Jennifer Hanley, Executive Director

Jennifer Hanley, a Benicia resident for 34 years, brings with her over 25 years of experience in communications, community service, marketing and executive administration. 

After dedicating nearly a decade in public service as a 911 Dispatcher and Training Officer with the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, Jennifer transitioned into the private sector where she has since held positions in finance, C-level executive office administration, program coordination with Solano Transportation Authority and political campaign management & consulting. She is also an avid community volunteer for various programs and projects.

Ms. Hanley serves on the Board of Directors and is the Chair of Communications for the Village to Village Network, a national nonprofit organization that supports the development and management of nearly 300 Villages nationwide. She also serves on the Solano County Master Plan for Aging Advisory Committee whose purpose it is to guide the development of a culturally inclusive plan for older adults residing in Solano County.

Contact Jennifer via email at [email protected] or via her direct line (707) 742-3376.

Jane Keene, President & Volunteer Services Co-Chair

Jane Keene, a native of Leicester, England, underwent a transatlantic relocation to the United States in 1968 and has been a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area since 1980.

Possessing a Master of Science degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco, Jane is also a graduate of the Lynn Andrews Center for Sacred Arts and Training. She holds the esteemed titles of ordained Minister and Life Coach, demonstrating her commitment to spiritual and personal development.

Contact Jane directly via email at [email protected]. 

Barbara Engdahl, Vice President

Barbara is a native-born Californian who grew up in San Mateo.  After earning an AA degree, she spent almost a year hitchhiking and hosteling in Europe.  She returned to complete her BA at the University of Nevada and soon received an East-West Center scholarship to study Asian philosophy at the University of Hawaii.  There followed a year working in the Philippines capped with her marriage to a fellow EWC grantee. They had two boys, the second of whom arrived while they were working with the Peace Corps in Kathmandu, Nepal!  Coming back to Hawaii and more practical with increasing age, she earned an MSW and began a career in medical social work. For 19 years, she owned an employment agency finding helpers for seniors needing assistance at home.  After she retired, in amongst worldwide travels, she volunteered as a counselor for Compassion and Choices helping pass California's right-to-die law. Altogether she has spent over 40 years working with seniors.  Her work with Carquinez Village extends that commitment.

Jeanne Ekdahl, Board Secretary and Virtual Office Manager

Jeanne was on the steering committee that developed Carquinez Village from the very beginning. She has served as Virtual Office Manager since there was an “office” to set up, and is currently board secretary. Her husband, Lars, was also on the original steering committee.

For the 20 years prior to retirement, she taught critical thinking and writing at CSU East Bay, served as Director of Testing and the University Writing Assessment Program, developed and managed the first mentoring program for graduate English students, worked with the Online Teaching and Learning Program as it started up, and worked with local high schools to develop articulation agreements with colleges. She also has served on the board of Families in Transition of Benicia for more than 10 years. 

She can be reached directly at [email protected].

Gerry Forcier, Board Treasurer

Gerry worked as the executive director of The Arc-Solano, an organization that serves people with developmental/intellectual disabilities, for thirty-nine years. During this time, he was also an active volunteer with a number of organizations. Gerry was a board member of the Affordable Housing Affiliation in Benicia, serving Housing Coalition (NBHC), also in the position of Treasurer. (NBHC serves people with developmental/intellectual disabilities by accessing affordable housing in the Napa, Sonoma, and Solano county catchment areas.) Additionally, Gerry served as the financial secretary of the church council of Benicia’s Community Congregational Church.

Susan Neuhaus, Board Member and Membership Development Chair

Susan Neuhaus, who is a nurse by training, spent over 30 years in healthcare management and leadership, primarily with Kaiser. Her roles included nursing administration, working to advance healthcare policy, and serving as a Continuing Care Leader with oversight for four medical centers. A key to Susan’s success is her passion for learning and change. Despite her workplace demands, she found time to walk three marathons––in Chicago, Alaska, and Hawaii––and complete innumerable half-marathons. Her volunteer service includes commitments to Sustainable Solano, Benicia Public Library, League of Women Voters, AAUW, and Carquinez Village. She also finds time to provide tax preparation assistance and Medicare counseling. Susan and her husband, Mark, moved to Benicia in 2012.

Contact Susan via email at [email protected] 

Linda Chandler, Board Member, Outreach & Development

Linda Chandler began her career as an educator following the completion of her degree and credentialing at UC Irvine. She holds an MBA from JFK University and provided consulting for the Small Business Centers (SBDC) in Contra Costa and Solano counties while also teaching as an adjunct professor for Golden Gate University, Saint Mary’s, and the California Maritime Academy. Employed by Contra Costa County, she served as a strategic planner for Contra Costa’s Workforce Investment Board, she headed up the development of EASTBAY Works, a partnership that services all the East Bay. Linda spearheaded design and technology delivery linkage for fourteen centers, acknowledged for national innovation. She led aggressive grant development and expanded partnerships with industry resulting in millions of new dollars targeted retrain youth and adults. Her present interest is building partnerships and ongoing support for the goals of Carquinez Village.

Contact Linda via email at [email protected]

Helen Hughes, Board Member - Past President

Helen Hughes has had a rich experience living and learning around the world. She lived and taught English in Australia, India, and Spain. She holds a TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) certificate. In India, Helen established a preschool for children of ex-pats. When she returned to the United States, she operated an Airbnb.

Cynthia Hellmuth, Operations: Programs Chair

A University in San Francisco R.N. in Nursing degree formed the foundation for a 40-year career for Cynthia Hellmuth. Cynthia began as a Labor and Delivery nurse, moved on to Newborn and Nursery nursing, and finally shifted into increasingly responsible management positions. Cynthia worked in both public and private hospitals in three counties: San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Solano.  She ended her career in 2016 at Contra Costa Medical Center in Martinez.

Janice Magner, Operations: Member Services Chair

Janice Magner is a woman who knew what she wanted at an early age.  She has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from San Francisco State University and two graduate degrees­, one in Psychology and another in Transpersonal Psychology, from John F. Kennedy University. She obtained her credential in Marriage and Family Therapy in 1986, has had a private practice since that time, and has served as a part-time counselor at Contra Costa Medical Center. Janice continues to lead a women’s group that has been meeting for 43 years.  In her spare time, she is an Arabic drummer.

Kathy Monroe, Operations: Volunteer & Services Co-Chair

Kathy is a native New Englander who moved to Benicia in 2016 after 30 years in New Jersey. She decided in junior high school that she wanted a career understanding and helping others, and that shaped her educational decisions to get a BA in Social Psychology from Boston University, an M. Ed. in Counseling from Harvard, and an MSW in Clinical Social Work from Rutgers. Although she worked with all age groups in a number of mental health settings, her two specialties were teenagers and older adults. Since retiring as a clinical therapist from Carrier Foundation in NJ, she has mentored girls at Liberty High, served on the Board at her church, plays in a Bell choir, volunteers as Membership Chair at Benicia Yacht Club, and walks her dog all over town. She is the current Poet Laureate of Benicia organizing a variety of programs for the Bay Area; her poetry has been published in anthologies, chap books and journals, winning several prizes. 

Contact Kathy and the Volunteer Services Team via email at [email protected]