The Valleywise Community Health Centers Governing Council is organized, as designated by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), to provide governance and oversight of our Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Clinics.

Learn More

Council Members

Scott Jacobson

Scott Jacobson

Chairman - District - 3

Scott brings a compassion for patients and business experience to help communities access health care resources. He moved to the Arizona in the 1980s and became an advocate for the LGBTQ community. He started a group which helped allocate federal funds to combat the early outbreak and recently earned a lifetime achievement award from Let’s Get Better Together. Scott spent 12 years at APS in various roles. He ran Valley Leadership, a  program that helps emerging leaders of the community and he serves as a partner at Strategic Change Management, for non-profits with an emphasis in behavioral health and homelessness. He graduated from UT at Austin.

Eileen Sullivan

Eileen Sullivan

Vice Chairman - District -1

Eileen Sullivan has practiced law for fifteen years and worked as a Maricopa County Deputy Public Defender and Deputy Legal Advocate. She received her bachelor’s degree from ASU and Juris Doctor degree from John Marshall Law School. She interned with the US Department of State and United Airlines Legal Department.  Eileen served as National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Southwest Regional Governor and on numerous committees, councils and boards including the Board of Directors of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association. She received the Sandra Day O’Connor Community Service award from Junior League of Phoenix and Top Ten Solo Practitioner award from Greater Phoenix Attorney at Law Magazine in 2012.

Earl Arbuckle

Treasurer - District - 3

Earl Arbuckle has served in many roles and many disciplines in healthcare technology. Earl currently leads a team of professionals tasked with design, development and installation of software. Earl’s long history in healthcare technology has expanded to the desire to assist organizations and patients through the complicated healthcare business in particular a keen interest in the under-served community. Earl moved to the Phoenix 8 years go and has been a Valleywise Health patient ever since his arrival in Phoenix. Earl has a Master’s degree in computer science and holds several certifications.

Nelly Clotter-Woods, Ph.D.

District - 4

Dr. Nelly Clotter-Woods is an avid community advocate who founded NCW ‘Grants’ & Associates, PLLC, a firm that provides training and technical assistance to behavioral health and educational entities. She holds a Ph.D. in Business, Organizational Behavior and Leadership from Capella University and MA in Public Administration with a concentration in Management & Operations from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Through serving on community boards, Dr. Clotter-Woods focuses on the under-served population, as well as small businesses, child welfare, health and educational systems with the aspiration of all entities to become culturally competent to the demographics they serve.

Chris Hooper

District - 3

Christopher Hooper is an Arizona native and has been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community in Phoenix for over 30 years. He is a 35-year restaurant industry veteran and an award-winning restaurant manager. He is currently a storyteller for the Valleywise Health Speakers Bureau “Voice of Hope”, speaking to various local organizations on HIV prevention and advocacy. He hopes to lend the knowledge and wisdom he has learned in his career to improve the patient and employee experience. His 30 years of personal experience navigating through HIV programs will bring a strong “voice of the patient” perspective to the Governing Council.

Salina Imam

Salina Imam

District - 1

Salina Imam is the Community Development Coordinator with ICNA Relief.  She assists and empowers underprivileged Americans through sustainable social service programs and helps to build healthy communities, strengthen families, and create opportunities for those in despair, while maintaining their dignity and advocating for their basic human needs. She is very passionate about her job and has enjoyed helping her local community for over a decade.  She was born and raised in Bangladesh, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree.  She has lived in Chandler, Arizona with her husband and son for over 25 years.

Norma Munoz

District - 5

Norma Munoz was born in Nogales, Mexico and immigrated to Phoenix with her parents and siblings at the age of two. Having lived in Phoenix her entire life, she attended Phoenix Union High School and married soon after graduating. Norma is the proud mother of five children and many grandchildren.

William O’Neill

District - 2

My name is William B. O’Neill. I was born in Vietnam and got the opportunity to come to America at the age of 9 years in 2007. I’m one of eleven children who were fortunate enough to be adopted by an American family. Growing up in AZ, I got the chance to experience the sundry of opportunities that the valley provides. My passion is to one day find a way to contribute to the underprivileged communities in AZ due to first-hand experience with mental health conditions. I graduated from Rio Salado Community College with an Associate in Arts and I am currently attending ASU majoring in Community Advocacy and Social Policy after a strong mental health recovery with the support of Valleywise, Vocational Rehabilitation, and many more sponsors.

Essen Otu

District 3

Essen Otu, MPA has had a career spanning government, healthcare, non-profit and utility industries. His work guides organizations in building more inclusive and equitable cultures.

Essen is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Manager at Salt River Project (SRP) where he oversees DEI strategies in support of SRP’s corporate goals.

Prior to joining SRP, Essen spent over ten years in FQHC leadership overseeing DEI and community affairs strategy through three-fold expansion.

Wayne Tormala

District - 3

Wayne Tormala is an Emmy award-winning public health consultant with over 50 years of experience at the local, state, national and global levels. He has led programs in the fields of world hunger, mental health, HIV/AIDS, poverty, and public health. His current work includes addressing emotional fatigue among consumers and providers of healthcare, and promoting integration of public health and poverty programs. He is an Adjunct Faculty at the University of Arizona College of Public Health and an advisor to the Altruism in Medicine Institute.

Jane Wilson

District - 3

Jane came to Phoenix in the late 70’s to help secure public acceptance and approval for the Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant at Arizona Public Service.

Following her 20 years in various public relations, advertising, and corporate communications positions at APS, Jane worked at St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center (now Dignity Health) as Vice President of Corporate and Public Relations and Marketing Communications.

Mary Rose Wilcox

Mary Rose Garrido Wilcox

District - 5

Mary Rose Wilcox joined the Maricopa County Special Health Care District Board of Directors in 2016. She has served on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and Maricopa County Hospital Health System Board. She received the Guadalupe Family Health Center Award of Appreciation and was honored with the MIHS Dedication Award. She was the first Latina elected to the Phoenix City Council and Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and helped create the Hispanic Women’s Corporation. She also served on the National Council of La Raza and NALEO. She and her husband run a local Mexican food restaurant and have a daughter and five grandsons.

Governing Council Meeting Information

The Valleywise Community Health Centers Governing Council meets once a month regarding the management and operations of the FQHC Clinics.

Governing Council meetings are generally held on the first Wednesday of each month unless the date falls on a government-recognized holiday, in which case staff will publish a new meeting date in advance.  At its discretion, the  Governing Council may call additional meetings.

While all meetings are open to the public, during a meeting the Governing Council may decide by majority vote to authorize an executive session that will convene immediately following the vote.  By law, executive sessions are not open to the public and discussions are confidential.

Meeting Location

The Governing Council meetings are generally held at:

Virginia G. Piper Pavilion
2609 East Roosevelt Street
Phoenix, AZ 85008
2nd Floor, Auditoriums 1 and 2

Meeting Agenda

If you would like to view the meeting agenda, staff will post it at least 24 hours in advance. You can find it on this website or posted in the lobbies of the Valleywise Community Health Centers and the Valleywise Comprehensive Health Centers.

Meeting Materials

Supporting materials, if any, for agenda items, except executive session items, are available at the meeting and at the office of the Clerk of the Board. Information may be posted on this website at the Clerk’s discretion.

To access information prior to 24 months ago, submit a Public Records Request.

Search Archived Documents

Need to see archived meeting information? Search bar below.

To access information prior to 24 months ago, submit a Public Records Request.