PRESENTER and WORKSHOP LEADERS BIOGRAPHIES

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Friday, March 2, 2012

9:15am – 3:30pm

SacramentoConvention Center

1400 J Street, 3rd Floor, Sacramento, CA

PRESENTER and WORKSHOP LEADERS’ BIOGRAPHIES

Bruce A. Chernof, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, The SCAN Foundation

Dr. Bruce Chernof is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The SCAN Foundation whose mission is to advance the development of a sustainable continuum of care for seniors and persons with disabilities. Before coming to the foundation, Dr. Chernof was the Director and Chief Medical Officer for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. He has also served as medical director for California at Health Net, where he managed the Healthy Families program statewide and the managed care Medicaid program in Los Angeles.

Previously, Dr. Chernof worked as an academic general internist in the VA system as well as at OliveViewUCLAMedicalCenter, serving as a UCLA faculty member. He attended the UCLA School of Medicine after earning an A.B. degree at HarvardCollege.

Howard Bedlin,J.D., Vice President, Public Policy and Advocacy, National Council on Aging

Howard Bedlin is the Vice-President for Public Policy and Advocacy for the National Council on Aging (NCOA) and has been working for over 25 years in Washington, DC as an advocate for seniors. He is responsible for all of NCOA’s legislative advocacy efforts on issues and programs of concern to seniors, including the Older Americans Act, Medicare, Medicaid, long-term care, and community services programs. Prior to joining NCOA, Howard was a Legislative Representative with AARP for over ten years. At AARP, he had primary responsibility for all long-term services and supports, Medicaid and subacute Medicare issues.

In 1985 and 1986, Howard was the Deputy Director of Government Affairs for the National Association for Home Care and from 1983 to 1985 Howard was the Counsel for Public Policy for the American Association of Homes for the Aging. Howard received his BA in Political Science from BinghamtonUniversity and law degree and Masters in Public Policy Science from the University of Maryland.

Sarah S. Steenhausen, Senior Policy Advisor, The SCAN Foundation

As Senior Policy Advisor for The SCAN Foundation, Sarah Steenhausen provides counsel and guidance regarding state-level initiatives and policy opportunities as well as recommendations for raising awareness and educating state policymakers on the developing a sustainable continuum of long term care for California’s seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Ms. Steenhausen joined The SCAN Foundation after serving as Assistant Secretary for Long Term Care at the California Health and Human Services Agency, Assistant Director for Strategic Planning at the California Department of Developmental Services, and Consultant to the Senate Subcommittee on Aging and Long Term Care and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. At the Agency, she directed efforts of the state Olmstead Advisory Committee and the Alzheimer’s Advisory Committee. Ms. Steenhausen holds a Master's of Science in gerontology from the USC Davis School of Gerontology, and a Bachelor of Arts in history from ConnecticutCollege in New London, Connecticut.

Brenda Premo, MBA, Director, HarrisFamilyCenter for Disability and Health Policy, WesternUniversity of Health Sciences

Brenda Premo is a champion for disability rights. She came to WesternUniversity after four years as director of the California Department of Rehabilitation where she was also deputy director of the independent living section. Her advocacy work began in earnest when she was director of the DayleMcIntoshCenter in OrangeCounty, from 1977 to 1991.

President Ronald Regan named her to the National Council on Disability in 1986 where she wrote language for the Americans with Disabilities Act. She continued her ADA work at the State Department of Rehabilitation. Premo holds a BA from Cal State Long Beach and an MBA from Pepperdine.

Liz Pazdral, Executive Director, CaliforniaState Independent Living Council (SILC)

Liz Pazdral has been the Executive Director of the California State Independent Living Council, an independent state agency, for four years. Knowledgeable about the independent living movement from many perspectives, she worked 17 years at independent living centers in California and Canada including four years as an executive director. Liz started her disability rights career in the 1980's, featured in an Emmy-Award winning documentary. In 1995 she testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability policy regarding the employment provisions of the ADA.

Her career has highlighted disability rights issues regarding employment, the ADA, earthquake response, and women's health. Currently she mentors a teenager with a disability, serves on the Office of Disability and Health Steering Committee, the blue ribbon advisory committee for the Center for Personal Assistance Services at UCSF and on the Board of Directors for the California Alliance for Women. Liz lives near Sacramento with her husband and daughter.

Scott Graves, Ph.D., Senior Policy Analyst California Budget Project

Scott Graves has worked for the California Budget Project since February 2002, analyzing health, human services, child care, housing, and other issues at both the state and federal levels. Prior to joining the CBP, Scott worked as a researcher in Austin, Texas, for the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute, Consumers Union, and the Public Policy Clinic at the University of Texas at Austin. He also was a California executive fellow and worked as a reporter for newspapers in Arizona and California. Scott received a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor's degree in government and journalism from CaliforniaStateUniversity, Sacramento.

Steve Gold, J.D., Disability Rights Lawyer

Stephen F. Gold is an attorney who specializes in the civil rights and represents only persons with disabilities. His contributions to disability rights include bringing the first "curb cut" lawsuit, constructing the legal theory under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that unnecessary institutionalization was discrimination – thus, underpinning the Olmstead decision, and establishing that the ADA’s “most integrated setting” requirement applies to persons living in their own homes, so they have the right to the same services as persons who reside in institutional settings. His Information Bulletins, dealing with housing, nursing homes, education, and medical assistance, have a national circulation of more than 6,000 advocates and persons with disabilities.

Margaret Tatar, J.D., Chief, Medi-Cal Managed Care Division, California Department of Health Care Services

Margaret Tatar has been the chief of the Medi-Cal Managed Care Division at the Department of Health Care Services since January 2012. From 2003 until her appointment with the Department of Health Care Services, Ms. Tatar was the executive director of public affairs at CalOptima. She was the planning manager for the Orange County Office on Aging from 2001 to 2003, a staff member at the district office for Assemblymember Lynn Daucher from 2000 to 2001, and a senior legislative attorney at the Colorado General Assembly, Office of Legislative Legal Services from 1993 to 1998. She received her Juris Doctor degree from VillanovaUniversityLawSchool.

Dan Cohen, J.D., Principal, Full Court Press Communication

Dan Cohen founded Full Court Press in 2001 with a vision of providing public relations, public affairs and crisis counsel to companies, foundations and non-profits who wish to use strategic communications to make social change.

Dan is a veteran public relations, political communications and media strategist. He applied his belief in brand building public relations to all of the General Mills Brands including Wheaties, Cheerios, Box Tops for Education, and Betty Crocker. The Wall Street Journal recognized this work as being in the forefront of leveraging brands to greater PR success. Dan was recently named by the East Bay Business Journal as one of its "40 under 40," and serves on the Board of Directors of Alameda County Meals on Wheels. Dan is a licensed attorney but chooses to practice strategic communications … his passion.

Jack Hailey, Ph.D.

Through the non-profit Government Action and Communication Institute (GACI), Jack Hailey provides staff support to the California Collaborative for Long Term Services and Supports. He joined GACI in 2011 after 25 years at the California State Senate, first at its office of research and then as staff director of the Health and Human Services Committee. During his time with the Senate, Jack served on the executive committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures and was the staff chair of several policy committees. He holds degrees from AmherstCollege and CornellUniversity.

Government Action & Communication Institute (GACI)

Government Action and Communication Institute (GACI) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), non-partisan public policy education and research organization; its specific purpose is to provide information and research to public, private, state and local leaders on issues related to children, youth and family, and seniors and persons with disabilities. With a focus on leadership development and the dissemination of the latest research in health, human services, and early learning, GACI is dedicated to improving the administration of statewide programs such as Healthy Families, public health, mental health, special education, child development and early learning, long term services and supports, and the administration of state and county children and families commissions. The organization does not lobby, does not take positions on proposed legislation, and maintains strict non-partisanship in all its activities.

GACI Fair Oaks CA 95628 (916) 966-6643 Fax (916) 404-4657 gacinstitute.org