Patty Clement-Cihak is the Director of the San Francisco Aging Services for Catholic Charities CYO, and has over 26 years of experience working in the field of Gerontology. Patty is a Certified Activities Coordinator, specializing in Dementia Care, and holds a Degree in Organizational Behavior from USF. She currently supervises programs which include: Adult Day Care, Alzheimer’s Day Care Resource Center, Home Care, Case Management, and Community Services for the OMI Senior Center. Patty serves as Co-President of the Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly (CASE). She also serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Adult Day Services Network and chairs the Senior Management Committee for that organization.

415-452-3504
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Valorie Villela has been the Director of the 30th Street Senior Center for 30 years. 30th Street Senior Center is San Francisco’s largest senior center and a member of the On Lok family of senior services. During her tenure, the Center has gone through a redefinition of what a senior center is and what it should offer given the ever increasing diversity of its members. The Center offers consumer-driven programs and activities that promote health for the mind, body and soul. Under Valorie’s leadership 30th Street continues to attract new participants while locally other senior centers are experiencing lower attendance. 30th Street Senior Center serves 5,000 seniors annually through its six different programs-Activities Program, Case Management, Nutrition Program (both senior dining rooms & home delivered meals) and its health promotion programs “Always Active” and “Healthier Living”.

Ms. Villela serves on the board of directors of the Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly and was appointed by Mayor Newsom to San Francisco’s Long Term Care Coordinating Council to represent active seniors. She also is a member of the advisory council at the University of California San Francisco’s Center for Aging in Diverse Communities. Ms. Villela has used her background in nutrition and food services and her bilingual ability in Spanish to teach nutrition, consumer education and health to elderly Latinos for the past 24 years as a faculty member of City College of San Francisco.

415-550-2211
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Karen Garrison has worked with seniors for the past 23 years throughout Marin, San Mateo and San Francisco Counties. During the first decade of her career, she facilitated therapeutic recreation programs at a Skilled Nursing Facility, Adult Day Health Center, Life Care and Acute Rehab settings. From there, she directed an in-house Dementia Program in Assisted Living for those with mid to later stage dementia, and then for nearly 10 years, she served as the Director of Senior Services at Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. Her position included overseeing case management and housing services programs for seniors. For the past year, Karen has directed the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion Program for Family Service Agency. She is an active member in the aging community and currently serves as Vice President of CASE (Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly). Karen has been a board member since 2005 and she is the author and editor of the Neighborhood Silver Tsunami Citywide Resource Directory.

415-751-9786 x238
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Bill Fricker joined the Board of CASE in 2011. While a young child, his grandmother became ill and could no longer manage to live independently in her own home. Rather than move her to a nursing home, Bill’s family decided that she should move in with them. For the next two years of her declining physical health and mental abilities, Bill lived first-hand with the challenges and opportunities facing seniors, families and caregivers as the need for support increases. This early life experience strongly influenced him to pursue a career in human services.

Bill earned his undergraduate (BA) and graduate (MM) degrees from Northwestern University/Kellogg Graduate School of Management, then he worked for 12 years in the consumer-driven consulting field, prior to entering the non-profit sector in 2001. During his work with local nonprofits (Schools, Mentoring and Resource Team; Support for Families of Children with Disabilities; and currently the San Francisco IHSS Public Authority), Bill has demonstrated his commitment to ensuring the continued success of organizations with high-quality operations. A single father, Mr. Fricker lives in San Francisco with his teen-aged twin daughters. 

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Michelle Alcedo is the Director of Education and Outreach of Openhouse, where she manages its community services, training and outreach programs. Since starting at Openhouse, Michelle has trained hundreds of senior service providers on how to create safe and welcoming environments for the LGBT seniors they serve. She has worked for over 10 years with educators, social service providers, and community members to help increase access to inclusive and affirming community resources. Michelle is currently the co-chair of the Asian and Pacific Islander (API) Community Partnership as well as LGBT Community Partnership, both of which are workgroups of the San Francisco Partnership of Community-Based Care and Support. While she was a partner in New Ventures in Leadership (NVL), a program of the American Society on Aging (ASA) for professionals of color in aging, Michelle completed a video project on the intersection of identities experienced by older LGBT adults of color living in the Bay Area. Michelle is a member of ASA’s  constituent group, LGBT Aging Issues Network (LAIN) leadership committee.

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James Chionsini, M.S.W., is a former community organizer with the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, mental health case manager, taxi driver (night shift, SF), and a graduate of San Francisco State University, where he earned his Masters Degree in Social Work with an emphasis on Social Justice and community organizing.

In January 2011 he assumed the role of Interim Executive Director of Planning for Elders and is dedicated to improving the lives of seniors and people with disabilities in San Francisco.  James is the director of the HealthCare Action Team (HAT) and, along with the dedicated activist seniors of HAT, organizes community action events to advocate for increased access to homecare, the right to live in the community, better hospital discharge planning, and for more accessible and affordable supportive housing. HAT also plays a major role in ongoing advocacy around the City budget to ensure funding for senior and disability services.

He resonates with the paradigm of Structural Social Work and views community activism as a form of therapeutic healing and a way to combat isolation, which is a major health risk to our communities.

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Bill Fricker joined the Board of CASE in 2011. While a young child, his grandmother became ill and could no longer manage to live independently in her own home. Rather than move her to a nursing home, Bill’s family decided that she should move in with them. For the next two years of her declining physical health and mental abilities, Bill lived first-hand with the challenges and opportunities facing seniors, families and caregivers as the need for support increases. This early life experience strongly influenced him to pursue a career in human services.

Bill earned his undergraduate (BA) and graduate (MM) degrees from Northwestern University/Kellogg Graduate School of Management, then he worked for 12 years in the consumer-driven consulting field, prior to entering the non-profit sector in 2001. During his work with local nonprofits (Schools, Mentoring and Resource Team; Support for Families of Children with Disabilities; and currently the San Francisco IHSS Public Authority), Bill has demonstrated his commitment to ensuring the continued success of organizations with high-quality operations. A single father, Mr. Fricker lives in San Francisco with his teen-aged twin daughters. 

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 Mary K. Stegner is the owner of Stegner Registry and represents the Elder Care Network on the CASE Board. Mary K. is a credentialed college professor in psychology and counseling and has taught in Community College Districts for over 25 years. Prior to moving to California, she developed a Human Services curriculum for the University of Kentucky and as a state licensed vendor, she conducted continuing education classes for residential care administrators and staff. Currently, aside from her position as Executive Director of Stegner Registry, she is a consultant for Senior and Adult Residential Communities and develops Behavioral Modification programs for the developmentally disabled and seniors with behavioral problems. She also evaluates elders' level of competency for the legal community. Mary K. played a key role in the early days of the Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly and in her unique position on the board, serves as liaison between the private contractors members of ECN and the the community-based agency members of CASE.

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David joined the management team of Curry Senior Center as the Executive Director in February 2007. David has a history working with the Civic Center and Tenderloin neighborhoods since 1989. Most recently, David served as the Executive Director of Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly. David also worked at Central City Hospitality House, a community center for low-income and homeless adults. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of three professional associations: the Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly, the Community Living Campaign and the San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium. Mr. Knego holds a Masters of Social Work Degree from San Francisco State University.

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Michael is a retired Legal Secretary who has served as the Administrator for CASE since 2002. Michael has volunteered at a number of local community based organizations, including Project Open Hand, since 1994 and appreciates the work of nonprofit organizations in our communities. Michael’s background includes a lifelong interest in public service and a concern for low income and vulnerable populations. Mr. Strain provides support and coordination for the work of CASE and Board of Directors and is especially proud of his work in support of the 2010 Silver Tsunami Neighborhood Events. Michael enjoys working with his professional colleagues at CASE who serve seniors and looks forward to being a recipient of those services in the not so distant future.

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