Board of Directors

Augustine C. Baca, M.P.A. (Chairperson)

Youth Development, Inc. (YDI)

An innovator and leader in community and economic development; youth development; and affordable multi-family housing, Mr. Augustine Chris Baca has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of YDI since 1973 an organization that has grown to over $100 million and 700 full-time staff. Boards and Appointments: Trustee at the UNM Mental Health Center; Chairman of the Albuquerque Family Health Care Centers; and the New Mexico Governor’s State Workforce Development Board, National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, Presidential Appointee to the Commission on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Honors: Kellogg National Leadership Fellow, a Hispanic Health Fellow. He has taught at the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico. Awards: Thomas Jefferson Award for Community Service, the Distinguished Public Administrator Award, the Martin Luther King Service Award, the Notre Dame Alumni Public Service Award; and the Albuquerque Leadership Award. Mr. Baca has an M.P.A. from the University of New Mexico.

Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Ph.D., M.P.H. (Vice Chair)

USC Keck School of Medicine 

Dr. Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati is an Associate Professor in Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC). She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Sociology. She also provides oversight and is the faculty liaison of the Patient Education and Community Outreach Center (PEOC) at the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is a co-investigator on several NIH funded grants dealing with adolescents, acculturation, drug and tobacco use, obesity and physical activity. She is the Associate Director of the USC Center of Excellence on Minority Youth. She is the Director of the Global Health Track in the Masters of Public Health Program at U.S.C.

Dr. Baezconde-Garbanati has a Ph.D. in Public Health and an M.P.H. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a M.A. in Medical Psychology from Universite Catholique de Louvain, in Belgium. She speaks multiple languages fluently, including French and Spanish.

Sheila E. Raviv, M.A. (Secretary)

Ms. Raviv is the former Managing Director, Worldwide Constituency Relations for Burson-Marsteller Washington, D.C. Over her 25-year tenure at Burson-Marsteller, Sheila Raviv successfully created broad-based coalitions, developed allies and networked with national constituency groups on behalf of Burson-Marsteller clients in fields as diverse as healthcare, consumer products, finance, telecommunications and high-tech industries, including Pfizer, Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America, and many other clients. From 1993-1995, Ms. Raviv was president and chief executive officer of Burson-Marsteller's Washington office, which is the company's worldwide public affairs headquarters. Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Ms. Raviv, a gerontologist, served as Associate Director of the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) for twelve years. Previously, she was director of research for the Ministry of Social Welfare in Israel for two years. Ms. Raviv holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Wisconsin.

John A. Cuellar, J.D. (Treasurer)

Las Tres C's Inc.

Mr. Cuellar is chairman of the board and president of Las Tres C's, Inc. in Dallas, Texas. Previously, he was senior vice president and general counsel of El Chico Restaurants, Inc. His civic activities include being a member of the board of directors of United Community Bank of Highland Village, Texas; chair of the Health Foundation for the Americas; chair of the Baylor Specialty Health Centers, Dallas . He also serves on the Texas Department on Aging and Disability Services (DADS) Council, Austin, Texas; the board of directors of the Concilio of Dallas; Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas; and YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. He is an advisory board member of the Austin College Center for Southwestern and Mexican Studies, vice chair of the Friends of the Latino Cultural Center, and a member of the Dallas Council on Ideas. Mr. Cuellar has a BBA from the University of Notre Dame, a JD from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Javier Garcia

Eli Lilly and Company

Mr. Javier Garcia is currently Eli Lilly and Company's Vice President of Business Development for the Biomedicines Business Unit. Mr. Garcia joined Eli Lilly and Company in 1988 and has held several positions with the company. Initially based in Spain as IT Director (1992-95), in 1996 Javier was appointed Information Officer – Medical & Regulatory at Lilly's Headquarters in Indianapolis, USA. During that time he lead the introduction of key technology solutions for the support of clinical trials and regulatory submissions globally. In August 2002, Mr. Garcia was appointed Information Officer - Demand IT, with global responsibilities for the Information Technology support for Sales, Marketing. Prior to this current role he also held different positions in the Sales organization in the US.

Mr. Garcia received his M.B.A. from the "Universidad de Comillas (Madrid)" in 1990, and holds a Bachelor on Statistics and Operation Research by the Universidad Complutense, Madrid.

Lester Martínez-López, M.D., M.P.H.

Brandon Regional Hospital

Dr. Martínez-López is the Chief Medical Officer of the Brandon Regional Hospital in Brandon, Florida. Previously he was Senior Vice President & Administrator of Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital Houston, Texas. In 2005 he retired from the Army with the permanent rank of Major General. Dr. Martínez joined the active Army in 1978 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Awards: Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, and Senior Flight Surgeon Badge. Dr. Martínez-López earned his MD from the University of Puerto Rico and his M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University. He is a diplomat of the American Board of Family Practice and the American Board of Preventive Medicine. Major General Martínez is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice.

Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.A.

Engelberg Center for Healthcare Reform

Mark B. McClellan, M.P.A., M.D., Ph.D., is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Engelberg Center for Healthcare Reform, and Leonard D. Schaeffer Director's Chair in Health Policy at the Brookings Institution. He is the former administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Since 1995 Dr. McClellan has been an associate professor of economics and of medicine at Stanford University. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and National Bureau of Economic Research. Previously he was a national fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University; director, Program on Health Outcomes Research, Center for Health Policy and Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research, Stanford University; associate editor, Journal of Health Economics, 1998-2001; and deputy assistant secretary for Economic Policy, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Dr. McClellan holds a Ph.D. in economics from the MIT, an M.D. from Harvard University-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Division of Health Sciences and Technology, an M.P.A. from Harvard University.

Enrique Méndez, M.D.

Dr. Méndez is a partner in Edward Martin and Associates, a consulting firm to the health care industry in Arlington, Virginia. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps for 28 years, retiring in the permanent rank of Major General in 1983. He entered the Army as a first lieutenant, general medical officer, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine. Dr. Méndez returned to his native Puerto Rico to become, first Dean, and later Dean and President of the Ponce School of Medicine. He then served as medical Director of the Damas Hospital in Ponce before becoming Secretary of Health of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. He served as Assistant Secretary of Defense in Washington, DC from March 1990 until January of 1993. From April 1993 to October of 1994 he was a Special Consultant to Booz Allen and Hamilton in McLean, Virginia. Dr. Mendez is a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico (1951), the Stritch School of Medicine of Loyola University (1954) and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

Emad Rizk, M.D.

McKesson Health Solutions

Dr. Emad Rizk is the President of McKesson Health Solutions, a division of McKesson Corporation, a Fortune 18 company. In the past 10 years, Dr. Emad Rizk has put his energies into creating a disease management model that moves beyond telephonic communication to an on-the-ground, more comprehensive model. In 2008, Modern Physician named Dr. Rizk as one of the nation's "50 Most Powerful Physician Executives." He serves on the DMAA board of directors and is a past vice-chairman of the National Clinical Advisory Board. In addition, he has published articles on a variety of healthcare topics. Prior to joining McKesson, Dr. Rizk served as the lead partner and global director, medical management/pharmacy for Deloitte Consulting nationally.

Cynthia A. Telles, Ph.D.

Spanish Speaking Psychosocial Clinic of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital

Cynthia Ann Telles, Ph.D., is the Director of the Spanish Speaking Psychosocial Clinic of the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital. She is on the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and holds an academic appointment at Texas Tech University. Dr. Telles is on the board of General Motors, Kaiser Health Plan and Hospitals (National), Americas United Bank, Pitzer College, the Music Center of Los Angeles, and the California Community Foundation. She served on the board of Sanwa Bank California until it was acquired. Since 1990, Dr. Telles has served as a Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles and was elected Vice President of the City Ethics Commission. The Board of Supervisors from 1991-1993 appointed Telles Commissioner for the County of Los Angeles. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Boston University.

Gail Wilensky, Ph.D.

Project HOPE

Gail Wilensky is an economist and a senior fellow at Project HOPE, an international health foundation. Her focus has been on strategies to reform health care, with particular emphasis in recent years on Medicare, comparative effectiveness research and military health care. Dr. Wilensky serves as a trustee of the Combined Benefits Fund of the United Mine Workers of America and the National Opinion Research Center, is on the Board of Regents of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) and the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Medical and Dental Schools. She recently served as president of the Defense Health Board, a Federal advisory board to the Secretary of Defense, was a commissioner on the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health and co-chaired the Dept. of Defense Task Force on the Future of Military Health Care. She was the Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (now called CMS) from 1990-92 and the chair of MedPAC from 1997-2001.

She is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine and has served two terms on its governing council. She is a former chair of the board of directors of Academy Health, a former trustee of the American Heart Association and a current or former director of numerous other non-profit organizations. She is also a director on several corporate boards. Dr. Wilensky testifies frequently before Congressional committees, serves as an advisor to members of Congress and other elected officials, and speaks nationally and internationally. She received a bachelor's degree in psychology and a Ph.D. in economics at the University of Michigan and has received several honorary degrees.

James E. Williams, Jr.

Easter Seals

Jim Williams is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Easter Seals Headquarters (Chicago, IL). He became president and chief executive officer of Easter Seals in June 1990, shortly before the signing of the American with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990. Under Williams’ leadership, Easter Seals has become the nation’s largest service provider for children and adults living with autism and other disabilities, with new program sites, service offerings for more than 1.3 million individuals, and revenues of almost $1 billion. Mr. Williams began his career with Easter Seals in 1970 in Maine, where he was responsible for program development.

Mr. Williams currently serves as Chairman of the National Health Council and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Institute for Philanthropy. He has served on the boards of the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, the JM Foundation Search for Excellence, the National Foundation for Dentistry for People with Disabilities, the Montessori School of Lake Forest, and the Missouri Commission on Comprehensive Health Planning. Mr. Williams earned his master’s degree from the University of Missouri, with a major in Communications/Speech Pathology and Audiology and received his bachelor’s degree in Speech and Communications from Harding College. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by the University of New England.