About Us
Our mission is to serve our community, providing the highest quality of care to every patient, every family, every time.As the first established independent hospice in the Sacramento Valley, YoloCares has a storied history of caring for people who have a life-limiting illness. YoloCares is an active member of the National Partnership for Hospice Innovation and is recognized as a regional leader in end-of-life care. YoloCares offers a wide variety of supportive care services, from an enriching adult day facility to The Joint Commission-accredited hospice and palliative care programs.
YoloCares is a member of the California Hospice Network, a group of like-minded nonprofit hospice agencies dedicated to improving the quality of, and expanding access to, end-of-life services for individuals and families of all backgrounds.
Named as a national finalist in Modern Healthcare Magazine’s Best Places to Work in 2020 and 2021, YoloCares is dedicated to excellence in all aspects of end-of-life care. Our philosophy of care honors the medical, spiritual and psychosocial needs of the individual and enables us to provide a unique care experience for each patient and family.
YoloCares Senior Leadership Team
Craig Dresang
Chief Executive Officer
Craig Dresang brings more than 25 years of nonprofit management experience to his post. Prior to his role at YoloCares, Craig was the vice president for community development for JourneyCare in Chicago, a $100 million healthcare organization that ranked in the top 20 nation-wide for quality inpatient care, and was recognized as one of Chicago’s top 100 workplaces.
Kris Kirkendall, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
After receiving her Masters in Accounting in 1999, Kirkendall has worked more than 20 years in healthcare finance at two large hospital systems in our area. She worked as YoloCares CFO from 2014 until her retirement in mid-2017. She returned YoloCares in 2020 to manage the buildout and licensing of Galileo Place Adult Day Program and to work closely with the Board and CEO on other projects, among them the affiliation with the California Hospice Network. Kirkendall became the CFO in August 2022.
Louise Joyce
Director of Community Development
Louise Joyce has been with the agency for 10 years; initially hired as the Community Liaison to provide education, resources, and support to community and referral partners. Over the years, she carefully nurtured and developed YoloCares’ community engagement activities, creating a multi-pronged Community Development Department. She now manages a team that manages business development, volunteer and philanthropy programs.
Clark Wright
Director of Business Development
Clark Wright has been a hospice business development leader in the Sacramento Area since 2017. He oversaw the business development department at Suncrest Hospice in Sacramento and played an integral role in the establishment of their presence in the area. He is passionate about helping people access end-of-life care and finding long-term solutions through teamwork and collaboration.
Donna Feeney
Director of Quality and Compliance
Donna Feeney is a nationally certified medical assistant and brings 10 years of experience in Quality & Patient Safety. Prior to her time with YoloCares, Donna developed and managed a centralized quality patient outreach program for Sutter Valley Medical Foundation in which she developed standard work, implemented new EHR platforms and collaborated with and physician leadership. Donna was involved in all areas of Quality including monitoring various dashboard goals, risk, patient resource, and infection control.
Stephanie Baxter, R.N.
Director of Patient Care
Stephanie Baxter has been a registered nurse leader for seven years; five of the previous years have been spent in service of hospice patients and their families. In that time, Stephanie was involved in all areas of hospice care including case management, admissions, intake and as the Assistant Director of Nursing at SunCrest Hospice. Her passion lies in providing compassionate care for patients and empowering fellow RNs through education. Â
Fikir Morkok, MD
Medical Director
Dr. Fikir Morkok attended medical school at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan followed by internal medicine residency at University of California, Davis Medical Center. Dr. Morkok has been involved in the care of geriatric patients for nearly two decades and has spent the last 10 years as the medical director of long-term care facilities and as a hospice physician.
California Hospice Network Board Members
Keith Volkerts
YoloCares Board President and CHN Board Member
Keith Volkerts is on his third role with YoloCares as the Board President. He served as YoloCares’ CFO for seven years and as Executive Director from 2013-2014. Prior to his time with YoloCares, he acted as the Director of Finance for Napa Valley Hospice and Adult Day Services and was the owner of Physician Billing Specialists. Keith and his wife, Lynn, are long-time supporters of YoloCares, including as administrators of the George and Lena Valente Foundation, established by Lynn’s late parents. Keith brings a strong knowledge of finance and hospice operations to his roll on the board.
Virginia Joyce, M.D.
CHN Board Member
After many years as a surgeon with a special interest in breast disease, Virginia recently retired as Medical Director for Quality and Safety for Sutter Medical Group & Sutter Medical Foundation. Personal and professional activities brought her in contact with YoloCares, where her patients reported a positive experience. She feels that the organization is an essential resource for the community, providing services that are “supportive and very effective.” Her clinical understanding and medical expertise are valuable assets to the Board and to the QAPI Committee on which she serves.
YoloCares Board of Directors
Keith Volkerts, President
Former CEO and CFO of YoloCares, retired
Julie Sheehan, Vice President
Swim-America Davis, retired
Pete Wilbur, Treasurer
Operations manager at Hunt-Wesson Foods, retired
Christye Hatfield, Secretary
Former Citizens Who Care board president
Marion Franck, Ex-officio
Davis Enterprise, columnist
Lynn Gore
Human resource executive, retired
Virginia Joyce
Quality & safety medical director for Sutter Health Foundation and Sutter Health Group, retired
Tanya Altman
School of Nursing at CSU Sacramento, chair & professor
Madalon Amenta, RN
Founding executive director of Hospice & Palliative Nurses Association, co-author of Nursing Care for the Terminally Ill
Dawn Meyers
Yolo Adult Day Health Center, Dignity Health, program manager
Rosemarie Hendrickx
UC Davis administration, retired
Rose Cholewinski
Swim-America Davis, business owner
Frank Yapp
VA Northern California Health Care System, chaplain
Jackie Clark
California Correctional Healthcare Service, retired
Beth Gabor
Yolo County Probation Department, manager of operations and strategy
