Shelly Brantley is Project Director of RISE (Rural Initiatives Strengthening Equity), the Statewide Rural Coordinating Center, a program of the California Health Collaborative. Shelly has worked in tobacco control programs throughout rural Northern California since 1990, primarily as project director for the American Lung Association’s regional and competitive grant programs. Shelly has been an active member of numerous coalitions which saw some of the earliest secondhand smoke protections passed in local communities prior to state laws being passed.
On behalf of the California Tobacco Control Program, Shelly served as a consultant on tobacco industry retail strategies for the Washington State Center for Health Training – Seattle and Yakima; Ohio Department of Health – Bureau of Health Promotion & Risk Reduction, and Montana Governor’s Advisory Council on Tobacco Use Prevention.
Shelly received Bachelor and Master of Public Administration degrees from California State University, Chico.
Amber Morris (she/her) completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition at UC Davis where she was involved in several research labs providing coordination and data analysis support. The primary lab where Amber worked focused on investigating secondhand smoke exposure and how that affects cardiovascular function. The data analysis methods used in this study were published in the peer-reviewed Frontiers in Physiology journal with Amber as a co-author. As a result of this experience, Amber became very passionate about preventing and treating commercial tobacco usage in California through qualitative and quantitative approaches that involved community members. As the Central Valley Regional Coordinator, Amber focuses on providing technical assistance and other support to rural tobacco control partners in Madera, Merced, Mariposa, Kings, and Tulare counties while working on her Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology and Biostatistics at UC Berkeley.
Stephanie Porrazzo has been involved in public service for over 10 years but is new to the world of tobacco control. Much of her experience has come from working in public assistance programs and the COVID response with Shasta County Health and Human Services. Most of her life has been spent in Northern California, growing up in the Sacramento area. She is passionate about working with underserved communities and populations for health equity.
Stephanie eared a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chico State University and a Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from National University.