ABOUT US
Mission
The mission of Del Mar Community Connections is to support and serve the senior population of Del Mar so they may age independently at home. DMCC helps older adults live active, vibrant lives by providing transportation, education, and social activities. Incorporated in 2000, DMCC is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of dedicated community members, operated by a small staff of nonprofit professionals, and championed by dozens of volunteers.
Board of Directors
Katie Militello is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) who moved to Del Mar from Buffalo, NY 12 years ago with her husband and two of their three children, who were still in high school. Prior to moving to Del Mar, Katie was a Marketing Executive working at Fisher-Price, Mattel and for a medical device company based in Buffalo. Katie’s business skills include strategic planning, product development, marketing and sales support. After working in major corporations, Katie went on to provide marketing consulting for family-owned businesses in Buffalo. This led to her interest in counseling. When Katie moved to CA, she switched careers and participated in internship programs at hospice, Carlsbad grade schools, and the UCSD Maternal Health Clinic. Katie first volunteered with DMCC as a facilitator for Adapting to Life Transitions, which was a peer support group for attendees adapting to changes of aging. Katie most recently facilitated the Writing Your Story program with a focus on participating in a writing circle with an understanding of therapeutic approaches, and the benefit of writing in exploration of emotions, meaning making and storytelling about our lives. Katie has served on the Board of her local professional chapter of CAMFT, and is currently in private practice in Del Mar. Katie graduated with a BA from Harvard University in Asian Studies, The Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania with an MBA, and National University with a MA in Counseling.
Katie Militello
Bob Gans
Past President
Bob Gans is an attorney who arrived in Del Mar from New York City 21 years ago with his wife, Melissa (a long-time Board member of the Del Mar Garden Club), and their two children, Seth (now 27 and practicing as a marriage and family therapist in Rancho Bernardo), and Leah (now 25 and the owner of clothing/jewelry boutique in New York). Bob is a former member of the City of Del Mar Finance Committee, and served in various positions on the Board of the Del Mar Foundation from 2012 to 2020, including as President from 2016 to 2018. Bob has also served as President of the Del Mar Schools Education Foundation, Treasurer of the La Jolla Country Day School Board of Trustees, and as a Nation Leader in the Magdalena-Ecke YMCA “Y-Guide” and “Y-Princess” Programs. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and New York University School of Law.
Phyllis Mirsky
Secretary
Phyllis Mirsky, longtime volunteer for Del Mar Community Connections and 2022 Volunteer of the Year, has served in various leadership roles, including a previous six-year term as Secretary of the Board of Directors. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Phyllis received a master’s degree in librarianship at the University of Michigan and a BS in Social Welfare from the Ohio State University. Mirsky’s career as a librarian spanned 40 years, most of it spent within the University of California both at UCLA and UC San Diego. Active professionally, she became one of the most influential health sciences librarians in the world, culminating in being honored as one of the Medical Library Association’s “100 Most Notable.” Those individuals identified for this honor were recognized for their significant contributions to MLA and the health information profession throughout MLA's 100-year history. Phyllis retired from UC San Diego in 2005 as the Deputy University Librarian. She currently serves as an emerita mentor to UCSD’s Chancellors Scholars, a cadre of 1st Generation students who have demonstrated academic excellence and financial need. Phyllis and her husband Ed have lived in Del Mar for four decades.
Judd Halenza
Development Chair
Judd and his wife Susan moved to Del Mar in 1969 while both were serving as officers in the US Navy. After Judd completed 2 tours in Vietnam as a carrier pilot he left active duty and he and Susan moved to LA where he managed movie stars for 2 years. They then decided to make a permanent move back to Del Mar to raise their family. Judd then became involved in San Diego real estate where he is still active through the family company. Judd graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis and attended Stanford University where he received a Master of Science degree in statistics. He has served on numerous City of Del Mar committees and was on the board of the Del Mar Foundation for eight years serving as president from 2004 to 2006.
Ann Feeney
Member
Ann and her husband Don Mosier moved to Del Mar from the East Coast in 1985 with their one year old son. They raised their 3 sons, who are now in their 30’s, here. Ann was born and raised in a suburb of Boston and left Boston after graduating from Newton College to go to Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City where she got her Ph.D. She has been doing research in molecular immunology since then, most recently at Scripps Research Institute, where she was a Professor and where she had an active research lab for 26 years. After retiring in 2018, Ann turned to volunteer work to address the climate change crisis with SanDiego350 and with a coalition which she helped found, the San Diego Building Electrification Coalition. She is also an active volunteer with Sierra Club. In Del Mar, Ann was a member of the Sustainability Advisory Board for 10 years and she chaired it for 4 years. She is now a member of the Parks and Rec Committee, and also a member of the Del Mar Garden Club.
Ellie Haviland
Member
Ellie grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and then Boston. Ellie moved to San Diego to attend UCSD and has lived in Del Mar with her husband Tim for over 25 years. After retiring from her career in healthcare automation, she began her foray into public service in 2014 when she joined the Del Mar Planning Commission. Her role expanded in 2016 when she was elected to the Del Mar City Council, serving as a Councilmember until 2018, followed by Deputy Mayor from 2018 to 2019, and culminating in her tenure as Mayor from 2019 to 2020. In addition to her local leadership, Ellie has also served in regional governance on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) from 2016 to 2020, and as Chair and Board member of The Clean Energy Alliance from 2019 to 2020. Passionate about preserving natural landscapes, Ellie currently serves as the Vice President of the San Diego River Valley Conservancy. Ellie also remains actively involved with the Del Mar Community Alliance. Her professional career includes leadership roles at Asteres Inc. MedVantx Inc., DNA Dynamics Inc, and Pyxis Corporation. For the last few years, Ellie’s most exciting role has been as the coach of her god-daughter’s flag football team - two-time league champions! Ellie holds a B.A. in Quantitative Economics and Decision Science from the University of California, San Diego, where she also pursued minors in Mathematics, Urban Studies, and Philosophy.
Wayne Otchis
Member
Wayne moved to Del Mar 20 years ago with his wife Linda. He has maintained a CPA practice for 45 years and recently became semi-retired. He has been a volunteer driver for DMCC and is looking forward to serving as Treasurer on the new board. He has 2 grandsons in Texas and 2 granddaughters in Colorado, so Wayne and Linda spend a lot of time on Southwest Airlines. He is active with Seacrest Foundation and is also active with the San Diego Chapter of the Stanford Alumni Association. Hobbies include travel, snorkeling, and collecting old political items, especially from 1912. He loves walking around Del Mar and also belongs to a walking group in Encinitas.
Judy Schuckit
Member
After graduating with a degree in research psychology from Washington University, Judy moved to Del Mar in 1971 with her husband Marc. This was Judy’s first trip west of the Mississippi. Del Mar was quite a change from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and St. Louis, Missouri. She worked at UCSD until 1980 when she started a small business buying and selling estate and antique jewelry. This business fits well with her deep interest in art and in history. This interest has led to a number of lectures to the public focused on the changes over time in both the style and the manufacture of jewelry as women’s roles in society have changed over time. Judy has served on the Boards of the Del Mar Foundation, The Friends of the Powerhouse and the Del Mar Garden Club. She last spent seven years on the Board of DMCC as Treasurer.
Al Sweedler
Member
Alan Sweedler recently retired from San Diego State University, where he was Associate Vice President in charge of the university’s international programs, Director of the Center for Energy Studies and Professor of Physics. He has been a leader in developing energy policy and researching energy issues for over 40 years, especially in the greater San Diego region, including Mexico. He was the founding Chair of the San Diego Regional Energy Office, the precursor to the current Center for Sustainable Energy and was a founding Board member of Clean Tech San Diego. Sweedler is a 44-year resident of Del Mar and currently serves on the Sustainability Advisory Committee (SAC) and is Del Mar’s representative to the Community Advisory Committee for the Clean Energy Alliance. His wife is retired from UC San Diego where she was a reference librarian at the Geisel Library.
Mary Walshok
Member
Mary Walshok is a thought leader and subject-matter expert on aligning workforce development with regional economic growth. She has authored more than 100 articles, reports, and book chapters on regional innovation, workforce development and the role of research institutions in regional economies. As an industrial social scientist focused on the dynamics of regional economic development and transformation, Walshok has studied various communities across America. She has evaluated 13 WIRED regions funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, studied three innovative regions for a National Science Foundation-funded project and assessed one region’s efforts to grow an industry for a Lilly Foundation-funded endeavor.
Glenn Warren
Member
Glenn Warren is a retired diplomat whose postings included Kenya, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Ecuador, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic. While in Kenya, Glenn traveled to and worked in the Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia. As a volunteer, Glenn chaired international school boards in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Prior to his Foreign Service career, Glenn was a criminal defense lawyer in San Diego. He tried numerous felony cases, including several charging the death penalty, and argued once before the U.S. Supreme Court. Glenn currently serves on Del Mar’s Design Review Board. His wife, Randee, is an active member of the Del Mar Garden club and has served for many years as an elementary school tutor at Casa de Amistad in Solana Beach. Their son, Scott, is a fellow at Johns Hopkins University where he focuses on democracy issues. Glenn graduated with a B.A. in political economy from Williams College, received a J.D. from California Western School of Law, and received a Master of Laws in international law from Cambridge University.
Tanya Young
Member
Tanya Young is a science illustrator of ocean subjects. She has worked with scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD and Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative, and was Artist-At-Sea on the R/V Falkor operated by Schmidt Ocean Institute. In addition to her science illustration work, Tanya has had commissions for abstract and landscape paintings for private residences and corporations, including for Eli Lilly in San Diego and Herman Miller in Michigan. Her studio is in Del Mar. Tanya’s husband Michael McManus is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and their daughter Madeleine McManus is Capital Campaign Manager at the San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park. Tanya and Michael moved to Del Mar in 1986. She is an enthusiastic member of the Del Mar Garden Club. In addition to gardening, she loves yoga, music and hiking with her family. She believes strongly in the mission of DMCC and is honored to serve the Board. Tanya graduated fom the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (BFA,) The University of Michigan (MFA) and California State University at Monterey Bay (Graduate Certificate in Science Illustration.) She completed a science illustration internship at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Her website is tanyayoungart.com.
Staff
Ashley Simpkins
Executive Director
Ashley Simpkins was named the first Executive Director of Del Mar Community Connections in 2023. In that role, she works with the Board of Directors to supervise the overall management, development, and strategic planning of the organization. Before joining DMCC in an administrative role in 2017, Ashley worked in pharmaceutical sales and served on charitable boards in her free time. She earned a BA in Psychology and a Certificate in International Studies from Binghamton University in 2004. She earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from NP Solutions/UMass Global in 2023. Ashley lived in 5 states before she was 10 years old, but her family eventually settled in Syracuse, NY. In 2011, when she decided she didn’t want to live anywhere that experiences true winter, she moved to the San Diego area and made her home in Oceanside. In her free time, Ashley loves to travel internationally, read fiction, cross stich sassy phrases, and stand-up paddleboard.
Kara Adams
Program Manager
Kara Adams is the Program Manager of Del Mar Community Connections (DMCC). In her role, she oversees the organization's transportation programs, manages office administration, coordinates volunteers, assists in program development and implementation, and assists with community outreach. In addition to her position at DMCC, Kara also works at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, where she coordinates children's birthday parties and gives tours. Prior to joining the DMCC team in August 2019, Kara gained extensive experience in the customer service and hospitality industries. She then served as the Museum Associate Coordinator of the Coronado Historical Association for three years, where she discovered her passion for working with nonprofit organizations. Kara earned her BA in Photography from Santa Fe University of Art and Design in May 2014. After relocating to San Diego and taking a break from school, she pursued her Masters in Nonprofit Administration online from North Park University, which she completed in December 2020.
Founders Message
How We Came Together - Nancy Weare
The impetus for creating Del Mar Community Connections evolved from my great appreciation of the nurturing assistance given by the Senior Center in my parents’ town during the period of my father’s death. A counselor was dispatched to the hospital from the Senior Center because someone from the town was terminally ill. Even though we didn’t ask for the help, it made this deeply sad event much more meaningful and uplifting for all of us.
Upon telling my friends in Del Mar of this experience, they spoke about their own or neighbors’ needs, the difficulty of finding support and information in stressful situations, and the absence of local mechanisms to help.
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I called a long-time Del Mar activist, Ann Silber, and shared my desire to form an organization dedicated to bringing support services and information to Del Mar's seniors and specific needs population. Since our City was too small to afford municipal Social Services, there already existed an informal network of many caring, active people in Del Mar who regularly and quietly reached out to help others.
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Del Mar Community Connections was born in Ann’s living room where we had our first community discussions in September 1999. Everyone without hesitation said let’s get going. With the help of these energetic neighborhood volunteers, a 501 (c)(3) organization was developed with a Founding Board of Directors, all willing to roll up their sleeves and build programs making aging in place in Del Mar more possible for seniors and those with specific needs.
DMCC Founders
The inspirational community volunteers who had a vision of an organization that could help their senior neighbors, wrote a mission statement, identified seed funding, created initial programs, and incorporated the organization in 2000.
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Chiquita Abbott
Penny Abell
Sarah Dubin-Vaughn
Brooke Eisenberg
Mary Ann Emerson
Jerry Finnell
Charlotte Gumbrell
Teddy Hopper
Shirley King
Arlene Lighthall
Karen Lockwood
Lorraine Rouse
Joanne Sharp
Ann Silber
Florence Stevens
Nancy Weare