Mendocino Coast

Community Board

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Jason Wells

Chairman of the Board, Chief Consumer and Innovation Officer

Jason Wells served as the President of Adventist Health Mendocino Coast, Adventist Health Ukiah Valley and Adventist Health Howard Memorial and has since become the Chief Consumer and Innovation Officer for Adventist Health in Roseville at the system office.

Jason has served as president of Adventist Health Howard memorial since March 2017. Jason’s role is to serve as the senior executive at Adventist Health working with our healthcare and community partner in Mendocino County. Jason’s role has been to work with our healthcare and community partner in Mendocino County and continues to do so through his role on the board.

Previous to this role, he was the Chief Operating Officer for Physician Enterprise and Vice President at Park Ridge Health in North Carolina, one of Adventist Health System's 46 community medical centers in the U.S.

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Judson Howe

President - Adventist Health in Mendocino County

Judson Howe serves as the President for Adventist Health in Mendocino County, leading our three hospitals Adventist Health Howard Memorial, Ukiah Valley and Mendocino Coast, as well as our medical offices and other services throughout the county.

Judson has been serving as the finance and strategy officer for the three hospitals in Mendocino County for the last year, after leading finance and strategy for Adventist Health Howard Memorial since 2016. He brings more than 15 years of experience in healthcare finance and strategy to this role. Under his leadership, Adventist Health improved access to care in Mendocino County by bringing in new physicians, enhanced coordination of care and synergy across three hospitals and invested in much-needed equipment and facility upgrades.

Judson is a Certified Public Accountant and has a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Accounting from California State University - San Bernardino.

Judson is passionate about community wellness and well-being and caring for the community beyond the four walls of the hospital and addressing the social determinants of health.

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Judy Leach

Administrator - Adventist Health in Mendocino County

Judy Leach serves as the administrator for Adventist Health Mendocino Coast. Judy has more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, including nearly 15 years with Adventist Health.

Judy most recently served as communications executive for the organization’s 22 hospitals and hundreds of clinics. Prior to that role, Leach led strategy execution for Adventist Health’s urban and rural hospitals and clinics in Oregon, Washington and Hawaii while serving as vice president for strategic planning and communications.

An avid lifelong learner, she holds a master’s degree in Management and Organizational Leadership from Warner Pacific University. She and her young adult children call the Mendocino Coast home.

Board Members

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Zoe Berna, MD

A family medicine physician, Dr. Berna was born and raised on the Coast. After completing her residency, she worked for Sutter for 12 years. She returned to the North Coast in 2016 and has been caring for our community ever since at our Adventist Health Medical Office (formerly North Coast Family Health Center).

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Nancy Bennett 

A long-term resident and small business owner on the Coast. She is the co-owner and operator of Cowlick’s Ice Cream and Subway Sandwiches in Fort Bragg and Willits. Bennett has been a small business owner for over 20 years.

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Benjamin “Buzz” Graham, MD

A retired internist who cared for our community for 35 years. Graham established the hospitalist program at MCDH and was also the hospital’s medical director for many years.

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Jessica Grinberg

A long-term resident and business owner on the Coast. She owns Align Orthotics and Prosthetics which provides services throughout the county and beyond. She is also on the Mendocino Unified School District Board and the Mendocino Coast District Hospital Board, where she is the president.

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Suzanne Hewitt, FNP

A current faculty member at the Mendocino College Nursing program, she brings over 39 years of nursing experience to the board. She also cared for patients as a nurse practitioner, including at the North Coast Family Health Center.

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Jim Hurst

Served as the Director of Research for the California State Assembly from 1974 to 1978. He was also the co-founder for the Coast Youth Soccer League, Botanical Gardens Preservation Corporation, and the Hospital Foundation. He served on the Mendocino Coast Recreation District Board for three years and the Fort Bragg School District Board for 18.

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Steve Lund

His professional career has ranged from teacher to principal and superintendent with service in five different school districts over a 37-year period. Although he officially retired in 2008, he has remained active in the community to secure funding for two school bonds, our recreation center and the hospital.

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Mary Kate Mckenna

The executive director for the Mendocino Coast Healthcare Foundation. She has over 20 years of experience in non-profit administration, finance and operations within private, public and non-profit organizations.

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Tabatha Miller

The City Manager for City of Fort Bragg since 2018. Prior to moving to Fort Bragg, Miller worked as the Administrative Services Director for Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

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William Miller, MD

Serves as the Medical Director for the hospital as well as the Chief of Medical Staff. He was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP) in honor of his contributions to developing hospitalist medicine in California where he started six hospitalist programs. He has been working as a hospitalist at the hospital and played a significant role in achieving community support for our affiliation with Adventist Health.

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Robin Serrahn, MD

The Medical Director for the hospital’s Emergency Department for five years. He worked at Saint Anthony Free Medical Clinic in San Francisco for 12 years serving as medical director for more than a decade.

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Thomas Wajnert

A financial services pioneer, having launched his career with US Leasing. He founded AT&T Capital Corporation where he served for many years as CEO and Chairman. He was also a founding trustee of the Naples Winter Wine Festival (the nation’s largest charity wine auction) and served for several years as a trustee of the Adventist Health St Helena Foundation.

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Rebecca Walker

Currently serves as the superintendent for the Fort Bragg Unified School District. She has been an educator since 1994 and has taught at College of the Redwoods, Fort Bragg Middle School and Fort Bragg High School (FBHS). She began her administrative career in 2008 as the FBHS assistant principal and became the principal in 2011.