Board of Governors

The Salinas Valley Health Foundation is fortunate to have such a dedicated, diverse, and engaged Board of Governors who care deeply about the health of our community. Working side by side with our Foundation staff, the doctors, nurses, administrators, business owners, and community leaders who make up our board help set funding priorities, organize events, and engage our community to philanthropically support Salinas Valley Health.


Bill Hastie

Chair, Board of Governors

Bill is the managing partner at Hastie Financial Group, a wealth management firm with roots in Salinas going back more than 35 years. He earned a BS in Economics from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, an MBA in Financial Planning from Golden Gate University in San Francisco, and most recently attended the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Executive Education and earned the Certified Investment Management Analyst® designation.

In addition to the Salinas Valley Health Foundation Board, Bill currently serves on the Executive Board for the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, and on the boards of Key for a Cure Foundation and the Salinas Police Foundation. He and his wife, Terri, raised their three children in Salinas (all of whom are now married).


Mark Faylor

Vice Chair of Governance

Returning to the Board of Governors for a second term, Mark is a former local television executive with the Ackerley Group & Clear Channel Communications who got his start as an account executive with KCBA FOX 35 in 1986. From 1994 – 2005 he served as Regional Vice President operating the North Coast Group consisting of local television stations KCBA FOX 35 and KION NewsChannel 5/46, KMTR NBC affiliate in Eugene, Oregon, KVIQ CBS affiliate in Eureka, CA and KFTY NewsChannel 50 in Santa Rosa, CA. In 2006, he left broadcasting and joined Peninsula Business Interiors with his wife Janine as dealer principles. In addition to his role on the board, he is actively involved in the community through the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, Blue Zones Project, California International Airshow, National Steinbeck Center, Partners for Peace, ACS Relay for Life Salinas, and downtown Salinas Rotary Club, where he is a former President and 26-year member.


Carrie Birkhofer

Treasurer

Carrie joined Bay Federal Credit Union in 1989 as the Chief Financial Officer and has been the President and CEO since 1995. Carrie’s passion is to expand economic opportunity in our region by providing access to locally funded financial products and services. Over the years, Bay Federal has grown to be the largest community owned financial institution serving over 80,000 people living in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. Since 2011, Bay Federal has been designated as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) by the U.S. Treasury, recognizing the credit union for fostering local economic opportunity through access to affordable transportation and housing financing.

Bay Federal has over 220 employees and is a recipient of the Best Place to Work in the Bay Area and was named the #1 Best Credit Union to Work For in the Nation in 2019. Bay Federal employees donate their time annually to support the local community through fundraising and volunteer events. The credit union’s volunteerism was recognized in 2010 by the former first lady Maria Shriver and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with a medal for the State of California’s Small Business Volunteer Program of the Year. Carrie believes that the credit union’s values based culture is a key success factor in today’s hyper competitive marketplace.

Carrie graduated with a BA, Business Economics from University of California, Santa Barbara and is a Certified Public Accountant. She regularly volunteers in the community and enjoys being outdoors where she lives in Santa Cruz.


Helen DeYoung

Secretary

Originally from the San Fernando Valley in Southern California, Helen De Young has been an active member of Monterey County for nearly 15 years. She formerly served on the boards of Monterey County Young Professionals Group, Salinas Jaycees, and Monterey Bay Alumni Panhellenic Group. In addition to the Salinas Valley Health Foundation Board of Governors, Helen also serves on the PTA Board for a local Elementary School and is an active member of W.O.W.

Helen was formerly the Regional Director for the American Heart Association, American Stroke Association, and was Alumni & Community Relations Coordinator at CSU Monterey Bay.

De Young is a graduate of University of California Davis with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and American Studies, a member of the Chi Omega Fraternity, and was a club water polo player.

In her spare time, Helen enjoys spending time with her children, working out, gardening, being creative, hiking, and exploring the Central Coast.


Monica Tovar

Past Chair

As President and CEO of TMD Creative, Monica creates and oversees marketing strategies for local and regional businesses and provides valuable guidance and support for the Salinas Valley Health Foundation’s marketing and fundraising efforts.

Her passion for community engagement has also led her to become involved in a range of other charitable activities, including developing college scholarships for young Latinas, advocating for affordable housing solutions, mentoring at the Hartnell College’s Women’s Educational Leadership Institute and serving as a board member for the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center, where she received a Philanthropy Award in 2016 for an event she helped create called #100MilesofCourage.


Barbara Balentine

Living in and around Salinas for most of her life, Barbara worked at the California Rodeo Salinas for more than 35 years, helping build it into the largest rodeo in California and a major stop on the professional rodeo circuit. She was a member of the Foundation board in the 1980s and served on the Ladies Trailride Committee for many years before rejoining the board in 2017, where she is doing her part to ensure the health system has the resources it needs to provide state-of-the-art care to the residents of Salinas and surrounding communities. In addition to her work with the Foundation, she is also active in the community as President of the Junior League of Monterey County and Vice President of the board for the California International Air Show.


Ramon Castro

Ramon Castro, formerly the General Sales Manager of Wolfehouse Radio Group, reached the Hispanic market in the Salinas and Monterey Bay area. His 30+ years of experience as a broadcast media executive led him to form strong relationships with community leaders and government officials. Ramon has worked side by side to help drive community events throughout the entire market, such as Hispanic heritage celebrations and concerts, to mention a few. He has collaborated with multiple nonprofit and charity organizations, supporting various events, including cultural events with Salinas Valley Lucas, Holiday Food Drives, and fundraisers.


Carmen Gil, MPA/HSA

We look forward to introducing you to Ms. Gil soon!


Michael McMillan

A resident of Monterey County since 1991, Mike received his undergraduate degree from University of California, Los Angeles and his law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Serving as General Counsel to a publicly-traded healthcare company in Monterey, he has been professionally involved with Salinas Valley Health since the early 1990s. In 1996, he co-founded Cypress Healthcare Partners, a physician practice management firm that provides services to over 300 physicians in the Central Coast region.


David Ramos, MD

Emeritus

David Ramos, MD, is a board-certified Emergency Medicine physician with a military background, having served tours at Fort Ord, CA and Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, KY. He has been dedicatedly serving Salinas Valley Health in Salinas, CA since 1998. Throughout his time, Dr. Ramos has embraced leadership roles, including Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff, where he notably chaired the Quality and Safety Committee. Beyond these roles, he served hospital administration, spearheading the Emergency Department and making significant contributions as a member of the Salinas Valley Health Foundation Board of Governors.


Bill Tebbe

We look forward to introducing you to Mr. Tebbe soon!


Linda Grier

We look forward to introducing you to Linda Grier!


Richard Rees

We look forward to introducing you to Richard Rees soon!