About Us

Principal Fiduciary

Herb Thomas, CLPF, a California licensed private professional fiduciary (CLPF #86), is the principal fiduciary of Herb Thomas and Associates. Herb has a passion for people. He has extensive experience serving families throughout California with Special Needs Trusts, public benefits counseling and advocacy, Estate/Trust Administration, and Conservatorships. Additionally Herb is a board member of Behavioral Intervention Association (a non-profit dedicated to providing intervention services to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families). Herb also served on the board for Legal Assistance for Seniors, East Bay.

Before starting Herb Thomas and Associates, Herb served as the developer and coordinator of the Kaiser Permanente (KP), East Bay Community Benefits Advocacy program. The goal of this program was to find innovative methods to subsidize KP's members' health care costs through the complex maze of public and private benefits (e.g., Social Security, Medi-Cal, COBRA, HIPPA, etc.). Herb served seven years as taxpayer delinquency investigator with the Internal Revenue Service. In this position he located taxpayers who had not filed federal income tax returns and assisted them with becoming compliant with federal regulations. Herb is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a bachelor's degree in Health Sciences.

Chief Compliance Officer

Lori Arnold, J.D., is our Chief Compliance Officer. Lori is responsible for ensuring that the services we provide to our clients are delivered timely and efficiently, with strict adherence to the terms of each trust and the governing laws. Lori is an attorney who brings a depth of experience in estate planning and elder law, as well as a long time interest in protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities.

Lori received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley with a major in psychology. While working fulltime as a court clerk, she completed her law degree at John F. Kennedy University School of Law. Prior to entering the legal profession, Lori worked as an instructional assistant in special education.

A former volunteer attorney with Legal Assistance for Seniors, she is a member of the East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers and the Alameda County Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section. Lori is on the Board of the Alameda County Developmental Disabilities Council. In her spare time, Lori enjoys reading, politics, and directing the youth ministry groups at her parish.

Practice Manager

Kate Panepinto, M.A. in Gerontology, is a health and human services specialist who assists older adults, their families and others who need living support in attaining their maximum functional potential. She provides thorough home assessments and creates care plans that include results of her assessment, suggestions for actions and referrals for local resources. Kate has worked as a care manager for several agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area, and as Director of Social Services for a skilled nursing facility. She holds a master's degree in gerontology with an emphasis in geriatric care management from San Francisco State University. Kate is a health enthusiast with a passion for running.

Care Manager

Elisa Lewis, MSW, ACSW. Elisa received a Master's degree in Social Work from Cal State East Bay with a focus in mental health in 2011 and enthusiastically started her career working as a case manager in community-based organizations that primarily focused on mental health disorders. Elisa is a devoted social worker at heart and loves to advocate for those who are disenfranchised and underserved. Elisa serves on the City of Berkeley Commission on Aging. In her spare time, she likes to spend time with her teenage son, enjoy the Bay Area weather, and educate the community about aging issues.

Financial Services Specialist

Leon Khersonsky, CFP, is a Certified Financial Planner professional, whose primary responsibility is to help clients ensure their assets last as long as possible. He reviews budgets and spending priorities and prepares financial projections for clients to help them make the most of their resources. Leon also monitors their investment portfolios managed by outside advisors as a second opinion to ensure clients' needs are being well-served. In addition, with experience in real estate and insurance, Leon is uniquely qualified to help clients maximize return on assets. Leon hails from the former USSR by way of San Francisco and Las Vegas and in his free time he loves exploring good food and wines.

Accounting Assistant

Kurt Scortt works to ensure the accuracy of all financial accounts. In addition to assisting with client accounting and reconciliations, Kurt helps in pulling together all the necessary information for tax preparation. Kurt has over ten years of experience in bookkeeping and accounting and is working on a degree in Accounting. He is a life-long Bay Area resident who enjoys coaching his daughter and son's baseball teams.

Bookkeeper

Christina Lehn maintains the financial records and transactions for our clients. Along with paying client bills, monitoring and reconciling bank accounts, Christina ensures that every penny is accurately accounted for. She is meticulous in monitoring client budgets and investments. A third generation bookkeeper, Christina has worked in several industries including aviation and home loans. An Army brat, Christina hails from Youngstown, OH. In her spare time Christina likes to do handy crafts, such as quilting—and loves to play pool.

Client Services Assistant

Thea Miranda Vanoorschot works directly with clients assisting them with their care plan. From shopping and prescription pick-up to medical visit assistance and hospital visits, Thea ensures that each client gets one-to-one Herb Thomas attention. Thea's background includes project management and client services for software and computer systems companies. Born and raised in Alameda, Thea comes from a large family and loves to dance.