John A. Calderone, Ph.D. had been the Chief Executive Officer of Olympia Medical Center from 2006 until his retirement in 2016.

Dr. Calderone has over 40 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. Before assuming his last position, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Corona Regional Medical Center in Corona, California for ten years. He also served as Chief Executive Officer for several hospitals in Orange County.  Previously, Dr. Calderone held positions at a corporate level for over ten years with three different healthcare systems, where he directed the marketing, planning and business development functions.

Prior to entering the healthcare field, Dr. Calderone was employed at the General Electric Company for over four years in the Transportation Systems Business Operations Division as manager of employee programs.  He also was the Chief Executive Officer of Serenity Hall Incorporated a not-for-profit chemical dependency psychiatric network of inpatient and outpatient facilities in Pennsylvania.  Throughout his career, he has been an adjunct professor teaching at several different universities. He served on the Board of Directors of multiple community organizations.

Dr. Calderone was named the 2013 recipient of the 4^th Annual Healthcare Administrator Award, presented by the national Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).  He served on the Board of Directors for the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) for over fifteen years, its Executive Committee for seven years.  He was the 2014 Chairman of the Hospital Association of Southern California.  Additionally, he served on the Board of Trustees and its Executive Committee for the California Hospital Association (CHA).  He also was appointed and served on the Board of Directors for the California Hospital Quality Institute.  Dr. Calderone holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, and a post-doctoral degree in Psychology from Edinboro University.

Currently, he is serving on the Board of Directors of the National Health Foundation, Los Angeles, the Convalescent Aid Society, Pasadena, Communities Lifting Communities, LLC, Los Angeles, Gateways Hospital and Mental Health Centers, Los Angeles and the Board of Visitors, University of Pittsburgh.

George W. Greene joined the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) as President/CEO in 2017. Since then, the association has added community outreach initiatives and led critical health care coordination across the region. In addition to leading local advocacy efforts for over 180 Southern California hospitals, Greene has guided new HASC initiatives including Communities Lifting Communities (CLC), a nonprofit charitable affiliate focused on advancing significant systems change through a collective impact model involving hospitals, health systems and local health care stakeholders. CLC’s Cherished Futures for Black Moms and Babies carries CLC’s work into underserved Los Angeles County communities with a focus on birthing health. Under Greene’s leadership, existing HASC affiliates and initiatives like the association’s ReddiNet® emergency communications system, National Health Foundation and Endorsed Business Partner program have expanded and prospered.

Since the outset of the pandemic, Greene has mobilized HASC to lead a coordinated response for the region as multiple hospitals and organizations continue to act together in response to COVID-19.

Prior to taking HASC’s reins, Greene led the Healthcare Association of Hawaii – a role he held since 2009. He previously worked for the American Hospital Association as Regional Executive for California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska and Hawaii. Before this assignment, he worked with Sharp HealthCare of San Diego as Director of Advocacy, Community and Multicultural Affairs.

Greene launched his professional career in Washington, D.C., where he was Counsel to South Carolina Rep. Bob Inglis his hometown‘s congressional representative. He subsequently worked for the National Association of Homebuilders and San Diego Mayor Susan Golden.

Greene earned a JD degree from the University of Tennessee and a BA from Clemson University in South Carolina. He resides in South Pasadena with wife Stacie and children Gabriella, Kili, Pono – and the newest addition – Greyson Myles

Paul Young is the Senior Vice President of Reimbursement and Public Policy at the Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC), a regional trade association dedicated to effectively advancing the interests of 184 member hospitals and 40 health systems operating in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

Paul was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, graduating from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a Bachelor’s of Health Education and a Master’s of Business Administration.

While pursuing his MBA, Paul began his career in the healthcare industry with a data analyst position at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Hawaii.  Paul spent twelve years at BCBS, working on projects including inpatient hospital DRG relative weight setting, group underwriting and renewals, healthcare policy and government programs.

In November 2010, he accepted a position with the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) as the Director of Reimbursement Policy.  Unlike most state hospital associations, Hawaii’s includes the post-acute care continuum from skilled nursing facilities (SNF) to hospice agencies.  During his tenure there, HAH passed their version of the Hospital and SNF Quality Assurance Fees, conducted the initial statewide Community Health Needs Assessment and implemented a new statewide hospital claims repository.

Paul has been in his current position with HASC since April 2018, working collaboratively with HASC’s four regional vice presidents on their respective issues with the local Medicaid managed care plans and supporting RVP initiatives on county-related funding and healthcare policy.

Mara Bryant, Operations Executive

As Operations Executive, Mara Bryant leads key initiatives integration of the Malcolm Baldrige business framework, strategic planning, and organizational performance.  In 1999, she became Adventist Health’s first national Malcolm Baldrige examiner in the healthcare category, which has helped White Memorial better understand and implement the Malcolm Baldrige criteria.

Bryant has also set up an effective productivity standard to monitor staffing and help ensure correct nursing ratios. She also established the decision support function to provide comparative data, which is vital to strategic and operational planning.

She is actively pursuing research in racially ambiguous babies, its implications in healthcare and social determinants of health. Bryant has 2 publications on this topic and participated on an NIH conference to begin looking at alternative models.

Bryant first worked at White Memorial as a volunteer, at 14 years of age. In 1984, she was hired as a part-time secretary while completing her bachelor’s degree. In the 1990s, she held positions as Joint Commission Project Manager and Director of Quality and Resource Management.

Mara holds a Master of Business Administration degree from La Sierra University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from California State University at Los Angeles.

Alison Birnie holds a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree in Executive Leadership from the University of San Diego, which they obtained between 2022 and 2024. Alison also holds an Associate of Science (AS) degree in Nursing Education from Boise State University, earned between 1983 and 1987. Additionally, Alison has a Master’s degree in Health/Health Care Administration/Management from California State University, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing Education from the same institution. Alison also has certifications from the California Board Of Registered Nursing, but the specific details are not provided.

Yan Searcy comes to CSUN having served as the Associate Dean in the School of Health and Human Services at Southern Connecticut State University for four years. He also served as the Interim Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Chicago State University where he was a faculty member for 20 years in the Departments of Social Work and Sociology and was president of the faculty senate for seven.

Searcy earned his B.S. degree in both Psychology and American Studies from the University of Notre Dame; his Master of Science in Social Work (MSSW) degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s School of Social Service Administration.  Searcy’s areas of research publication and scholarly interest include social work with adolescents, youth mentoring and student success, factors influencing exercise, race, social policy aimed at eliminating racial disparities, urban poverty, and urban economic development.

Dr. Felita Jones is President and Chief Executive officer of the National Health Foundation (NHF), a leading nonprofit in Southern California providing recuperative care to individuals experiencing homelessness. She holds a doctorate degree in education with a specialization in organizational leadership, a master’s degree in public administration, a bachelor’s degree in health care administration, and has over fifteen years of experience overseeing nonprofits and community-based programs serving marginalized and underserved communities. Her lifelong commitment has been to engage communities to be in the driver’s seat of their own health care by effectively shifting them from episodic care to preventative care.  She is an award winner for her work with the LAC+USC Medical Center Breathmobile Program and has been published in a variety of medical journals on the issues of health disparities, asthma management and community-based healthcare models for under-resourced populations. She currently resides in Southern California with her French Bulldog, Bobby Jones.

Isabel Garcia, holds a master’s degree in business management, a bachelor’s degree in administration from the University of Redlands, and a Human Resources Certificate from Claremont College of Business. Her HR experience spans over 20 years in the private sector and covers several groups: retail, manufacturing, hospitality, and private consulting with groups of upwards of 7500 members. The calling to do more for our community led her to partner with NHF. Isabel calls this an opportunity, a privilege, and honor to support such a needed organization for our communities. Isabel lives in Southern California with her daughter Zoe and lovable pets Lola and Chata (a new addition to the family).

Chad Monk is the Senior Vice President of Programs and Public Policy at National Health Foundation where he works to address health disparities through community-based participatory research, community organizing, and direct services.

Prior to NHF, Chad coordinated the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles’ Diabetes Prevention Program across five YMCA branches. During his time there, he worked with LA County Department of Health Services to enroll low-income Angelenos into the CDC recognized program. Chad was also a Health Educator for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Healthy Habits program, where he worked with schools in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles to teach nutrition classes, provide professional development and resources for teachers and staff, and enhance school wellness policies.

Chad received a Master of Public Health with a focus in Community Health from California State University, Long Beach and has his bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Health from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California.

Chad is a proud Southern Californian with roots in the South Bay area of Los Angeles and Riverside County. He is an appointed member to Los Angeles County’s Community Prevention and Population Health Task Force and serves as the Zone 7 Representative for South Robertson Neighborhood Council.

Christian Ocampo serves as the Director of Information Technology for National Health Foundation. He provides strategic oversight of IT initiatives that align with National Health Foundation’s culture and long-term goals.

Christian works across traditional boundaries in Information Technology, drawing from his passion for listening and teaching, with a focus on helping those who use technology work more productively and efficiently. His experience spans over 15 years in all facets of Information Technology, including healthcare and commercial sectors. He is a technical manager, with hands-on expertise in infrastructure: servers, cloud vm’s, network technologies, data management, and the disciplines of creating facilities that power reliable and scalable applications.

Christian engineered several important changes to IT at National Health Foundation. Among these were substantial upgrades to the NHF’s IT infrastructure, marked improvements in the approach to cybersecurity, advances in the utilization of collaborative tools and critical innovations in the use of technology for NHF’s recuperative care program.

Contact Information:

mdavis@nhfca.org
(231)538-0983