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TAUN HALL
Executive Director
The day Taun Hall’s son Miles was shot and killed, she stepped into her life’s work: Creating change to protect families from a system that failed her son.
Since June 2, 2019, Taun has worked tirelessly with her husband Scott and daughter Alexis, to not only promote awareness of the problems embedded in the care for those living with mental illness, but to identify where the levers of change are.
Following Miles death, The Miles Hall Foundation was created.
Taun's work is supported by the FRIENDS OF SCOTT, ALEXIS AND TAUN HALL (FOSATH) who created JUSTICE FOR MILES HALL, with volunteers and supporters from all over the country.
Taun has formed alliances with other families, organizations, and politicians across the country who are working for change. She is a featured speaker and panelist on media and public and private events.
Her message: Black lives matter, Black minds matter, her son Miles matters, and change is possible and inevitable.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair of the Board
Scott Hall is the proud father of Miles and Alexis Hall. On June 2, 2019 his son Miles was shot and killed by Walnut Creek police while he was experiencing a mental health emergency. From the pain of losing a child unnecessarily a new purpose in his life was born. With the support of his wife Taun, daughter Alexis, family, and friends, The Miles Hall Foundation was created. All Scott’s time, energy and effort is to honor his son and ensure that there are non-police alternatives for people living with mental illness.
Scott has spent his professional career in the investment industry and is currently an executive for an investment firm that empowers investors to use their private capital to make a positive social impact without compromising return.
His message: My son didn't get the help he needed, but we will make change so others will.
Board Member
Alexis Hall is a Bay Area native and has lived in Walnut Creek since 2001. She received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing and Spanish minor from San Diego State University in 2020. Alexis currently lives in San Diego, California where she works full time for a tech company.
Alexis is Miles Hall’s younger sister and she was immediately called to public service after Miles was killed by two Walnut Creek police officers in June of 2019. Alexis understands the complexity of getting those who struggle with their mental health the proper help they need, so she along with The Miles Hall Foundation want to create change to protect families from a system that failed her brother and promote awareness of the problems embedded in the care for those living with mental illness.
Her message: Black lives matter; Miles’ life matters, and change is coming.
Vice Chair
Gabrielle Jones, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist and the CEO and founder of Steady Clinical Consultation, Training and Development Services. She founded Steady to improve substance use treatment for historically marginalized populations at the system level and to provide consultation and coaching to leadership and executives who are committed to championing Belonging, Justice, Equity Diversity, & Inclusion (BJED&I) in their workplace and for their workforce. Her expertise is in substance use treatment for youth and adults, and BJED&I initiatives at the system level.
Dr. Jones has over a decade of experience working with marginalized communities, specifically adolescents labeled “at-risk”, people involved in the juvenile justice system and their families, and people who have substance use concerns or have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder. She provides trainings to non-profit organizations related to substance use and cultural responsiveness in the context of mental health treatment, and consultation to organizations and individuals working with populations listed above.
Dr. Jones was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, and upon returning to the bay from completing graduate school at Oklahoma State University, she committed herself to advocacy through board leadership. She has served as chair for Centerforce, a local non-profit servicing the re-entry population and their families, and as chair for the Membership Board of the American Psychological Association. She has also served as board member at large for the California Psychological Association and Western Regional Representative for the National Association of Black Psychologists.
Her goal through serving on The Miles Hall Foundation Board is to contribute to the systemic change that needs to occur within the healthcare system to improve equitable access and care among marginalized and minoritized populations.
Her message: Putting words into action through service. That is how change happens.
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Treasurer
Kurtis Reese is a native of Los Angeles, Californian, and has lived in Walnut Creek since 2002. He has held various roles in IT leading global teams of various sizes. He and his wife’s background and focus on community collaboration have led him to a number of volunteer opportunities that support youth initiatives. Kurtis received his Bachelor of Science in Management of Information Services and a Masters of Business Administration from St. Mary’s College of California. He is happily married with an 18-year-old son and a 14-year-old daughter.
His call to public service was born out of tragedy when Miles Hall was killed by two Walnut Creek police officers in June of 2019. Kurtis knew Miles his entire life and has been friends with Scott and Taun Hall since his college days 30 years ago. Kurtis was distraught and was compelled to do something – to speak out about what happened to Miles and to ensure that what happened to the Hall family never happened again.
Since then, Kurtis has engaged with Walnut Creek city leaders to create the Police Chief’s Advisory Board. He piloted a program called “The Talk” where he teamed with WCPD officers and met with high school boys to discuss safe interactions with law enforcement. He also formed a committee that teamed with city staff to establish “listening sessions” which will clearly identify social issues that exist between city leadership, law enforcement, and the community.
Both in his professional life and private life he has a reputation as a measured leader who has the courage and integrity to confront and solve problems. Goodwill drives his actions.
His message: We can’t afford to stand on the sidelines any longer. We must get involved to make the changes in the world that we want to see.
Secretary
Dave Hobbs retired from a 22-year career in local government at the City of Pittsburg, California in 2003. During his time with the city he served in field and administrative support roles in both the Public Services and City Manager’s Offices. During this tenure he was instrumental in initiating and managing the City’s Healthy Cities project and its Emergency Services preparation and response program.
Following his retirement from local government he taught political science and philosophy courses until 2018 as a member of the faculty of the Contra Costa Community College District. A Walnut Creek resident for over 40 years he joined FOSATH in the fall of 2019 and served as the initial chair of its Implicit Bias Committee. He was a member of the FOSATH team which collaborated with the City of Walnut Creek to design and deliver listening sessions to address community trauma and confidence issues related to Miles’ death.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from San Francisco State University.
His message: Join with us in making our communities more inclusive and supportive for those struggling with mental illness.
Board Member
Ted Angus has lived in Walnut Creek since 1980. Ted is an attorney and currently the General Counsel for AssetMark, a financial services firm headquartered in Concord, CA. He has worked in various roles within the financial services field, including as a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Charles Schwab and at various law firms. He and his wife Lisa raised three children in the Walnut Creek community, providing Ted the opportunity to volunteer in various school and youth sports organizations in the local area. Ted has also been involved in local political campaigns, having served as campaign manager for two City Council candidates in the City of Walnut Creek. Ted received his Bachelor of Arts in both History and Economics from UCLA, and his JD from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He is married with three adult children.
As longtime neighbors and close friends of the Hall family, the tragedy of Miles’ death impacted not only Ted but his entire family, motivating each of them to find their own path to get involved in advocacy and as agents for change within local, regional and state governments and community organizations. Since then, Ted has provided leadership within his company on issues of mental health awareness, has directly engaged with Walnut Creek city leaders to seek accountability as well as positive change as a result of the tragedy, and has served on the Police Chief’s Advisory Board for the City of Walnut Creek.
As is the case for many impacted by the loss of Miles, out of tragedy has come an awakening that more must be done to help those families around us that are impacted by mental illness and the lack of resources and understanding to adequately address their needs. Ted seeks opportunities to use the skills he has developed professionally and in prior community service to effect change and positive outcomes in support of the important mission of the Miles Hall Foundation.
Board Member
Toni Baruti is the Principal Owner of Solutions FBIA, a Certified Minority Woman Owned Business as well as the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for AllHealth Network, a Colorado Community Mental Health Center that serves over 18,000 lives annually.
She has over 25 years in consulting Healthcare Systems, Payors, FQHCs, Small Businesses, Nonprofits, Community Health Centers and Community Mental Health Centers. Her client's revenue has ranged from $1M to $2B. She helps transform care and payment models using her blended background in Finance, Analytics and Technology. She served on the Colorado State Healthcare Policy and Finance Committee for selection of the State’s Business Intelligence Data Management System.
Ms. Baruti is currently serving on Colorado State’s eHealth commission chairing the State’s Coordination of Care Workgroup with the mission of addressing unique community needs and gaps in care coordination while maintaining a person-centric lens. Toni’s passion is helping underserved and marginalized populations, with a steadfast focus on Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity.
Toni spends her spare time volunteering with several organizations. She served as the Board Chair and Capital Campaign Chair for The Center for African American Health. She also serves on the Executive Committee for Curious Theater, Treasurer for the White Rose Foundation, Inc. and on the Board and Finance Advisory Committee for Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. Toni graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance.
Her message: Dedicated to lifting up the voices of those living with mental illness.
Board Member
Eric Rafla-Yuan, M.D. is a board-certified physician, researcher, educator, and policy expert. He is a voluntary assistant clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, where he founded and led the psychiatry residency diversity committee. In this role he teaches other physicians and medical students, as well as social workers, nurses, and other professional students. He graduated medical school and completed additional training in bioethics at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and completed residency training at the UC San Diego Community Psychiatry Program.
Dr. Rafla-Yuan is dedicated to improving the health of individuals, families, and communities across California and the nation, and has previously served as senior policy advisor for the County of San Diego, and held leadership roles with the San Diego Psychiatric Society and the California State Association of Psychiatrists.
He is on the board of The Miles Hall Foundation as well as the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Council of Advocacy and Government Relations. His research focuses on policy and structural drivers of health outcomes and his work on 988 and clinical crisis services has been published in popular media as well as the New England Journal of Medicine and Health Affairs. He is the vice president of the Association of LGBTQ+ Psychiatrists, chair of APA's Caucus on the Social Determinants of Health, a delegate in the American Medical Association's House of Delegates, and formerly served as Health Counsel in the United States House of Representatives during the 117th session of Congress.
His message: There is no health without mental health.