Serving the community since 1983, CenCal Health provides comprehensive health coverage to 1 in 4 residents of Santa Barbara County and 1 in 5 residents of San Luis Obispo County, enrolled in Medi-Cal. This regional health plan partners with over 1,500 local physicians and other providers to deliver quality patient care. he oldest Medicaid managed care plan of its kind, CenCal Health is a not-for-profit agency that employs close to 250 people at offices in both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

Insurance

CenCal Health

Jordan Turetsky joined CenCal Health in May of 2022 as a Provider Network Officer. Jordan received her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from UCSC and her Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley. Jordan has had work experience at Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Health Improvement Partnership of Santa Cruz County, and more recently Central California Alliance for Health as a Provider Services Director.

Jordan chose this career path as an opportunity to use her skills and experience to make people's lives better and to influence their communities in a positive way.

Jordan Turetsky

For the past 28 years, he has overseen the effectiveness of CenCal Health’s Quality Management program, including but not limited to the program’s regulatory compliance, implementation of pay-for-performance innovations to improve quality of care, and all aspects of National Committee for Quality Assurance Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) quality reporting. Hernandez earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Economics from Stanford University and participated in Northwestern University’s Executive Programs of the Kellogg School of Management.

Carlos Hernandez

Emily Fonda was previously the CMO at CalOptima, a public health plan in Orange County, California, where she served since 2013 starting as a Medical Director. Emily was instrumental in leading the agency’s COVID-related medical activities for members and staff, including overseeing and expanding the Orange County Nursing Home COVID Infection Prevention Program that provided intense training for healthcare staff to protect themselves and long-term care members during the pandemic.

Emily’s formal education includes the following degrees: Bachelor of Science at the University of Southern California (USC); Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine; and Master of Medical Management at the Marshall School of Business at USC, where she was also a Dean’s Scholar.

Chris Morris, Chief Performance Officer

Emily Fonda

Karen Kim has more than 15 years of health care law experience with an emphasis on Medi-Cal, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act, as well as Contract Law and Public Law.

Mrs. Kim comes to [CenCal Health](/org/cencal-health) from the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, CA, where she was the Compliance Officer and Director of Risk Management. Prior to this, she was with [L.A. Care Health Plan](/org/l-a-care-health-plan) in Los Angeles – the largest publicly operated health plan in the U.S. At L.A. Care, she had roles in both the Enterprise Integration department and Legal Services department.

Mrs. Kim holds a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola Law School and has a Master of Public Health, Health Policy from UCLA’s School of Public Health. She has served in leadership roles for Women in Health Administration of Southern California, and the California Health Care Foundation. Mrs. Kim is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the [American Bar Association](/org/american-bar-association), Health Law section. She is a sought-after public speaker on the subject of healthcare and compliance.

Karen Kim

David Ambrose holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics/Mathematics from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in the state of California. He is a member of the California Society of CPA's and of the Healthcare Financial Management Association. 

Before joining [CenCal Health](/org/cencal-health), Mr. Ambrose's healthcare career included being a Medicare auditor responsible for determining Medicare reimbursement to individual hospitals and the Controller of Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale, CA. Outside [CenCal Health](/org/cencal-health), Mr. Ambrose is active in endurance sports, such as marathons and triathlons, and has finished multiple Ironman Triathlons, and a 50 mile trail ultramarathon. He is married with two young daughters.

David Ambrose

René is a pediatrician, having lived and practiced pediatrics here on the Central Coast since 1986. A graduate of the [University of California](/org/regents-of-the-university-of-california), San Francisco School of Medicine, Dr. Bravo did his internship and residency at Stanford University Medical Center.

A longtime advocate for children and families, René is currently in private practice in San Luis Obispo. Active in many community endeavors, he has served as the Chief of Pediatrics at Sierra Vista and French Hospitals. He was the past Chief of Staff at SLO General Hospital.

Locally, René has served on many community boards including leadership positions in the [American Cancer Society](/org/american-cancer-society), the Partnership for the Children of San Luis Obispo County and the San Luis Obispo County Foundation for Public Libraries (past-President). He is past Chairman of the State of California’s Medical Drug Use Review (DUR) Board in Sacramento appointed by Gov. Wilson to help design, develop and implement the nation’s largest DUR program for the State’s MediCal recipients.

René is especially passionate about children's health issues and has served as President of the Partnership for the Children of San Luis Obispo County and assisted in the initial vision and development of the Clinic de Tolosa Dental Clinic in Paso Robles serving low income families. He currently serves on the San Luis Obispo County Children and Families Commission (First Five Commission). First Five has been a powerful vehicle to affect children's health and welfare as they work with various entities in the community. He was the founding President of the Children's Health Initiative of San Luis Obispo County, bringing together a widespread coalition of private, public and government organizations to found and support a universal health care network for all children in San Luis Obispo County.

René is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A family man, René lives in San Luis Obispo with his wife and their five sons.

René Bravo

In July 2018, Sue Andersen became the President and CEO of Marian Regional Medical Center. She oversees an entity with over $600M in annual revenues, two hospital locations, residency programs, a skilled nursing facility, an acute rehab facility, a homecare entity and outpatient labs, imaging and infusion centers. She has been at Marian and [Dignity Health](/org/dignity-health) for the last 18 years.

Prior to the Presidency, Sue was Vice President of Finance and the Chief Financial Officer for the [Dignity Health](/org/dignity-health) Hospitals of the Central Coast: Marian Regional Medical Center (Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande Campuses), French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and St John’s Hospitals in Oxnard and Camarillo.

Andersen oversaw all financial operations for all five hospitals, home care, hospice and infusion agencies, four surgery centers, four foundations and over 30 health centers. She managed all financial and business operations, materials management, acquisitions, joint ventures and more.

Previously, Andersen was named companywide CFO of the year by Ornda Healthcorp and Summit Health Ltd. She has been an accounting instructor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration from California State Polytechnic University. She was a Certified Internal Auditor.

She currently serves as a board member of the Hospital Association of Southern California as well as a board member of the Kids Cancer Research Foundation, Shower the People, Health Services of the Pacific Central Coast, Coastal Surgical Institute and Plaza Surgery Center.

Sue Andersen

Mark Lisa is the Chief Executive Officer of Tenet Health Central Coast.  In this capacity he is responsible for the strategic leadership of Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton, and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center – a tertiary hospital and Level III Trauma Center in San Luis Obispo. He became the inaugural Market CEO in November, 2017, after serving as CEO of Twin Cities beginning in July of 2012.  Prior to coming to San Luis Obispo County, Mark was the CEO at Doctors Hospital of Manteca, another Tenet hospital, having assumed that position in late 2006. Mark spent 20 years in the United States Navy first as an enlisted Hospital Corpsman, and then a Naval Officer, he served in 2 ships, 3 Marine Corps units, a 500-bed Fleet Hospital during the Gulf War, and finally at the Headquarters of the Navy Healthcare System, for the Navy Surgeon General in Washington, DC.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from St. Martins College, and a Masters in Health Administration from Chapman University College. He is an active member and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives. Mark is a Private Pilot, and an avid motorcycle enthusiast. He enjoys flying – both on two wheels and on two wings.

Mark P. Lisa

Dan has recently been senior consultant for Arthur S. Shorr & Associates, Inc., a management firm providing business and strategic planning services to hospitals and physicians. He served as President and CEO of CHW Central Coast, overseeing the operations of four hospitals including St. Francis Medical Center and Marian Medical Center. Before this time, he was President and CEO of St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo and Vice President of Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago.

He has been honored with the Regent's Award from the American College of Health Care Executives, and has served as the California delegate to the [American Hospital Association](/org/american-hospital-association-inc). He has also been chairman of the board of the Health Care Association of Southern California and on the board of the California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, the California Council for Quality and Service, and the California Association of Catholic Hospitals. He served for three years as an examiner for the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award Program.

Dan is active in a number of community organizations including [Rotary International](/org/rotary-international), and served on the boards of Ascend Clinical Laboratories, Satellite Healthcare Inc., [Cogni](/org/cogni)tive Fitness and Innovative Therapies and Surgical Eye Expeditions, Inc. He is a certified mediator, a health policy advisor to [AARP](/org/aarp) and a Life Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He has also served on the Santa Barbara Civil Grand Jury. He received his BS from Loyola University of Chicago, and his MBA in healthcare administration from The George Washington University.

Dan Herlinger

Joan Hartmann has lived in Santa Barbara County part-time since 1999 and full-time since 2004. She served for six years as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in the foster care network. She also served on the Wildling Museum's Board of Directors, the Fund for Santa Barbara's Grant Making Committee, and the Santa Barbara Foundation's LEAF Advisory Committee.

Joan began her career in the academic world, serving as Director of the Public Policy Program at the Claremont Graduate School; Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Government at [Oberlin College](/org/oberlin-college); and later as adjunct professor of Environmental Studies at USC. She has also worked in the policy and budget offices and as legal counsel for several federal government agencies.

She has also served in government—with the Congressional Research Service, the [Department of the Interior](/org/department-of-the-interior) and the U.S. EPA, Region 3 and helped found the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project, a novel public private partnership to restore coastal Southern California rivers and wetlands.

She spearheaded the Buellton Urban Growth Boundary initiative which requires a vote of the people before the City can expand its boundaries, the first such initiative in Santa Barbara County. She also advised the Goodland Coalition which successfully campaigned for a similar initiative in Goleta.

She is married to James (Jim) Powell, and has one adult daughter, and two adult stepchildren.

Joan Hartmann

Supervisor Arnold moved to San Luis Obispo in 1973 to attend California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). She is married to husband, Steve. While raising her children, she owned and operated Small Wonders Preschool in Atascadero. She worked as a Legislative Aide at the County Supervisor’s office and as a San Luis Obispo District Representative for the State Senate. She now serves as 5th District Supervisor of San Luis Obispo County.

Here is a list of boards/committees Supervisor Arnold has sat on or currently serves: San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, San Luis Obispo Council of Governments/Regional Transit Authority (2013 to present, President 2015), Local Agency Formation Commission, SLO (2018-present), Community Action Partnership San Luis Obispo (2013-present), SLO County Behavioral Health Advisory Board (2018), Homeless Services Oversight Committee (Chair, 2013-2017),  FireSafe Council (current Chair since 2017), Air Pollution Control District (Chair 2017), LINK Family Resource Center, Student Community Liaison Committee (2013 to present), Integrated Waste Management Authority (2013 to present), Assistance League Advisory Board (2017? - present), Atascadero Basin GSA (Chair), Paso Robles Basin GSA (Alternate), Cuyama Basin GSA (Alternate), San Luis Obispo Co. Flood Control & Water Conservation District (2013 to present), Latino Outreach Council (Secretary 2013-2016), Adult Services Policy Council (2018), RCRC (2018 alternate), CSAC (2017-2018 alternate), CenCal Board of Directors (2019)

Debbie Arnold

Bill Cioffi joined [CenCal Health](/org/cencal-health) as the Chief Information Officer in August 2019. In his new role, Mr. Cioffi is responsible for providing leadership and vision for the IT department. With more than 25 years of Information Technology experience in health care, public safety, and military systems, he brings a valuable mix of technology and leadership to his role. In addition to leading [CenCal Health](/org/cencal-health) in their quest to deliver quality service to their members and providers, Mr. Cioffi volunteers for the College of Information Management Healthcare Executive’s national Opioid Task Force and is currently co-chair of the Education Sub-Committee.

Prior to his tenure at [CenCal Health](/org/cencal-health), Mr. Cioffi served as the CIO for North Sonoma County Healthcare District, Sacramento/Sierra Regional Operations Manager for [Sutter Health](/org/sutter-health), IT Infrastructure Manager for Radiological Associates of Sacramento, and CIO for 95th Security Forces at Edwards AFB. Mr. Cioffi earned his Master’s degree from [California Lutheran University](/org/california-lutheran-university), Thousand Oaks, CA, in Public Policy and Administration. He is also a Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer (CHCIO) from the College of Information Management Healthcare Executives.

Bill Cioffi

Chris Morris joined CenCal Health as its Chief Performance Officer (CPO) on January 4, 2022 to focus on operational excellence and strategic advancement. In this capacity, Mr. Morris develops and enhances the use of process improvement, process management, organizational development, and strategic planning and execution disciplines to CenCal Health. Emphasis on these disciplines, which build on the established strength and success of CenCal Health, supports the organization’s commitment to serving our members, providers, community and regulatory partners well, as the Medi-Cal program transforms.

Prior to joining CenCal Health, Mr. Morris served as Director of Operational Excellence at Central California Alliance for Health, where he also held positions in Quality Improvement and Compliance, and served as the Administrator and Director of Programs at a community-based behavioral health organization. Morris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, and a Master of Science in Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco.

Chris Morris

CEO of CenCal Health, Marina Owen is an accomplished leader who is responsible for the overall strategic direction, management, and administration of programs and services while ensuring that CenCal Health fulfills its mission, goals and objectives. She is only the fourth CEO in the organization’s nearly four decades. Prior to her executive appointment at CenCal Health, Owen attained more than 15 years of health plan management experience. She most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer at Central California Alliance for Health, based in Scotts Valley. There, she successfully led enterprise-wide operations and was responsible for the executive leadership of member services, claims, project management, provider services, grievance, process improvement, and regional operations.

Owen has long-standing knowledge of CenCal Health’s line of business and the communities it serves. Her prior experience working for the organization took place from 2008 to 2017, when she rose through the ranks to her final position as the director of Provider Services and Community Engagement.

As a University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) alum, Owen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology/Biological Sciences; and furthered her training at UC Berkeley through the Executive Leadership Program.

Marina Owen

Lynda Tanner is the President and CEO of [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara), an organization of 250 employees providing hospice, home health and palliative care service programs to more than 12,000 people annually across Santa Barbara County.

After successfully pressing for legislation to increase end-of-life inpatient beds, in 2011 Ms. Tanner oversaw [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara)’s opening of a new state-of-the-art inpatient hospice facility, Serenity House. She also directed the acquisition of Community Home Health, which increased [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara)’s delivery of home health services by 35%, and successfully obtained branch status for a satellite location in Santa Ynez. In 2012, Ms. Tanner oversaw a move to a new location in downtown Santa Barbara with more space to house the growing organization. Since 2014, Ms. Tanner has participated in [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara)’s annual PHorum: Perspectives in Healthcare, providing leadership on key healthcare priorities in Santa Barbara. In late 2017, after five years of diligent work, Ms. Tanner announced that [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara) had achieved Level 4 of the We Honor Veterans; a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs. [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara) is the only hospice organization in the Tri-County area (Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo) to have achieved this level. In 2019, Ms. Tanner led the company’s rebranding efforts and name change to [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara).

Ms. Tanner graduated from Idaho State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and later earned a Master’s degree in Nursing Administration. She has more than 35 years of experience working in homecare, including working as a consultant and a surveyor for [The Joint Commission](/org/the-joint-commission) and as Chief Clinical Executive at Sutter VNA and Hospice.

Ms. Tanner is active in many professional, service, business and community organizations and currently serves on the Board of Directors for California Association for Health Services at Home (CAHSAH), CenCal Health where she is also Vice Chair and Finance Committee Chair, and nationally on VNAA. In 2017, the Pacific Coast Business Times named Ms. Tanner the “Grand Champion of Healthcare.” The publication also distinguished [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara) as one of the Best Places to Work for three consecutive years; and the Santa Barbara News Press awarded [VNA Health](/org/visiting-nurse-and-hospice-care-of-santa-barbara) the “Reader’s Choice Award for Senior At Home Services.” In her free time, she enjoys horseback riding, quilting, and spending time with family.

Lynda S. Tanner

Daniel is the Director of the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services, the entity responsible for determining Medi-Cal eligibility for Santa Barbara County residents.

At the time of his appointment to the CenCal Board he had 29 years of non-profit and public sector experience in many aspects of the health and human service field. Daniel's career includes a position with the Community Health Centers, Inc. in Salt Lake City, Utah where he was the Project Director of the Health Access Project, providing free specialty and primary health care to the low income uninsured residents of Salt Lake County through a network of over 600 volunteer doctors and 9 hospitals.

Prior to coming to Santa Barbara County in May of 2013 he was the Director of the Health and Human Services Agency in El Dorado County, California. The Agency is comprised of Public Health, Mental Health, Social Services and Community Services.

He received two B.S. degrees in the Behavioral Sciences in 1984 and a Master of Public Administration degree in 2004, all from the [University of Utah](/org/university-of-utah).

Daniel Nielson

Dr Bentley, who has been an active member of the Santa Barbara medical community and a CenCal provider since 1986, received his bachelor’s degree from USC, his medical degree from Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center and post doctorate training at LAC-USC Medical Center, and is Board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology by the [American Board of Internal Medicine](/org/american-board-of-internal-medicine). He continues to be involved in education through his clinical associate professorship of medicine at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.

He is past president of the Santa Barbara County Medical Society, former trustee of the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara and current trustee of Santa Barbara Cottage Health. He has expertise in Medicare payment through his work with the California Medical Association and the American Medical Association Relative Value Update Committee (RUC) and accreditation as a former trustee and surveyor for the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). He is senior partner of Santa Barbara Gastroenterology Consultants Medical Group, a division of InSite Digestive Health Care.

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