Dr. McPhail has been in the healthcare industry for over 21 years and currently serves at Vida Senior Centers as President & CEO. In her role, she oversees and supervises both sites (Vida-Adams Morgan and Vida-Brightwood). She is responsible for grants management, contract management, personnel management, budget management, program reporting, evaluation, and organizational operations.

She has vast experience in the medical field. In El Salvador, she worked as a medical doctor and primary care physician at Hospital Nacional Zacamil and held positions of Public Health Coordinator and Community Medicine Director at the Universidad Evangélica de San Salvador (UESS).

During the past ten years in the US, she has worked with a healthcare technology company and was crucial in its growth from 16 employees to over 480, contributing to multimillion-dollar ROI revenue through the retention of existing clients and resource optimization, and identifying up-sales opportunities. She is an SME population health, utilization management, care coordination, appeals & grievances, member portals, provider portals, mobile clinician, diagnosis-based risk adjustment models.

Dr. McPhail is the founder of ProMethium Health Partners, a consulting firm that provides Medical Management, Advisory Business Development, and Coordination for Technology and Product Development Services.

Over the years, Dr. McPhail has gained vast experience in healthcare and technology, account management, client service, and service delivery.  She brings expertise in leadership, team management, operations, and marketing.

She was born in El Salvador (Central America) and has lived in the DC area for the past 12 years.

Dr. McPhail is bilingual in English and Spanish and is used to working in multi-cultural settings, including Central America, India, Vietnam, and the United States.

George Garcia (He, Him, His) has more than 14 years of professional work experience as a community leader to meet traditionally at-risk and underserved communities and currently serves at Vida Senior Centers (VSC) as Director of Operations. In his role, he oversees operations and assists in supervising both sites (Vida-Adams Morgan and Vida-Brightwood). He is responsible for organizational operations, grants management, contract management, personnel management, budget management, program reporting, evaluation, and participating in VSC’s business development efforts. He is also responsible for supervising the program managers and ensures the organization’s programmatic work is carried out in a manner consistent with Vida Senior Centers’ mission, vision, values, and strategic plan.

Before assuming his current role as Director of Operations at VSC, Mr. Garcia oversaw the education and workforce department and health programs at Latin American Youth Center. As Director at LAYC, Mr. Garcia oversees the After Schools program, the Community School program, the AmeriCorps program, the Workforce program, and reproductive education and health programs.

Mr. Garcia also served as Board President and CEO of Equality Inland Empire (EQIE). EQIE was the only LGBT organization in California’s San Bernardino County that focused on LGBT rights. As Board President/CEO, Mr. Garcia developed and executed new programs, led all community engagement efforts, oversaw all grants, and navigated the organization to align with the community’s needs. Mr. Garcia also had the pleasure of working for Rainbow Pride Youth Alliance (RPYA). RPYA is the only LGBT youth-focused organization in California’s San Bernardino County. At RPYA, Mr. Garcia was responsible for working with youth in the Inland Empire region in southern California, who are at risk for mental health issues, substance abuse, and exposure to STI/HIV. He also worked with the community to implement new programs within RPYA and conducted “culturally competent training” in for-profit and non-profit organizations on RPYA’s behalf.

Mr. Garcia has a Master of Public Administration from the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, DC.
“No matter where we live on the planet or how difficult our situation seems to be, we have the ability to overcome and transcend our circumstances.” ― Louise Hay

Dr. Nancy Magaly Ojeda joined Vida in 2007 to lead the Wellness and Health Program. She monitors Vida participants’ health conditions and offers weekly classes on illness prevention and healthcare.

Dr. Ojeda received a Master Training course for Chronic Disease Self-Management and Diabetes Self-Management Programs at Stanford University.

Dr. Ojeda received her Bachelor of Medicine in 1991 in Cuba and six years later, she specialized in Gerontology and Geriatrics. In 2004 Dr. Ojeda received her Master’s degree in Health Promotion at Escuela Nacional de Salud Pública (ENSAP).

Dr. Ojeda has a extensive experience in clinical, and academic research, integrating elder care into several settings such as primary healthcare, long-term care, and hospitalization.

She worked for twelve years in the Centro de Investigaciones sobre Longevidad, Envejecimiento y Salud (CITED) in La Habana, Cuba, where she was born.

After she came to the United States, Dr. Ojeda decided to focus her professional career on following her life’s passion: promoting health and wellbeing in seniors living in vulnerable conditions.

Dr. María de Lourdes Carrillo joined Vida Senior Centers in 2020.

Dr. Carrillo coordinates the efforts for Vida Brightwood Center, which also serves as a meal site. She coordinates Vida’s services, provides counseling on health promotion and a healthy lifestyle to the participants.

María de Lourdes graduated as a medical doctor and surgeon from the Universidad Central del Ecuador in 1985.

She graduated from the University of Arizona, where she worked as a research assistant in ​​the International Health and Community Development field. She received a master’s degree in public health (MPH) in 1995. She volunteered at the Arizona University Medical Hospital as a Spanish interpreter, participated in several reproductive health research projects, and lectured in national and international seminars and symposia in the United States and in Ecuador.

From 2003 to 2019, she worked as a Medical Coordinator and Family Doctor in Fundación Hermano Miguel, an Ecuadorian NGO dedicated to providing health services to people with disabilities.

Sonia Pessoa joined Vida Senior Centers in 2007 and has been serving our senior community as a Nutritionist and Dietitian.

In 2000, Sonia Pessoa received a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition Science from Centro Universitário Dinâmica das Cataratas (UDC) in Brazil, where she was born.

Sonia has made a difference in Vida’s seniors’ quality of life, improving their well-being while helping them to make better food choices.

She holds a certification as a Dietitian in the United States and 2005 she received her graduate degree as Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Howard University. Sonia was a clinical nutritional intern at Walter Reed Medical Center.

She has always wanted to work with the elderly population because she feels that they have given so much to society but received so little in return.

Sonia speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

Carolina Arias joined Vida Senior Centers in September 2019. In her beginnings as a volunteer, she supported the recreation and socialization projects and helped with tackling the changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In her role as the Activities Coordinator, she coordinates all community activities and events, handles communication with internal and external guests. She supports our participants both in person and virtually.

Carolina is from Colombia. She is a professional in Business Administration and received a Master’s Degree in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá – Colombia in 2001. She also specialized in Retail Sales at the Universidad de la Sabana – Colombia.

She worked for 17 years in the gas & oil sector, with extensive experience in administrative management, auditing and internal control. At the same time, she carried out non-profit activities and taught music and technology in Social Reintegration Programs for youth and mothers who were heads of households at the Fundacion Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes in Bogotá-Colombia.

In 2021, Carolina completed a CNA Degree at Astar Institute in Manassas Virginia, certifying as a Nursing Assistant with an emphasis on the elderly.

Catalina Diaz joined Vida Senior Centers in August 2021 as a Grants Manager to manage the budgets and monitor the expenses of these donations. Her functions are planning and implementing grant programs, preparing budgets, researching funding opportunities, supervising grant staff, tracking expenses, identifying support agencies, tracking results, and analyzing financial data.

Catalina is from Colombia. She is a professional in Business Administration from the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga and has extensive experience in the area of consultative food and beverage sales for 8 years, in addition to being a Key Account Manager for the services sector. Subsequently, she worked at the Colombian Ministry of the Interior for three years in the Human Rights Directorate, supporting, and coordinating public policies, plans, programs, and projects in the field of human rights and international humanitarian law. She worked on the integration of the nation with the territorial entities and, on citizen security and coexistence.

Currently living in Washington DC, she continues to work at the center and is supporting the older adults who attend there.

Mayelin Matos Medina joined Vida Senior Centers in February 2013 to be part of the administrative team collaborating in accounting and other areas.

Mayelin was born in the Dominican Republic and got her bachelor’s degree in Public Health at the University of the District of Columbia. In 2016 she joined Vida as the Social Services Counselor. In her current role, she assists Vida seniors in improving their self-sufficiency and sense of community through a culturally sensitive and bilingual approach.

Her work makes a difference in seniors’ life by helping them to navigate the local and federal agencies, government offices, and non-profit organizations in an effort to get them the services they deserve.

Fabiola Morán Serves as Data Entry Clerk and Community Liaison at Vida Senior Centers.

In her role, Fabiola is responsible for entering the data for reports to grantors and coordinating the food commodity and produce delivery to our seniors. She is part of the Vida Senior Center Brightwood’s team.

Fabiola Moran was born in Peru, where she obtained her degree in Special Education in 1994 from Universidad Femenina del Sagrado Corazón in Lima, Peru.

She worked as an elementary school teacher for several schools in Lima, Peru and served as a Special Olympics Peru press coordinator.

In the United States, she worked for 15 years as a Spanish teacher and classroom assistant in a private school located in Marshall, VA.

Dr. Jorge Sodero has been working at Vida Senior Centers as Lead Mental and Behavioral Health Counselor for 15 years. He works with participants to identify mental and behavioral problems, provides individual and group counseling, and leads classes on mental health, positive thinking, and emotional balance. Dr. Sodero also works in conjunction with community clinics and medical centers.

Dr. Sodero graduated as a Physician and Surgeon at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba in 1980 after graduating in Biological Sciences. He is a specialist in Neuropsychiatry.

Dr. Sodero moved from Cordoba, his native province in Argentina, to the United States, where he was a resident physician at Harvard University in Boston, an internal medicine resident in Washington DC, and a fellow in Neurophysiology at Georgetown University.

Nuria Molina joined the Vida team in 2006 as a Client Assistant and Data Specialist. She is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the platforms Vida uses to manage its programs.

In 2004 she received a diploma in bilingual studies from Colegio Bilingüe Academia Europea, in the city of San Miguel, El Salvador.

In 2000 she worked at the Vatican Embassy in Costa Rica as Assistant Secretary, coordinating high authorities visits in the embassy. Later, she worked at Colegio el Espíritu Santo Usulután as a teacher’s assistant.

In Washington DC, Nuria continued her English and MedTech studies at Carlos Rosario Charter School.

She has been in the United States since 2006.

Nuria is the friendly face the seniors see when they visit the centers.

Sofia Merino joined Vida Seniors Center in August 2022 as a Client Services and Data Entry Specialist. Sofia is from El Salvador, she has been working as a Nutritionist and Dietitian, with different international non-profits in her country since 2016. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from the Universidad Evangelica de El Salvador. She has a degree in Sports Nutrition and Hydratation from Gatorade Sports Science Institute and also a certification in Fodmap’s Diet for Digestive Health from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics of USA.

For over 16 years she has been a volunteer caring for people with disabilities and vulnerable conditions. Sofia speaks Spanish, English and sign language (LESSA).

She was a professor of Nutrition and Diet Therapy at IEPROES (Specialized Institute of Health Professionals) in El Salvador since 2019. Last year she worked at the Ministry of Local Development of El Salvador as a Nutritionist, serving senior survivors from the civil war at “El Mozote” and nearby communities.

Sofia is focused on continually working to improve the conditions of the elderly and improving their well-being.