District 4 Commissioner
Zhonnet Harper
Equity, Empowerment, Liberation
Zhonnet "Z" Harper is a District 4 Commissioner and current Chair of the Alameda County Public Health Commission. Born and raised in Oakland, Zhonnet is a proud daughter of the "Town".
As a Patient Care Navigator, for Breast cancer, at Alameda Health System, Zhonnet has spent the past eight years navigating the twin ravages of cancer and poverty and their devastating impact(s) on individual and community health.
Having experienced and witnessed explicit and implicit bias, along with racial inequities, and their destructive effects on underserved and undervalued communities, especially the Black community, Zhonnet is committed to ensuring that equity is the core, not the appendage, of public health discussion, policy and development.
Gary C. Howard
Gary C. Howard is a science editor and writer. He recently retired from the Gladstone Institutes, a biomedical research institute affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco. He received a PhD in biological sciences from Carnegie Mellon University and was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and the Johns Hopkins University. His most recent book is The Biology of Death (Oxford University Press, 2021). He joined the Public Health Commission in November 2021 and hopes to contribute to a better understanding of public health issues within the county.
Jessica Klein
Jessica Klein was appointed as a Public Health Commissioner for District 4 by Supervisor Nate Miley in 2025. She has lived in Alameda County for nearly 13 years, residing in Castro Valley for the last eight. As a mom of two young boys she is dedicated to helping Alameda County become a healthier place for future generations. She received her Master of Public Health degree with a focus on Public Health Nutrition from UC Berkeley in 2016. Since then she has made strong ties in the community through the Castro Valley Parent Nursery School, Castro Valley Parents Club, and is an active member of the Parent Teacher Association at her children’s school. She hopes to bring her experience and connections to the Public Health Commission as it works to address the unique challenges that face our county.
Aditi Desai
Aditi Desai, MPH, CPH, CHES®, is a public health leader with over a decade of experience in community health education, strategic planning, and health equity. She currently leads public awareness initiatives to connect the diverse communities of California with cutting-edge research. Aditi’s background spans significant roles focusing on health equity and disease prevention. Her experience is further informed by global health fieldwork in China and as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda, focusing on infectious disease prevention and comparative health systems.Aditi holds a Master of Public Health in Global Health Practice from the University of South Florida. She is a Certified Public Health (CPH) professional and a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES®) dedicated to advancing community health through accessible education and strategic outreach.