Greg Vigdor
President & CEO
206-438-6120
WHF is fortunate to have a visionary leader such as Greg serving as President and CEO. Greg founded the organization in 1992 with the mission of making broad, innovative improvements in Washington State’s health and health care system. His comprehensive approach to public health is the result of 30 years of experience working for hospitals, health systems, consumer groups, health insurers and related organizations. Greg’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Health Administration from the University of Washington and a Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School. Between working at WHF and volunteering for an array of charitable organizations, Greg takes advantage of the Washington landscape by hiking, biking, running, playing golf and exploring the Olympic Mountains and Hood Canal.
Full Bio.

Jennifer Mielenz Muhm
Vice President of Public Affairs
206-438-6111
As the Vice President of Public Affairs, Jenn is heavily involved in the policy, communications and outreach of the Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign, as well as overall coordination and management. Jenn is not new to the campaign scene—a graduate of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., she has worked on political and issue campaigns at the federal, state and local levels. After living in D.C. and in Los Angeles, Jenn was excited to return home to Seattle and all its outdoor activities. In her free time, Jenn enjoys skiing, kayaking, hiking and traveling. She is pictured here conquering a week-long backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon.

Lorna Stone
Vice President of Programs
206-438-6118
Lorna is the Vice President of Programs at the Washington Health Foundation. Her responsibilities include promotion of community-based health programs and leadership of WHF’s grant programs. She holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Chicago, and she currently serves on the Seattle King County Advisory Council on Aging and Disabilities and the King County United Way Senior Impact Council. Lorna’s prior work includes nonprofit administration, hospice social work, health promotion and diversity training and working with rural, chronically ill and elder populations. Lorna’s interests in institutional change and social justice take up much of her time, but she also manages to find time for traveling, hiking and working in her garden.

WHF Staff listed alphabetically:

Rose Baz
Health Coordination
Specialist—CHAP
206-438-6100
Rose is new to WHF, having recently returned to the Pacific Northwest after spending a year in Japan teaching English as a Second Language. She is bilingual in Spanish and English, and her background includes Latin American Studies and working as a Spanish medical interpreter. Rose is excited to be working in the field of advocacy for Washingtonians in need of health care, and her bilingual skills are invaluable to WHF's Community Health Access Program (CHAP). In her free time, Rose is getting reacquainted with the Pacific Northwest and pursuing her interest in modern dance.

Kristi Bucklin
Operations Manager
206-438-6101
As the Operations Manager, Kristi works to ensure that WHF is meeting all of the reporting, business, compliance and accounting requirements of its 501(c)3 status. She has a fascinating background that includes experience in fields as diverse as graphic design and law enforcement. Her personal interests are equally diverse—reading, cycling, jogging, renovating houses and raising pets (chinchilla and mini-schnauzers included). She still finds time to support her family's chain of local athletic clubs and to cheer her own kids in their sports ventures.

David Cuerpo, Jr.
Administrative Assistant
206-438-6103
David is an undergraduate enrolled at Seattle University, where he is pursuing bachelors degrees in business economics and political science. Originally from San Diego, David is enjoying Seattles clean air and beautiful summers. His activities of choice are Filipino martial arts and Jeet Kun Do, which he has been practicing since childhood at the International Martial Arts and Boxing Academy. David has a number of international competitions under his belt, and he was the 2004 World Champion in his division in the Laban Laro Filipino Martial Arts Tournament. He now uses that experience by acting as an advanced instructor to other martial artists in the area. We are grateful to have David also channeling his energy and discipline toward his position at WHF, supporting the Community Health Access Program in various capacities and filling in as a Health Coordination Specialist as needed.

Sandy Duncan
Family Resources Coordinator
206-438-6105
Sandy is a Seattle native with a psychology degree from Evergreen State College and special education certification from Seattle University. She has more than 20 years of experience assisting children with special needs, first as an educator and now as a Family Resources Coordinator (FRC) through WHF’s Community Health Access Program. As an FRC, Sandy helps families with special-needs children navigate the health care system and attend to the individual needs of their children. She is currently the Lead Family Resources Coordinator for King County, providing training and technical assistance to other FRCs in the county. Outside of work, Sandy stays busy reading, traveling, swimming, skiing and hiking.

Nhi Eklund
Accountant
206-438-6106
Nhi is a relatively new addition to WHF's staff, working in operations, finance and accounting. Her background includes a business/accounting degree from the University of St. Thomas, as well as work experience as a financial analyst at United Health Group in Minneapolis. A recent transplant from Minnesota, Nhi is looking forward to Seattle's mostly snow-free winters and mild summers. She spends her non-working hours with her husband and twin daughters, drawing on her tennis background to playfully coach them into becoming "the next Venus and Serena".

Jennifer Ellestad
Administrative
Assistant
206-438-6107
Jenni is an administrative assistant in the grantmaking department at WHF. She is a Seattle native and a graduate of Whitman College with a degree in anthropology. Jenni became interested in public health issues after spending a year promoting children’s health in an AmeriCorps program in West Virginia. She is an active member of the Mountaineers and, when not working, can usually be found hiking, climbing, snowshoeing and skiing in the heights of the Washington mountains.

Joe Furia
Communications Specialist
206-438-6114
Emmy Award winning broadcast journalist Joe Furia brings a wealth of media experience to the Washington Health Foundations Public Affairs team. The longtime KOMO-TV news reporter joined WHF in August 2007 as Communications Specialist. Joe spent more than 23 years working in television newsrooms across the country. He will focus much of his attention on generating stories and media coverage that capture the essence of the Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign. Joe is a University of Florida graduate who has called the Pacific Northwest "home" since 1995. In his free time, Joe enjoys running, biking and coaching youth baseball, softball and soccer. He is married and has two children, Savannah (10) and Peter (7).

Randi Hansen
Health Coordination
Specialist—CHAP
206-438-6108
Randi has more than seven years’ experience working as a Health Coordination Specialist in the Community Health Access Program (CHAP) at Washington Health Foundation. CHAP is a direct-service program that helps to locate free or affordable health care and insurance for underserved residents of King County. Randi’s professional background is in education, health insurance and non-profit public health programs. She is pictured here with her daughter on a recent trip to her native country, Denmark.

Gina Legaz
Community Relations
206-438-6110
Originally from Seattle, Gina completed her undergraduate studies at Gonzaga University, where she majored in exercise science. She then attended Oregon State University, where she earned a Master of Public Health in health promotion and health education with a minor in nutrition. Her professional background includes experience in health promotion and education for Oregon State University and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. At WHF, Gina draws on her experience and education to broaden the health resources available to participants in the Healthiest State Campaign, and is vital to the organization’s community outreach efforts and engaging others in the campaign. When not working to improve the health of Washington state, Gina is pursuing healthy interests of her own, which include running, biking, hiking, camping and kayaking; and she also tries to make time for painting, cooking, traveling, and entertaining friends.

Dena Pinard
Family Resources Coordinator
206-438-6112
Dena fills a vital role in one of WHF’s many programs—Community Health Access Program—where she works as a Family Resources Coordinator. She spends her workday assisting families who have special-needs children—providing case management, conducting developmental screenings, making home visits and coordinating services and funding, among many other responsibilities. As the parent of a child with special needs, Dena is a uniquely valuable resource for the families she supports. Dena is a Washington native and a graduate of Iona College, New York, with a Bachelor of Science degree in communication arts and behavioral sciences. She enjoys reading, knitting and hiking, as well as camping, skiing and going to the beach with her husband and two children.

Heather Pitre
Special Assistant
to the CEO
206-438-6113
Heather is a Spokane native and a graduate of Whitman College in Walla Walla. She enjoys downhill skiing, knitting, creative writing, international travel, book club and—most of all—salsa dancing. Heather’s background in health care and her interest in non-profit organizations led her to WHF, where she is the Special Assistant to the CEO and the primary contact for the many organizations involved in the Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign.

Dawn Robbins
Program Manager—Make It Your Business
206-438-6114 or 503-774-4146
Dawn is an excellent asset to WHF, with 20 years of experience in communications and health policy. A valuable portion of that experience was devoted to founding a nationally-recognized effort designed to curb tobacco use in the workplace. The program, Make It Your Business: Insure a Tobacco-Free Workforce, was adopted by the Healthiest State Campaign in the spring of 2007. National promotion of the Make It Your Business program is supported by the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, a program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dawn is also involved in strategic planning efforts with a variety of groups, including the Harvard Advisory Board on Health & Welfare Plans, the national Consumer Demand Roundtable for Tobacco Cessation, and Oregons Healthy Worksite Initiative. Originally from Seattle, she lives and works in Portland, Oregon with her husband and three children. She spends much of her free time cycling, swimming, dragonboating, and volunteering in her childrens schools.

Katharine Sacks Sanders
Director of Grantmaking
206-438-6116
Originally from the Santa Monica area in California, Katharine was drawn northward to the Pacific Northwest because of its beauty and pristine environment. She gets outside as often as possible, pursuing jogging, biking, hiking and other outdoor activities in her free time. She also promotes health in the office, on small scales such as choosing the stairs over the elevator, and on much larger scales such as promoting the Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign in communities across the state. Katharine draws on an impressive roster of education and experience in her role at WHF, including a Master of Health Administration from the University of Washington and prior experience in grantwriting, interagency relations and community health promotion. At WHF she serves as the Director of Grantmaking, which involves developing grant programs and administering grant funds to community health organizations and rural health programs. Her contributions are invaluable to the organization’s missions to eliminate health disparities and build Healthy Systems statewide.

Luis Salazar
Health Coordination
Specialist—CHAP
206-438-6115
Luis is a Health Coordination Specialist with WHF's Community Health Access Program, which is a direct service program that helps families and individuals gain access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and social services. Originally from Mexico, Luis is bilingual in Spanish and English. His background includes a bachelor's degree as a Marketing Specialist from Centro Universitario Doctor Emilio Cárdenas (CUDEC) in Mexico, as well as professional experience as a medical interpreter, a media coordinator, and a TV and radio host. Aside from his work, Luis is extremely active in pursuits such as basketball, tennis, soccer, snowboarding and reading, as well as volunteer work helping children in Latin America. He also makes time for his musical pursuits as a percussionist in a band—Eddie Hunt & Nu Era—that performs both nationally and internationally.

Don Sloma
Director of Policy
206-438-6117
Don is the Policy Director at WHF, where he coordinates the policy leadership activities. He develops WHF’s policy priorities and strategies, and he promotes the organization’s policy agenda in collaboration with its leading partners in various public policy arenas. Don brings to this position more than 30 years of experience as a health policy advisor, primarily to the Washington State Legislature. He also served as Executive Director of the Washington State Board of Health. Don holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Washington, where he remains a member of the adjunct clinical faculty. He is active in the Washington State Public Health Association and serves as the State Affiliate Representative to the Governing Council of the American Public Health Association. Don lives with his wife and two children in Olympia, where he enjoys sailing, bicycling and cheering his son’s triumphs in soccer and on the violin.

Barbara Turner
Health Coordination
Specialist—CHAP
206-438-6119
Barbara is a Health Coordination Specialist with WHF’s Community Health Access Program. One of the most rewarding and challenging responsibilities of her job at WHF is assisting families whose children are in need of medical coverage. Aside from her work as a Health Coordination Specialist, Barbara maintains a long list of philanthropies. Her prior work experience includes a position with ACAP, a referral service for people living with AIDS and HIV. She is also a mentor for recovering drug and alcohol addicts, an advocate for positive life changes for incarcerated men and women, and an organizer of an annual spiritual retreat for women in recovery. In her free time, she applies her organizational skills to coordinating parties, weddings, picnics and other social events for her close friends and family.

Giselle Zapata García
Director of Diversity & Health Homes
206-438-6121
As the Program Manager of the Community Health Access Program, Giselle oversees WHF’s direct service program devoted to providing families and individuals in King County with access to culturally and linguistically appropriate health care and social services. Giselle has more than 10 years of experience alleviating health disparities in Washington State. One of her most significant contributions is the founding and coordination of WHF’s annual Latina Health Fair. Originally from Panama, Giselle’s parents emphasized the importance of maintaining her first language and her sense of culture, which has been an asset to her current profession. She perpetuates this bilingual culture in her own family by taking her three children on vacation to Panama and Mexico, to maintain their Spanish fluency and understanding of Latino culture. She also enjoys taking them to movies, bike-riding and supporting them in all of their sports and extracurricular activities.

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Foundation staff may be reached by using the following email format: JohnD@whf.org.