Board of Directors

Hector Alejandro: Hector Alejandro joined AltaMed's Board of Directors in 1991 and presently serves as Chair, Chairperson of the Nominating Committee, and member of the Finance Committee. Mr. Alejandro is a graduate of Harvard University, and possesses remarkable expertise in the financial banking industry. He is currently employed by Pacific Home Lenders as a Senior Mortgage Consultant and is responsible for marketing techniques to serve the needs of families and business owners of different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Tom Fong: Tom Fong is dedicated to helping the disenfranchised fight for their rights and benefits under the law. Mr. Fong is a graduate of UCLA and has worked as a Worker’s Compensation advocate for over 25 years. Mr. Fong joined AltaMed’s Board of Directors in 2002 as a Consumer Board Member – Grand Plaza ADHC and currently serves as Vice Chairman. He is also a member of the Board’s Finance Committee. As a caregiver for his father-in-law, Mr. Fong provides the Board with a unique understanding of the success of the organization’s long term care programs, and has also been instrumental in making these programs more efficient.

José A. Campos, CPA: José A. Campos is a Los Angeles native and joined AltaMed’s Board of Directors in 1994. Mr. Campos is a Partner in Audit Practices for Deloitte & Touche LLP. As Treasurer of AltaMed’s Board and Chairperson of the Board’s Finance Committee, Mr. Campos has been essential providing Board oversight to AltaMed’s sound financial planning and growth.

Katherine Aguilar-Perez: Bio forthcoming.

Alicia Ayala: Alicia Ayala is a community activist. For decades, she has worked to inform and empower Los Angeles communities on issues ranging from health care to education. Ms. Ayala joined AltaMed’s Board of Directors in 2002 as a Consumer Board Member – Long Term Care ICMP Program. She also serves on the Board’s Quality Management Committee. Ms. Ayala has provided the Board with invaluable insight of the needs of the senior population and has been instrumental in promoting long term care services to the community.

Ana Fonseca: Ana Fonseca has been a Consumer Board Member since 2003 and serves on the Quality Management Committee. Ms. Fonseca and her children are patients at the El Monte Clinic. Ms. Fonseca has been instrumental in improving the quality of patient care and has participated in focus groups with clinic administrators. She is currently employed at Ria Telecommunications, Inc., and is responsible for fund transfers to Mexico. She also has first hand experience in community health center operations.

Stuart Gray: Bio forthcoming.

John Heathcliff: Bio forthcoming.

Judith Herman: Judith Herman joined AltaMed’s Board as a Consumer Board Member from the El Monte Clinic in 1998 and currently serves as Secretary, member of the Human Resources Committee, member of the Nominating Committee, and member of the Quality Management Committee. She is an active member of the Planning Committee for the Jorge Jarrin Golf Classic – a fundraiser benefiting medically underserved children. Ms. Herman has served many roles in her life. After raising her children, Ms. Herman joined the workforce and pursued a career with the Southern California Gas Company. Ms. Herman enjoys golfing, bowling, and art.

Robert Marin, Jr.: Bio forthcoming.

Gregory Valenzuela: Gregory Valenzuela joined the AltaMed Board in 2001 as a Disabled Consumer Member from the Whittier Blvd. Clinic. As a member of the Board’s Human Resources Committee and of the Quality Management Committee, Mr. Valenzuela provides essential insight into direct patient care.

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Executive Team

Cástulo de la Rocha, J.D.,
President & CEO

Cástulo de la Rocha, J.D., has been a community health leader for 27 years. He holds a Juris Doctorate from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley; a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara; and a Certificate in Management from Stanford University. He has served on the Board of Governors of L.A.Care Health Plan, as a Corporate Board Member of Blue Shield of California, regional chair of the Surgeon General’s Hispanic/Latino Health Initiative, and as a Member of the Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees. Cástulo de la Rocha is also a Board Member for the Latino Issues Forum; AIDS ACTION; the “I Have A Dream Foundation;” and the National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc. (NACHC). Additionally, Mr. de la Rocha is an Executive Committee Member of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California.

Cástulo de la Rocha’s dedication and success in providing affordable and accessible health care to Latinos and the underserved has earned him national recognition in the community health field and many commendations, including the U.S. Surgeon General’s Gold Medallion for Public Health in 1992; the Community Service Award in 1995 from the American Diabetes Association; the Significant Achievement Award in 1995 from the Chicanos for Creative Medicine; and the VNA Vantage Award in 1996 from the Visiting Nurses Foundation.

Marie S. Torres, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., A.C.S.W.,
Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Community Research Initiatives

Marie S. Torres has more than twenty-four years of experience in gerontology and health services administration; leadership; extensive legislative advocacy; and knowledge in health and social welfare. She received her Doctoral and Master’s degrees from the University of Southern California of Social Work. Dr. Torres directed the expansion of senior services including the development and implementation of the first Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Southern California, four new adult day health care centers, new case management programs targeting functionally impaired adults, and other home and community-based long term care services in the Latino and other multicultural underserved communities. Dr. Torres was the recipient of the 1999 Distinguished Alumna Award, School of Health and Human Services, California State University, Los Angeles. Dr. Torres is active in the California Association for Adult Day Services, the California Primary Care Association, and the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County.

James E. Cruz, MD
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

Dr. James E. Cruz attended California State University, Sacramento and the University of California, Davis where he majored in Biology and California History before being accepted to medical school at the University of California, San Diego in 1982. He selected a residency in Family Medicine at White Memorial Medical Center and served as the program’s first Chief Resident. After receiving his Doctor of Medicine, Dr. Cruz completed a Community Medicine fellowship in 1990. He was then recruited by the County of Fresno and Sequoia Health Foundation, a migrant health center, to develop the nation’s first medical residency program established at a federally qualified health center. From there, Dr. Cruz established Family Medicine residency programs in Sacramento and in Pomona. These programs were specifically designed to prepare young physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to practice in medically underserved communities. Dr. Cruz also worked as Health Net’s Regional Medical Director for State Health Programs prior to joining AltaMed. He was responsible for monitoring the care delivered by physicians and hospitals to over 400,000 Medi-Cal and Healthy Family recipients in Los Angeles County.

Zoila D. Escobar,
Vice President Strategic Development and Community Support

Zoila D. Escobar has an extensive history in the health care arena. Her program development and administrative experience includes working with AIDS Project Los Angeles, as Program Director of the first “Latinas and AIDS” program in Los Angeles County. At the UCLA Family Planning Clinic, Ms. Escobar served as Clinic Administrator for HIV Services and later became the Director of Education and Government Affairs for the Arthritis Foundation. She has also served as Technical Assistant for the World Health Organization where she worked to develop and implement a comprehensive training program to help physicians and other health care professionals improve Hemophilia and HIV Infection Health Care Systems.

Ms. Escobar has served as co-chair of the first “Binational U.S./Mexico AIDS Conference”; “Latino Artists Against AIDS” Art Show, the “Big Sisters of Los Angeles - Latina Advisory Dinner and Gala” fund-raising committees and more.

Jose U. Esparza,
Vice President of Finance & Chief Financial Officer

Jose U. Esparza holds a masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He directs the fiscal department and is responsible for the fair presentation of all AltaMed’s financial statements to the executive committee, general management and board of directors. Mr. Esparza’s previous experience included positions in public accounting where he managed independent audits of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. He also worked for Northeast Valley Health Corporation managing the Accounting Department before joining AltaMed.

Angela D. Roberts,
Vice President Administrative Services & Chief Information Officer

Angela D. Roberts received her Bachelor of Arts degree from California State University, Dominquez Hills. She is responsible for the strategic design of technology and electronic information management and the operational direction of the human resources, facilities management, facility development, health education and purchasing departments. Mrs. Roberts brings more than 25 years of extensive administrative experience having held senior management positions with UCLA and the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. She is the recipient of the Outstanding Career Service Award from the City of Los Angeles; the Innovations in Technology Award from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO); and the Career Service Award from the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD).

Dr. Kurt E. Stauder, Dr. P.H. , M.B.A.
Vice President & Chief Operations Officer

Kurt E. Stauder has more than twenty-one years of extensive health care management experience ranging from hospital administration, network development, to IPA/clinic operations. He possesses qualified skills in capitation and utilization management, contract negotiation, pricing, strategic/business analysis, business development, health care operations and systems/process administration. He received his Doctoral degree in Public Health Administration from the University of La Verne. Dr. Stauder’s dissertation focused on the California Medi-Cal women and children’s CPSP program funding. He also holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Marketing, from the University of San Francisco. Dr. Stauder has participated as a board member for a number of organizations including the Mizell Senior Center, the American Heart Association, JAZZ for the homeless, and the Creighton University Physical Hospital Organization.

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Physician Leadership

Thomas Farnham, MD: Dr. Farnham is Chief of Staff to AltaMed’s physicians, as well as Site Lead Physician at the BuenaCare Methadone clinic. Dr. Farnham received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Oregon.

Guillermina Gutierrez, MD: Dr. Gutierrez is the Site Lead Physician at AltaMed's Pico Rivera Clinic. Bio forthcoming.

Felix Carpio, MD, MPH: Dr. Carpio is Associate Medical Director at AltaMed’s East Los Angeles - Commerce Clinic- Daniel V. Lara HIV Services. He received a Doctor of Medicine from la Universidad Central de Venezuela, and a Masters in Public Health from the University of Michigan. Dr. Carpio completed his residency at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center and is board certified by the American Academy of HIV Medicine. Originally from Venezuela, Dr. Carpio is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Lloyd Johnson, MD: Dr. Johnson is Medical Director of AltaMed's Senior BuenaCare, the only PACE program in Southern California. Dr. Johnson holds a Bachelors degree in Physics from the University of Chicago, as well as a Doctoral Degree in Physics from the University of Iowa. After developing an impressive career as a physicist, Dr. Johnson decided to pursue a career in medicine. He received his Doctor of Medicine from the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, and completed a residency in Internal Medicine at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Medical Association. Dr. Johnson is also fluent in English and Spanish.

Francisco Luis Melero, MD: Dr. Melero, Site Lead Physician at AltaMed’s East Los Angeles - Boyle Heights Clinic, received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Pomona College and his Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. Dr. Melero is a former Assistant Professor of Clinical Family Medicine with USC Keck School of Medicine. He has also been very active in the community, and has interests in culturally competent health care, herbal medicine, and teaching. He is Board Certified in Family Practice and is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Dr. Melero was born and raised in East Los Angeles and is fluent in both English and Spanish.

David B. Ocepek, MD, MBA: Dr. Ocepek is the Site Lead Physician at AltaMed Health Services at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. He received his Medical Doctorate at the University of Arizona, completed his residency in pediatrics at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and completed his Masters degree in Business Administration at the University of California Irvine (UCI).  Prior to joining AltaMed, Dr. Ocepek served as the medical director of the Mariposa Community Health Center in Nogales, Arizona for 16 years followed by his position at the Watts Health Foundation as the Senior Vice President for Community Health Programs.  Dr. Ocepek was the first physician in Arizona elected to the presidency of the state primary care association and also served as the Clinical Chair of the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Ana Pantoja, MD: Dr. Pantoja is the Site Lead Physician at AltaMed's Bell Clinic. Bio forthcoming.

Ricardo Puertas, MD: Dr. Puertas, Site Lead Physician at the East Los Angeles - Commerce facility, has served the Los Angeles community for over 10 years. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of California, Irvine, and holds a Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is Board Certified in Family Practice, and is a member of the American Academy of Family Practices, as well as the American Medical Association. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Cristian Rico, MD: Dr. Rico is the Site Lead Physician at AltaMed's El Monte Clinic. Bio forthcoming.