Laura Bent is the Chief Executive Officer for Samaritan House of San Mateo County. Previously, she was the Director of Programs and Services and most recently, the agency’s Chief Operating Officer, serving a total of 11 years at Samaritan House before becoming CEO. Prior to Samaritan House, Laura was as an executive leader for the YMCA of San Francisco and worked a total of 21 years for the YMCA movement. In total, Laura has committed more than 35 years in service to the nonprofit sector.
Additionally, Laura has served on a number of boards and committees over the last 20 years. She is the immediate past Board Chair of the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce and a member of several groups serving San Mateo County, including: the Continuum of Care Committee, the Housing our People Effectively Inter-Agency Council, the Recovery Coordination Council, and the Core Agency Network Executive Leadership team. Laura is a current board member and a 20-year member of the San Mateo Rotary Club, co-president of the Music Boosters program for San Mateo High School, and Vice President of the Borel Middle School PTA. She also volunteers her time to support various community events at both the County and local city levels. She currently resides in San Mateo with her husband and two sons and believes very strongly that the more we give, the better we live!
Alec Raffin joined Samaritan House in July 2023 as Chief Operating Officer. With over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, his work has focused on generating positive social impact by creating and sustaining organizational effectiveness initiatives. He was the founding Executive Director of Mpower, a Colorado-based nonprofit organization, and ran Streetside Stories, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that cultivated the voices of young people by teaching them how to write, illustrate, and share stories that honor their personal experiences. Most recently Alec served as Director of Operations at Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation where he was responsible for directing organization-wide operational effectiveness projects and overseeing the team responsible for supporting the organization’s business infrastructure. Prior to TNDC he was a Senior Advisor for Fiscal Management Associates, a nation-wide consulting firm that helps nonprofit organizations strengthen their operational and fiscal capacity to effectively meet their missions. Alec is a San Francisco Bay Area native and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Inessa Shishmanyan is a mission-driven executive with over 15 years of leadership experience spanning finance, technology, and facilities management within the nonprofit sector. She is deeply committed to leveraging operational excellence and strategic innovation to advance access, opportunity, and stability for underserved communities.
As Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer at Samaritan House, Inessa leads financial stewardship and technology strategy for one of the Bay Area’s most vital safety-net organizations. In this dual role, she champions initiatives that expand access to essential services—including food, shelter, healthcare, and personalized support—while driving digital transformation and operational efficiency to strengthen community impact.
Previously, as Chief Financial & Technology Officer at Peninsula Family Service, Inessa played a pivotal role in aligning financial strategy with programmatic goals, modernizing infrastructure, and enhancing data-informed decision-making to empower individuals and families toward self-sufficiency.
Inessa’s early life in Armenia, shaped by regional conflict, instilled in her a profound sense of empathy and a lifelong commitment to helping others—values that continue to guide her work in human services and inclusive leadership. Her work reflects a deep belief in the power of collaborative leadership to create lasting change.
Beyond her professional roles, Inessa is an active contributor to her community. She served on the City of San Mateo Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force, partnering with local leaders to advance inclusive initiatives citywide. She also serves as Finance Chair on the board of Caminar, a behavioral health nonprofit, and as Facilities Chair on the board of Keys School, where she advocates for inclusive practices and social-emotional learning.
In recognition of her visionary leadership and financial acumen, Inessa was named a finalist in the 2025 Bay Area CFO of the Year Awards in the Nonprofit Organization category, an honor presented by the San Francisco Business Times and benefiting Larkin Street Youth Services.
Blending strategic insight with a deep commitment to social impact, Inessa is dedicated to fostering collaboration across the nonprofit sector, optimizing resource allocation, and building community-centered solutions that address the diverse needs of those she serves.
Connie Gershaneck, PHR is Vice President of Human Resources at Samaritan House. Connie has been with the organization since 2011. Prior to joining Samaritan House, she served as Administrative Services Director at the Peninsula Family YMCA (YMCA of San Francisco) for 14 years. Connie attended San Francisco State University with studies in Industrial Psychology.
Connie takes pride in working for an organization whose mission is to provide hope and opportunity for the underserved. As a Certified Professional in Human Resources since 2009, it’s her goal to ensure supportive working environments for the Samaritan House team. Connie has been a coastal resident with her husband for over 30 years and is an ardent fan of all things Hawaii and Christmas.
Dr. Baldeep Singh, MD is a Clinical Professor and the former Clinical Chief for Internal Medicine in the division of Primary Care and Population Health, at Stanford. He is a local kid from the South Bay, who attended Stanford as an undergraduate, and Northwestern for medical school. Following residency at UCLA, he spent two years in the National Health Service Corps in the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Northeast Valley Health Corp., primarily serving the working poor and homeless populations, before returning to UCLA to join the faculty. At UCLA, he served as Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Program, medical director of one of the faculty practices, and also led the resident combined ambulatory continuity clinic for UCLA and Venice Family Clinic, which is one of the largest Free Clinics in the country. In 2009, he moved to be closer to family. Until recently, he led the Stanford Internal Medicine faculty practice as well as the Internal Medicine resident outpatient continuity clinic. He was recently a Board member at MayView Health Center in Mountain View, and has been the Co-Director of the Pacific Free Clinic at Stanford since 2010. His career has focused on underserved care, global health (Ecuador and Kenya), health care delivery, and medical education.
He is married with two adult sons, and loves travel, crosswords, and guitar.
Hugo Torres currently serves as the Vice President of Programs and Services for Samaritan House of San Mateo County and is the President of the San Mateo County Board of Education. He holds a Master’s in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor’s degree in Education and American Studies from Dominican University. With over 15 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and education sectors, Hugo’s work has consistently centered on marginalized communities, low income families, and youth of color, reflecting his deep commitment to equity and holistic community well being.
Previously, Hugo served as the Principal for Voices Flagship: College Bound Language Academy and held multiple roles at the St. Francis Center, including Programs Manager, Assistant Principal and K-8 Educator for Holy Family School, and Director of the Siena Youth Center. Originally from Chicago, he spent a decade working with the Town of Cicero’s Youth Commission, serving as a volunteer, supervisor, and eventually executive director.
