More WPI Graduate Profiles

Meet the Graduates: More WPI Alum Profiles

Manjusha Kulkarni, National Health Law Program

Camila Chavez, The Dolores Huerta Foundation

Carlina Hansen, Women's Community Clinic

Robbie Gonzalez Dow, California WIC Association

Marilyn Bamford, EMQ FamiliesFirst

Jessie Ryan, Campaign for College Opportunity

Lacy Serros, Tides Foundation

Manjusha (Manju) Kulkarni has always been interested in the social determinants of health. She grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, not far from where the government conducted the infamous Tuskegee experiments, and quickly realized that not everyone has an equal chance at health.  

After completing her undergraduate studies at Duke University, she worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and was so inspired by the work of the SPLC to remedy social injustices that she decided to attend law school. Today, Manju is a staff attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), a public interest law firm dedicated to improving access to quality health care for low-income individuals.  She is also a recent graduate (class of 2007) of the Women’s Policy Institute.

At the Institute, Manju and her team researched, drafted and then advocated for the passage of SB 775, a bill that would have strengthened lead poisoning prevention and expanded lead testing for children at high risk of exposure. The bill initially faced powerful opposition from the California Medical Association and other provider organizations. Manju and her team, however, tempered that opposition by drawing on the skills they learned through the Institute. Manju recalls that she adopted a new mindset, in which she didn’t view the opposition as an adversary, but as a potential collaborator: “It’s not just about keeping your supporters; it’s making yourself available and recognizing that the opposition has valid concerns.” Manju and her team advocated for the bill for a full 2 years. Through their hard work and dedication, SB 775 passed the full legislature, but was ultimately vetoed by the Governor.

Armed with experience, confidence and connections in Sacramento, Manju is ready to continue the fight. This year, she has teamed up with fellow Institute alum Karin Pally from the Los Angeles County Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program to find an administrative solution to the lack of sufficient lead screening and testing for young children who are vulnerable to lead poisoning.

Camila Chavez, Executive Director, the Dolores Huerta Foundation

Camila Chavez grew up among picket lines and protests in
California’s Central Valley at the height of the farm worker movement. Like her mother, social justice activist and United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, Camila felt called to fight for the rights of people in her community. Camila is now the co-founder and Executive Director of the Dolores Huerta Foundation; she is also a graduate of the Women’s Policy Institute inaugural class of 2004.  

The Dolores Huerta Foundation, based in Bakersfield, is a community organizing and advocacy group working for an ambitious social justice agenda in one of the most disadvantaged areas of the state. The Dolores Huerta Foundation’s mission is to inspire and motivate people to organize sustainable communities to attain social justice. The scope of the work includes fair and equal access to healthcare, housing, education, jobs, civic participation and economic resources.  

Camila became a fellow in the Women’s Policy Institute just as she was getting the Dolores Huerta Foundation off the ground. In the Institute, Camila worked with other advocates to defeat proposed budget cuts to healthcare services, particularly for women and immigrants, in the state’s Medicaid program. She recalls emerging from the Institute “excited and inspired by the dynamic and passionate women in the Institute,” knowing that she was part of a powerful, statewide network of women on whom she could always call for help with a cause.

Since then, the Dolores Huerta Foundation has grown tremendously and boasts several important victories, including major local policy wins. The Foundation successfully defeated anti-immigrant resolutions in Bakersfield, passed a $4.8 million bond to build school fences and new gymnasium in the town of Weedpatch, and helped lead education and outreach efforts in the Central Valley to ensure that voters rejected propositions 73 and 85, which would have required parental notification for a woman under age 18 to get an abortion. This last fight continues—Camila and her colleagues are once again active in the campaign against the latest parental notification initiative, Prop 4, which will appear on the November 2008 ballot.

Camila demonstrates the power of how one woman’s participation in the Women’s Policy Institute can reach so many more at the grassroots. Camila has taken her knowledge of the policy process and trained hundreds of community organizers. Four women graduates of the Dolores Huerta Foundation’s leadership program are now running for local office on school and recreation boards. Many more now make the trip to Sacramento each year to talk to their representatives about important legislation on a range

Carlina Hansen, Executive Director, the Women's Community Clinic  

Five years ago, Carlina Hansen had no idea that she would one day be a go-to expert on health care issues for state lawmakers. As executive director of the Women’s Community Clinic, her day-to-day concerns focused on providing health care for low-income and homeless women in San Francisco. But Carlina’s experience as a Women’s Policy Institute fellow transformed her sense of possibility.  

Carlina says, “Through the Institute, I realized that policy work was not impenetrable. I actually can influence statewide policies — and hopefully affect thousands of people’s access to health care.”

She joined a growing network of women participating in the state’s legislative process and, in the process she also became recognized as an issue expert to whom state lawmakers turned for advice. This direct channel — from the difficult realities for clients who depend on free health care to an elected official’s office in Sacramento — is groundbreaking.

For lawmakers, exposure to a grassroots perspective is an invaluable addition to their decision-making process.

And for Institute fellows like Carlina who provide direct services for low-income women every day, learning how to improve systems that affect the constituencies they serve is also invaluable.

Carlina has put her policy advocacy training into practice with her work on the Women’s Working Group on Universal Health Care. A Foundation grant partner, this collaborative of health and women’s organizations is working with policymakers to move California toward universal access to health care.

Robbie Gonzalez Dow, California WIC Association

Robbie Gonzalez-Dow has always had a taste for policy work. She is a registered dietician with a degree in public health who has dedicated her career to promoting access to sufficient and healthy food and maternal and child health. Robbie is now a Policy Advocate at the California WIC Association and was recently elected to serve as a commissioner in the Community Action Partnership for Monterey County. She is also a graduate of the Women’s Policy Institute class of 2004.

The California WIC Association (CWA) operates the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. The California WIC Association “leads Californian communities to nourish, educate, support, and empower families in building a healthy future.” In her role at CWA, Robbie leads the organization’s efforts in the policy arena to ensure that women and children have access to the best programs possible to ensure their nutritional and overall health.

Back in 2003 when she was working with the ACTION Council of Monterey County, Robbie saw her participation in the Women’s Policy Institute as the logical next step to develop her nascent skills in policy advocacy. At the Institute, Robbie and her team advocated for AB1275 (Ortiz), a controversial bill that restricted marketing baby formula to mothers immediately after giving birth in order to encourage breastfeeding. Their bill faced powerful opposition from well-known formula makers that had time, money and access to legislators that dwarfed the resources of Robbie’s valiant three-person policy team.

Even though their bill didn’t pass, their trailblazing work helped educate lawmakers and pave the way for future legislation. The experience taught her how to negotiate with the opposition while maintaining the integrity of the bill. She realized that community advocates can have a meaningful impact on state policy, even when faced with highly-paid industry lobbyists.

Four years later, Robbie continues to develop her policy advocacy skills. Now that she understands the legislative process, she can focus on the bigger picture and be more strategic. Robbie teamed up with colleague and fellow Institute alum Karen Farley to work on a report released in September called Depends on Where You are Born: California Hospitals Must Close the Gap in Exclusive Breastfeed Rates, which examines inequities in hospitals and illustrates how policy changes can improve the health outcomes in low-income communities and communities of color in California. The report led to a summit in LA that brought together advocates, hospital management and public health experts to seek solutions. The duo recently completed a second report called Increasing Breastfeeding in the Low Wage Worksite: A policy brief on Increasing Breastfeeding duration and exclusivity for Low Income Working Mothers, available later this month. 

Robbie’s experience and work epitomizes the vision of the Women’s Policy Institute. As Robbie says, “It’s nice to work with another fellow who’s gone through the program – makes it stronger.” As the network of trained advocates continues to grow lasting change is definitely on the horizon.

Marilyn Bamford, EMQ FamiliesFirst

Marilyn Bamford has spent the past 20 years advocating on behalf of women and girls in California. She is currently the Executive Director of the Central Valley region for EMQ FamiliesFirst, a comprehensive social services organization that works to keep families whole and communities healthy. She is also a recent graduate of the Women’s Policy Institute, class of 2008. 

Marilyn knows first-hand how legislation directly impacts the lives of women and girls in California. Much of FamiliesFirst’s funding comes from Medi-Cal, SB 163 funding to keep children in their homes instead of in foster care, and Proposition 63 mental health funding. Knowing the high stakes, Marilyn applied to the Institute to learn how to play an active and influential role in the legislative process.

At the Institute, Marilyn and her team advocated for the passage of AB2586 (Torrico) – a bill that would have established legal protections for tenants in cases where the property went into foreclosure. Although the bill was ultimately vetoed by the Governor, its focus on tenants made a lasting impression on then-Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata. Mr. Perata incorporated the team’s desire for renter notification into his bill, SB 1137, which passed in July 2008.

Marilyn credits the Institute for giving her the confidence and knowledge to become a greater participant in policy advocacy. Reflecting, she states, “Before the Women’s Policy Institute, the idea of going around the Capitol would have intimidated me, whereas now, I’m not overwhelmed.”

With this year’s severe economic downturn, Marilyn’s expertise is needed now more than ever. Armed with experience and connections in Sacramento, Marilyn has been advocating against cuts to essential health and welfare programs like Medi-Cal and fighting to ensure federal stimulus dollars reach the most vulnerable communities - low-income families, immigrant communities, and communities of color – at a time of growing need. Marilyn’s dedication and hard work brings much need attention to often neglected and marginalized communities in the Central Valley.

Marilyn also serves on a number of boards such as the Foster Care Standards and Oversight Committee, the Mental Health Board, the California Alliance of Children and Family Services, and the Model of Care Partner Oversight Committee.  

Learn more about EMQ FamiliesFirst at www.emqff.org. 

Jessie Ryan, Campaign for College Opportunity

Jessie Ryan grew up in the Central Valley and was raised by a struggling single mother. While life was often challenging, Jessie’s mother taught her that being economically disadvantaged did not mean a lifetime of disadvantage. She instilled in her daughter the belief that through education and civic participation individuals could vastly improve their quality of life. It was her mother’s strong sense of civic service and empathy for others that inspired Jessie to seek a college education, something her mother had always dreamed of doing, and devote much of her professional life to making it possible for others to follow their same college dream.

Jessie is currently the Associate Director at the Campaign for College Opportunity, a nonprofit organization devoted to ensuring that the next generation of college-age students in California has the chance to go to college as promised by the 1960 Master Plan. As Associate Director, she leads the organization’s advocacy and policy efforts to increase the number of students accessing higher education and impact the rate that students succeed in reaching their educational goals. Jessie is also a recent graduate of the Women’s Policy Institute, class of 2009.

Jessie and her Education team are busy advocating for the passage of AB440, the “College Student Success Act of 2009”– a bill that will ensure community college students who meet the educational requirements to transfer to a four-year university are eligible to receive an Associate of Arts degree. The reality is that many students, especially low-income students, students of color, and women, experience interruptions on their path to a Bachelor’s degree and sometimes leave the educational system with nothing to show for their work. In recognition of their achievements, this bill would provide transfer students with an Associate degree making them more marketable in a competitive California economy and more likely to be financially secure in these economically trying times. The team has successfully shepherded the bill through the Assembly Committee on Higher Education and will hear the bill on the Assembly floor on Monday.

Even though Jessie came to the Institute with prior experience in policy advocacy, she always felt like a Capitol outsider. The Institute trainings demystified the policy process and provided the critical tools she needed to feel confident navigating the policy process. According to Jessie, half the battle is walking into the “building” and recognizing you have a right to be there and a valuable perspective to share. Reflecting on her WPI experience she states, “We begin [the program] uncertain of our role, but we leave understanding we have a legitimate place at the table. We also leave knowing we have the support of an amazing group of powerful women.”

Jessie credits the Institute and her fellow classmates for reenergizing her commitment to social justice work and she is already applying the skills she learned in her current work. In addition to AB 440, Jessie is working on staving-off future cuts to higher education and pressing for policy change that would strengthen the transfer function, streamline student assessment, and encourage finance reform. Armed with passion and experience, Jessie continues to expand access to higher education so all Californians have the opportunity to improve their quality of life.

Learn more about the Campaign for College Opportunity at www.collegecampaign.org. 

Lacy Serros, Tides Foundation

Lacy Serros has dedicated her career to motivating individuals and communities to be their own catalysts for change. She is a Community Fellow at the Tides Foundation where she staffs the Voter Action Initiative, a grantmaking fund that supports building inclusive democracy through a variety of activities including voter registration issue-based advocacy, election protection and community organizing. Lacy was a member of the 2005–2006 Women’s Policy Institute and has returned this year to serve as a co-mentor for the reproductive justice and environmental justice team.

Lacy began her career working on campaigns for the United Farm Workers of America and the Dolores Huerta Foundation in the Central Valley, where she grew up. She moved into policy work at the Latino Issues Forum where she advocated for health care expansion for low-income communities and she continued to hone her policy advocacy skills in the Women’s Policy Institute.

At the Institute, Lacy and her team advocated for the passage of SB 1471 (Kuehl), a bill that would have increased access to sexual health services and information. The bill required community-based programs and school programs that received state funds to provide medically-accurate, unbiased, comprehensive education that was culturally, linguistically, and age appropriate and delivered by trained educators. The bill passed both houses but was ultimately vetoed by the Governor.

While the outcome was disappointing, Lacy and her teammates considered the experience invaluable and felt proud of what they learned and accomplished. The Institute solidified her knowledge of the legislative process and gave her the skills and confidence to continue advocating for positive legislative change.

Whether she is acting as an Institute mentor, advocate or lobbyist, Lacy is working tirelessly to remove barriers to political participation and create a California that actually reflects the wants and needs of all its citizens.