Meet our dedicated IHSS Public Authority Board of Directors.
Herb Meyer, Chair
Larkspur
Herb Meyer knows what it means to need in-home personal support services. As a younger man, Herb served his country in the Korean War, was a successful businessman, and traveled the world. In 1993, he became a quadriplegic in a sailing accident. After rehab, he trained a caregiver so he could stay in his home. He got involved with IHSS to meet his passion for advocating for the rights of people who need help to stay in their homes. He still sails in the Bay with his buddies, who, he says, “have been one of his core support groups, along with his singing group, caregivers and his late significant other.”
Professional Affiliations
Board Chair, Marin Center for Independent Living
Staff Commodore, Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors
Member, Sons of the Sea Chorus
Joe O’Hehir, Treasurer
San Rafael
Joe O’Hehir brings a strong background in nonprofit management to the Board. He is skilled in strategic planning, organizational development, and financial management. Joe knows about the difficulties people with disabilities experience and the forceful impact placed on their families. He strongly believes these individuals deserve to live at home with independence, dignity and respect. He has been impressed with the passion and enthusiasm of the other board members and the staff.
Professional Affiliations
Executive Director, Marin Senior Coordinating Council (The Whistlestop)
Past President, Board of Director, Senior Access
Lynn von der Werth
Novato
Lynn von der Werth has spent more than 23 years working in social services in the Bay Area. She is a Medical Social Worker with Sutter Visiting Nurses Association, and trains law enforcement on issues of elder abuse. Lynn has worked for the San Francisco Department of Public Health on a street outreach team and has developed and managed community-based programs for the developmentally disabled. She has a Master’s in Social Work from San Francisco State University. She works with IHSS consumers, caregivers and case managers and understands how beneficial the IHSS program is for the IHSS consumers’ quality of life.
Professional Affiliations
Medical Social Worker, Sutter Visiting Nurses Association
Cynthia Siroky
San Rafael
Cynthia Siroky is a former teacher who says a favorite part of her job involved a multi-cultural program where people of different ethnic backgrounds came together to welcome each other’s differences. She was introduced to IHSS as she recovered from surgery and chemotherapy for cancer in 2005. Her daughter hired a caregiver named Narcissa, who Cynthia called “a bona fide angel.” She has had other long-term caregivers who have made it possible for her to be where she is today, contributing as a board member to the IHSS Public Authority of Marin. She has learned compassion and understanding. “This attitude, by the grace of God, has seen me through life.”