FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 15, 2002

Contact:
Diana Ip, i.e. communications, LLC
 (415) 616-3930

Cecilia Laiché, TCWF
(818) 702-1900

THE CALIFORNIA WELLNESS FOUNDATION APPOINTS
TWO NEW PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Directors To Oversee Foundation’s Violence Prevention Priority Area

Woodland Hills, CA – The California Wellness Foundation (TCWF) announced the appointment of two new program directors, Nicole J. Jones and Sandra J. Martínez. Both will be working on the Foundation’s Violence Prevention priority area, which includes the Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI), a 10-year, $60 million strategic grantmaking program approved by the Foundation’s board of directors in 1992.

“Nicole and Sandra understand the needs of nonprofit organizations in California,” said Gary L. Yates, president and CEO of the Foundation. “Their backgrounds and experiences prepare them well as program directors. I am confident that they will effectively identify how the Foundation’s grantmaking can best support and strengthen organizations working to prevent violence against youth.”

Program Director Jones has extensive experience in both philanthropy and public policy. Her responsibilities include overseeing the VPI’s grants for public education and policy efforts. Prior to her appointment at TCWF, she was a program officer at the California Community Foundation. Before her work in philanthropy, Jones participated in the National Urban/Rural Fellows Program, and the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, and served as a field representative for California State Assemblymember Kevin Murray and Los Angeles City Councilmember Rudy Svorinich.

“I welcome the challenge of furthering the efforts of both existing and new grantees to inform policymakers and opinion leaders about effective programs to prevent violence in our communities,” Jones said. Currently, she is an active member of Big Sisters of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Jones received an M.P.A. from the Bernard M. Baruch College of the City University of New York and a B.A. from UC Berkeley.

Program Director Martínez brings experience in youth development and community organizing to the Foundation’s Violence Prevention priority area. Her responsibilities include overseeing the VPI’s leadership and community action programs. Prior to accepting this position, Martinez directed the Progressive Los Angeles Network. She also spent four years at the Community Coalition in South Los Angeles where she oversaw multiple community organizing efforts such as People on Welfare (P.O.W.) and the Prevention Network.

“I have long admired the Foundation’s commitment to leadership development and recognition of unsung heroes of the violence prevention movement,” said Martínez. Martínez has conducted extensive research on health-related issues, such as the effects of the AIDS epidemic on teens. She co-authored a chapter of The AIDS Challenge: Prevention Education for Young People as well as “The Los Angeles County Adolescent HIV Strategic Plan.” Martínez has been a board member for Woman and Youth Supporting Each Other (WYSE) and the California Child, Youth and Family Coalition. She received an M.P.H. from UC Berkeley and a B.A. from UCLA.

The California Wellness Foundation is an independent, private foundation created in 1992, with a mission to improve the health of the people of California by making grants for health promotion, wellness education and disease prevention. The Foundation provides funding in eight priority areas: Diversity in the Health Professions, Environmental Health, Healthy Aging, Mental Health, Teenage Pregnancy Prevention, Violence Prevention, Women’s Health, and Work and Health. It also provides health-related funding through its Special Projects Fund. The Foundation has awarded 2,414 grants totaling more than $355 million since 1992.

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