Board of Governors | Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation

Board of Governors

The individuals that make up our Board of Governors at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Foundation (SVMHF) are dedicated to seeing our healthcare system grow and thrive within the community. SVMHF is proud to have leadership that seeks to benefit our community and the surrounding areas through exceptional service.

Jeff Wardwell
President

Jeff is a lifelong Monterey County resident and the second generation in his family to serve on the Foundation board. He is currently a member of the Executive and Governance Committees. Jeff also serves as Chair of the Founders' Cup Golf Invitational.

In addition to volunteering for the Foundation, Jeff is a member of Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System’s Committee for Community Advocacy where he works alongside executive management to ensure that the high-quality healthcare the system provides can reach all who need it. In his efforts to help extend that reach, Jeff co-founded the healthcare system’s outreach program, S.E.E. (Screen, Educate, Equip) to help combat Student Athlete Sudden Cardiac Arrest. S.E.E. screens children for undiagnosed congenital heart issues, educates high school campuses in Hands-Only CPR, and provides facilities with an automatic external defibrillator (AED).

Susan Merrill
Vice President of Development

A returning board member and Past President of the Foundation, Susan was also the chair of the boutique committee for our Berries and Branches event for 10 years. Mrs. Merrill’s late husband is Tom Merrill, a community leader who was instrumental in building SVMH. She has one child and two grandchildren. Mrs. Merrill attended Cal Poly and graduated with a BS in Home Economics. She has served on the Entre Nous Society, Valley Guild, and Public Recreation Unlimited boards.

Mitch Secondo
Assistant Treasurer

Mr. Secondo works at NewStar Fresh Foods. Mitch has a BS and MS in Math/Computer Science. He has 7 children, is a private pilot and is bilingual. He has served on the Boards of the Growers-Shippers Association, NewStar Fresh Foods, Western Growers Association, Bud Antle Credit Union and Bud Antle, Inc. Mitch also received a Commendation Medal from the U.S. Army and worked at NASA Spacecraft Center as Program Manager for Rendezvous Plan/Lunar Liftoff.

Carrie Doherty
Secretary

Mrs. Doherty is a returning member to our board. She has 2 children and has lived in Monterey County almost her entire life. She holds a BA and MA/CCC in Communicative Disorders from University of the Pacific. Carrie was a speech pathologist in a private practice in Los Angeles and the Central Coast. She has served on boards for the Washington Union Education Foundation and the School Site Council for San Benancio. She previously served on the Ladies Trail Ride Committee and the Berries and Branches Holiday Home Tour Committee. She was previously a youth leader for AWANA and Wyldlife and is currently a youth leader for Good News Club and a volunteer for the Monterey County Reads program through the Panetta Institute.

Sherrie Isaac, CPA
CFO / Treasurer

Sherrie returned to the Foundation as a Board Member in 2014. She previously served on our Cherry's Jubilee Board as the Admission Director. She recently retired as a Certified Public Accountant from Hayashi and Wayland in Salinas. She is a past chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, the Treasurer for YOSAL and the Past Director of Finance for the California International Airshow. She has 2 daughters and 1 son-in-law and enjoys being involved in our community.

Carla Spencer, MSN, RN, CCRN
Vice President of Governance

Carla is the Director of Emergency Services at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital. She served on the American Heart Association board as the Regional Faculty ACLS from 2008-2012. She has a Masters in Nursing and is a Certified Critical Care RN. She is married and has 2 small children. Carla participated in the Summer Health Institute and the Medical Adventure Camp put on by the SVMH Service League. She joined our Board in 2015.

Barbara Balentine

Bio - TBD

Don Chapin, III

Don is the Materials Division Manager at the Don Chapin Company. He attended California State University Fresno, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and is a licensed civil engineer. He is married to Kim, they have two beautiful daughters, and they reside in Prunedale. He's currently the President of the California International Airshow Salinas, the President of the Monterey Bay Racing Team, a board member of the Associated General Contractors and is an event director for the Boys Scouts of America.

Arlene Dedini

Ms. Dedini has served as president of the King City Service League and St. John Business Group. She also served as Den Mother for the Boys Scouts of America and worked on the American Cancer Society Fashion Show for many years.

Mark Faylor

Mark has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the California International Airshow, Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, National Steinbeck Center, Partners for Peace and is a past Governor with SVMH Foundation. He is a 25-year member of the downtown Salinas Rotary Club, serving as President in 1999/2000 and has worked diligently supporting the ACS Relay for Life Salinas event, since 1997.

Mark Faylor joined local broadcast television station KCBA FOX 35 as an Account Executive in 1986. In 1994 he was promoted to President & GM of KCBA FOX 35 & KION CBS 5/46, overseeing Clear Channel Communications North Coast Television Station Group, as a Regional VP through 2006. In his 20-year tenure at the stations, Mark was responsible for creating valuable advertising opportunities with programming for local News, Sports & Agriculture and helped launch the market’s first 10 PM local newscast.

Mark and his wife Janine have 3 sons and have owned and operated Peninsula Business Interiors, here on the Central Coast since 2007.

Linda Grier

Linda lives with her husband, DL and son, Gino in Prunedale and is a partner at Aladin Properties and Ausonio Apartments handling all aspects of the commercial and residential properties for the family. Linda graduated from California State University, Chico with a BA in Liberal Arts and has her MA in Education Administration from Chapman University. Linda was Chamber Volunteer of the year 2006. She has been a volunteer diver at the Monterey Bay Aquarium for close to 25 years and in 2014 was honored with the Wendell Ayers Memorial Leadership Award for ocean advocacy and conservation. She is serving her fourth year as a member of Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council Board, Boy Scouts of America, Finance Chair for Santa Lucia District and committee chair for Troop 73. Ms. Grier is also a representative for Boronda Community Sanitation District to MRWPCA. Past volunteer activities in various capacities include: American Red Cross Heroes Breakfast, Castroville Artichoke Festival, Castroville Chamber of Commerce, North Monterey County Chamber of Commerce, Highway Safety Corridor Task Force, North Monterey County and Salinas Relays for Life, California Rodeo Salinas, California International Airshow Salinas, host parent for a number of students through EF Student Exchange Program. More recently, Linda designed, created and modeled an outfit made of hay bale twine to support the Alliance on Aging Trashion Show. Linda Grier is proud to be a second generation serving the Foundation for SVMH, following in her parents’ footsteps.

Robert Lane

Rob was born in New England and moved to New York City to attend Mt. Sinai School of Medicine for his MBA in Hospital Administration. Rob began his career as an Administrator in a 565-bed acute care Academic Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. After moving West, Rob worked for Blue Shield of California, Chinese Hospital/HMO, Kaiser Permanente and his own Managed Care Consulting Business. Rob also had a private practice known as “the Physicians Coach” whereby he assisted Physicians in seeking their passions in life besides medicine. Rob’s enthusiasm in joining the Foundation is his hope to engage his fellow employees of SVMHS in all capacities to support and give back to the organization.

Michael McMillan

Mike received his undergraduate degree from UCLA and his law degree from Loyola of Los Angeles. He moved to Monterey County in 1991, leaving a business and healthcare private practice with a Los Angeles law firm to a General Counsel position with a publicly-traded healthcare company in Monterey. His business and professional involvement with SVMH began in the early 1990s, and in 1996 he co-founded Cypress Healthcare Partners. Cypress is a physician practice management firm, providing services to over 300 physicians in the Central Coast Region.

Misty Navarro, MD

Bio - TBD

Bill Norman

Bill is a past president of the Foundation and a returning member, originally beginning his service to the Foundation in 2003. Bill was a 42-year member of the produce industry in the Salinas Valley and CEO of Benchmark Distributing, Inc. before retiring in 2010. He is currently serving on the Foundation's Finance and Investment Committees. Previously, Bill has been a committee member for Cherry's Jubilee, The Foundation's Golf Tournament, and has volunteered with the Berries and Branches event. Bill is a past president of the Salinas High School Booster Club, A former Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader and Little League coach. Bill and his wife Mary, fifty-year residents of Monterey County, are proud parents of three sons and proud grandparents of four girls and four boys.

board member Christopher Oh, MD

Dr. Oh is a cardiologist specializing in cardiovascular imaging and preventative cardiology. He completed his cardiovascular fellowship at Loma Linda University. He joined Central Coast Cardiology in 2002 and serves as President of the group. Regionally, he served on the Board of Governors for the California Chapter of the American College of Cardiology and is on the board of the chapter's Political Action Committee. At SVMH, he served as Chairman of the Medical Staff Excellence Committee, Associate Director of the Cardiovascular Diagnostic Center at Ryan Ranch and Board Director for the SVMHS Political Action Committee. He was also President of Central Coast Health Partners, a clinically integrated network affiliated with SVMHS. Currently, he is serving in an administrative capacity for SVMH to expand the cardiovascular service line.

Tak Saito

Tak was born, raised and educated in the California Central Valley town of Fresno. Receiving a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Fresno, Tak also received a Master’s Degree in Health Administration from the University of Southern California, Tak has worked in the healthcare industry for over 25 years in the area of facilities management and support services. Tak is a member of the Steinbeck Rotary and a Board Member of Victory Mission in Salinas that serves the local homeless population.

Monica Tovar

Monica is the Director of Sales for Mapleton Communications (KWAV, 101.7 The Beach, The Hippo, KPIG and 95.5 BOB) overseeing and creating marketing strategies for small to large businesses.

She started as a sales assistant in Spanish broadcasting and eventually became National Sales Coordinator for Entravision Communications, home to stations Radio Tricolor and Super Estrella. Between 2004 and 2007 she had the opportunity to become the New Business Development Representative for Stewart Title, where her passion for community engagement flourished.

Her past media and community experience gave her the opportunity to return to radio as a Local Sales Manager for iHeart Media for stations KDON, KTOM, K-Ocean, KION and La Preciosa from 2007 to 2015.

Monica founded the Everyday Latina Fashion Show-Art Exhibit Scholarship Fundraiser, executing two events in 2008 and 2009 and providing college scholarships to intelligent young women. She was a planning committee member for the Monterey County Housing Alliance for the City of Salinas and Monterey’s Housing Expo. From 2004 to 2007 she was on the board of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals coordinating informative luncheons and seminars for local realtors and lenders. From 2010 to 2016 Served on the board for the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center and ended her term as President from 2015-2016. In 2016 she received the Philanthropy Award for her fundraising efforts with #100MilesofCourage campaign she created for the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center. Currently, in addition to serving on our Board, Monica is a mentor for Hartnell College’s Women’s Educational Leadership Institute.

Rich Turner

Mr. Turner is relatively new to our area. He attended Creighton University and graduated with an RSBA in Accounting. He is married with 2 children. He has worked in the Senior Financial Management Food Industry for over 25 years and is currently president of the Meadows Homeowners Association. He joined our Finance and Investments Committee.

David E. Ramos, MD, FAAEM
SVMH Chief of Staff

Dr. Ramos received his education at University of Kansas Medical Center's School of Medicine and completed his residency at Madigan Army Medical Center. He is certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Ramos first joined the Foundation volunteering for the men's trail ride steering committee in 2010. After actively bringing the trail ride to a more profitable bottom line, he was elected to the Board of Governors in 2012 and served as Foundation President from 2016-2017. Dr. Ramos' leadership and enthusiastic support have been instrumental in engaging our medical staff, employees, and community on behalf of our patients.