Vanessa Merlano is the Healthy Aging Program Coordinator at the Santa Clara County Public Health Department where she has worked for the last 8 years. Vanessa received a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Nutrition from California State University, Chico. She started offering nutritional counseling to atrisk mothers and quickly transitioned her focus to the older adult population. The Age Friendly County Initiative is one of her focus areas and she partners extensively with community partners, like Tina Wong-Erling to ensure that Age Friendly strategies and policies are tied to data and population-based indicators.
Tina Wong-Erling is the Senior Services Supervisor at the Campbell Adult Center. Specializing in gerontology for 25 years, Tina has worked in senior housing, case management, and recreation programming and management. Tina is a graduate of San José State University where she completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Work. As an advocate, Tina is especially passionate in helping seniors and caregivers access services that enhance quality of life.