About Heart of Ida

Heart of Ida was founded in 2008 by sisters Dina Berg and Keri Reich in honor of their beloved grandmother, Ida. Ida modeled service to low-income, isolated older adults and the sisters carried-on her legacy by establishing Long Beach’s only 501c3 exclusively serving the older adult population.  

Heart of Ida leads an extraordinary person-centered approach to vulnerable adults by partnering with volunteers, city, and community organizations.  

Our Vision:

The Heart of Ida envisions a community where every senior has the support they need to live independently and thrive, including feeling heard, appreciated, connected, safe, and cared for.

Our Mission:

The Heart of Ida supports Long Beach seniors in need with programs and services that sustain independence and connection within their community.

About Ida

Ida Alice Reich was a community activist that spent the majority of her time on earth helping those in need.

Every year, Ida took her two granddaughters, Dina and Keri, to help deliver gifts to nursing homes. Those visits changed the lives of Dina and Keri. In honor of their grandmother, they started a nonprofit organization, Heart of Ida.

Eric C. Berg
Senior Vice President
Gray Construction

Eric Berg’s tenure with Gray began shortly after the purchase merger with I.C.E. Builders, Inc. in 2001. For the decade prior, Eric managed national accounts as a partner at a network technology company that served the retail and commercial industries. Since joining Gray, Eric’s keen ability to develop and nurture customer relationships has resulted in rapid growth of Gray’s retail customer base. Today, Eric serves as senior vice president for the West Region and is responsible for operational and day-to-day risk management, customer acquisition and market sector development and growth for the Western region.

Garrett Brief
Attorney at Law
Becker Law Group

Garrett Brief is an associate in the firm’s bankruptcy and civil litigation divisions.His bankruptcy experience includes representation of clients in all phases of the bankruptcy process. Mr. Brief’s experience includes representation of clients in Chapters 7, 11 and 13. Mr. Brief also has experience representing clients in contract negotiations, including debt settlement; real estate; and marketing/advertising contracts. Additionally, Mr. Brief handles civil litigation cases both employment discrimination and personal injury.

Mr. Brief began his career after law school working in the mortgage and finance field. As a management executive of a mid-size national lender, Mr. Brief was responsible for on-line marketing; contract negotiations and RESPA related compliance.

Mr. Brief received his Juris Doctorate from Gonzaga University School of Law in 1995; graduating Magna Cum Laude. While attending law school, Mr. Brief worked for the Spokane Legal Clinic, assisting at risk women and children. Mr. Brief received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he graduated with honors.

Laura Doyle
City of Long Beach
Department of Public Works in the Business Operations Bureau

Laura Doyle is a resident of Long Beach and has both her undergraduate (B.A.) and graduate (M.B.A.) degrees from California State University, Long Beach. As a long time City of Long Beach employee, she has worked in various City Departments including the  Long Beach Airport and the former Community Development. She currently works at the Department of Public Works in the Business Operations Bureau.

Laura has a passion for connecting people to resources in the Long Beach community and believes outreach is a key component. Being well versed in social media, she assists in building awareness about the Heart of Ida by implementing various communication activities.  As a bicycle advocate, triathlete, and “bird nerd,” she supports activities and programs that keep our older population physically active and healthy outdoors. Read more about her bicycle advocacy here.

In her spare time, she spends time with her family and volunteers regularly for various non-profit organizations like Leadership Long Beach (Class of 2013 alumni). She also has a fondness for all things vintage, particularly jewelry, and can be found perusing local flea markets and antique malls.

Tom Leary
Public Records Compliance Administrator, Long Beach Police Department

Contact Info: Tom.Leary@longbeach.gov

Soon after graduating from the University of Connecticut (Go Huskies!), Tom was promoted and transferred to California to manage the western division of a multi-national fastener company. After working for additional multi-national companies and several Southern California companies, Tom decided to become a civil servant. During his nearly twenty-four year career with the City of Long Beach, Tom’s career highlights include being co-author of the City’s award winning NPDES MS4 permit compliance program and being appointed as the Stormwater Program Officer, named “Most Impactful Leader” Leadership Long Beach Class of 2007, creation of the the Solar Trees energy/carbon footprint reduction project at the Long Beach airport, winning the International Golden Web Award (lbstormwater.org) and being named the Youth Motivation Task Force Volunteer of the Year.

Tom Leary was appointed as the Administrator of the Department’s Public Records Compliance Division in 2019. Administrator Leary oversees the management of all of the Public Records Act (PRA) requests received by the Police Department. Administrator Leary has dedicated 24 years of service to the City of Long Beach. Starting in 1991 and prior to joining the Police Department, Administrator Leary served as an Administrative Analyst in the Departments of Community Development, Technology Services, and Public Works. In 2000, he was promoted to the Stormwater Program Officer role in the Department of Public Works, and in 2015, he joined the Police Department as an Administrative Analyst III/ Volunteer Coordinator. Under his leadership, the volunteer programs grew to 272 volunteers, contributing approximately 50,000 volunteer hours annually. In 2019, he was assigned as the Interim Public Records Compliance Administrator in the newly created Public Records Division, where he was later promoted to his current position. Administrator Leary holds a Bachelor of Science from University of Connecticut in Management Science.

Tom has been honored to be elected and serve as a Board of Director for Save Our Beach, The Center Long Beach, EcoZone, the Long Beach Management Association, the YMCA Early Childhood Eduation and most recently the Heart of Ida. Additionally, Tom is a freelance SAG-AFTRA Actor, Professional Singer and Voice Over Artist.

Amy Opheim
Marketing Executive
C3

For nearly 20 years, Amy has helped companies in a variety of industries increase sales by identifying and more clearly communicating their brand or product’s unique features, benefits, and competitive advantages. Amy’s years of strategic marketing experience has helped HOI tremendously.