2020 Academy of Leaders

Position: Past Director Organization: California Department of Aging

Lynn Daucher is the past Director of the California Department of Aging and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of SeniorServ, a leading non-profit in Orange County that provides programs and services for older adults. She also is a member of the board of the Archstone Foundation. Ms. Daucher has a deep history of public service starting in 1980 when she was elected to serve on the school board for Brea Olinda School District. She was also elected to the Brea City Council and served member of the California State Assembly from 2000-2006. She was appointed to the position of Director of the California Department of Aging by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and was responsible for administering programs serving older adults, adults with disabilities, family caregivers, and residents in long-term care facilities throughout the state.

Position: Chief Gerontologist Organization: GrandPad

Dr. Kerry Burnight has spent her entire professional career on a mission to improve the lives of seniors. She was a professor of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at the University of California, Irvine, and founded the nation's first elder abuse forensic center as well as the national non-profit, Ageless Alliance: United Against Elder Abuse. She also spoke at The White House and shows including The Dr. Phil Show, CBS News, Money Matters, and The Doctors.

Dr. Burnight is GrandPad's Chief Gerontologist. She guides the development of features with evidence-based geriatric research to ensure dignity, autonomy, and safety for seniors. She joined GrandPad because of the firm's ability to prevent social isolation, one of the most significant risk factors for elders.
 

Position: Managing Director of Orange County and Major San Diego Markets Organization: Dignity Memorial (Fairhaven)

Robert (Bob) Dowson is the Vice President and Managing Director of Dignity Memorial, a company with more than 24,000 employees at 2,000 providers throughout North America. In Dowson’s current position, he oversees their cemetery, mortuary and crematory operations in Orange and San Diego Counties, covering 600 employees conducting more than 5,000 funerals and 4,000 cemetery services per year.

Dowson joined Dignity Memorial in 1992 and has held several prominent staff and management positions including Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Revenue Services.  In 1995, he developed and ran the company’s Hawaiian operations with locations in Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the big Island of Hawaii.
In 2002, Dowson joined an elite team within Dignity Memorial that coordinates state funerals for notable national public figures, including presidents, first ladies, Congressmen and entertainers. Notable dignitaries have included Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, First Ladies Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford, Senators Ted Kennedy and Lloyd Bentsen, Vice-Admiral James Stockdale and Congressman G.V. Montgomery. Dowson held this post simultaneously with his everyday position at Dignity Memorial.

Dowson, a resident of Laguna Niguel, Calif., is a member of the Cemetery Mortuary Association of California, International Funeral and Cemetery Cremation Association and the California Funeral Directors Association.  He also has served on the boards of industry organizations.   Dowson is active in several civic organizations and is a Foundation Member of Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.  He is an active volunteer at his local church, Corpus Christi in Aliso Viejo, Calif.
 

Position: Neurologist Organization: Mission Heritage Medical Group

Dr. Gee was born and raised in Sacramento, California. He attended his undergraduate studies at the University of California at Irvine, where he received his Bachelors in Science of Biological Sciences in 1994. During his time at the University, he participated in scientific research within the neurosciences. He was honored with his first publication during this time with his professor. This activity spurred his interest of the neurological sciences. He attended medical school at Des Moines University School of Osteopathic Medicine and graduated as the 100th class in 1998.

After completion of his residency at UC Davis, he and his family moved to southern California where he eventually took part in creating and establishing the neurology department for Mission Internal Medical Group in 2007. He continues to stay active in headache medicine as he maintains membership in the major headache medicine organizations and is part of the headache section within the American Academy of Neurology. He is one of the original members of the Headache Cooperative of the Pacific, an organization established for promoting education and communication in headache care. He is active within Mission Hospital at both campuses of Laguna Beach and Mission Viejo. He is active in the stroke program at Mission Hospital, where it maintains its national certification in stroke care. He is involved in creating a stroke aftercare clinic to promote good health after such an event.

Along with general neurology, his interests include headache and facial pain, stroke, disorders of aging and memory, disorders in movement and Parkinson’s disease, seizures and epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis.

Position: Founding Principal & I.D.E.A. Director Organization: Raad Ghantous & Associates

Raad Ghantous is the Principal of Raad Ghantous & Associates / RG&A a firm specializing in luxury hospitality, wellness centers, and medical & day spa developments. Raad has over 20 years of experience in developing integrating elegant and seamless designs/modifications to new and existing structures.

He is an educator on Spa Design, an authority on Aging-in-Place and the developer of 'Your Home For A Lifetime', a holistic A.D.A/ Barrier-free/ Universal design/Aging in place, approach to design/build.

Ghantous' previous involvement with SCHA stretches back 4 years where he has hosted Red Carpet Interviews yearly at the event. He also was a 2016 nominee in the category of Outstanding Senior Care Professional.

Raad is also the founder of Golden Seal Production and is the host of his own live weekly show, 'The Raad Life' on OCtalkRadio.net. The show, now in its 5th year, that takes you along on Raad's continuing journey of discovery as an 'Age Explorer' interested in life's challenges & opportunities that come with getting older and bolder.

 

Position: Executive Director Organization: Alzheimer's Association

Anne leads the strategic goals of the Orange County Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association to fulfill the organization's mission to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research; to provide care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

Anne is a champion for educating the community about research, brain health and an advocate for early detection of Alzheimer's disease. It is her goal that everyone in Orange County impacted by dementia knows that the Alzheimer's Association is here to help them 24/7 free of charge.

Anne is a noted leader in the Orange County community and a member of the Junior League of Orange County where she serves as the Sustaining Advisor in Public Affairs. She has appeared as a guest on programs such as "Dr. Drew Midday Live" on 790AM KABC radio and the national television network, Headline News (HLN).

Position: President, CEO and Owner Organization: Hyder & Company Property Management

Stephen Margetic has more than 25 years of experience managing affordable and market-rate properties. As President, CEO and Owner of Hyder & Company Property Management, he manages over 90 affordable properties, totaling about 6,000 units throughout California. He is also a principal partner in the management of two campuses totaling 162 units of senior assisted and congregate care units in St. Louis, Missouri. Prior to joining Hyder & Company Property Management in 2004, Mr. Margetic spent 12 years managing a portfolio of 10,000 units, which included more than 2,000 units of senior housing. A Certified Public Accountant from the state of Illinois, Mr. Margetic has been a member of both the American and the California Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, as well as serving on the Owners’ Advisory Board of the National Investment Conference.

Position: President – Consumer • Growth • Pharmacy Organization: Alignment Healthcare

Dawn Maroney is president of all markets for Alignment Healthcare, a health care services company focused on providing population health management services to health systems and provider groups around the country. In this role, Ms. Maroney oversees all market presidents and certain corporate functions. She focuses on driving innovative products and spearheading marketing efforts around the brand, as well as overseeing direct response and public relations activities. In addition, she directs the many variable aspects of sales execution and planning, and the ongoing challenge of coordinating these channels with Alignment's extensive network of providers, health plans and hospital systems. Ms. Maroney is regarded not only as an industry expert, but also a pioneer in positioning health care organizations for success in the challenging Medicare, Medicaid and underserved markets.

Position: President and CEO Organization: Alzheimer's Orange County

Jim McAleer began his career in the nonprofit world at age eighteen while pursuing an undergraduate degree in Savannah, Georgia. For the next ten years, McAleer worked with individuals with mental retardation and other disabilities. He used those years to hone his leadership and senior management skills culminating in serving as the Interim Executive Director of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association in 1994.

For the next six years, McAleer served as the CEO and President for several agencies serving at risk populations and individuals with varying labels of disability in Boston Massachusetts, where he earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration at Northeastern University.

Today, McAleer is the President and CEO of Alzheimer's Orange County and serves on multiple charity Boards. He lives in Orange County with his son Joseph.

Position: Palliative Care Program Director Organization: Hoag Memorial Hospital Prebyterian

Dr. Nguyen is the Director of the HOAG CARES Program. In this role he provides direct medical care as well as oversight of the inpatient and outpatient palliative clinical services at HOAG hospitals. Over his career, he built a nationally recognized post- acute service in the Skilled Nursing Facility settings, and implemented Fellowship training programs for post-graduate and mid-career Physicians in the art of Hospice and Palliative Medicine through UC Irvine. He has lectured, published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine and co-authored several chapters in 2 books on End-of Life issues published by the McGraw-Hill Companies.

In addition to being a volunteer Assistant Clinical Professor at UCI School of Medicine, he co-chairs the Orange County POLST Coalition since 2009 to inform and educate the public on the value of advance care planning.

Position: Professor and Director of the Center of Successful Aging, California State University Fullerton Organization: Fall Prevention Center of Excellence

Debra Rose, PhD, is a professor in the Kinesiology Department and director of the Center for Successful Aging at California State University, Fullerton. She also serves as one of two co- directors of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence established in 2005 with funding from the Archstone Foundation. Dr. Rose received her M.S. from the University of Oregon in 1982 and PhD from Penn State University in 1985. Her primary research focus is in the area of motor control and learning with a particular focus on postural control, mobility enhancement, and the prevention of falls in later years. Dr. Rose is nationally and internationally recognized for her research in the assessment and treatment of balance and gait disorders. Her research has been widely published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, book chapters, monographs, and professional journals. She has also received more than $6.0 million in external funding for her research in this area. Dr. Rose has been frequently recognized for her contributions to the scientific literature and to the profession. The innovative fall risk reduction program she developed called FallProof™ was recognized by the Health Promotion Institute of the National Council on Aging in 2006 as a “Best Practice” program in health promotion. This program is currently being replicated in numerous community-based settings and retirement communities throughout the United States. Dr. Rose was the recipient of the 2013 Herbert A. DeVries Award for Distinguished Research on Aging from the Council on Aging and Adult Development, American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation, 2013. Debra is the past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity and currently serves as President of the National Academy of Kinesiology.

Position: Regional Director, Community Health Investment Organization: Southern California Region, Orange County/High Desert Providence St. Joseph Health

Barry Ross is Vice President, Healthy Communities at St. Jude Medical Center. He is currently serving as Chair, Fullerton Collaborative; Chair, Alliance for a Healthy Orange County; Vice Chair, La Habra Collaborative and serves on the CalOptima Medical Provider Advisory Committee. He served on the Board of Community SeniorServ for eight years including service as President of the Board,He is a recipient of the St. Joseph Health System Values in Action Award for Justice.

Position: Vice President of Development Organization: CareChoices Network, Inc.

Ed has been in the health care business for over 27 years. His knowledge and experience in the home health and hospice field stem from personal experience. He is always the first in line to support any cause having to do with preserving the rights and dignity of seniors, and patients in general. He was the recipient of the Senior Care Hero at Large award at the 2012 Senior Care Hero Awards and continues to be an inspiration to everyone connected to the event.