Director

Dana Cropper previously served as the Director of Education at HealthHIV, where she led a federally-funded online education portfolio. Prior to HealthHIV, Dana was the Director of Training and Education for the National Coalition of STD Directors and the Deputy Director of the Diabetes Today National Training Center.

Dana has extensive experience in training, technical assistance, capacity-building, evaluation, and other areas critical to CAPTC’s work as well as deep content knowledge of the STI field. She holds masters’ degrees in public administration and human resources management.

Dana is a staunch advocate for health equity and is committed to working on behalf of disproportionately impacted populations including youth, the incarcerated, sexual minorities, and communities of color. On her days off you may find her enjoying live music at a winery with her partner and friends or relaxing with a good book.

Meet Dana Cropper, training leader putting community first

Program Manager

Linda DeSantis, MEd, has worked in family planning and STD/HIV prevention for over twenty years in both community and public health settings. Linda has provided training and technical assistance (TA) for community-based organizations, local health departments, and community planning groups and has extensive experience with evidence-based program models.

She has also worked extensively in Africa and in Asia providing training and TA. Linda is committed to social justice issues specifically related to improving health outcomes.

SoCal Operations Manager/Travel Coordinator

Alice Gandelman, MPH, is the former Director of the California Prevention Training Center (CAPTC) and currently acts as a consultant to the Center. She directed CAPTC from 1994 to 2021, overseeing its training and technical assistance services: STI Clinical Training, Disease Intervention, Capacity Building Assistance Center, Family Planning, and Communication and Evaluation.

CAPTC’s priority populations are health practitioners who deliver preventive health services for patients and clients in a variety of public and private settings. In her directorship, Alice guided the CAPTC in the integration of community, provider, funder, and research agendas to improve capacity-building assistance for health professionals in practice settings.

Prior to directing CAPTC, Alice provided training and capacity-building services throughout the US and internationally (Africa and Asia) in HIV and STI prevention and care.

Her current focus is on integration of social determinants of health, structural interventions, and combination prevention approaches to improve prevention outcomes among persons who are at greatest need, but with limited or no access to services. Her recent work has included helping to strengthen the public health workforce for COVID-19 via related training and capacity-building.

She envisions an environment where health equity exists for all and is committed to supporting health professionals to achieve that vision in their respective communities.

Deputy Director

Samantha Lekus has more than 20 years of experience as an academic and nonprofit management professional focused on strategy, operations, HR and fiscal management. She provides creative solutions to strategically address the operational needs of international and domestic organizations, including university, NGO, and smaller nonprofit environments.

Samantha is committed to supporting vulnerable populations’ reproductive health and promoting HIV and STI prevention. She is thrilled to contribute to the work of the CAPTC. Samantha holds master’s degrees in family counseling and HIV rehabilitation counseling.

CAPTC Deputy Director/CBA Program Manager

In his 22 years at the CAPTC, Greg Mehlhaff has worn many hats—most recently as the organization’s Deputy Director. In addition to guiding the trajectory of the CAPTC, he coordinated the HIV PCRS Training Program and served as the HIV/STD Liaison, coordinating HIV/STD integration efforts at the CBO, local, and state government levels.

Greg’s current work primarily focuses on capacity-building efforts related to HIV prevention, treatment, and care. He has led efforts to create an HIV Linkage to Care Course for DIS, RESPECT, and Supporting Self-Disclosure of HIV Status for our domestic funders, as well as MSM Sensitization, Support Group Facilitation, and Contact Tracing for our international efforts.

He has worked extensively in South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Thailand, and Taiwan, building capacity for local staff. He considers his international work a privilege and a highlight of his career.

Prior to joining the CAPTC, he worked in the CBO setting in all areas of HIV prevention and care –developing, implementing, evaluating, and directing programs. He started and maintained an underground Syringe Services Program, and he spent many hours providing HIV/STI prevention counseling and screening at a local bathhouse.

In recent years, Greg spearheaded the management of a highly complex learning management system; the LMS has been used as a model for other organizations.

In 2020 he played a key leadership role in developing California state and national COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Tracing training and delivery. Greg is highly committed to creating training that reflects the unique needs of each community.