IHSS Public Authority of Marin Board of Directors is the governing arm of the agency. They provide direction to ensure that the agency’s mission and vision are fulfilled. According to the statute, the board needs to consist of at least 51% IHSS Recipients. If you are interested in becoming a member of our board, please contact, Aaron Alarcon.
We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Herb Meyer in May 2018, who was a founding member of our board in 2002. He will greatly missed – Rest in Power.
View our Board Meetings Calendar 2018.
Lynn von der Werth, Chair
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
Beth Gray, Vice Chair
Novato
Beth Gray joined the PA Marin Governing Board in December 2017. She is an IHSS recipient and has a strong desire to improve the quality of the program and upgrading the benefits offered to the IHSS providers.
Beth is a Psychiatric Clinical Nursing Specialist with a Masters in Nursing. Her sub-speciality is in trauma and has created and presented over 30 workshops for students and providers on the effects of trauma and abuse. In 2007, she was part of a five person panel invited to speak on trauma at the United Nations at the International Commission on the Status of Women. When her son was young, she was involved with the developmentally disabled community. Beth conducted a workshop for nurses about the various resources available to these individuals at a time when resources were not connected as they are today. She has also fostered medically fragile infants.
Beth worked for the University of California in San Francisco as a faculty member and a training coordinator. She also worked for San Francisco General Hospital as a Psychiatric Nurse. She currently resides in Novato, CA with her two kitties Princess and Precious.
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
Cynthia Siroky, Secretary
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.”
Roger Rose, Member
Roger has been part of the PA Marin Governing Board since June of 2012. Roger’s working experience includes being a Communication Associate for David Perry & Associates, Gallery Assistant for the Return to Tradition Gallery and currently the Assistant Editor for the CineSource Magazine in San Francisco. Roger has been a recipient of IHSS for over 20 years. He has served in numerous Boards, Commissions and Task Forces such as the Independent Living Resource Council in San Francisco and the BART Accessibility Review Task Force. Roger’s main motivation to be part of the PA Marin Governing Board is to offer universal accessibility for seniors and disabled individuals so they can reach their greatest life opportunities.
Maria Estel Garcia, Member
San Rafael
As our newest Board Member, Maria has decades of experience helping people in need through county services. She has worked for Homeward Bounds Homeless Shelter in San Rafael, Marin Housing Authority Shelter, Parent Partner for Family Service Agency and most recently with Community Action Marin Youth and Family Services. Multilingual in English and Spanish, Maria enjoys bringing families together, building relationships of trust and providing case management and advocacy services to the community.
She graduated from Bryman College and plans to attend Dominican University pathways program to get her BA in Psychology.
Daniel Vianueva, Member
Daniel Vianueva comes to us with nearly 20 years with California Parks and Recreation where he has served as a Ranger. He has been an IHSS provider for several years and looks forward to being a meaningful voice within our organization. Dan’s daughter is a non-verbial autistic child and he personally appreciates the need for IHSS services.
Dan graduated from the Community College of the Airforce in Montgomery, Alabama and specialized in Applied Aircraft Technology. He also served on the United States Airforce for 20 years.
Herb Meyer, Honorary Member
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