Healings in Motion’s Executive Board

Mary Ann Nicholson, President & CEO

Mary is a 25 year veteran of media management and sales in television, radio, and new media.  She managed successful media executives in radio and television in Los Angeles and owned a radio station in Sacramento, CA.    Mary excelled in a variety of positions ranging from public affairs to management, and ultimately, to ownership in a relativity short time.  Before the age of 39, she co-owned a multi-million dollar radio station in a major market.  Mary has generated revenue, developed sellable programs, managed broadcast inventory, projections, and profit loss statements, and managed program directors, engineers and others.  She also was the primary contact with investors and the advertising community.

Mary is the recipient of several distinguished awards, including:  “Marketer of the Year” by the National Alliance of Market Developers; “Businessperson of the Year” by the Small Business Administration; The “President’s Award” by the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce; Ida B. Wells Communications Award; and Chair Appreciation for the “Jazz in the Garden” fundraiser for the Crippled Children’s Society (Abilities First).  She has been presented with recognition from the CA State Senate, Assembly, Los Angeles Board of Supervisors and San Joaquin County Board of Directors.

Mary earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from UCLA, Broadcast Management Certificate from Wharton University and the following certificates of participation from the University of the Pacific:  Non-Profit Board Training, (2008), Non-Profit Sustainability (2008-2009).  She also received the Certificate of Completion in Non-Profit Management (2010-2011); Managing Your Finances for Business Success by the Small Business Development Center (2012), Women’s Health Leadership, San Joaquin, Center for Collaborative Planning (2012), graduate of the Hilton Johnson Health Coaching Program (2011-2013). Mary attended the Non-Profit Boot Camp presented by Craig’s List Foundation.   Along with Attorney General Kamala Harris and Senator Diane Watson, Mary Nicholson was presented a special recognition from the Los Angeles African American Political Action Pac (2010) and most recently was honored to become a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum, Great Valley Chapter, Class IV.

Mary Nicholson is thriving after suffering a brain aneurysm, stroke and grand mal seizure in 2003.  Just prior to her fight for recovery, Mary served as Caregiver to her husband, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  She used her experiences and compassion for others in founding Healings in Motion.  She has served on the Board for the Recreational Sports Club of San Joaquin, the Mayor’s Taskforce for Persons with Disabilities, and is an affiliate partner with Adversity 2 Advocacy, REACH (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health), Healthy San Joaquin Collaborative, and Solutions4Life.

Rayn J. Gravelly, Vice President & Secretary

Rayn J. Gravelly currently serves as Vice-President of Healings in Motion. Rayn attended the University of San Francisco School of Law, where she served as President of the Black Law Students’ Association and Class Representative for the Student Bar Association. Currently, Rayn is a solo-practicing Criminal Defense Attorney in Los Angeles County. Rayn utilizes an array of organizational, research, writing, and analytical skills to support the growth of Healings in Motion. Rayn is a graduate of UCLA and a dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Talanna Williams, Chief Financial Officer

Talanna Williams is a Marketing Communications consultant and owner of Unique Communications. Talanna previously worked at Safeway Inc. for 11 years in several positions. As a Senior Buyer she negotiated pricing and contract terms for multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts. Additionally, Talanna worked at Blackhawk Networks (a previous wholly owned subsidiary of Safeway) as an Associate Manager in Product Development, where she managed the holiday seasonal toy program that had a budget in excess of $10 million. Before joining Safeway, Talanna worked at Chips and Technologies, Inc. supporting the sales team. Her decision-making authority included how and where marketing funds were allocated. Annual available funds were based on a percentage of monthly sales and varied annually ranging from 150K to 500K. Talanna serves as Caregiver to her twin brother, who is a stroke survivor.

Board Member Elects

Daniel Kim, Jr., MPH, MCHES

Daniel Kim, Jr., is the Nutrition, Education, Obesity Prevention (NEOP) Project Director and Co-Coordinator for the SJC (San Joaquin County) Opioid Safety Coalition. He is a Supervising Public Health Educator at San Joaquin County Public Health Services in Stockton, CA. He has worked in the public health field for almost 20 years in Virginia and California in state and local government agencies. He is dedicated to the pursuit of health equity and health literacy, through policy, systems and environmental changes, that have long-term impacts to individuals and the community as a whole. His focus is on injury prevention, tobacco control, heart disease/stroke prevention, chronic disease prevention, nutrition education, and opioid safety. Daniel has served as Program Consultant/Project Manager for state Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Project, funded by CDC, at the Virginia Department of Health. He has served as a member of the Virginia Heart Disease and Stroke Alliance (VHDSA), and Virginia Stroke Systems Task Force (VSSTF). Daniel served on CDC Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Communities of Practice (CoP), and was the Project Manager for the Virginia Asthma Control Project on behalf of the Virginia Department of Health. Prior to moving to Virginia, Daniel served as Director of Health Promotion and Public Information at Kern County Department of Public Health in California. In that capacity he was a member of Kern County Asthma Coalition, Get Moving Kern, and the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program (CCROPP). Daniel has served as chair and vice-chair of the California Conference of Local Directors of Health Education (CCLDHE) and reviewer for the March of Dimes. Daniel’s specialties are federal and state grant management, program evaluation, health education, and promotion, risk communication and emergency preparedness. Both of Daniel’s parents were victims of strokes and currently, his father-in-law is challenged with mini-strokes or Transient Ischemic Strokes.

Jim T. Chong

Jim T. Chong works with the senior market as a licensed life and insurance broker and has been recognized as one of the top 10 producers nationally. Additionally, Jim has managed personal assets and statements for teachers and seniors; managed and analyzed financial documents for retirement accounts of up to $1.5 million in assets; co-owned and managed Data2Info, Inc., a software company; supervised programmers and technical specialists; reviewed corporate billing statements and audited circuit costs from providers; and worked as a consultant for the Santa Clara Water District and Siemens/Rolm. Jim is a published author of a best-selling book, an executive speaker and community organizer. He serves on the board for the Central Valley Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce, South Sacramento Vietnamese Chamber and the Chinese Chamber of Sacramento. He is also the founder of Solutions4Life, where he trains speakers with a passion to create “win-win” scenarios. Jim’s dad is a stroke survivor.

J. “CHAKA” Santos

“CHAKA” Santos is a former Mayor of Lathrop, CA. “CHAKA,” a stroke survivor and diabetic, is the Chief Executive Officer for RayMik, Incorporated, a manufacturer of CHAKA’s Premium Sauce and Marinade. This premiere sauce is unique because it does not contain any types of sugar, oil, or MSG and is sold at Costco, Walmart, Safeway, Raley’s and many other retail outlets.

James Burton

Stay tuned for James Burton’s bio.

Francis Cummins, DO

Dr. Cummins is a veteran currently working with the VA Sacramento in the Wound Care Department at David Grant USAF Hospital at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA. He has a background in hyperbaric medicine. More to follow – stay tuned.

What is a stroke?

A stroke, also known as cerebrovascular disease or “brain attack”, occurs when the continuous supply of blood that flows to the brain is disrupted. Blood is carried to the brain by blood vessels called arteries. The flow of blood in an artery can be interrupted or stopped completely by a blood clot or if the artery breaks or bursts. When either of these things happens brain cells begin to die and cause brain damage.

When brain cells die during a stroke, the abilities controlled by that region of the brain are lost. These abilities often include speech, movement, and memory. Stroke affects each patient differently depending on the area of the brain the stroke occurs and how much of the brain is damaged.

A small stroke may only cause minor issues such as weakness in an arm or leg, while a larger stroke may cause a patient to be paralyzed or lose the capacity to speak. Some people recover completely, but the majority of stroke survivors will have some type of disability.

Stroke Trends

According to research comparing hospitalizations in 1994 and 1996 with the ones in 2006 and 2007, strokes are occurring younger.

For every 10,000 hospitalizations in 1994-96 compared with those in 2006-07 the occurrence of stroke rose in younger age groups:

• 51% from 9.8 to 14.8 among males 15 to 34 years old
• 17% from 3.6 to 4.2 in females 15 to 34 years old
• 47% from 36 to 52.9 in males 35 to 44 years old
• 36% from 21.9 to 30 in females 35 to 44 years old

Young or old, know your risk factors of stroke and how to avoid them.