Board of Directors
Our board is composed of socially conscious leaders in the worlds of business, health, education, and the arts. We thank them for their commitment and service.
Dr. Gregory M. Berkoff
La Jolla Village Family Medical Group
Dr. Berkoff attended the State University of New York at Albany, graduating in 1984 with degrees in English, History, and Human Biology. He attended the National College of Chiropractic (now National University of Health Sciences), graduating in 1988 with a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. He subsequently had advanced training in neurology and clinical nutrition. He began his professional career at the Neurologic Centre for Headache and Pain, in La Jolla, CA, in 1989, then worked at Sharp Memorial Hospital in the pain clinic (1992-1993). He then joined La Jolla Village Family Medical group where he has worked for the last 23 years. He has published academic and clinical research papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, is the co-author of a textbook on the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal pain, and is on the Board of the Hubbard Foundation for research on the diagosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis. For the last 10 years, the central focus of his clinical practice has been the integration of nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management into a coherent health strategy.
Bill Cavanaugh
Real Estate Developer and Philanthropist
Bill holds a Bachelor’s degree in Health Systems Management from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from National University. In 2016, he completed the Cause Selling program at the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy. Bill worked for years in Hospital Administration before starting MedCare Advantage, a nationwide hospital network and insurance brokerage for Medicare Select supplemental insurance, with annual sales of over $60 million. He ultimately sold this company to pursue his passion for real estate development. For the past 20+ years he has been involved with the development of single family homes, affordable housing apartments, student housings apartments, land entitlement, and commercial buildings. In 2006, he was one of the founding principals of USModular Inc., a full service design /build general contracting company that utilizes prefabricated construction to build projects. Those projects have ranged in value from $150,000 to $20 million, and include single family homes, multi-family complexes, homeless shelters, and apartments. Bill’s background in Healthcare Administration, Medicare Supplemental Insurance, real estate development and philanthropy gives him a unique perspective on senior issues and housing.
John Feather, PhD
John Feather is the former Chief Executive Officer of Grantmakers In Aging, the national association of grantmaking foundations and other organizations that work to improve the lives of older people. Prior to beginning that position in 2011, he was Executive Director and CEO of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the national membership organization of pharmacists who specialize in care of older persons. Until 2002, he was Director of the AARP Andrus Foundation, the research and education charity of AARP. For the 17 years prior to that appointment in 1995, Dr. Feather held several positions at the State University of New York at Buffalo including Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Executive Director of the Primary Care Resource Center, and Director of the Western New York Geriatric Education Center. Dr. Feather is Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Society on Aging and a former officer or Board member of 13 other national non-profit organizations. He received the ASA Award, the highest honor of the American Society on Aging for his work in policy, practice and education, and was elected a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America. He was selected as one of the “50 Influencers in Aging” by Next Avenue, PBS’ national information source on aging, and received the Ophelia Rinaldi Lifetime Achievement Award from National Hispanic Council on Aging and was elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance. Dr. Feather is an organizational sociologist by training and received his undergraduate education at the University of Texas at Austin and his masters and doctoral degrees at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He has earned the designation of Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and Certified Association Executive (CAE).
John Fugo
President of Montgomery Carolina, LLC
John is the Broker in Charge of all operations of real estate developments. He develops and builds multi-family projects in various areas of North Carolina and is moving into other areas of the Eastern United States. John has developed buildings for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Syracuse University, and is currently working with Duke University on a senior living apartment project with EngAGE. He has 32 years of experience in the industry, with 27 years as Vice President and Director of Construction for Montgomery Development. In this role, John maintains total responsibility for all construction activities, Project Managers, and Superintendents, as well as having overall profit responsibility for all projects. He directs day-to-day construction operations for retail, office buildings, restaurants, interior fit-ups, and mixed use developments such as Southern Village Town Center in Chapel Hill, NC, Westpoint at 751 in Durham, NC, as well as Briar Chapel Commercial Center in Chatham County, NC, currently under construction.
Melissa Lanfre
Chief Operating Officer, Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach
Chair of the EngAGE Board – Melissa Lanfre has more than 30 years of experience in Southern California community banking, overseeing financial, operational, and administrative responsibilities, while also administering de novo activities, and mergers and acquisitions. Currently, Ms. Lanfre serves as Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach’s (“F&M”) Chief Operating Officer where she oversees the daily operations that support the Bank’s 23 community banking offices in Los Angeles and Orange County. Melissa plays an instrumental role in F&M’s longstanding commitment to providing the highest levels of service and integrity, while cultivating longstanding relationships with customers, built on trust. Ms. Lanfre has a BS in Business Administration and an MS in Accounting from California State University Northridge.
Chip Lazenby
Lazenby & Associates
Chip brings over 20 years of statewide experience solving complex problems with creative solutions, and is well-versed in the complex issues facing community and public organizations and their private sector partners. Chip focuses on providing practical legal advice, strategic insight, and business solutions for clients. He was recently named Vice Chair of the City Club of Portland’s Affordable Housing study. He brings his background in real estate, development, development finance, and public policy to bear to assist this important study. Chip served as County Attorney for Multnomah County, as well as General Council for Portland State University and the Portland Development Commission.
Liz Schwarte
Ad Lucem Consulting
Liz Schwarte, Co-principal of Ad Lucem Consulting, has dedicated her career to community-based health promotion, equity and disease prevention through policy, systems and environmental change. Ad Lucem provides strategic consultation to a range of clients including foundations, public health departments, health systems, and non-profits. Liz has extensive experience in strategic planning, initiative design, philanthropic advising/grants management, program implementation and refinement, formative research and evaluation. Her areas of expertise include aging, Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving, healthy eating and active living, chronic disease prevention, public health leadership and practice, social and emotional health and wellness, and community engagement. Liz holds a Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She previously served on the boards of Bethany Center Senior Housing and Ruth’s Table, a community creative arts and wellness program, both in San Francisco. She is active in several philanthropic collaboratives focused on grantmaking for older adults. Her passions include cooking, the arts and music, running, and family.
Robert Wang, MD, PhD
Geriatric Physician
Dr. Wang has more than 20 years of experience as a specialist in geriatric medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine with a certificate in Geriatrics. He received his medical degree from the University of Miami and did residencies at UCLA and the Veterans Administration. Dr. Wang has a private medical practice in Los Angeles specializing in consultative and primary care, with a concentration in treating geriatric patients. He is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Geriatrics Training Director at UCLA’s School of Medicine and is a member in good standing with the American Medical Association, the American Geriatrics Society, and the American College of Physicians.