Eliza May is a mission centered professional who has dedicated herself to the Austin Hispanic community, state government, and nonprofit organizations.
She is retired from the Susan G. Komen organization as the Vice President for Mission Services & Outreach and currently serves on the Komen Leadership Council, where she advocated for health equity in the underinsured and uninsured communities.
Eliza has extensive state government expertise, having served in various executive capacities. She has also served on the Retired State Employees Association (RSEA) Board of Directors as a trustee since 2020.
A former President & CEO for the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (GAHCC), Eliza set the bar for organizational leadership leading the Chamber to national status. A natural collaborator, strategist and leader, she earned national and regional awards from the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
A sought-after business resource and advocate for Latinos across Central Texas and the state, Eliza led improvements in procurement practices with state and local governments. She chaired the City of Austin’s minority and small business advisory board for a record eight years.
She is a founding member of the Hispanic and Business Leaders of Austin (HABLA) forum and serves on the accompanying PAC. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson appointed Eliza to serve on the city’s Hispanic-Latino Quality of Life Commission in 2023.
Manuel Martin, M.D. is a family medicine doctor practicing in Austin. He was appointed by the Austin City Council to replace departing Central Health Board of Managers Treasurer Julie Zuniga. Martin received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine, where he was named the Ida Green Scholar, and has been in practice for more than 30 years, affiliated with St. David’s Medical Center and St. David’s South Austin Medical Center.
Martin began his career in emergency medicine at Seton Medical Center in Austin and assumed a faculty position with the Central Texas Medical Foundation, where he was given the Weinberg Award for excellence in post graduate medical education. He was also invited to the founding board of Project Access by the Travis County Medical Society. He returned to family medicine this year, opening his own solo practice focusing on the Hispanic community.
“I’m honored and excited to join Central Health,” Martin said. “My 30-plus years as a medical practitioner in public, charity care, and private settings have afforded me tremendous opportunities to understand systems of medical delivery. My direct experience, and insight into shortcomings I have seen as an active member of the medical community, will inform my work as a board member. It is my hope to be able to increase our ability to provide care to a greater number of Central Texans and to do so in a cost-efficient, humane, and equitable manner that recognizes and respects the diversity of our community.”
- Appointed by City of Austin
- Term ends: December 31, 2026
Ann Kitchen, an attorney and healthcare consultant, was appointed by the Travis County Commissioners Court to replace outgoing Central Health Board Manager and Past Chairperson Sherri Greenberg.
Kitchen has served on the Austin City Council since 2015 and will step down on Jan 5. She currently chairs the Mobility Committee and serves on the Austin Energy Committee, Public Utilities Committee, and vice chairs the Housing & Community Development Committee.
Kitchen also serves on several intergovernmental committees including the Regional Affordability Committee, the Psychiatric Services Stakeholder Committee, the Capital Metro Policy Board, and Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO), the regional transportation planning body for Central Texas. She is a former assistant attorney general in the consumer protection division and a former Texas state representative.
“The opportunity to access healthcare is fundamental to staying healthy, holding a job, and raising a family,” Kitchen said. “I am excited about helping Central Health transparently improve healthcare in Austin – with attention to equity and social factors that impact health like housing and transportation.”
- Appointed by Travis County
- Term ends: December 31, 2026
Amit Motwani’s executive leadership spans the arenas of strategy, operations, technology, and analytics. He came to Austin 25 years ago to attend The University of Texas at Austin, and later joined the software startup team of CTK (now Social Solutions Global), where he served as chief technology officer. Motwani led the launch of CTK’s United Kingdom branch in London and later returned to Austin, where he began his journey in nonprofit direct services with an early focus on adult literacy. In Austin he launched a 15-year professional trajectory bridging hands-on understanding of human service programming with a commercially, data-driven executive mindset.
Amit currently serves as chief executive officer for the Rupani Foundation, an organization improving children’s school readiness and empowering marginalized communities in South Asia, Central Asia and the United States. Prior to this role, Amit was the chief operating officer at El Buen Samaritano, an outreach ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. Earlier in his career he was the chief information officer at United Way for Greater Austin where he helped transform the organization’s approach to data and analytics. There, he also led the creation of Austin’s “2-Gen” Coalition, uniting public and private funders and service providers around the same table to improve economic and social mobility. Motwani served as lead adviser to the United Way and Dr. Chris King’s Policy Research Project cohort on related anti-poverty strategies at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
Motwani is passionate about civil rights and universal equitable access to basic needs for all, and his commitment is reflected in his extensive service on nonprofit, commercial, and municipal boards and commissions. Motwani is a proud graduate of Central Health’s Community Health Champions Program (class of 2017), which reinforced his belief that individual, family, and community outcomes health outcomes are inextricable.
- Joint Travis County/City of Austin Appointment
- Appointed: November 10, 2020 (Travis County) December 10, 2020 (City of Austin)
- Term ends: December 31, 2024
Dr. Cynthia C. Brinson earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and obtained her medical doctorate at Texas Tech University, Health Science Center in Lubbock, Texas. She completed her Family Practice residency at Brackenridge Hospital in 1993, serving as the Chief Resident her final year. In addition to being a private physician at Red River Family Practice, Dr. Brinson has been the Medical Director of Central Texas Clinical Research, LLC since 1999.
Dr. Brinson has spent her entire professional career addressing the HIV epidemic through clinical research and evidence-based clinical care including prevention, screening, and treatment. In the late 1980s she was asked to join the American Foundation for AIDS Research and she continues today participating in research, providing care, advocating for patients, and sharing her knowledge and passion with the next generation of health care providers.
Dr. Brinson was instrumental in forming the HIV Study Group at Blackstock Family Health Center in 1992 as a resident. The group, now known as Central Texas Clinical Research, continues to be a productive community-based clinical research organization. Many medications that are now the standard of care for the treatment of HIV, Hepatitis B and C were studied by the group prior to approval for use. She is a prolific researcher with participation in over 150 HIV clinical trials and over 50 studies involving other health issues. She has presented her research findings locally, nationally, and internationally including at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, International AIDS Conference, ID Week, and TexMed.
In 2017, she helped open Kind Clinic with Texas Health Action after years of operating part-time out of her own clinic. It is the first full-service non-profit clinic in Central Texas to provide access to free STI screening and treatment and HIV pre- and post-exposure medication for those at risk of contracting HIV. She and her colleagues have provided risk reduction service for approximately 25,000 members of the community. There is now a second Kind Clinic in Austin, one in San Antonio, and a third Austin location in development.
She has received multiple awards for her service to improve the health of the community including the 2018 John P. McGovern Champion of Health Award, the 2013 Bryon E. Cox Spirit of Caring Award, and the Family Medicine Weinberg Award for Teaching. She is an inspirational role model for physicians, residents, students, and community leaders.
- City of Austin Appointment
- Appointed: December 10, 2020
- Oath of Office: January 22, 2021
- Term ends: December 31, 2024
Dr. Guadalupe Zamora, M.D. was appointed to the Board of Managers in January 2013 by the Travis County Commissioners Court.
Dr. Zamora has 24 years of experience as a practicing physician, and when not on staff at St. David’s Medical Center, he works out of his own family medicine clinic in East Austin alongside his niece Dr. Belda Zamora.
He has served as President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Travis County Medical Society and served on the advisory board for the Medical Access Program (MAP) prior to the existence of Central Health. Most recently he served as treasurer of Healthy ATX, a local organization that supports the improvement of the local healthcare system.
- Travis County Appointment
- Appointment: January 15, 2013
- Reappointed: December 15, 2016
- Reappointed: December 15, 2020
- Term ends: December 31, 2024
Dr. Maram S Museitif, an esteemed public health professional, holds a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH), a Master’s in Public Health (MPH), and is a Certified in Public Health (CPH) practitioner. With a relentless dedication to addressing health inequities and disparities, Dr. Museitif focuses her expertise on cancer research tailored for vulnerable and underserved communities.
Her leadership spans across various spheres; she chairs the Texas Public Health Association’s Legislative, Policy, and Advocacy Committee, advocating for pivotal statewide policies, programs, and funding dedicated to public health concerns. As Central Health’s Treasurer and Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, Dr. Museitif spearheads critical financial decisions, ensuring resources are directed to bolstering healthcare accessibility in underserved populations.
Recognized for her exceptional contributions, Dr. Museitif has been honored as a recipient of the National Diversity Council’s 2019 Diversity Health Care Leader award, Leadership Austin’s Ascendant Award, and the Texas Public Health Association’s Jessie A. Yoas Memorial Advocacy Award. Her commitment to service has been acknowledged with the 2021-2022 President’s Volunteer Service Award.
Her professional journey includes impactful roles at distinguished institutions like Yale University, UT Southwestern, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency. Dr. Museitif is a founding member of The Society of Health Communication and a graduate of Leadership Austin, where she hones her leadership skills and networks with industry leaders.
Adding to her accolades, Dr. Museitif was recently inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health in 2023, recognizing her unwavering commitment to promoting equity and addressing health disparities.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Dr. Museitif finds joy in cooking, gardening, and cherishing quality time with her family, striking a balance between her passionate advocacy for public health and personal interests.
- City of Austin Appointment
- Appointed: May 18, 2017
- Reappointed: January 18, 2024
- Term ends: December 31, 2028
Shannon Jones, III served as the Director of Austin Public Health with the City of Austin for two years before his retirement in April, 2017. Under his oversight, the department achieved accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), and was one of the first five accredited public health agencies in the State of Texas. He was previously Deputy Director of Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department from August 2011 to April 2015, and had served on the department’s staff since July 1999.
The Central Texas African American Family Support Conference awarded Mr. Jones the 2015 Garnet F. Coleman “Eternal Flame” award, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment in their careers and everyday lives to raising awareness about mental health and health disparities.
The Obama Administration appointed Mr. Jones to serve as chairperson of the national Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis (ACET) with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from January 2011 until January 2014. He also served as member of the CDC’s National Study of Determinants of Early Diagnosis, Prevention and Treatment of Tuberculosis (TB) in the African-American Community.
Mr. Jones served as the Chair of the Austin/Travis County Community Health Assessment and Improvement Planning (CHA/CHIP). In this role, he coordinated and organized the collaboration of the major local health care and public health agencies along with many of the social services, transportation and various other public/private agencies in the region. The CHA/CHIP will serve as the first major comprehensive planning effort to address the key identified social determinants of health that impact the Austin/Travis community.
Mr. Jones might be best known in the community as founder of the local radio talk show “Health Talk” on KAZI FM 88.7, which for more than 11 years has focused on improving the health of residents of Austin and Travis County.
Mr. Jones holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh, and has completed course work towards the PhD in Management and Policy from The University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston. In addition he is a Woodrow Wilson Administrative Fellow and an Associate in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
- Travis County Appointment
- Appointed: December 12, 2017
- Oath of Office: January 24, 2018
- Reappointed: December 14, 2021
- Term ends: December 31, 2025
Cynthia Valadez is currently a consultant and health care advocate for Travis and Williamson Counties, and has been since 1995. She has provided health care services for clients in both counties, while also working to provide health care training and systems navigation education to community organizations and neighborhood groups.
Cynthia has also been a community health care worker since 2010. She previously worked with Latino Healthcare Forum, an Austin-based nonprofit organization concerned with reducing racial and ethnic health disparities.
Prior to this, Ms. Valadez was an Austin Fair Housing Project Coordinator at Urban Center and was responsible for the recruitment, hiring, education, and assignments for a study that proved existing discriminatory practices in Travis County, and was ultimately used as the foundation for changes to the Fair Housing Act.
Early in her professional career, Ms. Valadez was a community coordinator for the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project in 1982, as well as a paralegal with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General, from 1977 to 1978.
Cynthia Valadez was appointed to the Board of Managers by Travis County Commissioners Court to a third four-year term in October, 2023.
- Travis County Appointment
- Appointed: February 3, 2015
- Oath of Office: February 6, 2015
- Reappointed: September 29, 2015, Agenda item 35
- Reappointed: September 17, 2019
- Reappointed: October 24, 2023
- Term ends: December 31, 2027