Board of Directors
James Johnson, Jr. Chair
James Johnson, Jr. studied African American Studies and Public Health at U.C. Berkeley and currently works as an analyst with the Solano County Health & Social Services Department. His appreciation for LifeLong’s work was sparked after he participated in a work group that reviews and addresses the high prevalence of hypertension in certain communities in Berkeley.
As a Bay Area native, Mr. Johnson feels it’s especially important to improve the community and its health and well-being and sees LifeLong as an organization that is grassroots enough to reach people outside of the clinical setting. It’s also large enough to make profound changes in the lives of families they serve.
Mr. Johnson is also an advisor to a chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. as well as chairing the Bay Area Alphas Education Foundation. He is a mentor through several organizations and involved with the Covenant Worship Center.
James Johnson, Jr. Chair
John L. Jenkins Vice Chair
John Jenkins, MBA, earned his degrees at the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University. Most recently, John was the Chief Operating Officer of Valassis, the leader in Intelligent Media Delivery. During his tenure, he led a technology-first repositioning of the company, merging the Print and Digital divisions, reimagining the go to market strategy, and driving operational improvements across the business.
He has more than 20 years as an entrepreneur, executive and advisor with domain expertise in digital media and health care and has held leadership positions at a number of advertising and product development agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has served as a member of the LifeLong Medical Care Board of Directors since 2012.
John L. Jenkins Vice Chair
Gloria Flores-Garcia Secretary
Assistant Executive Director for El Concilio of San Mateo County for over 10 years, Gloria Flores-Garcia has directed programs that promote health prevention, education, outreach, and case management for San Mateo County's Latino and other underserved communities.
She is the co-founder of Nuestro Canto de Salud Health Project, a multi-disciplinary collaborative effort that envisions all of the community as key stakeholders in the rhythm and harmony of a healthy community.
Ms. Flores-Garcia has a long history of working in the community and is committed to social justice issues. She has served on several boards and councils, including the Spanish Speaking Citizens Foundation, American Diabetes Association, American Cancer Society, West Bay Breast Cancer Early Detention Program, and KCSM's Community Advisory Committee. She was a past KQED Local Hero for Hispanic Heritage Month as well as the private sector Local Hero award for Peninsula Interfaith Action.
Gloria Flores-Garcia Secretary
Philip Kamlarz Treasurer
Philip Kamlarz has made a lifetime commitment to community and public service. Prior to his retirement, he most recently served as the Berkeley City Manager, having spent over 45 years in service to the community with a goal of improving the lives of those most in need.
Mr. Kamlarz currently serves on the board of the Berkeley East Bay Humane Society. He studied at Long Island University where he received his BS degree and did graduate work at Hunter College in New York. He has served as Treasurer of the LifeLong Medical Care Board of Directors since 2016 and he also serves on the LifeLong Finance Committee as chair.
Philip Kamlarz Treasurer
Kevin D. Williams JD, MPH, Past Chair
Kevin D. Williams earned his degrees at UC Berkeley, the University of Houston Law Center, and the University of Texas School of Public Health. He is currently the Associate Director at Berkeley Youth Alternatives (BYA) and was a faculty member at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health where he also served as the Associate Director of the Center for Public Health Practice.
He has served as a member of the LifeLong Medical Care Board of Directors since 2006. Mr. Williams is the past chair of the California Black Health Network and the past chair of the African American Caucus for the State of California's Council on Multicultural Health.
Kevin D. Williams JD, MPH, Past Chair
Ron Adler MD, Member
Ron Adler, Chair of LifeLong’s Development Committee, received his education from Harvard, Stanford, and UCSF. He has lived and practiced medicine in the East Bay since 1977, working in both private practice and public health care at Alta Bates/Herrick Hospitals, Alameda County Medical Center (Highland Hospital), and the University of California Health Service.
Dr. Adler served for 16 years as a member and chair of the City of Berkeley Community Health Commission. He is now semi-retired and, in addition to his service on the LifeLong Board, he volunteers at community health centers and at the University of California/UCSF Joint Medical program. He notes with pride that many of the doctors at LifeLong were once students of his at Highland Hospital or at the UCSF Medical School. His self-declared "mission" on the LifeLong Board is to create and maintain a working environment that supports our dedicated health care providers in the delivery of humane, quality health care for all of our patients.
Ron Adler Member
Robin Betts RN, CPHQ, MBA-HA, Member
Robin Betts is a leader in clinical innovation and the implementation of safety improvement initiatives and has dedicated her professional life to patient safety, quality, and high reliability systems to make lives better. She has had a distinguished 35-year health care career, practicing as a nurse for 17 years.
As Vice President for Quality, Clinical Effectiveness & Regulatory Services for Kaiser Permanente Northern California, she helps further advance Kaiser Permanente’s nation-leading excellence in quality and patient safety, and oversees health plan and hospital regulatory functions, including compliance, licensing, and member grievances.
Ms. Betts also has a strong background in health care information technology. She spent almost two decades in clinical informatics and patient safety leadership positions – most notably at Universal Health Services, as the Corporate Director of Information Technology, and at Valley Health System as an Associate Administrator leading implementation of evidence-based clinical care programs.
Robin Betts RN, CPHQ, MBA-HA, Member
Patricia Carson Sussman MS, Member
Patricia Carson Sussman came to the world of aging through a circuitous route that began with jobs in radio and television. After the death of her daughter Sarah, she helped found the California Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Foundation and later returned to school to study nursing.
She supplemented that expertise with a subsequent master’s degree in organizational behavior. She was a member of the first volunteer class at Alta Bates Hospice and was later named Director of the hospice and its successor, VNA & Hospice of Northern California. She has served more than 20 years as a board member and onetime Chair of the Over 60 Health Center and LifeLong Medical Care, and was also appointed Chief Operating Officer for LifeLong, gaining practical experience as well as a public policy understanding of issues of aging.
For the past 10 years, she has maintained an independent consulting practice that specializes in aging and healthcare delivery. For the past four years, Ms. Carson Sussman has been involved in the development and implementation of Ashby Village a non-profit membership organization that provides the community, supports and services for people to age in their own homes.
Patricia Carson Sussman MS, Member
Tasha Henneman EdD, Member
Tasha Henneman, EdD, is currently Chief of Staff for Goodwill Industries San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin Counties. She has a long and fruitful track record in multiple sectors including government, academia, nonprofit and public service, where she has built collaborative and successful working relationships with individuals who come from varying cultural, socio-economic, political, and racial backgrounds.
Prior to working with SF Goodwill, Dr. Henneman was the District Director for State Senator Nancy Skinner and served as the Education and Health Policy Advisor for the former mayor of Berkeley. While with the City of Berkeley she worked with an advisory committee, which included LifeLong's former CEO Marty Lynch on a continuum of care initiative for aging adults, among many other health issues.
Dr. Henneman holds a Doctorate in Education and a Master of Arts in Education with a focus in Educational Leadership from Mills College. She also holds a Masters in Public Administration from Cal State Hayward (Now Cal State East Bay) and a Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Studies from California State University Chico. She is adjunct faculty at Mills College and Berkeley City College, where she teaches courses in the Sociology and Education Departments.
Tasha Henneman EdD, Member
Janet Howley MA, Member
Janet Howley is Vice President of Community Services & Housing at Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services. She came to NCPHS in 2014 with 27 years of experience in the field of affordable housing, working in nonprofit organizations and local government. Before that, she worked at Mercy Housing California as Senior Asset Manager from 2008 to 2011.
Prior to this position, she worked in the Community and Economic Development Agency at the City of Oakland, from 1988 through 2007 as a Housing Development Coordinator, Manager of Housing Development, and Interim Director of Housing & Community Development.
Ms. Howley moved to the Bay Area following a two-year assignment with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, which required travel throughout the United States to evaluate the work of a national foundation. She received a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy at Tufts University and a BA in English and Philosophy from Boston College. She has served as Chair and Past Chair of the LifeLong Medical Care Board of Directors where she has served since 2001.
Janet Howley MA, Member
Robbie Hurtado Member
Robbie Hurtado is an Employment Program Specialist for the City of Richmond. She has served as a Mental Health Behavioral Counselor, Substance Abuse Counselor and has been trained as a licensed vocational nurse.
For more than 17 years, she has been providing referral services and resources to the people in her community. Ms. Hurtado serves as a Community Board Member of Rubicon Program, a non-profit provider of housing, training, employment, and mental health services in Richmond. She also served as an Executive Board Member of Brookside Community Health Center for 17 years before they merged with LifeLong. She has been a member of the LifeLong Medical Care Board of Directors since 2012.
Robbie Hurtado Member
Edgar U. Quiroz MPH, Member
Edgar Quiroz has more than 30 years of experience initiating positive change management within the healthcare industry. Mr. Quiroz completed a master’s degree in Public Health Planning, Policy & Administration and an executive leadership program at Harvard Business School.
He is highly accomplished in communicating strategic direction and influencing all organizational levels to adopt new standards. Mr. Quiroz is a proven effective collaborator with government agencies and professional organizations in identifying and sharing industry best practices in post cute care.
Edgar U. Quiroz MPH, Member
Rachel Tobey Member
Rachel Tobey brings 17 years of experience working to improve cost effectiveness, quality, access, and patient experience in a variety of healthcare settings, ranging from large integrated delivery systems to community health clinics.
Ms. Tobey’s specific areas of expertise include health policy research and development, health system payment and financing, evaluation and strategic consulting, concentrating on health systems and payers focused on vulnerable and underserved populations. Ms. Tobey’s recent projects have included researching and writing about emerging safety-net ACOs for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, developing a whole-person care framework and policy recommendations for the Blue Shield of California Foundation, and working with the California Primary Care Association and the California Association of Public Health and Hospital Systems on Federally Qualified Health Center payment reform to facilitate delivery system transformation in California’s safety net.
Ms. Tobey holds a Bachelor of Arts from Stanford University and a Master’s in Public and International Affairs from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School with certificates in Health and Health Policy and Demography.
Rachel Tobey Member
Judith S. Turiel EdD, Member
Judy Turiel became a Board member of the Over 60 Health Center before the merger with Berkeley Primary Care Access that formed LifeLong Medical Care. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, and receiving a doctorate in education from Harvard University, she worked for many years with consumer health organizations, focusing initially on women's health and later on aging.
She is author of Beyond Second Opinions: Making Choices About Fertility Treatment (1998) and Our Parents, Ourselves: How American Health Care Imperils Middle Age and Beyond (2005), both published by the University of California Press. Dr. Turiel serves on the Planning Committee and was Chair of the City of Berkeley's Commission on Aging, concerned with needs of and services for older adults.
