TARA HOME STEERING COMMITTEE

Nicole MacArgel

Nicole's administrative expertise comes from consulting for two startup companies in San Francisco. As Assistant Controller, she facilitated funding venture capital for a wireless company that was subsequently acquired by Nielsen Mobile. Prior to that, she developed the infrastructure for a high-tech company; hiring and training staff, coordinating business licensing and insurance, and implementing policies and procedures. After a successful corporate career, Nicole moved to Santa Cruz to raise a family, and devote more time to non-profit agencies.

Working with those dying of AIDS in the early 90's was her first exposure to the critical need for compassionate end of life care. So many beautiful lives were dwindling away without the comfort of basic necessities - nutritious food, the dignity of a clean body, gentle human companionship. Nicole has a BA in Russian Studies, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Divinity at UC Berkeley, soon to become a licensed Buddhist Chaplain.

In this age of social entrepreneurship, Nicole is grateful for the opportunity to use her professional experience to help increase the presence of Tara Home in the Santa Cruz community, as well as to ensure the sustainability of this precious service long into the future.

Cybele Lolley, MFT

Cybele Lolley is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Wellness Consultant, Educator and the founding Bereavement Coordinator for the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, California. She is the newly appointed Assistant Director for Tara Home. She has over 15 years of supporting the ill, dying and bereaved at several East Bay agencies. The very practice of being with people during life transitions, witnessing their valuable process and eventual release continues to expand and open her heart. Cybele is a recent transplant to Santa Cruz and is enjoying the beginner’s freshness of it all. Cybele joins the Tara Home volunteer Steering Committee as a member to the Admissions, Volunteer and Fundraising committees.

Lennie Kronisch

Lennie is a Registered Nurse with a Master’s degree in Psychology. Her career has spanned birth to death, with mental health and holistic health included. She has been a childbirth educator and assistant, a psychiatric nurse, was a founder of the Holistic Health Institute in San Francisco and spent the last seven plus years of her employment with Hospice of Santa Cruz County.

After her retirement in 1998, she devoted herself to the development of Tara Home, a guesthouse for terminally ill people at Land of Medicine Buddha in Soquel, providing around-the-clock care by a team of trained volunteers. She also frequently leads Buddhist meditations and talks for Road Scholars (formerly Elderhostel) groups.

Lennie has been a student and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism since 1975, has three children and four grandchildren and lives in Capitola.

In 2005, she was personally honored by H.H.Dalai Lama as an 'Unsung Hero of Compassion' for her work in creating Tara Home.

Rama Khlasa, Ph.D.

Rama is a psychologist and has worked in public mental health and health care for 35 years. She is currently the County Health Director and has focused on improving care to the uninsured and underinsured residents of the County. She has been a long term supporter of quality end of life care and experiences and serves doing direct care as well as providing support to the Steering Committee for Tara Home.

Renee Robison, MSW

Renee Robison is a Health Services Manager with the County of Santa Cruz Health Services Agency's Homeless Persons Health Project (HPHP). At HPHP, Renee manages the Coral Street Homeless Clinic and Dispensary, as well as three case management teams providing medical care, mental health services, substance use treatment, and supportive housing to homeless individuals in Santa Cruz County.

She also supervises benefits advocacy and payee services for HPHP and will manage the new Recuperative Care Center for homeless individuals being discharged from the hospital. Prior to joining HPHP in 2003, Renee worked for the County's Human Services Division as the Social Work Supervisor for the Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) and the Social Work Supervisor for CalWORKs, the County's welfare-to-work program.

Before her work with the County, Renee was the Director of Social Work at Elderday Adult Day Health Care Center and the Director of the Senior Companion/Foster Grandparent Programs of Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties. Renee has served on the board of directors of the Alzheimer's Association, where she was the chair of the Education Committee, and on the board of directors of Community Bridges. Renee obtained a Masters in Social Welfare from the University of California at Berkeley with a focus in management and planning and gerontology.

Renee is an original member of the Tara Home Steering Committee and is the lead for Tara Home Admissions. She has been a practicing Buddhist in the Tibetan tradition since 1983.

Majel Jordan

Majel Jordan is a founding memeber of Tara Home. She has worked in the human services field in Santa Cruz County for over 35 years, beginning in 1974 as a grant writer and program developer with the Community Action Board. She then began working with and developing programs in the field of aging and in 1981 was the founding director of Elderday Adult Day Health Center. In 1992 she founded The Gardens Residential Care Facility that was designed especially for elders with Alzheimer’s disease and those with mental health problems. Both Elderday and The Gardens received national recognition from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Alzheimer’s Association for quality and innovation.

Over the years Majel has served on many community boards and commissions, all which are designed to provide services to those in need in our community. She is the past president of the Community Bridges Board of Directors and currently serves as Treasurer of that board.

The most wonderful and deeply inspiring work Majel currently performs is her work with Tara Home. She serves on the Steering Committee, Chairs the Operations Committee and volunteers as a caregiver for all who come to Tara Home at the end of their life. This is the most challenging and rewarding work in a long career of human services activities.

Neil Christopherson

Neil Christopherson has worked as a Tara Home volunteer for many years and has helped provide leadership and creativity to many of the administrative and management aspects of the program. He currently assists with outreach and financial development for this important end of life project and also serves on the Board of Tara Redwood School at Land of Medicine Buddha.

Alicia Kennedy, RN

Alicia Kennedy, RN was one of the founding members of Tara Home and has served as a lead helping the admissions committee, scheduling and training of volunteers. She has spent her career in the field of nursing in a variety of settings and has supported the core services for Tara Home with dedication, creativity, and wonderful clinical skills.

Truus Philipsen

Truus Philipsen is a founding member of Tara Home and leader in the Steering Committee. She has assisted in all aspects of the program and has provided back up and oncall services to make sure all residents and volunteers are well supported in their stay at Tara Home. She coordinates support activities and issues with Land of Medicine Buddha Directors and their staff. She also is the lead for the financial coordination of Tara Home and numerous activities to insure each individual has their unique and special requirements met during their stay.

Revision date: 01/31/11