Commissioner Biographies

Helen M. Thomson - Yolo County Supervisor, District 2: Helen Thomson began her public service career in 1974 when she was elected as a member of the Davis Joint Unified School District Board of Education. She was elected to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors in 1986. In 1996, she won the 8th District seat in the California State Assembly where she served three terms. Thomson chaired both the Assembly Health Committee and the Select Committee on Mental Health. She authored 81 bills signed into law, most notably was AB 88, the mental health parity bill, ending discrimination in insurance benefits for adults and children who suffer from serious mental illness. In 2002, Thomson again won a seat on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, and was re-elected in June 2006. Supervisor Thomson remains active in the California State Association of Counties, where she is a member of the Health and Human Services Committee. She is a member of the steering committee of the California Coalition for Compassionate Care and chairs the POLST Task Force. Thomson also serves on the advisory committee of the California Health Care Forum. She serves as Chair of the Sacramento Regional Council of Governments (SACOG), the Yolo Natural Heritage/JPA, Legislative Committee of the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, the Future of the Safety Net in Yolo County, the Yolo County Children’s Alliance and the First 5 Yolo Children and Families Commission. Supervisor Thomson is a registered nurse and the mother of three grown children as well as the proud grandmother of four grandchildren.

Karen Ziebron, MA Education - District 1 Community Representative: Karen Ziebron is an exceptional community volunteer with a proven record of advocacy for children. Currently, Ziebron works in the District Office of Senate President pro Tempore Darrel Steinberg. Prior to her position in Steinberg's district office, Ziebron served 10 years as Chief of Staff to Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson. She was a founding member and past chair of Sacramento ENRICHES, whose mission is to improve children's health, education and safety. Ziebron also was instrumental in founding Sacramento County's Birth and Beyond home visitation program for at-risk infants and served on a Critical Incident Rview Team for Sacramento County Child Protective Services. She is a resident of West Sacramento.

Donita Stromgren - District 2 Community Representative: A long-time advocate for children's issues, Stromgren currently serves as the Policy and Members Services Director for the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network. In this capacity, she monitors and helps craft state child care legislation as well as providing support services for member agencies. Stromgren administered child care subsidy and resource and referral programs in Sacramento and Yolo counties from 1978-1999.

Suzanne Anderson - District 3 Community Representative: In addition to her duties on the First 5 Yolo Commission, Suzanne Anderson serves on the Yolo County Local Childcare Planning Council. Her community experience includes service as past president for Yolo County Habitat for Humanity, volunteer work as a child advocate with the Yolo County Court Appointed Special Advocates and the Short Term Emergency Aid Committee. After many years as enrollment and outreach coordinator for the Davis Waldorf School, Anderson has returned to school to pursue degrees in nursing and public health. She holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and has experience in English/Spanish translation and bilingual tutoring. She currently is raising two children in Woodland.

Frederic "Rick" Baker, M.D.- District 4 Community Representative: Dr. Baker is a practicing pediatrician and Director of Medical Services for the Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in Davis. In addition, he serves as the Chief of Health Education for Kaiser's Sacramento/Roseville area. Dr. Baker has been a resident of Davis since 1993 and serves as the co-chair of the Yolo County Children's Health Initiative steering committee and as president of the board of trustees for Explorit Science Center. Prior to coming to Davis Kaiser Permanente Medical Group in 1995, Dr. Baker served as Chief of Pediatrics for Kaiser Permanente in Roseville and Physician-in-Charge for Kaiser Permanente in Stockton. In April of 2007, Dr. Baker was the recipient of the Yolo County Health Department Public Health Hero Award.

Sue Heitman, MSW - District 5 Community Representative: Currently the principal of Capay Consulting, Heitman works with non-profits in the Capay Valley. She was the Executive Director of Capay Valley Vision and on its founding board in 2000. Heitman previously served as the Yolo County Health Department Health Coordinator for HIV/AIDS Prevention and Bioterrorism. She directed the multi-county Gold Country Tobacco Prevention Coalition in Sacramento and has served on numerous statewide boards and taskforce groups concerned with tobacco issues, including the passage of both Propositions 99 and 10. Heitman taught an international course, “Youth and Tobacco,” for the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of North Carolina. She has served as American Lung Association Program Director, American Cancer Society Director of Education and United Way Senior Technical Assistance Advisor. She is a published author in the field of human relations in business, is a member of the Board of New Season Community Development Corp. and helped found the Esparto Farmer’s Market. She lives in the Capay Valley with her husband on a working almond orchard and they have just planted their first grapes and olives! Her experience as a foster parent for 10 years has helped drive her interest in children ages 0 to 5.

Jorge O. Ayala, Ph.D. - Yolo County Office of Education Superintendent: Dr. Jorge Ayala was elected Yolo County Superintendent of Schools in 1999 and continues to direct the operations of the Yolo County Office of Education. His career spans 31 years with extensive experience as an elementary, middle and high school educator, including 26 years as an administrator. Dr. Ayala is California's first elected Latino County Superintendent of Schools and brings a vision to the County Office of Education of promoting enhanced district fiscal services, exploring the potential for shared technologies and anticipating how to meet new and emerging student needs in the fields of alternative education, special education, career development and services to children and families. Dr. Ayala serves on the Woodland Healthcare Community Board as well as on the UC Davis School of Education Advisory Board, the Yolo County Workforce Investment Board, the Youth Opportunities Council, the Yolo Employment Services Board and the Yolo County Children's Alliance Board. He received his bachelor's degree from California State University, Humboldt, master's degree from California State University, Sacramento and his doctorate from the University of the Pacific. Dr. Ayala and his wife live in Woodland where she is a teacher in the Woodland School District. They are the parents of two children.

Pamela S. Miller, MSW - Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services: Pamela Miller came to Yolo County at the start of 2006 as the new Director of the Yolo County Department of Employment and Social Services (DESS). She served as deputy director for the Department of Public Social Services in Riverside County for the preceding four years. Miller has more than 20 years of experience in the field of social services, including working as an educator for La Sierra University's School of Social Work and Chapman University. She holds a bachelor's degree in liberal studies and psychology and a master's in social work from California State University, San Bernardino. Miller's work with both DESS and First 5 Yolo helps support better collaborative efforts in support of young children and their families. She and her domestic partner live in Woodland where they are raising two daughters.

Kim Suderman, LCSW - Yolo County Department of Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health: Currently the Director of the Yolo County Department of Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services (ADMH), Kim Suderman previously served as the Deputy Director/Children’s Coordinator in the Children’s System of Care in San Joaquin County’s Behavioral Health Department. As San Joaquin County was the first to implement Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS) for Medi-Cal beneficiaries in California, Suderman provided staff training for other counties statewide. She also implemented the Supportive Therapeutic Options Program (STOP) and Senate Bill 163 Wraparound. More than 10 years ago, Suderman was the clinical program manager for the Children’s System of Care in Yolo County Mental Health Services. She received her bachelor’s degree in social work from Fresno Pacific College and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from California State University, Fresno. Suderman has been a licensed clinical social worker since 1998.