Board of Commissioners

Jennifer Loving has spent her career working to solve homelessness in Silicon Valley. Since being tapped to lead Destination: Home in 2010, Chair Loving has brought together public officials, government agencies, private sector leaders, nonprofit executives and leaders with lived experience to implement a collective impact model in Santa Clara County, resulting in more than $1 billion in new public, private and philanthropic funding and more than 16,000 people permanently off our streets. She has developed and collaborated on numerous innovative models for addressing chronic homelessness, homelessness prevention and most recently COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts. Chair Loving holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management program. In addition to her role with Destination: Home, she serves on the State of California’s Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council and on the boards of Somos Mayfair, Silicon Valley at Home and SJ Spotlight.

Chair Loving may be reached by email at: Jennifer.Loving@scchousingauthority.org

Denis G. O’Neal is a retired attorney with extensive experience in elder, government and labor law. He also serves as vice chair of the Santa Clara County Personnel Board. In 2004, Vice Chair O’Neal retired from the County of Santa Clara after serving for more than 20 years as a deputy county counsel, and 13 years as a social services worker. As a county attorney, O’Neal participated in the creation and development of the Financial Abuse Specialist Team and the SSI Advocacy Program. While employed with the county, he was president and negotiator for the Santa Clara County Counsel Attorneys Association and, prior to becoming an attorney, he was a founding member, officer and negotiator for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) locals 535 and 715. Vice Chair O’Neal earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from San Jose State University and a Juris Doctor degree from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1984. A native of Vallejo, he grew up in a military family and went to grade school and high school in five countries and three states. A resident of Santa Clara County since 1968, Vice Chair O’Neal is married, with one son and two grandchildren. He was appointed to SCCHA’s Board of Commissioners in 2011.

Vice Chair O’Neal may be reached by email at: Denis.Oneal@scchousingauthority.org

As one of two commissioners who are tenants of the Housing Authority, Marilyn Russell lives in Lenzen Gardens Apartments for seniors in San José. An active community organizer, Commissioner Russell enjoys volunteering in Lenzen’s well-known community vegetable garden and assisting with on-site food distribution and recycling programs. Commissioner Russell’s service extends into her neighborhood as well, where she is an eucharistic minister for St. Leo The Great Catholic Church. Prior to retiring in 2015, Commissioner Russell worked 16 years for Comcast Corp. in various sales, customer service and tech support positions. Born in the Philippines, Commissioner Russell earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Immaculate Heart of Mary College in Quezon City, Philippines. She was appointed to SCCHA’s Board of Commissioners in 2019.

Adrienne Lawton is associate pastor and chief operations officer at Community Homeless Alliance Ministry (CHAM) Deliverance Ministry in San José. Her responsibilities include day-to-day administration and coordinating worship services. She is also serving as president of CHAM Deliverance Ministry’s Board of Directors. Commissioner Lawton is a tireless advocate and minister for people experiencing homelessness and those who are hospitalized and incarcerated, having served in San José as a pastor or in social services since the early 1980s. She has held numerous positions at the CHAM homeless shelter, including case manager, counselor, security officer, children’s mentor and shelter manager. She also volunteered as a case manager for The Progress Program that was part of the Community Homeless Alliance Program, a pilot program to help house homeless families in San José under former Mayor Ron Gonzalez. In 1984, Commissioner Lawton was the first full-time, permanent African American female employee to be hired as a protective services officer in the Security Department at Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center. Ordained for ministry in 1986, her first ministerial work was as chaplain for a club in The National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs (NACWC). A Bay Area native, she was appointed to SCCHA’s Board of Commissioners in 2013.

William Anderson was a practicing attorney for 30 years in Santa Clara County before retiring from the office of the Santa Clara County Counsel in 2002. For many years he was the Santa Clara County Housing Authority’s legal counsel, and was chair of SCCHA’s Board for eight years. Since his retirement, Commissioner Anderson has been an active member of various county boards and commissions, including the County Personnel Board, the Assessment Appeals Board and the Fair Management Corporation. Commissioner Anderson is a 1972 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law. He enjoys an active retirement with his wife, Alice Wheatley, in Los Gatos. He was appointed to SCCHA’s Board of Commissioners in 2004.

Ericka Mendieta has lived at Villas on the Park — one of Santa Clara County’s first 100% permanent supportive housing developments — since its opening in late 2019. Commissioner Mendieta entered into homelessness while experiencing a toxic marriage as well as a cancer diagnosis. As she began healing from the cancer, she gained the courage to leave her relationship. Outreach from PATH San José helped Commissioner Mendieta get into her own apartment. An integral member of the Villas on the Park community, Commissioner Mendieta is a go-getter who wants to share her experience with homelessness to advocate for and encourage others. She’s a frequent contributor to local and regional conversations about permanent supportive housing, having shared her story with local elected officials and even California’s governor. A native of Fremont, Commissioner Mendieta worked in customer service for Fidelity Investments for several years after earning an associate degree from Heald College. She was appointed to SCCHA’s Board of Commissioners in 2020.