Steering Committee
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Carol Sewell, Chair, is Legislative Director of the California Commission on Aging, where she supports the Commission’s advocacy work on a broad range of policy issues. During her tenure with the Commission she has helped to secure passage of multiple laws promoting elder justice and to increase the Legislature’s knowledge and awareness of elder justice concerns.
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Donna Benton, Vice Chair, is Research Associate Professor at the University of Southern California and is currently doing research on improving caregiver assessment using innovative evidence based programs online. She has a longstanding interest in elder justice as it relates to minority populations and elder abuse. She is a member of the California Task Force on Family Caregiving and previously chaired CEJC’s Subcommittee on Caregiving and Elder Abuse.
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Suzanne Anderson is a Human Services Specialist and Career Connections Facilitator for the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance; and Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Gerontology at California State University, Sacramento. She has spent the past twenty years involved with a variety of community and statewide organizations advocating for older adults and their families.
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Josh Bohannan is Public Policy Manager for the Alzheimer's Association, San Diego/Imperial Chapter where he coordinates public policy and grassroots advocacy efforts on state and federal dementia related issues. He is a McGeorge School of Law graduate and worked for the Department of Justice's Elder Abuse Unit and has experience with aging related interest groups around Sacramento.
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Leza Coleman is the Executive Director of the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Association “CLTCOA”, a membership association for local Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs, staff, volunteers and Ombudsman supporters. Her previous career experience included positions as field Ombudsman, Volunteer Coordinator for Ombudsman Services of Northern California, as well as being part of a management team which successfully opened and filled a 95 bed Residential Care Facility in Elk Grove California.
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Molly Davies is Vice President of Elder Abuse Prevention and Ombudsman Services at WISE & Healthy Aging. She is Vice President of the California Long-Term Care Ombudsman Association and chaired CEJC’s Ombudsman/APS Jurisdiction Workgroup.
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Nicole Fernandez currently serves as the training and outreach specialist for the Elder and Dependent Adult Protection Team (EDAPT) of San Mateo County, California. Nicole joined EDAPT at the end of 2015 after a decade-long career with the California State Legislature where she specialized in community relations, senior services, veterans, and health policy.
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Verna Haas is the Executive Director of Contra Costa Senior Legal Services, an organization devoted to fighting for the rights of low-income seniors. She is an ardent believer in the power of legal nonprofits to address injustice and inequality. At Contra Costa Senior Legal Services she supervises a staff of four dedicated attorneys who handle civil cases affecting seniors such as elder abuse, consumer issues, and housing matters. Her prior work experience includes working in private practice as a business litigator, working for Children’s Rights Group, and as assistant District Attorney in Sacramento.
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Nicole Howell is the Executive Director for Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa and Solano and is responsible for ensuring that the 13,000 residents of long-term care in her community have access to the highest level of care, respect and above all are able to live free of abuse and neglect. Prior to her role with OSCCS Nicole worked for nearly five years as the Director of Operations for Ombudsman Services of San Mateo County where she became a fierce advocate for senior and dependent adults and immersed herself in culture change initiatives and person centered care philosophies.
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Jill Nielsen is the Deputy Director of Programs for the Department of Aging & Adult Services for the City and County of San Francisco. Jill also serves as San Francisco’s Public Guardian, Public Conservator, and Public Administrator. Prior to taking on her current role, she served as the director of the San Francisco Adult Protective Services program.
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Shawna Reeves is Director of Elder Abuse Prevention at the Institute on Aging. Her areas of expertise include predatory lending, investment scams, reverse mortgages, and working with traditional and alternative media to raise public awareness of elder abuse.
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Gloria J. Sanchez serves on the Riverside County Advisory Council on Aging and she also is President of the Riverside County Foundation on Aging. She Chairs the Senior Advisory Committee for the City of Menifee as well as the Menifee Citizens Advisory Committee.
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Staff
Lisa Nerenberg, Executive Director, has worked in the field of aging and elder abuse prevention for over 30 years as the founding director of the San Francisco Consortium for Elder Abuse Prevention; a consultant to local, state, national, and international organizations; and an instructor at City College of San Francisco. She has testified before Congressional committees, served on governmental advisory committees, and written extensively about elder abuse and related issues.
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Christine Damonte, Coordinator, has worked for CEJC since 2015. Prior to joining CEJC, Christine worked in the human resources field for 15 years.
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