Board of Directors
Valdez Bravo
President
Lake OswegoValdez (he/him)
holds a Master in Healthcare Administration and a Master in Business Administration from Baylor University, along with a Bachelor in English from Portland State University. He is a Board Certified Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. Valdez also served in the Army for eight years as a medical equipment repair technician and then worked for the next 18 years at the Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2022, Valdez joined the leadership team of the Multnomah County Health Department where he currently serves as Deputy Director.
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Mark Lindgren
Secretary
CorvallisMark holds a Bachelor in Horticulture from Oregon State University and is a Corvallis area family farmer. He was previously HCAO Chair from 2001-2012, which included working on the campaign for the single payer ballot initiative Measure 23 in 2002.
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Kevin Geoffroy
TreasurerPortland
Kevin Geoffroy has been with OCHIN for 13-years. At OCHIN, Kevin is Chief of Staff and oversees corporate governance, strategic planning, marketing, corporate communications, and administrative operations. Prior to his current role, Kevin was OCHIN’s VP of EHR Operations. Kevin has over 30 years of operations and technology experience, has worked with organizations such as Sapient, Arcadia, and Innovatix, and was in the US Army Reserve for eight years. Kevin has a BS in Computer Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.
Vincent (Vinnie) Blanco
Lake OswegoVinnie Blanco went to San Diego State University as an undergrad and received a Bachelor degree in both Political Science to gain an understanding of politics and governments and in Sociology to comprehend the development, structure, and functioning of human social relationships and institutions. After graduating from SDSU, Vinnie attended Loyola University of Chicago School of Law where he successfully earned his Juris Doctorate Law Degree. After law school, Vinnie focused and sharpened his skills in Labor Relations, Business Law, Negotiations, Conflict Resolution, Collective Bargaining, and Governmental Affairs.
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Wes Brain
AshlandWes is a retired member-activist with the Service Employees International Union Local #503. He is also a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, Lane Branch. He worked as a firefighter for 16 years with Jackson County Fire District #5, followed by 16 years with Southern Oregon University providing occupational health and safety services for campus employees. He was a delegate for 15 years with the Southern Oregon Central Labor Council, who he worked with to organize Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice. For 12 years, he hosted the Brain Labor Report radio show on KSKQ, the Rogue Valley’s community radio station.
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Balinda Beltran
Vancouver WABelinda Beltran’s parents moved from Camden ,Mississippi to Portland, Oregon in 1952. Balinda is a Portland Native. Balinda attended Boise Grade School and graduated from Highland Grade School (now known as Martin Luther King Elementary). She attended Jefferson High School her Freshman and Sophomore years and before attending the newly constructed John Adams High School in 1971, where she graduated in the First Graduating Class. Balinda loves Journalism and is also interested in social studies, current events, fashion, art and poetry. She attended OSU and studied Journalism and Photography. Balinda continues to write poetry and paint Rocks for therapy.
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Sandra Coyner
AshlandDr. Coyner has a Ph.D. in History from Rutgers University. She is a retired Professor of History and Women’s Studies and was director of several university interdisciplinary academic programs. She led in unionizing marginalized faculty and promoting quality in assessment of student learning.
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Dr. Antonio (Tony) Germann
Vice President
West LinnDr. Germann received his MD from UC Davis and his Master of Public Health from Harvard University. He is a rural family medicine doctor providing care in the Woodburn and Silverton areas, practicing at Salud Medical Clinic, where his other responsibilities include Clinical Medical Director.
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Mary Lou Hennrich
PortlandMary Lou holds both a Master and Bachelor in Nursing from University of Portland. She has served Oregonians in a career of public health and healthcare advocacy for more than 40 years. She began as a public health nurse for Multnomah County Health Department and rose through a variety of leadership positions including managing or creating programs related to maternal-child health, health promotion and community-based primary care. In 1985, she implemented Oregon’s first School-Based Health Clinic at Portland’s Roosevelt High School. She was the founding CEO of CareOregon (1994-2003). She then served as Director of the Oregon Public Health Institute, leading work that resulted in laws establishing nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold in public schools and also state and national restaurant menu labeling laws.
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Kate Pfister-Minogue
La GrandeKate holds a Ph.D. in Nursing and Nurse Practitioner certification from OHSU, a Master in Nursing from Marquette University and a Bachelor in Nursing from University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a retired Certified Nurse Practitioner (NP), continuing volunteer work as an NP.
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Hayden Rooke-Ley
EugeneRaised in Eugene, Hayden completed his J.D. at Stanford Law School and clerks for Judge Michael McShane in the U.S. District of Oregon. Prior to law school, Hayden was a health care policy advisor to Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and a health policy fellow for the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee. He then joined Aledade, Inc., which partners with independent primary care providers and community health centers to help them provide preventive, tech-enabled care. In law school, he has focused his experiential training on health care workforce issues, working with nurses' unions and union-side labor law firms. He has continued to research and publish on issues of health care law and policy, including state-based single-payer, Medicare privatization, private equity, and the corporatization of medicine.
Rebecca Schoon
PortlandDr. Schoon holds a Ph.D. in Health Policy with an emphasis in International Health from Oregon State University and is an Associate Professor of Public Health at Pacific University. She teaches undergraduate students a broad curriculum, including studies of comparative health systems, universal healthcare, and how political, economic, and social inequities impact community health. Her fieldwork abroad has included designing and delivering health education curriculum in Ethiopia, consulting on health development projects in Haiti, and lecturing for a research capacity-building program for physicians and nurses in Vietnam.
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Patch Perryman
PortlandPatch Adam Perryman got his first job in healthcare as a hospice aide in his southern Oregon hometown at age 14. Since then he has served patients and their providers in successive direct care, managerial, and analytic roles, most currently as Manager of the Health Data Analytic Team for the Multnomah County Health Department.
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Denyse Peterson
PortlandDenyse O. Peterson was born and raised in Portland, Oregon and graduated from Jefferson High School. Her focus professionally has been on regional government and education. She worked in the 72nd and 73rd Oregon State Senate Legislation session for Senator Avel Gordly, mediating with various agencies to bring resolutions to the challenges of affordable housing, employment and food. She also has 12 years of experience at Metro E-R Commission serving seven commissioners and the general manager.
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Sarah Spansail
MedfordSarah Spansail was born and raised in the Rogue Valley. Despite living in Portland for most of her twenties, Southern Oregon always remained home. This is why she and her husband Zac returned to Ashland in 2013 to start their family. They now have two fun and busy boys ages 8 and 10.
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Shanon Saldivar
The DallesShanon Saldivar, a lifelong resident of The Dalles, is the owner and primary agent at Saldivar Insurance. She began her career in health insurance in 2002, right out of high school, and has spent over two decades helping individuals and families navigate the complexities of coverage with care and dedication.
Nick Walden Poublon
SandyNick Walden Poublon is a dedicated advocate, educator, and organizer who has spent his career fighting for health equity, youth empowerment, and community well-being. He currently serves as the Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon’s Healthcare Caucus, leading efforts to advance universal healthcare and protect access for vulnerable communities. In 2024, Nick was proud to be the Democratic nominee for Oregon’s 52nd House District, where he previously served as the legislative aide to the last Democrat to hold the seat. He is also the former Vice Chair of the Democratic Party of Clackamas County.
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Staff
Robyn Gottlieb
Organizer
Robyn has a background in community organizing, campaign management, and non-profit development. She’s excited to use her skills to help grow the universal health care movement in Oregon. Robyn received a B.S. in Environmental Studies and a B.S. in Political Science from Portland State University. Her hero is Bernie Sanders.
Collin Stackhouse
Communications Coordinator
Collin (he/they) came to HCAO after several years as a project coordinator with Mission Driven Data. He joined Oregon’s Cost Growth Target Advisory Committee in spring 2024, and is a member of the Community Engagement and Communications committee of the Universal Health Plan Governance Board. Collin has a background in hospital admissions, environmental science, logistics and supply-chain management, and music performance.
Linda Alband
Director of Operations
Linda holds a Bachelor in Technical and Professional Writing, along with an Associate in both Structured Programming and Business Accounting.
She has been a professional fundraiser for more than 20 years. As both a consultant and development staff member, she has raised significant funds to support diverse non-profit organizations and projects. In 2008, Linda earned recognition as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE)—the global standard for the fundraising profession.
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