BOARD OF DIRECTORS
(661) 323-4440
David E. Dowdy: President
David has been a therapist in the massage and bodywork industry since January of 2007. He began spreading his learning wings and expanding his offerings by gaining certification in Swedish massage, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue Massage, Sports Massage, Completed workshops in Ortho-Bionomy® Isometric Release, Ortho-Bionomy® Phase 6, Ortho-Bionomy® Position Release (is not certified in the full Ortho-Bionomy® certification), Touch Therapy for the Terminally Ill, Hospital Based Lymphedema Treatment, Oncology Massage, Fibromyalgia Treatment, and Nerve Glide Technique. He is also a Reiki II Practitioner of the Usui Method of Natural Healing. Along the way, David has expanded his Touch Therapy knowledge to provide for the critically, chronically, & terminally ill and has incorporated Conscious Touch into the practice.
Through all his training, the area that resonated with him the deepest was the Touch Therapy for the Critically, Chronically, & Terminally Ill. He put this to use, teaming up with Hoffmann Hospice (a nonprofit hospice organization in Bakersfield and Kern County in California) as a volunteer therapist. Once the hospice leaders recognized the fantastic results David was having with every client he visited, they began having David train all their Certified Nursing Aides in the Touch Therapy/Conscious Touch for modality. All this led David and his wife Damiana (Ana) to take directorship of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts.
With the help of a dedicated, passionate team of professionals in the wellness industry, David and Ana are determined to see that the offering of this organization spreads across the United States and eventually around "the great blue ship that sails around the mighty Sun" (lyric borrowed from his favorite ELO song).
David has been a therapist in the massage and bodywork industry since January of 2007. He began spreading his learning wings and expanding his offerings by gaining certification in Swedish massage, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue Massage, Sports Massage, Completed workshops in Ortho-Bionomy® Isometric Release, Ortho-Bionomy® Phase 6, Ortho-Bionomy® Position Release (is not certified in the full Ortho-Bionomy® certification), Touch Therapy for the Terminally Ill, Hospital Based Lymphedema Treatment, Oncology Massage, Fibromyalgia Treatment, and Nerve Glide Technique. He is also a Reiki II Practitioner of the Usui Method of Natural Healing. Along the way, David has expanded his Touch Therapy knowledge to provide for the critically, chronically, & terminally ill and has incorporated Conscious Touch into the practice.
Through all his training, the area that resonated with him the deepest was the Touch Therapy for the Critically, Chronically, & Terminally Ill. He put this to use, teaming up with Hoffmann Hospice (a nonprofit hospice organization in Bakersfield and Kern County in California) as a volunteer therapist. Once the hospice leaders recognized the fantastic results David was having with every client he visited, they began having David train all their Certified Nursing Aides in the Touch Therapy/Conscious Touch for modality. All this led David and his wife Damiana (Ana) to take directorship of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts.
With the help of a dedicated, passionate team of professionals in the wellness industry, David and Ana are determined to see that the offering of this organization spreads across the United States and eventually around "the great blue ship that sails around the mighty Sun" (lyric borrowed from his favorite ELO song).
(916) 968-0091
Monica M. Pleinis, CMT: Northwest California Operations
(Northern to Central California West: Area West of I-5 between Oregon border and Santa Cruz, CA)
Monica is a long time resident of West Sacramento, married to a fun loving husband, and who lovingly raised two wonderful children. She attended, graduated, and received her massage therapist degree from the Trinity College Sacramento Campus in 2007. Monica is a Certified Massage Therapist and is State Certified specializing in Swedish, Deep Tissue, and Trigger Point Therapy. She is also a certified practitioner of Reiki I and Pranic Healing & Compassion of Natural Healing. Before coming on board with Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts she received her volunteer training certification with the Sacramento Hospice Consortium.
Monica became a certified therapist with Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts, after completing the Touch Therapy for the Terminally Ill training class offered by us in the Sacramento, California, area. Her love for providing Quality of Life care was a shining beacon to the President of Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts and the other board members, so it was no surprise that she was overjoyed to be welcomed onto the Board of Directors.
Not long after being certified as a therapist with this organization, she was invited to receive training and certification to become an instructor in Touch Therapy for the Terminally Ill and has been teaching certification classes in the Sacramento, California, area with wonderful results. Monica is also a wonderful emissary who has been networking and connecting our organization with other entities that have similar goals and focus in the Naturopathic Healing community.
We feel very blessed that we have been graced with Monica's love and compassion within our organization and are overjoyed that she plans to grow along with us.
(Northern to Central California West: Area West of I-5 between Oregon border and Santa Cruz, CA)
Monica is a long time resident of West Sacramento, married to a fun loving husband, and who lovingly raised two wonderful children. She attended, graduated, and received her massage therapist degree from the Trinity College Sacramento Campus in 2007. Monica is a Certified Massage Therapist and is State Certified specializing in Swedish, Deep Tissue, and Trigger Point Therapy. She is also a certified practitioner of Reiki I and Pranic Healing & Compassion of Natural Healing. Before coming on board with Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts she received her volunteer training certification with the Sacramento Hospice Consortium.
Monica became a certified therapist with Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts, after completing the Touch Therapy for the Terminally Ill training class offered by us in the Sacramento, California, area. Her love for providing Quality of Life care was a shining beacon to the President of Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts and the other board members, so it was no surprise that she was overjoyed to be welcomed onto the Board of Directors.
Not long after being certified as a therapist with this organization, she was invited to receive training and certification to become an instructor in Touch Therapy for the Terminally Ill and has been teaching certification classes in the Sacramento, California, area with wonderful results. Monica is also a wonderful emissary who has been networking and connecting our organization with other entities that have similar goals and focus in the Naturopathic Healing community.
We feel very blessed that we have been graced with Monica's love and compassion within our organization and are overjoyed that she plans to grow along with us.
(661) 203-8383
Tom Cox CMT: Central to Southern California Operations
(Central to Southern California: Area south of Santa Cruz, CA to San Diego, CA)
Hailing from Bakersfield, California, Tom joined the ranks of Massage Therapists in 2005 and has continued his education with certification in Upledger CranioSacral work, Oncology Massage, Reflexology, Reiki, Shiatsu, Deep Tissue Massage, and Aromatherapy. He has studied using gemstones in conjunction with massage as well as the benefits of sound therapy as it applies to both relaxation and holistic improvement.
Tom counts among his joys, having the privilege of working with newborns using CranioSacral techniques as well as Gentle Touch Massage with residents of Rosewood Retirement community in Bakersfield. He has spent two years as an Instructor of Therapeutic Massage with San Joaquin Valley College and maintains an avid interest in the advances of massage and bodywork.
For two years, Tom volunteered with (the now defunct) Kern Hospice and has since maintained a deep interest in working with both the elderly and infirmed. Coming on board with Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts as a certified therapist has been a natural progression, as has his instructor status for teaching our Touch Therapy for the Terminally Ill classes in his region.
As a clergy member of his religion since 1988, he feels blessed to be able to work with an incredibly beautiful and varied array of people within this lifetime's experience.
Damiana Hortas-Dowdy: Secretary/Treasurer
Damiana (Ana) is the financial coordinating back bone of Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts. With her degree in accounting; her 20+ years of experience running financial reports, coordinating documents for tax preparation, handling all elements of payroll (e.g. worker's compensation, health insurance, and sales tax); and her many years operating as an Office Manager, she has brought an incredible insight to the Board of Directors when planning for immediate and future actions, events, and offerings of the organization. As if that wasn't enough, Ana is also a Reiki II Practitioner of the Usui Method of Natural Healing.
The desire that Ana has to see Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts move forward is resonated in the fact that she has been offering her services as a volunteer. We value her as a one woman financial team and are so pleased to have her loving attention to our common goal on board.
Damiana (Ana) is the financial coordinating back bone of Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts. With her degree in accounting; her 20+ years of experience running financial reports, coordinating documents for tax preparation, handling all elements of payroll (e.g. worker's compensation, health insurance, and sales tax); and her many years operating as an Office Manager, she has brought an incredible insight to the Board of Directors when planning for immediate and future actions, events, and offerings of the organization. As if that wasn't enough, Ana is also a Reiki II Practitioner of the Usui Method of Natural Healing.
The desire that Ana has to see Healing Hands ~ Healing Hearts move forward is resonated in the fact that she has been offering her services as a volunteer. We value her as a one woman financial team and are so pleased to have her loving attention to our common goal on board.
Brenda Kress-: Outreach Director
Brenda Kress' background is in trade association and nonprofit management. In 2014 she completed a two-year practicum in Contemplative Dialogue and has served as a mentor and co-facilitator of Dynamic Dialogue. Dialogue is not only a set of skills and practices that she has adopted, it has become her spiritual practice. Brenda's company, Just Imagine, focuses on training leaders to engage mindfully and realize how we are all interconnected.
She currently serves in Association Services with The Impact Foundry (www.impactfoundry.org), providing administrative support to organizations working on strengthening their infrastructure. Her current passion is creating opportunities to talk about end-of-life and how we can live a much fuller life realizing we all will have to leave it at some time.
In 2018 she was the co-producer for the Symposium on Living and Dying and looks forward to carrying this on in memory of Joan Marie (served as HHHH Vice President, trainer, and was a beloved friend).
Brenda is also an Angelic Reiki Master and looks forward to sharing this healing modality with those at end-of-life. She resides in Elk Grove, CA with her husband of forty years, Nick. They have two grown sons, a beautiful daughter-in-law and two energetic grandsons.
It is with great joy that we have welcomed Brenda to the Board of Directors. Her vast knowledge in nonprofit operations and passion to see healing at any level being channeled into the lives of those around her is a blessing to be sure.
Brenda Kress' background is in trade association and nonprofit management. In 2014 she completed a two-year practicum in Contemplative Dialogue and has served as a mentor and co-facilitator of Dynamic Dialogue. Dialogue is not only a set of skills and practices that she has adopted, it has become her spiritual practice. Brenda's company, Just Imagine, focuses on training leaders to engage mindfully and realize how we are all interconnected.
She currently serves in Association Services with The Impact Foundry (www.impactfoundry.org), providing administrative support to organizations working on strengthening their infrastructure. Her current passion is creating opportunities to talk about end-of-life and how we can live a much fuller life realizing we all will have to leave it at some time.
In 2018 she was the co-producer for the Symposium on Living and Dying and looks forward to carrying this on in memory of Joan Marie (served as HHHH Vice President, trainer, and was a beloved friend).
Brenda is also an Angelic Reiki Master and looks forward to sharing this healing modality with those at end-of-life. She resides in Elk Grove, CA with her husband of forty years, Nick. They have two grown sons, a beautiful daughter-in-law and two energetic grandsons.
It is with great joy that we have welcomed Brenda to the Board of Directors. Her vast knowledge in nonprofit operations and passion to see healing at any level being channeled into the lives of those around her is a blessing to be sure.
Jeanne Troncao-Heath, MS: Training and Operations Advisor
Jeanne Troncao-Heath, MS is a California State Certified Massage Therapist (#35685), Certified
Infant Massage Instructor®, and Reiki 2nd Degree Practitioner. She has specialized training in
Touch Therapy for the Critically, Chronically, and Terminally Ill, Perinatal Mental Health,
Shiatzu, Reflexology, Ortho-Bionomy®, and Aromatherapy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in
English and a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. Jeanne has a passion for helping
people reach their full potential via nurturing touch and massage. Her education and
experience with massage and counseling give her a unique understanding of the mind-body connection.
After receiving her first massage certification in 1996, Jeanne worked at Massage Training Institute (MTI) in Bakersfield, CA as an office administrator from 1997 throiugh 2004. In 2004, Jeanne opened her own business, Bakersfield Bodywork & Massage Supplies (BBMS), a State Licensed Vocational Massage School. At BBMS, Jeanne educated and supported massage therapists until 2011. In 2012, Jeanne opened Bakersfield Women's Massage where she provides massage for women with a focus on stress relief. In addition to running her massage practice, Jeanne introduces community members to massage as an instructor for Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning.
As a Healing Hands, Healing Hearts board member, Jeanne will continue her 26+ years long involvement with the massage and bodywork profession by promoting the benefits of touch and energy modalities as a means of supporting hollistic wellbeing throughout the life span.
Having Jeanne join our Board of Directors is a huge welcoming by everyone at Healing Hands, Healing Hearts. Her decades long background in educating others, business acumen, and passion to bring healing to the body, mind, and spirit adds another wonderful layer to our offerings.
Jeanne Troncao-Heath, MS is a California State Certified Massage Therapist (#35685), Certified
Infant Massage Instructor®, and Reiki 2nd Degree Practitioner. She has specialized training in
Touch Therapy for the Critically, Chronically, and Terminally Ill, Perinatal Mental Health,
Shiatzu, Reflexology, Ortho-Bionomy®, and Aromatherapy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in
English and a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology. Jeanne has a passion for helping
people reach their full potential via nurturing touch and massage. Her education and
experience with massage and counseling give her a unique understanding of the mind-body connection.
After receiving her first massage certification in 1996, Jeanne worked at Massage Training Institute (MTI) in Bakersfield, CA as an office administrator from 1997 throiugh 2004. In 2004, Jeanne opened her own business, Bakersfield Bodywork & Massage Supplies (BBMS), a State Licensed Vocational Massage School. At BBMS, Jeanne educated and supported massage therapists until 2011. In 2012, Jeanne opened Bakersfield Women's Massage where she provides massage for women with a focus on stress relief. In addition to running her massage practice, Jeanne introduces community members to massage as an instructor for Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning.
As a Healing Hands, Healing Hearts board member, Jeanne will continue her 26+ years long involvement with the massage and bodywork profession by promoting the benefits of touch and energy modalities as a means of supporting hollistic wellbeing throughout the life span.
Having Jeanne join our Board of Directors is a huge welcoming by everyone at Healing Hands, Healing Hearts. Her decades long background in educating others, business acumen, and passion to bring healing to the body, mind, and spirit adds another wonderful layer to our offerings.