West County Health Center’s Board of Directors is comprised of dedicated community members with professional experience including business, law, real estate, human resources and healthcare. Nine out of fifteen members of the Board use West County Health Centers as their primary medical home and all fifteen live within WCHC’s service area. Board meetings are held monthly with smaller subcommittees such as the Finance, Executive and Fundraising committees meeting more frequently to collaborate and work with staff on specific tasks. The Board demonstrates its commitment through ongoing development and oversight of West County Health Center’s strategic plan, fiscal planning, fundraising and staff support.
Current Board Members
John Kornfeld, Ph.D – President
John joined the West County Health Centers board in 2005. He and his wife came to the Russian River Area as newlyweds in 1980, built a house, and raised their three children. He can’t imagine living anywhere else in the world. John earned his A.B. degree in English from Princeton, his M.A. in Education from Sonoma State, and his Ph.D. in Education from Indiana University. He taught elementary, middle, and high school for sixteen years, including eleven at Monte Rio School. Since 1996, he has been a professor at Sonoma State University, where he is currently Department Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies. John has published articles and book chapters with his wife, his daughter, his son’s first grade teacher, and several Sonoma State colleagues; he is currently writing (by himself) a book about teaching. John has been a patient at the Russian River Health Center for almost two decades.
Debra Johnson – Vice President
Born in Washington State and raised on the beaches of Southern California, Debra first discovered the Russian River in 1992. After spending 20 years working at the LA Times she moved here for a quieter lifestyle and opened a coffee shop, “The Brew Moon” which became the social hang-out for many community members. Debra has been a patient of the Russian River Health Center since 1993, joining the West County Health Centers Board of Directors in 1998. Debra is a passionate advocate for those community members suffering from homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. She firmly believes that health care lies at the root of these issues and that healthcare should not be a privilege, but a right for all. Debra has been a successful Real Estate agent since 2003 with Prudential California Realty, becoming the Owner/Broker in 2011. Recently, Prudential was bought out and Debra converted the company to Berkshire Hathaway HS, Sonoma County Properties.
Mary Felton, R.N., M.S.N – Board Secretary
Mary came onto the board of West County Health Centers in 2008. She lives in Sebastopol with her husband and three small children. Mary graduated from the UCSF Adult Nurse Practitioner program in 2005. While in graduate school she worked as a nurse at St. Anthony Free Clinic in San Francisco, an experience that introduced her to the importance of community health centers in making quality health care accessible to all. While most of her energy is currently focused on raising her young children, Mary also helps run her family’s small farm located on the outskirts of Sebastopol.
Dwight Cary – Treasurer
Dwight grew up on the Jersey Shore before moving to California where he attended Pomona College and, after an interlude of work and travel, Stanford Law School. Dwight began work for a small San Francisco law firm specializing in national and international transactions and corporate restructurings. Over the years the firm grew substantially and Dwight served on its managing committee. His home in Guerneville provided a welcome weekend escape. West County Health Centers had recently completed its merger of the Guerneville and Occidental clinics when a friend suggested that Dwight consider serving on the combined Board. Dwight appreciated the services being provided by the health centers, enjoyed the people who provided them and is now a patient as well as a Board member.
Angeles David
Angeles David is originally from Argentina. She has lived with her husband and three kids in Sonoma County for over 20 years and has been a patient of both the Sebastopol Community Health Center and the Occidental Area Health Center. She was invited to join the West County Health Centers board in 2013. She teaches Spanish at a local high school and works as a medical interpreter. She enjoys participating in the board as a way to be involved and give back to the community.
Alice Fiddian-Green
Alice Fiddian-Green is currently a professor in the Masters of Public Health program at the University of San Francisco. Alice's teaching and research uses storytelling to examine reproductive health, substance use, and trauma, and to advocate for health equity and community wellbeing. Alice immigrated with her family from South Africa as a young child. She recently moved to CA from Massachusetts, and stumbled upon the Russian River when looking for a new place to call home. She spends much of her free time exploring and appreciating the incredible coastline (and birdwatching when her son comes to visit!). Alice is grateful for the opportunity to serve on the WCHC Board, and looks forward to learning from the community, WCHC staff, and other board members.
Alan Siegle
Born and raised in San Francisco, Alan first came to Sonoma County to study Environmental Studies at Sonoma State University in 1974. While there he started Bennett Valley Farm, growing organic produce and flowers, and later became a founding partner in Sonoma Compost Company. Alan lives in Forestville and, with his wife and daughters, has been a patient with the West County Health Centers since 1990. He appreciates the opportunity to support the WCHC by serving on the Board since 2009.
Eliot Enriquez
Eliot Enriquez is a Project Coordinator at the Redwood Community Health Coalition (RCHC). Among other projects, He has worked extensively on improving the Medi-Cal retention rate in Sonoma County. Before working at RCHC, Eliot was a Community Health Manager for Sonoma County at Latino Service Providers in Healdsburg, CA. Eliot has also served as a Political Consultant for various highly targeted Democratic races across the United States. During his four years as a political consultant he was also an analyst for targeted Latino communities and Director of the Democratic Coordinated Campaign in all of Southern New Mexico. Eliot has his B.A. in International Relations and Latin American Studies from Chico State University, Chico, CA.
Henry “Jake” Hamlin
Jake grew up on a farm in Paris, Tennessee and attended University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. He had a great childhood and a wonderful family but couldn't wait to move to San Francisco and enjoyed city life for over ten years. Almost fifteen years ago, he moved to Guerneville. The Russian River Health Center became his medical home very soon after. Jake and Patrick have lived together for seven years and were legally married in October 2008. Jake is a retired carpenter with a passion for vintage cars, vintage architecture and Patrick , who objects to being described as vintage. He feels very fortunate to have close family and wonderful friends in Guerneville. Jake and Patrick enjoy helping the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with their fund raising and the love taking part in local efforts to make Guerneville a better place. It has been a great honor for Jake to serve on the WCHC board for the last two years and he feels very lucky to be part of such a great organization.
Jennifer Nichols
Jennifer became a member of the board just as the Occidental Area and Russian River Health centers merged in 2000. She has been a patient at the Occidental area health center since 1993. It has been a most exciting time for her to be a part of the growth of the West County Health Centers that now also include Sebastopol, the teen clinic in Forestville and the Mental Health and Dental offices in Guerneville. Jennifer has done many jobs in her life, culminating in becoming a top wardrobe supervisor in films in New York through the 80's. After she and her husband retired here she worked on the AIDS help line in Santa Rosa for five years, her first opportunity to volunteer. She has a wide range of interests and as an older person understands the problems facing people as they age and tries to represent them on the board. She finds being on the board to be a very positive and rewarding experience.
Meri Harding Storino
Meri joined the West County Health Centers board in 2013. She and her husband and two children moved to Sebastopol in 2009. After obtaining her Ph.D. from UC Santa Barbara in 2001, Meri joined the faculty at Sonoma State University. She is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Psychology and Counseling Departments. Meri teaches a variety of courses, with her work emphasizing risk and resiliency in children and adolescents. She is especially interested in community mental health services for children and families.
Paulette Hall
Paulette Hall joined the West County Health Centers Board in 2016 and her children have been patients of the Russian River Health Center since 2009. She is a Senior Services Case Manager and Job Developer for a local multi-service non-profit agency. Previously, Paulette worked in the medical field holding various positions. She graduated from MTI Business College in Stockton, CA where she studied in the medical field. She is currently in the process of receiving a Business Degree from Colorado Technical University. Paulette enjoys helping others reach their high potential as well as being a wife and mother.
Whitney Reuling
