Board of Directors & Staff

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Elaine Wong Eakin
Executive Director

5380 Elvas Avenue, Suite 214
Sacramento, CA 95819
Phone and Fax: 510-885-1995
E-mail:

Elaine Wong Eakin came on staff with CHA in December 2007 as our Project Manager and is currently our Executive Director. In addition to her new leadership responsibilities, Elaine trains on various topics in Medicare and related health care insurance and develops and revises our educational materials. She serves as a liaison to various agencies, including the California Department of Aging, which oversees the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP); and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administers Medicare. She also provides technical assistance to organizations that serve Medicare beneficiaries, and coordinates the California Medicare Coalition.

Elaine draws from her experiences as the former Program Manager, Medicare Outreach Specialist, and HICAP Counselor in the San Francisco HICAP office. She graduated from Cornell University with a BA in Biology and received her J.D. from Pace Law School.

Bonnie Burns
Training and Policy Specialist Consultant

Phone: 831-438-6677 • Fax: 831-438-2447
E-mail:

Bonnie Burns has more than twenty-five years of experience in Medicare, Medicare supplemental insurance, and long-term care insurance. Ms. Burns has served for several years as a consumer representative on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Ms. Burns actively promotes improved consumer protection in state and federal legislative efforts affecting Medicare supplemental and long term care insurance products. Ms. Burns has extensive experience in the research and development of educational material addressing Medicare and related topics, writing various consumer materials for consumer groups and public agencies in California and other states. Ms. Burns is regarded as a national expert in her field and in addition to her own written materials has been quoted in many national publications and broadcast media outlets. In August 2001, she was awarded the national Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services “Beneficiary Services Certificate of Merit” for her dedication and excellence.

Jasmine G. Suo
Operations Manager

5380 Elvas Avenue, Suite 214
Sacramento, CA 95819
Phone: 916-231-5110
E-mail:

Jasmine Suo brings over 13 years of non-profit executive and administrative experience to CHA. She joined the team in 2003 and provides overall management of the organization’s operations. Jasmine regularly collaborates with CHA staff on grant reports, coordinates our educational workshops, manages human resources and technology, and administers the event planning for the organization. In addition, she serves as executive support to our President/CEO and Board of Directors and heads the yearly membership drive. Jasmine is bilingual/biliterate in English and Spanish and assists CHA with material translations and podcasts.

Jasmine is also the President of United In Christ, Inc., a nonprofit that provides food, clothing and medical supplies to rural and impoverished areas in Mexico.

Julie Schoen
Project Director

Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
1971 East Fourth Street Suite 200
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 714-560-0309 • Fax: 714-479-0319
E-mail:

Julie Schoen is Legal Counsel for the Council on Aging of Orange County, and for over ten years has served as a technical trainer and community educator for the Orange County Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP). In addition, Ms. Schoen directs the Senior Medicare Patrol Project (SMP) funded by the federal Administration on Aging since 1997 for education and counseling concerning Medicare fraud and abuse in California. Ms. Schoen is a popular speaker in Southern California addressing the rights and protections of Medicare beneficiaries. She serves on various boards and committees concerning issues affecting the elderly.

Anne Gray
Project Coordinator

Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
1971 East Fourth Street Suite 200
Santa Ana, CA 92705
Phone: 714-560-0309 • Fax: 714-479-0319
E-mail:

Anne Gray began working with the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) in October 1996, and since 1997, has served as Project Coordinator for the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) project funded by the federal Administration on Aging which provides statewide education and training on Medicare fraud and abuse issues. In this role, Ms. Gray coordinates training and communication on fraud and abuse issues among the 26 local counseling projects serving California. Anne has participated in several local public television station, closed circuit television in Leisure World, and public access television productions, concerning Medicare fraud and abuse.

Anne Gray is a graduate of the California State University, Fullerton, School of Social Sciences with graduate work in education. In her spare time, Anne is active in the community theater in Orange County.

Marta E. Erismann
Community Outreach Coordinator

5380 Elvas Avenue, Suite 214
Sacramento, CA 95819
Phone: 916-231-5113
E-mail:

Marta Erismann serves as Community Outreach Coordinator for Northern California, with an emphasis in reaching traditionally under-served communities. In addition to providing support to the activities of the California Medicare Coalition, Marta is a community educator with the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) project funded by the Administration on Aging which provides statewide education and training on Medicare fraud and abuse issues.

Marta is bi-lingual in English and Spanish, is a registered Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) volunteer counselor serving Sacramento county and is a member of the Sacramento County Commission on Aging.

Marta has over 20 years experience in community organizing and providing technical assistance and training in affordable, and farm worker housing development. Marta holds an AA in Gerontology and Human Services and an Activity Coordinator Certificate from American River College. She is also a licensed Certified Residential Care Facility Administrator.

Karen J. Fletcher
Publications Consultant

Email:

Karen Fletcher has over 10 years of experience in Medicare training, education and advocacy and has served as CHA’s Publications Consultant since 2004. She is the primary researcher, writer and editor of CHA’s website content, including CHA’s Californa Medicare newsletter. As she is passionate about addressing issues of cultural competence, diversity, and racism in health care, each newsletter has an article on a related topic. (See articles under Health Disparities.) Karen also develops and revises key educational materials.

Previously she as served as a community health advocate with the Alameda County Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) providing Medicare rights and benefits training to professionals and beneficiaries in Northern California.

In addition to her work in Medicare advocacy, Karen is the President of ZY Qigong nonprofit and Secretary of the Women of Wisdom Foundation. She’s also an avid backpacker, dancer, and world traveler.

Karen has her Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Cultural Anthropology and Chinese from Bates College in Maine.

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