Governing Board
IHSS Public Authority of Marin Board of Directors is the governing arm of the agency. They provide direction to ensure that the agency’s mission and vision are fulfilled. According to the statute, 50 percent or more of the membership shall be individuals who are current or past consumers of personal assistance services paid for through public or private funds or through IHSS. If you are interested in becoming a member of our board, please contact Dario Santiago.
The Governing Board meeting will be held in person at 70 Skyview Terrace, San Rafael, CA 94903 and via Zoom at the following link which is open to the public:
Michael Harris
Chair
Michael Harris is coming on as our Governing Board Member. He has a background in human behavior, psychology and senior care. He is a dedicated Board Member in various other organizations like Center For Elders Independence, Marin Community Clinics, Marin Housing Authority, and The San Francisco Foundation. Also, he serves as a Supervisor/Counselor for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Michael does it all and his articulate and personable leadership skills with excellent program management, strategic planning and operational oversight
abilities will make him an exceptional Board Member.
Beth Gray
Vice Chair
Novato
Beth Gray joined the PA Marin Governing Board in December 2017. She is an IHSS recipient and has a strong desire to improve the quality of the program and upgrade the benefits offered to the IHSS providers.
Beth is a Psychiatric Clinical Nursing Specialist with a Masters in Nursing. Her sub-speciality is in trauma and she has created and presented over 30 workshops for students and providers on the effects of trauma and abuse. In 2007, she was part of a five person panel invited to speak on trauma at the United Nations for the International Commission on the Status of Women. When her son was young, she was involved with the developmentally disabled community. Beth conducted a workshop for nurses about the various resources available to these individuals at a time when resources were not connected as they are today. She has also fostered medically fragile infants.
Beth worked for the University of California in San Francisco as a faculty member and a training coordinator. She also worked for San Francisco General Hospital as a Psychiatric Nurse. She currently resides in Novato, CA with her two kitties Princess and Precious.
Eli Gelardin
Member
Eli Gelardin serves as the CEO for the Marin Center for Independent Living (Marin CIL). He has over 17 years of experience working in the field of disability justice. During his 13 years of leadership, the small grassroots organization has expanded capacity to serve a diverse community of over 1500 individuals with disabilities (including older adults) every year. Marin CIL prioritizes equal access and racial equity.
Marin CIL plays a key role in supporting community members in accessing long term services and supports through “One Door” across their lifespan. To expand this hubs & spokes strategy Marin CIL partners with local healthcare payers as well as other safety net providers and community-based organizations. In 2019, Marin CIL and the County of Marin’s Aging and Adult Services established California’s 6th designated Aging and Disability Resource Connection.
In 2020, Marin CIL launched Powered & Prepared which provides personal preparedness planning and resources (including high voltage batteries and temporary housing) in response to the increasingly disproportionate impact climate change has on individuals with access and functional needs. Since the start of the pandemic, Marin CIL has been at the forefront of COVID response working closely with County government to provide an array of services, supports, and advocacy.
Eli translates his personal experience into his professional roles. He served as a two-term Governor appointee to the California State Independent Living Council (Chair from 2013-2014). Locally, Eli serves on the boards of the Aging Action Initiative, the Marin IHSS Public Authority, and the World Institute on Disability. Eli lives in the Bay Area with his family. He honors the memory of his daughter, Oliva, every day through his work.
Cynthia Siroky
Secretary
San Rafael
Cynthia Siroky is a former teacher who says a favorite part of her job involved a multi-cultural program where people of different ethnic backgrounds came together to welcome each other’s differences. She was introduced to IHSS as she recovered from surgery and chemotherapy for cancer in 2005. Her daughter hired a caregiver named Narcissa, who Cynthia called “a bona fide angel.” She has had other long-term caregivers who have made it possible for her to be where she is today, contributing as a board member to the IHSS Public Authority of Marin. She has learned compassion and understanding. “This attitude, by the grace of God, has seen me through life.”
Roger Rose
Member
Roger has been part of the PA Marin Governing Board since June of 2012. Roger’s working experience includes being a Communication Associate for David Perry & Associates, Gallery Assistant for the Return to Tradition Gallery and currently the Assistant Editor for the CineSource Magazine in San Francisco. Roger has been a recipient of IHSS for over 20 years. He has served in numerous Boards, Commissions and Task Forces such as the Independent Living Resource Council in San Francisco and the BART Accessibility Review Task Force. Roger’s main motivation to be part of the PA Marin Governing Board is to offer universal accessibility for seniors and disabled individuals so they can reach their greatest life opportunities.
Herb Meyer
Honorary Member
Larkspur
Herb Meyer knows what it means to need in-home personal support services. As a younger man, Herb served his country in the Korean War, was a successful businessman, and traveled the world. In 1993, he became a quadriplegic in a sailing accident. After rehab, he trained a caregiver so he could stay in his home. He got involved with IHSS to meet his passion for advocating for the rights of people who need help to stay in their homes. He still sails in the Bay with his buddies, who, he says, “have been one of his core support groups, along with his singing group, caregivers and his late significant other.”
Professional Affiliations
Board Chair, Marin Center for Independent Living
Staff Commodore, Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors
Member, Sons of the Sea Chorus
Jonathan Frieman
Treasurer
After purchasing a law degree from New College School of Law in San Francisco, Jonathan helped co-found several nonprofits in Marin County. He had earned an MPA from the University of Denver and then trained as a hands-on bodyworker in the advanced discipline of Aston-Patterning, running a private practice afterwards, before turning to the service arts.
As Vice President of the Marin City Health and Wellness Center board, he helped them gain FQHC status. He raised $1.5M to help Marin Clean Energy gain a foothold in the county, and led a community-wide effort to try and keep Target out of San Rafael. He is co-director of and president of the board of InSpirit, which raises funds to supplement the IHSS payments its clients with quadriplegia receive in order to be able to stay in their homes. He incorporated the Youth Transforming Justice from the Marin Youth Court and is its first board president.
A 27 year resident of San Rafael, he served as assistant coach for San Rafael and Novato High’s varsity football teams. He has a severe hearing loss of 100db from birth, and plays guitar and bass and writes songs. He is an autodidact in human prehistory and lives with his wife Suki, a 20 year-old Burmese cat.