Our Staff

Sonya Caruso
Executive Director

  • Sonya Caruso joins VIM in 2024 as the new CEO of the San Diego Chapter.

    Sonya’s passion for stewarding non-profits to achieve a greater impact and effectiveness has resulted in over 20 years of experience in non-profit strategic development.

    Sonya has a Master degree in Non-Profit Management from the University of Oregon, and a Certification in Fundraising Management (CFRM) from Indiana University.

    Sonya’s non-profit experience includes working for organizations like the Ronald McDonald House Charities, the San Diego Museum of Arts, and the Escondido Education Foundation. Sonya is also active within her local philanthropic community in leadership capacity. She currently serves on the honorary and resource committees for the San Diego River Park Foundation.

    When she is not working, Sonya enjoys running, yoga and hiking as a key part of her daily lifestyle. She is also Nationally Board Certified as a Health and Wellness Coach with specific expertise on the Blue Zones as she lived for two years with her husband in Sardinia, Italy, land of centenarians. Sonya also loves spending time with her two adventurous boys, ages 15 and 10, and her playful Pug.

Stephen M. Golbus M.D.
Medical Director

  • “I am able to help our patients get healthy and stay that way. I like explaining medical concepts to patients in a way they can understand so that they can learn to take care of their health.”

    Dr. Steven Golbus began dedicating his time and talent to VIM San Diego nearly six years ago, taking on several roles. As Medical Director, he oversees quality assurance for the clinic’s medical providers and trains new physician volunteers. In his other role as a primary care physician, he holds two clinics each week where he offers patients expert care in VIM San Diego’s Culture of Caring.

    “Even though I’m retired, I still love to practice medicine. There are people out there who need medical care who otherwise wouldn’t get it without our clinic. We have become the medical home for many people who would have nowhere else to go except to the hospital emergency room.”

    The now retired doctor spent his medical career caring for San Diegan’s in need. For nearly 30 years, Dr. Golbus practiced medicine in the Division of Nephrology with the Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group where he also served as Chief of Nephrology and was named 2002’s Internist of the Year.

    Dr. Golbus truly enjoys sharing his time to help others, as he has also volunteered for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and currently volunteers for Project Access—a network of healthcare providers who donate medically necessary healthcare.

    • Bachelor of Science: Northwestern University

    • Doctor of Medicine: Northwestern University

    • Fellowships: Department of Immunopathology, Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation

    • Fellow: National Kidney Foundation 1977-78

    • Member of American College of Physicians and National Kidney Foundation

Logan Tucker
Operations Manager

  • COMING SOON

David Lopez
Front Desk Manager & Translator

  • I have been cutting hair for 6 years now and it helped me pay for my bachelors degree at UCSD which I just graduated a month ago. Before UCSD, I attended San Diego City College and Riggins Urban Barber College at the same time and developed my time management skills both as a student and barber. I aspire to attend medical school and I decided to open up my own barbershop since I will be having 2 gap years and much more time on my hands. 

Brandi Blais
Development Coordinator

  • Brandi joined VIM San Diego in the Fall of 2022, working remotely from the PNW. She brings her experience in grant writing, social media outreach, and donor relations, along with a passion for working with small non-profits helping the most vulnerable members of our communities. Previously, Brandi worked for non-profits focused on food insecurity and homelessness, and she currently volunteers for the Whidbey Homeless Coalition as a board member.

    When she’s not working, Brandi enjoys foraging & hiking with her dog, Travis, or reading and knitting.

Libi Kavanah
Volunteer Coordinator

  • Libi Kavanah is a passionate advocate for social justice, with a keen interest in addressing homelessness, affordable housing, and healthcare reform. 

    With a background in Gerontology and cultural psychology  from University of Oregon, Libi  brings a unique  perspective to the intersection of societal justice regarding health, human services, and social equity. Additionally, Libi is a retired 30 year school teacher. Her years of teaching and curriculum development brings an additional  element to her role as a community engagement coordinator.

    Libi has been an Americorps volunteer coordinator where she organized thousands of volunteers in silicon valley. The goal was to  change the  heat Island  effect current in SV to a cooler  healthier one  for all.  This is accomplished by planting trees and healthy environmentally cleansing plants and shrubs throughout silicon valley.

    In her role as volunteer coordinator, Libi saw the primary goal was  environmental education. She accomplished this through outreach events in schools, faires, markets,  faith groups and neighborhood meetings.

    For the past few years, Libi has been a case manager for chronically homeless adults. Many have had a behavioral health diagnosis. Many are older adults, documented and undocumented. Many are homeless  veterans.Libi has a history of caring  and connecting. She creates a support network within the community to create a strong foundation for some of our most vulnerable neighbors. Her goal is to meet people where they are and then to uplift them so they can be the person they want to be. She does this by deep listening and compassionate caring.

    Her motto is 

    In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

Drew Kelly
Telehealth Coordinator

  • A native of San Diego, I started at the Volunteers in Medicine clinic in late 2021 as a front desk greeter and medical assistant. I initially sought out VIM as a way to give back to my community and have enjoyed expanding my knowledge and perspective alongside our wonderful providers and volunteers. In early 2023 I was delighted at the opportunity to create the VIM telehealth program and aim to allow our patients free and consistent access to specialty care.

    Outside of my work here you can find me surfing, spending time with family and friends, and staying active as much as I can.

    It has been a pleasure to be a part of the VIM family, and I enjoy each and every day I have the privilege to meet and develop relationships with our patients.

Board of Directors

Charlotte Ehrlund-Potter, MBA
Board Chair

  • Charlotte Ehrlund-Potter has 20+ years of healthcare experience nationwide, from academic to rural care settings, with deep roots in the New York market. She has led leadership roles focusing on operations, revenue cycle, technology, and population health. Charlotte holds a Bachelor of Science in Leadership Development from Texas A&M University-College Station and an MBA in Healthcare Administration from West Texas University. She is also a committed not-for-profit board member for Volunteers in Medicine San Diego since 2017 and currently serves as the President and Chair of the Board of Directors for VIM-SD.

Myra Ng
Board Secretary

  • Before joining the Board, Myra volunteered as a Patient Greeter and Scheduler, and Volunteer Coordinator where she had the opportunity to see first-hand the day-to-day activities of the Clinic and the impact that the volunteer staff made on the community and the patients they served. Myra has been a patient advocate for friends and family members with serious illnesses and deeply understands the importance of access to healthcare for all. Her passion for medicine, research, and science led her to roles in the biopharmaceutical industry where she contributed to the journey of bringing new or improved medicines to the market in the areas of inflammation and oncology. She is a strong supporter of preventative care, health monitoring, and the proactive approach to preserving one’s well-being. Myra is excited to witness the evolution of the Clinic and to have the privilege to work with such compassionate and talented individuals at VIM-SD to help make a difference in the community one patient at a time. As a Board Member, Myra looks forward to helping to secure the growth and future of the Clinic so that it may continue to reach out to low income and underinsured families in San Diego County, leading to healthy, positive outcomes.

Donna O’Brien, RN MBA
Board Treasurer

  • Donna is a registered nurse with 15 years of experience in cardiovascular management. She has experience in marketing for a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company and had her own business manufacturing antique reproductions. Currently, she is employed at Scripps La Jolla and serves as adjunct faculty at Grossmont College. Donna has her MBA from Wake Forest Executive Program and her MSN from University of San Diego.

Board of Trustees

Tim Cajka
Development Committee Chair

  • Tim has over 25 years’ experience as a healthcare executive. He is a proven leader with success scaling business operations in healthcare delivery. He’s held executive leadership roles with several Fortune 500 companies. He has a passion for exceptional customer experience, teammate engagement and clinical excellence. Tim is Chief Executive Officer for Phleb-Finders, a national leader in phlebotomy services. In his free time, he is an active volunteer with his local church and a Board member with Volunteer’s in Medicine in San Diego.

Nancy Pratt
Governance Committee Chair

  • Nancy has worked extensively in the clinical effectiveness field and is a noted national speaker. Before her current position at Clinicomp, Intl. as Senior Vice President of Clinical Product Development, she served as the Chief Operating Officer at AirStrip and prior to that as the Chief Quality and Safety Officer at St. Joseph Health. Ms. Pratt served for ten years as Senior Vice President, Clinical Effectiveness, of Sharp HealthCare in San Diego. She began her career in the United States Navy in the Nurse Corps, led clinical initiatives at the Medical University of South Carolina and Sentara Health Care, and served as Vice President of Clinical Services at Clinicomp International. She has prior experience as a manager in cardiovascular care and trauma, and has more than 20 years of experience as a critical care nurse in a variety of settings. She has been on the Board of Examiners for the National Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award for 4 years and led the initiative resulting in Sharp HealthCare’s recognition as a recipient of the 2007 National Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award. She received a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from the State University of New York, a master’s degree in Nursing Administration from San Diego State University and is an American Society of Quality Six Sigma Black Belt.

Stuart Harvey
Board Trustee

  • Stuart has been involved in managing VIM clinic activities since the organization was first formed in 2005. A Civil Engineer by training, he brings to the Board of Trustees experience in personnel management, lease agreements and property management. For several years prior to 2022 he was Chairman of the clinic’s Board of Trustees.

    The clinic’s Community Garden was largely planned and constructed under Stuart’s direction, and he continues to oversee general maintenance of the garden area.

Clarice Utt
Board Trustee

  • Clarice worked in a family business for 25 years as Vice President, responsible for managing business accounting and customer relations for the organization. She employed around 12 people and provided services to 30+ businesses. Through her career she and became very aware that hard working people could not always afford medical care and wanted to see if there was a way to help that situation. Fortunately, through friends, she was introduced to Volunteers in Medicine San Diego and has served on the Board of Directors since 2009.

Stephen Tokarz
Board Trustee

  • Stephen is a healthcare technology and consulting entrepreneur. He is focused on reducing costs while enhancing care quality and access throughout our communities. He was recognized by Consulting Magazine and the Business Journal as a Top 35 under 35 for his contributions to the Health and IT sectors. Stephen is married, an avid golfer, and father.

Carly Stockdale

  • Carly is a healthcare executive, entrepreneur, Board advisor and investor with 18 years of experience in building, turning-around and investing into venture-backed companies in digital health, longevity and women's health. Previously she was co-founder and CEO of BestLife (DBA Cenegenics), a healthy aging platform, as well as ChartRequest, a release of information company, and served as the second employee and executive at Prelude Fertility, now Inception. Carly holds an MPH in Healthcare Management from Yale School of Public Health and a BA in Political Science (Health Politics) from Yale.

Emily Richmond

  • Emily Richmond is a healthcare innovator with over 15 years of experience providing guidance and leadership in the areas of health policy, regulatory strategy and product management at companies ranging from early stage start-ups to those in the Fortune 500. Emily is excited by technology innovations that can sustainably improve health outcomes and allow clinicians to deliver high quality care to patients, including the expansion of digital health in clinical settings, improving the efficiency of interoperability and the use of genetic testing in preventative medicine. Emily has an MPH from Emory University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Advisory Council