Biographies
2008 TCWF Sabbatical Honoree Bios
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Serge Dedina, Executive Director, Wildcoast
After spending much of his life fighting environmental inequities associated with poverty, in 2000, Serge Dedina founded Wildcoast, an environmental agency focused on policy and advocacy to clean and protect water resources in California’s border communities. Wildcoast employs a multicultural approach that links social justice, the environment and public health to mount campaigns to fight water pollution in south San Diego County and Baja California. Dedina received a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a doctorate from the University of Texas. He serves on the advisory board of a marine science academy at Mar Vista High School in Imperial Beach. |
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Linnea Hunter, CEO, Mendocino Community Health Clinic, Inc.
Linnea Hunter has been the CEO of Mendocino Community Health Clinic (MCHC) in Ukiah since 1992. MCHC operates three centers that provide comprehensive health services in rural Northern California to more than 22,000 patients each year. She has a long history of addressing health care needs in this region. She helped establish the Potter Valley Community Health Center in 1980 and has delivered more than 400 babies as a lay midwife. She serves on the board of directors of the California Primary Care Association and previously served as chair of the board of the Alliance for Rural Community Health. |
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Katherine Kneer, President and CEO, California Planned Parenthood Education Fund, Inc.
Katherine Kneer has been the president and CEO of the California Planned Parenthood Education Fund (CPPEF) in Sacramento since it was founded in 1972 by California’s nine Planned Parenthood affiliates as a statewide policy office. CPPEF provides policy analysis, advocacy, technical and legal services on issues related to reproductive health, clinic licensure and access to health care. She led CPPEF during its 2007 public education program about the importance of increasing the reimbursement rate paid to providers of Medi-Cal family planning services and through efforts to defeat back-to-back parental notification ballot initiatives in 2005 and 2006. Prior to joining Planned Parenthood, Kneer worked for the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation for 18 years. |
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Vannessa Lindsey, CEO, Another Choice, Another Chance
At the age of 22, Vannessa Lindsey founded Another Choice, Another Chance (ACAC) in 1987 and has served as its CEO since 1994. Inspired by her own experiences as a young person who had behavioral problems and could not find adequate programs tailored to meet her needs, she set out to ensure that youth in Sacramento County would receive age-appropriate mental health and substance abuse counseling. Last year, ACAC’s treatment services reached more than 450 youth, and the organization provided more than 8,000 hours of group and individual counseling. Lindsey is a certified alcohol and drug abuse counselor and received a master’s degree and a doctorate in addictive disorders from the Breining Institute in Sacramento. |
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Linda Broadous Miles, Executive Director, Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center
Linda Broadous Miles has been the Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center’s executive director since 1995. During her tenure, the center has strengthened and expanded its programs. What began as a recreation center for youth with the goal of preventing gang involvement, now offers a range of programs to improve academic performance and emphasize healthy lifestyle choices for 300 youth in South Los Angeles. Miles received a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Northridge. She worked extensively in music, theater, cable television production and public relations before entering the nonprofit sector. |
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Dee O’Brien, Executive Director, Walnut Avenue Women’s Center
Dee O’Brien first became involved with the Walnut Avenue Women’s Center (WAWC) as a board member and volunteer — and two years later, in 1993, was hired as its executive director. WAWC is a family resource center offering a wide range of programs in Santa Cruz including early childhood education, youth development, and domestic violence prevention and intervention services. Under her leadership, WAWC has grown from serving 300 women, children and families to 3,000, and from an annual budget of $230,000 to more than $1.7 million. O’Brien received a master’s degree in developmental and educational psychology and a doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She serves on the Santa Cruz County Domestic Violence Commission. |
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Margo Leathers Sidener, President and CEO, Breathe California of the Bay Area
In 1987, Margo Leathers Sidener became executive director of a California chapter of the American Lung Association. Following the 2006 reorganization of that national organization, five California chapters formed their own independent organization – Breathe California – with Sidener as president and CEO of a Bay Area chapter in San Jose serving Santa Clara, San Benito and Alameda counties. Its four program areas address air quality, tobacco control, lung disease and community health. Its 400 volunteers and 13 staff serve more than 100,000 people each year, with a focus on minority and underserved communities. Sidener received a master’s degree in health education from Russell Sage College. She serves on the board of directors of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits and co-chairs the Tuberculosis Prevention Partnership of Santa Clara County. |
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Houa Vang, Executive Director, Merced Lao Family Community, Inc.
Houa Vang has served as executive director of Merced Lao Family Community (MLFC) since 1988. Established in 1982, MLFC offers a variety of culturally competent health and social service programs to expand self-sufficiency and self-respect among Southeast Asians, many of whom came to the Central Valley as refugees. As a refugee himself, Vang was motivated to work with the community, first as a volunteer and later in a professional capacity, to help improve community health and well-being. He received a master’s degree in school counseling from Fresno Pacific University. Vang has served on numerous boards and commissions, including 12 years as a board member of the Children Services Network of Merced County. |
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