Advisory Board

The National Alliance for Healthy Communities Advisory Board recognizes exceptional organizations and individuals for enhancing the quality of lives for others. 

The National Alliance for Healthy Communities Advisory Board is comprised of individuals dedicated to improving the quality of life.

Glenn Southard Indio, California

Mr. Southard is the longest serving City Manager in California and former President of the California City Manager Foundation. He is the recipient of the National City Manager Award of Excellence.

Mr. Southard is the founder and longest serving President of the California City Managers Foundation. He is also a Senior City Manager in California and has been recognized and honored by the State and National associations as an Outstanding City Manager. He speaks around the country on issues related to local communities and government. He currently serves as City Manager of the City of Indio; one of the fastest growing cities in the Country.

Michael Kodama

President of the firm Michael R. Kodama, Planning Consultants, he is an urban planner with a background in transportation planning, funding, and policy issues. He has also worked on economic development, environmental and land use issues. During the past fifteen years, Mr. Kodama has worked on a wide variety of projects involving highway, rail (passenger and freight), transportation demand management, traffic safety, goods movement, parking management, waste management, park and recreation, special event centers, foreign trade zones, e-government, community transportation issues, environmental justice and downtown revitalization. This includes working with businesses and stakeholder groups on transportation needs assessments in downtown areas and working with residents in local communities on transportation-related issues.

Mr. Kodama has worked on Federal Reauthorization issues as well as a number of boards and commissions including the vice-chair of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) and as a commissioner with the State Senate Asian Pacific Islander Advisory Commission. He has also worked with governments of other countries from Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, and Central America. He is currently teaching transportation planning at the University of Southern California and has also taught public funding courses at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Before starting his own firm, Mr. Kodama was the Vice President of Air Quality/ Transportation Compliance for Kosmont & Associates, Inc. and worked for Caltrans District 7. Mr. Kodama has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in Sociology and Economics and a Masters of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in Urban Planning, with an emphasis in Social Policy Analysis and Transportation.

Leigh Nixon, Simi Valley, California

President  & C.E.O. of the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce for the past 9 years, Leigh has been in the Chamber profession for more than 22 years.  She began her career with the Irvine Chamber in 1985 and then served the Temecula, Santa Clarita and Palmdale Chambers before taking the helm of the Simi Valley Chamber in 1999. Prior to her Chamber of Commerce career, Leigh was in the banking industry for 16 years as Vice President and Manager of several Orange County Banks.

She holds a BA in Business and she received her A.C.E. (Accredited Chamber Executive) in 2002 from the Western Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. 

 

Barry Samsten, Klamath Falls, Oregon

 

Bradley S. Ramos, Indio, California

Mr. Ramos is the Police Chief in Indio and President of the Riverside County Police Chiefs’ Association.

 

Kelly Carruthers, Arlington, Virginia

Kelly Carruthers is currently a guidance counselor at Wakefield High  School in Arlington, Virginia.   She received her undergraduate degree in Secondary Education and Spanish from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania.  She earned her Masters Degree in Counseling, specializing in School Counseling and School Administration from California State University in Los Angeles. 

Before Kelly began her career in public schools, she worked for U.S. Healthcare in the Healthcheck Department as a resource for members with questions about breast and colorectal cancers.  After she left U.S. Healthcare, she began teaching Spanish in Burbank, California.  Upon the completion of her masters degree, Kelly transfered from the classroom to the counseling office.  In 2001 Kelly moved to Virginia to work in Arlington County Public Schools with English speakers of other languages and students that receive special education services.

 

Robyn Russon, Burbank, California

Robyn Russon is a full time Health teacher in the Burbank Unified School District (BUSD). She earned her Bachelors Degree in Health Sciences and her teaching credential from California State University, Long Beach. While working full time, she earned her Masters Degree in Public Health from California State University Northridge. 

Robyn has been involved in many activities throughout her school district in addition to teaching for the past nine years. She was the BUSD coordinator for the Tobacco Use Prevention Education (TUPE) program for six years. Over the years, Robyn has supported students in many ways through being a club advisor to volunteering school-sponsored events. Currently, Robyn is a support provider for new teachers serves on the Districts Safety Committee, and is the Burbank Teachers Association Representative. In her free time she enjoys reading and spending time with her nephews.

 

David Marquez, Los Angeles, California

David Marquez is a consultant whose work focuses on community engagement and economic development related services on behalf of non-profit agencies, small businesses and public agencies in the underserved communities of Los Angeles. He has extensive experience in the area of public policy, community and economic development, human services and land use.

He began his career as a community organizer, nearly twenty years ago in East Los Angeles. Since then he served as Policy and Planning Deputy for the First Council District of the City of Los Angeles and as an Executive Director for the non-profit agency Central City Neighborhood Partners. As a private businessman, he still considers his experience and education as a community organizer as the foundation of his present work.

He was born in East Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of La Verne with a Bachelor of Arts in History and International Studies. He has spent nearly his entire professional career working in the City of Los Angeles. He currently resides in Northeast Los Angeles with his wife Judith and 9 year old son, Roan, a student at Mt. Washington Elementary School. He is also proud of his community involvement in the City of Los Angeles as a Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles East Area Planning Commission, Member of the Board of Directors for the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, Vice-Chair of the 24th St Theatre, Chair for ACLA (Arts Community Land Activism) and his membership with the Hope Street Family Center Community Advisory Board and the Verde Coalition.

 

Blake Vieane, MFT

Blake Vieane, MA, MFT is a licensed Marriage and Family therapist.  She has had more than 5 years of experience working as a mental health professional in a variety of settings, including outpatient clinics, school based programs, battered womens shelter, and residential treatment.  While at St. Joseph Center, she developed a specialty in the intervention of managing psychiatric crisis.  She initially began working with the homeless in September 2002, first at LAMP Village Transitional Living Program as a therapist working with the severely persistently mentally ill with co-occurring disorders, and most recently as the Homeless Service Center Program Manager of St. Joseph Center.  At the Homeless Service Center she supervises a staff of ten and manages all aspects of the day center, including implementing, organizing, and maintaining all systems and managing contracts.