Board Members

Board President, Alan L. Felsenfeld, M.A., DDS

Alan L. FelsenfeldAlan L. Felsenfeld, M.A., DDS, of Marina del Rey, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Gavin Newsom on February 6, 2020, and reappointed on January 26, 2023. Dr. Felsenfeld is a board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon who has been in practice since 1977. He was a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry from 1995 to 2020. Dr. Felsenfeld is a member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American and International College of Dentists, American Dental Association, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, American Institute of Parliamentarians, California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, California Dental Association, Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society, Southern California Academy of Oral Pathology, Western Los Angeles Dental Society, and Western Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He earned a master’s degree in Hospital and Health Administration from the University of Iowa, a Doctor of Dentistry degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry, and a certificate in oral and maxillofacial surgery from Cook County Hospital. (Term Expires: January 1, 2027)

Board Vice President, Joanne Pacheco, RDH, MAOB

Joanne PachecoJoanne Pacheco, RDH, MAOB, of Fresno, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on April 13, 2018, and reappointed on May 19, 2021 by Governor Gavin Newsom. Ms. Pacheco has been director of the Dental Hygiene Program at Fresno City College since 2017, where she has held several positions since 2000, including academic chair, full-time faculty, and allied health chair. She has been a registered dental hygienist in private practice since 1985. Ms. Pacheco was a registered dental assistant in private dental practices from 1979 to 1985. She is a member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, American Dental Education Association, and California Dental Hygienists’ Association. She earned a Master of Arts degree in organizational behavior from Alliant International University. (Term expires January 1, 2025)

Board Secretary, Lilia Larin, DDS

Lilia LarinLilia Larin, DDS, of Chula Vista, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on April 13, 2018, and reappointed on June 1, 2021 by Governor Gavin Newsom. Dr. Larin is a general dentist in San Diego and has been in private practice since 1992. She is a past president of the national Hispanic Dental Association and the American Association of Women Dentists (AAWD). She is a current board member of the San Diego County Dental Society, where she works as President-elect. She is also a past president of the San Diego Academy of General Dentistry and the San Diego Association of Women Dentists, and she is founder and past president of the Hispanic Dental Association San Diego Binational Chapter. Dr. Larin has served on the House of Delegates of the California Dental Association (CDA), CDA’s PAC Council, CDA's Government Affairs Council, and the American Dental Association’s Political Action Committee (ADPAC). She has also served as a board member for MANA de San Diego, a women’s leadership and mentoring non- profit organization. She is a fellow of the American College of Dentists and a graduate of the Harvard Business School Club of San Diego Non-Profit Leadership Development Program. Dr. Larin earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. Before obtaining her dental license, she worked as a registered dental assistant. She has been married for over 30 years and has three grown children. Her two sons are also dentists. (Term expires January 1, 2025)

Steven Chan, DDS

Steven Chan, DDS Steven D. Chan, DDS, of Fremont, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on October 12, 2016, and appointed on April 7, 2021 by Governor Gavin Newsom. After earning a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Georgetown University School of Dentistry in 1978, Dr. Chan continued residencies in hospital dentistry and pediatric dentistry. He has been in private practice limited to pediatric dentistry since 1981. Dr. Chan served as President of the California Dental Association, the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry, and the American College of Dentists, this nation’s honor society for dentistry. He was a founder of the California Dental Association Foundation. He holds fellowships in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, and Pierre Fauchard Academy, an international honor society. He is a life member of the American Dental Association, the three dental honor societies, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. He was a member of a Leadership Institute at the Kellogg School of Management. Dr. Chan is on the medical staff at a regional hospital and serves on the governing board overseeing the off-campus subsidiary companies. (Term expires January 1, 2025)

Joni Forge, DDS

Joni Forge, DDS Joni Forge, DDS, of Long Beach, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 29, 2022. Dr. Forge is a general dentist who has practiced in the Los Angeles area for over 35 years. She recently joined the faculty at University of Southern California as an adjunct clinical instructor in the Dr. Roseann Mulligan Special Patients Clinic and is a published author of a dental children’s book. Dr. Forge earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine, and her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from University of California, San Francisco. She has served on the California Dental Association’s House of Delegates, as Chairman of Community Relations for the Los Angeles Dental Society, and on the Peer Review Committee of the Los Angeles Dental Society. She is member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, Los Angeles Dental Society, and National Dental Association. (Term expires January 1, 2025)

Meredith McKenzie, ESQ

Meredith McKenzieMeredith McKenzie, Esq., of Los Gatos, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on April 5, 2013, and reappointed on January 1, 2016; additionally, she was reappointed on August 18, 2020 by Governor Gavin Newsom. Ms. McKenzie is deputy chief legal officer of intellectual property (IP), litigation and compliance at Aristocrat Technologies, Inc. Prior to joining Aristocrat, she was vice president and deputy general counsel at Juniper Networks from 2012 to 2021; senior director of IP at Symantec Corporation from 2006 to 2012; director of litigation, licensing and IP for Cypress Semiconductor from 2001 to 2006; and corporate counsel and director of IP at Enuvis Inc. from 2000 to 2001. She was an associate for Howrey LLP from 1998 to 2000 and a patent agent and design engineer at Intel Corporation from 1993 to 1998. She earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from MIT. (Term Expires: January 1, 2024)

Angelita Medina, MHS

Angelita Medina, MHSAngelita (Angie) Medina, MHS, of Whittier, was appointed to the California Dental Board by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon in January 2021. Before retiring from Los Angeles County (LAC) Department of Health Services, after 33 years of service, Ms. Medina held the positions of Director Children’s Health Outreach Initiative, Associate Director of the OB Overflow Program, Chief of Admissions and Financial Services at Los Angeles General Medical Center, and Assistant Director of Los Angeles County’s HMO Program. Since her retirement, she continues to advocate for healthcare access for all. She also continues to volunteer with various community nonprofits and is currently an appointee to the Los Angeles County Library Commission. She earned her B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Redlands and her master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from USC. (Term Expires: January 1, 2025)

Sonia Molina, DMD, MPH

Sonia Molina, DMD, MPHSonia Molina, DMD, MPH, of Los Angeles, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Gavin Newsom on October 21, 2020. Dr. Molina has been a dentist and President at Molina Endodontics since 1992. She is a member of the California Dental Association, board president of Clinica Romero, and board member of the Harvard Club of Southern California. She earned a postdoctoral degree in endodontics from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Dentistry, a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. (Term expires on January 1, 2024)

Rosalinda Olague, Ph.D.(c), RDA

Rosalinda OlagueRosalinda “Rose” Olague, Ph.D.(c), RDA, of Rancho Cucamonga, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on April 13, 2018. Ms. Olague has been a registered dental assistant (RDA) with Pacific Dental Services since 2008. She started her career with the company as a lead RDA at Monet Dental Group. In 2015, she was promoted to regional back-office manager for Southern California’s South Inland Empire and San Diego regions. For her dedication and exceptional performance, Ms. Olague was awarded the company’s 2017 eXtraordinary Performance Platinum Award. In April 2018, she joined the Pacific Dental Services national support team as Senior Specialist for Dental Assistant National Strategy and School Relations. In April 2022, she was promoted to Director, Dental Assistant Programs and School Relations. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from La Sierra University and a Master of Arts degree in Business Management from the University of Redlands. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in organizational leadership at La Sierra University. She is an active advisory board member for the Pacific Dental Services Foundation and serves as a mentor to the recipients of the Dr. Carolyn Ghazal Dental Assistant Scholarship. (Term expires January 1, 2025)

Yogita Thakur, M.S., DDS

Yogita Thakur, DDS, MSYogita Butani Thakur, M.S., DDS, of Foster City, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Gavin Newsom on August 18, 2022, and reappointed on January 26, 2023. Dr. Thakur is a board-certified pediatric dentist, serves as the Chief Dental Officer at Ravenswood Family Health Network, and holds hospital privileges at Stanford Children’s Hospital. She earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from VYWS Dental College and Hospital. She earned a Master of Science degree in Dental Public Health at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry and a certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from UCSF School of Dentistry. Dr. Thakur is a member of the California Dental Association, American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and California Society of Pediatric Dentistry. She has held several leadership positions advocating for oral health access. She has served on the Board of San Mateo Head Start and as chair of the California Primary Care Association Dental Directors Peer Network. She is currently a board member of the National Network for Oral Health Access. (Term expires January 1, 2027)

James Yu, M.S., DDS

James YuJames Yu, M.S., DDS, of Fremont, was appointed to the Dental Board of California by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. on April 13, 2018, and reappointed on July 28, 2020 by Governor Gavin Newsom. Dr. Yu has been a dentist at James K. Yu DDS since 1984, where he has been an acupuncturist since 2008. He has been a radio talk show host at AM 1450 since 2000, and radio talk show president and owner at the Chinese Today Radio Station since 2015. He is Bay Area leader of Medical Services International and President of the Northern California Chinese Media Association, as well as a member of the American Dental Association, California Acupuncture Association, San Francisco Dental Society, Application of Acupuncture in Dental Practices, American Association of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, and American Society of Chinese Medicine. He is President of the San Francisco Chinatown Salvation Army Advisory Board. He earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of the Pacific School of Dentistry and a Master of Science degree in Acupuncture from the University of East-West Medicine.(Term expires January 1, 2024)