BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Greg Kershaw is the director of brand experience and engagement at WD-40 Company. He has served in a variety of marketing roles at WD-40 Company since 2016. He has a master’s degree in executive leadership from University of San Diego and a bachelor’s degree in public relations and political science from San Diego State University.

Lacy Vong is a transportation consultant working with Bay Area agencies on tolling and emerging mobility solutions. She is passionate about public service and figuring out how to deliver services in a more efficient and equitable manner. Her experience ranges from continuous process improvement in operations to workforce development. Prior to her current role, she spent nearly 15 years with the federal government analyzing policy and auditing programs. Lacy holds a master’s in Public Policy and Management and a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Lacy enjoys cooking, supporting local restaurants, and volunteering at organizations that help communities and  underserved residents.

David has spent over 30 years in healthcare finance and is currently the CFO at San Mateo Medical Center. His experience spans an integrated healthcare delivery system, large tertiary academic medical centers, public health hospitals, district hospitals and community, non-profit hospitals. He is an Oakland resident and native Californian who received his BA in business/accounting from San Francisco State University and earned his CPA license while at KPMG. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Mr. Soublet began his legal career in 1978, in private practice in Oakland, California, practicing in the areas of personal, injury, contracts and family law. In 1980 he took a part time job with the Berkeley City Attorney’s office to handle some long dormant personal injury cases. The position was slated to last for 6 months; it ultimately led to a twenty year stay in Berkeley. He was the City's claims adjuster and managed the tort litigation. In 2001, he left Berkeley to take a position with the City of Richmond. At Richmond he was initially asked to take over code enforcement activities but was soon back in the litigation arena, doing many of the things he had done while in Berkeley. In early 2003, he was assigned to the City's Human Resources Department to assist them on all of their legal matters. He currently serves as the City's in house labor and employment attorney. During that time, he has worked through a 35 million dollar budget deficit which resulted in massive layoffs and successfully negotiated with bargaining units to pay the EPMC of their CALPERS pensions starting in 2004. He recently helped negotiate contracts with public safety paying their additional share by 2016, two years before the PEPRA Requirements kick in. In 2009, he was appointed to the assignment of ADA Coordinator for the City. He was responsible for overseeing the completion of the City's ADA transition Plan and to ensure continuing City compliance with the provisions of State and Federal Disability Law. In addition to these duties, he continues to be involved in the tort litigation, serves as counsel to the City's Personnel Board and the Revolving Loan Fund Board.

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Dr. Stuart Buttlaire brings over 30 years of clinical and management experience in mental health care to his role as regional director of inpatient psychiatry and continuing care for Northern California Kaiser Permanente. He is also a lead mental health representative within Kaiser’s State Program Initiatives and the designated resource management director for behavioral health. Dr. Buttlaire has been instrumental in the design and development of Kaiser Santa Clara Medical Center's new inpatient psychiatric hospital. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Buttlaire has been actively involved in policy implementation and quality improvement efforts in the mental health field, serving on various boards and committees. With a deep commitment to serving communities with compassion and integrity. Dr. Buttlaire earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Colorado's Institute of Integral Studies and holds a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis on health care management, finance, and marketing.

Kari is a product manager at Verana Health and a mom to two boys. She has a deep background in biology and data science, and loves to work at the intersection of biology, big data, technology and operations. She earned her PhD in evolutionary biology from UC Berkeley, where her research required analysis of large sets of DNA sequencing data and led to a transition into the healthcare technology industry as a data scientist. In her current role, Kari manages a software product focused on improving patient access to clinical trials and works to leverage data from electronic health records to understand patient journeys through our healthcare system. 

Duane is a research scientist with 15 years of pharmaceutical industry experience. He currently works at Gilead Sciences where he manages strategic partnerships and implements key initiatives for the commercialization of pharmaceutical therapies. Over the course of his career, Duane has worked at companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Abbott Laboratories where he has built expertise in analytical sciences, strategic development, integrated project planning, and process improvement. Outside of work Duane has maintained a significant dedication to community involvement and equitable advancement of the underserved. He received his bachelors of science degree in chemistry from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA and a masters of business administration from Yale University in New Haven, CT.

Katie joined the Fred Finch board in the summer of 2021, and currently chairs the Community Outreach committee. She currently serves as a Senior Vice President at Blue State, where she's helped shape social impact marketing campaigns on behalf of notable brands and nonprofits, including Google, Patagonia, Monterey Bay Aquarium,  Airbnb, Mercy Corps, and the Center for Reproductive Rights. She resides in the Dimond District neighborhood of Oakland, just a few blocks from the Fred Finch Oakland campus. She originally hails from Raleigh, North Carolina and holds a B.A. from Kenyon College in Religious Studies and a M.A. in Communication from Johns Hopkins. 

Elisabeth is a partner in Aroner, Jewel & Ellis Partners, a government and community affairs consulting firm founded in 2003. The firm provides a full menu of lobbying and community outreach services, with clients ranging from large corporations to labor unions and non-profits.  With long standing ties to East Bay government and politics, she works with clients to build relationships with local elected officials and other opinion leaders, and devises and executes strategies for government affairs and community outreach initiatives.

Maya Madsen is the Founder and CEO of Maya’s Cookies based in San Diego Ca.  The company was founded in 2015 and prior to that Maya spent 30 years in the Fitness Industry as a trainer and Corporate Fitness Coordinator. Maya enjoys being an active member of the community using her platform as Founder/CEO to support the underserved with employment, internships, mentoring and educational opportunities.

Jennifer Sheldon is currently serving as the Director of Revenue Cycle for Washington Township Medical Foundation. In the last 10 years, she has worked with for over 15 U.S. hospitals and multispecialty physician groups encompassing continuous improvement, revenue cycle optimization, and compliance management. As a leader, she is an advocate for equitable access to care and practicing lean six sigma. She strives to cultivate an effective and inclusive environment where team members and patients can thrive. Jennifer received her B.A. in Science & Technology Studies with a double major in Communication from the University of California, Davis and is pursuing her M.S. in Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership from the University of California, San Francisco. She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), and the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC).

Mariana Torres, MSW,  is a senior program officer with CHCF’s People-Centered Care team, which works to ensure that Californians — particularly those enrolled in Medi-Cal — receive responsive, comprehensive, and coordinated care that supports their health and well-being. Her work focuses on optimizing the behavioral health delivery system. Prior to joining CHCF, Mariana focused on primary care and specialty mental health care delivery. Previous experience includes working as a health care leader at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center & Health Centers, where she oversaw the outpatient social services team in 11 primary care clinics. She led programs in integrated behavioral health, Transitions Clinic, behavioral health court, health navigation, walk-in mental health services, and pediatric behavioral management services. She also held leadership positions in Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services working in detention mental health, courts and advocacy programs, and housing services. Mariana has 20 years of experience providing services to Alameda and Contra Costa County’s most vulnerable populations. Mariana earned a bachelor’s degree in human development from the University of California, Davis and a master’s degree in social work from Cal State East Bay. She was born and raised in Bakersfield, California.

Rachel has worked for elected officials and in corporate government affairs for more than 20 years. Currently serving as the Founder of Golden Coast Strategies, she works with clients to navigate legislative and regulatory challenges. Rachel plays a pivotal role in navigating legislative and regulatory landscapes across California and eight other Western States. Previously, Rachel worked in government affairs at Kaiser Permanente and the Albertsons Companies. She lives in Contra Costa County and has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration from Columbia University and Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño is a third-generation Methodist.  She felt a call to ordained ministry as a child.  Working alongside her father as he replaced the vinyl flooring in her church’s kindergarten classroom, she felt God swoop in and embrace her with perfect love and her heart filled with incredible joy.  From that moment on she sought to live in God’s house.  In the over 40 years since her ordination, she has served as a pastor, a chaplain, a lead organizer of an ecumenical parish, twice as a district superintendent in two different annual conferences, as a seminary program administrator and adjunct faculty member, and as a bishop.

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Bishop Carcaño has shared her faith through her writings and through her preaching and teaching in many places across the U.S. and around the world.  Ultimately, she has learned that living in God’s house means fully living in God’s amazing world. 

Staci Current is a native Californian born in Hollywood and reared in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos. Staci earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and International Relations from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a 1998 graduate of Claremont School of Theology (CST), where she earned a Master of Divinity Degree. Prior to joining the cabinet in 2015 as District Superintendent of the El Camino Real District, Current served as the senior pastor of Jones Memorial United Methodist Church in San Francisco and was sworn in as Chaplain for the San Francisco Police Department in 2011. Pastor Staci has also served as pastor of Oakland's Shattuck Avenue United Methodist Church, and held pastorates in the North Georgia and Pacific Northwest Annual Conferences. On June 1, 2017, Current was appointed as the district superintendent for the newly established Bay District.

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A leader in the field of youth and family services, John Steinfirst is viewed by many as the founder of the modern Fred Finch Youth Center.  Over his 20-year tenure, he transformed the agency from a small traditional residential treatment center into today's multi-faceted, community-based organization serving 3,000 children and families in the Bay Area and San Diego County.  Mr. Steinfirst is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and serves as an expert witness in the children's medical health field.