About TrueCare

Michelle Gonzalez’ roots at TrueCare™ run deep. Starting out as a Program Coordinator nearly 20 years ago, she went on to hold several senior management positions, including Chief Strategy and Development Officer and VP of Strategic Initiatives, before being appointed to President and CEO in April of 2020. Her diverse responsibilities instilled a deep understanding of the unique challenges facing nonprofit healthcare organizations and the communities they serve.

Michelle’s time with TrueCare also fostered a deep and abiding commitment to the organization’s mission of providing affordable, quality care to anyone in need. Under her leadership, TrueCare has expanded access to its services while improving the patient care experience. This includes establishing the patient call center, opening new clinic locations, and transitioning to the best in class, OCHIN-Epic (Electronic Health Records technology). Michelle also spearheaded a comprehensive re-brand and name change to TrueCare (formerly North County Health Services) to elevate brand awareness.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, under Michelle’s leadership, TrueCare launched a number of strategic initiatives to ensure care providers and staff had the resources to protect themselves while providing quality care. These included deploying strict safety protocols, rapid deployment of telehealth services, and the expansion of COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites at TrueCare locations.

To attract highly skilled healthcare professionals who share her passion for TrueCare’s mission, Michelle works hard to build a culture of caring and compassion. Her inclusive leadership style is driven by clear communication to all employees, rewarding excellence, inspiring greatness and instilling shared values that celebrate diversity. Her ability to foster crisp alignment between the Board of Directors, Executive Team and Staff Leadership keeps TrueCare on the cutting-edge of healthcare innovation.

Michelle holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, as well as a certificate in the Not-For-Profit Management Development Program through the Harvard Business School, San Diego Chapter, and a Green Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children; keeping them closely connected to their roots with family from Mexico and Guam.

Kathy’s 17-year history at TrueCare began as a Staff Accountant. After holding different positions in the oil, agriculture management, and public accounting industries, she discovered her passion for the nonprofit world and the challenges of accounting for a Federally-Qualified Health Center. During her tenure as CFO, TrueCare has earned a stellar financial reputation industry-wide. Kathy has also earned her CPCA CFO training certificate and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. When she’s not crunching the numbers, Kathy enjoys spending time with family and friends, relaxing on the beach with a good book, and doing ceramic arts and crafts.

Dr. Russell serves as Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operations Officer, bringing extensive knowledge in providing quality health care to underserved populations. Dr. Russell has twenty years of experience serving in clinical leadership roles with progressive responsibility and accountability within the Indian Health Service, and recently retired from United States Public Health Services at the rank of Captain. Her passion for ensuring access to quality healthcare for all and her belief in the TrueCare mission to care for the underserved in the community reflect her commitment to improving the health of the local communities.

Dr. Russell received her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations, from the College of William and Mary, and received her Doctor of Medicine from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and received her Master’s of Public Health from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She completed the Institute of Healthcare Improvement’s Improvement Advisor Training and is a certified Six Sigma Yellow Belt. In her free time, Dr. Russell enjoys running, hiking, traveling, and spending time with her family.

As Executive Vice President of Human Resources, Andrea oversees employee relations and engagement, talent acquisition, benefits and compensation, and credentialing. She began her career in human resources while working part-time as a human resources representative at a hospital in El Centro, CA. While there, she discovered her passion for human resources and the underserved community. Andrea believes that every TrueCare employee has a story that resonates with our mission and is honored to support and advocate for such caring and dedicated staff.

Andrea received her bachelor’s degree in communication and media management from SDSU and is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management. When she is not helping TrueCare employees grow within the organization, she enjoys spending time with her family outdoors.

As CIO, Tracy strives to continue improving care for patients through coordinated efforts between the TrueCare Business Intelligence and Information Technology departments.

Her vast experience in health information technology (HIT) and serving as a local leader of Health Informatics makes her ideally suited for this role.

Very active in volunteer work, Tracy has served as past President of the California Health Information Association (CHIA) and Chair of the National Advocacy & Public Policy Council for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

Tracy received her Bachelor of Science in Health Information Administration from Loma Linda University, and her Master of Science in Health Care Informatics from University of San Diego. She is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. Tracy enjoys spending free time with family and friends, cooking, traveling, watching movies, and cheering on her son at his ice hockey games and martial arts practices.

As a member of TrueCare’s Corporate Executive Team, Briana plays a key role in executing strategic and emerging business initiatives. Briana began her career at TrueCare as a grant writer, and now oversees multiple branches of the organization, including grant writing and management, enrollment services, project planning and development, and patient engagement and retention. She secured a $5,000,000 capital grant, which led to the construction of the TrueCare Mission Mesa Pediatrics Health Center.

Briana holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health, with a concentration in Community Health, from UCLA. She is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and received the 2012 TrueCare Chief of the Year award for her advocacy on behalf of the Outreach and Enrollment teams. In her spare time, Briana enjoys activities with her husband and three young boys.

Deidre (Dee) began her journey with TrueCare as an accounting manager, and rapidly rose to her current position through her hard work and dedication to our mission. Prior to calling TrueCare home, she enjoyed a remarkable 31-year career in public accounting for the public, private, and non-private sectors.

Dee received her Bachelor’s Degree in business administration management and accounting from California State University Long Beach, and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. As part of the TrueCare team, Dee takes pride in making a difference in our communities. In her spare time, she enjoys listening to music, camping, and participating in community service.

Serving as Vice President of Clinical Informatics, Matt Kosel began his career with TrueCare in 2008 as a Family Practice Provider having worked to serve patients in the Ramona and San Marcos communities. Since that time, Matt has played key roles in establishing TrueCare’s Business Intelligence and Clinical Informatics Departments. Matt aims to ensure TrueCare continues to be on the forefront of using data and technology to deliver high quality patient care as well as assist TrueCare in using analytics to thrive in an ever evolving and competitive environment.

Matt holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology, a Master’s of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, as well as a Master’s degree in Clinical Informatics from San Diego State University. He is also an Accredited Epic-Builder and Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. He recognizes the importance of and values learning about leadership and communication best practices.

In his free time, Matt enjoys running, home improvement projects, backpacking, spending time with his kids and family, and learning more about technology.

With over 20 years of Human Resource experience, Chris McLauchlin’s career has included top HR Executive positions at publically traded companies. Serving as TrueCare’s VP of Human Resources, Chris brings with him an understanding and passion for providing tools and resources to empower employees and drive successful outcomes for the organization.

Just a few of his accolades include a Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR) certificate from HRCI and an SCP designation from the Society of Human Resources Management. Additionally, Chris holds a Strategic Human Resources Leadership certificate from Cornell School of Industry and Labor Relations. Chris is currently attending school at Penn State University’s World Campus, continuing his education in Human Resources.

In his free time, Chris enjoys spending quality time with his family and friends, as well as his furry four-legged kids; Sailor, Cole, and Sunny.

Christina New serves as a Vice President of Operations. Starting out as an Outreach worker 12 years ago, Christina went on to be a Family Planning Coordinator, Operations Specialist, Director of Woman’s Health Services Operations, Director of Operations and then Senior Director of Operations before being promoted to Vice President of Operations. In her various roles she showed excellent leadership and drive to provide quality care to patients. She’s proud to have led her team during the remodel and expansion of the beautiful Mission Mesa Women’s Health Center. Christina was also critical in leading teams during to the Covid-19 pandemic by operationalizing Covid-19 testing and Covid-19 vaccination clinics at several TrueCare locations.

Her passion to make a difference in people’s lives and overall wellness started as a child. She understood that education is key to prevention. Her passion for others led her on a path to obtain a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Health Science, with a Community Health focus, from California State University, Fresno. During her time in Fresno she volunteered at the American Heart Association and Planned Parenthood where she saw the impact health education and access to healthcare makes on communities.

Christina received her Master’s Degree in Public Health, with a concentration in Health Promotion, from National University. She is also a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. In 2014 and 2020 she received Leader of the Year award for her commitment and dedication to serving our diverse communities.

Christina is honored to work for an organization that’s mission driven, and holds true to our vision. When she is not in the office Christina enjoys spending time free time with her family and getting outdoors to exercise!

DeeAnn has over 20 years of Healthcare experience. She started working at the patient bedside as a Certified Nursing Assistant through college in Nebraska. After graduating college she moved west to San Diego and worked for 5 years as an Office Manager at a Skilled Nursing Facility. She continued her healthcare career at Scripps Health, working 11 years in Medical Group Management with multiple specialties including Neurosurgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Ophthalmology and Family Practice. A little over 4 years ago she was drawn to TrueCare's Mission and joined the team as a Director of Operations working primarily with Behavioral Health and Primary Care. She left briefly to be a mom but returned because she loved working with the TrueCare Team and its commitment to the community. Since joining the TrueCare team she has worked on multiple key projects, most recently OCHIN EPIC, a practice management and electronic health record (EHR) solution.

DeeAnn has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with minors in Biology and Women’s Studies from Nebraska Wesleyan University and Masters of Advanced Studies in Leadership of Healthcare Organizations from UCSD. She also Board Certified as a Fellow of the American college of Health Care Executives.

Serving as a TrueCare VP of Operations, Leslie Munoz brings a strong passion for our mission to remove barriers and provide quality care for those most in need. She truly enjoys helping others and is motivated to improve the patient experience. Leslie has over 12 years of healthcare operations experience that has included many different roles, starting as a volunteer with a prenatal department, then became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultation (IBCLC), followed by Site Manager, and Director of Operations.

Leslie received her Bachelor’s Degree in Ethnic Studies and is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). She is also a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. In 2021, she received a San Diego Business Journal Healthcare Hero Award.

When she’s not at work, Leslie enjoys spending time with her husband, and two boys. In her free time, you can find her and her family on the soccer field.

Cathy began her career in Women’s Health, where she acquired the experience and education that prepared her for the challenges of today’s healthcare industry. Her commitment and sense of responsibility to patient care is reflected in TrueCare’s high-performing clinical outcomes and her mentoring of others in pursuit of excellence and innovation.

In her current role, Cathy focuses on sustaining NCQA’s recognition of TrueCare as a Patient Centered Medical Home. This includes working to maintain continuity and cohesiveness with population health performance, overseeing prevention and mitigation efforts in patient and staff clinical practice risk management, and monitoring clinical and operational patient satisfaction/experience.

Cathy received her Registered Nursing degree from William Rainey Harper College, her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Chamberlain University, and is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt. In 2018, she was recognized by the TrueCare Executive Team with a Leadership Award. Cathy’s desire to lead a balanced life includes spending time with family and friends, attending concerts, hiking, and other outdoor activities.

Originally trained as a pharmacist at the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy, Denise volunteered many hours working in Senior Centers and delivering food to homebound AIDS patients. Seeing the need for primary care providers to improve access to quality care in the community, she returned to school and attained her Medical Degree from University of California, Irvine College of Medicine.

Consistent with the TrueCare mission, Dr. Gomez focuses on providing high-quality patient care, assisting providers in attaining high performance goals, and maintaining high patient satisfaction. She has spearheaded the expansion of pharmacy services to improve patients’ understanding of medications, improve compliance, reduce side effects, and help patients attain clinical goals. She is proud to work for a mission-driven organization that aligns with her own life mission. In her free time, Dr. Gomez enjoys traveling with her husband, and is an avid reader.

Currently the Director of Occupational Medicine services at Palomar Health, Russell’s role covers a vast array of healthcare environments including Employee Health, Safety, and multiple specialty outpatient clinics. He has worked to provide improved access to patients and healthcare personnel and is excited for the opportunity to participate on the TrueCare Board of Directors. He believes every community member should have the right to healthcare and feel comfortable accessing it. Away from the job, Russ enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, and going to the beach.

Andrés is a school counselor for ages K-12, and an active member of the North County community. At the age of nine he first came to TrueCare with his family for healthcare services, and that is where his passion for healthcare started taking shape. As a healthcare advocate, Andrés believes preventative maintenance is key to having a healthy society.

Dulce currently works as an Administrative Specialist with Associated Students Inc. at CSUSM, where she empowers students to become advocates for themselves and their educational careers. She supports the TrueCare mission and believes that healthcare should be accessible for all. She is a strong advocate for the right to quality healthcare regardless of socio-economic status. In her personal time, Dulce enjoys spending time with her family, meditating, reading, and gardening.

An attorney in North County San Diego, Harriet brings her legal expertise and extensive experience in corporate strategic and financial planning to TrueCare’s Board of Directors. She is passionate about healthcare, and believes it is a basic human right that should be available to everyone. Harriet is also proud to belong to a group of women who knit and crochet hats, scarves and baby blankets for several organizations that serve the underprivileged.

Donald possesses 29 years of experience working with nonprofit organizations that serve youth and families in San Diego County and Boston, Massachusetts. His excitement to support and learn about community health centers drew him to the opportunity to sit on TrueCare’s Board of Directors. Donald’s knowledge of nonprofit operations and passion to assure access to high-quality healthcare for all cemented his decision to join our Board. In his personal time, Donald enjoys open-water swimming and craft brewing.

Adriana is the Migrant Health and Support Services Specialist with the San Diego County Office of Education. She has first-hand experience with the challenges of providing access to healthcare to underserved populations. She was drawn to the Board of Directors by the leadership TrueCare exemplifies in the community. Adriana’s passion for healthcare stems from her desire to unify access to quality healthcare for everyone.

A retired Hospital Plant Services Director, Craig brings years of healthcare policy and procedure experience to the TrueCare Board of Directors. He was eager to join the board, as he believes quality healthcare needs to be maintained and expanded to all underserved individuals. In his free time, Craig enjoys traveling and immersing himself in different cultures.

As a TrueCare Board member, Karen’s extensive experience in business development and public relations provides key insights into developing meaningful relationships with donors in North County. In 2011 and 2013 she was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award from the North County Philanthropy Council. In her personal time, Karen enjoys helping San Diego youth develop professionally and grow as servant leaders in their communities. She believes in the TrueCare mission and that every person deserves to have access to quality healthcare.

As a patient at TrueCare, Maria brings a unique perspective to the Board of Directors by sharing her own experiences. She is proud to be on the board and to be given the opportunity to speak on behalf of all TrueCare patients. Maria enjoys being involved in the community and joined the Board to help educate local communities about their healthcare options.

A representative of the Migrant Education Program within the Vista School District, and a committee member for MAAC Projects, Maria migrated to California at the age of 21. In her spare time, she likes to go to the beach and spend time with her husband and three children.

Mike is a Professor of Computer Science and Information Systems. He has taught at several different universities, including Palomar College, UCSD, Webster University, and Pepperdine University. He has also served on numerous Boards, including the Board of Governors of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges, and DPMA Board of Directors. Mike has edited, reviewed and served as a ghost writer for over 400 college and university Computer Science manuscripts. He strongly believes that giving back in the field of healthcare is an essential, current, and ever-continuing need. Mike is continually inspired by TrueCare’s success and strong involvement in healthcare.

Walt is one of the founders of TrueCare and is proud to sit on the Board of Directors. As a retired clinical social worker, he is passionate to help establish clinics for low-income individuals unable to secure adequate healthcare. Walt is a member of the National Association of Social Workers and feels everyone has the right to quality healthcare. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and family, attending sporting events with his sons and son-in-law, and reading.