COMMUNITY PARTNERS
Diane Meiners
Financial Management Advisor
Diane Meiners transitioned from her role as Chief Financial Officer of CAFE to an advisory capacity in early 2026. During her tenure as CFO, she oversaw the organization’s financial management, accounting services, and reporting requirements, ensuring strong fiscal stewardship and compliance with grantor and organizational standards.
Diane retired from Transamerica Life Insurance Company after a distinguished career spanning more than 40 years in accounting and finance. Throughout her tenure, she held leadership roles overseeing U.S. corporate financial reporting, the accounting integration of acquisitions, and the implementation of new financial reporting systems and regulatory requirements. She also played a key role in a variety of strategic initiatives, including Operational Risk management, Solvency II capital reporting, and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Her work frequently required collaboration across multiple business divisions, as well as coordination with Transamerica’s Dutch parent company and international affiliates. Recognized for her expertise and leadership, Diane was often called upon to address critical organizational needs, including serving for more than a year as Acting Chief Financial Officer for Transamerica’s Canadian operations.
Diane holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and professional designations as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI).
Pauline DeLange Martinez, PhD
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Pauline DeLange Martinez has been deeply involved in CAFE’s initiatives, from its early work in Los Altos to incorporating a dementia-friendly lens in Santa Clara County and establishing a satellite site in Central Oregon. She integrates research, community engagement, and policy to support older adults and caregivers. In her current role with CAFE, she conducts qualitative analysis of focus groups and town halls and guides evaluation and strategy. She also works with UC Davis’ Family Caregiving Institute, leading evaluations and providing technical assistance for statewide aging initiatives, collaborating with the California Department of Aging on the Local Aging and Disability Action Planning (LADAP) grant program, and developing policy briefs on rural aging with support from The SCAN Foundation.
Dr. DeLange Martinez has extensive experience in gerontology, including teaching at San Jose State and Oregon State Universities, managing educational programs for the Alzheimer’s Association, launching an intergenerational TimeBank, leading the award-winning ‘Healthy Steps in Silicon Valley’ campaign, and organizing interfaith summits on elder abuse. Her doctoral research addressed the digital divide among low-income older adults with limited English proficiency, along with COVID response and telehealth. She holds a PhD in Public Health Sciences from UC Davis, an MA in Gerontology from San Francisco State, and a BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Margriet DeLange, MS
SIPP Project Coordinator
Margriet DeLange is a Certified Professional Gerontologist and insightful educator and presenter. She holds a Master’s degree in Gerontology from San Francisco State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from J.F. Kennedy University, and was selected at both Universities as Alumni of the Year (2007 and 2014).
Since Margriet founded StoriesUnfolding in 2006, she has been facilitating Guided Autobiography (GAB) Groups for hundreds of participants throughout the Bay Area. Since 2006, Margriet has taught Gerontology courses at Foothill College in Los Altos, San Francisco State University and J.F.K. University.
Margriet’s experience also includes working with the Santa Clara Country Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) as the Community Organizer for the project Protecting Our Elders: an Interfaith Response to Elder Abuse and Neglect. This project was funded by the Santa Clara County Mental Health Department and the Archstone Foundation and designed to educate clergy and lay leaders of all faith traditions about the problem of elder abuse and how to successfully intervene.
Roy Earnest, MSW
Roy Earnest has served as a gerontological social worker and program administrator since 1978 in a wide variety of community based non-profit senior services. This broad range of experience gives him an in-depth perspective on the continuum of senior services in the United States. In 2002, he was selected to serve as a program officer for the Northern California office of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), the federal agency that funds AmeriCorps, VISTA and Senior Corps volunteer programs. His work gave him valuable insights in the federal grant seeking process, the training needs of grantees and the important impact volunteers can have in addressing community needs. Since retiring from CNCS in 2018, he continues to give back to the community through volunteering as the Chair of Pacifica’s Age Friendly Community Task Force, as an advisory council member for UC Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare’s MSW-Aging Services concentration and other volunteer projects. In August 2019, he joined the staff of the Center for Age Friendly Excellence (CAFÉ).
A lifelong surfer, Roy teamed up with filmmaker David L. Brown to produce “Surfing for Life” (1999), a documentary that explores healthy aging through the unique perspective of 10 surfers ranging in age from 60 to 90 who continue to surf and remain vitally connected to their communities. The film won numerous awards at international film festivals and was broadcast on PBS throughout the country. www.surfingforlife.com.
Roy received his BA in Psychology with a minor in gerontology from Richard Stockton State University, Pomona, NJ in 1977 and then completed his Masters-of-Social-Welfare with a focus on aging services at UC Berkeley in 1982. He currently lives in Pacifica, CA.
Kennedy Concepción
Research Assistant
Kennedy Concepción is a research assistant working with Anabel Pelham, Ph.D., to combat ageist policies and build equitable aging advocacy. His work focuses on policy surveillance—tracking federal cuts to aging programs, analyzing impacts on local agencies, and identifying strategic pressure points for legislative action. With a background in gerontology and a commitment to justice-centered aging policy, he grounds research in direct advocacy applications.
Previously, at the Center for Age-Friendly Excellence, Kennedy developed systems to monitor AARP Age-Friendly City compliance and analyzed intergenerational program models. Now, his research targets systemic change: mapping congressional contacts, documenting reductions in aging services, and supporting data-driven activism to protect vulnerable populations. Kennedy plans to pursue clinical mental health training to bridge policy advocacy with direct support for older adults and trauma survivors.
Tessie Calligeros, MA
Event Coordinator
Tessie Calligeros has been catering and event planning for over 20 years and is the CEO of Calligeros Catered Events. She comes from a multicultural, Mediterranean background which builds upon her skill set as a creative and knowledgeable event coordinator. She is time and detail oriented, and has strong organizational and managerial skills. Her diverse range of skills from organizing small intimate events to large corporate functions to chairing large community festivals and luncheons, have given her valuable insights on what makes events go smoothly, and look beautiful. Tessie has been the event coordinator of Greek Food Festivals in SF which attract over 10,000 attendees, the event coordinator of luncheons, auctions, galas and conventions. She is a team player having served on various committees, and sets her standards very high for herself and her colleagues to ensure a successful event.
Tessie has a Masters of Arts in Gerontology from San Francisco State University and is a proud UC Davis Alumni holding a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Human Development and a Minor in Aging and Adult Development. She is bilingual in English and Greek and travels to Greece often to connect with her family and heritage.
Elizabeth Johnson, MA
Peaceful Presence Project
The Peaceful Presence Project’s mission is to reimagine and transform the way communities talk about, plan for and experience the last stage of life. They are cultivating a Compassionate Communities Model of Care in the United States, and improving death literacy to improve end-of-life experiences for all. The organization offers a comprehensive range of palliative support, including education, holistic advance care planning services, and compassionate end-of-life bedside presence to residents in Central Oregon and beyond. The organization was formed in 2019 by a dedicated team of passionate individuals with diverse backgrounds in nursing, community development, education, and caregiving. Elizabeth Johnson is co-founder and Executive Director of The Peaceful Presence Project. Holding a Master’s degree in Community and Urban Planning, Elizabeth has traveled extensively as an educator and facilitator, cultivating a deep interest in the cultural and social frameworks that shape human experiences of illness, grief, and death. She serves on the leadership council of Public Health Palliative Care International and is a board member of the Central Oregon Council on Aging. Additionally, Elizabeth is a graduate and current faculty member of the Anamcara Project, where her work focuses on grief, loss, and resilience. Elizabeth is deeply committed to advancing death and grief literacy within local communities, promoting honest and transformative dialogue around the complexities of dying and bereavement.
Whalecat Studios
Video Production Company
WhaleCat Studios is a video production company that helps small businesses and non-profit organizations share their stories with the world. Inspiring videos from WhaleCat Studios can shine the spotlight on your organization to drive engagement and awareness with your target audiences. www.whalecatstudios.com
David Klein
Technologist
David J. Klein is an AI strategist and technology executive focused on translating innovation into impact across aging, health, sustainability, and equity. As a Senior Innovation Partner to CAFE, he draws on over two decades of interdisciplinary work in communication, mobility, housing, healthcare, and conservation.
David has led the development of AI-driven tools to support climate resilience and equitable infrastructure planning. He has pioneered new therapeutic approaches combining AI and neural interfaces to address neurodegenerative conditions. His work also spans inclusive housing initiatives focused on multigenerational living, and the use of AI to scale biodiversity monitoring and conservation impact.
His partnership with CAFE reflects a commitment to applying data-driven tools to create healthier, age-friendly communities and environments.
Jenny Jinyoung Lee, Ph.D.
Public Health Gerontologist, Program Evaluator
Dr. Lee is a member of the research faculty at the Center on Aging at the University of Hawaiʻi, where she earned her Ph.D. in Public Health. As a public health gerontologist, she specializes in program evaluation and implementation science, with a focus on improving the quality of life for older adults—particularly those in underserved communities.
Her work integrates mixed-methods research, cross-sector collaboration, and innovative data tools to support age-friendly communities and public health systems. She currently leads several evaluation efforts for aging-related programs, including those that enhance nutrition for older adults, strengthen the aging services workforce, and support persons with dementia and their caregivers. These evaluations emphasize improving service delivery, addressing health disparities, and informing policy and practice.
Dr. Lee is committed to bridging research and real-world impact. She brings extensive experience in designing and conducting evaluations, analyzing population-level data, facilitating focus groups, engaging diverse community stakeholders, and translating data into actionable insights. Her background in digital tool development also enhances her ability to share research findings in accessible and user-friendly ways.
National Association for Professional Gerontologists
https://napgerontologists.org/
Promoting and credentialing the education of professionals in the field of Gerontology. Recognizing a core body of Gerontological knowledge held by individuals who provide quality services and programming for older adults. - A not-for-profit organization.