Meet the Center for Aging Research Advisory Board
Advisory Board Members |
Lee BowerChief Operating Officer WellCare Florida
Linda LevinCEO Eldersource
Linda Levin is CEO of ElderSource, the Area Agency on Aging, and the Aging and Disability Resource Center for Northeast Florida. With her Master’s Degree in Gerontology and more than 30 years in the field of aging, Linda is a collaborator and advocate. She serves on the Boards of the Florida Association of Area Agency on Aging and USAging as well as on the Elder Abuse Fatality Review Team for Duval County. 
Bobbie Jo MentzChief Operating Officer | River Garden Senior Services
With over 20 years of experience in senior care, Bobbie Jo serves as the Chief Operating Officer at River Garden Senior Services, in the Mandarin area of Jacksonville, Florida. Bobbie Jo is a graduate from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Medicine/Athletic Training and a Master of Physical Therapy. This educational foundation provides a deep understanding of physical health and rehabilitation, which is pivotal in fostering exceptional patient care and operational excellence. In her role at River Garden, she oversees operations across a broad spectrum of services, including River Garden Hebrew Home providing Post-Acute Care, Skilled Nursing, Long Term Care and Memory Care, River Garden Home Care and Community Based Services including home health care and adult day care, and the Coves Independent Living. Driven by a passion for improving lives, her leadership is marked by a steadfast commitment to delivering high-quality and compassionate care, reflecting a true commitment to the well-being and dignity of seniors. 
Julia PrattSenior Director of Health Services- Fleet Landing
Elizabeth SholarDirector of Health Care Services Vicar's Landing
Angela StrainExecutive Director- WeCareJax
Angela Strain, WeCareJax Executive Director, brings over twenty years of nonprofit leadership to her role. Her previous experience includes serving as the Organizational Advancement Director for The Florida Center for the Advancement of Health IT, where she convened quality improvement initiatives and the Clinician Committee driving electronic health record development. She attended the University of Memphis, where she earned her BA with a concentration in Public Administration. She was a long-time consultant for the Alliance for Nonprofit Excellence based in Memphis, specifically working with safety-net health centers to grow their capacity to address health disparities. She graduated in the 2018 class of Leadership Jacksonville and is also a volunteer Community Coach with the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida. Day to day, she leads the team responsible for connecting uninsured and under-resourced neighbors with the highest quality specialty health care services available through the WeCareJax volunteer network of over 500 physicians and the major hospital systems in Duval County. Last year, WeCareJax secured $21.5 Million in donated healthcare for our patients. 
Sharon T. WilburnFounder and Senior Evaluation Specialist | Health-Tech Consultants, Inc.
Sharon Wilburn is the founder and senior program evaluator with Health-Tech Consultants, Inc. She is a UNF Department of Public Health Professor Emerita. At the time of her retirement Dr. Wilburn was the Program Director for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, and the past Program Director for the undergraduate Community Health and graduate Public Health programs. She was the Founder/ Past Director of the original Center for Aging and Adult Studies and Founder/ Past Director of the Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Studies. She has a PhD from UF with cognates in rehabilitation counseling and qualitative research methodology. She has a master’s degree in mental health counseling with an specialization in marriage and family therapy, and a master’s degree in alcohol and drug services and counseling from UNF. She has 35 years of experience as an educator and program evaluator and 30 years as a licensed psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. |