Patricia Chin, DNS, RN Dr. Patricia A. Chin is a Professor Emerita of California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Chin’s four-decade professional nursing career includes medical-surgical nursing, cardiac intensive care nursing, psychiatric health nursing, and legal consultation on nursing negligence. As a member of the Cal State LA faculty, she taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and served in various positions, including Nurse Counselor, Associate Director, and the Director of the School of Nursing. Dr. Chin earned a diploma from Capital City School of Nursing, D.C. General Hospital, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing from California State University Los Angeles, and a Doctor of Nursing Science from the University of San Diego. She is a member of the Nu Mu Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Dr. Chin’s scholarly publications, presentations, and activities have been in the areas of vulnerable and underserved populations, domestic violence, powerlessness, change, and change theory, coping with mental and behavioral issues during changes in health states, rehabilitation, and nursing case management. Active in her community, she has been a board member of the East San Gabriel Chapter of the American Red Cross, Monterey Park Boys and Girls Club, Garfield Medical Center Board of Governors, Soroptimist International and the Soroptimist Village Foundation Board, a subsidized senior housing facility. She chaired a “Commission on the State of the City of Monterey Park” and served two terms on the Monterey Park Planning Commission. | 
Nikki West Nikki West is a healthcare executive with more than 20 years of experience partnering with healthcare organizations, academic institutions, foundations, and public agencies to develop sustainable workforce solutions that expand access to care and advance health equity. As Director of the Fund for Health Education at Kaiser Permanente, Nikki oversees a grantmaking portfolio focused on healthcare workforce development, behavioral health, nursing, and allied health education. Previously, as Director of Workforce Development at HealthImpact, she led statewide initiatives that strengthened California's healthcare workforce, secured more than $5 million in funding, and advanced innovative models for nursing education and workforce sustainability. Nikki brings expertise in governance, fiduciary stewardship, organizational sustainability, philanthropy, partnership development, workforce innovation, and systems change. She is recognized for building consensus across diverse stakeholders, translating complex challenges into practical solutions, and helping organizations achieve long-term, mission-driven impact. Her leadership has been recognized with Kaiser Permanente's Business Partner of the Year and R.J. Erickson Workplace Team awards. Nikki holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. |
Leah Korkis, MSN, RN, AGCNS, NPD-BC Leah Korkis, MSN, RN, AGCNS, NPD-BC, is an accomplished nursing leader and advanced practice nurse with a Master of Science in Nursing as an Adult-Geriatric Clinical Nurse Specialist. She currently serves as the Director of Clinical Education and Nursing Excellence within the Keck Medicine of USC Health System in Southern California. Under Leah’s leadership, the organization has been awarded Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) accreditation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center for meeting the global standard for new graduate nurse residency programs, the American Heart Association All-Star Recognition for meeting national standards in basic life support training, and other achievements that reflect a sustained commitment to nursing excellence, professional growth, and high-quality patient care. Leah has helped support a growing culture of nursing inquiry, scholarship, and dissemination. In addition to her leadership role, Leah is a part-time faculty member at Mount Saint Mary’s University, a mentor through the Association of California Nurse Leaders, an abstract reviewer for several national nursing conferences and journals. | 
Pamela Angerer Payne, D.Bioethics, MSN, NP Pamela Angerer Payne is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (emerita board certified). She worked for HealthCare Partners Medical Group for 21 years, caring for women with health issues related to pregnancy and reproductive health, and had a specialized practice in the care of women during menopause, with expertise in the clinical management of menopause concerns and symptoms, hormone therapies and general wellness issues for post-menopausal women’s health. Pamela holds a Doctor of Bioethics degree from Loyola University Chicago (2018). Her areas of interest include nursing ethics, medical research ethics, and reproductive ethics, focusing on technology and genetics. She is a retired lecturer and lab instructor for the Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing, Cal-State Los Angeles, where she taught Maternal-Infant Health, Physical Assessment, and Family Nursing courses. She serves on the Ethics Committee at Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena, CA, and the Institutional Review Board for Glendale Adventist Medical Center, Glendale, CA. In addition to her doctorate, Pamela received a B.A. in History from Cal State LA (1981), her BSN (1991) and MSN (1995) from Cal State LA, and an M.A. in Bioethics and Health Policy from Loyola University Chicago (2016). |
Melayne Yocum, CPA Melayne served over a decade on the senior leadership team at HealthCare Partners Medical Group (now Optum), one of the nation's largest multi-specialty, risk-bearing physician organizations. As the capstone to her career, she spent over a decade as a consultant (interim CEO, COO) of a greenfield project to design, build, equip, and staff a hospital and medical group to serve the underserved communities of South Los Angeles. Both career experiences called on her skills in financial and operational improvement, process redesign, strategic planning, and cultural transformation. Her expertise includes the implementation of managed care processes, development of team-based care models, as well as implementation and adoption of electronic health records. Earlier in her career, Melayne worked as an auditor and senior manager in the national healthcare practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Truman State University and holds CPA license (inactive at this time). Melayne also enjoys serving in leadership capacities in several tax-exempt organizations, including her church, Canine Companions, and a local marine mammal care hospital. |