Who We Are
Kainos Team
Management Team
Andy Frisch has been with the Kainos Home and Training Center for the past 33 years, serving as Executive Director for the past 30. In that time, Kainos has received recognition for outstanding services from the local, state and federal government. Kainos has doubled in size in that time yet still remains focused on the individual needs of each consumer.
Andy graduated from Stanford with a degree in Psychology and Feminist Studies. He was appointed as one of the inaugural members of the county’s Commission on Disabilities and served for 10 years on that body. He was a founding member of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo, the Sequoia Awards and the Redwood City Human Service Agency Collaborative. He is a member and past President of the Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Club and serves on the Board of Directors of Casa De Redwood, the Sequoia Awards and Redwood City International.
Andrea Stilleson joined Kainos in 2007. She is passionate about supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their individual pursuits of a good life. Andrea has drawn on her experience providing direct support in vocational and residential programs to tie personal knowledge of each individual served with her extensive institutional knowledge to ensure Kainos’ unique model of service provision continues to touch as many lives as possible. A native of Redwood City, Andrea holds a BA in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley.
Kristen Noce came to Kainos 29 years ago and is currently the Director of Human Resources and Administration. Prior, she held the positions of Kainos Vocational Services Manager and Rehabilitation Coordinator. Kristen is accomplished in Housing and Urban Development Compliance (HUD), Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In addition, Kristen has led special event and fundraising efforts including the Annual Kainos Benefit Golf Tournament, Irish Night, Fashion Show and Luncheon, A Salute to Our Stars Gala, Annual Dinner and the Rotary Foundation Great American Car Raffle.
Kristen holds a Master of Arts degree in Education from San Jose State University; Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo and Associate of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from the College of San Mateo. She has been recognized with two Kainos Staff of the Year Awards and Record Sales Award. Kristen is also a member of the Peninsula Sunrise Rotary Club.
Bert Vergara has been working at Kainos Home and Training Center for 14 years, has been working in vocational rehabilitation for more than 28 years and with children and adults in a variety of programs and agencies for close to 40 years. While working in vocational rehabilitation, Bert has developed a variety of business relationships that have significantly increased individual placements, group employment and in-house contracts opportunities for persons with developmental and intellectual disabilities. In his current position as Director of Operations and Compliance, he is responsible for worksite contracts and services, assist with local state and federal compliance and general facility/ operations throughout the agency.
Bert attended American River College where he studied psychology and completed the Sign Language Interpreting Program. He has been recognized for his work by the Department of Rehabilitation, participated in many collaborative groups with schools, county programs and agencies. He has volunteered his time by coaching Special Olympics softball team, organized camping trips and outings for children and adults with special needs, worked with humanitarian programs in other countries, animal rehabilitation and other environmental organizations.
John Ho is Kainos’s Controller reporting to CEO Andrew Frisch. As Controller, John oversees the accounting, financial budgeting, analysis, and Audit functions at Kainos. He joined Kaino in 2004 as Senior Accountant and promoted as controller.
John has over 35 years of experience Accounting, Finance, Auditing and Taxation in international companies Prior to joining Kainos, John was Controller at Swing Solution and previously at John Ho Tax and Accounting Company.
He began his career with an Audit Firm and spent 15 years in finance and Taxation in the Americas, and Hong Kong. John graduated from City college of San Francisco and Catholic College in Hong Kong with an Accounting degree.
What made John moves his career from commercial field to Non-Profit? It was because Dorothy Philbrick and clients. He knows her through her book which called” Angel at my door” He read it through. He was inspired by what she says and what she did with accomplishment. Although Dorothy passed away many years, but her great spirit still driving John in daily work. John’s email signature quote from Dorothy
“Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress. With it, there is accomplishment”
Stephanie came to Kainos in 2016 initially as a non-profit consultant with 12 years of experience working with children and adults with intellectual and development disabilities. Stephanie is an accomplished leader at managing and developing teams, empowering individuals served, executing complex goals, increasing agency revenue and designing and implementing new program models.
Stephanie holds her Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from University of San Francisco; Human Resources Management Certification from Notre Dame de Namur University; Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Dominican University; and an Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Certification. Stephanie has experience working in various departments within an organization and is resourceful and passionate about improving processes and service delivery models in order to create an environment for everyone to succeed in accomplishing their goals.
Elizabeth Zirbes joined the Kainos team in 2017, bringing with her a rich and robust amount of experience in developing and managing large scale community-based programs . This experience was immediately put to work as Elizabeth joined Kainos to support the development and implementation of Kainos’ Community Integrated Day Program, Community Connections, which she is now the Program Manager of. With a love of non-profit work and nearly a decade of experience each in Customer Service and Education, Elizabeth is equally motivated by intentional, engaging programming and client satisfaction. Elizabeth has extensive management experience and is passionate about creating teams, training staff and expanding professional development opportunities across the agency.
Elizabeth attended San Francisco State University majoring in Philosophy and Comparative Religious Studies, is an alumni of the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities at the University of Delaware and presented at the Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area’s annual conference in 2016 on Person Centered Planning: A Vision for the Future. Elizabeth continues to be passionate about learning and sharing this knowledge, keeping Kainos at the cutting edge of services.
Marie Padilla has been with the Kainos Home and Training Center for ten years. She worked with Kainos as a Direct Care Provider for nine years and has been promoted to the position of manager for Petes’ Place and recently been appointed to head Redwood House. Marie has been learning and leading the staff and residents of Petes’ Place since 2019 and Redwood House since January 2020. She aims to provide the highest level of care to each resident and works to create an engaging and energizing atmosphere for both the staff and residents. She hopes to provide the residents she serves with the opportunity to fully engage and truly immerse themselves in their community.
Marie graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and is a certified Registered Nurse in the Philippines, her home country. She received her Education Specialist Instruction Credentials, specializing in mild to moderate disabilities, from San Francisco State University. Before coming to Kainos, Marie worked for the San Mateo County Board of Education from 1997-2010 as a paraeducator and a teacher. She served youth of all ages, specifically those with autism, emotional disturbance, behavioral problems, and those who were deaf.
Mayra Ortiz joined the Kainos team in 2018. She came to La Vista with extensive experience serving forensically involved individuals with developmental disabilities in both community and in home settings. Her coursework and certifications include social equity, social problems, and crisis prevention intervention. Mayra is passionate about supporting individuals with disabilities and their care staff. She has seen first hand how adults with developmental disabilities can thrive when given the tools and support they need to become active, contributing members of the community. She is an advocate for inclusion and community building and it is no surprise that her path had led her to La Vista. She is honored to be a part of the Kainos family.
Alondra Ruiz joined Kainos in 2021 as the Assistant Manager to Supported Living Services (SLS). Prior to working at Kainos, Alondra worked with kids with intellectual disabilities in home, school, and clinic settings. Alondra graduated from SJSU with a BA in Psychology and a Minor in Applied Computing. Alondra passionate about advocating and supporting individuals to become active members of their community while making sure their mental, health and spiritual being are well.
Alexandria “Alexis” Victoria joined Kainos in 2022. Prior to joining Kainos, Alexis worked with young adults and adults with special needs for 10 years. Over these 10 years, Alexis worked as a Direct Service Professional (DSP) in a care home and day program. In addition, Alexis worked as a Program Manager for One Step Beyond Day (OSBD) Program for about 4 years.
Alexis has her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the Philippines and is passionate about working and supporting people with intellectual disabilities. Alexis’ goal for herself is to make a difference in each individuals’ life.
Board of Directors
