Health Services Leadership

Jennifer Solito
Interim Director of Health Services
The role of the Director of Health Services is to provide overall leadership and strategic direction to the 700+ staff and four divisions within the Department — Administration, Public Health, Behavioral Health and Homelessness Services — in order to protect the health and well-being of members of the community.

Wendy Sanders
Assistant Director
Wendy works closely with the Director to assist with planning, organization and oversight of department-wide operations. Her primary focus is to provide guidance and stability to the following dedicated teams: Facilities, Health Data and Epidemiology, Human Resources and Privacy and Security, and to oversee administrative program support for the Administration and Behavioral Health divisions.

Gabriel Kaplan, PhD
Assistant Director
Gabriel works closely with the Director to assist with planning, organization and oversight of department-wide operations. His primary focus is to provide guidance and stability to the following teams: Fiscal, Contracts and Board Items, Information Technology, and to oversee administrative program support for the Public Health and Homelessness Services divisions.

Public Health Division Director
Recruitment in process
The Public Health division director leads day-to-day operations, including directing, organizing and coordinating activities, programs and functions of the division. He provides oversight for budgeting, reporting, financial planning and statistical analysis, reviews and analyzes legislation, determines effects on divisional procedures and operations, and evaluates and supervises division staff.

Jan Cobaleda-Kegler, PsyD, LMFT
Behavioral Health Division Director
“Dr Jan” leads and manages the largest division within Health Services, prioritizing, coordinating and implementing its mandates, goals and objectives; identifying service gaps across our communities; and advocating for the changes needed to heal inequities. A champion of trauma informed care, she fosters community partnerships and engages in legislative affairs. 

James Alexander
Homelessness Services Division Director
Fostering strong, collaborative relationships with county partners in order to develop and implement impactful solutions to homelessness, James oversees a team of about 35 staff members and four key programs, including Homeless Encampment Assistance and Resource Team (HEART), HOMEKEY Cohort, Ending Homelessness Team and the Interdepartmental Multi-Disciplinary Team.

The county Health Officer provides leadership for the protection of public health and enforcement of public health regulations. She also serves as an advisor on matters affecting health and safety to elected and appointed officials, members of the medical profession and the public.

Roy Dajalos
Special Projects Manager
This role requires Roy to craft funding narratives and drive the goals and objectives of high-level projects, collaborating with community stakeholders and groups, department leadership, managers and staff, as well as to present information to the Board of Supervisors and various community groups.

Lynnae Mann
Chief Financial Officer
The Chief Financial Officer leads the Department Finance unit, overseeing both the Accounting and Budgeting teams.

Jennifer Pimentel
Compliance Officer
Jennifer works closely with the Administration, Behavioral Health, Public Health and Homelessness Divisions to maintain an effective Department Compliance Program. This includes, but is not limited to, compliance policies and procedures, governance committees, training and education, auditing and monitoring, and compliance-related investigations.

Ken Tasseff
Health Care Privacy and Security Officer
Ken directs and administers the Department’s comprehensive Health Care Privacy, Security and Records Management Program to ensure compliance with federal, state and local regulations, and manages and updates countywide policies and procedures related to the security, use, access, disclosure and integrity of protected health information.

Michael Nielsen
Human Resources Manager
Mike oversees day-to-day operational management of the Human Resources unit, including employee/labor relations, recruitment, payroll, safety, disability management, equal employment opportunity (EEO), risk management and threat assessment, organizational development and training, and general administration. Supporting division heads/managers, he advises Department leadership in the formulation of HR policies and practices.

Nora Mallonee-Brand
Health Policy, Planning and Equity Manager
Nora leads a team that provides leadership, guidance and technical assistance to the Health Services Department in the areas of legislative affairs, community engagement, program and strategic planning, and health equity — addressing local inequities related to health and well-being.  

Melinda Rivera
Legislative Policy and External Affairs Officer
Melinda is responsible for engaging Department leadership, staff, elected officials and other stakeholders to support the Department’s policy interests. She also leads a community health worker team to promote community relationships and serve Department programs.

Rocío Rodriguez Casquete
Equity Manager
Rocío leads the Health Equity Team, which advances health equity infrastructure and capacity building within the Department to address social and racial inequities. The team also provides technical support for health equity initiatives and ensures alignment of the Department’s priorities with local and statewide equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) efforts.

Sheri Cardo
Communications Specialist/Public Information Officer
Sheri directs the overall communications needs of the Department and serves as its public information officer. Along with fostering a positive departmental profile within the community, her key responsibilities include planning and implementing the Department’s media relations, public outreach, social media and marketing programs.