Meet the Team

Heather Bettini grew up in Marin County and is passionate about advancing social justice and equity so everyone has the opportunity to reach his/her full potential. Heather is Community Action Marin’s Economic Opportunity Director, and in this capacity, she leads the implementation of a proven financial/career coaching model and delivery of basic needs services that mitigate economic disparities in the community. Part of her work focuses on bridging resource gaps for low-income families who are unable to make ends meet, largely due to the 48% cost of living increase in Marin County over the past four years (2014-2018).  

Prior to working at Community Action Marin, Heather led a national pilot project administered by the Center for Law and Social Policy and the American Association of Community Colleges, which demonstrated that when low-income students accessed additional financial support services, they realized greater success in school and in their careers. Heather earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences with a focus in Cross-Cultural Studies, and minors in International Relations and French.  

Heather has worked with the United Nations Environment Program in several capacities in Kenya, Germany and South Korea. Heather was a Peace Corps Master’s International student at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where she earned a Master of Public Administration in International Management degree while serving as a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize City, Belize. While there, she conducted research on cognitive and emotional challenges Belizean children faced that impeded integration into their schools and communities. Heather is proficient in French and Creole and has basic Spanish skills. 

Annie Louis has been working in the mental health program at Community Action Marin since Feb. 2018. Annie’s first position was as a CARE Team Mobile Outreach Peer Case Manager. She is currently the Peer Education Instructor and co-facilitator of Duel Diagnosis at the Enterprise Recovery Center.

Annie’s area of expertise is peer counseling, supervising people with addiction, and those with a criminal background by helping them re-enter the workforce.

Annie gained valuable experience from past employment. She worked for Goodwill of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin and for Salvation Army Drug Rehabilitation Center as a manager, and at San Francisco Legal Assistance Foundation, where she advocated for mental health clients who had been denied SSI benefits by writing legal briefs and representing them in court.

Annie holds an undergraduate degree in biology from Mills College in Oakland, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.  She also holds an MPA degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and was awarded a Public Service Fellowship from the Department of Education.

She has a passion for counseling, teaching and inspiring hope, helping people with mental health challenges feel empowered, accepted, and valued.

Raised in Tiburon, CA. Annie has two grown daughters who gives her the greatest joy and meaning in life. In her spare time, Annie enjoys hiking, playing the flute, and spending time with her three pets.

Iris joined Community Action Marin in November 2015 as a Peer Case Manager with our CARE Homeless Outreach Teams.

Iris also served as a Case Manager for Marin County’s Odyssey Program, which supports adults who struggle with severe mental health symptoms and, as a result, are homeless or at risk of being homeless.

Iris was recently promoted to Direct Services Manager of Peer Support Specialists. In this position, she provides leadership, education, problem solving and supervision to Direct Service Peer Providers working with the mental health service adult system of care throughout Marin County.

Iris holds a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy from Fisk University.

Raised in the Bay Area as the oldest of 3 children, Iris has a passion for jazz and politics.

Michael Payne is the former director of Community Action Marin’s Peer Mental Health Program and served in that capacity for 20 years before retiring in July of 2015.

He returned to Community Action Marin in March of 2019 as a Senior Counseling Peer Specialist to work with the County of Marin’s STAR Program. He then turned his attention to Community Action Marin’s CARE Homeless Outreach as the Team’s Coordinator.

Michael has over thirty years in the field of mental health working with Veterans and the general public in both counseling and administrative capacities.

He holds a degree in Electronics Engineering Technology and worked in that field for over five years before turning his attention toward Vietnam Veterans where he began his counseling career.

Using his skill as a professional equine specialist and peer counselor, Michael still works with Veterans volunteering in the field of equine assisted therapy

Michael is a published poet, amateur radio enthusiast, and enjoys reading about and researching human behavior.  He lives on a small horse ranch in Novato.

Maricruz Aldana has worked for Community Action Marin for the last 12 years, where she spent 10 of those years in a teaching capacity with children ranging from ages two years old to 13 years old in the Child Development Program. She has served the role as Workforce Manager for the last two years, supporting an entering workforce for the early childhood education field. Maricruz holds a bachelor’s in arts in Human Development with a concentration in Early Childhood Education and Development from Pacific Oaks College. She has developed a passion for providing quality services for children and families and for supporting the workforce to make it possible. She currently serves as Commissioner of Marin County Child Care Commission.

Heather Bettini grew up in Marin County and is passionate about advancing social justice and equity so everyone has the opportunity to reach his/her full potential. Heather is Community Action Marin’s Economic Opportunity Director, and in this capacity, she leads the implementation of a proven financial/career coaching model and delivery of basic needs services that mitigate economic disparities in the community. Part of her work focuses on bridging resource gaps for low-income families who are unable to make ends meet, largely due to the 48% cost of living increase in Marin County over the past four years (2014-2018).  

Prior to working at Community Action Marin, Heather led a national pilot project administered by the Center for Law and Social Policy and the American Association of Community Colleges, which demonstrated that when low-income students accessed additional financial support services, they realized greater success in school and in their careers. Heather earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Sciences with a focus in Cross-Cultural Studies, and minors in International Relations and French.  

Heather has worked with the United Nations Environment Program in several capacities in Kenya, Germany and South Korea. Heather was a Peace Corps Master’s International student at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where she earned a Master of Public Administration in International Management degree while serving as a Youth Development Peace Corps Volunteer in Belize City, Belize. While there, she conducted research on cognitive and emotional challenges Belizean children faced that impeded integration into their schools and communities. Heather is proficient in French and Creole and has basic Spanish skills. 

Amanda McCarthy is now serving her third term on the Board of Directors. Formally trained as a plant biologist, she brings a unique perspective to the board and is eager to build relationships in the community, working diligently to create a Marin with equal opportunity for all.  She has worked with the Marin Childcare Council, Canal Alliance, and Community Action Marin to create a process for large daycare approval in the City of San Rafael and excited to be a member of the agency’s Board of Directors as it supports fundraising, recognition, and advocacy within the community.

Cheryl Timoney is currently Senior Director, Customer Philanthropy at Salesforce.org, the social enterprise and philanthropic arm of Salesforce. At Salesforce.org, Cheryl leads the corporate philanthropy strategy to partner nonprofit and education institutions with the best of Salesforce technology and talent so they can better achieve their missions.

Prior to Salesforce.org, Cheryl managed pro bono volunteer programs with Taproot Foundation, and spent many years at nonprofits in the Bay Area developing community and economic development programs to increase access to housing, childcare, asset-building, and mental health services for low-income residents.

Cheryl brings her experience building high impact and cross-sector initiatives that engage corporations, nonprofits, and community members to the CAM mission and board. Cheryl lives in Marin County with her husband and young children.

Danielle George has lived and worked in Marin County since 2015. She is a Marriage and Family Therapist. Prior to joining the private sector, Danielle worked for the County of Marin to ensure children and families were connected to mental health services in the community.

Danielle has a Masters in Clinical Psychology, and in addition to doing traditional therapy, she has experience in mental health plan contract management, substance use treatment, and involuntary hospitalizations. In her current position, she interacts with and supports families that are in crisis, struggling with substance use, insecure housing, or feeling the impact of mental health issues on their family. Danielle tries to always carry the perspective of the families she works with into her role as a board member for Community Action Marin.

Joe Simmons is now retired after a career of forty-five years in urban planning and low-income housing financing.  He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Rice University, a Masters in Regional and Community Planning from the University of Rhode Island and a PhD in urban planning from UCLA.  His professional career has included working for the Mayor’s Office in Denver and teaching at the University of Colorado and Iowa State University.  Following his doctoral studies, he found that his planning experience provided a seamless transition into the financing of low income housing.  The last twenty years of his working life were spent in the provision of funding for nonprofit low-income and community facility developers throughout the country.  After retiring in 2012, Joe still resides in Novato, and has become active on boards in Marin County.

Roger Crawford has lived in Marin County for 12 years and has been a member of the Board of Directors for five years.  Roger currently works as the Equal Employment Director for the County of Marin.  In that role, he shares responsibility for the development and implementation of the county’s Diversity and Inclusion policies as well as the county’s Race Equity Plan.

Roger is an employment attorney and before working for the county, he worked in San Francisco at the employment law firm, Jackson Lewis and Liebert Cassidy Whitmore.  Roger is originally from New York and he received his B.A. from Connecticut College and his law degree from Villanova University.  Roger brings his commitment to equity and social justice as well as his legal background to the agency’s Board of Directors.   Roger is married with three children.

Jennifer came to the board of Community Action Marin through service to Marin Head Start as a liaison for Policy Council, a program oversight group comprised of Head Start parents elected each year.  She is fluent in Spanish and has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Nevada, Reno.  The mission of Community Action Marin to reduce poverty and promote equity speaks to her on a personal level and motivated her continued engagement this year as a board member.  Jennifer comes from a diverse background and being a part of the low-income community has inspired her to search out means in which to be of service to others. In this search she found Community Action Marin and is looking forward to many years of service to our community.

Susan is a longtime resident and community activist in Marin and has served on the agency’s Board of Directors for over 20 years. Her commitment to mental health, early education, and economic opportunity for all residents runs deep and reflects her belief that self-sufficiency is possible for everyone who lives here. Meet the other team members…