Board of Directors
Jordan Thorpe - Board President
Jordan Thorpe is a dedicated professional who has made significant strides in the real estate industry while embodying a spirit of service and community engagement. Born with a natural knack for understanding people and their needs, Jordan embarked on his journey in real estate in 2014. Since then, he has carved out a distinguished career as a trusted REALTOR®, leveraging his expertise to guide countless clients through the intricate process of buying and selling properties. In 2016, Jordan achieved a pivotal milestone by obtaining his broker's license, a testament to his commitment to excellence and continuous learning within the field. Armed with comprehensive knowledge and a genuine passion for real estate, he has consistently demonstrated an unparalleled dedication to his clients' success, earning their trust and respect along the way. Beyond his professional endeavors, Jordan is deeply invested in giving back to his community. He believes in the importance of making a positive impact wherever possible, and as such, he devotes much of his time to volunteering. Through his active involvement in various executive positions on different boards, Jordan tirelessly works to address pressing issues and drive meaningful change within his community.
Guille Silva - Secretary
Guille Silva has been an a community health worker for over 10 years. Over the last three years she has been a Program Coordinator at PVPSA.
Guille is a mom of three and has been a Jacob’s Heart family for 5 years. She has an education in Criminal Justice and Medical Administration. Guille is excited to be a board member and is ready to help spread awareness and advocate for Jacob’s Heart families.
Laura Bartels - Treasurer
Laura Bartels, based in Santa Clara, CA, US, is currently the Chief Accounting Officer at Arm. Laura Bartels brings experience from previous roles at Maxim Integrated. Laura Bartels holds a degree from University of California, Santa Cruz. With a robust skill set that includes CPA, COSO, Tax Research, Accounting, Sarbanes-Oxley, and more.
Linda Rossi
Linda’s passion for pediatric cancer comes from her personal experience. She is proud to be Cole’s mom, a cancer survivor and recipient of the support and care of Jacob’s Heart since Cole’s brain tumor diagnosis in 2005. Aside from her strong faith, she credits the mental and physical support she received from Jacob’s Heart and friends as the reason she was able to get through such a trying time. Her motivation is to give back by supporting Jacob’s Heart in two important ways that are personal to her experience. First is to provide support so that a parent is always mentally and physically strong to stay by their child’s bedside and second that both children and families are supported emotionally with the post- traumatic stress that follows pediatric cancer treatment. Linda is a graduate from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and spends her time managing real estate investments and enjoying outdoor activities, especially skiing. She and her family have lived in the Aptos community since 1994. She is proud to serve on the board with the perspective of being a cancer survivor’s mom who understands the challenges Jacob’s Heart families face
Megan Martinelli
Megan, her husband John, and their family business S. Martinelli & Co. have been longtime supporters of Jacob’s Heart. Their close family friendship with Cole Rossi, a childhood cancer survivor, and his family made Jacob’s Heart and its mission a cause close to their hearts. Utilizing her extensive experience in event planning, Megan co-chaired the 2018 Jordan & Kyra Memorial Golf Tournament and is on the planning committee for Camp Heart + Hands. Megan is proud to direct her time, talents, and energy to ensure that every child who is fighting cancer in Jacob’s Heart’s four-county region gets the emotional, financial, and practical support they need in order to face their challenge.
Stephanie Smith
Pediatric oncologist and researcher at Stanford Medicine.
Dr. Stephanie is a pediatric oncologist and researcher at Stanford. A California native, she grew up in the San Joaquin Valley and first learned about cancer and cancer survivorship through her family’s experience. She was 11 when her mom – who is now a long-term survivor – was diagnosed with cancer. She graduated from Yale University, Yale School of Public Health, and Stanford University School of Medicine, trained in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and University of Pennsylvania, and returned to California for Pediatric Hematology and Oncology fellowship at Stanford. She has been on the faculty at Stanford since 2020. Her academic focus is on cancer survivorship -- understanding how to improve the long-term health of kids, teens, and young adults who were treated for cancer as children. She and Jacob’s Heart have been partnering together over the past several years to learn about the needs and experiences of cancer survivors and their families in the region, and to develop new programs to meet the needs.
Jose Castillo
Lifelong resident of Monterey County. Recreational and Travel softball coach in Monterey County for over 20 years. Employed at SVMHS for over 31 years. 3 daughters Alyssa, Julia, Victoria and one son Julian. Married to Yesenia Castillo. Leadership position with Monterey County Leukemia Lymphoma Society from 2019- present. Son Julian is a cancer survivor and family became part of Jacobs Heart Children's Services in 2018.
Photo coming soon...
Geoffrey Perusse
Geoffrey Perusse and his family have been a Jacob's Heart family since 2015 and Geoff has been on the Board since 2020. During his family's journey with his son's illness, he realized how important it is to support the family while a child was sick, and how many families don't have the same access to support that Geoff and his family enjoyed. He is honored to serve on the Board of Jacob's Heart in memory of his son, Xavier as a way of helping other families going through such difficult experience as a pediatric cancer diagnosis. In his professional life, Geoff is a partner at the international law firm of Rimon, PC, and a co-owner in a heliskiing and mountain guide company. In his free time, he loves to be outside - mountain biking, surfing, climbing, backpacking, and of course, skiing.
Karen Stuart
A Lifelong resident of Santa Cruz and an active community member, Karen has worked in property management in Santa Cruz, Truckee, and Maui. She has worked alongside her husband Rob Stuart. They have successfully held The Jordan & Kyra Memorial Tournament for 30 years, Karen being involved for 25 years. The tournament raised money For supporting families with pediatric cancer, Pediatric Cancer Research, Jacob’s Heart & Family House.
Karen is honored to be part of the Jacob’s Heart Board. She loves their mission of helping family’s improve the quality of life for children with cancer & their family’s. In Karen's spare time she enjoys walking her dog and traveling with my husband & girlfriends whenever she can.
Maureen Tabari
Maureen brings her years as a mother, attorney and active community member to the board. Her dedication to Jacob’s Heart derives from her commitment to service and giving back, as well as her family’s experience with the loss of a dear and close friend. Jensen, her daughter’s best friend, lost her 2-year struggle with Synovial Sarcoma at age 13. Maureen graduated from Santa Clara University where she received both her undergraduate and law degrees. Her first 20 years of her practice focused on business litigation. More recently, however, she has devoted her practice to special education law. She represents families of disabled children helping them navigate the special education system in their school districts so they can receive appropriate education and make good progress. Maureen has also chaired major fundraisers for her children’s schools and community organizations, like the Northern California Innocence Project and the New Millennium Foundation. She has sat on various boards and committees, including Los Gatos Education Art Docents, Partners in Mission in Ecuador, Valle Monte League, Ethics Committee of Santa Clara County Bar Association, Santa Clara University Law Alumni Association, National Charity League Board, Safe rides Board of Directors and San Jose Hospital Institutional Review Board. Maureen moved to Watsonville with her husband in July 2020 and is looking forward to working with Jacob’s Heart and the community to build and strengthen structures of support that enable families as they fight for their loved ones.
Brenda Tierney
Brenda brings a personal understanding of the profound impact of childhood cancer on families. Growing up in a large Irish family, she witnessed firsthand the devastating loss of two young cousins, one of whom succumbed to childhood cancer. This experience brought her an acute awareness of the vital roles that community and family support play in navigating such challenging journeys.
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With a background rooted in contributing to the health and well-being of children, both as a gymnastics coach at West Valley Gymnastic School in Campbell and as a devoted aunt to her sixteen nieces and nephews, Brenda has long been committed to nurturing young lives. Drawing from her extensive experience in Public Affairs and International Protocol, acquired through her tenure at Facebook/Meta and the Silicon Valley Office of Protocol, Brenda brings a wealth of expertise to her role on the board.
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Brenda is honored and enthusiastic about the opportunity to leverage her skills and passion to advance the mission of Jacob's Heart, improving the quality of life for children with cancer and supporting their families in the challenges they face.
Photo coming soon...
Daniela Rey-Ardilla
Daniela (Dani) Rey-Ardila is a public health professional with expertise in
community health, health equity, and strategic partnerships. She works at
Stanford Children’s Health, where she supports community benefit initiatives and collaborates with nonprofit and community partners to improve access to care and address social determinants of health for children and families. Earlier in her career, she worked as a care coordinator in the oncology department at Stanford Children’s, an experience that shaped her commitment to supporting families navigating serious illness and complex care systems and led to her involvement with Jacob’s Heart. Dani has also served on the board of Parents Helping Parents since 2021 and currently holds the role of Treasurer, bringing a strong focus on responsible stewardship, financial oversight, and mission-aligned resource allocation. She holds a Master of Public Health and is passionate about centering community voice, supporting families navigating complex systems, and promoting health equity.
Photo coming soon...
Dayna Heller
Dayna Heller brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the retail industry, having served as a store, area, and district manager. A three-time cancer survivor, giving back has become deeply personal and central to her mission. She is passionate about supporting families facing serious illness and is proud to serve on the Board of Directors for Jacob’s Heart. Dayna brings strong skills in project management, coordination, marketing, and community engagement, and leverages her sales and relationship-building abilities to support fundraising efforts, including the successful procurement of auction items in her volunteer work.