Board of Trustees

Meet our dedicated and passionate board

Senior Leadership  |  Program Leadership  |  Board of Trustees  |  Advisory Council

Senior Leadership
Program Leadership
Board of Trustees
Advisory Council

The San Diego Center for Children Board of Trustees is committed to supporting the Vision, Mission and Strategic Goals of the Center. In this leading volunteer role, members bring their talent, expertise and passion, as they personally invest in the success and well-being of our entire San Diego community.

Ann Garland

Ann Garland, Ph.D.

Chair
Stephanie Cone

Stephanie Cone, MD

Vice-Chair
Dori Wittman

Dori Wittman

Secretary
Vince Nowicki

Vince Nowicki

Treasurer
Cynthia Avery

Dr. Cynthia M. Avery

Melanie L. Balestra

Melanie L. Balestra, NP, ESQ

Jodie Brokowski

Jodie Brokowski

Jeffery T Gering

Jeffrey Gering, FACHE

Louis Lau

Louis Y. Lau, CFA

Dustin Sutton

Dustin Sutton

Matthew Van Eck

Matthew Van Eck

Dr. Cheryl Rode

Cheryl Rode, Ph.D.

President and CEO

Vince Nowicki

Vince Nowicki

Treasurer

Vince Nowicki’s career spans more than 28 years in consumer and residential mortgage lending including retail, wholesale, and bulk acquisitions. Vince started with Mission Fed in April 2011 and is currently Chief Lending Officer, responsible for Mortgage Originations, Loan Servicing, Secondary Marketing, Consumer Lending, Indirect Auto Lending, Auto Leasing, and Insurance Services. Also, through Mission Fed’s subsidiary, Vince helped create, and currently performs as director of operations for LiveSmart Escrow, a captive Escrow Company that serves Mission Fed’s members and partners.

Vince lives in Valley Center with his wife and two daughters. They enjoy travel, especially road trips, and are huge fans of anything Disney related.

Cynthia Avery

Dr. Cynthia M. Avery

Cynthia M. Avery, Ed.D., recently retired from a 32+ year career in student affairs in various higher education institutions, including the University of San Diego and San Diego State University. Cynthia provided executive-level leadership to multiple units throughout her tenure.

Dr. Avery's career focused on striving for equitable outcomes for all students. She demonstrated dedication to uplifting the needs and voices of students most in need and students from marginalized identities.

Outside of her professional work, Dr. Avery has volunteered with Voices for Children since 2008 as both a court appointed special advocate (CASA) and an outreach team member in San Diego and Riverside counties. Dr. Avery also served on the Board of the San Diego Education Foundation.

Dr. Avery earned an Ed.D. in educational leadership from UCSD/SDSU/CSUSM, an M.S. Ed. in College Student Development from Alfred University, and a B.S. in Management Science from the State College of New York at Geneseo. Cynthia and her husband reside in Riverside County and have four adult children. They enjoy traveling, especially to New Zealand, where their youngest daughter and oldest grandchild live.

Jodie Brokowski

Jodie Brokowski

Jodie Brokowski is a versatile legal executive with 30 years of experience distilling complex legal issues into clear, strategic guidance, empowering physician organizations to thrive in a highly regulated industry. Her leadership in healthcare law, governance and corporate strategy have made her a trusted voice in the boardroom, ensuring legal risks are addressed with practical, priority-aligned solutions.

As General Counsel for Children’s Specialists of San Diego, she provides comprehensive legal guidance, directing talent management, compliance, and risk strategies, while also serving as an executive whose business acumen informs operational and strategic decisions. Previously, Jodie served as General Counsel & Secretary for a national medical services company, overseeing governance and legal operations for 19 entities in 14 states. At both entities, she led numerous mergers and acquisitions, orchestrated responses to government inquiries, and managed high-stakes negotiations.

Jodie brings a dual perspective to governance, serving not only as a trusted legal advisor, but also as a committed board member, previously serving on the San Diego Center for Children's CEO Advisory Council and the YMCA Youth & Family Services Board of Managers. She leverages her extensive expertise in governance, talent management, compliance, risk management, and corporate strategy to help boards navigate complex challenges while maintaining mission-driven leadership.
Jodie holds a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, and is a member of the California State Bar. She is a voracious reader, delights in exploring San Diego's scenic trails with friends, and cherishes travel adventures with her family.

Jeffery T Gering

Jeffrey T. Gering, FACHE

Jeff Gering is a proven leader of health care organizations who inspires action, develops programs and leads change to achieve organizational objectives. He has effectively cultivated community collaborations and instituted data systems to achieve population health objectives.

Most recently, as the Senior Vice President of Support Services & Planning of Family Health Centers of San Diego, Jeff oversaw a diverse array of departments for the tenth largest Federally Qualified Health Center in the nation. The departments under Jeff’s direction include physical rehabilitation services, the largest outpatient mental health program in the county, one of the seven county-funded substance use disorders treatment programs, homeless services, a high complexity laboratory, HIV services, specialty services and medical records. In addition, Jeff had authority for Family Health Center’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which is an integrated approach to comprehensive care and a full-risk health plan for frail elderly seniors. Jeff retired from his Senior Vice President role in June of 2024.

Mr. Gering began his healthcare career as an administrative resident at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. After holding a series of positions in the VA of progressive responsibility, he assumed the role of CEO and Director of the VA Medical Center in Chillicothe, Ohio in 2007. In 2012, Jeff left Ohio to become the CEO of the VA San Diego Healthcare System, one of the most complex VA hospitals in the country.

He has Bachelors of Science degree from Indiana University School of Business and a Masters of Health Administration from Saint Louis University, School of Public Health. He is a Fellow with the American College of Health Care Executives. Previously held an Adjunct Professor appointment with Ohio University. Up until July 2024, he was a member of the board of CAlPACE, the association of all PACE programs in California. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for NAMI San Diego.

Louis Lau

Louis Y. Lau, CFA

Louis is a Director in the Investments Group at Brandes Investment Partners, a global investment firm headquartered in San Diego. He joined Brandes in 2004 and serves as an Investment Committee Member and Senior Research Analyst. Louis is a Limited Partner of the firm’s parent company. He has over 22 years of Finance and Investment experience. Louis previously worked at Goldman Sachs in Investment Banking and Equity Capital Markets.

Louis earned his MBA in Finance and Accounting with Honors from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and has been a member of the CFA Society of San Diego since 2013.

Louis and his family enjoy being actively involved in giving back to the community.

Matthew Van Eck

Matthew Van Eck

Matthew Van Eck serves as the Senior Vice President and GIS Principal at GIS Surveyors, Inc., and is a co-founder and principal at ICON Utility Services. With over two decades in the industry, Matthew specializes in leveraging geospatial technologies to manage large-scale utility and construction projects. His strategic leadership roles at both companies allow him to provide comprehensive solutions that serve a broad array of clients—from local governments to Fortune 500 corporations. A holder of a Bachelor of Science degree in Geography from Northern Illinois University, Matthew's holistic approach has been pivotal in diversifying client portfolios and pioneering advancements in geospatial solutions and utility management.

Matthew is a resident of California and is actively involved in his community. When not working, he enjoys an active lifestyle that includes hiking and camping. He also values spending quality time with his wife and three children, including a daughter in college and two sons in elementary school.

Dr. Cheryl Rode

Cheryl Rode, Ph.D.

President & CEO

Cheryl Rode, Ph.D., was thrilled to join San Diego Center for Children’s leadership team in 2010. She is passionate about ensuring that children and families have access to high quality, effective behavioral health care, and to improving the quality of life for children with behavioral and emotional challenges. Dr. Rode brings experience and commitment to developing a clinical workforce that provides outstanding care, using evidence based and proven practices.

Dr. Rode completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at West Virginia University, where she specialized in working with children, teens, and families. She completed her clinical internship training at the UCSD Department of Psychiatry – Veterans Administration Medical Center Consortium; and her postdoctoral fellowship at UCSD and (Rady’s) Children’s Hospital of San Diego. Dr. Rode spent the next 12 years as a member of the Psychology Service at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital as staff psychologist for the child and adolescent programs, and as the Assistant Training Director of Sharp’s APA accredited psychology internship and fellowship programs. Her favorite aspect of working at the Center is to see children and families recover and blossom in our healing environments with the help of truly dedicated staff.

Winston Churchill – “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”