About Us
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The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) advances health equity in behavioral health outcomes of marginalized communities throughout San Mateo County. ODE works to empower communities; influence policy and system changes; develop strategic and meaningful partnerships; and promote workforce development and transformation within the County’s behavioral health service system.
Meet Our Staff
Maria Lorente- Foresti
She/ Her/ Hers
Office of Diversity and Equity Director
mlorente-foresti@smcgov.org
Doris Estremera
She/ Her/ Hers
Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Manager
destremera@smcgov.org
Doris is the Mental Health Service Act (MHSA) Manager for San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services providing oversight to the MHSA planning, stakeholder engagement, reporting and evaluation activities. Doris began working for San Mateo County Health in 2003 as an Outreach Worker and has since led strategic planning projects in language access, cultural competence, youth development, public information and risk communication, social marketing, community engagement and partnerships in health policy work.
Camille Hicale
She/ Her/ Hers
Office Specialist
chicale@smcgov.org
Camille provides administrative and office support for ODE. She brings 10 years of experience as a former San Francisco Unified School District educator. Born and raised in San Mateo, Camille is grateful to be part of a team whose work empowers the diverse communities throughout the County.
Charo Martinez Resendiz
Ella/ She/ Her
Peer Support Worker
mmartinezresendiz@smcgov.org | 650-542-1447
Frances Lobos
She/ Her/ Ella
Community Health Planner
flobos@smcgov.org
Frances coordinates the Parent Project, a program that helps families build stronger relationships. She is also a Co-Chair of the Latino Collaborative, which is dedicated to reducing social and health disparities in the Latino community. She is passionate about preventive programs and expanding access to health care for vulnerable communities.
Irene Pham
She/ Her/ Hers
Community Program Specialist I
irpham@smcgov.org | (650) 573-2637
With a strong belief in the importance of community and celebration of diverse cultures, Irene is grateful to be a team member of the Office of Diversity and Equity. She will be supporting different areas of ODE including the WET team, MHSA planning and various HEI activities. Irene has received her Master in Public Health from the University of Southern California and maintains her certification as a health education specialist (CHES). She values integrative and individualized care, prevention, and cultural humility especially as we continuously learn and grow from the communities we serve.
Kai Thornton
He/She/They
Program Coordinator II
kthornton1@smcgov.org
Kai is one of the program coordinators of ODE. They work to directly review and update the Multi-Cultural Development Plan as well as supporting the sub-committees with resources and education regarding equitable practices. Kai comes to the county with over 6 years of direct case management, BHRS documentation training, and trauma informed care experience in the San Mateo County. A southern California transplant; They have a love for cats and horror movies and received their psychology degree at Cal State East Bay in Hayward.
Kristie Lui
She/ Her/ 她
Community Program Specialist I
kflui@smcgov.org
Kristie supports a variety of ODE programs and projects as well as the production of several ODE resources with the intention of building inclusion and cultural humility practices in the San Mateo County. She also oversees ODE Communications to bring discussions of inequities, disparities and injustice in ODE’s work. Kristie received her B.S. in Community Health Science from California State University, East Bay.
Maria Martinez
She/Her/Ella
Health Education Associate
msmartinez@smcgov.org | 650-372-6157
Maria is committed to advancing health equity by supporting community empowerment programs, such as the Parent Project and the Health Ambassador Program. She is passionate about partnering with our community members in their journey to enhance their mental well-being, overall health, and quality of life. Maria’s guiding principles include her beliefs in prevention, holistic care, and the connection of mind, body, and soul.
Nicoletta (Nica) Kelleher
She/ Her/ Hers
Program Coordinator II
nkelleher@smcgov.org
Nica’s main responsibility is to coordinate the Parent Project, a program targeted help teach parents and/or caregivers ways to strengthen and improve relationships with their children through a series of parenting skills and practices. Nica also supports other community programs, such as the Health Ambassador and Storytelling/Photovoice Programs. In an effort to pursue her passion for equity in mental health that considers marginalized groups, she received her B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Ethnic Studies at the University of Oregon.
Sylvia Tang
She/ Her/ 她
Community Health Planner
Stigma Discrimination Reduction
Suicide Prevention
Evaluation Support
stang@smcgov.org | 650-578-7165
Committed to advancing health equity, Sylvia focuses on building coalitions that cultivate self love, community empowerment and social justice. Her main areas of work are stigma discrimination reduction (of mental health and substance use issues), suicide prevention and evaluation support. She co-chairs the Suicide Prevention Committee and Mental Health Awareness Month Planning Committee. She is also a member of the Chinese Health Initiative. She has a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Public Health from UC Berkeley and Master in Public Policy (MPP) from Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Her passions also include singing, making photo books and being civically engaged.
Twila Dependahl
She/ Her/ Hers
Program Coordinator II
Tdependahl@smcgov.org
Twila manages and coordinates early intervention community trainings, including Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) for Adult, Youth and Teen and Be Sensitive, Be Brave (BSBB) for Mental Health and BSBB for Suicide Prevention. As the Suicide Prevention Program Coordinator, Twila assists with the implementation of the County’s Suicide Prevention Roadmap, Coalition Committee, partnership development with key stakeholders, such as cities, schools, transportation agencies and community based organizations. Twila received her BA in Combination Social Science from the University of CA Santa Barbara and MPA in Human Resources Management from the College of Notre Dame.