Chairman Wagner currently serves on several committees, including the Orange County Fire Authority Executive Committee; The Orange County Transportation Authority: Legislative Committee and SR-91 Advisory; The Transportation Corridor Authority: Joint External Affairs Committee, Joint Capital Programs & Project Committee, and the 241/91 Express Connector Ad Hoc Committee; Southern California Association of Governments: Transportation Committee, Regional Council, Executive and Administrative Committee, Legislative/Communications & Membership Committee and Joint Policy Committee; Orange County Council of Governments: Bylaws Committee, Steering Committee, and the Executive Management Committee Meeting; Chairman Wagner is also a Member of the Orange County Sanitation District, serving on the Operations Committee, and is a recent member of the Orange County Power Authority.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, earning a Juris Doctorate in 1987 from the University of California, Hastings College of Law; he joined the California Bar that same year. Chairman Wagner is a practicing attorney and UCLA Bruin for life.

Chairman Don Wagner is a former South Orange County Community College District Trustee for three consecutive terms, balancing every budget and paying off all debts without additionally burdening the taxpayers. This leadership earned him an unprecedented six years as Board President.

During his six years in the State Assembly, he gained invaluable experience on a wide variety of committees, including Budget, Health, Education, and Revenue and Taxation. As the former Vice-Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee, his committee had jurisdiction over the legal profession, the courts, and most state governing codes. On financial committees, he oversaw all state spending and revenue, quickly earning a reputation for expertise in government fiscal affairs, such that he was twice asked by the Association of California Cities – Orange County to teach government finance and budgeting to local elected officials at UCI. He has dedicated his free time to nonprofits and charities, serving as the past president of the American Lung Association of Orange County. He is also the founder and first president of the Orange County Chapter of the Federalist Society, a national organization of lawyers, judges, and law professors that ensure judicial integrity and strict adherence to the Constitution of the United States.

As the past Mayor of Irvine, he ensured the Great Park project bloomed after $200 million was wasted away under prior city council leadership. He brings this level of service to the community at the County level; in 2019, he expanded public resources without raising taxes when he reopened Irvine Lake for shoreline fishing. The Lake was previously closed for three years to the public. Chairman Wagner continues to engage directly with the residents to help address local issues, improve public safety, and enhance the quality of life in Orange County.

He is an active participant in Orange County business and legal communities with prior service on several committees and advisory boards for the Orange County Bar Association, including a Judge Pro Tempore in the Superior Court of Orange County. The Orange County Register, Los Angeles Times, and several local media outlets have published his articles on legal, political, and cultural topics.

Chairman Wagner lives in the unincorporated area of his District with his wife, and previously in Irvine, where they raised and educated their three children. His family shares a love for the game of baseball.

Dr. Dan M. Cooper is the Interim Executive Director of the Institute for Precision Health at UC Irvine, and Associate Director of the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS, the NIH CTSA). Dan received his MD from the University of California, San Francisco in 1974. He completed his Pediatrics Training at NYU/Bellevue Medical Center. He went on to a 3- year fellowship in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at Babies Hospital, Columbia University. In 1981, Dr. Cooper joined the faculty at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and in 1989, Dr. Cooper, in collaboration with the MLK-Drew Medical Center and CHOC- Children’s Hospital, established the first ACGME accredited post-doctoral training fellowship in pediatric critical care medicine in the state of California. A major aim of the Fellowship was to encourage the recruitment of excellent pediatricians from underrepresented minorities. Dr. Cooper was recruited to UCI in 1997. Dr. Cooper led the effort to obtain an NIH General Clinical Research Center for UCI in 1999 which evolved into a successful NIH Clinical Translational Science Award which has been funded continuously since 2010. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Cooper led regional and national efforts to keep schools open by implementing safe and health practices.

Dr. Cooper’s research focuses on the translational science of exercise and physical activity and its impact on health and disease in the pediatric population. He is one of the leaders of the NIH Common Fund Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity study, the largest and most ambitious study the NIH has ever undertaken to understand the biological underpinnings of the health effects of exercise. Dr. Cooper also is a leader of the NIH funded project REACH which is focused on exercise and physical activity in children with sickle cell disease. He is currently working with the Santa Ana Unified School District to improve physical fitness education and assessment.

Under Dr. Friedman’s leadership, the department of Medical Education transformed into the Department of Learning Health Sciences, a “first in the nation” medical school academic department dedicated to the sciences of learning at all levels from learning by individuals, to learning by teams and organizations, and learning by ultra-large scale systems, such as entire nations.

At ONC, Dr. Friedman served as Deputy National Coordinator and Chief Scientific Officer. In addition to advancement of the Learning Health System, his work promoted several IT innovations including SMART Health IT, an open, standards based technology platform. He was lead author of the nation’s first health IT strategic plan. Prior to these executive positions at ONC, Friedman was associate vice chancellor for Biomedical Informatics and founding director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Friedman’s research emphasizes large-scale information infrastructures and resources to improve health, how individuals and groups interact with information resources, and methods for studying the outcomes of these interactions.

Dr. Friedman holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. in education from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has done post-graduate studies in medical information science at Stanford University.

Dr. Coleen Cunningham serves as both senior vice president and pediatrician-in-chief at CHOC and chair for the UCI Department of Pediatrics. In this unique dual role, which she began in March, 2021, Dr. Cunningham acts as a senior clinical leader with oversight responsibility for CHOC’s vast pediatric medical and surgical services, academic advancement, research and teaching programs. Prior, Dr. Cunningham served as professor with tenure at Duke University in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and as chief of Global Health and vice chair for research in the Department of Pediatrics. She held secondary appointments in the Department of Pathology at Duke and the Duke Global Health Institute. She earned her medical degree from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, where she also did her residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases. At SUNY, she served as an associate professor of pediatrics and started a pediatric HIV clinic. The author of more than 140 published manuscripts, she also has led many multicenter clinical trials aimed at the treatment and prevention of HIV infection in children. She has been awarded several competitive research grants and served on National Institutes of Health grant review panels. Her education focus is the training of pediatric infectious diseases physician-scientists.

Chris Finch serves as the Vice President of Compliance and Internal Audit at MemorialCare, where he ensures adherence to regulatory standards such as HIPAA, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback statutes, False Claims Act, and conflict of interest regulations. With a tenure spanning more than two decades at MemorialCare, Chris brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his role.

Chris boasts over 30 years of comprehensive healthcare experience, encompassing roles in clinical practice, finance, and revenue cycle management. This diverse background affords him a profound insight into the complexities of the healthcare industry, a crucial asset in his capacity as a compliance officer.

A registered nurse by profession, Chris holds certification in healthcare compliance from the Healthcare Compliance Association, underscoring his commitment to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct and regulatory compliance. He earned his master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Long Beach State University, further enhancing his qualifications and leadership in healthcare compliance and internal audit oversight.

Dr. CK currently serves as the County Health Officer at the Orange County Health Care Agency. 

She joined the OC Health Care Agency in November 2020 in response to the COVID pandemic and was heavily involved with planning and clinical operations of Orange County’s COVID vaccination efforts in 2020 and 2021. She now serves as the County Health Officer, focusing efforts with engaging with the medical community to improve awareness of HCA priorities and programs.  

She is a Board-Certified Family Physician and obtained her medical degree in osteopathic medicine from Western University. She served in in the US Navy as a Family Physician, completing residency training and eventually serving as Faculty at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton. Prior to working in Public Health, she provided direct care as a primary care physician in Orange County and served as Medical Director for Innovative Wellness Clinics/Urgent Care centers with St. Joseph/Providence health system. 

He was previously the chief clinical and strategy officer for MindOC, the nonprofit entity that supports Be Well OC, a coordinated system to improve Orange County’s mental health services. Dr. Chau has held leadership roles in behavioral health and care management at major public and private health organizations, including Providence Health System and L.A. Care Health Plan. He started his career working for 13 years with Orange County Behavioral Health Services. Dr. Chau obtained his medical degree from the University of Minnesota and his doctorate in clinical psychology from Chelsea University. He completed his psychiatry residency at UCLA San Fernando Valley, followed by a fellowship with the National Institute of Mental Health focusing on substance abuse and HIV. He was recognized in 2012 with leadership awards from the National Council for Behavioral Health and the American Psychiatric Association. Additionally, in July 2021, the Orange County Medical Association named Dr. Chau as Physician of the Year. He was appointed a CalOptima director in May 2020.

Dr. Huszti has served as a principal investigator on a number of federally funded research projects with a focus on adherence.

Almaas Shaikh, MD, MPH, FACS is a distinguished trauma and critical care surgeon and the Deputy Public Health Officer for the Orange County Health Care Agency. With a deep commitment to both individual patient care and broader public health initiatives, Dr. Shaikh bridges the critical intersection of clinical excellence and community health. Trained in the most challenging aspects of trauma surgery, she brings her expertise to the frontlines, managing complex trauma cases with precision and compassion.

In her role as Deputy Public Health Officer, Dr. Shaikh plays a pivotal role in shaping population health strategies, ensuring the safety and well-being of Orange County residents. Her leadership in public health is marked by a proactive approach to health education, disease prevention, and emergency preparedness, particularly in addressing the unique challenges faced by diverse and vulnerable communities. Dr. Shaikh’s dual focus on acute care and long-term health outcomes makes her a key figure in both the operating room and the public health arena, dedicated to improving lives at every level. She remains committed to achieving accessible, compassionate, equitable health for all.

With over 30 years of experience as a physician-scientist, pediatric cardiologist, and academic administrator, Goldstein focuses on improving the human condition through education, research and care. Previously, Goldstein was dean and chief diversity officer at the Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago; provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Brandeis University; chair of pediatrics, founding physician-in-chief of Comer Children’s Hospital and founding director of two research institutes, University of Chicago; and professor and founder of the Section of Developmental Biology and Biophysics, Yale University. Goldstein holds an M.D. and a Ph.D. in immunology from Harvard University. His research has identified families of genes encoding ion channels, the genetic and mechanistic bases for sudden infant death syndrome in African Americans, inherited and drug-induced cardiac arrhythmias, skeletal muscle disorders and ischemic stroke. An American Academy of Pediatrics fellow, he received the prestigious E. Mead Johnson Award from the Society for Pediatric Research and was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2020 for his discoveries and contributions to academic medicine. He has served as a scientific advisor to the National Institutes of Health for Nanomedicine and vice chair of the National Science Foundation Advisory Committee for Biological Sciences.