The Wellness Task Force is a public/private endeavor that brings together educators, health advocates, health providers, athletes and legislators to promote our mission.

Legislative Members

Senator Mark DeSaulnier, Chair (D-7) was elected to the Senate in November 2008 and previously served in the Assembly. He is passionate about transportation issues, smart growth, air quality, health care and children and family issues. His bills for the '07-'08 Legislative Session addressed the need to fight truancy among school children, to push back sea-level rise on our coastline, to remove unsafe guns from the hands of children and thieves, to improve indoor air quality in our schools, to better manage state-wide growth and to create opportunities for at-risk youth. Senator DeSaulnier brings years of experience in local government including the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, mayor of Concord, city councilmember and seats on numerous planning committees. DeSaulnier has been a small business owner most of his career. An avid runner, he has completed twenty-one marathons. Visit Senator DeSaulnier's website.
Assemblymember Tom Torlakson, Co-Chair (D-11) is a champion of health and fitness and believes in the power of exercise to transform lives. Besides authoring the resolution that created the California Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness, Assemblymember Torlakson initiated California Fitness Month to promote physical fitness and healthier living. He is also the author of SB 559, a physical education bill that will tighten requirements to ensure that high school students receive appropriate amounts of physical education. SB 559 will also provide for much needed professional development of physical education teachers. Visit Assemblyman Torklakson's website.
Senator Sam Aanestad (R-4) is an oral and maxillofacial surgeon who was elected to the California State Legislature in 1998 and again in 2006. Caring for patients has had an important influence in shaping Senator Aanestad’s legislative agenda. He has served as Vice-Chair of the Senate Health Committee and authored or co-authored a number of bills designed to increase access to affordable, high quality healthcare services in California and speed up implementation of advances in medical technology. Senator Aanestad has successfully authored legislation allowing skilled nursing facilities to meet the needs of patients in underserved rural communities. His legislation reflects his commitment to the safety of the medical consumer, including the authoring of legislation to protect patients against medical professionals convicted of sex offenses. Visit Senator Aanestad's webpage.
Senator Mark Wyland (R-38) first began his government service by sitting on the Escondido Union School District Board from 1997 to 2000. In 2000, he was elected to the State Assembly to represent the 74th Assembly District, until he was chosen by the people of the 38th Senatorial District in 2006 to be their voice in the State Senate. Senator Wyland is driven by issues like serious budget reform, civic education and public safety. He has a B.A. in International Relations from Pomona College and an M.A. in Political Science from Columbia University. Visit Senator Wyland's webpage.
Assemblymember Ed Hernandez (D-57), Doctor of Optometry, serves on the Assembly Committee on Health as well as Budget Subcommittee 1 which has direct oversight over the portions of the budget dealing with Health and Human Services. Having grown up in La Puente, attended local schools and worked his way through school, he received a scholarship to study Optometry at Indiana University. As a health care provider in predominantly low-income communities, Dr. Ed routinely sees the ravages of diseases that go untreated because patients have no access to regular health care.  He’s represented district West Covina since November 2006.  View Assemblymember Hernandez's webpage.

Education Members

Kathryn Scott is the Director of Physical Education at the University of California, Berkeley. She has an M.A. in Physical Education from the University of California, Berkeley and is a member of the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Visit www.pe.berkeley.edu

Martin Gonzalez, Schools Committee Chair, is the California School Boards Association’s Assistant Executive Director for Governance and Policy Services.  Mr. Gonzalez has been instrumental in CSBA’s student wellness efforts.  Mr. Gonzalez graduated from Boalt Hall School of Law in May 1994.  Before law school, he received his MA and a BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Visit www.csba.org.

Dr. Harold Goldstein is the Executive Director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. Dr. Goldstein champions the development and implementation of state and local policies to improve the health of California's children. He has a DrPH from the University of California, Los Angeles and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. Visit www.publichealthadvocacy.org.

Fitness Members

Jim Garfield is an extraordinary athlete, participating in 'life threatening' competitions such as the Eco Challenge, Adidas Triple By-Pass and Hi-Tec Adventure Racing Series. He retired in 2000 as the longest active Adventure Racer in the U.S. Jim now covers these events for various national publications, web sites and television shows. He is the correspondent for extreme sports for the television show Extra. Visit www.activemarketinggroup.com

Dean Karnazes, may better be known as the “Ultramarathon Man.” Beyond being a record-holding endurance athlete, philanthropist, and bestselling author, Dean is an accomplished businessman and entrepreneur with a notable professional career working for several Fortune 500 companies and startups alike. He holds two graduate degrees, several patents and trademarks, and is the President of his own food & nutrition company. Dean is actively involved in both the non-profit and governmental sectors as well, and serves on the Board of Girls On The Run, a national program dedicated to building confidence and self-esteem in young, largely at-risk, girls. Visit Dean's website at www.ultramarathonman.com.

Health Members

E. Suzanne Flint, is a child life specialist and health educator with a Masters Degree in Health Arts and Sciences.  She has over 20 years of clinical experience working with children and their families to help them manage a full array of healthcare and lifestyle issues. She was instrumental in creating programs, resources and standards for health education materials and services at Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford from 1985-2003. Her efforts there included creating and managing one of the country's first Family Health Resource Centers, a workshop series teaching children cognitive/behavioral strategies for coping with stress, and a statewide pediatric early literacy program called Reach Out and Read. After moving to Sacramento, she served as the Executive Director of two nonprofits, California Reach Out and Read as well as the Task Force on Youth and Workplace Wellness.  She currently works as a Library Programs Consultant for the California State Library on issues related to health and information access. Visit www.library.ca.gov.

Jane Adams is currently Executive Director of the California Park & Recreation Society in Sacramento, California. As one of the largest park and recreation professional organizations in the county, CPRS provides the leadership and resources for park and recreation agencies and professionals to create community through people, parks & programs. CPRS authored the first strategic plan for the future of the park and recreation profession. Jane actively seeks opportunities to advocate for the profession at the state and national levels to develop collaborative relationships to achieve professional and organizational goals. She serves as the CPRS spokesperson to national, state, and local government officials, nonprofit organizations, federal and state agencies. She is a frequent speaker to state and national organizations, speaking before audiences of 20 to 2,000. Visit www.cprs.org.

Joel Cohen, Policy Committee Chair, is the Policy and Community Education Director of the Dental Health Foundation. Prior to this post, he was a partner at Government Action and Communication, a consulting firm specializing in educating policy makers about health, social services and education related issues. Joel also worked at the California Research Bureau, a bureau of the State Library. Before moving to California a decade ago, Joel was a senior legislative consultant for the New York State Senate Pro Tem and Majority Leader. Visit www.dentalhealthfoundation.org.

Industry/Business Members

Marsha Brown, M.A. is president of Fu-Gen, Inc. Research and Investigation a nationally recognized investigation corporation licensed in CA, specializing in AOE/COE workers' compensation, liability, fraud, and transportation- related accident investigations, as well as Inspector General Services. With over twenty-five years of experience, her expertise includes the following types of investigations: stress, sexual harassment, discrimination, fraud, waste and abuse, Human Resources and other workplace issues, specific physical injury, surveillance, background checks, as well as bus, rail, and vehicular collision accidents. Ms. Brown is also serves as President of the City of Los Angeles Board of Building and Safety Commissioners. Visit www.fugen411.com.

Sarah Kruer Jager is a Principal, Investment & Development of Monarch Group, a private real estate investment and development firm. Sarah joined Monarch in 2005 and is responsible for the identification, evaluation, and management of investments as well as various investor relations activities. Sarah is also a founding member of the Monarch Investment Funds real estate private equity funds family. Prior to Monarch, Sarah worked at UBS Investment Bank in Chicago as an analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions and Diversified Industrials Groups. Sarah graduated from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with High Distinction. Sarah is currently involved in multiple charitable and industry organizations including: Founding Advisory Board and Membership Committee Member, Run Women Run; Golf Program Volunteer, Pro Kids Golf Academy & Learning Center; Member, Urban Land Institute (ULI) and ULI Young Leaders. Sarah was appointed to the Wellness Task Force by California State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass in 2009. Visit www.monarchgroup.com.

Chris Mittelstaedt is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The FruitGuys, the industry leader in providing farm-fresh produce to the American workplace.  Chris started The FruitGuys in 1998 with the dream of developing a unique and viable business while advancing the wellbeing of people in the workplace. Under his leadership, Chris and The FruitGuys have created a practical and proven method by which to address the rising costs of workplace healthcare and overall corporate productivity levels. Today some of Chris’ hobbies include: dressing as a banana while passing out fruit to people on the street; writing about the farmers and fruit that appear in The FruitGuys boxes; and promoting health prevention as a path to better health care. Chris is the co-chair of the steering committee for ShapeUP San Francisco – mayor Gavin Newsom’s initiative to help San Franciscans move more and eat healthier.  Chris is also a former chair and an active member of the Worksite Wellness Committee for the CA Wellness Task Force. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and three children who remain his most critical and trusted fruit tasters. Visit www.fruitguys.com.

Paul Wright, Workplace Committee Chair, is Founder, President and CEO of Savvy Fitness. He founded Savvy Fitness in 1991 with one person as a Personal Training business. Paul’s mission and purpose from the outset was to inspire individuals to achieve personal responsibility with their own health and well-being through proper education, direction and motivation. With 30 years experience in the fitness industry, Paul has truly impacted thousands of lives. He currently chairs the Task Force's Worksite Committee and plays an instrumental role in the CA Fit Business Awards. Visit www.savvyfitness.com.

Staff

Leah Cox, Executive Director, envisions California as a state where healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity are the obvious and natural choice in all communities across the state. Leah has written and edited articles and training materials focused on youth and adult health and wellness, with a particular emphasis on obesity prevention. For the past eight years Leah has created and implement educational and interactive wellness projects with youth and schools, as well as trained and consulted with more than 100 businesses across California regarding their employee wellness programs. She is the former program director for the Youth Action League and the Statewide Youth Board on Obesity Prevention. Leah is also an avid runner, cyclist and swimmer and strives to create programs and policies that nurture others to address their wellness goals.

Whitney Chamberlain, Program Coordinator, brings over five years of program development experience to her current role. Prior to this she served as a Community and Youth Education volunteer with the Peace Corps in Zinder, Niger. Whitney implemented a Peer Education program there to train student-leaders on critical life skills and initiated two regional girls' soccer tournaments among other projects. She also worked for the California Center for Civic Participation on over ten civic education programs, including one to engage youth in obesity prevention and piloting another to connect girls to politics. Whitney sits on the Board of Directors for Diogenes Youth Services. She has a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from UC Davis. Apart from her day job, Whitney thrives on international travel, running and the sound advice of nutritionists that a glass of red wine and a bit of dark chocolate do good to one's health.