Vision 2030: Pathways to Equity and Economic Mobility in Healthcare

Hildegarde B. Aguinaldo
VP CCC Board of Governors

Hildegarde B. Aguinaldo currently serves as Senior Director & Assistant General Counsel for DaVita Inc., an international healthcare company with over 2,500 clinics and 200,000 patients, where she leads a talented team of litigators and legal professionals handling matters nationwide. There, she has held key roles in equity efforts, including having developed transformational mission statements, served on interdisciplinary taskforces, and deployed equity training with enterprise impact.

In addition to healthcare and law, Aguinaldo’s longest commitment has been to advocate for the Filipino American community. From 2014 to 2015, following over a decade of involvement in the organization, she served as the President of the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA), where she sharpened PABA’s efforts to advance judicial diversity and promote civic engagement. In 2018, NAPABA recognized Aguinaldo as one of its "Best Lawyers Under 40." She currently serves on the Board of Governors of the Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance, where she continues her long-standing work to celebrate the contributions of the Asian American community and empower students and attorneys to advance in the legal profession.

Dr. Quanna Batiste-Brown
Chief Nursing Officer, Ambulatory Care Nursing, UCLA Health

Dr. Quanna Batiste-Brown is a highly accomplished healthcare professional currently serving as Chief Nursing Officer, Ambulatory Care at UCLA Health, overseeing nursing care at over 275 ambulatory clinics. Additionally, she is an Adjunct Associate Professor at UCLA School of Nursing, lecturing on Organizational and System Leadership and Disseminating Scholarship in the DNP program.

Dr. Batiste-Brown has received numerous accolades for her exceptional contributions to the field. These include the UCLA Health Director's Award and the UCLA Healthy Work Environment Award in Ambulatory Nursing. She has been recognized as a Fellow of the UCLA Health Center of Creative Leadership Academy, a Rising Executives Fellow by the Advisory Board, and a recipient of the Evidence-Based Practice Nursing Research Grant from the American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nurses.

Dr. Batiste-Brown combines her strong academic background with a passion for community outreach. She founded a Medical Assistant Program in partnership with UCLA Health and UCLA Extension to address healthcare gaps. She is currently involved in a task force with the American Nurse Association – California, focusing on combating racism in healthcare and addressing health disparities.

Dr. Batiste-Brown earned her DNP from Capella University, her MSN-HCSM from Loyola University and her BSN from University of Phoenix.

Sonya Christian, Ph.D.
Chancellor, California Community Colleges

Dr. Sonya Christian recently served as the sixth Chancellor of the Kern Community College District (Kern district). A position she’s held since July 2021. Christian began her three-decade career locally within Kern district as a mathematics faculty, a Division Chair, and Dean of Science, Engineering, Allied Health and Math at Bakersfield College. From 2013 to 2021 she served as the 10th President of Bakersfield College – one of the colleges overseen by Kern district.

Throughout her career Dr. Christian has been committed to advancing work through distributed leadership and collaborative communities of learning, and to promoting the value of equity in student learning, access, success and economic mobility. She says: The only way to scale work is to tap into the talent, ingenuity, dedication, and care of the people that provide the power to transform. The alignment of distributed forces stems from shared ownership that is almost always more fundamental than the details of the solution, not least because it builds a sense of community that creates long-term sustainability.

Her dedication to student success with equity led her to statewide and national leadership roles where she advocated for the cost benefits of adopting a Guided Pathways model. Christian spearheaded the statewide coalition in 2015 that led to securing philanthropic funding for the 20-college Guided Pathways demonstration project in California, leading to a $150M state investment in Guided Pathways and ultimately to the Vision for Success metrics adopted by the Board of Governors in 2017. Christian advanced the framework of Guided Pathways through the newsletter Trailblazers from 2016 to 2020, creating a fundamental base of information for scaling the work statewide. Her work in student success with equity also extends to her leadership in developing and implementing the Early College Program.

Under her leadership, Bakersfield College became one of the first community colleges in California to offer a baccalaureate degree as part of a pilot program announced in 2015. She believes that the community college baccalaureate degree program is a vital tool for growing economic and social mobility of disinvested communities, and continues to fiercely advocate for ways to create more 4-Year Community College degrees in California and across the nation.

Dr. Christian’s repeated call to Dare Mighty Things – inspired by NASA’s Perseverance Mars lander – reflects a sense of urgency in her work on energy and climate resilience and emerging energies like carbon capture. Under her leadership, Kern district established the California Renewable Energy Laboratory, an innovative coalition of public and private partners seeking to create a secure and stable energy future.

She is a fierce advocate for the life-changing ability of community colleges to reach underserved populations and educate the future workforce. Her vision that community colleges can transform rural communities and her involvement with the Kern Coalition is increasing collaborations between educational institutions and the communities they serve.

Dr. Christian is a firm believer in using data and civil dialogue to guide public policy and resource allocation and in leveraging opportunities that prepare students for careers in emerging technologies, particularly in the energy and climate industries where community colleges have become the perfect partner in creating green jobs. She believes that facts and results should drive decision making, ensuring that initiatives will lead to sustainable systemic change.

She is a strong voice for women's equality in education and currently serves as chair of the California Community College Women’s Caucus. She is also Vice Chair of the Campaign for College Opportunity Board of Directors and is a member of the California Community Colleges Asian American Pacific Islander Trustees and Administrators caucus.

Governor Gavin Newsom recognized her statewide leadership when he appointed her to the Student Centered Funding Formula Oversight Committee, where she served from 2019-2022. Her dedication to institutional quality is evidenced in her work with the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, where she served as chair for two years starting in 2020, having previously served for the commission as Vice-Chair from 2018-2020.

Priscilla Fleming
Student, El Camino College

Priscilla Fleming is a recent graduate of the El Camino College Respiratory Care Associate of Science program. She is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care program at El Camino.

Fleming’s natural desire is to care for people, which led her to pursue higher education. Her experience in Physical Therapy in her home country of Colombia led her to seek out opportunities like what she experienced at home. She found that in her exploration of the Respiratory Care program. Fleming had an amazing journey exploring the program and her skills. She recently accepted a job as a Respiratory Care Practitioner. She can't wait to go to work doing what she loves most. 

Her number one goal during her career is to influence the next generation. She hopes to inspire people who are minorities and show them that putting in the work, staying consistent, and receiving a little help from above can help them achieve what they want.

Jermaine Hampton
Vice President, Workforce Development and Special Projects

Jermaine Hampton is more than a seasoned professional with 13 years of leadership expertise in Workforce Development across both public and private sectors. As the current Vice President of Workforce Development and Special Projects at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC), Jermaine passionately advocates for propelling change, fostering innovation, and empowering communities. His knowledge spans from Economic Development, Staffing Services, and Business Management to human-centric arenas like Homeless and Veteran Services. His most potent ingredients for success are his influential leadership and vision to reshape societal systems.

Jermaine’s ethos of inspiration and perseverance is reflected in the award-winning programs he has led, including best practice recognitions and his accolade as the recipient of the esteemed National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) leadership award in 2015. He’s a true changemaker, having touched thousands of lives, from at-risk youth and adults to veterans, creating lasting impacts.

Jermaine received his Bachelor’s of Science from Virginia State University.

Keith Hobbs, MBA, FACHE
President, Torrance Memorial Medical Center

In addition to Hobbs’ current duties which include oversite of Torrance Memorial’s physician network, medical staff, human resources and a number of other clinical and non-clinical areas, he will expand his role with oversite of Information Systems, Legal, Torrance Memorial IPA and Accountable Care Organization (ACO) in the coming months.

As CEO of USC Verdugo Hills Hospital from 2016 to 2021, Hobbs was responsible for the hospital’s improved financials over a three-year period as well as raising the Press Ganey Emergency Department (ED) scores to among the top 25 percent in the nation. His accomplishments include building a neonatal Intensive care unit, establishment of a physician network strategy and development of a Teaching Hospital program.

Prior to his service at USC Verdugo, Hobbs spent more than two decades as vice president and multiple executive roles at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Hobbs holds a master’s degree in business administration, with an emphasis in healthcare administration and a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Medical Group Management Association. Hobbs also serves on a number of non-profit boards.

Joel S. Kim
Chief Nursing Executive, Kaiser Permanente

Joel Kim currently serves as the Chief Nurse Executive at Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center. He is a proud husband to Cindy and father to Emily (9) and Connor (5). Healthcare/nursing is a second career. After graduating from the University of Southern California (Fight on!) with a degree in mathematics, Joel pursued a career in ministry while attending Westminster Seminary Southern California and spending time engaging in oversees missionary work in Southeast Asia. Upon graduating from nursing school at Concordia University in Irvine with his (2nd) bachelor’s degree, he began his healthcare career at Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center as a new graduate RN in 2012. Since then, Joel has held a variety of positions including house supervisor, nurse manager, director of nursing operations, and (now) chief nurse executive. He obtained his master’s degree in healthcare administration at The Ohio University in 2017. Recently, he completed an executive leadership program at Harvard Business School. Regardless of the roles he has held over the years, Joel still considers rounding with his team the best part of his day.

Joel is a firm believer in work-life integration vs. work-life balance and strives to exemplify that with the teams he leads. Some of Joel’s favorite things to do include: watching his children compete in their respective sports, watching UFC with friends, finding the best deal no matter what he’s buying, and traveling with his family.

Mi-Sook Kim
Dean of the College of Health, Human Services and Nursing, California State University, Dominguez Hills

Kim comes to CSUDH from San Francisco State University (SFSU), where she is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology. She joined the university in 1999 as an assistant professor. During her tenure at SFSU, Kim also served as chair of the Department of Kinesiology for four years and led the Division of Graduate Studies as interim dean for two years.

Kim’s career in higher education began in 1990 as a research assistant working with faculty at Chung-Ang University in South Korea. She held positions as a research and teaching assistant at Purdue University and the University of Valencia in Spain before arriving at SFSU. Kim’s primary research examines sports and exercise psychology from positive motivational climates and cross-cultural perspectives. She has co-authored numerous articles for professional journals and conferences, and in 2019 was one of the authors of the book “A Coach’s Guide to Maximizing the Youth Sport Experience: Work Hard, Be Kind.”

She has served on and led multiple international and national professional organization committees. Kim currently serves on the board of directors of the American Kinesiology Association, and chairs their Student Awards Committee. In January 2017, Kim was awarded the organization’s Distinguished Leadership Award.

Kim holds a Ph.D. in Kinesiology, with a specialization in sport and exercise psychology from Purdue University, and an M.S. in Kinesiology and a B.S. in Physical Education from Chung-Ang University, South Korea.

Carlos Lopez, M.S.
Vice President, Academic Affairs, El Camino College

Lopez formerly served as Vice President of Academic Affairs at Moreno Valley College (MVC). He has served more than 21 years as a California community college faculty member and administrator. Prior to MVC, Lopez was Vice President of Academic Affairs at Santa Ana College, Dean of Mathematics and Sciences at MiraCosta College, and Dean of Instruction for Academic Programs at Mt. San Jacinto College. Mr. Lopez was an associate professor of mathematics at Mt. San Jacinto College where he also served as the chairperson of the Mathematics Department and project director of a U.S. Department of Education Title V STEM grant.

Lopez is an advocate for high quality online education, Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) degree pathways, student equity, student success, and community college baccalaureate programs. He is a widely recognized expert in strategic enrollment management and co-teaches a summer academy, co-sponsored by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the Department of Education Studies at UC San Diego. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of Santa Ana College’s bachelor’s degree in Occupational Studies as well as the development of MiraCosta College’s bachelor’s degree in Biomanufacturing. He also served on the California Community College Chief Instructional Officer’s Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce and as mentor for the Advancing Leadership Institute for Instructional Vice Presidents in Equitable Education (ALIVE) program that prepares deans of color and allies for chief instructional officer roles.

Lopez earned a master’s of science in Statistics from the University of California, Riverside and a bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, San Diego. He is proud to have attended College of the Desert prior to transferring to UC San Diego. He is currently working to complete his dissertation to earn an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership through a joint program at the University of California, San Diego and California State University, San Marcos.

Roy Mekaru
Director, Bachelor of Science, Respiratory Care, El Camino College

Prof. “Roy” as his students call him is a homegrown educator having graduated from the El Camino College Respiratory Care Program in 1979.  He began part time instruction for the ECC Respiratory Care Program in 1981.  While working from 1981 to 1991 as a part-timer, Roy obtained his B.S. in Health Science from Chapman University, finishing magna cum laude, and obtained a master’s in health administration also from Chapman University. He became a full-time faculty member in the 1991-1992 school year and was named the Director of Clinical Education. 

In 2014, Roy was appointed to be the Faculty Coordinator/ Program Director which is an appointment he still proudly holds today. He feels his proudest achievement at ECC is helping spearhead ECC’s ability to offer students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory  Care. The Respiratory Care Program is the first program at El Camino College to offer a bachelor’s degree. 

Angela L. Minniefield, MPA
Senior Vice President, Advancement and Operations, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science

For more than two decades, Angela Minniefield has been dedicated to public service. She previously held several leadership positions at the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD), where she advanced California’s policy and program efforts designed to increase the number of underrepresented students in health professions. She currently serves as Vice President of Strategic Advancement at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.

As Deputy Director of the Healthcare Workforce Development Division at OSHPD, Minniefield oversaw programs that provide funding, services and technical assistance for health workforce development; health professions education training; loan repayment; health professions pipeline activities and health professions shortage area designation. In addition, she simultaneously served as California’s primary care officer for the Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions. Prior to becoming deputy director, she was executive director of the OSHPD Health Professions Education Foundation.

Minniefield has served as a member of numerous associations and boards committed to diversity in the health workforce and higher education. She was the Region IX representative of the Primary Care Office Committee for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; a member of the California Institute for Nursing in Health Care Diversity Workgroup; a member of the California Board of Registered Nursing, Nursing Workforce Advisory Committee; a member of the California State Rural Health Association; and co-lead for the California Health Care Reform Workforce Workgroup. She is also a chair emeritus and current board member of the Cosumnes River College Foundation, which provides scholarship opportunities and support for disadvantaged students attending the community college. Minniefield earned a bachelor of arts degree in Biological Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a master’s degree in public administration at Golden Gate University.

Trisha Murakawa
Interim Board President, El Camino Community College District

Trisha Murakawa has more than twenty years of experience solving problems in the built environment. As principal of Murakawa Communications, a strategic communications and public affairs firm, Murakawa works with architecture, engineering and construction professionals on water, transportation, construction, solid waste and community planning projects for public agencies throughout Southern California.

Prior to forming Murakawa Communications, Trisha was president and managing partner of Lang & Murakawa, a strategic communications and public affairs firm based in downtown Los Angeles, a public affairs officer for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority where she helped move projects through the environmental clearance process, coordinate construction mitigation programs and developed and implemented marketing campaigns for small businesses affected by subway construction. She worked in rail planning, bus operations and rail construction. A leader in many professional and community organizations, Murakawa serves on the boards of Women’s Transportation Seminar, LAX Coast Chamber and 211 LA County. Murakawa also serves as an elected member of the El Camino College Board of Trustees where her priorities include workforce development and enrollment, retention and completion for all but, especially non-traditional students including foster youth, formerly incarcerated and system impacted, and older students.

Murakawa received her B.A. in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Arthur J. Ochoa, JD
Senior Vice President of Advancement and Chief Advancement Officer, Cedars-Sinai

Ochoa began his career as a tax attorney, representing major corporations and nonprofit organizations. He transitioned to Cedars-Sinai—and to healthcare—21 years ago. At Cedars-Sinai, he has overseen all aspects of the organization’s fundraising, leading campaigns that have raised $1.8 billion to support Cedars-Sinai’s burgeoning academic research enterprise. Fundraising efforts under his guidance resulted most recently in the establishment of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s, dedicated to the highest level of pediatric care and research.

Ochoa brings deep knowledge of civic and public interest issues in healthcare to his new board post. He has served as board chair of both the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science and Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. He has also served on the board of the Pacific Council on International Policy.

Ron Perez
Senior Director of Perioperative Services, UCLA Health

Ron Perez is currently serving as the Senior Director of Perioperative Services across UCLA Health system, one of the most comprehensive and advanced health systems in the world. He provides operational oversight, leadership, strategy and direction for all Operating Rooms, Medical Procedure Units (endoscopy), Pre- and Post-Anesthesia Units, Transitional Recovery Units, Perfusion Services, ASCs and Sterile Processing Departments at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, Stein Eye Institute, as well as UCLA Health ASCs and MPUs across Southern California, and the Perioperative Evaluation and Planning Center (PEPC) Clinic. Ron is also responsible for oversight and direction of operative scheduling, perioperative business operations and perioperative analytics.

Ron has many years of experience in Perioperative Nursing. He has held several progressive perioperative nursing leadership positions. Ron’s holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California at Berkeley, a Master of Science in Nursing from Drexel University, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University Long Beach and an Associate of Science in Nursing from Los Angeles Harbor College. Ron holds two national certifications including Nurse Executive Advanced (NEA-BC) and Certified Nurse of the Operating Room (CNOR).

Ron also has provided support with educational, humanitarian and advisory programs across the globe in collaboration with hospitals in Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

Jessica Pitt
Assistant Deputy Secretary of Healthcare Workforce, California Labor and Workforce Development Agency

Pitt has been Executive Director of HealthPATH at Alameda Health System since 2015. She was Regional Workforce Director at Design It-Build It-Ship-It from 2013 to 2015. Pitt was an Initiative Officer for the Bay Area Workforce Funders Collaborative at the San Francisco Foundation from 2006 to 2013. She is a member of the Homebridge Board of Directors. Pitt earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. 

Rebecca Ruan-O’Shaughnessy
California Community College Vice Chancellor

Rebecca Ruan-O’Shaughnessy is vice chancellor for educational services and support at the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. Previously, she was at Jobs for the Future, where she led and drove many projects centered on economic advancement strategies and cross-sector network building, inclusive regional economic development strategies, and lifelong learning system design. Her prior experiences include service as vice president at United Healthcare, where she worked in a national unit that developed integrated health and human services strategies to improve health outcomes for the company’s six million Medicaid members; the first corporate executive for a US subsidiary of a global manufacturer, where she led the company’s transition from concept to full production with over 1,000 employees within 18 months; and the head of a state economic development office that made strategic business and economic investments. She received her bachelor’s degree in economics and Japanese studies from Connecticut College and her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Brenda Thames, Ph.D.
President/CEO, El Camino College

Brenda Thames has over 25 years of experience in instruction, student services, and administration in California Community Colleges. She has served in a broad spectrum of positions including adjunct faculty, tenured faculty, faculty coordinator, department chair, program director, dean, Vice President of Student Services, and Vice President of Instruction.  Prior to becoming El Camino College’s Superintendent/President, Dr. Thames served as the President of West Hills College Coalinga. As an experienced administrator and champion for student success she has a passion for developing the capacities of individuals, institutions, and communities. Dr. Thames is committed to maintaining community engagement, educational access, facilitating student success, and attaining equitable educational outcomes for students in community colleges.  Dr. Thames values the contributions that faculty and staff make to student success.  She has demonstrated experience working collaboratively across all levels of the organization to achieve results as well as the proven ability to engage the active participation of external stakeholders to advance the priorities of the college and local communities.

Dr. Thames holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Sociology and Social Welfare from University of California; Berkeley, Master of Arts degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California; Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California; and a Ph.D. in Education from Oregon State University.  She completed the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management as well as fellowships with the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and the UC Davis School of Education Center for Community College Leadership and Research. 

Jan Vogel
Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, South Bay Workforce Investment Board (SBWIB)

For over 40 years, Mr. Jan Vogel has served as the Executive Director of the South Bay Workforce Investment Board (SBWIB).

Mr. Vogel is a leader in apprenticeship development and has initiated many efforts for establishing apprenticeship programs utilizing innovative approaches for employer engagement and job seeker recruitment for both union and non-union apprenticeship models.

He has been instrumental in facilitating, coordinating and partnering with numerous construction crafts to increase apprentices in the Los Angeles South Bay area. Additionally, he formulated a variety of pre-apprentice programs leading to registered apprenticeships that were incorporated into a region-wide training directory called I-TRAIN, a system that Mr. Vogel created to ensure providers delivered approved quality education and training to students and job seekers.

Most recently, he has developed a pre apprenticeship program in Aerospace Engineering called AERO-Flex. The advanced manufacturing program has quickly evolved into an employer-centric earn and lean model attracting top employers such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed-Martin, L-3 Communications, Impressa Aerospace, Magnetika and many others. This employer driven pre-apprenticeship will ensure advanced manufacturing firms can find the talent they need locally and provide workers with the hands-on experience employers need. Mr. Vogel plans to expand the program statewide and nationally with both the pre apprenticeship program and a registered apprenticeship in engineering.

Candice Washilewski, DNP
Executive Director of Acute Care, Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center

Dr. Candice Washilewski is the Executive Director of Acute Care at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance. She has been a nurse for 30 years, focusing on nursing leadership for the past 18 years. She has led medical/surgical, cardiovascular, oncology, and perioperative services teams. She is passionate about empowering and engaging direct-care nurses in evidence-based practice as well as mentoring nurse leaders.

Dr. Washilewski earned her DNP from the University of Kansas focusing on organizational leadership and is a board-certified advanced nurse executive with the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Mary Wright
Senior Vice President of Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer, Torrance Memorial Medical Center

Mary Wright is the Senior Vice President of Patient Services/Chief Nursing Officer for Torrance Memorial Medical Center. Wright has been a nurse for almost 40 years and has authority and responsibility for all of the Nursing Services within the medical center. As a nurse executive, she maintains an active leadership role with the hospital’s governing body, senior leadership, medical staff and other clinical leaders in the hospital’s decision making structure and process.  She is the executive sponsor for several initiatives across the organization and is a knowledgeable transformational leader who develops a strong vision, and the strategic plans needed for leading nursing services.