Gov. John Kitzhaber has appointed new members to the Oregon Health Policy Board – the policy-making and oversight body for the Oregon Health Authority. Zeke Smith and Lisa Watson have replaced Nita Werner and Lillian Shirley.
Smith, the chief impact officer of the United Way of the Columbia Willamette, leads its community impact strategy through grant-making, volunteerism, community convening and policy work. Previously, he was chief of staff to Portland Public Schools Superintendent Carole Smith. He was responsible for managing the executive leadership team, providing strategic planning leadership for the district and managing connections with community organizations, elected officials, and other jurisdictions.
Lisa Watson, meanwhile, is the owner and founder of Cupcake Jones, a 
Portland-based bakery that opened in 2007 and today employs ten people. Her previous work experience was in food industry sales, where she worked for numerous companies including Sara Lee Foods. Earlier she worked in the continuing education and development department at Kaiser Permanente, and has volunteered with Basic Rights Oregon and volunteered with the Oregon Food Bank, the Portland Classical Chinese Garden, Cascade AIDS Project, and Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette.
