Learn more about our management team below. Interested in joining our Choice in Aging team? See our current job openings here.
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Learn more about our management team below. Interested in joining our Choice in Aging team? See our current job openings here.
Debbie fell in love with the aging population in high school while working at the Motion Picture and Television...
Lisa Hammon, Director of Special Projects, started working at Choice in Aging in September 2017, after volunteering for many...
Peggy Dillon, Marketing and Outreach Manager joined Choice in Aging in December 2012. Since coming to CiA, Peggy has...
Barbara has been in the field of ‘helping’ her entire professional life. With a Master’s and Doctorate degree in...
Michael Whalen has over 15 years’ experience directing and supervising health care and activity programs for vulnerable populations, including...
Karen has over 16 years of experience of working with adults with disabilities. She is a Certified Alcohol and...
Debbie fell in love with the aging population in high school while working at the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s independent senior housing, The Country House. Once enrolled at the University of California Irvine, she commuted back on weekends to work there, until she graduated from college and moved to Hungary for a few years. Debbie was pursuing a career in financial services, but missed her work and love for the elderly.
Debbie joined the Choice in Aging team in 2002 and worked in various positions until she was promoted in 2012 to CEO, and then elected to the Board of Directors and became President in 2017. Debbie oversees CiA’s two adult day health care programs at Mt. Diablo Center in Pleasant Hill and The Bedford Center in Antioch, as well as advocating for seniors rights at the federal, state, and local level. Under Debbie’s leadership CiA has expanded to include the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) for Contra Costa, Napa and Solano Counties, the California Community Transitions (CCT) project in Contra Costa, Solano and Sacramento Counties, and the Prevention and Early Access Program for Seniors (PEAS) in Solano. In 2017 Debbie realized her dream of adding intergenerational programming to CiA when Choice in Learning Montessori preschool was integrated into the Pleasant Hill Campus. Debbie has been honored with numerous awards for her work and advocacy, including Woman of the Year in 2015 in Susan Bonilla’s Assembly District 14. Debbie is the mother of three children, grandmother of three cats and a slave to two fishermen at home. She is a tireless advocate for seniors, persons with disabilities, and the underserved.
Lisa Hammon, Director of Special Projects, started working at Choice in Aging in September 2017, after volunteering for many years. Her career has spanned government, private industry, and academia, primarily in the area of transportation. She has led multi-million dollar transit-oriented development projects, managed the HR and Parks and Recreation departments, written successful grant applications, implemented the outreach and communications program for a large intermodal transportation project in the Los Angeles area, and collaborated with many community organizations and agencies. At Choice in Aging, Lisa oversees the Aging in Place campus – a visionary project to bring Choice in Aging’s services and low-income senior housing together in one place. In future phases, the wrap-around services may include hospice, a health clinic, and other innovative housing options. As her final career stop before retirement, Lisa is excited to be working at Choice in Aging and taking the agency into the future! In her spare time, she assists her elderly parents who live independently in the area.
Peggy Dillon, Marketing and Outreach Manager joined Choice in Aging in December 2012. Since coming to CiA, Peggy has made it her mission to increase the organization’s visibility and bring awareness to the complex issues and challenges of the clients we serve. Her teams handles fundraising, special events, volunteers, outreach and social media, and creates strategies for building relationships in the community.
Peggy ‘s interest in serving frail adults was piqued when she saw the challenges her mother faced with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, and as her father aged. Always a doer, she felt compelled to give a voice to the vulnerable. She graduated with honors from Barat College with a degree in International Relations and History, and has served on boards addressing the issues of breast cancer, education and fitness.
Barbara has been in the field of ‘helping’ her entire professional life. With a Master’s and Doctorate degree in psychology, her experience spans more than 30 years of educating and teaching children to doctoral students; providing counseling and therapy to individual adults in a private practice setting; to working with special needs individuals within the adult day health care setting. Barbara has served on health care boards and agencies as well as advocating for seniors to California’s legislators.
Since January 2014, Barbara has been a part of Choice in Aging with the position of Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) Site Director for Contra Costa County. The primary focus of this program is to foster independence and dignity of frail seniors by providing services & support. The goal is to prevent the premature placement in a skilled nursing facility. Barbara’s current passion is to support , educate and prevent burn out to family care givers. She has facilitated a number of care giver workshops and events throughout the County. She believes that there is no greater honor than caring for those who once cared for us.
Michael Whalen has over 15 years’ experience directing and supervising health care and activity programs for vulnerable populations, including children, adults, and seniors. Mr. Whalen ran two large day programs for adults with disabilities in New York City, where he was responsible for the care and services of up to 70 clients with developmental disabilities. From 2013 – 2015 Mr. Whalen was Day Services Manager for Easter Seals Bay Area, directing the daily and long term operations of a child care center with over 40 children and young adults with disabilities. Since 2015 Mr. Whalen has been the Program Director for Choice in Aging’s Mt. Diablo Center for Adult Day Health Care. In August 2018, Mr. Whalen switched roles in the organization to become the new Program Director at The Bedford Center.
Karen has over 16 years of experience of working with adults with disabilities. She is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor-Certified Addiction Specialist (CADC-CAS) and has worked as case manager with hospitals and skilled nursing facilities to assist individuals return to living independently in the community by providing wrap around services to ensure their safety, ongoing access to quality care, and community services. For the last 3 years, Karen is the California Community Transitions Program Manager for Choice in Aging.
Gina Velez has worked for Choice in Aging as Preschool Site Director since 2017. She has a B.A. and a J.D. from the University of San Francisco and USF School of Law. She earned her AMS credential from Contra Costa College and has twenty three years of classroom experience working with preschoolers. She came to us with eleven years of site director experience. Gina volunteers her time working with student athletes in CYO athletics.
Our mission is to create opportunities where people can learn, grow, and age independently with dignity and community.
Choice in Aging has several programs in the Bay Area.
We are committed to keeping up with the rapidly growing needs of the expanding population.