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Staff Bios
ELIZABETH ABBOTT joined Health Access in January 2006. As the Director of Administrative Advocacy, she focuses on public policy and advocates on behalf of California consumers before state and federal agencies. Beginning in March 2010 she was named one of 10 national health Consumer Representatives to advise the National Association of Insurance Commissioners on the implementation of health care and insurance market reforms.
She previously served as the Regional Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that serves the states of California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the Far Pacific. She was responsible for the oversight of the Medicare and Medicaid programs, managed care plans, and the quality of care delivered in hospitals and nursing homes. The region serves over 10 million beneficiaries, and has a programmatic budget exceeding $30 billion per year.
Before CMS, she worked for the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 17 field and regional offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, and throughout California. Ms. Abbott has B.A. in psychology from the University of Redlands and has done graduate work in public administration at the University of Southern California.
BETH CAPELL, principal with Capell & Assoc., provides policy analysis, legislative advocacy, and other strategic input to Health Access and to other consumer, labor and public interest organizations on health care issues.
Ms. Capell has headed Capell & Assoc. and represented Health Access since 1996. During those years, Health Access fought for and won the HMO Patient Bill of Rights as well as expansions of health coverage, including the creation of Healthy Families.
Ms. Capell has worked in and around the state capitol since 1977, working on legislative staff, in the executive branch, and in campaign consulting. She has been a legislative advocate since 1984 working on health care issues.
Ms. Capell has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of California at Berkeley and has also served as a Visiting Scholar, research associate and teaching assistant at that campus.
NANCY MARISA GOMEZ joined the Health Access Staff in 2008 as our Southern California Regional Organizer. Educated in North and South America, she brings a cross-cultural perspective and twenty years of experience in the social/human service field. She has worked for organizations focused on pediatric AIDS, chronic illness, domestic/spousal/child abuse, and affordable housing. Most recently she served as the Director of Social Services for a service enriched affordable housing development organization serving hundreds of at-risk families, youth, children, and seniors.
A pragmatic and creative problem solver, she credits her tenacity and resourcefulness to having served in the U.S. Navy, and counting on the support of a loving and passionately opinionated family. Nancy enjoys graphic design and solving the Sunday Times crossword without assistance.
LINDA LEU, Health Care Policy Analyst, joined Health Access in 2009. Linda has worked on advocacy projects for language rights and adolescent reproductive rights. She has also worked in local government where she gained invaluable experience in the challenges of implementing programs on the ground and the need to advocate for better public policy. Linda fell in love with community organizing through volunteering with, then working for Obama for America.
Linda holds a BS in Public Health from the University of Southern California and an MPH from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. She lives in the Mission district of San Francisco surrounded by delicious food.
NANCY MORTON, our Finance Manager, has been associated with Health Access since 2001. Nancy has a consulting business that provides bookkeeping/business services for nonprofits. Prior to becoming involved with nonprofits, she worked in banking. She earned a BA in English from UCLA and has completed graduate courses in accounting and business at San Francisco State and Golden Gate University.
BRUCE OCCENA is the Project Director for our Video Medical Interpretation project, working to implement this new technology to assist patients in getting linguistically appropriate care. Working out of our Oakland office, he comes to us from running the Substance Abuse Program at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and decades of political and programmatic work.
RICK PAVICH, Director of Operations and Development, joined Health Access in 2005 with sixteen years of nonprofit experience with advocacy and political organizations. He began is career in Washington, DC, as a fundraiser for nonprofits such as Voters for Choice, the Human Rights Campaign, and World Wildlife Fund.
In 1998, Rick came to California to become the Director of Donor Relations for Lutheran Social Service of Northern California, an organization with an array of programs including ground-breaking work in San Francisco assisting homeless people living with AIDS. Prior to Health Access, he served as the Executive Director of the National AIDS Memorial Grove, a 7.5-acre memorial honoring all lives touched by AIDS, located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Rick has been credentialed as a Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) since 1997, and holds a Master of Nonprofit Administration degree from the University of San Francisco. He lives with is partner Sam and their twin mutts, Lily and Algernon.
NELLIE PRICE, Legislative and Policy Assistant, grew up in Northern California and spent the first years of college life in New York City. Returning to California after September 11, Nellie attended California State University, Chico, the same school her entire family attended, and where her grandfather taught and coached for forty years. Graduating with a degree in Journalism, an option in public relations and a minor in psychology, Nellie worked at the student-run public relations organization on campus and also for a Butte County Supervisor while in school.
After graduation, Nellie freelanced for a local newspaper before moving to Davis where she soon began working for United Stated Senator Barbara Boxer where she remained for three years. Nellie now lives in midtown Sacramento with her boyfriend and loves to cook, wine taste, and travel.
PATRICK ROMANO is our State Field Director and currently manages the campaign for California Health Care for America Now. Patrick brings over 13 years experience working as a field strategist and consultant for candidate campaigns; directing non-profit field programs at the state and national levels; and managing legislative advocacy campaigns in the states of California, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nebraska, South Dakota and Pennsylvania.
Patrick began his career working for health care reform on Proposition 186 and has worked on such issues as "Pay At The Pump" auto insurance reform, HMO Patient Bill of Rights, and the Proposition 103 Enforcement Project. He also served as Political Director for the original Progressive Legislative Action Network (PLAN) from 1995-1996, and worked on legislative staff in the California State Assembly.
Patrick earned a BA from the University of California Berkeley and an MA from the University of Pennsylvania.
JESSICA ROTHHAAR, Program Director for State-level Advocacy and Organizing, has been a lobbyist, policy advocate and community organizer for 20 years. She has worked on a broad variety of issues affecting public health, child and family well-being and community development, and has lobbied on federal, state and local budget issues in California, Washington, D.C. and London, England. Prior to joining Health Access, she ran her own consulting firm specializing in policy advocacy for nonprofits and foundations in California.
ANTHONY WRIGHT has served as Executive Director for Health Access, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition, since 2002. Health Access has been a leader in state and national efforts to fight health care budget cuts, to win consumer protections, and to advance comprehensive health reform and coverage expansions. Wright led fights to pass a first-in-the-nation law against hospital overcharging of the uninsured, and to win a prescription drug discount program despite an $80 million industry campaign against it.
Wright's background is as a consumer advocate and community organizer, and he has been widely quoted in local and national media on a range of issues. He worked for New Jersey Citizen Action, the Center for Media Education, The Nation magazine, and in Vice President Gore's office in the White House.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Wright graduated from Amherst College magna cum laude in both English and Sociology. He lives with his wife Jessica, his son Jefferson, and his two cats, Patience and Fortitude.