Our Team

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors is responsible for the manufacturing and distribution of the LN4 hand across the world. They handle both the daily operations as well as provide a more strategic, long-term vision for the organization.

Michael Mendonca, Founder

Michael, founder was co-owner of a plastic molding company that originally produced hand components for the foundation. Michael introduced the LN4 to Rotary through his club in Pleasant Hill, CA, and with his wife Janet, has taken the LN-4 project to Vietnam, several countries in Africa, and India to introduce it to others and to perfect our procedure of outreach and delivery. He is a passionate and inspiring spokesperson for the work of the LN4 Foundation.

Lain Hensley, President

Lain is well positioned to use his many client relationships to help support the mission of the LN4 Foundation and expand the exposure of the project and the distribution network. Lain has inspired his clients to sponsor over 5,000 hands since he was introduced to the LN4 and is only gaining momentum. He has combined his love of learning with his passion for making a difference in the world.

Lain was introduced to the LN4 project at a leadership conference by Candy Pierce when she was District Governor of Rotary International District 5160. Lain has traveled from Poland to Australia and all over the US for 18 years, teaching facilitation skills to internal trainers, developing training programs for regional and global leadership teams, and leading teambuilding and motivational programs for Fortune 500 companies top leadership.

Gene Glaser, Interim treasurer

After 50 years as both a partner and an independent CPA, Gene has almost retired. Throughout his career in Contra Costa, Monterey, and Placer Counties, he has been involved in serving as board member and volunteer for local organizations whose missions emphasize serving at-risk children. He has also been a volunteer tax-preparer for AARP Tax-Aid for Low-Income Seniors and helped financially guide a number of nonprofits from their inception to successfully serving their communities for the long-run.

His passion are his motorcycle, which is now a trike, and taking many long trips out of state to see old friends and family, and smoking a good cigar.

In memoriam

Candy Pierce, former treasurer

Candy first became involved with the LN4 Foundation when she served as District Governor of Rotary International District 5160 in 2006-2007. While District Governor, she led the effort to pilot the LN4 project within her district. In that year, she raised funds for hands and the first design mold series. However, her most valuable result is the ongoing support of the 73 Rotary clubs in District 5160 for the LN4 project. She also introduced the program to Rotary District 5000 in Hawaii that year, and to the RC of Portland (Maine) also.

Candy comes to the board with extensive not-for-profit experience; Candy has worked with or served on the boards of a number of organizations beyond Rotary, including American Red Cross, NorthBay Healthcare Foundation, CASA of Solano County, and Kids’ Country.

Advisory Board of Directors

Art Fine, General Counsel

Art has been a long-time supporter of the LN4 hand, creating several large partnerships and leading fitting events since the creation of the organization.

Rand Smith, Registered Agent - Oregon

Rand is the organization’s Oregon representative.

Maurice Leblanc, Advisor

Maurice LeBlanc is our advisor on the world of prosthetics, and co-collaborator with Ernie Meadows. Maurice LeBlanc is a mechanical engineer from Stanford University with training in prosthetics and orthotics at UCLA Medical Center. His career has focused on assistive technology for people with disabilities with special interest in upper-limb prosthetics. He has worked at UCLA Prosthetics and Orthotics Program, National Academy of Sciences, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto VA Medical Center, and Mechanical Engineering at Stanford. In 2008, the American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists awarded him the Titus-Ferguson Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest level of recognition bestowed upon an outstanding academician whose accomplishments and contributions have made a significant impact on the growth and development of the profession. His latest project is the roll-out of the LN4 Above Elbow device.

Contributing Members

The LN4 Hand Project thanks all those who contributed to the success of our mission, and recognizes them in the list below:

20 / 20 Design

NHindsight Insurance

Jupille Design

King Mold

Mojo Rain Video Productions

Peridot Corp

Stack Plastics, Inc.

Decker Inc.

Tony Lertura Mold Design

Western Grinding

Western Tool & Engineering

Wolf's Precision Works

arcofcc.org

Odyssey Teams

Clear Path International

Americares

National Charity League

limbsforlife

Project CURE

Aloha Medical Missions

Mitchell Silberberg and Knupp LLP