The following are the current members of the Commission. Click on the Commissioner name below to see their detailed bio or click here to read about how the Commission is structured.
- Lynne Ashbeck, Clovis - Chair
- Mara Madrigal-Weiss, San Diego - Vice Chair
- Khatera Tamplen, Pleasant Hill
- Mayra Alvarez, Los Angeles
- Ken Berrick, Oakland
- John Boyd, Psy.D., Folsom
- Bill Brown, Lompoc
- Keyondria Bunch, Ph.D., Los Angeles
- Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, Los Angeles
- Itai Danovitch, M.D., Los Angeles
- David Gordon, Sacramento
- Gladys Mitchell, Sacramento
- Tina Wooton, Santa Barbara
- Steve Carnevale, San Francisco
- Shuo (Shuonan) Chen, Berkeley
Commission Composition
As set forth by the Welfare and Institutions Code section 5845(a):
The Commission shall consist of 16 voting members as follows:
- The Attorney General or his or her designee
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The Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her designee
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The Chairperson of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee or another member of the Senate selected by the President pro Tempore of the Senate
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The Chairperson of the Assembly Health Committee or another member of the Assembly selected by the Speaker of the Assembly
The following are appointed by the Governor:
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Two persons with a severe mental illness
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A family member of an adult or senior with a severe mental illness
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A family member of a child who has or has had a severe mental illness
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A physician specializing in alcohol and drug treatment
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A mental health professional
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A county sheriff
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A superintendent of a school district
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A representative of a labor organization
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A representative of an employer with less than 500 employees
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A representative of an employer with more than 500 employees
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A representative of a health care services plan or insurer
In making appointments, the Governor shall seek individuals who have had personal or family experience with mental illness.
State Leadership Accountability Act Report - December 29, 2017
Commissioner Bios
MHSOAC Chair
Joined the Commission:
Lynne Ayers Ashbeck is the senior vice president of community engagement and population wellness for Valley Children’s Healthcare. She has also served as vice president at Community Medical Centers; regional vice president at the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California; director of Continuing and Global Education at California State University, Fresno; and director of education at Valley Children’s Hospital. She is an elected Councilmember in the City of Clovis, first elected in 2001. She is also a member of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Board of Director and the Maddy Institute Board of Directors. She received her Master of Arts degree from Fresno Pacific University and a Master of Science degree from California State University, Fresno. Vice Chair Ashbeck fills the seat of a representative of a health care service plan or insurer.
MHSOAC Vice Chair
Joined the Commission:
Mara Madrigal-Weiss is the Executive Director of Student Wellness and School Culture for the San Diego County Office of Education. Her experience includes working with school communities as a Family Case Manager, Protective Services Worker and Family Resource Center Director. Mara received her M.A. in Human Behavior from National University; a M.Ed in School Counseling and a M.Ed in Educational Leadership from Point Loma Nazarene University. Mara has been dedicated to promoting student mental health and wellness for over 19 years. She is a past president of the International Bullying Prevention Association (IBPA) the only international association dedicated to eradicating bullying worldwide. Mara is a member of the California Department of Education’s Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup. At present Mara serves as the designee of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction as a Commissioner on the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Khatera Aslami Tamplen has been the consumer empowerment manager at Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services since 2012. She was executive director at Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services from 2007-2012 and served in multiple positions at the Telecare Corporation Villa Fairmont Mental Health Rehabilitation Center from 2002-2007, including director of rehabilitation. Tamplen is a member of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services National Advisory Council and a founding member of the California Association of Mental Health Peer Run Organizations. Chair Tamplen represents clients and consumers.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Mayra Alvarez is the President of the Children’s Partnership, a nonprofit children’s advocacy organization. She served in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), most recently as Director of the State Exchange Group for the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. She also served as the Associate Director for the HHS Office of Minority Health and was Director of Public Health Policy in the Office of Health Reform at HHS. Alvarez received her graduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her undergraduate degree from University of California Berkeley. Commissioner Alvarez fills the seat of the Attorney General/designee.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Ken Berrick has been chief executive officer at Seneca Family of Agencies since 1985 and a trustee for Area 3 of the Alameda County Office of Education since 2008. He is a fellow of the Pahara Institute and a member of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities, California Child Welfare Council, Alameda County Mental Health Services Act Planning Commission, California Alliance of Child and Family Services and Support, Opportunities and Rapport for Youth. Commissioner Berrick fills the seat of a mental health professional.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
John Boyd is Sutter Health’s Chief Executive Officer of Mental Health Services. He has an extensive background in healthcare administration and mental health. Prior to joining Sutter in 2008, he served as Assistant Administrator for Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center and has worked as both an inpatient and outpatient therapist in several organizations. He is a Board Member of National Mental Health America; he has also served in other appointed capacities, including City of Sacramento Planning Commissioner. Boyd is a Fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives. He earned his doctorate in psychology at California School of Professional Psychology and his MHA from USC. Commissioner Boyd represents an employer with more than 500 employees.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Bill Brown was first elected as sheriff and coroner for Santa Barbara County in 2006. He had previously served as chief of police for the city of Lompoc from 1995-2007, and chief of police for the city of Moscow, Idaho from 1992-1995. He was a police officer, supervisor and manager for the city of Inglewood Police Department from 1980-1992, and a police officer for the city of Pacifica from 1977-1980. Prior to his law enforcement career, Sheriff Brown served as a paramedic and emergency medical technician in the Los Angeles area from 1974-1977. Sheriff Brown holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Delinquency Control Institute. Commissioner Brown fills the seat of the county sheriff.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Keyondria Bunch, Ph.D., has been a Supervising Psychologist for Emergency Outreach Bureau School Threat Assessment Response Team at the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health since 2019, where she has served in several positions since 2008. These include clinical psychologist for the Emergency Outreach Bureau, clinical psychologist for the Specialized Foster Care Van Nuys Co-Located Program, clinical psychologist for juvenile justice mental health quality assurance and a clinical psychologist for Valley Coordinated Children’s Services. She was also an adjunct lecturer at Antioch University in 2015. Commissioner Bunch fills the seat of a labor representative.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Wendy Carrillo was elected to represent California’s 51st Assembly District in December 2017. Assemblymember Carrillo has advocated for educational opportunity, access to quality healthcare, living wage jobs, and social justice. She was host and executive producer of community-based radio program “Knowledge is Power” in Los Angeles. Her previous work with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2015 included better working conditions for caregivers. She arrived to the United States as an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador and became a U.S. citizen in her early 20s. Assemblymember Carrillo represents the member of the Assembly selected by the Speaker of the Assembly.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Itai Danovitch has been chair of the Psychiatry Department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center since 2012, where he has held several positions since 2008, including director of addiction psychiatry clinical services and associate director of the Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship. He is a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and the American Psychiatric Association and past president of the California Society of Addiction Medicine. Danovitch earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Management. Commissioner Danovitch fills the seat of a physician specializing in alcohol and drug treatment.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
David Gordon has been county superintendent at the Sacramento County Office of Education since 2004. He served at the Elk Grove Unified School District as superintendent from 1995-2004. He worked at the California Department of Education as deputy superintendent from 1985-1991. He earned a Master of Education degree from Harvard University. Commissioner Gordon holds a seat as superintendent of a school district.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Gladys Mitchell served as a staff services manager at the California Department of Health Care Services from 2013-2014 and at the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs from 2010-2013 and from 2007-2009. She was a health program specialist at California Correctional Health Care Services from 2009-2010 and a staff mental health specialist at the California Department of Mental Health from 2006-2007. She was interim executive officer at the California Board of Occupational Therapy in 2005 and an enforcement coordinator at the California Board of Registered Nursing from 1996-1998 and at the Board of Behavioral Science Examiners from 1989-1993. She is a member of the St. Hope Public School Board of Directors. Mitchell earned a Master of Social Work degree from California State University, Sacramento. Commissioner Mitchell fills the seat of a family member of a child who has or has had a severe mental illness.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Tina Wooton has worked in the mental health system for 23 years, advocating for the employment of consumers and family members at the local, state and federal levels. Since 2009 she has served as the Consumer Empowerment Manager for the Santa Barbara County Department of Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Services. From 2005 through 2009 she worked as the Consumer and Family member liaison for the California State Department of Mental Health and was staff to the state Mental Health Services Act Implementation Team. Between 1997 and 2005 she served as Consumer Liaison for the Mental Health Association / County Mental Health of Sacramento and as service coordinator for Human Resources Consultants from 1994 through 1997. Wooton is Vice President of AMP (Arts Mentorship Program) for Santa Barbara Dance Arts and a Santa Barbara Elks member. Commissioner Wooton represents clients and consumers.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Steve Carnevale is the executive chairman of Sawgrass, a developer of digital industrial inkjet technologies and cloud-based mass customization software. He runs a family-owned wine business in the Napa Valley called Blue Oak and is the founder and chair of the advisory board for the UCSF Dyslexia Center which is translating cutting edge neuroscience to enable precision learning. In addition to other education non-profit board service, Carnevale is a founder and co-chairs Breaking-Barriers-by-8, where he works with other non-profits, schools, corporations, and foundations toward achieving 100 percent literacy for all by age 8. He is also an advisor to ESO Ventures, a social venture fund in Oakland for community workforce development of unrepresented populations and is the former President and Emeritus Chair of The Olympic Club Foundation, whose mission is to support disadvantaged youth sports programs that develop future community leaders.
Commissioner
Joined the Commission:
Shuo (Shuonan) Chen is General Partner at IOVC, an early-stage venture capital fund based in Silicon Valley focused on enterprise and SaaS, where she has invested in dozens of startups now unicorns or acquired by Fortune 50 companies. She is a Lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, and Faculty at Singularity University, where she teaches entrepreneurship and emerging technologies. Chen is a co-author to one of the leading books on financial regulations published by Cambridge University Press. In addition to her investing and teaching roles, Chen is the CEO of Shinect, a Silicon Valley-based non-profit community of 5,000+ engineers passionate about entrepreneurship. She is also a Board Member of Decode, the largest tech and entrepreneurship community co-hosted with UC Berkeley and Stanford student organizations, alumni networks and entrepreneurship centers, as well as an Advisory Board Member of Yale School of Medicine's Center for Digital Health and Innovation.