
About Us
Leadership
Executive Leadership Team
Matt Walton
Executive DirectorKen Simms
Director of General OperationsShireen Ossanlo
Senior Director of AdvancementNimra Gardley
Senior Director of Clinical ServicesMary Baker
Director of Residential ServicesBrenda del Castillo
Director of Contracts and ComplianceCorinna Eilertson
Human Resource DirectorJon Quach, MD
Medical Director
Matt Walton
Executive Director
Ken Simms
Director of General Operations
Shireen Ossanlo
Senior Director of Advancement
Shireen Ossanlo is a seasoned development professional with over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, holding director and executive roles for more than a decade. She has a diverse background that includes significant contributions to the YMCA and various inner-city schools within the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director for the Torrance Education Foundation, where she successfully supported 31 schools and 23,000 students annually.
Shireen has been with CLARE|MATRIX since 2021. Shireen has a proven track record in securing major gifts, managing high-impact events, developing transformative programs, and writing successful grants for both government and private funding. Her expertise lies in fostering donor relationships and driving organizational growth. She is skilled in board development, storytelling, annual giving campaigns, project management, content creation, CRM utilization, KPI tracking, budgeting, and social media marketing. In addition, she brings transferable skills in organizational operations, such as finance, budgeting, forecasting, human resources, DEI initiatives, and staff onboarding.
Specializing in board development, Shireen holds certificates from the Annenberg Foundation’s Alchemy and Alchemy+ programs and the Executive Service Corps’ Developing Development Program. A native of West Los Angeles, she is deeply passionate about making a positive impact in her community. Shireen holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from California State University, Northridge, and is dedicated to advocating for those marginalized by society, continually striving to make a difference in people’s lives.
Nimra Gardley
Senior Director of Clinical Services
Mary Baker
Director of Residential Services
Brenda del Castillo
Director of Contracts and Compliance
Corinna Eilertson
Human Resource Director
Jon Quach, MD
Medical Director
Jon Quach, MD, received his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Summa Cum Laude, from University of California, San Diego and his Doctor of Medicine from New York University School of Medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine and addiction medicine.
Dr. Quach completed both an internal medicine residency and addiction medicine fellowship at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center. He was previously an assistant professor of internal medicine and served as a teaching attending at UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital and UCLA Santa Monica Hospital. He oversaw the training of interns, residents, and medical students at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Dr. Quach co-founded and manages the UCLA-RR Inpatient Addiction Consult Service and UCLA Bridge Clinic for patients suffering with substance use disorders at UCLA Health. He oversees the training of fellows from the UCLA Health/Eisenhower Addiction Medicine Fellowship at CLARE|Matrix, which serves as a training site for multiple academic programs in Los Angeles County.
Board of Directors
Robert J. Acker
Andrew Besser, JD, CADC-CS
James C. Birch
John Carrick
Anthony J. Deluca
Odat Elsey
Stanley J. Janowiak
Mark Freund
Rose Grakal, M.A., LMFT
Jason E. Schiffman, MD, MA, MBA
Stacy Hatch
Robert J. Acker
Robert J. Acker (Rob) is a relative newcomer to Southern California, having relocated to LA with his wife, Lisa, in mid-2020 at the height of the Covid Pandemic. Married 33 years, Rob and Lisa (and their three sons) have lived in many cities, both here in the US as well as abroad. Originally from the Midwest (with roots in Cincinnati and Indianapolis), Rob and his family moved here after a brief time in New Jersey. Prior to that, they lived in Hong Kong where they spent 7 years. Other cities they’ve called home include London, New York, and Atlanta, though, the whole Acker clan is very pleased to have finally landed here in LA and are crazy about their new Santa Monica home.
Professionally, Rob has worked roughly 30 years in the Commercial Real Estate Business and is a well experienced, versatile commercial real estate professional. His leadership roles have been across several functional areas including Development/Redevelopment, New Business Development/Sales, Client/Account Relationship Management, Asset Management, and Property/Facilities Management.
Rob’s experience is multi-sectored, encompassing Urban Mixed-Use, Retail, Office, Hotel, Residential, Congregate Care Communities, Data Centers, and Land. His work has included acquisition, disposition, entitlement, project feasibility/strategy evaluation, partnership formation, turn-around, and value creation. Having worked in the US, UK, Europe, and Asia, Rob brings a global perspective to each real estate situation, offering a wide lens and deep “toolbox” for effective solutions.
Rob holds a BS degree in R.H.I.T. from Purdue University, an MBA in Real Estate and Finance from The Carl H. Lindner College of Business, University of Cincinnati, and is a LEED Accredited Professional by the U.S. Green Building Council organization.
Rob deeply appreciates, values, and supports the work and mission of CLARE|MATRIX and is excited by the prospect of serving an organization that saves lives through recovery.
Andrew Besser, JD, CADC-CS
Andy founded and operates a nonprofit intensive outpatient treatment program, and has volunteered as an addiction counselor for a Los Angeles based nonprofit addiction treatment center. He also is the Chief Financial Officer of the Burstein Company, a management and production company that represents actors, writers and directors of film, television, theatre and new media. In addition, he serves as a volunteer case evaluator for the California State Bar’s Lawyers Assistance Program, and he was appointed to a four-year term on the program’s Executive Oversight Committee.
After graduating with a B.S. degree in Animal Behavior from Bucknell University, Andy earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School. He also received a certification in Drug, Alcohol and Addiction Counseling from UCLA.
Andy has been actively involved in Alcoholics Anonymous over the past two decades. He first learned about CLARE Foundation more than 15 years ago when he spoke on an Alcoholics Anonymous panel. He also serves on the board of Beit T’Shuvah, a nonprofit organization devoted to addiction treatment.
Andy and his wife, Joannie, are parents of two children, Jordan and Carly.
James C. Birch
He previously founded and led Cloud Cover Music to an M&A event when it was acquired in 2022 by SiriusXM/Pandora.
His business career includes working for 25 years as a video-based corporate communication specialist for advertising agencies and major corporations. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Occidental College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
After 7 years as Board Treasurer, Jim currently serves as Vice President of the Board for CLARE|MATRIX. He and his wife Gail reside in Santa Monica Canyon.
John Carrick
Mr. Carrick’s extensive experience as a real estate attorney, investment banker and principal is reflected in the execution of more than $75 billion in real estate transactions during and throughout his accomplished career. He brings invaluable insight and a powerful macroscopic perspective to ICM, with the ability to handle complex legal and business-related matters, debt and equity financing needs, and the analysis and evaluation of commercial real estate investment opportunities.
Immediately prior to forming ICM, Mr. Carrick was Senior Managing Director at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank (NGKF), where he advised clients with respect to both equity and debt capital formation on a project, portfolio or entity basis. He also held executive positions at Anderson Global Corporate Finance, Savills Studley and Cohen Financial. Previously, he was part of the investment banking practice at Nomura Asset Capital where he focused on debt underwriting, origination, securitization and asset management. Mr. Carrick started his professional career as a structured finance attorney in the private sector and as counsel for the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC).
Mr. Carrick received a BA from Bucknell University and a JD from The Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America. After practicing law for five years, he continued his education at UC Berkeley and earned an MBA at the Haas Graduate School of Business where he was awarded the prestigious Marshall Bennett Real Estate Fellowship.
Anthony J. Deluca
As a relationship Manager Anthony has been exposed to a diverse range of industries and business types which has given him vast experience in daily operations and capital structure of businesses.
I am passionate about helping others who struggle with substance abuse. The vision of Clare/Matrix, No life lost to drugs and alcohol, is the reason that I am willing and grateful for the chance to be of service to the organization.
Odat Elsey
She is passionate about saying “yes” to life, being present for new experiences, and meeting new groups of beautiful people. Those around her describe Odat as funny, loving, kind, warm, and compassionate. She sees people she knows almost everywhere she goes because she is friendly and outgoing. Odat is always willing to encourage newcomers to recovery.
Stanley J. Janowiak
Mr. Janowiak currently serves on the Advisory Board of The Sheridan Road Charitable Foundation and is a member of the National Eagle Scout Association and the Breakfast Panel of the California Club. Stan also served as the President of Commuter Associates, Inc. doing business as Car 553(the last private commuter car in the United States). He was also the former President and past Director of the Young Executives Club of Chicago. His past memberships include: Board of Directors at the Clare Matrix Foundation (Santa Monica, CA), The Lyric Opera of Chicago Guild Board of Directors, Peggy Notebart Nature Museum of Chicago Board of Trustees, Elawa Farm Foundation Board of Directors, The Lurie Children’s Hospital of ChicagoMen’s Golf Committee. Stan graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from DePaul University in 1992. A native of Chicago, Illinois he has lived overseas and enjoys golf, skiing, and all racquet sports. He currently lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife Jennifer and two children.
Mark Freund
Now retired, Mark enjoys traveling by bicycle and giving back in meaningful ways. He has a longstanding involvement with Deaf West Theatre, and he continues working with the hearing impaired in recovery. He also regularly reads to children at local libraries.
Mark and his wife, Trice, are longtime supporters of CLARE Foundation. Mark has served on CLARE Foundation’s board committees since 2012, and he also spent more than a decade working as a volunteer for the Matrix Institute on Addictions.
Since its merger, CLARE|MATRIX has enabled Mark to continue his enthusiastic service for an organization with a mission of saving lives through recovery.
Rose Grakal, M.A., LMFT
Rose Grakal is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. While she has spent the last 15 years of her professional career practicing as a therapist, the first 23 years of her professional life were in the music business focused on sales and marketing of musicians and bands at BMG, A&M, Interscope, Universal and EMI.
A native of Needham Massachusetts, Rose received her B.A. degree in Communications from theUniversity of Massachusetts at Amherst and her M. A. degree in Clinical Psychology from AntiochUniversity Los Angeles. She has worked with children, adolescents and adults specializing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Family Systems, Attachment Theory, and substance use issues. She developed curriculum and facilitated Codependency Groups at various treatment centers in Los Angeles. She also trained in Post Induction Therapy with Pia Mellody at The Meadows in Wickenburg Arizona.
Rose has been actively involved in the Los Angeles recovery community for over 28 years. She has volunteered for the last 5 years on the Clare Matrix Gala committee.
When they aren’t working or traveling, Rose and her husband are busy training, showing, and having fun with their AKC Grand Champion Flat Coated Retriever Teddy.
Jason E. Schiffman, MD, MA, MBA
At Camden Center, Dr. Schiffman has pioneered the development of integrated healthcare systems for the treatment of psychiatric and addictive disorders that match patients with personalized treatments optimized for their unique biological, developmental, and psychological profile. The Camden model of care identifies and treats both the symptoms and causes of mental health disorders through diagnostic evaluation, feedback-based treatment planning, and the matching of patients with individualized, multidisciplinary teams of expert clinicians.
Stacy Hatch
Stacy Hatch is the President and co-owner of Ampersand Artists in Los Angeles, a preeminent talent agency representing artists that specialize in illustration, storyboards, shooting boards, motion design, animatics, cgi, video game production and design and experiential environments for commercials, film, television and digital and social campaigns. They are a women owned business and have won many accolades over the years for our part in the creative process.
Prior to working in artist management she was in Public Relations and Marketing for independent films and television. Upon arrival in Los Angeles in the late 80’s Stacy immediately landed in Advertising and PR and worked at the most prestigious Public Relations firm in the entertainment industry where she ran campaigns for some of the most popular shows on television. She had the honor of organizing and doing publicity for a special project called Prime Time to End Hunger and did a press conference with George and Barbara Bush at the White House Rose Garden along with celebrities from the shows that were participating.
Stacy earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from the University of Texas at Austin and immediately moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry.
Stacy currently serves as a Board Member of CLARE/MATRIX and splits her time between Santa Monica and Aspen, Colorado where she shares her life with her partner, Dusty Farber, and 2 boxers, Jackson and Ruby.
Emeritus Members
Sarah Doering
Dana J. Kelly
Sarah Doering
Sarah is a native Chicagoan. She attended college in New York City and lived in Connecticut before moving to California with her young family in 1979. She built her career in the wholesale bakery business by working on corporate programs with individual pastry chefs and training sales reps. She loves being in Southern California, where a beautiful hike in the mountains or a walk on the beach is just a few minutes away. She is passionate about anything she can move on the water. It brings her great joy that her children and granddaughters live nearby.
Dana J. Kelly
For more than 20 years, Dana has worked as a film, television and voice-over actor who has also performed on the stages of Los Angeles and New York City. He is a veteran member of the Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association. Before becoming an actor, Dana worked in Los Angeles as a western U.S. regional sales and marketing executive.
Dana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Dartmouth University, where he also served as a quarterback on two Ivy League Championship football teams and was voted into the university’s Winchester Sports Hall of Fame.
Dana lives in Los Angeles with his longtime partner, Jean. He has two daughters, Deidre and Shelagh, and a beloved grandson, Gavin.