Broadening California's End of Life Option Act (EOLOA)
Advisory Board Members
Dion Aroner
Roberta Brooks
Roberta Brooks
Dion Aroner represented California’s 14th Assembly District from December 6, 1996, to November 30, 2002. In 1999, she introduced an end-of-life bill, thereby becoming the first California legislator to author a bill on this important issue.
Dion began her career as a social worker and became the first female president of the Service Employ
Dion Aroner represented California’s 14th Assembly District from December 6, 1996, to November 30, 2002. In 1999, she introduced an end-of-life bill, thereby becoming the first California legislator to author a bill on this important issue.
Dion began her career as a social worker and became the first female president of the Service Employees International Union 535. Prior to serving in the Assembly, she served as the Chief of Staff to her predecessor, Tom Bates, from 1972 until 1996. After leaving the Assembly, she participated in the legislator-in-residence program at the University of California, Berkeley, and formed a public relations consultancy for businesses and organizations. She was appointed to the Little Hoover Commission, an independent state oversight agency, in April 2019 and reappointed in January 2023.
Dion has worked with numerous local and national organizations, often as a board member or advisory board member. These include Alzheimer's Services of the East Bay; Contra Costa County Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence; Crisis Support Centers of Alameda County; Highland Hospital; Jewish Community Relations Council of the East Bay; National Women's Political Caucus; The Women’s Foundation of California; and Seneca Family of Agencies.
Roberta Brooks
Roberta Brooks
Roberta Brooks
Roberta Brooks has extensive governmental experience, having worked for the U.S. Congress on the staff of two members of the House of Representatives representing California: Congressman Ronald V. Dellums for 27 years, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee for three years. After leaving Congresswoman Lee’s staff, Roberta worked as a consultant fo
Roberta Brooks has extensive governmental experience, having worked for the U.S. Congress on the staff of two members of the House of Representatives representing California: Congressman Ronald V. Dellums for 27 years, and Congresswoman Barbara Lee for three years. After leaving Congresswoman Lee’s staff, Roberta worked as a consultant for healthcare accessibility, education, and base conversion issues.
Among the many areas of Congressional constituent and policy work Roberta dealt with are health policy, connecting with local health-related organizations; civil service, especially areas of discrimination; aging and social security advocacy; and conversion of military bases to peace-time use. She has served on several boards, including the Coalition for the Medical Rights of Women, Legal Assistance for Seniors, and the Berkeley Alliance, Lifelong Medical Care, and Freight & Salvage.
Janis Burger
Roberta Brooks
Francie Hornstein
Janis Burger received her Master of Public Health from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She worked for Alameda County Health Care Services Agency and First 5 Alameda County for over 30 years, retiring in 2018. Janis worked in Maternal and Child Health, Public Health, and Early childhood issues. Her focus has been on systems change
Janis Burger received her Master of Public Health from the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. She worked for Alameda County Health Care Services Agency and First 5 Alameda County for over 30 years, retiring in 2018. Janis worked in Maternal and Child Health, Public Health, and Early childhood issues. Her focus has been on systems change, collaborations, integration of services across systems, evaluation, and data-driven outcomes and policy. Janis provided local, state, and national leadership on many initiatives, including infant mortality reduction, school-based health centers, pediatric developmental screening, and early childhood mental health.
Janis was a founding member of The New Field Foundation Board of Directors from 2000-2010. The foundation focused mainly on Sub-Saharan Africa in agroecology, women's rights, community education, and post-conflict initiatives. Janis made several trips over the years to visit funded programs.
After retirement, Janis worked in a Refugee Camp in Samos, Greece, and has served on the Board of the Jewish Family and Community Services of the East Bay, one of the largest refugee resettlement agencies in the country. She is an avid photographer, and uses this medium to document many of the areas and high-risk communities she worked with in Public Health.
Francie Hornstein
Francie Hornstein
Francie Hornstein
Francie Hornstein, LCSW, an Omaha, Nebraska native, is a retired medical social worker. Her primary interests have been in reproductive health care, women's and children’s health, and LGBTQI health. As an older adult, she has become interested in end-of-life planning/care and in a person’s right to have as much control as possible as they
Francie Hornstein, LCSW, an Omaha, Nebraska native, is a retired medical social worker. Her primary interests have been in reproductive health care, women's and children’s health, and LGBTQI health. As an older adult, she has become interested in end-of-life planning/care and in a person’s right to have as much control as possible as they face the end of their life. She has volunteered for many years with Compassion and Choices doing community education about California's End of Life Options Act.
Laurie Kappe
Francie Hornstein
Billy McDonald
Laurie Kappe was president and founder of i.e. Communications, a strategy and communications consulting firm, for 25 years. She recently sunsetted the firm but continues to bring her expertise to issues that are important to her. Laurie’s professional experience has focussed on grassroots and political organizing, public policy advocacy,
Laurie Kappe was president and founder of i.e. Communications, a strategy and communications consulting firm, for 25 years. She recently sunsetted the firm but continues to bring her expertise to issues that are important to her. Laurie’s professional experience has focussed on grassroots and political organizing, public policy advocacy, research and analysis, and communications consulting. A communications expert in youth violence prevention, gun control, and health and human services, Laurie has frequently done public presentations on strategic messaging.
Before forming i.e. Communications, Laurie was a Senior Associate at Martin & Glantz (1989-1997), where her clients included the National Abortion Rights Action League, Ms. Foundation for Women, and The California Wellness Foundation. Laurie has also previously worked as a research analyst and corporate finance associate for two investment banks, Hambrecht & Quist and Eberstadt Fleming, where she learned about relational databases and online services, and developed her interest in innovative communications methods to impact public policy.
Laurie has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a master’s from the University of California, Berkeley.
Billy McDonald
Francie Hornstein
Billy McDonald
Billy McDonald is a retired nurse practitioner who worked at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California for 36 years. He was a primary care provider in the department of adult medicine, specializing in type 1 diabetes, temporomandibular joint disorders, and hypertension. During his last five years at Kaiser, Billy worked as a member of the palliative care team.