Board of Directors

President

Thomas Kwan, PhD | Principal Scientist, Astute Medical Inc.

Tom is the lead data and statistical scientist for Astute Medical Inc., a bioMérieux Company. In his 20+ year career in the in-vitro diagnostic medical device industry, Tom has worked on projects in different arcs of the product development cycle, from early-stage research and development work, to design clinical trials and statistical analysis for global regulatory agencies, and to post-launch product awareness campaigns. Tom has been a passionate supporter and volunteer for Mama’s Kitchen since 2009. Having served 2 consecutive terms previously, he rejoined the board in 2020. However, the most rewarding part of his involvement with Mama’s has been being a delivery driver because he could see firsthand what Mama’s Kitchen means to the clients we serve. He is excited to be a part of the growth and future of Mama’s and its positive impact on the San Diego community. Tom received his Bachelor of Science with Honors at the California Institute of Technology in Chemical Engineering and pursued his Master of Science and PhD also in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University.

Vice-President

Chiara Leroy | Community Health Promotion Specialist, County of San Diego

Born and raised in Anaheim, California to Haitian American parents, Chiara moved to San Diego over 15 years ago to attend San Diego State University. While there, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and began working in stem cell research studying pancreatic cancer and therapy treatments for stroke victims. She later went on to achieve her Master of Public Health from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Some of Chiara’s notable work includes coordinating a medical mission to Haiti in which over 500 patients were treated within three days and conducting ethnobotany research in Ghana to study a plant traditionally used in the treatment of various diseases. Chiara passionately believes that access to adequate health care is a right that everyone deserves regardless of their circumstances. Chiara works for the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA). In the various roles she’s held within HHSA, she helps empower residents to create positive changes in their communities, including currently supporting oversight of operations and administration of the County’s Public Health Lab to increase access for vulnerable communities to needed public health testing. She has a long-standing history that extends over a decade of participating in community-based and national organizations that promote access to health care and S.T.E.M., including serving as a board member.

President-Elect

Caron Calabrese, Esq. | Attorney and CEO, Woodward Law

Caron is an attorney focused on trust and estate litigation, probate, and estate planning.  She also volunteers with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program and has earned the distinguished award for dedicating over 150 hours of service per year. Caron also serves the legal community by serving as Editor of the North County Lawyer magazine and was awarded the Lawyer of the Year from the Bar Association of Northern San Diego County in 2017.  Caron has served on several non-profit boards, including the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus and GSDBA.  Caron first became involved with Mama’s Kitchen in March 2020 when she called to see how she could help during the pandemic. After serving as a volunteer delivery driver twice per week for a year, she saw directly the real impact that these nutritious food deliveries have on our clients and feels passionately about educating the community on our impactful services.

Treasurer

Jeannie Posner, CPA, Esq. | Chief Operating & Financial Officer, San Diego Opera

Jeannie is a highly experienced financial and operations executive having worked in the non-profit and private sectors.  She owned a CPA firm that specialized in non-profit audit engagements and outsourced back-office accounting departments for clients in various industries, acting as her client’s CFO.  In the last 10+ years, Jeannie has worked or volunteered at various non-profit organizations in SD County, almost always as Treasurer or Audit Committee member. She is drawn to the not-for-profit model since the focus is on the organization and relies heavily on collaboration between staff and Board.  She now devotes her time to the SD Opera, as she deeply enjoys working in the performing arts assisting wherever she can to bring the human voice and story to the public.  Jeannie was drawn to Mama’s Kitchen because the organization’s message is so clear — nutrition is basic to everyone’s life and imperative to those who are homebound battling chronic disease and illness.  “I am proud to be a member of the Board of Mama’s, an organization that helps people every day and is consistently expanding its reach to those that need it.”

Secretary

Mike Horn | General Manager, IHF Export Corporation

Michael Horn owns and manages a company involved in the export of food products worldwide.  After completing has MBA, he had a career in business management in large food companies, and eventually started his own company.

He has been involved with Mama’s Kitchen since 2013, is starting his 8^th year on the Board of Directors and has been a volunteer driver delivering meals to Mama’s Kitchen clients for 9 years. He is passionate about Mama’s Kitchen’s mission to improve the lives of people vulnerable to critical illnesses through nutrition.

Member at Large

Richard Moore | Retired, Community Volunteer

Richard Moore is a retired technology executive. After completing a PhD in Astronomy at the U Arizona and a post-doctoral appointment at Caltech, he later became Director of the San Diego division of Photon Research Associates (now subsidiary of Raytheon), and Deputy Director of the UCSD Supercomputer Center. He has supported Mama’s Kitchen since being introduced to the organization by a friend in 2001 and has been a driver volunteer since retiring in 2015 (including Volunteer of the Year in 2018). “I’m very excited about our ‘Food is Medicine’ theme and expanding the ways we can enable positive health outcomes for our clients.”