Tonya Gorham Gallow, MSW is the Director of Tobacco Control and Prevention Program for Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Tonya first joined tobacco control in 2010 as Project Coordinator and then Project Director for Project TRUST funded through CDC, Communities Putting Prevention to Work. Prior to her work in tobacco control and prevention, Tonya served as Director of Policy for the LA Best Babies Network. In her role, she coordinated all policy and advocacy activities for the Network, served as a coordinating body for the Healthy Births Initiative funded by First 5 LA, and dedicated to improving pregnancy and birth outcomes.

 

Tonya has extensive experience in policy and public health at the local, state and federal levels of government having worked in Sacramento through the Governor’s office for his Secretary of Health and Human Services, and in Washington, D.C. as a State Federal Relations Fellow. For many years Tonya provided direct service as a social worker, and worked in mental health as a clinical social worker with an emphasis on children and families. With a strong desire to impact the clients she served on a macro level, Tonya made the transition from direct service to pursue her interest in public policy in 1999. Tonya has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Stanford University and earned her Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California.