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Our Team
Meet Our Fantastic Advisory Board!
Cathy Carpenter
Executive Director
As Executive Director of The D Foundation, Cathy brings with her over 30 years of experience in the healthcare and education fields. Her background includes Innovative Program and Fund Development, Collaborative Community Partnerships and Grant writing to help secure funding for educational and non-profit organizations.
Spearheaded a three-year Diabetes Prevention Project at ONE generation in partnership with California State University Northridge. This project included a hands-on approach for everyone to participate through exercise and diet. The World Lifestyle Festival became an annual event for those with Diabetes and those At Risk, using comprehensive support and resources to aid individuals and families affected by diabetes.
Serving on the Vendor Advisory Council for the North Los Angeles Regional Center, a non-profit that provides community-based services to individuals with disabilities, MAPS Charities a community-based organization non-profit and ONE Generation’s Fund Development Committee whose mission is to help families live a healthier life. She was honored to be one of the recipients of the “45 Friends of ONE generation Award in 2023 and is passionate about providing support, resources and aid to individuals and families affected by diabetes
Dr. Justin Houman
Dr. Justin Houman is a urologist and fellowship-trained Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery specialist, whose practice is focused on men’s health, include male hormone management, sexual and ejaculatory dysfunction, male fertility, male incontinence, and Peyronie’s disease. As a minimally-invasive microscopic surgeon, he specializes in microsurgical varicocelectomies, vasectomy reversals, sperm retrievals, penile implants, Peyronie’s disease, and male incontinence. Dr. Houman’s practice is centered on enhancing men’s quality of life through hormone management, improving sexual function, and achieving reproductive goals.
In his academic pursuits, Dr. Houman has published multiple manuscripts on Men’s Health, male fertility, and the health effects of wearable technology. Dr. Houman’s studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Journal of Sexual Medicine. He has also presented his research at the national and international levels.
Dr. Houman was born and raised in Orange County, CA. He completed a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Biomedical Research at the University of California at Los Angeles. He then went on to earn his medical doctorate degree at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. He completed his General Surgery internship and Urology residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Dr. Houman continued his training at UCLA Medical Center, having completed a fellowship in the highly specialized field of Male Reproductive Medicine and Surgery.
Dr. Keith Klein
Dr. Klein is Board Certified in the fields of Internal Medicine and Nephrology.
He completed his internship at John Hopkins Hospital, his residency at Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center. He graduated from the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and is affiliated with numerous hospitals including Cedar-Sinai Medical center.
Dr. Klein specializes in nephrology and has over 53 years of experience in the field of medicine. Dr. Klein has expertise in treating kidney disease, and other areas associated with diabetes.
Dr. Lisa Grod
Ph.D., MS CPG, BCPA, CDCS
Dr. Grod is the owner of LWG & Associates, specializing in Geriatric Care Management, Senior Advocacy, and Healthcare and Compliance consulting. As a licensed skilled nursing home and assisted living administrator, Lisa understands the challenges and complexities facing seniors and their families when they require skilled or assisted living services. As a gerontologist, Lisa uses her skills to identify physical challenges, cognitive levels of impairment, and other dementias, including Alzheimer’s Dementia, with her clients and provides strategies and tools for families and caregivers to interact with those challenging moments with their loved ones. Some of Lisa’s focused consulting services include geriatric care management transitions and caregiver oversight, family education and counseling, and assistance with filing for Medi-Cal (Medicaid), Veterans A & A, and long-term care claims.
As a healthcare and compliance consultant, Lisa has provided leadership training, education, risk management, staffing, operations, and budget oversight for California facilities that struggle to maintain regulatory compliance. The NYSDOH has approved her to assist with similar nursing home challenges.
Lisa earned her Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership and Health and Human Services Leadership from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She holds a Master’s in Gerontology Administration and Health Services Management from the University of La Verne. She is a member of NAPG and earned the title of Credentialed Professional Gerontologist, and she is a Board-Certified Patient Advocate and Certified Dementia Specialist. In 2008, Lisa was Governor’s appointee as the Administrator for the William J. “Pete” Knight Veteran’s Home in Lancaster, CA, using her expertise from opening a new building from the construction phase through licensing, hiring, and resident admissions.
She is a California Association of Long-Term Medicine (CALTCM) member and serves as the Co-Chair of the Public Policy Committee and the LMG Faculty. She is a member of the California Assisted Living Association’s (CALA) Rapid Response Committee. Lisa is a member for Foundation for Senior Services, the Senior Valley Resource Network Group, The Fiduciary Round Table San Gabriel Valley, and the Senior Specialist Group. She has served as a past member of the Area Agency on Aging in Santa Barbara/Ventura County, on the California Council of Gerontology and Geriatrics (CCGG) Policy Committee, and the Southern California Piano Conservatory Foundation (SCPCF) as a Parliamentarian. Other accomplishments include being a Governor’s appointee in 2007 to open and operate the William J. “Pete” Knight Veterans Home. Lisa is a contributor to Forbes Health.
Robel Gugsa
Robel is the business owner and CEO of Andinet Associates LLC. He has over two decades of comprehensive success and growth in technology, operations, and healthcare. In his over two decades as a leader he has been accountable for a $200M+ global organization and hundreds of employees – working to ensure profitability while also advocating and cultivating a friendly, cross-functional environment of high-impact teams.
He has actively built a personal brand as a leader who is laser-focused on cost optimization and process efficiency and is a firm believer in re-investing savings into organizations to develop and grow new, innovative revenue streams. Robel is well-acquainted with strategic partnerships to develop business solutions that enable organizations to flourish in profitability.