The Board of a non-profit represents the community served by the organization, as well as the wider community. Without the perspective of the Board, the organization operates in an echo chamber. Coming Home Connection is indebted to the committed service of our all-volunteer Board of Directors.
President
Sierra is the HUGS Program Supervisor and HUGS Case Manager the H.U.G.S. program at the Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. In this role, she works with individuals who have co-occurring behavioral health and addiction issues, and with those who are disproportionately affected by the social determinants of health. Sierra developed our Health Navigation program while interning at Coming Home Connection for two years. She is a certified End of Life Doula, and has extensive volunteer experience providing case management and psychosocial support to complex populations with the Santa Fe Mutual Aid Network.
Vice President
Elaine is a retired clinical social worker who understands the power of strategic program development to address the needs of the targeted populations. Her career began in Cincinnati, where she established a Youth Service Bureau in an urban Appalachian community, developing innovative programs while providing counseling services to young people. She later moved to Kansas City and worked in residential treatment programs until 1982, followed by 20 years in private practice. In 2011, Elaine and her wife Barb Radov, also a clinical social worker, moved to Santa Fe. They opened their private practice in 2011 and retired in 2019. Elaine has been a member of Zia Singers, a women’s choral group, since 2012 and has held several leadership positions as a board member and Chorus President. Elaine earned a Bachelor’s of Social Work from the University of Cincinnati and a Master’s of Social Work from Washington University, underscoring her dedication to her field and her commitment to professional excellence.
Owen has been involved with home health care and hospice in Santa Fe for almost 40 years. In 1978 he became a caregiver with Open Hands in Santa Fe which led to him becoming a home health aide for the Visiting Nurses Hospice and to earning a nursing degree and certification as a counselor and chaplain. He helped found The Hospice Center in Santa Fe in 1991. He met Coming Home Connection founder Glenys Carl when she first came to Santa Fe, and they collaborated on grief counseling over the years including at Casa Cielo at The Montecito. Owen retired in 2020 and is delighted to be serving on the board of Coming Home Connection to support its caregiving work in the community.
Secretary
Shanna embodies the Santa Fe spirit of community, exploration and compassion. She is currently an associate broker with Real, following her tenure with Keller Williams Realty. She has worked in event planning, massage therapy, and local retail at a downtown jewelry store , where she represented over 50 local artists. She continues her work as a silversmith and jeweler in partnership with the Todas Chicas boutique. Shanna is passionate about animals and community building, volunteering with animal rescue organizations, including one that serves our unhoused community as well as their dogs. Shanna has deep personal experience in the trials – and rewards – of caregiving, having supported her father through many years of serious illness and physical challenges. Santa Fe has been home to Shanna for more than 30 years, and she is pleased to bring her belief in living a joyful life to the Board of Directors.
