Health Action 2007 Consumer Health
Advocates of the Year

Vincent DeMarco is the Executive Director of the Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative, a coalition of organizations seeking to secure quality, affordable health care for all Marylanders. Mr. DeMarco and the coalition played a vital role in passing the Fair Share Health Care law, which was designed to ensure that large companies do their part to keep health insurance affordable for everyone.
 
The Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative is currently working to promote the Healthy Maryland Initiative proposal to increase the state tobacco tax by $1.00 per pack to reduce teen smoking and expand health care access.

Over the past 20 years, Mr. DeMarco has worked to build powerful grassroots coalitions to advance important public health policies, including reducing gun violence and teen smoking and expanding health care access. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he teaches students how to advance public health issues through coalition building and voter education.

Anne Dunkelberg is Associate Director for the Center for Public Policy Priorities, an organization that seeks to improve the social and economic well-being of low-income Texans. Ms. Dunkelberg focuses on policy issues related to health care access, as well as general issues related to immigrants’ access to public benefits.

Ms. Dunkelberg’s research and analysis of Texas health policy and programs is used throughout the state, and other advocates consider her to be an expert on Medicaid, SCHIP, and immigrant access.

Ms. Dunkelberg played an important role in advocating for the initial passage and implementation of the Texas State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and she continues to be an active leader in the Texas SCHIP coalition. She is also a member of the Covering Kids & Families Eligibility Policy Working Group, the National Academy for State Health Policy Making Medicaid Work in the 21st Century Workgroup, and the Governor’s Medicaid Reform Workgroup.

Anton Gunn is the Executive Director of South Carolina Fair Share, a statewide consumer group that investigates public policy and lobbies for reforms that focus on working families. He has expertise in consumer finance, health care policy, public benefits, community economic development, grassroots advocacy, organizational development, and capacity building.

For more than a decade, Mr. Gunn has advocated for individuals and families in South Carolina and throughout the country. Through work and volunteerism, he has served as a community activist, a consumer advocate, an educator, and a voice for progressive social change.

Mr. Gunn was a 2006 candidate for the South Carolina House of Representatives in District 79, and he came within 298 votes of unseating a 12-year incumbent. He also owns a successful motivational speaking company, appears on two weekly radio shows that provide social and political commentary on current issues, and is a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of South Carolina.

Tony Garr, Executive Director, Tennessee Health Care Campaign (TN)
Anthony Wright, Executive Director, California Health Access (CA)
Kim Perry, Food Research Action Center (Washington D.C.) 

Aranthan S. Jones, Senior Health Policy Advisor, Office of Rep. Donna Christensen (D-VI)
Ellen Leitzer, Codirector, Senior Citizens’ Law Office, Inc. (NM)
Mary G. Troupe, Executive Director, The Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities (MS)

Families USA Lifetime Advocacy Award Recipient

Rep. Henry A. Waxman, U.S. House of Representatives - D