Bette is a Principal Investigator for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at California State University East Bay's Concord campus, which provides lifelong learning to adults over 50. She taught nursing and health science and was previously the Dean at the Concord campus. Her scholarship focused on health care workforce preparation. She is also the vineyard manager at Sky Terrace Vineyards.

Rhonda Rochon-Smith is a seasoned professional with over three decades of experience in management and advocacy. Throughout her career, she has excelled at building strategic partnerships and driving change through consensus-building. As the Volunteer Program Coordinator for CCHS for the past twelve and a half years, Rhonda has successfully managed a countywide volunteer program for CCRMC and nine health clinics, engaging over 300 dedicated volunteers.

Rhonda also served as the Administrative Manager for the Art of Health and Healing Program. Most recently, she was appointed Assistant to the Health Services Director in May 2024, focusing on community and government relations.

Rhonda's extensive experience spans multiple sectors, including non-profit, government, and education. She has held various positions on staff and boards, and has actively volunteered and advocated for numerous organizations. As a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Jack and Jill of America, Inc., and a 2023 Woman of the Year awardee by Congressman John Garamendi, Rhonda embodies leadership, dedication, and a commitment to making a positive impact in her community.
 

Ben's information is coming soon...

Graduate of both Duke University and Duke Medical School and is a board-certified family physician and HIV specialist. He completed his family medicine residency at Merrithew Memorial Hospital (now Contra Costa Regional Medical Center) in 1994 and has been on the medical staff of Contra Costa Health Services ever since. His career has included extensive experience in hospital care, obstetrics, emergency medicine and outpatient care. In 1997 he helped start and staff the first HIV medicine clinic at the Pittsburg Health Center, now known as the Positive Health Clinic. He has held several leadership roles with Contra Costa Health Services, including Assistant Residency Program Director, Family Medicine Department Chair, Ambulatory Care Medical Director, and Director of Process Redesign and System Integration. Dr. Farnitano has trained in LEAN techniques and has led redesign efforts to embed LEAN principles into daily operations for better access, quality and reliability of care. Since 2018 Dr. Farnitano has served as the County Health Officer for Contra Costa County while maintaining a family medicine and HIV medicine practice at the Pittsburg and Brentwood Health Centers.

George is a registered Mechanical Engineer with a Masters Degree in Business Administration with over 40 years career in domestic and international operations. He has held various management positions at Asian Appraisal Group, MEJA Management Group, World Color Press, and JP Morgan Chase among others. He has owned and operated Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly and an Adult Residential Facility for persons with developmental disabilites prior to his retirement. He is a licensed financial professional and a notary public. He currently volunteers at various institutions.​

Dr. Q., Napoleon Dargan, is a dynamic blend of book smarts and real-world wisdom. With a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology, an M.S. in Clinical Psychology, a B.S. in Psychology, and an A.A. in Business Administration, he possesses a strong academic foundation. However, his knowledge goes far beyond textbooks. For over a decade, Dr. Q has served as the Director of his groundbreaking program, "Quality Over Quantity," he's a visionary leader in promoting integrated, culturally competent healthcare through the arts. His journey started with his dissertation, which laid the foundation for securing initial funding from the Regional Health Foundation. Today, he proudly serves as the newest board member.

Dr. Q's rich career background includes time spent working behind prison walls, advocating for the well-being of our youth. He's been a guiding light for children entangled in the complexities of the court system and a caring presence for the elderly. He's worked with diverse populations, including those affected by HIV/AIDS and hypertension, developing a catalog of evidence-based, culturally competent approaches that harness the power of the arts to identify and overcome common behavioral health concerns.

Rooted in his upbringing in Pittsburg's El Pueblo housing projects, Dr. Q intimately understands the challenges faced by underserved communities, particularly the issues of cultural mistrust. He's committed to closing the disparities gap, whether in healthcare, education, or society at large. Dr. Q is a transformative force, driven by his belief in the power of the arts , health, education, community, and art to shape a brighter, more equitable future.

Susun Kim, Executive Director of the Contra Costa Family Justice Center since March of 2014, is a family law attorney with extensive litigation experience in domestic violence matters. Previously, she was the Managing Attorney of Bay Area Legal Aid’s Contra Costa/Marin/Napa Regional Office for 10 years. Susun is a 1991 graduate of New York University School of Law.   

Susun enjoys creating new projects and participating in collaborative initiatives. She is the current co-chair of the steering committee for the Contra Costa Alliance to End Abuse. She helped develop a countywide violence prevention strategic plan and is working to implement it. She initiated and brought resources for public-private partnerships to address elder abuse, created a pilot Restorative Justice Project, started the domestic violence and human trafficking Multidisciplinary Teams, and developed a Housing First model for domestic violence survivors.  She is also the creator of the Family Justice Institute, which provides free community training on topics related to interpersonal violence throughout the year. 

Susun has extensive training and facilitation experience and previously served as faculty for national training institutes hosted by the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence. She is the 2020 Assembly District 14 Woman of the Year and 2021 Senate District 7 Woman of the Year. 

William B. Walker, M.D., is the Director of Legislative and Governmental Relations for Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS), a comprehensive public health system in the San Francisco Bay Area with a 166-bed hospital (Contra Costa Regional Medical Center), 11 community health centers, 4,200 employees and a $1.6 billion annual budget. He has served with CCHS for 40 years, beginning as a staff physician in 1974, as the local Health Officer from 1983-2018, and as the Director of the Department from 1995-2018. Under Dr. Walker's leadership, CCHS has been widely recognized for developing an integrated health system that is at the forefront of implementing health reform. The system includes the divisions of Hospital and Health Centers, Contra Costa Health Plan, Behavioral Health, Public Health, Environmental Health, Hazardous Materials and Emergency Medical Services. Dr. Walker has also nurtured the Family Medicine Residency Program at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center to make it one of the most popular and well-regarded programs in the nation. Dr. Walker is passionate about addressing disparities in health and health care and has championed many community efforts to address these issues. He received his medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1971, is board-certified in Family Medicine, and maintained a family medical practice even as CCHS Director. Dr. Walker also is the past chair of the Association of Bay Area Health Officials, is a member and former chair of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, past chair of the California Healthcare Safety Net Institute, and past chair of the board of directors of America's Essential Hospitals (formerly the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems).

David brings more than 30 years of public hospital administration experience to Contra Costa Health, having served as chief executive at San Joaquin General Hospital, Kern Medical Center and several other California health systems. He also spent time with The Camden Group, one of the nation’s leading healthcare business advisory firms. 

For much of his career, David has been at the forefront of growing and improving public healthcare systems. His experience includes expanding access and improving quality through Medi-Cal’s Public Hospital Redesign and Incentives in Medi-Cal (PRIME) program, Quality Incentive Program, and Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program, and working closely and collaboratively with Medi-Cal managed care plans. 

A longtime member of the California Association of Public Hospitals (CAPH), David chaired CAPH’s executive committee in 2021. He has a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Drew University in New Jersey. David’s extensive knowledge of public healthcare systems, both financial and operational, make him an excellent appointment to lead CCRMC into the future and we are excited to have him serving as an Ex Officio member of our board.

Sarah grew up on the east coast, but came to Contra Costa Regional Medical Center (CCRMC) for her Family Medicine residency, because the training program is known to be one of the best in the country. She was fortunate to be offered a job at CCRMC following her residency in July of 2012, and has worked as faculty for over a decade.

In July of 2023, Sarah was named the President of the CCRMC Medical Staff, and she is honored to serve in this role and on the CCRHF Board.

Anna Roth has spent her entire career working to ensure vulnerable populations have access to critical resources like healthcare, food and housing. As the Director of Contra Costa County Health Services (CCHS), she leads efforts that care for the health of all of Contra Costa County's nearly one million residents with special attention to those that are most vulnerable.CCHS is the largest department of county government in Contra Costa, with more than 4,400 employees and an annual budget of $1.8 billion. CCHS includes primary, specialty and inpatient medical care, mental health services, substance abuse treatment, public health programs, environmental health protection, hazardous materials response and inspection and emergency medical services, as well as a county operated health maintenance organization, the Contra Costa Health Plan.Prior to the role of Director, Roth served as Chief Executive Officer of Contra Costa Regional Medical Center and Health Centers for nine years and holds a master's degree from the University of California, San Francisco, and a Master in Public Health from Harvard University. She is a registered nurse with more than 30 years of healthcare experience and is an Institute for Healthcare Improvement Quality Improvement Fellow.Roth is a renowned leader in system redesign and innovation and a strong advocate for the inclusion of patients, families and the community as full partners in the delivery of health services.