Meet Our Staff
Meet Our Staff
Get Healthy San Mateo County is supported by staff at San Mateo County Health System’s Health Policy and Planning Division.
Heather Arata
Community Health Planner
Heather works on issues of health and housing throughout San Mateo County working toward local policies that encourage safe and affordable housing practices. To do this, Heather serves on government and community workgroups and committees, such as Home For All and the Housing Leadership Council. A recent graduate of UC Berkeley, Heather holds a PhD in city and regional planning with an emphasis on public health and planning.
Sharon Calaunan
Office Specialist
Sharon serves as administrative support for the Health Policy and Planning Team. She is also the Wellness Champion of the Public Health Policy and Planning Department. Since attaining her Psychology B.A. from San Francisco State University, she has focused on supporting agencies that promote health and education.
Maeve Johnston
Community Health Planner
Maeve works on Get Healthy SMC’s land use planning and built environment efforts, with a focus on South County. She coordinates Get Healthy SMC’s housing policy work. She works with cities and regional bodies across San Mateo County to integrate a healthy perspective into land use and transportation planning and policies.
(650) 573-2415
mjohnston@smcgov.org
Shireen Malekafzali
Senior Manager for Health Policy, Planning and Equity
Shireen manages the Health Policy and Planning Program with a focus on achieving healthy, equitable places where all San Mateo County residents have the opportunity to lead healthy, prosperous lives. She brings over 15 years of experience advancing health and equity through multi-field partnerships, community leadership, policy advocacy, grant-making and research.
Belén Seara
Senior Community Health Planner
Belén coordinates the Get Healthy SMC’ Healthy Economy efforts to ensure all San Mateo County residents and workers have access to quality jobs and training opportunities. Belén has ten years of experience promoting equity through multi-sectoral partnerships, community-based research, policy advocacy, community organizing, and leadership development.
Juvy Ann Reyes
Administrative Assistant I
Juvy Ann supports the Health Policy and Planning Program and Health Coverage Unit. She is responsible for supervising clerical staff and assisting in the development and installation of management improvements and practices. She confers with others on a variety of administrative matters and is responsible for the proper and efficient functioning of the office. She coordinates the contract development and amendment process and serves as a liaison to potential funders, community organizations, other County departments, government agencies and the public to disseminate information.
Grace Streltzov
Healthy Economy Intern
As the Healthy Economy Intern, Grace produces research that supports Get Healthy objectives to ensure that everyone has the ability to increase household income and build financial security. Grace is a Master of City Planning student at UC Berkeley, where she studies community and economic development.
Rosa Torpis
Program Coordinator
Rosa coordinates Get Healthy’s social media, website, and e-communications content. She also coordinates outreach and recruitment, as well as the onboarding processes for Get Healthy’s internship program. She supports land use and transportation strategy by tracking local planning, assisting community partners applying for funding, and tracking opportunities to integrate health in other public policy arenas.
Justin Watkins
Community Health Planner
Justin leads Get Healthy’s school wellness work. He partners with school districts throughout San Mateo County to create and implement school wellness policies that support the changes to the nutrition and physical activity environment. Justin also manages HPP’s support of the Youth Commission and garden education efforts. Click here to read more about Justin’s perspective on student wellness in San Mateo County.