Dana Lahoff, LCSW, APHSW-C

Chief Clinical Officer

Dana received her MSW from The Ohio State University in 2008 before moving to Boulder, CO where she worked with young adults in a transitional living program.  In 2011 Dana took a position with The Denver Hospice where she connected with a group of like-minded social workers. Together, in 2012, they founded The Holding Group and began the development of the ALIGN intervention, a palliative social work model of care. Dana’s clinical experience as a palliative social worker has focused on assessing for and addressing gaps in alignment of goals between patients and families and their providers. The Holding Group has brought the ALIGN intervention to patients through partnerships with Kaiser Permanente and University of Colorado. In 2022, The Holding Group expanded their partnership with Kaiser, with Dana leading a team of on the ground social work clinicians.

Bree Addison Owens, LCSW, APHSW-C

Chief Executive Officer

Bree is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who received her MSW at the University of Denver.  After earning her degree she practiced social work in London, England.  Following her return home, Bree spent several years in the Emergency Department of an inner city Level 1 Trauma Center.  It was during that time that she saw the great disparity in how end of life occurs and the possibility of ‘hope’ within illness based end of life.  The desire to bring that hope to as many patients and families as possible brought her to her passion and current field of palliative care.  Bree has been thrilled to help establish such a pioneering program that is adding value and opportunity to the Social Work profession.

Jessie Israel, RN, MSN

Strategic Advisor

Jessie is a passionate healthcare leader that believes right now is the best time to experience healthcare.  She has a broad range of experience including more than a decade supporting and developing alternative payment models.  Jessie has developed and led Population Health for a health system, put together ambulatory care management across multiple states, acquired and led a home health agency, as well as grown a Psychiatry practice for acquisition.  Her experience in quality, risk adjustment, and building and supporting multiple ACO’s and CINs has translated into a deep understanding how we can put people at the center of everything we do, while ensuring we are meeting the needs of our payer partners.

Jessie has a master’s degree in nursing; she spent many years supporting seriously ill patients.  She is a tireless patient advocate and feels that we can avoid solving social problems with medical solutions. Jessie has four children, yes four!  Beyond loving the work of healthcare, also enjoys learning new things, and being outside as much as possible.

Erin Nielsen, LCSW, APHSW-C

Chief Operations Officer

Erin knew from very early on that her life’s work was to be dedicated to serving others. After receiving her Bachelor degrees in social work and psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, she went on to earn a Masters in Social Work from the University of Denver. Erin started her palliative-focused career as a hospice social worker, feeling incredibly honored to be a part of her patient’s journey. Through that work, she recognized the need to address the elephant in the room prior to hospice in order to ensure people were given the space to have the most control over the way in which they finish out their lives. Erin moved into a consultative palliative care program, The Holding Group, allowing space for such important conversations to occur. With the amazing clinical support of her colleagues, THG has developed into a model that ensures patient advocacy and informed consent. Erin continues this work with the firm belief that everyone deserves comfort and dignity, especially at the end of life.

Mary Gay Josephine 'Meret' Marangola, MD

Medical Director

Mary Gay Josephine “Meret” Marangola is a medical school graduate from Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her internal medicine residency and geriatric medicine fellowship at Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina.  She went on to complete her hospice and palliative medicine fellowship at The University of Colorado School of Medicine, and she subsequently joined as faculty.

In 2023, she transitioned her focus to serve the community through a Program for All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Her passion for geriatrics and palliative care stems from her time as a nursing aid and hospice volunteer during her formative years.  Her main interests are preserving functional and cognitive ability in the aging population, dementia education, helping older adults and their loved ones navigate transitions across healthcare systems, and providing quality end-of-life care.  Outside of medicine, Meret enjoys traveling, playing the piano, skiing, and spending time outdoors with her family.

Lisa Sharpe, BSW

Patient Navigator

Lisa was first drawn to Palliative Care Social Work during her time at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, CO. In 2000, St. Joseph and Kaiser partnered in a randomized controlled study to determine the outcome of a team intervention (doctor, chaplain, nurse and social worker) for patients with life limiting diagnoses in the hospital. Lisa was the social worker on this team for the two year study. The results of the team Palliative Care intervention were overwhelmingly positive, not only for the healthcare providers but most importantly for the patients and families who experiences greater satisfaction with their care. The results of this study were published in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). After being a discharge case manager for 3 years prior to this study, Lisa committed herself to exclusive Palliative Care Social Work because the work with patients and families was meeting a need that had never before been addressed in the hospital setting.

Prior to her work in healthcare, Lisa was a legal guardian for adults for the Harris County Department of Social Services and worked also in public financial assistance.  In 2013 Lisa’s mother was living with advanced Alzheimer’s. At that time Lisa left Palliative Care to focus on her personal life and be a support to her parents. Lisa’s mother passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2017. After taking a break from Palliative Care Social Work, Lisa is thrilled to be interacting with patients and families as she schedules appointments and coordinates referrals for The Holding Group.

Bonnie Herrmann, LCSW, APHSW-C

Palliative Care Social Worker

Bonnie Herrmann is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Englewood, Colorado. Born and raised outside of Austin, Texas, Bonnie attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she received both her Bachelor’s and Masters of Social Work. Passionate about helping people to move through life with intention and the best quality possible, Bonnie is passionate about working in advanced illness, grief and loss, death and dying, and advance care planning. Bonnie worked as a hospice social worker for six years before transitioning to oncology care and opening her private practice, Map Your Care: Illness & Grief Counseling. Feeling the call back to palliative care, Bonnie joined The Holding Group in April 2023.

Cathy Dorsey, LCSW, APHSW-C

Palliative Care Social Worker

Cathy worked as a caseworker for vulnerable clients at a Human Services Agency for many years.  Her mother’s journey with cancer later sparked a passion for supporting and advocating for others that are faced with serious illness.  Cathy obtained her Master of Social Work Degree in 2007 and became a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in both California and Colorado.  Cathy has worked with palliative care teams in the acute hospital setting as well as an outpatient clinic for the past fifteen years.  She strives to support those faced with serious illness by advocating for and respecting their values and preferences while facilitating shared decision-making with their healthcare providers.  Cathy is honored to become a member of The Holding Group and looks forward to serving the patients and families on her caseload to her fullest.

Denise Dollar, LCSW

Palliative Care Social Worker

Denise is committed to providing compassionate support to clients and their families during uncertain times. This became clear to Denise when her then three-year-old son was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and she began the long journey of navigating the medical world, experiencing first-hand how life-alternating a medical diagnosis can impact a family. Due to this, Denise directly knows the importance of advocating for loved ones and the critical support caregivers need alongside the patient.

With this passion, Denise was inspired to start a non-profit in 2014, Heart Strides. A program that supported parents and caregivers of a child with a chronic or life-threatening illness through an emphasis of community and self-care. After completing her master’s in social work from University of Denver, Denise entered the palliative care world as she believes everyone’s voice should be heard to ensure their values are being honored and that they receive the care they deserve.