Our People

Bart Charlow, LMFT has been Chief Executive Officer of Samaritan House since 2014. Bart is a seasoned CEO, who has managed nonprofit, health care and human services organizations, and is a Licensed Family Therapist.

His career spans diverse fields, including business administration, education, research, audio-visual media and information technology.

In 44 years as a Bay Area executive, he has led regional nonprofits: Easter Seals Bay Area, Adult & Child Guidance Center, Silicon Valley FACES, Peninsula Volunteers and Peninsula Volunteer Properties, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and more. He has also been an Instructor for the Joint Commission, St. Mary’s College and Notre Dame de Namur.

Bart has served on numerous boards and commissions and has been awarded for his Interfaith work. He holds an M.A. in Counseling and a B.A. in Anthropology/Sociology from Wake Forest University.

Bart has been widely featured on local TV, radio, and in print. He has been quoted nationally in Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal, and has appeared on the NBC Today Show.

Bart and his wife, Nancy, raised their 3 children in Foster City.

Jolie Bou leads the Finance/Accounting team at Samaritan House and has been Chief Financial Officer since September 2005. She’s passionate about having positive synergy between finance and developments departments. Her responsibilities also include Information Technology and risk management. Prior to joining the Samaritan House team, she was the Executive Director for the Women’s Recovery Association in Burlingame and was previously their Director of Finance for 10 years.

Jolie’s career began in accounting and her nonprofit work goes back more than 35 years with experience and expertise in wide range of key areas including finance, accounting, strategy, development, human resources and capacity building. In addition, Jolie has participated in several distinct national and local organizational learning collaboratives such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s national collaborative, “Paths to Recovery”. These initiatives focused on process improvement, infrastructure capacity, outcomes, and learning from peer organizations.

Laura Bent serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Samaritan House leading the organizations Client Services, Food Services and Safe Harbor Shelter Programs. She is also responsible for the originations’ Program Data and Facilities Management operations. In addition, she has great responsibility for the Community Development efforts on behalf of the organization. She previously served as the Director of Programs and Services for Samaritan House. She is a retired executive of the YMCA movement and currently working on a Master’s in Business Administration with a specialized focus on Non Profit Administration. She has a 28 year career as a Non Profit Professional and has been volunteering in a variety of levels for over 20 years. She currently serves as the Treasurer on the Board of the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce; is a founding board member of The EDGE (Economic Development and Growth Enterprise) for the City of San Mateo; Immediate Past President of Leadership San Mateo, Foster City, Burlingame and Foster City; Current Co-Vice President of Fund Development for the Highlands Elementary School in San Mateo. She is a Former Board Member and 12 year Rotarian with the San Mateo Rotary Club; a Former Board member of THRIVE (the non-profit Alliance of San Mateo County). In addition, she also volunteers her time to support various community events at both the County and local City levels as well as with the San Mateo Little League. She currently resides in San Mateo with her husband and two sons and lives by the philosophy that each person should “Be the Change they wish to see in this world.”

Jason currently serves as Medical Director of Health Care Services at Samaritan House. He attended medical school at UCLA and completed his residency in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial.  Before joining Samaritan House, he was in group practice in San Jose and chief of Family Practice at El Camino Hospital.  He has particular interests in chronic care management and improving the use of technology in medicine. When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with family and exploring the health IT space.

Connie Gershaneck, PHR is Director 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.

Jessica Mitchell has been with Samaritan House since 2014 and is currently its Director of Development & Communications. She is passionate about Samaritan House’s mission and connecting people with meaningful opportunities to help our neighbors in need.

Jessica’s career in Development and Communications spans 13 years and includes fundraising on behalf of the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company in San Francisco and the Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York City. A retired dancer herself, performances are now limited to her living room where she boogies with her husband and toddler, as their lazy pit bull passes judgment from the sofa.

Jessica graduated summa cum laude from Kent State University where she earned a BA in Organizational Communication and minored in Sociology and Dance.

Attorney, City Councilwoman & Human Rights Advocate – Belmont, CA

Attorney at GCA Law Partners LLP – San Mateo, CA

Formerly Chief Financial Officer at The Hewlett Foundation

Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy & Planning at Nuveen – San Mateo, CA

Political Campaign Management and Consulting – San Carlos, CA

Director at Generosity in Action – Hillsborough, CA

Hillsborough Councilmember – Hillsborough, CA

Community Progs. Specialist II – San Mateo, CA

Chief Executive Officer at Woodmont Real Estate Services – San Carlos, CA

Psychotherapist – East Palo Alto, CA

English Learner Outreach Coordinator at Baywood Elementary School & Spanish Translator at San Mateo Foster City School District – San Mateo, CA

Medical Doctor – Portola Valley, CA

Vice President, Cornerstrone Research- San Francisco, CA

Retired Director, San Mateo Health Department – San Mateo, CA

Financial Advisor, Ting & Associates at Merrill Lynch – San Mateo, CA

Commercial Banking – Redwood City, CA