Snowline

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. Jim McGregor

President

Dr. Jim McGregor joined the Snowline Board in 2019. Dr. McGregor is a retired Hospice and Palliative Care physician. He was interested in serving on the board because of the quality care provided, the sensitivity to staff and the innovative programs.

Jim has previously served on the Board of their Coalition for Compassionate Care of California for several years including serving as chair. In retirement, Dr. McGregor coauthored a book, Departing with Dignity, for patients and their families.

Dr. McGregor is grateful for this opportunity to serve on the board to continue to contribute in some way to the care of the vulnerable patients. He enjoys working in the yard, reading, camping, and singing with Colla Voce of the Sierra, a chamber choir.

Tracy Jackson

Vice President, Chair of Governance Committee

Tracy Jackson, Founder, and CEO of HR E-Z, Inc., is a highly engaging human resources leader, executive, and speaker. With over 20 years of business experience and more than 15 years as an executive, she has extensive knowledge building and overseeing top-performing HR departments and teams working in public, private, and employee-owned companies across various industries. She is a graduate of San Diego State University and has achieved the designations of Senior Professional in HR (SPHR) and Senior Certified Professional from Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM-SCP).

Tracy is also a tireless advocate for foster youth and other issues that impact children, women, people of color, and other underrepresented groups. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Snowline Hospice and Bridge to the Future—Rites of Passage, and on the Advisory Group for Pride Industries, Inclusive Talent Solutions. She is also a member of the Leadership Council for the United Way’s Women United. She was recently named Member of the Year in the greater Sacramento area in December 2020. Tracy has spoken at numerous conferences, seminars, and workshops and interviewed on various podcasts. She’s been married for almost 25 years and has three daughters.

Catherine Heath

Treasurer

Catherine is a Certified Financial Professional. She is married with two children. She is Co-Chair of the Planned Giving Committee for the El Dorado Community Foundation. She loves to travel, garden, is a fitness lover and enjoys being outdoors.

Deanna Santana

Secretary

Deanna Santana joins Snowline with a passion for those who grieve and years of leadership experience in the non-profit sector. She and her husband, Rich, have owned and continue to operate a small business in El Dorado County for over two decades. Recently, she has served on the board of directors for the United Network for Organ Sharing, Donate Life California, and Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
After a decade of leading public education and relations for a northern California organ recovery agency, she returned to El Dorado County to serve her local community. She currently works for the El Dorado County Office of Education, leading two legislative committees under the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors. This role allows her to use her superpowers, collaboration and connecting people, by thinking creatively and strategically. Outside of her professional life, Deanna enjoys traveling with her family and all things Disney.

Amanda Bloom, MPH

Amanda (Purcell) Bloom is the Deputy Director of Programs and Impact for the Health Education Council (HEC), a Sacramento-based nonprofit dedicated to cultivating health and well-being in underserved communities by leveraging the power of collaboration. She has been employed by HEC since February 2017. Amanda oversees HEC’s program team implementing a wide variety of programs aimed at reducing health disparities.

Previously, Ms. Bloom was employed by Public Health Advocates for 12 years where she led the organization’s successful lobbying efforts in support of legislation that curtailed junk food and soda sales in California schools, increased funding for physical education in California schools and in 2008, required calorie labeling on chain restaurant menus and menu boards.

Amanda received her bachelor’s degree in sociology from UC Santa Barbara and her master’s degree in public health from San Diego State University with an emphasis in health promotion.

In her ‘free’ time, Amanda and her husband, Tony, are raising three young boys which since has included homeschooling them since the start of the pandemic.

Jo Dunlap

Virginia Jo Dunlap brings years of experience in senior executive roles with a variety of public, private and non-profit organizations to the Snowline Hospice Board. Jo served as legal advisor and General Counsel to boards of public and private entities, including for a national non-profit responsible for certifying financial planners. She also served as a senior executive at an international financial services consulting group where she was responsible for mitigating risks throughout its global operations across more than 20 countries and with 1100 employees. In the past few years Jo returned to government service, working in senior roles, such as an interim executive director, chief operating officer and General Counsel for an independent 15-member commission on funding higher education. She is currently working at the California Department of Education. In other pursuits, Jo enjoys hiking in her native El Dorado County with her dogs and competing in action pistol matches throughout California.

Dr. Kitty Stewart

Katherine S Stewart, MD

I am a Family Medicine physician with over three decades of experience and retired from the Permanente Medical Group in 2021. During my career, I held several leadership positions within my facility and served over two decades as a member of the Quality Assurance Committee. I have extensive experience teaching medical students and am fluent in medical Spanish. My volunteer experience includes being a Girl Scout leader for 6 years, helping teen girls learn leadership skills. I have worked at various medical Free Clinics, helped out at the Food Bank, and currently am volunteering in the Master Gardener program in El Dorado County.

In my free time, I enjoy reading voraciously, gardening and have many needlework projects in process. Our children are grown, so my husband and I like to hike, and we are trying to find the opportunity to travel.

I am excited about the mission of Snowline Hospice and glad to be part of the organization. I have found the importance of end-of-life care as my patients in my practice aged and became ill. Preparing ourselves and our loved ones for a gentle passing is among the most precious gifts we can give.

Mike Bassett

Mike Bassett is senior operations, technology, and business executive with experience in the telecommunications, semiconductor, and healthcare industries. Mike’s career has been highlighted by his ability to lead cross-functional teams, develop data-driven strategic plans, instill operational discipline, and achieve desired business outcomes.

Mike is currently the Vice President of Member Experience at Alignment Health plan, serving Medicare and Medicaid members in California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Nevada, and Arizona. Mike’s is responsible for strategic planning, driving member journey improvements, appeals and grievances, vendor management, and network management operations.

Previously, Mike served as Vice President in various operational roles at Blue Shield of California, where he was responsible for operational excellence, establishing governance structures, and managing all back-office operations for a 2,500+ organization, servicing over 4M members across all commercial and government lines of business.

Prior to joining Blue Shield, Mike held executive positions at Care Innovations, an Intel / GE joint venture company, serving as General Manager for the Assistive Technologies and Senior Living businesses. Mike also spent more than 10 years in various leadership roles at Intel Corporation in Digital Health and Information Technology. His responsibilities included research and development, systems architecture, product management, mergers & acquisition, channel sales, and business line management.
Mike graduated from the University of West Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems. He received a Master of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He is a member of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), Global Knowledge & Economics Council (GKEC), and a volunteer for a northern California non-profit, Hands 4 Hope – Youth Making a Difference.

David Bicknell

David Bicknell received his Bachelor's degree in International Affairs from Northern Arizona University. He spent almost 20 years in big box retail and was the Director of Merchandising and Operations for a multi-billion-dollar retailer. He then became the President of North America for a Bluetooth accessory company. David is the President of a real estate brokerage and franchise servicing company for El Dorado, Sacramento, and Placer Counties. He is an advisor for 1Flourish, a venture capital company focused on early-stage, disruptive tech startups.

David lives in El Dorado Hills with wife Melisa. They have two children (Drake is majoring in Business and playing Baseball for the University of the Pacific, and daughter Brenna is at the University of Nevada Reno).

Lori Veerkamp

Lori Veerkamp is a lifelong resident of El Dorado County. She has been on the Board of Trustees with the El Dorado Union High School District since 2004, on the Ag in the Classroom board, and has served for nine years on the Bob West Drive for Marshall Golf Tournament Committee. She has received several awards as a Board Member, the latest being the Dolores Garcia Memorial Sprit of Boardsmanship.
Lori has benefited from Snowline in the past for family members, “I am very supportive of their services. I am honored to serve on the board of Snowline Hospice and look forward to what the future holds for this organization that helps so many people in a time of need.”
Lori has been married for 43 years with two daughters, two sons-in-law's and four grandchildren.

Margaret Ervin

MSgt. USAF (Ret.)

Margaret served in the USAF for 22 years in combat logistics and was deployed all over the world during her career. Her last duty station was at Beale AFB where she was a First Sergeant over the intelligence squadron. After she retired Margaret used her GI Bill and returned to college where she earned her BA in social work and then completed her Master’s of Social Work. She then took a position with Sutter Hospice and spent 20 years as a hospice social worker. Margaret spends much of her time volunteering for charitable causes and has served several other non-profit boards.

Vasantha Eswara

Founder and President, Sierra Cancer Wellness, LLC

Vasantha brings a wealth of experience in healthcare, highlighted by her role as Founder and President of Sierra Cancer Wellness, where she has developed comprehensive programs that address the unique needs of cancer patients and survivors, offering support from diagnosis through recovery.
Vasantha also serves as a Pharmacist with Raley's, where she offers essential healthcare services and personalized patient support, ensuring the highest standard of care. Her commitment to community service is further demonstrated by her role as Secretary on the Board of Directors for First US Community Credit Union.
Vasantha holds an MBA from California State University, Sacramento, CA and a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutics from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. She is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a member of the Advisory Committee for the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching Program at Mesa College in San Diego, CA.
Her personal journey as a cancer survivor provides her with unique insights into patient care, which will be invaluable as Snowline Health expands its mission to include healthcare services for the elderly.

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