LIFT's capacity to achieve its goals rests on its close collaboration with county and community resources, its research-based, proven operational model, and the extensive experience of its Directors and Advisors, many of whom are recognized leaders in the fields of pediatric nutrition, health and prevention; strategic planning and finance; and program development, delivery and evaluation.
Dave Cort
Currently the San Geronimo Valley Community Center Executive Director, Dave is also the Coordinator of the San Geronimo Valley Healthy Community Collaborative.
Dedicated to ensuring the continued vitality of Marin County, Dave serves on the Sir Francis Drake High School Leadership Council, is a San Geronimo School Open Classroom Parent Board Member, on the Board of Directors for the Coastal Health Alliance in Point Reyes Station and the Lagunitas School Foundation, Board of Directors.
Dave has served two terms as Commission Chair for the Marin County Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Commission. He was a counselor, supervisor, and family worker at Full Circle School in Bolinas, a residential group home for emotionally disturbed boys and a Marin County Juvenile Probation and California Youth Authority Counselor.
Mr. Cort graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. degree in Human Development and Social Policy.
Cío Hernández
Cío Hernández is the Bilingual Adolescent Mental Health Practitioner for Marin County Department of Health and Human Services. She has led several youth groups covering a spectrum of issues, both therapeutic as well as social, and continues Cio's Angels, a community leadership group consisting of youth activists who want to make a difference. Cio's Angels have organized 24-hour "Relay for Life" teams, have presented in conferences across the Bay Area, and have volunteered at community events like the Marin County Fair and Binational Health Week.
Cío is also the community liaison in her role with Community Health and Prevention Services of H&HS. She facilitates diverse focus groups across the county as a way to better understand |what is important in the areas of quality service, prevention, and increasing access to services and communities. She also serves as coordinator of the Binational Health Week Events and Community Health Events in Marin County.
Additionally, she is faculty for Gerry Grossman Seminars, teaching licensing prep courses and CEUs in Law and Ethics, Child Abuse Prevention, Domestic Violence, Clinical Supervision, Issues with HIV, Vicarious Trauma, Internet Safety for Children, Attachment, and Human Diversity.
She currently sits on the Institutional Review Board for Kaiser Foundation Research Institute as a community member, teaches Human Diversity and Law and Ethics in the Graduate Department of Counseling Psychology at Dominican University, and runs a small private practice.
Cio serves as the chair for the Marin First Five Children and Families Commission, where she is able to advocate for the needs of families from prenatal to five years of age. She encourages all adults to advocate for the needs of youth and children where she understands that her most important job is being a mother of her 10 year-old son, David.
Stacy Kaiser
Stacy Kaiser is a licensed psychotherapist, relationship and body language expert, author and media personality. With over one-hundred television appearances in the last year on major networks including CNN, NBC, CBS, HLN,MSNBC and FOX, Stacy has a reputation for bringing a unique mix of thoughtful and provocative insight to a wide range of topics. In addition to her numerous television appearances, her expertise and perspective have been solicited by major corporations, public institutions, government agencies and philanthropic organizations.
As a psychotherapist on both VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and Lifetime's DietTribe, and guest expert on Tyra Bank's, Greg Behrendt's and Larry Elder's nationally syndicated talk shows Stacy Kaiser has gained a reputation for helping people face the truth that is holding them back from leading a life filled with a generous balance of responsibility, fun and freedom. After providing counseling to thousands of individuals both in her private practice and the media, Stacy has identified ten critical areas needed to develop the skills necessary to become a successful, happy and fulfilled adult.
In her new book "How to be a Grown Up - The Ten Secret Skills Everyone Needs to Know" published by HarperCollins, Stacy opens with a provocative quiz that helps the reader gain insight into his or her current level of life mastery. In the following chapters, she breaks down the readers strengths and weaknesses to guide them towards improving in the ten areas so that they can maximize their success and ultimately their life. A passion for improving the lives of the under served in her community led to Stacy's work with Southern California's premier family resource center, Friends of the Family, where she has worked with battered women, teen parents, abused children and families in crisis for the past 13 years. She has also been engaged by organizations including the FBI, Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Unified School District, Kaiser Permanente and Hughes Aircraft to implement workshops and handle third party mediations.
Michael Kamler
Michael graduated from Stanford University with a degree in History and completed his graduate studies in education at Dominican University.
A lifelong competitive swimmer, water polo player and aquatic sports coach, Michael taught swimming to severely disabled children and adults at the Betty Wright Swim Center in Palo Alto. He proposed, developed, funded and implemented the therapeutic swim center at the Osher-Marin JCC. Cultivated support for the project from the Easter Seals Society, United Cerebral Palsy Association of Marin County, Marin County Office of Special Education, the Arthritis Foundation and the Buck Foundation.
Appointed Health and Wellness Director at the Osher-Marin JCC, Michael subsequently became the Associate Director responsible for the Health and Wellness department, membership, youth services and camping, the early childhood program, the thrift store and senior programs.
Currently, Michael is Executive Director of Congregation Rodef Sholom overseeing all services, programs, staff, operations and strategic planning for 4,500 members. He was voted Bay Area Executive Director of the Year 2006.
Randy Levine
Randy brings his proven skills as a developer of growth oriented strategies where he applies disciplined approaches to operations, finance, quality control, sales management, secondary marketing, and technology.
Randy was elected as Secretary/Treasurer of the prestigious Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He holds a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration & Finance, from Arizona State University.
Mike Macedonio
Mike Macedonio is the President and Partner of the Referral Institute. Mike and his business partner Dr. Ivan Misner co-authored Truth or Delusion, Busting Networking’s Biggest Myths, which has hit several best sellers lists including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon.
Mike was also part owner of several BNI regions. During his 9 years with BNI, Mike was involved in building the region to over 75 chapters with over 1500 members. Mike also received numerous national awards from BNI including the National Director of the Year Award.
Mike’s position within the Referral Institute began as a trainer in 2001. In 2003, Mike was hand selected to be the President of the Referral Institute. Since that time Mike has lead the Referral Institute from a handful of trainers to a franchised organization operating throughout North America, Australia and Europe. For the third year in a row Entrepreneur Magazine has recognized the Referral Institute as one of the Top 500 rated franchises in the United States.
Mike has an incredible passion for mountain climbing, cycling and endurance sports.
Teri Vyenielo Rockas
Teri is a Project Manager in Health Promotions at Kaiser. She has served for the past six years as project manager for Healthy Marin Partnership which coordinates the triennial Marin County Community Needs Assessment. Teri also works with over 100 local community organizations and partners to facilitate Parent University, Peer Summit and the Play Fair Collaborative. Teri is also an active leadership member of the Marin County Alcohol and other Drug Prevention Collaborative. Previously Teri served for five years with the Marin Healthcare District and eight years with the law firm of Nielsen Mersksamer.
Teri did undergraduate work at University of Washington and advanced coursework at the University of California – Berkeley.
George Searcy
Vice President of Operations and Program Services, Hope Through Housing. Mr. Searcy has a Master's degree in Management from the University of Redlands and a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University in LA. Prior to the Hope through Housing Foundation, Mr. Searcy served as the Manager of Human and Social Services for the City of Irvine, California.
He has served on the Board of Directors of several organizations including serving as President of the Board of Directors of INFOLink Orange County and Board Vice President of Development for Women Helping Women in Costa Mesa. In his position at Hope Through Housing, Mr. Searcy has responsibility for program operations at over forty affordable housing developments throughout Southern California.
Richard Waxman
Founder of LIFT for Teens, Richard attended Tulane University, and received a degree in Social Psychology with a focus on children with low self-esteem. He spent 25+ years as senior executive in private industry (manufacturing, technology, education), has been a VP and a National Director for the second largest private provider of public education in the U.S. Richard assisted with the development of a unique school for children of special needs and one for children with special gifts. He has consulted for the largest developer of low cost housing to deliver free Supplemental Educational tutoring services under NCLB to children living below the poverty line.
Richard is also a youth coach and fundraiser, as well as a card carrying member of the Positive Coaching Alliance. He has a commitment to personal growth, fitness and nutrition as he understands how important each of these components is to achieving a life of health and vitality.