Advisory Council Member Biographies

This position is currently vacant.

John Gardner is the representative for the City of Camarillo.

Rebecca Morales is the representative for the City of Fillmore.

Connecting people to the services they need is Ari Larson's passion. She is currently the president of the Rotary Club of Fillmore, former president and current board member for the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley, and Soroptimist International Camino Real Region District 1 Director. She is married to Peter Larson and has two Chihuahua-mixes named Penelope and Cleo. In her spare time she enjoys reading and belongs to a few book clubs.

Sandy Fide retired from the Southern California Gas Company in November 2009, having worked various positions in her 40 years of service. For more than 14 years, she has enjoyed volunteering as an usher for the Thousand Oaks Civic Theatre. She sings with the Forever Young Singers from the Goebel Senior Center in Thousand Oaks, entertaining the elderly at many area retirement homes. Sandy enjoys seeing her three grandsons who live in Fresno.

This position is currently vacant.

Deirdre Daly is the representative for the City of Ojai.

Resident of West Ventura County since 1967, Clark Owens was an area realtor for 45 years. He serves on the Oxnard Senior Services Commission for a new senior center. As co-chair of the VC Coalition of Home Modification, he helped seniors and adults with disabilities continue to live independently. He has also held roles on the Ventura Planning Commission, was Chairman of the Ventura Chamber of Commerce, and served as President of the Ventura Board of Realtors.

Alice Frost Sweetland was born at Lying Inn Hospital in Oxnard. She has volunteered with St. John’s Hospital Auxiliary for almost 50 years, served on the Board of St. John’s Healthcare Foundation, and belonged to VC Forty Leaguers. She is chair of the Oxnard Senior Services Commission and the coordinator of a speakers’ bureau of senior citizens for the VCOE. A recent widow after 52 years of marriage, she spent most of her married life in Oxnard. Alice has 3 children and 2 grandchildren.

The City of Port Hueneme has a vacant position on the VCAAA's Advisory Council. For more information about the application process please contact Anna Hanely at ahanely@cityofporthueneme.org.

The City of Port Hueneme has a vacant position on the VCAAA's Advisory Council. For more information about the application process please contact Anna Hanely at ahanely@cityofporthueneme.org.

Martha Navarrete is the Executive Director of the Santa Clara Valley Hospice, which is a nonprofit, community volunteer organization. She holds an Master’s in Public Administration and a Bachelor's in Computer Engineering. She worked for the counties of Ventura and Los Angeles as an Analyst and Project Manager. Prior to that, she taught in several universities and colleges and worked for a coalition of 13 nonprofit agencies as their Finance Director.

Dr. Maria Munguía Wellman, LISW, LCSW has served as clinical staff at the University of New Mexico Children’s Psychiatric Center, and as Assistant Professor at New Mexico Highlands University. She taught human diversity/multicultural theory, clinical practice, and qualitative research at NMHU. She remains committed to the ongoing interdisciplinary study, practice, and teaching of identity, community, and culture.

Antoinette “Toni” Olson spent her career in nursing and healthcare, retiring from Los Robles Medical Center as Director of Acute Rehabilitation. Toni became a volunteer with the Simi Valley Police Department in 1999 and was Volunteer of the Year in 2011. She’s a member of the SV Council on Aging, FBI Infragard information sharing team, Simi Valley Unified School District Independent Oversight Committee, and is an Amber Alert volunteer.

This position is currently vacant.

Loretta Allen is the representative for the City of Thousand Oaks.

John Posta graduated from George Washington University with degrees in engineering and law. He served as US Patent Office Examiner and owned a private practice specializing in patents and trademarks for 40 years. After retiring, Posta moved to Thousand Oaks in 1993. He currently serves as a Commissioner on the Goebel Senior Center Commission, a Commissioner on the Thousand Oaks Council on Aging, and is active in the Conejo Senior Volunteer Program.

Lori is a longtime advocate for seniors, providing support through teaching, residential placement, and implementing educational events. Besides serving on the Advisory Council, Lori is secretary for the Ventura Council for Seniors, current Co-Chair and immediate past Chair of the Elderly Fall Prevention Coalition of Ventura County, past Chair of the Healthy Living for Individuals 55+ Committee, and member of the Ventura County Evidence-Based Health Promotion Coalition.

Suz Montgomery is a passionate advocate for seniors to stay engaged in living. She is on State Senator Hannah Beth Jackson’s select committee on Aging, was appointed as a lobbyist of the VC AARP, and established the nonprofit Extended Learning Academy. As an older adult educator, she created ENCORE, a free senior computer training program that gives seniors skills for employment. She makes visits to care homes and hospitals, runs errands for those in need, and so much more.

Smita Dandekar enjoys teaching ``Yoga for Wellness`` classes in the Simi Valley Senior Center. As a retired person, she works with the members of the VCAAA Advisory Council and volunteers to help seniors in any way she can.

Joyce Pinkard is appointed by the Board of Supervisors as a senior representative.

Martha Shapiro, LCSW, is director of programs for Senior Concerns, overseeing the Adult Day Program and the Caregiver Support Center, ensuring participants are treated with dignity and respect to maximize quality of life. She earned a Master’s in Social Welfare from UCLA and holds a License in Clinical Social Work. Martha serves on the LGBT Aging Coalition of Ventura County, Ventura County Compassionate Care Coalition, and Dementia Friendly Ventura County.

Mike Williams is president of Grey Law of Ventura County Inc. He is a graduate of Alan Hancock College and CSU Fresno. He served in the Coast Guard from 1970 to 1973, and joined Grey Law in 1979 before becoming president and director in 1981. Mike has served as a commissioner for the Ventura County Housing Commission and has held a regular role as an instructor at the Ventura College of Law, He maintains a private law practice that is limited to Estate Planning and Probate.