CEUs: RCFE, NAB, BRN
Join us for an engaging and educational discussion with legislative leaders to address key policy topics impacting older adults and the providers who support them. This session will explore current legislative priorities, challenges in delivering care services, and strategies for addressing the affordable housing needs of older adults. Gain a forward-looking perspective on the legislative agenda for 2025 and discover how these developments will shape the future of aging services. Attendees will leave with actionable insights to navigate and advocate effectively in this evolving landscape.

Presented by:
Michael McHale, President and CEO, St. Paul's Senior Homes and Services (Moderator)
Healthcare leader with over eighteen years of proven experience in hospice care, palliative care and senior healthcare services. Direct experience in operational and fiscal management, strategic planning, market development and program growth. Demonstrated success in leading organizations to financial health through the creation of operational efficiencies, innovative care delivery, and strategic partnerships. Consistently successful in developing, coordinating and implementing programs to enhance the quality of care, as well as positioning the organization for leadership excellence in the community. Outstanding communication, presentation, negotiation and leadership skills.

Cory Jackson, Assemblymember, California State Assembly
Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson, DSW, MSW, was elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2022 to represent the 60th Assembly District. In 2023, he chaired the Human Services Committee and currently serves as the chair of Budget Subcommittee No. 2 on Human Services. Assemblymember Jackson served on the Riverside County Board of Education in 2020 and represented portions of the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, Perris, and the unincorporated community of Mead Valley. He also served as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of SBX Youth and Family Services whose mission is to break the cycle of poverty and violence through mentoring, education, and community organizing. The organization was instrumental in a historic settlement of a lawsuit against the unconstitutional Youth Accountability Team (YAT) program in Riverside County that treated thousands of youths — especially those of color — like criminals for minor adolescent misbehaviors, the county agreed to groundbreaking measures.

CEUs: RCFE, NAB, BRN, HRCI
The health care industry is constantly evolving, bringing with it changes to the laws and regulations that shape employer practices. Staying informed on the latest updates in California employment law is essential for health care employers to maintain compliance and foster equitable workplaces. This session delves into the most recent legal developments, including health care minimum wage adjustments and the reform of the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Participants will also gain insights from HR experts on addressing workforce challenges and implementing equity policies to create inclusive environments.

Presented by:
Marina Servantez Director of DEI and Social Impact Initiatives, LeadingAge California (Moderator)
Marina is LeadingAge California’s Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Social Impact Initiatives. Marina has worked across several different industries throughout the state focusing on education efforts, DEI initiatives, and advocacy. Marina enjoys leading organizations and people through conversations to help find solutions to issues and to realize the importance of bringing equity efforts forward. Marina has worked for various associations serving local governments for the past 7 years. Marina also volunteers as the Treasurer for the board of the Latino Center of Art and Culture in Sacramento.

Jennifer Farrelly, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Director – HR Consulting & Outsourcing, CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP)
Jennifer Farrelly is a dynamic California employment law professional with 25 years’ experience successfully partnering with business owners & leadership teams to unlock the potential of their organizations through innovative people solutions. Jennifer is an inventive paradox negotiator and culture & change champion with a proven record of delivering results for clients by expertly creating customized talent strategies aligned with strategic business goals. She leverages a deep understanding of the latest HR technologies and trends, leading successful implementation projects that positively impact the bottom line. With a blend of in-house and consultative experience across a myriad of industries, Jennifer is known for her experience managing complex people and changing issues that come with start-ups, turnarounds, mergers & acquisitions, and reorganizations. Jennifer’s unique blend of innovative, strategic thinking and clear, direct approach has made her a sought-after consultant for companies looking to optimize their people and talent practices. She has a keen eye for identifying key talent gaps and collaborates closely with clients to develop and implement effective solutions that drive business success.

Diane O’Malley, Senior Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP
Diane is a senior partner in the Labor and Employment Section. Her practice concentrates exclusively on representing employers mainly in the senior living and public transit industries. Diane has extensive experience in every aspect of the employment relationship and counsels’ clients on the liabilities that could arise from that relationship. Some of the areas in which she has experience in federal, state and agency forums include wrongful termination, discrimination, background checks, battery, misrepresentation, retaliation, negligent hiring, harassment, privacy, and wage disputes. She also drafts policies and procedures to protect her clients from legal exposure. As Co-Chair of the Class Action Practice Group, Diane has developed skillfulness in state and federal courts and before the California Labor Commissioner and U.S. Department of Labor in wage-and-hour claims, including overtime, off-the clock, meal and rest breaks, bonus calculations, business expense reimbursements, wage statement and audits.

Cory Fish, Human Resources Director, St. Paul's Senior Homes and Services
Cory has been the HR Director for St. Paul Senior Services since January 2017. He has over 20 years of HR experience and 10 years in executive leadership in HR. Cory has overall responsibility for all aspects of HR, including HR strategic initiatives, HR systems, benefits management, employee relations, and recruitment and retention of our company’s talented employees.Cory’s signature accomplishment at St. Paul’s is the implementation and management our HRIS, Dayforce. Dayforce drastically improved the efficiency of payroll processing and all aspects of employee data management. Since the Dayforce inception in April 2018, SPSS HR Department is proud to be a paperless department. Dayforce has consolidated multiple, highly inefficient, processes into a single system. These modules include payroll, time & attendance, benefits, recruiting, document management, compensation, performance, and most recently, learning.

Shacasey Rogers, Senior VP of Human Resources, HumanGood
Shacasey Rogers serves as Senior Vice President of Human Resources at HumanGood. Ms. Rogers is responsible for leading HumanGood’s overall people strategy, including talent acquisition and retention, leadership development, compensation and benefits, people operations, and team member relations. Ms. Rogers’ background is a unique combination of law and human resources. Previously, she practiced law as in-house counsel for many years, including advising executive leadership on employee relations matters and employment law, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and contracting.

CEUs: None
In the 2025 Housing Policy Update, LeadingAge California's Assistant Director of Housing Policy, Harrison Linder, alongside LeadingAge California's contract housing lobbyist, Rebecca Marcus, will provide a comprehensive overview of state level policy affecting affordable senior housing providers, and LeadingAge California advocacy efforts on behalf of affordable senior housing providers. They will discuss legislative and regulatory changes from the previous year as well as potential changes they anticipate in the upcoming year. They will also discuss LeadingAge California sponsored legislation to benefit affordable senior housing providers.

Presented by:
Rebecca Marcus, Founder and President, RMarcus Government Strategies
Rebecca Marcus, Founder and President: Rebecca is a registered lobbyist who has demonstrated her expertise in state and national politics and policymaking for over 25 years. She has achieved major legislative and budget victories for her clients across a diverse set of industry areas including resources, consumer protection and gun violence prevention. Prior to running her own advocacy firm, Rebecca served as Chief of Staff to three powerful California State Assemblymembers who chaired the Committees on Judiciary, Human Services, Revenue & Taxation, and the Environmental Caucus. She is known by many in the State Capitol and other forums as a technical expert, an effective negotiator, and a pragmatic problem solver. Before her time in Sacramento, Rebecca worked to elect members of Congress in Washington, D.C. Rebecca earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego.

Harrison Linder, Assistant Director of Housing Policy, LeadingAge California
Harrison Linder is the Assistant Director of Housing Policy at LeadingAge California where he advocates for state policy that benefits affordable senior housing. He has worked for LeadingAge California for the past two years. Prior to joining LeadingAge California, he worked in the office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier.

Meghan Rose, General Counsel & Chief Government Affairs Officer, LeadingAge California
Meghan Rose joined LeadingAge California in 2014. As General Counsel, Ms. Rose serves as in-house legal counsel for the organization. In her role as Director of Housing Policy, Ms. Rose’s chief responsibilities include advocating in the State Legislature and working with regulatory agencies to help expand affordable and service enriched housing to California’s most vulnerable seniors. Ms. Rose also oversees the Association’s social impact initiatives, including California Integrated Care at Home and the LeadingAge California Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative. Prior to joining LeadingAge California, Ms. Rose worked as a civil litigator in construction defect, and insurance coverage and bad faith. She started her career as an Executive Fellow in the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. She has also held fellowships in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety, the Leon Panetta Institute for Public Policy, and the Santa Clara County Counsel’s Office.

CEUs: RCFE, NAB, BRN
Gain a deep understanding of the Governor’s 2025 policy priorities and their implications for older adults and the aging services sector. This session will explore how the Governor and his Administration plan to address critical issues such as the workforce crisis, affordable housing, and access to long-term services and supports. Additionally, we will examine how these priorities align with California’s budget constraints and evolving federal policies under the incoming Administration. Participants will also gain insight into ongoing advocacy efforts aimed at making older adults a key focus across all state agencies. This discussion is vital for anyone invested in shaping policy and driving solutions that directly impact older adults and their families.

CEUs: RCFE, NAB, BRN
In this session, attendees will learn about financial viability, regulatory oversight, and the evolving needs of older adults as they relate to CCRCs. Specifically, attendees will learn how the Continuing Care Contracts Bureau (CCCB) is examining CCRCs’ financial positions and what financial and operational trends the CCCB is seeing, learn how the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Social Services work together to assist providers in ironing out CCRC specific issues, receive guidance on encountering surveyors from various entities unfamiliar with CCRCs, and learn insights on trends, such as adaptability and innovation, that will ensure the success of CCRCs over time.

Presented by:
Chelsea Driscoll, Division Chief of Public Policy and Prevention, California Department of Public Health, Center for Health Care Quality
Chelsea has served in various positions within the Center for 10 years, most recently as the Policy and Enforcement Branch Chief. Chelsea has 20 years of experience in legislative and public policy development in a variety of policy areas including health care, social services and public safety.

Deidre Schonfeldt, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP
Deidré Schönfeldt is an attorney at Hanson Bridgett in the Health and Senior Care Section and has been counseling senior care and housing providers for over 25 years. She specializes in the senior care and housing area, representing assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, multilevel communities, skilled nursing facilities, and other health care facilities. Deidre has presented at several senior care and housing provider conferences, including LeadingAge CA and CALA.Deidré has a dynamic and diversified health and senior care practice that includes representation of continuing care retirement communities, multilevel communities, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and health care facilities. She has expertise in new facility developments and expansions, conversions, corporate structuring, regulatory compliance, licensing, Medicare and Medi-Cal certification, contract drafting, operational matters, federal and state fraud and abuse laws, Medicare and Medi-Cal reimbursement, HIPAA compliance, data security and breaches, corporate governance, and business structuring.

Mary McMullin, Chief Advancement Officer, Front Porch
Since joining Front Porch in 2017, Mary has focused on the revenue and quality aspects of senior living with responsibility for marketing, sales, philanthropy, communications, quality, risk, compliance, and resident experience. Prior to Front Porch, Mary was president of New Life Management & Development, a consulting and development firm with national clientele. At New Life, Mary worked on the successful greenfield development of over two dozen communities along with supporting dozens of communities in their marketing, strategy, and management efforts. Prior to New Life, Mary had worked for Spring point Senior Living and LeadingAge in the development of standards and outreach for the CCAC. She received her B.A. from Drew University and is a frequent speaker at state and national conferences on senior living.

Shelly Grace, Assistant Branch Chief – CDSS/CCLD Field Support Program, California Department of Social Services
Shelly has worked for the State of California for over 25 years. She started her State career in the Department of Developmental Services, serving at two State Developmental Centers with diverse Regional Center served populations. Shelly has been with the Department of Social Services in the Community Care Licensing division for 11 years and has vast experience in CCLD as a Licensing Program Analyst, Licensing Program Manager as well as a Regional Manager. Shelly now oversees the Field Support Program which includes the Centralized Application Bureau, Program Clinical Consultants, Field Support Unit and the Continuing Care Contracts Bureau.

Calvin Groeneweg RN, C-AL, CPASRM, VP of Risk Management and Clinical Services, Sequoia Living
Certified Professional in Aging Services Risk Management (CPASRM) and a Registered Nurse (RN) with more than 40 years of clinical and administrative experience. Calvin Groeneweg joined Sequoia Living as Director of Risk Management in January 2012. He oversights three CCRC (continuing care retirement communities) affordable housing services, and their community services programs relating to risk mitigation, claims, and helps with operational issues/concerns. He does risk assessment, audits, and works annually on CARF accreditation standards for the CCRC’s. Calvin was promoted in October 2022 to Vice President of Risk Management and Clinical Services. Calvin is in charge of the risk management program, along with the clinical services offered at four Bay Area Life Plan Communities. The risk management department is responsible for investigating, finding solutions, and implementing changes when a fall or injury occurs. Cal began his career as an RN working for a hospital in the ICU and open-heart units. Mr. Groeneweg also carries the designation of Certified Assisted Living Nurse (C-AL). He worked at Summit Medical Center of Oakland in Critical Care/Cardiopulmonary Unit, Nursing Administration, Staffing, and Admissions and for the prior 21 years had operated a 44 bed Residential Care Facility for the Elderly in Napa, CA that was dedicated to serving the needs of those with Dementia where he became first an insured of CCRRG.

CEUs: RCFE, NAB, BRN
This session provides a comprehensive overview of the HCBS Gap Analysis and Multi-Year Roadmap projects, focusing on their goals, progress, and implications for Medi-Cal and non-Medi-Cal Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). Participants will learn about the role of DHCS and CDA, updates from stakeholder listening sessions, and strategies to address service gaps, improve equity, and enhance integration into Medi-Cal managed care. The session will also highlight feedback from consumers and stakeholders on the benefits and challenges of HCBS, including recommendations for improving communication, access, and provider training. Attendees will gain insight into the ongoing development of the Multi-Year Roadmap and its alignment with federal and state efforts to improve outcomes for older adults and people with disabilities. This discussion is essential for professionals advocating for stronger HCBS infrastructure and equity in service delivery.

Presented by:
Sarah Steenhausen, Deputy Director of Aging Policy, Research and Equity, CDA
Sarah Steenhausen serves as Deputy Director of the Division of Policy, Research and Equity at the California Department of Aging. In this role, she collaborates with state departments and stakeholders in developing policy and research impacting older adults, people with disabilities and family caregivers to advance system change and realize the goals of California’s Master Plan for Aging. Previously, Sarah served as Director of Policy and Advocacy at The SCAN Foundation where she focused on working towards policy solutions to improve the system of care serving older adults and their family caregivers. Sarah began her policy career in 2001 as a Consultant to the California State Senate Subcommittee on Aging and Long-Term Care. After her tenure in Legislature, she served as Assistant Secretary for Long Term Care at the California Health and Human Services Agency, and later as Assistant Director for Strategic Planning at the Department of Developmental Services.

Joseph Billingsley, Assistant Deputy Director, DHCS
Joseph Billingsley is the Assistant Deputy Director, Integrated Systems of Care, of Health Care Delivery Systems at DHCS. He has been with the California Department of Health Care Services since 2006, starting off as an Associate Governmental Program Analyst and working his way up. In this capacity, he oversees programs designed to integrate and coordinate care for individuals with complex health needs, ensuring they receive comprehensive and effective services. His role involves policy development, program implementation, and collaboration with various stakeholders to enhance health care delivery across the state.

CEUs: RCFE, NAB, BRN
Explore the transformative initiatives being led by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) as they shape the future of care for older adults in 2025 and beyond. This session will provide an update on groundbreaking programs like CalAIM, which strives for a person-centered, equitable Medi-Cal system; the Justice Involved Initiative, expanding Medi-Cal eligibility for incarcerated individuals; and BH-CONNECT, enhancing behavioral health services for vulnerable populations. Attendees will gain insight into how these efforts, alongside other critical programs, address service availability, equity, integration, and system accountability. Additionally, the session will explore collaborative strategies to build more inclusive, transparent, and efficient care systems to support California’s aging population.

Presented by:
Jennifer Troia, Director, California Department of Social Service
Jennifer Troia was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom as the Director of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) in October of 2024. In this role, she leads a team of more than 5,500 employees serving more than 7 million Californians in the largest Department in the California Health and Human Services Agency. Ms. Troia joined CDSS in January 2020 and previously served as Chief Deputy Director overseeing the Child Care and Development Division, Children and Family Services Division, and the Family Engagement and Empowerment Division.Director Troia has worked in social services including as an attorney, for the legislature, and for the Department of Social Services, with more than 20 years of experience working on programs serving children, adults, and families and is deeply passionate about CDSS’ mission to serve, aid, and protect those most in need. Prior to her work at CDSS, she served in various capacities in the California Legislature from 2008-2019. Before that, she started her career as an attorney and advocate for children and youth in foster care. She has programmatic and budget expertise in a wide array of social services programs including CalWORKs, CalFRESH, Child Welfare, In-Home Supportive Services, and licensing.

Michelle Baass, Director, California Department of Health Care Services
Michelle Baass was appointed Director of the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) by Governor Gavin Newsom on September 10, 2021. DHCS supports the health of about 14 million Californians on Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. Ms. Baass leads a team of more than 4,800 individuals at DHCS. Before her appointment to DHCS, Ms. Baass served as Undersecretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency (Agency) since 2018 and Deputy Secretary of the Office of Program and Fiscal Affairs at Agency from 2017 to 2018. Prior to joining Agency, she worked for the California Legislature for 13 years, including in positions at the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Senate Office of Research, and Legislative Analyst’s Office.