Remembering and Appreciating the ITUP Staff on Labor Day 2022
Our very first staffer was Sepi Djavaheri; she was followed by her cousins Daphne Aghalarpour, Shoosh Djavaheri and Dora Khoubian. They were the administrative backbone of ITUP from 1996 to 2016. They helped organize our annual conferences, regional workgroups and issue workgroups around the state.
Our terrific writing and training staff began with Ari Shofet, followed by Peter Long, Van Ta, Christine Chen, Brooke Fox, Adam Dougherty, Rochelle Tuttle, Kim Dam, Abeba Habtemariam, Karen Ishikawa, Ashley Cohen, Kiwon Yoo, John Connolly, Carolina Coleman, Rebecca Howland, Vishaal Pegany, Chauntrece Washington, Marina Acosta and Lynzee Quinn.
Our workgroup and conference staff leaders over the two decades included Megan Hickey, Jolly Mannanal, Sofia Sojourner Nelson, Michelle Marciniak, Erica Pittman, Kandis Driscoll, Christina Vane, Ansony Kim, Mike Sloyan, David Yun, Jeffrey Kho, and Sara Watson.
They were a joy to work with and educated me and health policy leaders all over the state. And you helped about 5 million Californians get health coverage. I’m sure that I have left some of our wonderful staff out for which I deeply apologize as the brain cells age.