With more than 30 years experience in senior and volunteer services and expertise in rural service delivery, Sandra Fitzpatrick has been the executive director of the California Commission on Aging since 2004. 

The native of Humboldt County received a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Humboldt State University in 1976, where she minored in journalism, and a master’s in organization communication from the same school in 1979. She developed nutrition education programs, counseled at well baby clinics and supervised assistants at the Humboldt-Del Norte Public Health Department while completing her master’s degree.

Fitzpatrick was a health specialist for Northcoast Opportunities in Ukiah in 1979-1980, before returning to the Humboldt-Del Norte Public Health Department in 1980 as coordinator of Perinatal Services. She stayed for five years. 

Fitzpatrick joined the Area 1 Agency on Aging in Humboldt County in 1985 as program planner and became deputy director in 1988 before becoming its executive director in 1999. She held that post for five years before being hired by the California Commission on Aging.

She is a frequent presenter at national and state conferences and is a former member of the  executive committee of the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging. Fitzpatrick was a national policy committee delegate to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging and has served as a consultant to the Bivins Foundation in Texas.  

Resume (pdf)

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