Board Members
Our Board is made up of dedicated professionals with deep expertise in aging services, public health, nutrition, philanthropy, organizational management, and community advocacy, all united by a commitment to improving the lives of underserved seniors in the East Bay.
Alberto Ortega-Hinojosa
Alberto Ortega-Hinojosa serves as the inaugural Data and Insights Officer at The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, where he manages the foundation’s strategy monitoring and reporting system to ensure stakeholders’ access to high-quality data needed for decision-making. With over sixteen years of experience in program management and research, Alberto’s expertise spans policy analysis, statistical analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), public health practice, and stakeholder-driven data communication.
Prior to joining the Packard Foundation, Alberto dedicated eight years to the Center for Elders’ Independence, where he represented the organization in external relations with government officials, served as a liaison with partner senior care organizations, and researched long-term care policies and regulations to advise on matters affecting the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). He also worked as a Principal Associate at the American Institutes for Research.
Alberto is passionate about improving population well-being, healthy aging, and addressing health inequities
Mary Louise Zernicke
Mary Louise Zernicke retired as the Senior Nutritionist for Alameda County in July 2022 but is still passionate about supporting the health of older adults. She served as the Senior Nutritionist for Alameda County for over 20 years. In this capacity, she provided technical assistance and oversight to all the senior meals programs, including over 2,500 meals on wheels daily and over 40 senior dining site programs. She also supported health promotion and disease prevention programs.
Mary Louise has a Master’s in Public Health from UC Berkeley, and a Master in Science from University of New Haven. She is also a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and is a Certified Specialist in Gerontology (CSG). In addition to her job as the Senior Nutritionist for Alameda County she served as Department Chair and Program Director of the Nutrition and Dietetics department at Merritt College for 14 years. Prior to that, she managed several WIC (Women, Infants and Children) Programs in the Bay Area.
Katherine Kelly
Katherine Kelly, Director of Government Affairs, joined On Lok in 2013. In her role, she leads On Lok’s Government and Community Affairs team, working to elevate the organization’s visibility and leadership in advocating for policies that support older adults. Through this work, she establishes thoughtful, strategic relationships with elected officials and community partners and supports On Lok’s engagement in policy and planning efforts at the national, state, and local levels.
Katherine serves on several boards and committees focused on improving care for older adults. Her leadership roles include Committee Member for the National PACE Association and CalPACE Public Policy Committees; Board Member of the East Bay Foundation on Aging; and Steering Committee Member for the Senior Services Coalition of Alameda County. She also leads On Lok’s engagement with the California Collaborative for Long-Term Services and Supports. In addition, from 2014 – 2023, Katherine served as Planning Committee Chair for the biennial Bay Area Senior Health Policy Forum, a conference highlighting innovation and opportunities in aging services across the region.
Prior to joining On Lok, Katherine served as a Senior Field Representative for U.S. Representative Susan A. Davis for eight years. In that role, she served as a public liaison and policy advisor on issues including health care, aging, Medicare, disability rights, armed services, and animal welfare. Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from San Diego State University.
May Lynn Tan
May Lynn Tan is currently the Director of Research and Strategic Initiatives at the California Association of Food Banks, based in Oakland, CA. Her background is in public health, and her previous role was at a funding program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which focused on grantmaking to improve health equity and racial justice.
She also has prior experience as a food bank nutritionist and manager of a food pantry serving older adults in San Francisco. She is passionate about systems-level interventions that improve food security, health, and quality of life throughout the lifespan.
Alice Lai-Bitker, MSW, LCSW
Alice has a long history devoted to improving access to health care, social services, domestic violence programs and mental health services. Her extensive experience in these areas include 10 years of public service as the Alameda County Supervisor for District Three, serving as founder of the Diversity in Health Training Institute, and Alice Home Care.
Health care workforce development, particularly amongst immigrant populations, and supporting families with the growing caregiver needs has benefitted Alameda County in numerous ways. Her mission today is the same as it was when she was a public servant: have a direct impact on the well-being of those who need our attention the most. She brings her background of policy, program delivery and knowledge of the community to her board service at East Bay Foundation on Aging.
Scott Means
Scott Means is the former Human Services Director for the City of Oakland. He founded the Disability Services, Inclusion Center unit within the Oakland Parks Department. His work with the Commission on Aging lead to the City of Oakland entering the world network of Age Friendly Cities.
He implemented an equitable technology initiative that the Aging Services Division successfully implemented to improve communication and program access for older adults. Scott developed a Case Management program design for seniors that has the capacity to be adopted across all ages and programs, including homelessness and violence prevention.
Crystal Zepada
Bryan Ricks
Staff
Diane Wong, Executive Director
Diane is honored and thrilled to be the first staff person of the East Bay Foundation on Aging. With a lifetime commitment to older adult services in Alameda County, Diane completed her undergraduate and MSW degree at UC Berkeley with a focus on aging and agency administration. Most recently she served as the Executive Director for J-Sei for 15 years, and was the founding executive director of Alzheimer’s Services the East Bay and was one of the founders of Daybreak and Lamorinda Adult Respite Center.
Diane hopes to help support and further older adult services in building connection, engagement and access to care. EBFA has been one of the few local resources dedicated to east bay seniors and is absolutely critical to the landscape of community based net services. Diane looks forward to enhancing this impactful and collaborative effort.