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Spotlight:
Board of Directors


Spotlight: Managers



Board of Directors

Julio Garcia, President
Program Coordinator, One East Palo Alto
 

Julio Garcia RFHC PresidentJulio has served on the Board for four years. With over 20 years in community grassroots organizing, he is well tuned to the needs of the community, particularly regarding immigrant issues and community education. For three years he worked with the International Institute of San Francisco's San Mateo County Citizenship and Community Education Program. Currently, he is the Program Director of LEARN, a One East Palo Alto initiative that emphasizes the involvement of parents in their children's education. Out of this effort, the nonprofit Nuestra Casa was created to help youth succeed by developing their families' language, communication and leadership skills. In this community, nonprofits work in close relationship and roles are intertwined. Julio serves on the Board of Nuestra Casa too, combining his advocacy for health care with the education and social service needs of families in our diverse community.

 
Melieni Talakai, Vice Chair
Staff Nurse, San Mateo County Mobile Clinic
 

Melieni Talakai RFHC Vice ChairMelieni has served on our Board from the beginning and has made major contributions in guiding the first years of the clinic's development. She served as President of the Board from 2002 - 2004. Her background in nursing and public health has given her a breadth of understanding that underlies her commitment to community health. Her Tongan heritage has made her an invaluable resource in developing culturally appropriate methods for addressing chronic disease issues in the Tongan population. In her current role as a Clinical Case Manager for San Mateo County's Mobile Clinic, she oversees followup care. Melieni is also the host of a bi-monthly radio program about health issues that is broadcast in Tongan.

 
Gordon Russell, Treasurer
 

Gordon Russell RFHC TreasurerGordon was a General Partner at Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm, for over 20 years. He has specialized in high technology and healthcare, held management positions in the biomedical and healthcare industries, and has been a director of several private and public companies. Gordon has extensive experience in not-for-profit governance and board leadership. He was a trustee of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation from 1986 through 2000 and served as Chairman of the Board from 1990 through 1995.

From 1992 through 2002, he served on the Board of Peninsula Community Foundation and as its Chairman from 1998 to 2001. A graduate of Dartmouth College, he formerly served as Chairman of the Board of Overseers at Dartmouth Medical School. Currently, he is also a director of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, The Woods Hole Research Center, and is the founder of the Sun Valley Writers Conference. Somehow, in between board meetings and conferences, he raises asparagus, excellent tomatoes and drops his bounty off at the clinic for the staff.

 
Carlota Flores, Secretary
Academic Tutor/Art Teacher at Cesar Chavez Academy
 

Carlota Flores RFHC Board Member The last sentence in Carlota’s resume reads- “Open to new experience and ready to learn.” That proves to be true. Carlota has become a true advocate for the immigrant community that she represents. She is currently an employee of One East Palo Alto’s afterschool program and has developed an arts program for the students of Cesar Chavez Academy. As a student at Cañada College, she was named to Phi Theta Kappa and the Dean’s list. This year she received a scholarship to attend Mills College in the fall. She plans to become a lawyer.

 
Manuel Arteaga, Parliamentarian
Social Worker, County Child Support Services
 

Manuel Arteaga RFHC Board MemberAfter completing a BA in psychology at the University of California,Santa Cruz in 1996, Manuel was an elementary school teacher in Redwood Ciy. He moved to Barcelona, Spain in 1998 where he taught English and then worked with the Centre Integral de Serveis coordinating activities and group therapy and managing a caseload of patients in a mental health clinic. He now works with San Mateo County Child Support Services as a social worker. He has well developed cross-cultural skills and is an adept and thoughtful communicator.

 
Senseria Conley
Community Advocate and Leader
 

Senseria Conley RFHC Board MemberAs a patient of the clinic, Senseria represents the patient's perspective. She was invited to serve on the Board because she is forthright and effective in communicating the needs of her community. She is raising two teens, her daughter and a nephew. She knows the issues and challenges of parenting. Her compassion helps keep the clinic in balance.

 
Marcelline Combs
Formerly with Sequoia School District
 

A resident of East Palo Alto since 1955, Marcelline has raised her family in this community and knows firsthand how important it is to provide access to health care.She is very aware of the importance of providing culturally sensitive services. She attended Foothill and Cañada Colleges and has worked in various capacities in the Sequoia Union High School District for many years.

 
Charlesetta Fishman
Community Advocate and Leader
 

Charlesetta Fishman RFHC Board Member Charlesetta has served on the Board since the clinic opened and has contributed many hours as the former Board Secretary and now as the chair of our Fund Development Committee. She has a gift for engaging people and cultivating support for the clinic through her great network of friends. She invests many hours as a volunteer board member, representing the clinic at community events. Charlesetta's mother was a physician and she seems to carry on the tradition of caring about people.

 
Joseph G. Lopez
Account Executive, SAP America, Inc.
 

Formerly he was a Regional Manager for Oracle Corporation. He has a background in account management in sales and marketing. He graduated from California State University, Hayward with a B.A in Mass Communications. He was awarded the Ruben Mehling Scholarship for Academic Achievement.

 
Raymond Mills
Recovery counselor; community resident
 

Raymond is our newest board member. He brings a depth of experience in the field of recovery. He has held positions as a counselor and supervisor since 1989. He is a strong community advocate.

 
Oralia Montoya
San Jose State, B.A. in Social Work
 

Oralia is currently working on her Master’s degree in Social Work at San Jose State. She has a wide range of experience as an employee, a volunteer, and through internships as a student in Social Work. She studied medicine in Mexico before coming to the States.

 
Rev. Elisapeta M. Savusa
Pastor, Samoan Assembly of God
 

Rev. Savusa has been the pastor of the church her husband pastured until he passed away in 2004.
In her role, she is also the church administrator, overseeing management, of personnel, finances, and chairing meetings. She has over ten years of experience in customer service and working with the public.

 
Sherri Sager, Ex Officio
Chief Government Relations Officer
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

 

Sherri Sager RFHC Board MemberAn advocate and leader in the public arena since the start of her career, Sherri Sager's first job in 1975 was as a Legislative Assistant to a member of Congress. For a number of years she was a consultant to political candidates and elected officials. She also served as the Assistant Director of the Valley Medical Center Foundation. For the past eleven years in her role at LPCH, she organized and manages the government relations program and monitors proposed law and public policy that may impact the hospital. Her Board affiliations are numerous, beginning 25 years ago. She also serves on a number of community advisory boards. She is known for her political acumen, organizing ability, and knowledge of public issues, particularly in the area of health care.

 

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