Board Members
Co-Chairs
The Honorable Robert D. Ray, J.D., (R-IA), Former Governor of Iowa
Robert D. Ray is the recipient of the Des Moines Register's first Iowa Star Award in recognition for outstanding community involvement. He was named "Most Influential Iowan" at the turn of the century. He has also been the recipient of the "National Volunteer Award".
An Iowa native, Ray served an unprecedented five terms as Governor of Iowa, from 1969 to 1983. He was Iowa Republican State Chairman, Chairman of the Republican State Chairmen, and a member of the Republican National Committee. He was Chairman of the National Governors' Association, Midwestern Governors' Association, Republican Governors' Association, President of the Council of State Governments, Chairman of the Educational Commission of the States, and a number of other national organizations. In addition, Ray has been a U.S. Representative to the United Nations.
Following his career as Governor, Ray became President and Chief Executive Officer of Life Investors, Inc., now known as AEGON, Inc., a major insurance and financial services company. He next joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, nka Wellmark, as President and CEO. An attorney, Ray was a partner in a Des Moines law firm, Lawyer, Lawyer, Ray and Crouch, for fourteen years before being elected Governor. At one time, Ray and his wife, Billie, were owners of KILR and WMT Radio Stations.
An Army veteran, Ray earned degrees in Business Administration and Law from Drake University. He holds the Order of Coif distinction and is the recipient of honorary degrees from seventeen colleges and universities. He is a trustee for the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. Ray was a member of the Iowa Business Council and served on the boards of directors of The Maytag Corporation, AEGON USA, Norwest Bank (nka Wells Fargo) and Alliant Energy. He also served on the national board of the Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) and NASDA Corporate Board.
Ray was Chairman of the Board of Trustees and then became President of Drake University. He filled an interim term as Mayor of Des Moines. Ray is actively involved in national health care issues, continuing to serve as co-chair of the National Leadership Coalition on Health Care. He was a member of the U.S. Surgeon General's Task Force on Mental Health and is on the Carter Center's Mental Health Advisory Board. Ray chaired the Advisory Committee on Rural Health for the DHS and Congress and was a member of the President's Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry.
Ray was Chairman of the Iowa Sesquicentennial Commission. He is currently Chairman of the Institute for Character Development, focused on civility and character development in Iowa, and Chairman of the Iowa Child Project. He is also a member of the boards of Keep Iowa Beautiful and Iowa Games. In addition, he has served on the Des Moines Public Arts Commission and is a member of the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars. He has received numerous awards for charitable and civic activities, including the Variety Club of Iowa's Humanitarian Award, the Meredith Willson Heritage Award, the Central Iowa Philanthropy Award, and Drake University's Distinguished Service Award. He has been inducted into the Iowa Insurance Hall of Fame, the Business Hall of Achievement and the Business Hall of Fame. He also chaired the Greater Des Moines Committee.
He was a leader in the United States in the resettlement of refugees. He is credited with the founding of Iowa Sister States, and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, among a number of other organizations.He and his wife, Billie, were honorary chairs of the 2002 Variety Club Telethon.
Ray and his wife, Billie, live in Des Moines. They have three daughters and eight grandchildren.
The Honorable Robert W. Edgar, (D-PA), Former Member of Congress; President and CEO, Common Cause
In May 2007, Bob Edgar was named president and CEO of Common Cause, a national nonpartisan, non-profit "citizens" lobby working to make government at all levels more honest, open and accountable, and to connect citizens with their democracy.
Bob arrived at Common Cause with a long history of leadership and public service that included 12 years in Congress. He was the general secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA for seven years immediately before arriving at Common Cause.
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974 to represent the Seventh Congressional District of Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, Bob was part of the congressional class nicknamed "the Watergate babies," those elected in the wake of the Watergate scandal and who led sweeping reforms of Congress.
During six terms in the US House, Bob led efforts to improve public transportation, fought wasteful water projects and authored the community Right to Know provision of Super Fund legislation. He also served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations that investigated the deaths of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and President John F. Kennedy.
Bob ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 1986 against now Sen. Arlen Specter. That race fueled his frustration with the undue influence of money in politics and he became an active supporter of clean elections and campaign finance reform, issues that have long been Common Cause's hallmark. He served on Common Cause's National Governing Board for several years before becoming President of the organization.
Under Bob's leadership, Common Cause is championing a number of critical issues and reforms, including the public funding of political campaigns at all levels, election reforms that make voting more accurate, secure and accessible, improved ethics at all levels of government and a diverse and open media. One of Bob's first actions as president of Common Cause was to call for the resignation and then impeachment of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for politicizing the Justice Department and failing to serve the public interest.
An active volunteer, Bob sits on the boards of several organizations, including Independent Sector, which was also founded by Common Cause's founder, John Gardner, Families USA and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.
Bob received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College, Williamsport, Pa., and a master of divinity degree from the Theological School of Drew University, Madison, N.J. He has also been president of the Claremont School of Theology. He holds five honorary doctoral degrees.
Bob is the author of "Middle Church," a call to progressive people of faith to take back the moral high ground from the right-wing extremists and make America a better and less divided country.
In May 2007, Bob Edgar was named president and CEO of Common Cause, a national nonpartisan, non-profit "citizens" lobby working to make government at all levels more honest, open and accountable, and to connect citizens with their democracy.
Bob arrived at Common Cause with a long history of leadership and public service that included 12 years in Congress. He was the general secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA for seven years immediately before arriving at Common Cause.
Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974 to represent the Seventh Congressional District of Pennsylvania, outside of Philadelphia, Bob was part of the congressional class nicknamed "the Watergate babies," those elected in the wake of the Watergate scandal and who led sweeping reforms of Congress.
During six terms in the US House, Bob led efforts to improve public transportation, fought wasteful water projects and authored the community Right to Know provision of Super Fund legislation. He also served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations that investigated the deaths of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and President John F. Kennedy.
Bob ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 1986 against now Sen. Arlen Specter. That race fueled his frustration with the undue influence of money in politics and he became an active supporter of clean elections and campaign finance reform, issues that have long been Common Cause's hallmark. He served on Common Cause's National Governing Board for several years before becoming President of the organization.
Under Bob's leadership, Common Cause is championing a number of critical issues and reforms, including the public funding of political campaigns at all levels, election reforms that make voting more accurate, secure and accessible, improved ethics at all levels of government and a diverse and open media. One of Bob's first actions as president of Common Cause was to call for the resignation and then impeachment of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales for politicizing the Justice Department and failing to serve the public interest.
An active volunteer, Bob sits on the boards of several organizations, including Independent Sector, which was also founded by Common Cause's founder, John Gardner, Families USA and the National Religious Partnership for the Environment.
Bob received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College, Williamsport, Pa., and a master of divinity degree from the Theological School of Drew University, Madison, N.J. He has also been president of the Claremont School of Theology. He holds five honorary doctoral degrees.
Bob is the author of "Middle Church," a call to progressive people of faith to take back the moral high ground from the right-wing extremists and make America a better and less divided country.
Board of Directors
Henry E. Simmons, Founder and President Emeritus
Henry Simmons, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., served as president of the National Coalition on Health Care from the organization's inception in 1990 through 2009. In January 2010, he assumed the title President Emeritus. The Coalition is the nation's largest and most broadly representative alliance working to improve America's health care system.
Earlier in his career, Dr. Simmons held a variety of distinguished posts in both the public and private sectors. During the Nixon and Ford administrations, Dr. Simmons served as deputy assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW), director of the Office of Professional Standards Review at HEW, and director of the Bureau of Drugs at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). President Reagan appointed Dr. Simmons as one of two physician members to serve on the Grace Commission.
Following his federal service, Dr. Simmons became a senior vice president at the J. Walter Thompson Company. Dr. Simmons has also held the posts of president and chief executive officer of the Hunterdon Medical Center, Flemington, New Jersey, as well as senior vice president and director of the Health Care Division of Sears World Trade, Inc. In addition, Dr. Simmons was director of the Health and Medical Consulting Division at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company.
Dr. Simmons has been associated with numerous universities and medical centers across the country. He was appointed visiting research professor at the George Washington University School of Business and Government; served as faculty member and consultant in rheumatic diseases and internal medicine at Tufts New England Medical Center; professor of community and family medicine at Rutgers University School of Medicine; assistant clinical professor of medicine at Georgetown University; and associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine.
Throughout his career, Dr. Simmons has testified before the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. Dr. Simmons has received frequent recognition for his service in both the private and public sectors. Among his honors have been the FDA Award of Merit, the HEW Certificate of Merit, and the Annual Oliver Wendell Holmes Society Lectureship.
Dr. Simmons received undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Pittsburgh and a Master of Public Health degree from Harvard University.
Ralph G. Neas, President and CEO, National Coalition on Health Care and NCHC Action Fund
Over the past three decades, Ralph has compiled an extraordinary track record of collaborative leadership, coalition building, bipartisan legislative accomplishments, legal advocacy, effective communications and organizing campaigns.
Ralph began his public service career as Chief Counsel to Republican U.S. Senators Edward W. Brooke (1973-1978) and Dave Durenberger (1979-1980). From 1981 through 1995, he served as Executive Director of the nonpartisan Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the nation's oldest, largest, and most diverse coalition (185 national organizations).
At LCCR, Ralph directed two dozen successful national campaigns that strengthened every major civil rights law, in a political climate not particularly hospitable to civil rights. Landmark laws enacted, with huge bipartisan majorities and many times with the help of the business community, include the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988, the 1988 Fair Housing Act Amendments, the Japanese American Civil Liberties Act, and the 1982 Voting Rights Act Extension. Senator Edward Kennedy, in a 1995 Senate floor statement, described Ralph as the "101st Senator for Civil Rights."
As President of the nonpartisan People For the American Way and People For the American Way Foundation (1999-2007), Ralph increased the number of members and supporters of People For from 275,000 to more than one million. He was a national leader in the efforts to preserve an independent and fair judiciary and to fight far-right attempts to reverse seven decades of social justice progress. In addition, he helped put together partnerships and lead coalitions to recruit and manage 25,000 volunteers for the non-partisan and nationally recognized Election Protection program (to help ensure every vote counts), to direct nonpartisan PFAWF programs that registered 525,000 African American and Latino voters in three years, to block a permanent and massive tax cut, to enact the 2006 Voting Rights Act Extension, to amend the USA Patriot Act, and to defend and reform our nation’s public schools.
Ralph is a consistent presence in the national media, interviewed regularly by the major TV, radio and print media, including: CBS’s Face the Nation, ABC's Nightline; CBS’s Sunday Morning; NBC's Today Show, ABC's This Week; PBS Lehrer News Hour; the nightly news shows of ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, and Fox; National Public Radio; cable television and radio talk shows; and prominent national, regional and local newspapers (including the Washington Post, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press and USA Today.) In October of 1987, Ralph was named ABC’s “Person of the Week” for his work on the Bork nomination.
Ralph is the author of over thirty-five published articles, op-eds, and commentaries in national media outlets, including the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Houston Chronicle, The Nation, National Public Radio, USA Today Magazine, and Roll Call.
He has been profiled in the New York Times, in the Washington Post, in the Wall Street Journal, and in many other media entities including: USA Today, Congressional Quarterly, The New Republic, the Washington Star, the Legal Times, the Associated Press, and The Baltimore Sun. Ralph has also been profiled in a number of books including: The Second Civil War (Ronald Brownstein), Giant Killers (Michael Pertschuk), The Battle for Justice (Ethan Bronner), and The People Rising (Michael Pertschuk).
He has been honored by organizations representing the spectrum of issues to which he has devoted his career, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award from LCCR; the Benjamin Hooks "Keeper of the Flame" Award from the national NAACP; the Public Service Achievement Award from Common Cause; the Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; the "National Good Guy Award" from the National Women's Political Caucus; the Isaiah Award for the Pursuit of Justice from the American Jewish Committee; the Flag Bearer Award from Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG); the Edison Uno Memorial Civil Rights Award from the Japanese-American Citizens' League; the University of Chicago Alumni Public Service Citation; "Citizen of the Year" from the Guillian-Barre Syndrome Foundation International; and named in 2004 one of Vanity Fair’s "Best Stewards of the Environment." In May of 2008, the national Legal Times designated Ralph one of the 30 "Champions of the Law" over the past three decades.
On September 29th, Ralph received, along with Senator Arlen Specter, Cornel West, and Representative Debbie Wasserman Shultz, the “Survivor Eagle Fly Free” Award from the Institute for the Advancement of Multicultural and Minority Medicine.
Ralph, a native of Brookline, Massachusetts, earned his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. Ralph has taught courses on the legislative process at the University of Chicago Law School, Georgetown University Law Center, and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
Grace Mastalli, Secretary; Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, National Coalition on Health Care
Grace L. Mastalli is the co-founder and president of Ethos International, Inc. which she co-founded in 2007 following an extensive federal career, primarily in the U.S. Department of Justice. During her federal service, Ms. Mastalli had the distinction of serving six Attorneys General and of becoming one of the highest ranking career officials not only of the Justice Department but also of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In the Justice Department she held three of the most senior positions available to non-Presidential appointees--Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Associate Deputy Attorney General, and Deputy Associate Attorney General.
Post 9/11, Ms. Mastalli served the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from where, as the highest ranking career official in the Office of the General Counsel, she helped to manage the work of the more than 1700 lawyers serving the new 180,000 person agency and directed the Information Sharing and Collaboration Office.
During her career, Ms. Mastalli was instrumental in the development of many federal laws, policies, and regulations related to education, civil rights, disability rights, employment, crime and drug control, health care fraud, terrorism, national security, and information management. She served in a number of other key operational and policy positions, including as Associate Director of an education association’s Title IX project, legislative strategist for an education coalition, a trial attorney, legal advisor for a Presidential Advisory Council and as the Senior Counsel for Civil Rights in the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). At Justice, she was tapped to become one of the youngest members of the career Senior Executive Service, serving as a deputy first in the Associate Attorney General’s Office and then successively in the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, Office of Policy Development, Office of the Deputy Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, and Foreign Terrorism Tracking Task Force.
For more than a quarter-century at the Justice Department, she managed a broad portfolio of strategic legal policy issues, including criminal justice, environmental and civil rights matters. She specialized in coordinating interagency and public/private sector teams of lawyers and subject matter specialists to better represent client agencies and officials before the United States Congress, regulatory bodies, the media, public interest groups and business organizations. She participated on and chaired numerous interagency task forces, including coordinating the Department’s District of Columbia Revitalization efforts from 1997-2001. Ms. Mastalli has served on and advised numerous intergovernmental advisory boards and working groups. She has testified before Congressional committees and addressed many trade and professional organizations, frequently appearing as an organizational spokesperson.
Ms. Mastalli attended Reed College, the University of Denver, University of Maryland College of Law, and Georgetown University Graduate School of Government. She is an active Member of the Bar of the District of Columbia and serves as an adjunct professor at American University.
Frank Carlucci, Chairman Emeritus, The Carlyle Group
Mr. Carlucci has been a Managing Director of Carlyle since 1989, Chairman since 1993 and Chairman Emeritus since January 2003. Mr. Carlucci was Secretary of Defense from November 1987 through January 1989, following his service as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs under President Reagan. Before serving in these positions, Mr. Carlucci was Chairman and CEO of Sears World Trade, a business he joined in 1983. Mr. Carlucci preceded his affiliation with Sears World Trade, Inc. with a career in government service, which included Deputy Secretary of Defense (1980-82), Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (1978-80), U.S. Ambassador to Portugal (1975-78), Under Secretary of Health Education and Welfare (1973-75), Deputy Director of OMB (1970-72), and Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity (1969). Mr. Carlucci was a Foreign Service Officer from 1956 to 1980 and he served as an officer in the U.S. Navy from 1952 to 1954.
Mr. Carlucci is Chairman Emeritus of Nortel Networks, the US-Taiwan Business Council and Neurogen Corporation Board of Directors. Mr. Carlucci serves as a member of the corporate boards for SunResorts, Ltd., N.V., Stewart & Stevenson, Bando de Caribe and ENNIA. Additionally, Mr. Carlucci serves as a member of the not for profit boards of Population Services International (PSI), University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Board of Visitors, Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) and Citizen’s Network of Foreign Affairs.
Among Mr. Carlucci's awards and honours are the Herbert Roback Memorial Award, 1989; George C. Marshall Award, 1989; Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, University of Scranton, 1989; Woodrow Wilson Award, 1988; James Forrestal Award, 1988; Presidential Citizens Award, 1983; National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, 1981; Distinguished Intelligence Medal, 1981; Defense Department Distinguished Civilian Service Award, 1977; Health, Education and Welfare Distinguished Civilian Service Award, 1975; and State Department Superior Service Award, 1971.
Mr. Carlucci, born October 18, 1930, graduated from Princeton University and attended Harvard Business School. He is married to the former Marcia Myers, and has three children: Frank, Karen and Kristin.
Mr. Carlucci is Chairman Emeritus of Nortel Networks, the US-Taiwan Business Council and Neurogen Corporation Board of Directors. Mr. Carlucci serves as a member of the corporate boards for SunResorts, Ltd., N.V., Stewart & Stevenson, Bando de Caribe and ENNIA. Additionally, Mr. Carlucci serves as a member of the not for profit boards of Population Services International (PSI), University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Board of Visitors, Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) and Citizen’s Network of Foreign Affairs.
Among Mr. Carlucci's awards and honours are the Herbert Roback Memorial Award, 1989; George C. Marshall Award, 1989; Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree, University of Scranton, 1989; Woodrow Wilson Award, 1988; James Forrestal Award, 1988; Presidential Citizens Award, 1983; National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal, 1981; Distinguished Intelligence Medal, 1981; Defense Department Distinguished Civilian Service Award, 1977; Health, Education and Welfare Distinguished Civilian Service Award, 1975; and State Department Superior Service Award, 1971.
Mr. Carlucci, born October 18, 1930, graduated from Princeton University and attended Harvard Business School. He is married to the former Marcia Myers, and has three children: Frank, Karen and Kristin.
Bill Crist, Emeritus Professor of Economics, California State University
Dr. William Crist (Bill) is an Emeritus Professor of Economics at California State University, Stanislaus, where he served as Professor of Economics from 1969 through his retirement in January, 2003. He was Chair of the university's Department of Economics from 1986 to 1990. He also served the CSU as the University’s Corporate and Foreign Education Liaison from 2000 to 2003.
Dr. Crist was an elected member of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) Board of Administration from 1987 to 2003. He served as President of CalPERS and Chairman of the Board of Administration from 1992 until his retirement from the Board in January, 2003. He served on every standing committee of the CalPERS Board during his tenure. CalPERS is the largest public pension fund in the United States.
Bill has served as Co-Chair of the U.S. Council of Institutional Investors, and as a member of the Council's Executive Committee. He was a founding member of the International Corporate Governance Network and served as a member of the ICGN Board of Governors.
Bill is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Pacific Pension Institute. He serves on a number of other advisory boards in both the public and the private sector, and on corporate boards in the US and in Europe. He has written numerous articles on retirement and health system administration, corporate governance and public sector collective bargaining.
During his academic career Dr. Crist was the founding President of the California Faculty Association, which is the exclusive representative of more that 25,000 university faculty members in California. He served as President and Chairman of the CFA Board from 1976 to 1985. Dr Crist holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Nebraska.
George Diehr, Board Member, California Public Employees' Retirement System
George Diehr is professor of management science in the College of Business Administration, California State University, San Marcos. He holds MBA and PhD degrees from the Graduate School of Management, UCLA. Prior to his service at CSU San Marcos, he was a tenured professor at the University of Washington.
At California State University, San Marcos he has served as chair of the academic senate, president of the faculty union, and held administrative positions in its college of business including associate dean, interim dean, and director of the MBA program.
Professor Diehr’s teaching and research are in the areas of data base management and data analysis/statistics. He has published numerous papers and authored several books in these areas.
In November 2002, he was elected to the Board of Administration of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System where he represents some 250,000 state employees. He currently serves as chair of the board’s Health Benefits Committee and as vice chair of its Investment Committee.
Israel L. Gaither, National Commander, The Salvation Army
Commissioner Israel Gaither is one of five children and the only son born to the Rev. Israel L. Gaither, Sr and Lillian Gaither. The Commissioner was born and raised in New Castle, Pennsylvania.
Commissioner Eva Gaither, Commissioner Israel Gaither’s wife, is a fifth generation Salvationist. She is also one of five children, born in Sidney, Ohio to Richard and Merle Shue.
On their graduation from the Army’s School for Officers Training in June, 1964 - Israel and Eva were ordained and commissioned as Salvation Army officers (clergy). For over 40 years their service in the Army has taken them around the world. In addition to the USA the Commissioners have lived in Africa and the United Kingdom.
They have served - individually and jointly - numerous leadership positions – including pastors of Salvation Army corps (congregations) in Aliquippa, Erie and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as well as in Brooklyn New York’s Bedford-Stuyvesant.
Their more than four decades of ministry has impacted the Salvation Army’s work in 111 countries and significantly so in Africa, England and the United States. Most of their trips to over 30 countries, with more than 50 visits to Salvation Army territories, occurred during the time of leadership service at the Army’s International Headquarters in London.
In November 2002 Commissioner Israel Gaither was appointed to serve as the Salvation Army’s Chief of the Staff, the first African-American to hold the position since the founding of the organization in 1865. As the organizations chief executive officer, the Commissioner served as second-in-command of the worldwide organization. During that period Commissioner Eva Gaither served as the World Secretary for Women’s Ministries – an executive responsibility for the advancing of women in developed and developing sectors of the world. Both of these administrative positions were served at the Salvation Army’s International Headquarters.
Described as an efficient administrator and gifted speaker – the Commissioner is a much sought after preacher having addressed thousands of Salvationists and Christians worldwide. Commissioner Eva has served as guest presenter and speaker for a variety of women’s programs.
Described as an efficient administrator and gifted speaker – the Commissioner is a much sought after preacher having addressed thousands of Salvationists and Christians worldwide. Commissioner Eva has served as guest presenter and speaker for a variety of women’s programs.
Among his varied leadership accomplishments, Commissioner Israel, as an African-American, in addition to serving as the Chief of the Staff, has obtained many ‘firsts’ in Salvation Army history. He is the first to be conferred with the rank of commissioner, the highest that can be achieved in the organization.
The Commissioner is also the first African-American to serve as a divisional commander; having served with Commissioner Eva as divisional leaders in Southern New England followed by a similar appointment in Western Pennsylvania. These were followed by their appointments to several key territorial assignments for the Army’s USA Eastern Territory encompassing 11 northeastern states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The Gaither’s marriage in 1967 - during the turbulence of the African–American civil rights era - marked the first racially integrated marriage of Salvation Army Officers in the USA.
Prior to being appointed to lead The Salvation Army in the USA Eastern Territory with headquarters in New York, the Gaithers served a similar capacity as the Territorial Leaders of the Army’s work in Southern Africa. They received those appointments in January 1999 marking the first time for the appointing of an African-American Salvation Army Officer outside of the USA. In their respective roles as Territorial Commander and Territorial President of Women’s Ministries, they gave oversight to the extensive work from its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa. The work under their charge included the countries of South Africa and Mozambique; the Kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland and the Army’s ministry on the island of St. Helena.
The key administrative leadership appointments in New York and Johannesburg were historic as Commissioner Gaither was again the first African-American to serve in these top posts.
On May 1, 2006 the Gaithers assumed the key executive leadership assignments of National Commander and National President of Women’s Ministries for the United States of America. Commissioner Gaither is the first African-American to serve in this distinguished assignment.
The Army’s USA Eastern Territory commissioned the writing of the biography of Commissioner Israel Gaither. It is the story of the remarkable Christian leadership journey of the Commissioner and his wife, written by the extensively published author (Colonel) Henry Gariepy, author of 25 books.
Among the honors received by Commissioner Israel for his global leadership and ministry are honorary doctorates: Doctor of Humane Letters (May 2005) from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky and Doctor of Divinity (May 2008) from Taylor University in Upland, Indiana; being named in the San Francisco Examiner as one of the ‘Top Ten Communicators’ in 2006; and recognition by Dominion and the Dominion Foundation as one of nine African-American Leaders to receive the Excellence in Leadership: Strong Men and Women Award (2008).
The Gaithers have two children – Michele Gaither Sparks who holds a B.A. and M.A. from Asbury College. She serves as the Director of Communications at the Gatton College of Business and Economics, the University of Kentucky. Their son Mark, founder of JAWS Marketing, is also head varsity basketball coach at Bethel Park High School, Bethel Park, Pennsylvania and holds a B.S. degree from Asbury College and a M.A. from Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh, PA.
Three grandchildren are the joys of the Gaithers’ life: Isaiah Highland Sparks and Matthew Israel Gaither and Virginia Marie Gaither.
Cheryl G. Healton, President and CEO, American Legacy Foundation
Following the creation of the American Legacy Foundation in 1999, Dr. Cheryl Healton joined the staff as the first president and chief executive officer of this groundbreaking public health nonprofit, created by the historic Master Settlement Agreement between 46 state attorneys general, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry. Dr. Healton was selected for this important post following a nationwide search and has worked tirelessly to further the foundation’s ambitious mission: to build a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. During her tenure with the foundation, she has guided the highly acclaimed, national youth tobacco prevention counter-marketing campaign, truth®, that has been credited in part with reducing youth smoking prevalence to its current 28-year low.
Although her current focus is aimed at reducing the deadly toll of tobacco on Americans, Dr. Healton‘s long and dynamic career in the field of public health has earned her national recognition and praise. The recipient of numerous prestigious awards, she has recently been honored with the American Lung Association’s Life and Breath Award in 2003; with the 2003 Social Justice Award from the State of Hawaii; and has been named “Star” honoree for the 2004 New York Women’s Agenda (NYWA) Star Breakfast - a gala where the NYWA honors outstanding women who represent the spirit of New York, who provide leadership in business and in the community, and who are role models for other women.
Dr. Healton holds a doctorate from Columbia University's School of Public Health and a master's degree in Public Administration at New York University for health policy and planning. She joined the American Legacy Foundation from Columbia University's Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health in New York, where she served as Head of the Division of Socio-medical Sciences and Associate Dean for Program Development.
A thought-provoking public speaker, Dr. Healton has given a multitude of presentations around the world. Considered bold, inspirational and humorous, she is a frequent commentator in national and local broadcast and print news coverage regarding tobacco control issues, which include guest appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America; CNN’s Larry King Live; NBC’s Today, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, National Public Radio and more.
Although her current focus is aimed at reducing the deadly toll of tobacco on Americans, Dr. Healton‘s long and dynamic career in the field of public health has earned her national recognition and praise. The recipient of numerous prestigious awards, she has recently been honored with the American Lung Association’s Life and Breath Award in 2003; with the 2003 Social Justice Award from the State of Hawaii; and has been named “Star” honoree for the 2004 New York Women’s Agenda (NYWA) Star Breakfast - a gala where the NYWA honors outstanding women who represent the spirit of New York, who provide leadership in business and in the community, and who are role models for other women.
Dr. Healton holds a doctorate from Columbia University's School of Public Health and a master's degree in Public Administration at New York University for health policy and planning. She joined the American Legacy Foundation from Columbia University's Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health in New York, where she served as Head of the Division of Socio-medical Sciences and Associate Dean for Program Development.
A thought-provoking public speaker, Dr. Healton has given a multitude of presentations around the world. Considered bold, inspirational and humorous, she is a frequent commentator in national and local broadcast and print news coverage regarding tobacco control issues, which include guest appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America; CNN’s Larry King Live; NBC’s Today, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, National Public Radio and more.
John H. McArthur, Treasurer; Dean Emeritus, Harvard Business School
John H. McArthur was Dean of the Faculty, Harvard Business School, from 1980 through 1995. He was a member of the Harvard Business School faculty from 1962, where he taught courses in corporate finance and related fields in several school programs while also engaging in research and course development in Europe and North America. In 1973, McArthur was appointed the Sylvan C. Coleman Professor of Financial Management, and in 1980, the George F. Baker Professor of Business Administration. From 1996 to 2005 he served as Senior Advisor to the President of The World Bank.
A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, McArthur earned the Bachelor of Commerce degree in Forestry from the University of British Columbia in 1957. At the Harvard Business School, he completed the MBA degree in 1959 and earned a doctorate there in business administration in 1963. He has held numerous corporate directorships, committee memberships, and consulting posts in business, government, education and health care organizations around the world over the decades. He has served in numerous roles over the years for the Mayor of the City of Boston. For many years, he served as chair of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Following the affiliation of Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospital, he was founding Co-chair of the Board of Trustees of Partners HealthCare System, Inc. He is currently a director the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (Chairman); Bell Canada; Bell Canada Enterprises; the Center for Surgery and Public Health at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston; Development Gateway; Duke University Health System; e-Rewards; Koç Holdings, A.S., Istanbul; Reuters Founders Share Trust Company Limited, London; and Telesat Canada.
McArthur has also served on the boards of overseers of several other organizations including The Anti-Defamation League; Brandeis International Business School; Canada 2020; Fondation Jean Monnet pour L’Europe, Lausanne, Switzerland; International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland; Koç University, Istanbul; National Coalition on Health Care; The Netherlands School of Business, Nijenrode; Nomura School of Finance and Business Studies, Japan; Partners In Health; Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan; and both the Graduate School and the Business School of the University of British Columbia.
McArthur has received Distinguished Alumni awards from Burnaby South High School and the University of British Columbia. He has also been awarded honorary doctorates from Middlebury College, Queens University, Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Navarra in Spain, and he is an Honorary Citizen of the town of Remauville in France.. Other awards have included a Management Achievement Award, McGill University; Harvard Statesman Award, from the Harvard Business School Club in New York; and a Canadian Business Leadership Award, from the combined HBS Clubs of Canada. He was named as a Lifetime Trustee at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 1996. The John and Netilia McArthur University Professorship was established at Harvard University in 1997. McArthur Hall was dedicated at Harvard Business School in 1999 in recognition of his contributions at Harvard University. And a group of Canadian HBS alumni announced the creation of the John H. McArthur Canadian Fellowship program in 2002.
A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, McArthur earned the Bachelor of Commerce degree in Forestry from the University of British Columbia in 1957. At the Harvard Business School, he completed the MBA degree in 1959 and earned a doctorate there in business administration in 1963. He has held numerous corporate directorships, committee memberships, and consulting posts in business, government, education and health care organizations around the world over the decades. He has served in numerous roles over the years for the Mayor of the City of Boston. For many years, he served as chair of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Following the affiliation of Brigham and Women’s and Massachusetts General Hospital, he was founding Co-chair of the Board of Trustees of Partners HealthCare System, Inc. He is currently a director the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (Chairman); Bell Canada; Bell Canada Enterprises; the Center for Surgery and Public Health at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston; Development Gateway; Duke University Health System; e-Rewards; Koç Holdings, A.S., Istanbul; Reuters Founders Share Trust Company Limited, London; and Telesat Canada.
McArthur has also served on the boards of overseers of several other organizations including The Anti-Defamation League; Brandeis International Business School; Canada 2020; Fondation Jean Monnet pour L’Europe, Lausanne, Switzerland; International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland; Koç University, Istanbul; National Coalition on Health Care; The Netherlands School of Business, Nijenrode; Nomura School of Finance and Business Studies, Japan; Partners In Health; Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Japan; and both the Graduate School and the Business School of the University of British Columbia.
McArthur has received Distinguished Alumni awards from Burnaby South High School and the University of British Columbia. He has also been awarded honorary doctorates from Middlebury College, Queens University, Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Navarra in Spain, and he is an Honorary Citizen of the town of Remauville in France.. Other awards have included a Management Achievement Award, McGill University; Harvard Statesman Award, from the Harvard Business School Club in New York; and a Canadian Business Leadership Award, from the combined HBS Clubs of Canada. He was named as a Lifetime Trustee at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 1996. The John and Netilia McArthur University Professorship was established at Harvard University in 1997. McArthur Hall was dedicated at Harvard Business School in 1999 in recognition of his contributions at Harvard University. And a group of Canadian HBS alumni announced the creation of the John H. McArthur Canadian Fellowship program in 2002.
John Rother, Executive Vice President, Policy and Strategy, AARP
John Rother is the Executive Vice President of Policy and Strategy for AARP. He is responsible for the federal and state public policies of the Association, and for formulating AARP's overall strategic direction. He is an authority on Medicare, managed care, long-term care, Social Security, pensions and the challenges facing the boomer generation.
Prior to coming to AARP in 1984, Mr. Rother served eight years with the U.S. Senate as Special Counsel for Labor and Health to former Senator Jacob Javits (R-NY), then as Staff Director and Chief Counsel for the Special Committee on Aging under its Chairman, Senator John Heinz (R-PA).
He serves on several Boards and Commissions, including as the Chair of Generations United, and Vice-Chair of the National Quality Forum. He also serves on the boards of Pension Rights Center, the Alliance for Healthcare Reform and advisory Boards to Kaiser Permanente, Google, and several Congressional fellowships. He is a frequently quoted in the news, and regularly presents at conferences and congressional briefings.
John Rother is an honors graduate of Oberlin College and the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Law.
John Seffrin, CEO, American Cancer Society
John Seffrin has been CEO of the American Cancer Society since 1992, but his first encounter with this disease dates to his childhood. His grandmother, who was living with his family at the time, died of cancer when he was only 10 years old. He has since lost his mother to cancer, and his wife of 42 years, Carole, is a breast cancer survivor.
Dr. Seffrin has been on the frontlines of the war against cancer for many years, not only as CEO of the American Cancer Society, but also – for many years before that – as one of the Society’s roughly three million volunteers nationwide. Under his leadership, the Society has become the world’s largest voluntary health organization fighting cancer, with a billion dollars in resources to fund cancer research, advocacy, education, and service. During his tenure, Dr. Seffrin has made his organization’s voice heard in legislatures around this country and in forums worldwide. And he has not shied away from a fight, especially if the foe is the tobacco industry.
In the political realm, Dr. Seffrin has transformed the world’s largest voluntary cancer-fighting group into one of the world’s most progressive public health organizations. Under his leadership, the American Cancer Society has become a leading advocacy organization, educating lawmakers about health issues and holding them accountable to every American citizen touched by cancer.
Dr. Seffrin is active in numerous organizations. He is a past president of the Geneva-headquartered International Union Against Cancer, the first globally-oriented cancer non-governmental organization (NGO). He served as chairman of the board of Independent Sector, the largest coalition of nonprofit groups, and he helped to create the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, among his many collaborations and affiliations.
In 1999, Dr. Seffrin was selected to be a charter member of C-Change (formerly known as the National Dialogue on Cancer) Steering Committee, which is co-chaired by former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush. In 1997, he was appointed to the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine, and in 1999, he was appointed by Senator Dianne Feinstein to co-chair the National Cancer Legislation Advisory Committee. He current serves on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Secretary-level appointment.
Dr. Seffrin is a contributing author to more than one dozen books and has written more than 100 articles and other publications. He is an internationally esteemed speaker who has presented more than 100 invited lectures worldwide. Ball State University, Purdue University and Thomas Jefferson University have bestowed honorary doctorates upon him in recognition of his more than three decades of leadership in the worldwide fight against cancer.
Prior to being named the American Cancer Society’s top staff executive, Dr. Seffrin served at Indiana University as Professor of Health Education and Chairman of the Department of Applied Health Science.
Dr. Seffrin has been on the frontlines of the war against cancer for many years, not only as CEO of the American Cancer Society, but also – for many years before that – as one of the Society’s roughly three million volunteers nationwide. Under his leadership, the Society has become the world’s largest voluntary health organization fighting cancer, with a billion dollars in resources to fund cancer research, advocacy, education, and service. During his tenure, Dr. Seffrin has made his organization’s voice heard in legislatures around this country and in forums worldwide. And he has not shied away from a fight, especially if the foe is the tobacco industry.
In the political realm, Dr. Seffrin has transformed the world’s largest voluntary cancer-fighting group into one of the world’s most progressive public health organizations. Under his leadership, the American Cancer Society has become a leading advocacy organization, educating lawmakers about health issues and holding them accountable to every American citizen touched by cancer.
Dr. Seffrin is active in numerous organizations. He is a past president of the Geneva-headquartered International Union Against Cancer, the first globally-oriented cancer non-governmental organization (NGO). He served as chairman of the board of Independent Sector, the largest coalition of nonprofit groups, and he helped to create the National Center for Tobacco-Free Kids, among his many collaborations and affiliations.
In 1999, Dr. Seffrin was selected to be a charter member of C-Change (formerly known as the National Dialogue on Cancer) Steering Committee, which is co-chaired by former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush. In 1997, he was appointed to the National Cancer Policy Board of the Institute of Medicine, and in 1999, he was appointed by Senator Dianne Feinstein to co-chair the National Cancer Legislation Advisory Committee. He current serves on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a Secretary-level appointment.
Dr. Seffrin is a contributing author to more than one dozen books and has written more than 100 articles and other publications. He is an internationally esteemed speaker who has presented more than 100 invited lectures worldwide. Ball State University, Purdue University and Thomas Jefferson University have bestowed honorary doctorates upon him in recognition of his more than three decades of leadership in the worldwide fight against cancer.
Prior to being named the American Cancer Society’s top staff executive, Dr. Seffrin served at Indiana University as Professor of Health Education and Chairman of the Department of Applied Health Science.
John Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO
John J. Sweeney was elected president of the AFL-CIO at the federation's biennial convention in October 1995 and has been re-elected twice since then. At the time of his election, he was serving his fourth four-year term as president of SEIU, which grew from 625,000 to 1.1 million members under his leadership. An AFL-CIO vice president since 1980, Sweeney was born May 5, 1934, in Bronx, N.Y.
His trade union career began as a research assistant with the Ladies Garment Workers. In 1960, he joined SEIU as a contract director for New York City Local 32B. He went on to become union president and to lead two citywide strikes of apartment maintenance workers. In 1980, he was elected president of the international. Sweeney is the author of America Needs A Raise: Fighting for Economic Security and Social Justice.
John Wilson, Executive Director, NEA
John I. Wilson, a long-time special education teacher and Association leader, became executive director of the National Education Association on November 1, 2000. The nation's largest teachers union, NEA also represents education support professionals, higher education faculty, school administrators, retired educators, and education students who plan to become teachers. In all, NEA has 3.3 million members, a staff of 555, and an annual budget exceeding $300 million.
Since coming to NEA, Wilson has championed a minimum salary of $40,000 for every teacher and a living wage for Education Support Professionals (ESP). He also launched an NEA initiative to engage the best teachers in sharing ideas on staffing high-poverty, low achieving schools with the most accomplished teachers.
Wilson has chaired the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a coalition of 33 businesses and education groups that advocates for every child in America to graduate from high school with 21st century skills. The 3E Institute presented him with the Educator 500 President’s Award in 2006 for being “a true entrepreneurial educator.” Wilson has also chaired the Learning First Alliance, a partnership of 18 leading education organizations with more than 10 million members dedicated to improving student learning in America’s public schools.
Prior to assuming the highest staff position at NEA headquarters, Wilson served the Association as president and executive director of the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE). With Wilson at the helm of this NEA state affiliate, NCAE strengthened teacher training systems, professional development programs, teacher compensation, and teacher recruitment. His accomplishments include the development of new support systems for teachers pursuing certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. As a result, today North Carolina has more National Board-certified teachers and candidates than any other state. In addition, Wilson led a successful campaign that raised North Carolina teacher salaries from 43rd to 23rd in the nation, and he helped establish the North Carolina Teacher Academy, a state-funded program that provides high-quality teacher professional development.
Wilson has been an NEA activist since his days at Western Carolina University, where he served as president of the NEA student chapter. As a middle school teacher of special needs students, Wilson was an active Association leader throughout his 20-year teaching career. He served as president of the Raleigh Association of Classroom Teachers and the Wake County Association of Classroom Teachers, and also served on the NEA Board of Directors and the NEA Executive Committee.
A true North Carolinian, Wilson was born in Burlington, North Carolina. He graduated with a bachelor of science degree in education and received a master's degree in education from the University of North Carolina.
Wilson loves mystery novels and is a voracious reader. He "lives and breathes politics" and is an avid Tar Heel fan.
National Coalition on Health Care
1120 G Street, NW Suite 810, Washington, DC 20005
Tel: 202.638.7151 Fax: 202.638.7166
