For nearly 40 years as an activist and public servant, Daniel Zingale worked to amplify the voices of people outside of the traditional power structure. He was an early national voice for queer equality and for people living with HIV, as political director of the Human Rights Campaign and Executive Director of AIDS Action. He pioneered the rights of patients to preventive health as founding director of California’s Department of Managed Health Care. He championed the rights of farm workers as a member of California’s historic Agricultural Labor Relations Board. He helped to advance the rights of undocumented and incarcerated Californians by launching The California Endowment’s successful ‘Health for All’ and ‘Schools Not Prisons’ campaigns. As a trusted adviser and cabinet secretary to California governors of both parties, Zingale consistently strived to open the doors of influence to those who have been shut out. He continues to prioritize vulnerable communities as a current member of the state’s Delta Stewardship Council.
Daniel Zingale lives in Northern California with his partner of 40 years Chuck Supple. They have two sons, five chickens and two donkeys.