STAFF
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.
Margriet DeLange, MS
SIPP Project Coordinator
Margriet DeLange is a Certified Professional Gerontologist and insightful educator and presenter. She holds a Masters degree in Gerontology from San Francisco State University and a Bachelors 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.
Elizabeth Johnson, MCRP
Central Oregon Lead
Elizabeth Johnson holds a master's degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon. Her work as a facilitator and experiential educator has brought her to more than 30 countries around the globe. This international exposure to a diversity of
cultural and social contexts has sparked in her an appreciation for the importance of integrating all needs and voices into the fabric of a functional society, especially those of an aging population. In addition to her role as Cafe’s Central Oregon Lead,
she currently works as the Executive Director for the Peaceful Presence Project, a nonprofit that seeks
to help Central Oregonians live well, age well and die well by reimagining the way the community talks about, plans for and experiences
the last stage of life.
She’s passionate about the integration of age inclusive
initiatives into local communities, as well as honest dialogues around the complexities of the aging process.
David Klein
Technologist
David is working to enable a future of happier, healthier older adults, thriving in sustainable communities, knowing their lives matter. He assists CAFE with technology and data integration and strategy, tech industry partnerships, and future visioning. He believes our most advanced technological creativity should engage our civil servants and equally benefit all age groups.
David is an experienced scientist, technologist, and entrepreneur, in the domains of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and neuroscience. He has an electrical engineering degree from Georgia Tech, and his neuroscience-focused Ph.D. research at Maryland explored the neural representation of sound. As a researcher in Switzerland, he developed the auditory system for an "intelligent room." He has enjoyed working in technology leadership roles in several successful high-tech startups, and has been noted for his award winning collaborations with conservation scientists.
Jenny Jin-Young Lee, MA, Ph.D.
Program Analytics Specialist
Jenny Lee is a specialist in program evaluation and data analytics, focused on addressing the health inequities facing an aging population. With her passion for promoting improved health and access to social services for vulnerable older adults, she has developed her data analysis and visualization expertise to promote health policy changes supporting older adults in need. Additionally, Ms. Lee has expertise in evaluating the effectiveness, scalability, and replicability of health-related programs.
Dr. Lee received her Ph.D. in Public Health at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Her research addresses food insecurity among older adults by understanding population-level drivers, needs and interventions, particularly in California and Hawaii, leveraging data analytics and visualization.
Pauline Martinez, MA
Senior Research Associate
Pauline Martinez has been involved in a variety of CAFE projects, from our early days in Los Altos, to incorporating a dementia-friendly lens in our work in Santa Clara County, and later laying the foundation for our satellite site in Central Oregon.
She is currently a PhD Fellow in Public Health at UC Davis, where she is also a Graduate Research Assistant on their ‘Healthy Aging in a Digital World’ initiative. Her work is focused on cross-sector partnerships to design age friendly communities that include technology to support aging-in-place.
Mrs. Martinez brings a decade of professional experience in the field of gerontology, including teaching part-time at San Jose State and Oregon State Universities, managing educational initiatives for the Alzheimer’s Association of Northern California, launching an intergenerational TimeBank, leading an award-winning health promotion campaign ‘Healthy Steps in Silicon Valley,’ and helping organize interfaith summit meetings to raise awareness about elder abuse and neglect.
Tyler Smith
Program Support
Tyler Smith joined CAFE to assist in the betterment of communities through encouraging inclusivity for all. Tyler assists CAFE as the marketing lead. Tyler plans to utilize many different avenues of social media to bring awareness to CAFE and the ongoing mission. In the past, Tyler has volunteered with California Youth Connection (CYC) to advocate for California’s foster youth and has participated in multiple Transitional Age Youth (TAY) Summits for youth aging out of the foster care system.
Paige Howell Taylor
Graphic Artist
Paige Howell Taylor is a creative design consultant and graphic designer based near Atlanta, Georgia. Her professional career spans over twenty years, where she has produced client work ranging from branding and identity systems to application user interfaces, from infographics to illustration — along with everything in between. Through her solo design venture Sage Sublime, she has had the privilege of working with various non-profits, educational organizations, businesses, and startups, and aiding in the development of their communication strategies and tools has always proved to be rewarding work. Paige was also fortunate enough to teach at Georgia State University, her undergraduate BFA alma mater, as an Assistant Professor in Graphic Design from 2008-2016. Additionally, she holds a Master of Science in Information Design and Technology from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Paige is inspired by CAFE's mission of inclusion for all generations, and is very excited to be able to contribute to their work. When she can assist those who are helping people, society, and the planet to be better and stronger, she feels that is the best use of her design abilities. Creating materials and tools that engage, inspire, instruct, and solve problems is a core focus in Paige's mission.