Marin Institute

Bruce Lee Livingston, MPP
Executive Director

Bruce Lee Livingston has been the executive director of Marin Institute since October 2006. Mr. Livingston brings over 25 years of policy analysis, community organizing, program management to the organization. Livingston was the Executive Director of Health Access California and Health Access Foundation for four years and of Senior Action Network for six years. His accomplishments include organizing the California Patient Bill of Rights, which included 21 pieces of consumer protection legislation signed by the California Governor in 1999. He was also the convenor of the National Campaign to Protect, Improve and Expand Medicare. Prior to that, he directed California’s Clean Water Action on recycling and water quality issues for five years. From 1989 to 1990 he worked for U.S. E.P.A. where he managed a team that wrote the first Zero Emission Vehicle regulations in the country for the South Coast (L.A.) air basin

Michael Scippa
Director of Public Affairs

Michael Scippa joined Marin Institute in January 2007 and came to the organization with over 25 years of senior management experience in media advocacy, marketing, communications, and publications, with a proven track record of outreach to communities, advocacy organizations, media and government. Previous to his work at Marin Institute, Mr. Scippa worked for seven years as Communications Director then Executive Director of Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH), a 25,000 member national grassroots highway safety group. In these roles, Mr. Scippa planned and managed a legislative action agenda and oversaw education and advocacy activities targeting Congress, Presidential Administration officials, and state government officials. Mr. Scippa also managed all media and public relations,served as CRASH’s national spokesperson, and wrote and edited a variety of outreach materials, media products and print publications. In recognition of his efforts on behalf of crash victims, survivors and their families, Mr.Scippa was appointed to the California Drug-Free Commercial Truck and Bus Driver Task Force. Mr. Scippa was recently appointed to the Marin County Advisory Board on Alcohol and Other Drug Problems, which he now Chairs.

Michele Simon, JD, MPH
Research & Policy Director

A member of the Marin Institute team since January 2007, Ms. Simon is a public health lawyer who specializes in policy analysis, legal strategies, and industry tactics. She is the author of the book, "Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines Our Health and How to Fight Back." In addition to publishing articles in numerous national publications, Ms. Simon lectures extensively and has appeared on radio programs across the nation. Her recent research projects include how industry targets youth with alcoholic energy drinks, an analysis of advertising policies on public transit, and the failure of the alcohol industry's voluntary advertising guidelines.

Sarah M. Mart, MS, MPH
Research & Policy Manager

Sarah Mart is a public health researcher and advocate whose interests include public policy, effective prevention strategies, strategic planning, and social justice. Her recent projects include monitoring state legislation and exposing the wine industry’s political influence. She has prompted institutional refusal of Big Alcohol athletics sponsorship using alcohol advertising analysis and debated John McCardell (of the Amethyst Initiative) regarding the minimum legal drinking age. Sarah joined Marin Institute in early 2009 after directing health promotion departments at Syracuse University, the University of San Francisco, and The University of Montana-Missoula.

Charisse Ma Lebron
Advocacy Director

Charisse Ma Lebron joined Marin Institute as Advocacy & Outreach Manager in November 2007. She works primarily to organize, advocate, and educate against underage drinking and to reduce the harmful effects of alcohol on society. Before joining Marin Institute, Charisse worked on three major campaigns: the most recent was with the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC) where she worked to counter the growth of predatory lending locations in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. Prior to working with CRC, Charisse served as the Field and Education Director of Equality New Mexico, where she was a part of a successful effort to defeat three pieces of anti-gay legislation. Additionally, Charisse is a former staff member of the Howard Dean presidential campaign, where she served as an organizer specializing in minority constituency outreach. She worked on the development of outreach initiatives involving Asian Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. Furthermore, Charisse assisted in the research, formulation, and communication of policy objectives concerning underrepresented constituency groups.

Jorge Castillo
Advocacy & Outreach Manager
Organizador de Enlace Comunitario

Jorge Castillo joined Marin Institute in December 2007. Before coming to MI, Castillo worked as a family reunification case-manager in South Central Los Angeles and as a substance abuse counselor for Newcomer Spanish speaking teenagers and young adults in the Mission District of San Francisco. He has also advocated and produced community-based media. Castillo is currently a member of the County of Marin Board of Supervisors Advisory Board on Alcohol and Other Drug Problems.

Karen Kuhn
Administrative Director

Bruce Wolfe, MSW
Chief Information & Technology Officer