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Leadership
2010 Board of Directors
Alene Frankel, President
Alene is Of Counsel to The Law Offices of Darcey L. Wong practices in the area of estate planning, trust administration, probate, conservatorships, and special needs trusts. She has over 14 years of experience in the legal profession. Alene received her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. She began her legal career working for the influential Los Angeles personal injury law firm of Girardi & Keese. Subsequently, she joined Northern Trust Company in Chicago, Illinois and acted as Conservator to large estates that served families with disabled persons. Alene is a licensed attorney in Illinois and California. Alene was introduced to The Arc as a tenant in the building at 1500 Howard. She was impressed by the clients and staff at The Arc. She saw first hand the freedom and joy clients received when spending their time at The Arc.
Cary Fulbright, Director
Cary earned a BS in International Politics and a JD from Georgetown University, and an MBA from the University of California. He has served as a member of the board of directors and executive committee of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the Bay School of San Francisco. His previous positions include President of Saaspoint, Inc., a professional services and consulting company, and Senior Vice President of marketing at salesforce.com, where Cary became familiar with clients of The Arc of San Francisco who are employed there in a variety of capacities. Through this connection he realized the important role The Arc serves in the community and joined our Board in 2005. He is currently a marketing consultant.
Christine Ouano, Secretary
Christine became a member of the Board of Directors in August 2007. A San Francisco native, she joins her family in giving continuous support to The Arc of San Francisco. Her older brother is an individual with autism and has been an Arc client since 1994. She hopes to help promote awareness for The Arc and further encourage education and opportunities for The Arc client community. Christine holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Davis and received an M.S. in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven. She has recently held human resources and recruitment strategy positions at Google Inc., Amgen Inc., the Bernard Hodes Group, and Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH).
Spencer De Bella, Director
Long-time advocate Spencer De Bella divides his time between his job at The Conservatory of Flowers and taking his message to Capitol Hill. Spencer takes every opportunity to speak out about the importance of supporting the programs and services that enable people with developmental disabilities to live independently in the community.
Elizabeth Elmore, Director
Liz Elmore is a representative of the clients on The Arc’s Board of Directors. Liz has advocated in Washington D.C. for more jobs and housing for people with disabilities. Liz makes it a priority to attend workshops and trainings to learn new ways to speak out for people with developmental disabilities.
Liz believes in people standing up for themselves and also to ask for help when they need it.Liz currently works for Trader Joe’s in San Francisco through The Arc’s client employment program.
Jim Emerich, Treasurer
Jim Emerich brings his 16 years of finance and accounting experience to The Arc of San Francisco’s Board of Directors. Jim is currently the Chief Financial Officer at Appirio,Inc. Prior to joining the Appirio team, Jim spent two years as CFO for MuleSource,Inc., and six years at Salesforce.com, where he served as senior vice president of Internal Audit. During his tenure at Salesforce, Mr. Emerich also held the positions of chief accounting officer, interim CFO, and head of the Tax and Treasury departments. Jim has held leadership roles in finance and accounting for various high tech and manufacturing companies. He is a graduate of Principia College where he earned a B.A. degree in Business Administration, Chemistry, and Economics. He is also a graduate of the General Electric Financial Management Program. Jim became familiar with The Arc through his interactions with clients at Salesforce.com and realized what a critical role The Arc plays in their lives.
Ellen Hanscom, Director
Ellen is currently the Area Operations Manager for Deloitte Services LLP. Prior to Deloitte Ellen was the Office Manager of the Western Region for A.T. Kearney, Inc. Ellen relocated to San Francisco in 1999 from Bend, Oregon, where she was very active in community efforts.
During her 12 years in Bend, Ellen served on the boards of Deschutes United Way, Central Oregon Boys and Girls Club, the St Charles Medical Center Foundation, Mt Bachelor Rotary Club, and at the state level on the Jobs Plus and Lighted Schools Councils. Ellen became involved with The Arc of San Francisco as a member, then Chair of the Business Advisory Council. She served on the board in 2004-05, and after a two year absence, she returned to the board. Ellen is a member of The Arc Angel Society, and is thrilled to be an active supporter of The Arc of San Francisco and its efforts to aid the developmentally disabled community.
Larry Melillo, Vice President
Larry Melillo brings his 15 years of finance, business development and technology experience to The Arc of San Francisco’s Board of Directors. Larry is currently a Director at KPMG, where he serves as a Director within the Performance & Technology consulting practice. Larry consults with multiple global clients in regards to improving their Finance Operations, with an emphasis on planning, budgeting and forecasting. Prior to this consultative role, Larry worked in various finance and client management capacities for several other technology companies. Larry is a graduate of Arizona State University where he earned an M.B.A in Business Administration, along with a M.S. in Information Management. Larry became familiar with The Arc through his volunteer work with the organization while at KPMG where he had the opportunity to work with the organization’s leadership, management and clients to develop the current 5 Year Strategic Plan.
Kirsten Mellor, Director
Kirsten is Vice President and Division General Counsel at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. A native New Yorker, she earned her BA in Political Science from Columbia University and her JD from Villanova University School of Law. Kirsten has been volunteering on the Board of Directors of The Arc for several years on various special projects requiring legal assistance and has been a member of the Arc Angel Society since 2006. Her sister-in-law is an individual with development disabilities and Kirsten knows firsthand the joys and challenges of helping families provide their children with a meaningful and productive place in the community.
Stacy Proctor, Director
Stacy has worked in the Human Resources profession for over 14 years. She began her relationship with The Arc of San Francisco employing clients in the hotel industry. She found it such an awarding experience she joined The Arc’s Business Advisory Council and later became the council’s chairperson. Upon joining the Board of Directors in 2006, Stacy began serving as the chairperson for the Human Resources Committee. As a volunteer Stacy also serves the community and non-profit organizations including: The American Cancer Society and Aids Walk San Francisco. Stacy is a graduate of the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix, and a Professional Human Resources certification from the Society of Human Resources Management. Stacy and her husband, John, welcomed a wonderful surprise in September 2008; the birth of their son. They spend any extra time remodeling their home, which was built in 1906.
Meg Rosegay, Director
Meg Rosegay is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley (1972) and the University of Colorado School of Law (1980). Following a judicial clerkship with the Colorado Court of Appeals, she joined the San Francisco law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman in 1981 where she practices environmental law, focusing on the regulation of solid and hazardous waste and water quality matters. Her practice involves all aspects of compliance counseling, project planning and permitting, defense/settlement of administrative and judicial enforcement actions, and environmental aspects of commercial transactions. She is also a registered lobbyist in the State of California. Meg grew up with a brother with Downs syndrome who was fortunate to have the love and support of family members throughout his life. Her involvement with The Arc grew out of her understanding of the importance of providing services and opportunity to people with disabilities to help them live up to their full potential. Meg joined the Board of Directors in November 2009.
Karen Schneider, Director
Karen is originally from New Orleans, LA and attended college at Louisiana State University where she earned her B.S. in Journalism. Her career path turned to Finance for the subsequent 20+ years and she is currently taking time off to stay home with her two young sons. Her last role in the work force was as Senior Vice President of Finance at Porter Novelli, Inc., an international marketing company where she served for ten years. Preceding Porter Novelli, she served in various finance leadership roles in small to mid-size companies.
Her nephew, Ben, is a person with autism, and Karen is passionate about making a difference for people with developmental disabilities. Her involvement with The Arc began in 2005 when she and her son volunteered with the Skills Training & Education Group. From there she became a member of The Arc Angel Society, a Table Captain for the annual Arc Angel Breakfast, a member of our Board’s Resource Development Committee, and joined the Board in 2009.
Jonathan B. Strober, M.D., Director
Dr. Jonathan Strober recently joined the Board of Directors in 2009, contributing his years of knowledge and advocacy in the Health System. He is the Director of clinical services for Child Neurology and Director of the Muscular Dystrophy Clinic at UCSF Children’s Hospital. Dr. Strober is board certified in pediatrics, neurology and psychiatry and has special certification in child neurology. He earned a medical degree at Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia and completed a residency at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in pediatrics. He completed fellowships in child neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia and in neuromuscular disorders at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Ga.
Juliana Terheyden, Director
Juliana is a native San Franciscan who began volunteering with The Arc at the monthly “We Gotta Dance” events. She currently leads our Young Professionals group, which organizes volunteer, fundraising and social events to raise awareness about The Arc. By day, Juliana is a consultant at Cambridge Associates, where she specializes in providing investment advice to nonprofit institutions. She previously worked as a program manager at Rotaplast International, a nonprofit which provides free reconstructive surgery to those with cleft palate and related anomalies in developing countries, and in equity research at Thomas Weisel Partners. She is a graduate of Stanford University and received her MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Key Staff
Timothy P. Hornbecker, Chief Executive Officer
Tim views his main two objectives to remove obstacles for people with developmental disabilities being part of their community, and advocating for the rights of people with disabilities and the direct care staff who support them. Before joining The Arc of San Francisco in 2006, Tim was Executive Director of Sherwood Community Services, an agency serving 620 children and adults with developmental disabilities in the State of Washington. Tim was also an Executive Director for The Arc in Seattle and The Arc in Palm Springs. For 16 years, Tim was the Executive Director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Portland, Oregon providing social services and employment training to low-income individuals and persons with disabilities. He has been on the Board of Directors for The Arc of the United States, The ArcLink Board of Directors, and President for The Arc of Washington State. Tim received an M.A. degree in Public Administration from Gonzaga University, and a B.A degree in Liberal Arts from St. Paul’s College.
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Alan S. Fox, Chief Operating Officer
Alan holds a Master’s of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, a Bachelor’s degree in Management from the Wharton School, and a Bachelor’s in International Relations from the University of Pennsylvania. Alan is the parent of a young son with autism. He has a unique perspective on the state of services for people with autism, both as a leader in an organization that provides services, and as someone who must find them for his son. Alan oversees a number of programs at The Arc, including independent living support services, employment placement, and ArtRearch, an innovative program that teaches adults with developmental disabilities to be professional artists. He also oversees support and outreach activities to families of a loved one with developmental disabilities, and is a valuable information resource for the Media.
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Laura Repke, Director of Development & Community Relations
Laura is a parent of one of The Arc’s clients. She began volunteering at The Arc in 1995 and worked as Chair of the successful Capital Campaign to build affordable housing and a senior center for clients at 416 Bay Street, and to purchase our office building at 1500 Howard Street. Laura is an active advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities. She is a past President of the Association of Regional Center Agencies and of Golden Gate Regional Center. She was recognized in 2004 for her community efforts by Area Board V and was the 2001 Arc California Volunteer of the Year.
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Jim Bettencourt, Director of Human Resources
Jim is responsible for providing all aspects of HR support to over 200 employees at our San Francisco and San Mateo County offices.
Prior to joining the Arc, Jim obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in the field from the State University of New York and has worked in Human Resources for companies involved in the healthcare, manufacturing, semiconductor, internet social media and start-up industries.
Jim is proud to be an employee of The Arc and remains passionate about the mission of the organization and the services that The Arc provides to such a dynamic clientele. Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Brian Wiegman, Director of Accounting
Brian came to The Arc of San Francisco with a broad range of experience in the field of accounting, finance and administration. He studied at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay where he earned a B.S. in Accounting. Brian has held upper management positions in various industries and has in-depth international experience including more than five years in Asia as an independent business and cultural consultant. Prior positions held by Brian include Esperanza Community Services, an agency in Chicago dedicated to people with developmental disabilities, where he served as the agency’s administrator.
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Joanne Rolle, Director of Developmental Services
Joanne joined The Arc in 1996 and has over 15 years experience in providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities. She is a former special education teacher and holds a Masters in Nonprofit Management. Joanne has a depth of knowledge in service provision and supervises The Arc’s vocational, residential, integrated community-based services and individualized services. She also oversees several of our employer contracts. She is a member of The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the Business Network International group. Joanne believes in providing purposeful and meaningful activities and work for people with disabilities, and the services she supervises are a progressive and unique approach to that goal.
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Jacy Cohen, Director of Advocacy & Intake Services
Jacy has worked at The Arc for 25 years and is responsible for almost all of the activities and steps needed for a successful transition to The Arc of San Francisco, connecting clients, caregivers and families to the right services and supports as well offering information and referrals. She has a degree in Special Education and came to The Arc with eight years of teaching and program administration experience. She still feels compelled by the mission of The Arc and believes the work we do makes a difference. Email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Joe Femino, Director of Community Training Services
Joe has been with The Arc for 17 years. He started in 1989 as an Instructor in The Arc’s Group Employment Services, later working in the organization’s Job Placement, Integrated Work Services and as an Agency Floater or substitute Instructor. Since then, Joe has worked as a Manager in various departments; in 2008 he became a Director for Community Training Services. Prior to The Arc, Joe gained experience in the field working with Seacorp Inc. group homes, Project Opportunity and WorkLink. About his past and current experience, Joe says, “My goal is to assist in any way possible with helping persons with developmental disabilities lead full, rich and productive lives.”
Noriko Bazeley, Comptroller
Prior to The Arc, Noriko served 8 years as a Controller/Assistant General Manager for Restaurant Associates at the San Francisco War Memorial Arts Center and Copia in Napa. She has also served as Manager of Finance and Human Resources for Prestige International, a global financial assistance call center. Her extensive travel and hospitality operations experience includes over 15 years as a Senior Sales Manager and in Conference Management for Sheraton Hotels in New York and San Francisco.
A runner and community and arts volunteer, Noriko has run the Boston Marathon and dedicated her time and talents to the Special Olympics, the SF Opera, Ballet and Symphony and Grace Cathedral.
She has a degree from Tokyo Kogakuin College of Aviation, Keio University, plus Hotel and Hospitality Management from NYU.
Noriko believes servcie on behalf of others is not only a mandate but a gift, and she is honored to participate in The Arc of San Francisco’s mission.
Wendy Ginther, Director of Senior Services
Wendy began working at The Arc in 1996 and currently oversees Senior Services, a day program that focuses on keeping seniors with disabilities active and engaged in the community through social opportunities, classes, outings and volunteering. Her interest in working with persons with developmental disabilities began at a very young age while volunteering in her mother’s Special Education classrooms during summer school. Wendy is currently working toward her Master’s in Gerontology.
Terry Goodwin, Director of Job Placement Services
Terry has been a manager with The Arc for over 25 years. She obtained her Elementary and Special Education teaching credentials from San Francisco State University. She spearheaded one of the state’s first supported employment programs at The Arc in the early 1980s, and is an active member of San Francisco’s Jobs Group, the Bay Area Caucus and the Department of Rehabilitation Job Developers Group. Terry started The Arc’s Business Advisory Council (BAC), a group of community business partners who work to provide more job opportunities for people with disabilities. In conjunction with the BAC, Terry oversees The Arc’s annual WorkLife Awards honoring exemplary clients in the workforce and their employers. In commenting about her work, Terry says, “It is truly moving to see how a job can change an individual’s life. Our clients acquire such self-confidence from gainful employment—I think that is why I’ve been with The Arc so long.”
Sandra Grijalva, Director of Aging & Wellness Services
Sandra supervises the team providing health and wellness services to clients who need advocacy and support to stay as healthy as possible. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Sandra obtained her M.A. in Gerontology from San Francisco State University in order to better serve aging persons with developmental disabilities.
While directing services for older clients at The Arc’s senior center, Sandra recognized the special challenges that stand in the way of optimal health care for this population. In response, The Arc’s Optimal Wellness pilot program began offering adults over 45 years of age better health screening, individualized medical case management, plus fitness and nutrition education. Now a service available to all adults with developmental disabilities but particularly those with chronic conditions, Sandra directs our Aging and Wellness Services which currently serves over 60 clients.
Mark Kirk, Director of Operations & Household Goods Recycling Services
Mark came to The Arc in the early 1990’s after a career in show business and as an entrepreneur. Mark has always seen the star potential in all of our clients, and for many years produced and directed “Take a Second Look,” a show with performers with disabilities. “This is the greatest gratification on earth,” says Mark about working with clients of The Arc. Most recently moving from the Development Department, he now oversees operations for our three facilities: two in San Francisco and one in Daly City, while also supervising our reusable household goods donation services team.
Shelley McHugh, Director of Skills Services
Shelley has been with The Arc of San Francisco for 29 years. Currently she is responsible for our Skills Services annual budget and long-range strategic planning. Shelley also supervises our agency-wide ‘floater’ substitute staff and an Integrated Work Services team. With oversight duties of the Resource Developer and the Client Advisory Committee, Shelley monitors clients’ ongoing self-advocacy activities and encourages increased community inclusion. Shelley has a Masters in Special Education from San Francisco State University. She is on the Board of the Bay Area Community Land Trust. Says Shelley about The Arc: “We are truly fortunate to have an atmosphere with supportive, friendly colleagues, reasonable work expectations and an environment that encourages our clients to expand their horizons with positive results.”
Susan Suomi, Director of Residential Services
Susan has over 30 years of experience providing services for persons with developmental disabilities. Her inspiration for helping others to live independently comes from two areas; parents who tirelessly advocate for the rights of individuals with developmental disabilities and from her sister, Molly, who has Down syndrome, and currently lives in her own apartment, living and working independently. Susan oversees our Independent Living Services and Housing Advocacy departments.