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 a member of the Board of Directors of Community Catalyst and previously chaired the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission.. Kiran frequently testifies before state boards, commissions, and legislative committees, and is often cited by state and local media. She lives in Davis with her spouse and two daughters.
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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.
Mihae Jung Lozano, MSW, Managing Program Director
Mihae is an impact-focused, multi-disciplinary social worker with 15 + years of experience in program development, policy advocacy, and storytelling. She has taught, supervised, and mentored 100+ culturally diverse interns, staff, and students. She also worked as an Adjunct Faculty at Cal State Northridge in their MSW program for four years.
Her approach to work is human-centered, holistic, and creative. Both personal and professional, she invests her time/resources in work that generates connection, empowerment, and freedom among BIPOC + LGBTQ+ people. In 2023, she launched Anchor Journals—journals that help you explore values, needs, and boundaries and self-produced its accompanying podcast Anchor Chats.
Mihae has a BA in Film and Media Studies at UC Santa Barbara and MSW from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She is a lifelong student of yoga and has received 300 hours of teacher training. At CPEHN, she oversees programs, networks, and mentoring/coaching staff.
Aviva Prager, ADMINISTRATION Director
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.
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.
Weiyu Zhang, MPH, Policy Director
As a public health practitioner, Weiyu is committed to leveraging the vision, values, analysis and tools of “public health” to solve social problems. For the last decade, she has mostly worked in non-profit organizations and focused on areas such as policy analyses and advocacy, coalition building, community health education and health care navigation, and community-based crisis intervention, all aiming to build power with Black, Indigenous, immigrant and other communities of color in California. At CPEHN, Weiyu leads the newly formed “public health pod” and tackles issues such as racial equity in governance, equitable local budgeting, and leadership development for grassroots community organizations. She often draws upon her research and analytical skills from previously working as a scientist in biomedical research and biopharmaceutical production in Asia. Weiyu has an MPH from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology and Biotechnology from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Weiyu grew up in Sichuan, China – a region known for pandas and spicy food. As an immigrant and femme of color, she practices public health from a place of continued learning/unlearning, community care, and community self-determination. In her free time, she loves being in nature with her pup Kiwi (a sweet & sassy 14 pound terrier mix born in 2021).
Strategy & External Affairs
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.
Johan Cardenas, Legislative Coordinator
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.
Mihae Jung Lozano, MSW, Managing Program Director
Mihae is an impact-focused, multi-disciplinary social worker with 15 + years of experience in program development, policy advocacy, and storytelling. She has taught, supervised, and mentored 100+ culturally diverse interns, staff, and students. She also worked as an Adjunct Faculty at Cal State Northridge in their MSW program for four years.
Her approach to work is human-centered, holistic, and creative. Both personal and professional, she invests her time/resources in work that generates connection, empowerment, and freedom among BIPOC + LGBTQ+ people. In 2023, she launched Anchor Journals—journals that help you explore values, needs, and boundaries and self-produced its accompanying podcast Anchor Chats.
Mihae has a BA in Film and Media Studies at UC Santa Barbara and MSW from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. She is a lifelong student of yoga and has received 300 hours of teacher training. At CPEHN, she oversees programs, networks, and mentoring/coaching staff.
Samantha Schwimmer, Southern California Regional ORganizer
Samantha Schwimmer (she/her) is a community activist and artist from San Diego, California. She is the Southern California Regional Organizer at CPEHN. She also serves as the Chair of the Board of the San Diego Coalition for Reproductive Justice. Prior to CPEHN, Samantha worked for the San Diego LGBT Community Center, San Diego Legal Aid Society, and Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund. Samantha has a BA in Religion and Anthropology from Bowdoin College. In her free time, she enjoys cooking with loved ones and watching San Diego Wave FC.
Kei Yamamoto, Senior Policy Engagement Manager
Kei Yamamoto joined CPEHN in January 2024 as the Senior Policy Engagement Manager. Kei is responsible for developing relationships with community-based organizations, coordinating CPEHN’s advocacy campaigns, and representing CPEHN in diverse spaces.
Kei does this work to be of use to the community and live a life of public service. Building power requires combining intentionality, reflection, and action. Prior to joining CPEHN, Kei was a community organizer at the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center. There he helped high school students from historically marginalized communities use their voice to advocate for racial and economic justice.
Kei received a BA in Psychology and a minor in Sociology from Alma College in Michigan. He was born in Japan and grew up in Chicago.
oMAR ALTAMIMI, SENIOR Legislative Advocate
Omar Altamimi is the Senior Legislative Advocate at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), where he works to advance health equity policies that address systemic disparities impacting communities of color. In this role, Omar leads advocacy efforts on legislative and budget priorities, engaging with policymakers, coalition partners, and community organizations to drive meaningful change in California’s healthcare landscape.
Prior to joining CPEHN, Omar served as the Senior Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California, where they focused on civic engagement, civil rights, and legislative advocacy to uplift marginalized communities. They bring a strong background in policy research, coalition building, and strategic advocacy, with experience in both grassroots campaigns and legislative affairs.
Omar holds a passion for advancing policies that promote racial justice, language access, and equitable healthcare systems. They are committed to ensuring that historically underserved communities have a voice in shaping California’s health policies.
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.
Andrea Mackey, MPH, Associate Oranizing Director
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.
Selene Betancourt, MPP, Senior Policy Manager
Selene Betancourt (she/her) is a Policy Coordinator at CPHEN. Before joining CPEHN, she worked as a research assistant at UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, analyzing congressional actions on health care reform. As a former fellow with NARAL Pro-Choice California, she worked directly with statewide partners and NARAL volunteers to advocate for legislation that expanded reproductive freedom and reduced barriers to abortion access. She previously interned with Determined Health, where she was responsible for researching how states are addressing social isolation and loneliness for Medicaid and Medicare members.
Selene earned her Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she was a proud union steward organizing her fellow graduate student workers in the largest higher-education strike in U.S. history. She was also a member of Survivors + Allies, a student research collective that advocates for survivors of sexual violence at the UCs. She directed policy development and led the advocacy team, meeting with state legislators and UC administrators to share Survivors + Allies’ findings and recommendations from their systemwide survey of the UC community.
Selene holds a B.A. in Theater from UC Santa Barbara and uses her theater directing background to weave storytelling into her policy advocacy work. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering as a board member on her local Los Angeles Neighborhood Council, cooking new recipes, and caring for her plants.
Natalie Lupin, Senior Policy Coordinator
Natalie Lupin (she/her) is a Senior Policy Coordinator at CPEHN. Before joining CPEHN, Natalie completed her Master of Public Health at UC Berkeley, where she specialized in Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health. Natalie is committed to advocating for marginalized communities and using her privilege to amplify those who often get left behind in the health system. She is passionate about advancing inclusive health research and data collection, ensuring that community members’ voices and lived experiences inform health policy. Her work is guided by principles of continuous learning, humility, and compassion.
Natalie’s background in public health evaluation research and health policy drives her commitment to addressing health inequities in California. Prior to graduate school, she worked at Mathematica, where she focused on evaluating health programs and conducting policy research. In this role, she contributed to the Rockefeller Foundation’s COVID-19 Equity-First Vaccine initiative and developed Medi-Cal policy recommendations focused on preventing intimate partner violence (IPV). Prior to Mathematica, she worked at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine where she planned health policy conferences and wrote policy recommendations aimed at improving the US healthcare system.
In her free time, Natalie enjoys going on hikes with her dog, taking dance classes, spending quality time with family and friends, and cooking new meals!
Asma Abdi, senior community advocacy cordinator
Asma Abdi is a first-generation Somali American born and raised in San Diego, with a strong policy advocacy, philanthropy, and community engagement background. She currently serves as the Senior Community Advocacy Coordinator at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), where she strengthens partnerships across Southern California to advance health equity, facilitates a coalition with Community Health Workers, Promotores, and Representatives (CHWPR), cultivates partnerships, and coordinates advocacy with programmatic support.
Asma is a 2025 San Diego Leadership Alliance Fellow. She has worked as the Philanthropy Coordinator and Policy Associate at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA). She was key in passing the City of San Diego’s Residential Tenant Protections Ordinance, managing the Refugee Experiences Report, and serving as a key journalist in the All Rise newspaper. As a Legal Rights Organizer at Alliance San Diego, she advocated for immigrant rights and provided legal services.
Asma holds a B.A. in Literature with a minor in Ethnic Studies from UCSD, where she interned with Casa Familiar through UCSD’s Center on Global Justice, engaging in community initiatives related to climate justice. She also earned an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences from San Diego City College, where she led the Social Justice and Education Conference and participated in the Umoja program.
A two-time published author, Asma is passionate about storytelling as a tool for building power. She has volunteered with San Diego Refugee Tutoring, worked with Pillars of the Community, and the American Federation of Teachers, and participated in the Students for Economic Justice program at the Center on Policy Initiatives interning at the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE).
In her free time, Asma enjoys strength training, exploring new places, and spending time with loved ones.
Mental and Oral Health
kelsey lyles, associate program director
Kelsey’s background and expertise in public health, legislative advocacy, and integrating health and racial equity approaches into systems change inspire her to promote healing justice strategies for BIPOC families. At CPEHN Kelsey advances behavioral health policy and advocacy efforts focused on repairing and preventing community trauma and uplifting community defined practices for increased collective prosperity and wellbeing.
Prior to CPEHN, Kelsey led public health, racial equity, and reparative justice initiatives for a number of government and nonprofit organizations including the Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative, the Greenlining Institute, the Public Health Institute, the California Strategic Growth Council, and the California Department of Public Health. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Community Development from Howard University.
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.
Vincent Chou, Community Advocacy Manager
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.
Public Health
Weiyu Zhang, MPH, Policy Director
As a public health practitioner, Weiyu is committed to leveraging the vision, values, analysis and tools of “public health” to solve social problems. For the last decade, she has mostly worked in non-profit organizations and focused on areas such as policy analyses and advocacy, coalition building, community health education and health care navigation, and community-based crisis intervention, all aiming to build power with Black, Indigenous, immigrant and other communities of color in California. At CPEHN, Weiyu leads the newly formed “public health pod” and tackles issues such as racial equity in governance, equitable local budgeting, and leadership development for grassroots community organizations. She often draws upon her research and analytical skills from previously working as a scientist in biomedical research and biopharmaceutical production in Asia. Weiyu has an MPH from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology and Biotechnology from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Weiyu grew up in Sichuan, China – a region known for pandas and spicy food. As an immigrant and femme of color, she practices public health from a place of continued learning/unlearning, community care, and community self-determination. In her free time, she loves being in nature with her pup Kiwi (a sweet & sassy 14 pound terrier mix born in 2021).
Operations
Aviva Prager, ADMINISTRATION Director
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.
Kristy Lee, HR & Operations Coordinator
Kristy is a first generation Chinese American, born and raised in southern California. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a bachelor’s in English and a minor in International Studies, in which she has developed the culture and sensitivity and analytical skills that propelled her into pursuing human resources as a career.
Previously, she has worked as an HR intern, HR assistant/recruiter, and as an HR coordinator that have honed her skills and expended her knowledge in various sectors of the human resources field. Her expertise includes area of onboarding, offboarding, recruiting, employee relations, compliance, and benefits.
In January 2023, Kristy joined CPEHN as their Human Resources & Recruitment Coordinator. After discovering the job position and reading about CPEHN’s mission and goals, she was instantly attracted to the role as it aligns with her own beliefs and career path.
Jamie Brooke, Senior Events and operations coordinator
Jamie is a multidisciplinary artist, event planner, and builder of internal processes. She graduated with a degree in Theater and Anthropology at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Post-college, Jamie has a deeper focus on confronting systems of oppression, particularly as it pertains to race, gender, and class, based on her political education, lived experiences, and close relationships with communities of color.
Jamie is grateful for her experiences at JANE.hr, Power Street Theater Company, San Francisco Foundation, and New Conservatory Theatre Center, for the opportunities to grow as a theatre artist, program manager, event planner, and collaborator for social change.
Jamie is thrilled to bring her experiences to CPEHN and join the long lasting efforts to create equitable health outcomes for all Californians. In her free time, Jamie loves to sing, dance, hoop, participate in community events, and share quality time with family and friends.
SOFIA SALAZAR, Senior Events and operations coordinator
Sofia Salazar is a worker from a creative, witty and resilient immigrant working class family. Her childhood experiences with housing insecurity and financial instability as well as experiences with workplace exploitation and gender-based violence in young adulthood, led her into work for justice and liberation.
She got her start in the movement ecosystem with the California Domestic Workers Coalition (CDWC), where she witnessed historic legislative victories and supported the convening of hundreds of domestic workers across the state. Thanks to her time here she absorbed knowledge of member-led power building, disability justice praxis, the worker center movement, and story-based strategy. Prior to joining CPEHN she was a freelance event planner and also spent time as a community organizer. At CPEHN she works behind the scenes to support and strengthen the infrastructure of CPEHN’s networks and coalitions. She hopes to co-create events where fun, empowerment, healing and meaningful relationships can blossom.
Sofia aspires to be a forever student, and her latest learning venture is in visual arts. She has a BS from San Francisco State University and MA in Global Studies from UNC Chapel Hill.
Marlyn Pulido, MPH, Senior Research Manager
Marlyn Pulido (she/her/ella) is a Southern California native with over a decade of experience engaging underrepresented groups in public health research and intervention programs. With roots as a bilingual community educator, Marlyn’s public health journey has been framed and motivated by her desire to build a more equitable and sustainable future for our communities. She has been a committed and effective advocate for health equity throughout her career, which most recently encompassed the management of academic research projects, collaborative leadership of community-engaged programs, and working in innovative ways to identify high-impact solutions for public health problems. She holds an MPH from UNC Chapel Hill and a BA from UCLA.
In her free time, Marlyn enjoys making art, traveling, and eating really good BBQ.
Stephany Strahle, Data Scientist
As a Data Scientist with CPEHN, Stephany Strahle (she/her) seeks to leverage her foundation in health policy advocacy and communications to analyze, interpret, and advocate for data that more accurately captures the impacts of such policies. In her early public health career, she found a deep curiosity for how policies shaped health outcomes and the experiences of different communities, which led her to intern with health policy advocacy organizations in New Mexico. With an evidence-based lens grounded in social justice, she sought to bridge connections between policymakers, community advocates, and public health practitioners to elevate the voices of New Mexico’s underserved communities. She went on to gain further background working in the spaces of maternal, child, and reproductive health.
Stephany’s approach to data analysis is equity-centered and she aspires to connect data to the lived experiences of communities. She holds an MPH in Applied Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BSPH from the University of New Mexico. In her free time, she loves crafting/sewing, exploring the outdoors and new places, and keeping up to date on her movie/tv watchlist.