Board Members

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Michelle Famula, MD

President and Health Committee Chair

Michelle has been a resident of the Davis area for 40 years. Along with husband Tom, a retired UCD Professor of Animal Science, she raised 3 daughters in Davis and served many years as a classroom volunteer in the Davis Public schools and as a Girl Scout Leader. After a 35-year career as a physician with UC Davis, she retired from the University of California where she had served as Director of the Student Health Services (1997-2016) and Executive Director of Health and Wellness Services for the Division of Student Affairs from 2010-2016. Dr. Famula currently holds an appointment as Assistant Clinical Professor, VCF Series, in the School of Medicine Department of Public Sciences.

She serves as a Member-At-Large on the Yolo County Health Council and is proud to Chair the LWVDA Healthcare Committee and serve on the Voter Registration Committee.

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David Murphy

Vice President

David has lived in Davis for 40 years. He and his wife raised 4 daughters in Davis and are now empty nesters. David was a Superintendent for 20 years, serving 9 years with Davis Joint Unified School District. Prior to that David Served as the Principal for Davis Senior High School, from 1981-1987.

David is a Certified Leadership Coach for the California State clear administrative credential program, Association CA School Administrators & Santa Clara University. David also serves as a mentor for the CA Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators.

David is a Doctoral candidate in Administration & Policy Analysis Program Area at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education. 

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Michele van Eyken

Secretary

Michele is a current resident of Davis and lived here from 1980-1981 and 1998-Present. She and her husband, Bob, a now retired English teacher and journalist, raised their daughter and son in Davis. Michele served as the Program Manager and WIC Director for the County of Orange, California Nutrition Services from 1985-1998. 

Michele also served as the Farmworker Health and Nutrition Consultant for the United States National Health Services Corps from 1981-1985. Michele taught English as a Foreign Language and Trainer at the United States Peace Corps from 1975-1978.

Michele retired with the California Department of Public Health/Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Nutrition Education Program in 2015. She holds degrees in Sociology-Anthropology, Dietetics and Public Health (MPH).

Nicola (Nicki) Neff

Membership Chair

Nicola (Nicki) Neff is a retired cell biologist whose postgraduate research was done at UC Berkeley, Harvard Medical School, and the University of Pennsylvania after receiving her PhD at Stanford.  She joined a neuroscience Biotech company, Cephalon at its inception, and completed her working career at Dupont and Merck Pharmaceutical companies. 

Nicki and her husband moved to Davis in 2012 after living in the Philadelphia area for 40 years.  In Davis she served on the Osher Life Long Learning curriculum committee for 6 years and taught New Yorker discussion or Science Roundtable classes for 8 years.

MaryJo Bryan

Mary Jo Bryan

Ex Officio Board Member

Mary Jo is a Davis resident for almost 47 years. She joined the League in 1970, and has been an active member, board member and president of the League of Women of Voters. She has also been active on boards for Suicide Prevention of Yolo County, Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network, Yolo Community Foundation, Soroptimist International of Davis. 

Mary Jo was a contract employee for UCD Extension organizing public policy conferences on social concerns such as: Runaway Youth, Youth Gangs and Drugs, Child Abuse, Drug Babies, AIDS, and Immigration Policy in California. She served two years as administrative assistant to Yolo County Supervisor Helen Thomson. She was a program assistant in the Yolo County Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs where she founded the Sister Friend Program, and served as Executive Director of a Yolo County non-profit. 

Most recently she lobbied for single story homes in the Cannery to provide housing for seniors wishing to downsize and for persons with disabilities. She fought to save the Families First facility and in 2018 she ran for city council. 

Komal Hak

Komal Hak

Director of Communications, Strategy & Marketing

Komal is a recent Davisite. She moved to Davis in 2014 to finish her bachelor’s degree at University of California, Davis. After receiving her degree in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, she has devoted some of her free time to advocacy and volunteered with Planned Parenthood Mar Monte and a local soup kitchen. She currently serves as the EHR System Manager for a non-profit healthcare organization.

Komal has held long term leadership roles at both the UC Davis Pre-Health Conference (2014-2016) and the Glendale Adventist Medical Hospital’s Health Scholars Program (2012-2014).

In addition to advocating for equitable access to healthcare, she is passionate about traveling, sustainable fashion and lifestyle, and her absolutely adorable desert tortoise, Dinos.

Judy Higgerson

Judy Higgerson

Voter Service Chair

Judy is a recent resident to Davis after residing for 50 years in Carmel California. She founded and administered several health care organizations; a private duty home care company, Certified Medicare and Hospice as well, operated a six bed licensed Residential Care Facility. Serving Monterey County for 30 years in the Home Health Industry.While delivering home health care services she served as Chairwoman of the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce and the Monterey Chapter of the League of Women Voters working to secure and support the rights of all to vote.

She currently is happily engaged in the newly rechartered chapter of the Davis Area League of Women Voters as Voter Registration Chair.

Founding Members

  • MaryJo Bryan, President
  • Bob Fung, Vice President
  • Georgina Valencia, Secretary
  • Matt Williams, Treasurer