Dr. Harrison Alter, Board President
Harrison Alter, MD, MS, FACEP retired as Interim Medical Director of Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless in California in 2021. He was previously Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine and Alameda Health System, and an attending physician in the emergency department at AHS-Highland Hospital. He is a Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Alter's primary current role is as Founding Director and Director of Research of the Andrew Levitt Center for Social Emergency Medicine (levittcenter.org), a nonprofit research and advocacy institute. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Alter was on the faculty of emergency medicine at the University of Washington and its Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, and served also for several years as an emergency physician for the Navajo Nation. Dr. Alter received his medical degree from UCSF, his Master’s in Health and Medical Sciences from UC Berkeley, and was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar at the University of Washington. He is a graduate of Brown University, with a concentration in Comparative Literature
Karie Dewan, Treasurer
Karie Dewan, CPA, brings to Cardea Health over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit financial and accounting field. Karie most recently served as the CFO at the Stupski Foundation, a private family foundation dedicated to community change, where she served as a key member of the leadership team, responsible for the development of Foundation’s financial management strategy, oversight of internal operations, and the development of the organization’s strategic goals. Karie began her career in public accounting with KPMG and then moved to private industry working for a publishing company and internet startup. When she arrived in the Bay Area in early 2000’s, she was inspired to apply her skills to support positive social change and began working with nonprofits and foundations to help support their social impact missions. Karie and her family have now lived in the Alameda County for two decades and is dedicated to the community she calls home.
Lenore McDonald Gunst, Member at Large
Lenore McDonald is a professional advocate and ebullient fundraiser. Lenore raises critical funds to enable frail seniors to live independently in their communities for as long as possible and brings the voice and needs of older adults to the attention of funders and elected officials. As the Director of Fund Development and Government Relations for Center for Elders’ Independence (CEI) in Oakland for 10 years, Lenore leads the organization’s PACE and Supportive Housing initiative to support homeless and at-risk individuals by enrolling them in CEI’s Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), a Medicare managed care program specifically for older adults with complex health needs. She was responsible for CEI’s role in Project Room Key in Alameda County during the COVID-19 pandemic. Lenore has presented about PACE & Supportive Housing for the American Society on Aging, National PACE Association, and has co-produced seven Bay Area Senior Health Policy Forums with On Lok, providing non-profit and government leaders to collaborate about policies that will advance the needs of older adults in California.
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Brandi Taliano, Member at Large
Brandi Taliano is a dedicated and fearless director for Five Keys, a Bay Area non-profit dedicated to social justice and reintegration. Brandi has worked closely with Cardea Health to help provide comprehensive social and medical services to a medically frail formerly homeless population in Alameda County. Brandi works on the front line of the fight for social justice, and brings compassion and lived experience to the Cardea Board.