EHP consists of a unique group of caring individuals who truly care about the community and empowering disadvantaged families and individuals

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

Flavia Berys
Flavia is an attorney at the East Palo Alto office of DLA Piper LLP (US), representing clients in the development, leasing, acquisition, disposition, and financing of commercial real estate, including environmental and transactional due diligence and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) litigation matters. Prior to her career as a real estate and land use attorney, Ms. Berys worked in the property management and residential mortgage lending industries. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from California Western School of Law and her B.A. in English from UCLA.

Byron Bland
Byron is a founding member of EHP and served as the first Chair of the Board of Directors. He is currently Associate Director of the Stanford Center on International Conflict and Negotiation (SCICN) and Research Associate at the Center for Democracy Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University. For eighteen years, he was the campus minister for United Campus Christian Ministry at Stanford University.

Friederike Buelow
Ike was born and raised in Germany and moved to the Bay Area with her family in 1987. A former language major at the University of Tuebingen, Germany, she received her B.S. in Human Services from Notre Dame De Namur University. Currently she serves on the Governance Committee.

Ken Freedman
Ken is a residential mortgage industry veteran based in Silicon Valley.  Since 1988, he has worked with various companies including Fremont Investment and Loan and Lehman Brothers as AVP of Operations.  His interest in people and the community has inspired his active volunteer work with OneBrick.org, his synagogue, and EHP.  He lives in the Bay Area with his wife and two dogs.  Ken enjoys traveling and is an avid sports enthusiast.

Charlie Mae Knight

Andrew Perlman
Andy is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Innate Immune, Inc., a company dedicated to the discovery of new drugs for the treatment of asthma and other illnesses. Previously, Dr. Perlman has served as Executive Vice President at Tularik, Inc., a public biotechnology company; as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Affymax, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company; as Senior Director of Clinical Research at Genentech, Inc.; and as a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. Andy received his M.D. and his Ph.D. in Physiology from New York University and a B.S. degree in Physics from MIT. Dr. Perlman was previously on the board of the Lester Conrad Medical Research Foundation and of the Human Growth Foundation.

Peter Ruh
Peter is co-chair of the Development and Communications Committee for EHP. He is a high-technology marketing veteran and currently works at Cisco Systems as a Director of Marketing. Peter holds a B.A. in Political Science from Skidmore College and an MBA from the University of Dallas. He was connected to EHP through his outreach work with the First Congregational Church of Palo Alto which actually housed EHP in its earliest days.

Cindy Sauln
Cindy is a full-time Ph.D. student at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto.  Before beginning this new journey, she served as an executive specializing in customer services and sales for several technology companies, including Veritas Software, DataCore Software and Digital Equipment Corporation.  She is an active volunteer at EHP, for the InnVision/Urban Ministry in Palo Alto, Juvenile Hall in Santa Clara, and with her church.  These days, when she is not studying or with her family, she enjoys yoga, walking, hanging out with her friends, and gourmet cooking. Cindy is the EHP board secretary.

Susan Schofield
Susan worked in diverse senior administrative positions at Stanford University for 32 years. Her responsibilities have included financial management, capital facilities planning, and faculty governance. She received her B.A. from Stanford and was a Fulbright Scholar to France. Susan serves as the board Chair.

Rosemary Steele
Rosemary Steele has lived and worked in East Palo Alto for the past 40 years. She recently retired from Job Train (formally known as OICW) as the Director of Corporate Relations, where she developed Corporate contacts, taught job search skills, provided career counseling, and placed hundreds of East Palo Alto residents in jobs. She is a respected member of the East Palo Alto community and has received numerous awards for her service. Rosemary has a degree in Human Services, and certification in Supervision and Volunteer Management, from UC Santa Cruz.

Anna Suarez
Anna is co-chair of the Development and Communications Committee for EHP. She is a high-technology marketing veteran and proven leader, industry expert and speaker in database marketing, marketing automation strategies and their implementation in business-to-business high technology environments. Her corporate experience includes several of the top technology companies including Cisco Systems, BEA, Oracle, VeriSign, and others.

Kurt Taylor

STAFF & CONSULTANTS

Richard Cerrutti, Driver 
I joined EHP as a driver in July of 2000 and I continue in that role today. I bring many years of driving experience to EHP, having previously worked as a driver in the industrial field, and with a water company. I owned my own recycling business, have carpenter experience, and am also a certified EMT.

Maleah Choi, Development Consultant

Debbie Estebanez, Receptionist
I am responsible for the front desk and handle communications with Spanish-speaking families. I have nine years experience working in office environments, and helping families and individuals with resources and other needs. I’ve done administrative work for numerous law firms and I’ve attended receptionist seminars. I plan to attend community college in Fall 2009 to obtain a Business and Social Services Degree. Helping others is a passion of mine. I also love outdoor activities and being with family and friends.

Donald Hunter, Operations Manager, Donations Coordinator
I was born in Northern California (San Francisco to be exact); I grew up and went to school in the Peninsula area. Since joining the EHP team in July of 2004, my duties as Operations Manager are “OPEN” with a mindset of “do whatever it takes to keep EHP running!” This variety of responsibilities can range from doing pickups in the EHP truck, to presenting the monthly program report to the board, to assisting donors on site.

Melanie Jones-Carter, Administrative Manager
I joined EHP in February 2009 as the Administrative Manager. I am responsible for the administrative side of the organization, human resources administration, supervision of administrative staff, and development of the volunteer program. I am also responsible for facilities maintenance and assisting with programs when needed. I have a BA from Utah State University with a degree in Nutrition and Food Science and Business Administration. I previously worked at Stanford University, GES Exposition Services, California Culinary Academy, and most recently with IKEA.

Lea Martinez, Family Service Coordinator
I am responsible for the intake of participants as they come to EHP seeking food and other support and referrals. I oversee/work with Family Harvest, Produce Mobile, Women’s Support Group, and Children’s Summer Program. I have received several certifications from Canada College in the social services field and I have a Family Development Credential from Cornell University. I am a member of the Bay Area African American Health Initiative and am currently serving on the Voices of Recovery committee working with individuals affected by drugs and alcohol.

Jackie Owens, Client Service Assistant
I am responsible for the food closet. I receive and organize food donations, including fresh produce, canned goods and bread, and I supervise volunteers. My goal is to keep the food closet running as smoothly as a grocery store. I enjoy working closely with individuals, helping them to empower themselves with resources and referrals beyond food. I find my job very fulfilling as I think of the hardships and challenges I have had to overcome while raising two children on my own.

Lesia Preston, Executive Director
As Executive Director I am responsible for EHP operations, serve as EHP’s face to the broader community, and work with the board of directors to plan for EHP’s future. I joined EHP in 1984. I am responsible for the development, growth and success of EHP’s Children’s Christmas Party, Family Sharing Program (formerly Adopt-a-Family), and the current Women’s Support Group. I have extensive experience in program administration and case management. I currently serve on several community committees; they include ATOD (San Mateo County Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs), EPA Mental Health Advisory Group, and Voices of Recovery. I have an Associate of Arts Degree in Social Science, and recent certifications including health and wellness (from Critical Mass Health Conductors); food and nutrition education (from University of CA); and enhancing health for Bay Area residents (from Champions for Change). I have previously worked at the American Red Cross as an office assistant; providing home care for disabled children (Green Pastures); and as a Crime Prevention Officer for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Department.

Todd Quackenbush, Assistant Donations Coordinator
Hello, my name is Todd Quackenbush and I have worked at EHP for about 8 years now. I am the donations coordinator which means that I spend time answering telephone calls from donors who wish to have clothing and household items picked up from their homes. Once I have received all necessary information, I type it into my talking computer and print it out so the scheduler and driver for the pickups can use the information. I am totally blind and I am a very independent person. I attended Palo Alto schools -- Juana Briones elementary, J.L.S. middle school, and Gunn high school where I graduated with a 3.72 grade point average in June 1995. Besides working at EHP Wednesdays and Fridays, I attend De Anza College two days a week where I am currently taking a speech communications course and am on my way towards earning a certificate of achievement in communication. 

Carmen (Emmett) Sinclair, Furniture Services
When I came here from Nicaragua in 1986, EHP was gracious in helping me and my six children. I went to school to receive my certification as a nursing assistant, then went on to do private duty nursing for five years, until the patient I was caring for transitioned to hospice care. I have always loved helping people. While I was not working I came to EHP to volunteer, and then I was hired as a warehouse coordinator. My main duties are the distribution of furniture and non-food donations, and keeping the warehouse organized. I also help in other areas as needed. 

Selbia Smith, Office Assistant (employed by SCSEP)
I worked at Sierra Scientific for 18 years, 10 years as a supervisor, making x-ray equipment. I started volunteering for EHP when I retired in 1995. I was employed at EHP 20 hours per week for 3 ½ years with funds from the Self-Help for the Elderly project (SCSEP) which places elderly people in jobs for training and employment. I was laid off for a while but I was eventually hired back by SCSEP and am a program assistant at EHP, responsible for contacting families on the wait list and arranging for them to receive needed furniture.

Gloria Robles Wallace, Bookkeeper
I have worked for EHP since 2002 as a contract bookkeeper (one or two days a week). I handle the financial accounts and have provided other administrative support as needed. I founded my own business, Wallace Bookkeeping, in 1990 specializing in support for small businesses because I love being immersed in the excitement and creativity that is unique to each non-profit organization and business I work with. I have a passion for EHP’s mission and am delighted to be a part of the team. I am a San Francisco native with a BS degree in accounting from San Francisco State University.