Email: montcalm@unr.edu

Dr. Montcalm is currently the interim dean of the Division of Health Sciences until a new vice president for Health Sciences/Dean of the School of Medicine is in place. Additionally, she is the interim director of the Sanford Center for Aging, Director of the School of Social Work, MSW Program Coordinator, and Associate Professor. Her education is as follows: BSW 1974, Nazareth College, M.S.W. 1985, Michigan State University, Ph.D. 1991, Michigan State University, Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in Aging Studies 1991-1993, University of Michigan. Professor Montcalm teaches courses in research, data analysis, human behavior, and death and dying. Her primary research interests include research self-efficacy (among social workers) and family care giving. Community involvement includes past program chair for the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors annual conference, past vice-president for the Nevada Chapter of the NASW; and current Nevada Geriatric Education Center Board of Directors.

Email: ebahrami@unr.edu

Elham is a student worker who assists Scott Trevithick with the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program. She is a Reno native who is a McQueen High graduate. She's majoring in Neuroscience and also pursuing a minor in Mathematics and looks forward to graduating in 2014. Her interests include cognitive neuroscience and photography. Elham started with RSVP in January 2013.

Email: gengelbrecht@unr.edu

Greta is the Senior Outreach Services Special Projects Coordinator assisting with continuing education and training for volunteers while promoting volunteer retention and recognition. She supports service learning partnerships and collaborations that leverage essential services for the clients. Additional responsibilities include grant writing, fundraising, regulatory compliance and continuous quality improvement for the SOS program.

Greta is a retired pharmacist and quality manager with a background in non-profit organizations (research institutes and hospitals) and for profit concerns (small business and multinational corporation). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from North West University, South Africa and a Certified Quality Manager (CQM) 2001 American Society of Quality (ASQ).

Working with the compassionate and very resourceful SOS volunteers is a privilege!

Email: sharris@unr.edu

Susan Harris is the program coordinator of the Gerontology Academic Program within the University of Nevada, Reno's Sanford Center for Aging. She holds a Master of Science in Human Development and Family Studies and a Master of Arts in Social Psychology, both from the university. Her dissertation areas of interest included the social psychology of aging and psychological development in adulthood. She was formerly project director for the statewide Nevada Care Connection project, a one-stop information source for professional and informal caregivers. The project was underwritten by the state's Aging and Disability Services Division.

Email: dsjones@medicine.nevada.edu

I was born in Montana and moved to Nevada in 1990. I worked at the Hawthorne Army Depot for 8 years and moved back to Montana, where I worked at Montana State Prison for 4 years and then left to get my BS in Human Services at Montana State University-Billings. During college, I interned at a women’s and children’s domestic violence shelter, a youth mentoring agency, and a misdemeanor probation and parole office and worked at a fence company. I also did work study hours at the campus Disability Support Services office. After the internships, I continued to work mentoring youth and at the probation and parole office until graduation. After graduation, I worked for the Montana State Chemical Dependency Center briefly until I moved back to Nevada and came to work for the Nevada Geriatric Education Center as a temp in October 2007. I was hired permanently in February 2008.

Email: vlykes@unr.edu

Valerie is a research assistant at Sanford.  She received a Bachelors in Economics and Psychology from Muhlenberg College, and a Masters degree in Social Psychology here at UNR. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Interdisciplinary Social Psychology.  Her interests include the intersections between religion, aging, politics, the environment and health.  

Email: pmilitello@medicine.nevada.edu

Phyllis earned both her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services, Gerontology Option and her Masters Degree in Public Administration from California State University Dominguez Hills, Carson, California. She has been in the field of aging for the past 20 years. Phyllis first worked in a senior center and then as a case manager for South Bay Senior Services, serving seniors in a seven city area, in a program funded through the Los Angeles California Area Agency on Aging. In 1993 she became Director of that program and remained so until leaving in 1998. In 1999 Phyllis and her husband moved to Las Vegas and she began working for the NGEC as a Program Coordinator. In 2002 she became the NGEC Assistant Director. Her duties include managing the Providers’ Certificate of Specialization in Aging, the Administrator in Training Program and the annual Living with Grief program. She will be working on continuing medical education programs for the newly awarded federal grant sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Phyllis also conducts Sensitivity to Aging training programs to Family Medicine residents and third year dental students. She is involved in community organizations such as the Nevada Multicultural End of Life Care Coalition, the UNLV School of Social Work Gerontological Education Advisory Board and the HealthInsight Nevada Community Council. 

Email: sackst@unr.edu

Teresa Sacks returned to the Sanford Center for Aging in September as a Health Research Analyst. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and minor in Gerontology from San Jose State University. She completed her Masters Degree in Public Health with a Certificate in Gerontology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Ms. Sacks is responsible for the overall management and operation of the Elders Count Project and the Medication Therapy Management Program . In addition to working on these two projects, Teresa also works with other SCA faculty and Nevada System of Higher Education faculty on program oversight, program research and evaluation, and grant development. She also works on developing programs that meet the training and consultative needs of physicians and other healthcare professionals throughout Nevada. Teresa is a published author and advocates on issues related to Veterans, elder rights, and long term care reform.

Christina works with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program while pursuing a bachelor's degree in the Social Work program and a certificate/minor in Gerontology. Her interests include senior health and welfare policy, and is a volunteer with Senior Outreach Services.

Email: tsteinmann@unr.edu

Tamara Steinmann is the Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to the Director for the Sanford Center for Aging. Tamara manages all operational activities for the Sanford Center, to include Human Resources, accounting, budgets, and travel.

Tamara graduated in May of 2009 with her Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from UNR. She is currently looking to pursue a Master's Degree in Human Development and Family Studies here at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Email: pswager@medicine.nevada.edu

Patricia Swager earned her gerontology certificate and her masters in education with an emphasis in exercise science and health education from the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She has been active in the field of aging since 1993. Patti is currently the Director for the University of Nevada School of Medicine and Sanford Center for Aging’s Nevada Geriatric Education Center (NGEC). In her role as director, Patti oversees the NGEC activities which include offering continuing education programs for health care professionals, working with faculty to enhance their knowledge in aging and/or to integrate geriatrics into the curriculum that trains future health care professionals, developing contracts with agencies to provide specialized training for their staff or the community on a fee-for-service basis, and managing the federal NGEC grant sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration. Patti also conducts training programs to sensitize students, health care professionals, and community members to some of the challenges that may occur with aging, serves as the Treasurer for the National Association for Geriatric Education, and participates in UNR and community meetings.

Email: rtrevithick@unr.edu

Scott was named Project Director for the Sanford Center for Aging's (SCA's) Volunteer Programs in the Fall of 2011. Scott brings over 20 years of program development and leadership experience to this position. Most recently, he was the Executive Director of Special Advocates for Elders (SAFE), a program which recruited and trained volunteers to be advocates for elders facing guardianship. He has extensive experience working with seniors, churches, and other community organizations. His leadership of SCA's volunteer programs will focus on linking adults age 55+ to community organizations as well has harnessing these relationships for the benefit of students seeking Service Learning opportunities to enhance their academic experience. Scott earned a bachelor's degree in Business from UC Riverside and a Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church. Scott has certification in Nonprofit Management from UNR's Extended Studies program.

Email: paulav@unr.edu

Originally from Chile, Paula received a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from the Universidad de Playa Ancha, Chile. She recently obtained a Master of Public Health (Epidemiology) from the University of Nevada, Reno and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Health. Paula is fluent in English and Spanish. Her research interests include epidemiology, environmental health and Latinos’ health. She anticipates basing her future research endeavors on much of the work she does at Sanford.

Email: sinaw@unr.edu

Dr. Sina Peau Ward is the Program Director for Senior Outreach Services, a volunteer program in which active senior volunteers assist low income, homebound, frail and elderly clients in maintaining their independent living status. Sina builds upon collaborations and partnerships on campus and in the community to contribute to the program focus of volunteers delivering assistive and supportive services to the most vulnerable elders in our community. She supports intergenerational partnerships that provide opportunities for students to gain professional experience by providing critical services for seniors.

Sina has an extensive background in counseling and education and served as Director of Admissions and Registrar for the American Samoa Community College in Pago Pago, where she worked for over 18 years before relocating to Reno. She holds a BA in Psychology at the University of Southern California, an MS in Counseling at the California State University, Hayward and her Ed.D. in Education Administration from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.

Email: collettew@unr.edu

Collette Witt works as an undergraduate student assistant for Tamara Steinmann at the Sanford Center for Aging. She is pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education with a major focus in Mathematics as well as a minor in Spanish. Collette assists in a variety of tasks dealing with accounting transactions, grants, traveling and general office support.