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Cal Wellness Board Elects New Leadership

Los Angeles, CA (Jan. 21, 2021) – The board of directors of The California Wellness Foundation has elected Pamela Simms-Mackey, MD as chair, Terence Mulligan as treasurer and Angelica Salas as secretary. The officers assumed their new positions on January 1, 2021 and will serve a two-year term.

Simms-Mackey is the Chair of Pediatrics and Chief of Graduate Medical Education at Alameda Health System. Mulligan is the chief executive officer of Napa Valley Community Foundation.  And Salas is the executive director of CHIRLA, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

“I’m thrilled to be working with Pamela, Terence and Angelica in their new board leadership roles,” said Judy Belk, Cal Wellness president and CEO. “They’re ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work in a year that we can already see will be challenging, but also full of potential. The entire Cal Wellness board and staff are fortunate to have these three amazing leaders at the helm.”

Simms-Mackey joined the board in September 2015 and served as treasurer from 2019-2021. Prior to her role at AHS, Simms-Mackey was the director of Graduate Medical Education and Pediatric Residency Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. She also holds an appointment as a clinical professor of Pediatrics with University of California, San Francisco’s School of Medicine, educating medical students as well as pediatric residents. Her full bio can be found here.

“We’re at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, and Cal Wellness has an important role to play,” Simms-Mackey said. “As we move forward, we must boldly name what was destroyed before the pandemic and be a leader in healing those broken places. It’s not enough to ride the wave of doing the right thing. We’re going to be out in front of the wave, because that’s what’s required for us to equitably advance the health and wellness of the people of California, and the nation.”

Mulligan joined the board in 2017. Prior to joining NVCF in February 2004, Mulligan spent three years at the Peninsula Community Foundation in Silicon Valley, where he raised more than $100 million on behalf of nonprofit organizations. His full bio can be found here.

“I’m energized by my new role because I see tremendous opportunity to steward our financial portfolio with justice in mind,” Mulligan said. “We’re already making bold moves to diversify our portfolio in a different way than that phrase would typically suggest. Yes, we’re well-balanced by asset class. But increasingly, we are engaging asset managers of color and deploying investment approaches that address longstanding inequities and use all of our dollars to bring more resources and opportunities to the communities we serve.”

Salas came to the board in 2017. In her role at CHIRLA since 1999, she has spearheaded several ambitious campaigns locally, statewide and nationally. One of her greatest accomplishments at CHIRLA has been the transformation of a coalition of social service providers into an organization that empowers immigrants to engage in advocacy on their own behalf. Her full bio can be found here.

“I take on the role of secretary with full commitment to the mission of the California Wellness Foundation,” said Salas. “I look forward to partnering with Judy Belk, my board colleagues, staff and most importantly our grantee leaders to confront and take on the many challenges facing our state and nation. This is the time to be courageous to ensure that equity and justice prevail.”

About The California Wellness Foundation
The California Wellness Foundation’s mission is to protect and improve the health and wellness of the people of California by increasing access to health care, quality education, good jobs, healthy environments and safe neighborhoods. Since its founding in 1992, Cal Wellness has awarded more than $1 billion in charitable contributions and 9,229 grants.

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