Jacqueline Barnett

Prior to her appointment as Secretary of Education for the City of Philadelphia, Ms. Barnett served as Senior Education Policy Advisor to U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah. In this capacity, she impacted legislation and policy, both nationally and locally, to afford underserved children access to higher education. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania now boasts as being the first city in the nation to offer a “last dollar scholarship” to all resident graduating seniors, due to her strategic planning, implementation and coordination on all levels of government. The College Opportunity Resources for Education (CORE Philly) scholarship program is a 40 million dollar, four-year commitment utilizing combined resources from the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Public School District. During the first year of her congressional tenure, Ms. Barnett single-handedly garnered the support of leading national organizations to co-sponsor legislation to equalize the educational playing field, including the U.S. Conference of Mayors, The Children’s Defense Fund and National Head Start. As special assistant and legislative aide for the Congressman, she monitored healthcare, women’s and art-related legislation, and formulated strategy to significantly increase the number of congressional support for her assignments.

Graduating with honors in Political Science from Fisk University, Ms. Barnett coordinated the on-campus, anti-Apartheid movement in the mid-eighties. Her interest in social justice carried over to working with Common Cause, and she lent her research abilities and perseverance to nonprofit art organizations, like the Pennsylvania Ballet and Freedom Theatre. With an interest to attend to the conditions that adversely affect child development and that oftentimes leads to truant behavior, she obtained a Masters degree in Family Therapy from NOVA Southeastern University and worked with the court systems in Florida to reintegrate children with their families. She created two after-school programs; one program that received local media attention when members of the community realized they could better serve their neighborhood families, rather than “outsiders”. Ms. Barnett also created, organized and garnered funding for summer arts camp that yielded community support and acclaim.

Having attended synagogue in her youth to accompany her mother, who cantered the Torah, going to Catholic School and studying classical ballet, Ms. Barnett formed the belief that education, the arts and celebrating difference is key to the development of humanity and is the impetus for community growth and development. Ms. Barnett is the fifth generation of “educators” in her family, the third generation in government service and passionate about ensuring that no child is left in the trenches of society because they lack access to a quality education, cultural exposure and economic opportunities. Consequently, she serves as an advisor to local boards and implements the policies she researches, reviews and writes with her five-year old twin daughters Hailey Grace Barnett and Myla Grace Barnett. More recently, she conducted research for a legislative project to provide pre-kindergarten access to all children, and worked with national foundations to address the dire conditions of America’s urban students. Long term, Ms. Barnett plans to use her expertise for the global betterment of children.

Dara Bass

Dara Bass is Director of Policy and Procedures at the Kentucky School Boards Association. Dara received her endorsement for Supervisor of Elementary and Secondary Instruction from Eastern Kentucky University. She also holds a Certification in Mastery Teaching from Georgetown College. Since 1984, she has been employed by KSBA and she has served as director of policy/procedure service since 1995.

Dara also has credentials from the trenches. She taught for 10 years in the Paducah, Johnson County, and Franklin County School systems in Kentucky. She is the Past President of the American Association of State Policy Services.

Bonnie Ciarroccki

Bonnie Ciarroccki is Coordinator of Jefferson County Public Schools Health Services and the Health Promotion Schools of Excellence (HPSE) Program. She promoted to oversee the Health Services department and has directed the HPSE program since the onset in 1992. The program received the top award for the Models That Work from the Foundation for A Healthy Kentucky and as a result the HPSE program is being modeled after throughout Kentucky, with Bonnie providing technical assistance.

Bonnie has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education, a Master of Arts in Teaching and her Rank I in Counseling. She is pursuing her Non Profit Leadership Certification at Bellarmine University. She is certified to teach physical education in kindergarten through twelfth grade and health education for seventh through twelfth grade. She is certified in Aqua Aerobics and Adaptive Fitness and is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) through The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. Her teaching experience includes elementary physical education and adaptive physical education for the Jefferson County Public Schools. She was a part-time instructor and graduate teaching assistant for the University of Louisville. Other experience includes being a teacher assistant with Behavior and Emotionally Disturbed students. Bonnie is married to Tom Ciarroccki, a retired elementary school principal, and has two children, Jay and Lindsey.

Rick Curtis

Rick Curtis is President of the Institute for Health Policy Solutions (IHPS), a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization with an overarching goal to develop cost-effective approaches that build towards coverage by and for all Americans. Mr. Curtis has an extensive background in health insurance coverage and financing issues, and through the Institute develops and analyzes coverage approaches to a range of organizations. These approaches include: health insurance exchange/consumer choice pool coverage venues; hybrid coverage that blend attributes of employment-based and individual plans; and multiple financing strategies that combine private contributions with low-income subsidies and harness federal tax benefits. Previous positions include: Director of Health Policy Studies, National Governors’ Association (1979-1988); founding Executive Director, National Academy for State Health Policy (1988); and Director of the Department of Policy Development and Research, Health Insurance Association of America (1988-1992). During the 1980s he also served as a contributing editor to Business and Health magazine and Director of the Project on the Medically Indigent for the Academy for State and Local Government.

Christie L. Hager, J.D., M.P.H

Christie Hager was on the staff of the Health Care Committee in the Massachusetts legislature during the last round of health reform there, from 1995-1997. She then spent several years in health policy research and teaching, at Brandeis and then at Harvard, before returning to the legislature, where she is now Chief Health Counsel to Speaker Salvatore Dimasi. She works closely with the 3 health-related committees in the Massachusetts General Court-- Mental Health & Substance Abuse; Public Health; and Health Care Financing, which has jurisdiction over the state's Medicaid program.

Kala Ladenheim, Ph. D., M.S.P.H.

Kala Ladenheim is a program director at the Forum for State Health Policy Leadership at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). Ladenheim specializes in state-level access and financing issues: health care for the uninsured, insurance market reform, managed care, HIPAA, ERISA, risk pools, and comprehensive access reforms. She is the director of NCSL’s HITCh (Health Information Technology Champions) project, which supports state legislative expertise in HIT. Previously, Ladenheim was Executive Director, Maine Health Policy Advisory Council, and has taught health policy at Johns Hopkins University; The George Washington University and other graduate and professional programs.

Iris Martinez, IL Senator

State Senator Iris Y. Martinez was sworn into her first term in the Illinois General Assembly on January 8, 2003, representing the newly created 20^th Legislative District. The 20^th District includes parts of the Chicago neighborhoods, Albany Park, Avondale, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, Humboldt Park, Logan Square, and Portage Park.

Senator Martinez made history on the day she was sworn in by becoming the first Hispanic woman in Illinois to be elected to the State Senate. She again made history this year when she became the first Hispanic appointed to Chair the Pensions Committee. She is also Vice-Chair of the Housing and Community Affairs Committee.

In her first year in Springfield, Senator Martinez worked diligently to protect our families, our homes and our communities. She ensured that community agencies such as the Children’s Place, an agency that works with children and families affected by HIV and AIDS, and Concordia Avondale Community Center, which provides daycare, after-school programs and a center for seniors, received state funding to continue providing their much needed services to the community. She also sponsored and passed legislation to improve the health and welfare of the neediest residents of her district, focusing mainly on women’s health issues. She passed legislation that obligates health insurance companies to provide women with contraceptive coverage.

During the second year of the 93^rd General Assembly, Senator Martinez continued her commitment to the people of Illinois with her efforts to pass the Grow Our Own Teachers Program to help bring more teachers to under-served areas and address dangerously low teacher retention rates. In response to a local tragedy, Martinez passed ‘Louie’s Law’ (HB 4027), which was signed into law by the Governor to get tougher with hit-and-run drivers. Named for 14-year-old Louie Limberopoulos of Des Plaines, who was struck and killed in a hit-and-run accident while riding his scooter, this new law reduces the reporting time requirement to 30 minutes and increases the penalty for failing to report an accident within that time period.

To help more seniors stay in their homes, Martinez passed SB 2880 to reconfigure the Illinois Elder Care System. This legislation will ensure the development and availability of a comprehensive, affordable and sustainable system of housing, health care and support services for all of Illinois’ seniors.

Martinez also targeted Illinois drivers with out-of-state reckless homicide and DUI convictions with the passage HB 4966. The new law ensures that convictions received in other states are included in Illinois driving records and subject to state laws regarding further prosecution of these offences.

Additionally, Martinez passed legislation (HB 5175) giving the Secretary of State additional authority to prevent the fraudulent production of mandatory auto insurance cards. This new law will help guarantee that drivers comply with Illinois’ mandatory auto insurance laws which in turn helps lower the cost of auto insurance and makes our roads safer.

Joy Rockenbach

Mrs. Rockenbach graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 1990 with a degree in health education.After graduation she began work with the Arkansas Department of Health in chronic disease prevention in PATCH: Planned Approach to Community Health.

In 2003 Mrs. Rockenbach was given the opportunity to help implement the Body Mass Index Initiative in response to the passage of Act 1220—An Act to Combat Childhood Obesity. In January of this year, she was asked to take on the coordinator position to monitor Act 1220 for the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services and work within the Arkansas Department of Education to accomplish this.

Ms. Rockenbach has spent 17 years in the field of public health in the area of chronic disease prevention. Her commitment is to the children of the state of Arkansas to ensure they live healthier, happier lives.

She is also a certified chaplain and works as a volunteer for Arkansas Hospice. She has two grown sons and lives with her husband in Little Rock, where they are both active in their church work, choir, meals on wheels, gardening and pursuing a simpler lifestyle.

David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. David Satcher completed his four-year term as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States in February 2002. He also served as Assistant Secretary for Health from February 1998 to January 2001, making him only the second person in history to have held both positions of Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health simultaneously.

Dr. Satcher is Director of the Center of Excellence on Health Disparities at the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in Atlanta, Georgia. He occupies the Poussaint-Satcher-Cosby Chair in Mental Health at MSM. From December 2004 to July 2006, Dr. Satcher served as the President of the Morehouse School of Medicine. In January 2002, Dr. Satcher was named the Director of the new National Center for Primary Care at MSM. Before assuming this post in September 2002, he served as a Senior Visiting Fellow with the Kaiser Family Foundation, where he spent time reflecting and writing about his experiences in government and consulting on public health programs.

From 1993 to 1998, Dr. Satcher served as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Before that, he was President of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1982 to 1993. Prior to that, Dr. Satcher served as professor and chairman of the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine. Earlier Dr. Satcher served on the Faculty of the King-Drew Medical Center and the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine and Public Health.

As Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Satcher spearheaded the development of Healthy People 2010 which included the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health as one of its two goals. He also released 14 Surgeon General’s reports on topics that included tobacco and health; mental health; suicide prevention, oral health; sexual health; youth violence prevention; and overweight and obesity.

Dr. Satcher, a Morehouse College graduate (1963), is a former Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar and Macy Faculty Fellow. He is the recipient of over 40 honorary degrees and numerous distinguished honors, including top awards from the leading health professional organization. In 2005, Dr. Satcher was the recipient of the American Cancer Society Humanitarian Award. In 2004, he received the “Voice of Conscience Award” from Aetna for his work toward eliminating health disparities and was a Discovery Health Channel Medical Honoree. Also in 2005, Dr. Satcher was appointed as a Commissioner on Social Determinants of Health of the World Health Organization and became Co-Chair of the Ad Council’s Advisory Committee on Public Issues, which shapes the direction of the Ad Council’s Public Service Announcement efforts.

Dr. Satcher received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1970 with election to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. Dr. Satcher would most like to be known as the Surgeon General who listened to the American people and responded with effective programs. His mission continues to be to make medicine and public health work for all groups in this nation. He not only is a champion of promoting healthy lifestyles, he is also enjoys rowing, jogging, tennis, gardening, and reading.

Born in 1941 in Anniston, Alabama, Dr. Satcher and his wife, the former Nola Richardson, a poet, reside in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the father of four grown children and two grandchildren, all of whom he is very proud.

Cheryl Sturgeon, SFNS

Cheryl Sturgeon, SFNS, has been director of School and Community Nutrition Services in the metropolitan Jefferson County Public Schools since 1991 after eleven years in the department in roles that provided a background in training, technology, marketing and purchasing. Cheryl has played an active role in adoption of a state-mandated Competitive Food Regulation and the legislatively required certification of foodservice employees as she served in the office of the President of the Kentucky School Food Service Administrators Association. With a strong emphasis on the financial aspects of providing service to students, she has represented foodservice directors as chair of the Food and Nutrition Research Committee of the Association of School Business Officials, International.

Cheryl is a Vocational Home Economics graduate of Western Kentucky University. Prior to Jefferson County Nutrition Services she taught high school and adult classes.

In January of 2000 Cheryl saw the culmination of a strategic plan she put in place to move from labor intensive on site preparation to a centralized cook chill, bakery and warehouse facility with the opening of the Nutrition Service Center.

The office of President in two other organizations has afforded an opportunity for increased professional growth. Those organizations are the Kentucky School Business Officials, and the Kentucky Restaurant Association Louisville Chapter. Service as the Chair for Major City Directors for the School Nutrition Association, (formerly American School Food Service Association), and as board member for the Salvation Army Family Center and national food related associations has yielded valuable industry involvement that benefits the district Cheryl serves.

Awards and recognitions include; 2006 Eagle Leadership Award - Association of School Business Officials International, 1992 Leadership Award – Kentucky Association of School Administrators, 2003 Outstanding School Foodservice Director of the Year – Kentucky School Food Service Association, Cover and feature story in December 2003 – Food Management Magazine, and Profile of Success feature – October 1999, School Nutrition Association.

Jim Tacket

Jim Tackett is currently the Coordinated School Health Consultant at the Kentucky Department of Education. In this capacity, Jim assists local schools, districts and community partners with planning, implementing and evaluating school health programs and policies. This effort also includes providing professional development and training to enable local education agencies (LEAs) and their stakeholders to build capacity and ownership around such critical issues as increasing physical activity, improving nutritional patterns, and the reducing of tobacco use among the state’s youth. In a collaborative state partnership, he has been an active team member in helping Kentucky’s school districts to implement both state and federal requirements relating to the local wellness policy.

Jim gained valuable public health experience during his tenure at the Lake Cumberland District Health Department. Previously responsible for teen health education programs at in a 10-county area, he values the importance of local community support and its daily impact on healthy youth behavior(s). Public health and education must work together to achieve optimal academic achievement and healthy lifestyles among today’s youth.

Jim is happily married and has a 2 year-old son. It is his son that reminds him daily of the significance of his work as well as its merits.

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