiyu has more than seven years of experience working in public health and social justice, including doing community health education and community crisis response, organizing multicultural coalitions, and analyzing public policy. In 2015, she had the opportunity to work with NGOs during the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, since which she has been dedicated to a rights-based approach in health and public health’s mission in addressing state violence. Weiyu also has a strong analytical background from training as a biomedical scientist and working in clinical cancer research and biopharmaceutical production. She holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology and Biotechnology from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Weiyu is a native speaker in Mandarin Chinese. In her free time, she loves exploring Northern California’s woods and lakes and is always trying new creative hobbies.
Email: wzhang [at] cpehn.org
Esther Lee, Policy Coordinator
As an Asian-American immigrant, Esther has firsthand experienced the systematic barriers to accessing quality care. As a result, she developed a passion to address the social determinants of health among people of color and the marginalized population, in an effort to get one step closer to achieving health equity.
She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health Education from CSULB, and her MPH from CSUF, with a concentration on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist.
Esther has over six years of experience working in the public health sector, focusing on health disparities research, health education, community engagement, empowerment, and advocacy. In her previous role as the Program Coordinator at the Office of Population Health and Equity in Orange County, she supported the launch of the Equity in OC Initiative, funded by the CDC. During her role as Advocacy Manager at the American Lung Association, she advocated for smoke-free policies across Orange County, including the Smoke-free Irvine policy and Tobacco Retail Licensing in Buena Park.
Esther is fluent in Korean and has minored in Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys visiting local cafes, taking walks in nature, and cooking homemade meals.
Email: elee [at] cpehn.org
Navneet virk, community advocacy associate
Navneet Virk received her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a minor in Gender Studies at UCLA. Previously, she worked with elementary and middle-school aged youth as the Learning Resource Coordinator at A Place Called Home. She is deeply committed to working towards a world where everyone can live full, dignified lives and grounds her analysis in racial, economic, and disability justice. In her free time, Navneet can often be found hanging out with the nearest dog, trying out new recipes, or hermiting away with a good book.
Email: nvirk [at] cpehn.org
Operations
Rachel Katz, Finance and administration director
Rachel Katz specializes in building the strength and effectiveness of organizations, especially in times of growth. In this role she oversees finance, human resources, technology, office operations, and grants administration.
Prior to joining CPEHN, Rachel has provided nonprofit management at a variety of organizations over the last twenty years including the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, Global Student Embassy, The Mosaic Project, and as a founding member of Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage. She has a BA in Feminist Studies from Stanford University and MS in Biology from Truman State University.
Email: rkatz [at] cpehn.org
Cassandra Aguilar, Communications associate
Cassandra Aguilar joined CPEHN in August 2022 as a Communications Associate. Prior to joining CPEHN, she concurrently completed several internships which include being a Strategic Communications and Multimedia Intern for the Fresno State Athletics Department, a Sales Executive Intern for The Collegian at Fresno State, and an Account Coordinator Intern at JP Marketing. Cassandra also served as the Social Media Manager for the Media, Communications and Journalism (MCJ) Department at Fresno State and oversaw its online presence across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
Cassandra is a proud first-generation Filipina-American college graduate and received her B.A. in MCJ: Public Relations and Advertising from California State University, Fresno where she rebranded the department’s student-professional networking event, A Taste of the Industry, as part of her senior capstone, and served as the Vice President and Treasurer for the University’s Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter.
Cassandra has a strong background in the social media, retail, and restaurant industries with over 8 years of experience leading, directing, and training teams of people.
In her spare time, Cassandra enjoys archery, cooking, reading, going to the movies, and spending quality time with her friends and family. You can often find her playing with her dog and two kids outside or planning her family’s next trip to Disneyland.
Johan Cardenas, Legislative Associate
Johan Cardenas joined CPEHN in August 2022 as a Legislative Associate. Prior to joining CPEHN, Johan worked for Public Health Advocates (PHA) advocating for reducing distress, removing barriers to access, and increasing the cultural responsiveness of Public Health Services for communities of color.
Johan is a first-generation college graduate from Sacramento State University, where he earned his B.A. in Political Science.
His experience growing up in an unhealthy and unsafe environment allowed him to visualize a world where children could thrive, and he knew he wanted to be part of that change.
As a Legislative Associate, Johan looks forward to advancing policies and legislation that adequately assist in developing better systems and procedures that help improve the lives of underserved communities of color.
During his free time, Johan enjoys playing soccer and discovering new coffee shops.
Esther Lee, Policy Coordinator
As an Asian-American immigrant, Esther has firsthand experienced the systematic barriers to accessing quality care. As a result, she developed a passion to address the social determinants of health among people of color and the marginalized population, in an effort to get one step closer to achieving health equity.
She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Community Health Education from CSULB, and her MPH from CSUF, with a concentration on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist.
Esther has over six years of experience working in the public health sector, focusing on health disparities research, health education, community engagement, empowerment, and advocacy. In her previous role as the Program Coordinator at the Office of Population Health and Equity in Orange County, she supported the launch of the Equity in OC Initiative, funded by the CDC. During her role as Advocacy Manager at the American Lung Association, she advocated for smoke-free policies across Orange County, including the Smoke-free Irvine policy and Tobacco Retail Licensing in Buena Park.
Esther is fluent in Korean and has minored in Spanish. In her free time, she enjoys visiting local cafes, taking walks in nature, and cooking homemade meals.
Email: elee [at] cpehn.org
Aviva prager, Senior people and systems manager
Aviva Prager graduated with a B.A. in Politics/Environmental Studies from Whitman College in Washington State. Previously, Aviva worked as the public policy intern at Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy (CHANGE) and as the science education intern at the Breast Cancer Prevention Partnership (formerly Breast Cancer Fund). Aviva’s experience includes researching environmental health disparities, program and administrative support.
Email: aprager [at] cpehn.org