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With over 20 years experience in marketing, public relations and community/government relations, he has been a leading advocate in health care, economic development and diversity. His advocacy in these areas resulted in his selection as one of the “100 Influential Leaders” by Hispanic Business Magazine. Mr. Zeppenfeldt serves on numerous boards of directors where his role has focused on board and membership development.

Mr. Zeppenfeldt received his undergraduate degree from Seton Hall University and did graduate work at Long Island University. In 1998, he completed a certificate program in community relations from Boston College’s Carroll School of Management and in 1999 he was awarded a Kellogg/Robert Wood Johnson Fellowship in Washington, D.C. His publications appear in Employee Health & Fitness and Risk Management Journal. He has also been quoted by numerous publications including the New York Times, Crain’s New York Business and Hispanic Business Magazine. In the area of small business development, he has addressed small business issues on WNBC, WABC and National Public Radio.

In 1992 Mr. Zeppenfeldt was appointed to Community Planning Board 7 (Manhattan) where he currently serves as co-chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. During the last five years he has served on the Board of Directors for two Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), the Hispanic Public Relations Association of Greater New York (Vice President) and the Latino Commission on AIDS. In 1999 he was appointed as a delegate-at-large to the Regional Policy Board II of the American Hospital Association. Currently he is on the Board of Directors for the Healthcare Public Relations and Marketing Society of New York. In 1998 he founded the Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives/East Coast which has grown to over 140 individual members and 12 organizational members.

Mr. Zeppenfeldt’s experience within the hospital industry has included positions as Director of Community and Governmental Relations at Montefiore Medical Center and Consulting Vice President for Marketing, Public Relations and Development at St.Clare’s Hospital and Health Center in New York City. Currently, he is President of Community Consulting, a NYC-based consulting firm specializing in marketing, public affairs, strategic alliances and diversity initiatives.

Nilda is Assistant Dean for the Office of Minority Student Affairs at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She is also the Director of the Einstein Enrichment Program and Director of Minority Student Summer Research Opportunity Program. Her work entails coordinating activities and providing services for students from various educational levels, high school through medical school.

Nilda has been active in community programs and professional organizations. She has served on several boards including ASPIRA of New York and the Board of Friends of Double Discovery Center at Columbia University. Nilda is presently the Northeast Regional chair for Association of American Medical Colleges, Group on Student Affairs-Minority Affairs Section.

Nilda has a baccalaureate degree in Urban Studies from Thomas More College, Fordham University. She also has a Masters of Science in Education in Counseling & Personnel Services from Fordham University's School of Education.

Blanca C. Perez is the Secretary of the Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives (AHHE) since 1999. Ms. Perez also serves as co-chair of AHHE’s Professional and Career Development Program Planning Committee.

Blanca C. Perez received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton where she studied Spanish Literature and Political Science. She began her career in healthcare public relations and community relations in 1990 at North General Hospital in Harlem. From 1996-1999, she served as North General’s Director for Public Affairs and Community Relations. Currently, Ms. Perez is Senior Program Director in the Department of Community Relations at The Mount Sinai Hospital in East Harlem, New York. In this position, Ms. Perez serves as a liaison to health, social service, civic organizations and coalitions in a cross section of communities served by the Hospital and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Ms. Perez also provides support and technical assistance to the Department of Community Relations of the Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens in Astoria/LIC, which became a division of The Mount Sinai Hospital in 1999.

In the spirit of volunteerism, Ms. Perez served as a Board Member of the East Harlem Council for Human Services/Boriken Neighborhood Health Center in East Harlem from 1994-1996. She is currently Board Secretary of the East Harlem Community Health Committee, Inc., and is a member of the Steering Committee of the East Harlem HIV Care Network.

Blanca is the proud mother of a five-year old boy named Andres. She is also a talented singer and performs periodically as a hobby. She enjoys singing various genres of music including Spanish boleros, jazz, folk and blues.

Michael is currently working in the federal government, at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In this capacity, Michael oversees the implementation of "The Partnership Plan" New York State's Section 1115 Demonstration waiver as well as the Family Health Plus (FHPlus) program. The Partnership Plan is part of New York State's program to move most eligible Medicaid individuals into a managed care environment and FHPlus is a health insurance program for low-income New York State residents.

Michael has dedicated many years of service to address the needs of the residents of The Bronx. For eight years, Michael worked in the Office of the Bronx Borough President. When Michael joined the Borough President's he was a staff member in the health & human services unit. Michael quickly worked his way to becoming director of the health and human services unit. Michael also formed a not-for-profit corporation that would address health and human service issues in The Bronx as well as function as a consultant to the Office of the Bronx Borough President, The Bronx Health & Human Services Development Corporation (BHHSDC).

Throughout his career, Michael has held various positions in State and City government. Some of these positions are, director of public information for the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services within the Bureau of Communications and Community Relations and Target Cities coordinator for the Mayor's Office of Drug Abuse Policy. Michael also has substantial direct service experience as an addictions specialist and supervisor for several alcohol and substance abuse programs.

In 1995 Michael was nominated and selected to participate in CORO Leadership New York, a one-year fellowship for mid-career professionals in the public, private and non-profit sectors to examine and develop creative solutions for issues affecting New York City. Michael has served on several advisory boards, including the Bronx Information Network, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Community Fellowship in Urban Health at Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Women's Health Initiative of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Michael obtained a Masters in Social Work Administration from Fordham University and a Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Michael P. Rodriguez
President, West Coast Chapter/Board Member,
National Organization
email: michael.p.rodriguez@aexp.com

Mr. Rodriguez is a Senior Manager in the Healthcare Services Group at American Express Tax and Business Services Inc. and is the Practice Leader for the West Coast Office in San Diego. He has an extensive background in the development and analysis of financial and strategic plans, budget modeling and tracking, and the implementation of computer-based management programs.

Mr. Rodriguez is extensively involved in the Healthcare Services Group's Information Technology (IT) initiatives. He has worked with clinics and networks in California, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey and New York on the assessment of their IT capacities, the development of IT Strategic Plans, and the implementation of practice management systems. His projects with the Group have also included assessment of the impact of Medicaid managed care in client states, assisting clients with the reconciliation of risk contract settlements, analysis of charge based cost structures, the development of managed care plans for targeted populations, and the valuation of healthcare organizations.

Prior to his work with the Group, Mr. Rodriguez was the Manager of Consulting Services at American Group Practice, Inc. and worked for the City of New York as a Senior Analyst in the Department of Mental Health. Mr. Rodriguez received his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Economic Development from the University of California, Berkeley and his Master of Arts degree in Political Science (Social Welfare Policy) from Columbia University. Additionally, he has studied and conducted social science research in the Middle East and has received graduate training in project design and cost-benefit analysis at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

In addition to his role with AHHE, Mr. Rodriguez sits on the Board of Directors of The Samaritans of New York, and is an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the New York Society for Health Planning, the New York Medical Group Management Association, and the New York Association for Ambulatory Care.

Roy Cosme
Corporate Charter Board Member, AHHE/East Coast

Roy Cosme created Arcos Communications in November 1996, as the result of a successful independent public relations consulting practice started in 1994. Arcos Communications works with a variety of clients to develop and implement public relations and marketing campaigns aimed at the Latino market, as well as other ethnic markets and segments of the general market. Specialty areas include healthcare communications, public education and media campaigns, consumer marketing and special events. Current clients include Continuum Health Partners, New York Organ Donor Network, CenterCare Health Plan, William F. Ryan Community Health Center, the New York Daily News, the Latino Commission on AIDS, Hispanic Directors Association of New Jersey and Urban Health Plan. He has also managed and implemented campaigns for Roxane Laboratories, Bell Atlantic Foundation, Gynetics, Smith Kline Beecham, Hoffman-LaRoche, and GlaxoWellcome.

Cosme attained extensive public relations experience during the last 20 years promoting and marketing non-profit and employee relations programs for Bell Atlantic, AT&T, the City of New York and the Epilepsy Foundation of America. His experience extends into the public affairs arena, having served as Special Assistant to the Mayor of the City of New York, and includes strategic planning, policy development, issues management, government relations and program management. He has also spearheaded efforts focused on improving union/management relations.

Cosme is a native of Texas and has been living in New York City for the last eighteen years. He earned his Master in Public Administration degree from Harvard University in 1983, and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Yale University in 1977. He is a co-founder of the Hispanic Public Relations Association of Greater New York, member of the Leadership New York Alliance, board member of Betances Health Center and treasurer of the Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives.

Dennis deLeon was born in Los Angeles, California in 1948. He attended Occidental College graduating with a BA. in 1970 and served as student body president. Dennis became a lawyer in 1974 after attending Stanford Law School. Aside from academic achievement, his time in school was marked by leadership in undergraduate and law school organizations.

After clerking for a California appellate court judge and working for a private law firm, Dennis joined the Civil Division at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. as a trial attorney. While there he was one of the founders of the largest Latino employee organization in the Department of Justice. While continuing with his responsibilities as Senior Assistant Corporation Counsel, in 1986 Mr. deLeon was appointed by Mayor Edward I. Koch to serve as Executive Director for the Mayor's Commission on Hispanic Concerns. The Hispanic Commission issued a report with far ranging recommendations for Latino New Yorkers. Mr. deLeon worked with hundreds of Hispanic organizations in receiving testimony and recording numerous recommendations.

In 1988 Mr. deLeon was appointed by then Borough President David Dinkins to serve as Deputy Borough President for Manhattan. In that position he represented the Borough President at the Board of Estimate and before many legislative and community organizations. In addition, Mr. DeLeon was extensively involved in resolving conflicts between communities over land use issues, enforcing Mayor Dinkins’ policies on city contractors doing business in South Africa and tion for a two month period. .He was also appointed to serve as Chair of the New York City Commission on Human Rights. During his tenure, the Commission successfully developed legislation to reform the City Human Rights Law to expedite the resolution of complaints and to provide more opportunities for the disabled to seek redress for discrimination.

In September 1994, Mr. deLeon was selected to become President of the Latino Commission on AIDS, a service and advocacy program addressing HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. In this capacity he heads a broad based community effort to respond to the needs of Latinos infected and affected with HIV. Under his leadership the Commission has developed a national clearinghouse for AIDS treatment information in Spanish, a network of religious leaders offering HIV prevention programs in Spanish-speaking congregations, technical services that address the needs of Latino community based organizations.

Mr. deLeon serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations, including the Gay Men’s Heath Crisis, Dominican Sisters Home Care, Legal Action Center, and Prisoner Legal Services. For three years, he was a Board Member for the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Jose Morales Jr earned his Bachelor of Arts degree at City College of New York, following army service, in 1953. He also earned his MA in public administration at Baruch College in 1973, where he was one of eight National Fellows in Healthcare Administration in a federal university based mid-career executive development program.

His career has been in the health services field, currently serving as Vice President of St. Barnabas Hospital, where he has been an officer of the hospital since 1990. Other posts include: Director of New York City Department of Health Bureau for families with special needs; Assistant Professor of New York Medical College Department of Community and Preventive Medicine; Chief of Ambulatory Care for New York Medical College for Lincoln Hospital Center; and, Regional director of US Department of Health and Human Services, Region II.

He served in several capacities within the Department of Labor, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. As National Director, Community Organization, his duties included planning and coordination of a 12-office community organization program in New York State, New England, Delaware Valley and Midwest. As Chief, Community Organization of New York City, his duties included staff direction in grass roots, leadership training and community action. As Community Organizer, he was responsible for development of Latino community-based organizations in New York in the neighborhoods where newcomers settled.

Manuel A. Rosa (known as Manny to his friends) has served for nearly twenty-four years in various positions as the city, state and federal levels of government. Manny currently holds the position of Assistant Vice President of Intergovernmental Relations/State Legislative Liaison for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC). In this capacity he advocates on behalf of the largest public hospital system in the nation and works with more than twenty-one Community Advisory Boards associated with HHC facilities.

Prior to assuming his current position, Manny has served as the first District Administrator appointed by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez; served as Assistant Secretary for Human Services, and Deputy Director of the Governor’s Office for Hispanic Affairs under Governor Mario M. Cuomo; Governor Cuomo also appointed Manny as the first Director of the New York State Office of Minority Health. In addition, Manny has worked as Special Assistant to Jose E. Serrano (while in the New York State Assembly); Program Director under New York State Senate Minority Leader Martin Connor; Assistant to City Council President Paul O’Dwyer; a Research Analyst within the Governor Hugh Carey’s Office of Urban Revitalization; Community Liaison and Board of Estimate Representative for Bronx Borough Presidents Robert Abrahms and Stanley Simon; and Project Manager in the New York State Urban Development Corporation.

In addition to the AHHE Board of Directors, Manny currently serves as a member of the PRACA Board of Directors; as an Advisory Board Member to the Latino Commission on AIDS, the Puerto Rican Family Institute and Brooklyn Legal Services.

Awilda has over seven years of experience in the public health industry and over ten years of experience in community relations. Ms. Martinez currently works for MAXIMUS, Inc., an industry leader in program management, information technology, and consulting services to government agencies throughout the United States, where she is the Deputy Project Manager of the New York Medicaid Choice Program. In her capacity of Deputy Project Manager, she oversees three Departments: Central Operations, Health Plan Affairs and Systems. Prior to her appointment as Deputy Project Manager, she served as Manager of Health Plan Affairs and Manager of Community Relations. She also served as the Implementation Manager for the Mandatory Medicaid Managed Care program for Nassau/Suffolk Counties and Implementation Manager for the Family Health Plus program.

Before joining MAXIMUS, Inc.,Ms. Martinez held positions at NYLCare and Aetna Health Plans, worked for the Public Policy Department of the Community Service Society of New York, and for New York State Senator, Efrain Gonzalez.

Ms. Martinez is deeply committed to serving her community. She has served on numerous committees and taskforces including Bronx Health Plan's VISTA Community Health Education and Outreach Project and the Managed Care Council of the NY/NJ Head Start Association. She served two terms as the National President of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad, Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., a non-profit community service organization dedicated to public service, sisterhood, academic excellence, and the preservation of the cultural traditions and experiences.

For her commitment to public service and community activism, the Bronx Borough President appointed Ms. Martinez to Community Board 10 in May 2002. She currently serves on the Health Committee.

Ms. Martinez received her undergraduate education at the State University of New York at Albany, and her graduate training at The Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.

Born in New York City. Lived in Puerto Rico from the age of three to fifteen. Attended ArÍstides Cales Quirós Junior High School in Guayanilla, Puerto Rico and graduated from Morris High School in New York. Went on to acquire a B.S. degree from Hunter College. Earned an M.S.W. from the Columbia University School of Social Work.

Initiated a career in healthcare administration as Psychiatric Social Worker at Knickerboker Hospital in the Harlem vicinity. Served as Medical Social Worker, specializing in endocrine and eating disorders, at St. Lukes Hospital. Became the Community Support Systems Program Director for the South Bronx Mental Health Council, Inc, before joining Renaissance Health Care Diagnostic and Treatment Centers Network as Director of Social Work Services. Also held the positions of Deputy Director and Associate Executive Director prior to the appointment at Segundo Ruiz Belvis Diagnostic and Treatment Center.

Received several awards in recognition of dedicated leadership exhibited while promoting quality health and psychiatric care in community based health centers.

Currently a member of several national and community service organizations, such as the National Association of Social Workers, 100 Hispanic Women, and the Association of Hispanic Health Executives.

Laura received her Bachelor's degree in Biology at the California State University of Sacramento in 1995. Laura has eight years experience working as a Nursing Assistant specializing in Oncology and Hospice Home Care patients. She relocated to Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1995 to attend Allegheny University (formerly Hahnemann University) for a Biomedical Postbaccalaurete Program. Laura received her Master of Public Health Degree in Health Policy and Management for The Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in 2000.

During her graduate work, Laura was accepted to participate with The American Cancer Society' s Cancer Control Efforts through the Collaborative Evaluation Fellows Project. The project was designed to evaluate the recent decrease in the utilization of the Reach to Recovery Program. The results are currently published at the American Cancer Society. Also, she was selected to participate in The Institute for Diversity Health Management and The Greater New York Hospital Association 1999 Summer Enrichment Program. The assignment was at Metropolitan Hospital as the manager for the Child Health Plus pilot project.

In addition to her mandatory graduate requirements, she voluntarily wrote a Master's essay on the topic of The Health Issues Effecting Mexican Immigrants in New York City. Laura tailored her education at Columbia to meet her needs of how to address the health disparities in multicultural (Latino, African American and Asian) populations. She has blended her knowledge of biomedical sciences and public health to develop a comprehensive understanding of both the environmental, social and biological aspects of health status effecting multicultural populations.

Currently, Laura is a Healthcare Consultant with The Consortium For Worker Education. She facilitates the Customer Service and Effective Communication Training for all staff at Lincoln Hospital. With her spare time she volunteers for The Tepeyac Association to teach English as a second language for Mexican Immigrants in Brooklyn.

Ann-Gel S. Palermo has worked in the field of public health for over three years with a principal focus on issues related to race, ethnicity, culture, socioeconomic status and health. She earned a Masters of Public Health degree (majoring in Health Policy) in April 1999 from the University of Michigan.

As a research associate for the Institute for Medicare Practice of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, she is responsible for research and analysis on issues related to diabetes care in East Harlem, benefit and coverage issues for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, and health financing issues affecting the Medicare program and the health care system in general.

Ms. Palermo also serves as the chairperson of the Community Action Board (CAB) of the Harlem Urban Research Center (URC) housed at the New York Academy of Medicine and is the current Executive Director of Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, a Latina-oriented non-profit organization whose purpose is to serve and educate people of diverse backgrounds through sisterhood, leadership, and guidance.

Olga Luz Tirado began her career in 1977 where she worked in print production for a variety of general market advertising agencies. After launching a consulting firm, she ventured into commercial and video production and, in 1990, won a Woman At Work Broadcast Award.

In 1992, she founded Luz Tirada Communications, a marketing, promotions and public relations agency targeting special markets and continued to co-produce various television pilots and mini-documentaries, one of which won the 1994 Director's Citation from the Thomas Edison Media Arts Consortium. She produced television and radio commercials, a series of video vignettes for television broadcast and she served as a consultant for a 1995 Emmy-nominated documentary entitled Word Up: Stop the Violence, which aired on NJN, New Jersey's PBS.

Ms. Tirado also served as a principle voice for Featuring the Wall Street Journal, a Saturday morning radio news show that aired on Intouch Radio Networks. Ms. Tirado has produced at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall and New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).

Ms. Tirado is also a published essayist and a poet and has compiled a self-published book entitled Just Words:
A Collection of Private Thoughts That Sometimes Rhyme.

AHHE Membership Committee