Mickey is an accomplished HR leader who comes to 色中色 with nearly three decades of progressive experience at organizations much larger than 色中色. He began as a human resources manager at International Paper and became the Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Beckman Coulter (lab) Diagnostics, where he worked for the last seven years.

At Beckman Coulter, Mickey was responsible for HR leadership for over 11,000 associates in 60 countries worldwide. He was instrumental in achieving 鈥渨orld-class鈥� metrics in Talent Acquisition and Engagement, Talent Development, Turnover, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. He also has a strong foundation in labor relations, change management, compensation and benefits, and communications.

鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome Mickey to 色中色,鈥� said Anne Bakar, 色中色 President and CEO. 鈥淢ickey is a professional with the passion, skill, and experience to accelerate progress on our mission of recovery and our strategic priority for our workforce: 鈥淭o ensure that every person at 色中色 is bolstered with the supports and opportunities they need to realize their full potential.鈥�

While Mickey has global HR leadership experience, he lives in Fullerton, California, and has led HR operations across the five states where 色中色 operates. He is passionate about the opportunity to apply his background to a mid-sized behavioral healthcare organization like 色中色, where he sees enormous potential to strengthen the capacity and well-being of our workforce, especially as we grow.

Mickey holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Kean University in New Jersey, a Master of Arts in Labor Relations from the University of Illinois, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota. He enjoys spending free time with his family and volunteers on committees for the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and Feed My Starving Children.

Please join us in welcoming Mickey very warmly!

From Anne Bakar, 色中色 President and CEO

It is my great pleasure to announce the appointment of two new Directors to 色中色鈥檚 Board. Each of these Directors bring vital expertise to our organization that is essential to the success of our mission; following in the footsteps of Emeritus Directors Ken Newman and Dave Kears, who precede them. Rich Leib will help us to navigate the rapidly changing political and policy climate, especially in California. Mike Goodwin will help us to address the radical ways technology can be deployed to enhance our operations, our business results, and our services.

Rich Leib is someone many people at 色中色 already know and admire because he has been an invaluable consultant to the company on political and regulatory issues for over 25 years.

He has played an integral role as part of 色中色鈥檚 development team under the leadership of Ross Peterson, Faith Richie, and now Dawan Utecht, ensuring our policy perspective is communicated effectively to key legislators influential in behavioral health as well as the Governor鈥檚 administration. In fact, it was Rich Leib who first introduced 色中色 to former Senator Darrell Steinberg (now Sacramento Mayor Steinberg) and helped us with the statewide campaign to pass Proposition 63 in 2004. More recently, Rich has served with me as a Director of the Steinberg Institute where he has been instrumental in our advocacy efforts around Cal Aim, and legislation such as the MHSA modernization.

Rich was appointed to the University of California Board of Regents in 2018 by Governor Jerry Brown, served as Vice Chair from 2021-22, and was elected Chair of the Board of Regents in 2022. In this powerful leadership role, Rich has elevated the importance of increasing admissions to the CA University system as well as promoting innovation and entrepreneurship at each of the UC campuses.

Rich also has a very successful history of entrepreneurship, building businesses that contract with the government. He spent 15 years as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Liquid Environmental Solutions, a company he co-founded and helped grow into the leading non-hazardous liquid waste recycling company in the US. He is also deeply engaged in community activities, such as serving as a Director of the MLK Foundation.

Rich鈥檚 education includes a J.D from the Loyola University School of Law, an M.A. from the Claremont Graduate School, a Fellowship with the Coro Foundation and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara. He lives with his wife Sharon in San Diego, and is the proud father of three girls, one of whom is a mental health social worker!

Mike Goodwin is a transformational Information Technology Executive we are delighted to know through our Board Chair, Mary Ann Tocio, who served with Mike on the Board of Burlington Stores. She recommended him based on his technology-cyber security expertise, his extensive executive leadership at companies with cultures and scaling challenges familiar to 色中色, and his soft-spoken but very impactful manner as a Board Director.

For the first 8 years of his career, Mike served in the U.S. Army. The next 24 years he worked at Hallmark Cards, Inc, a 100-year-old family- owned company based in Kansas City, Missouri, that grew to over $4 billion during his tenure. He started out as an IT Technology Analyst in 1990 and became the SVP of Information Technology in 2014. With a budget of $120 million and internal staff of 250, he had global responsibility for developing and implementing IT strategies that enhanced operational efficiency, metrics to drive shared business results, and innovative customer-marketing applications.

At the pinnacle of his career at Hallmark, Mike left to become the CIO, SVP of Information Technology at PetSmart, a $7B company (when public in 2014) in Phoenix, Arizona, which grew significantly after transitioning to private equity ownership. In this role, Mike had an IT department of 400 staff and transformed PetSmart鈥檚 customer-facing capabilities by launching new ecommerce and mobile applications that included on-line ordering. Mike retired from PetSmart in 2023. He currently serves on the boards of Burlington Stores, Eckerd Connects and the Strategic Council of Plexus Worldwide.

Mike was attracted to a profession in technology at a young age. In the United States Military Academy, he majored in computer science, and then went on to get an MBA at the University of Kansas. He also holds a NACD Board and Cyber Risk Oversight certifications from the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Mike鈥檚 interest in serving on the 色中色鈥檚 Board stems in part from his concern about the youth mental health crises. He has experience on the Board of two not-for-profit community-based organizations serving kids. In his not-for-profit and for-profit Board roles, Mike brings Audit Committee, Succession Planning and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion expertise. Mike lives with his family in Maricopa County, Arizona.

I am honored to welcome these two outstanding new Board Directors!

Dawan comes to 色中色 with 30 years of healthcare leadership experience, including 20 years in the private sector.

Most recently, Dawan was Director of Behavioral Health of Fresno County, where she led their transformation efforts for eight years. During her tenure, she grew the department鈥檚 budget to over $350 million and 749 budgeted FTEs. She previously served as President of the California Mental Health Services Authority for several years. Currently, Dawan holds various statewide leadership roles on behalf of the California Behavioral Health Director鈥檚 Association.

鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome Dawan to 色中色,鈥� said Anne Bakar, 色中色 President and CEO. 鈥淏ecause of her outstanding reputation and experience with so many of our California county customers, she can 鈥榟it the ground running鈥� to support our mission of growth, security, partnership, and excellence. More broadly, she understands the financial, operational, and clinical challenges public behavioral health care systems face and is passionate about utilizing 色中色鈥檚 scale and expertise to address their needs effectively, as well as to disseminate best practice nationally.鈥�

Dawan brings a private-sector mindset and entrepreneurial spirit that is complementary to 色中色, as well as a shared passion to improve systems and services of care for those who are most in need. Additionally, her background in kinesiology and physical rehabilitation will fuel our efforts to enhance physical and mental health integration.

Dawan also serves on the California Department of Healthcare Services Cal AIM Behavioral Health and Behavioral Health Payment Reform Workgroups, the California Mental Health Services Authority, and participated on the California Future Workforce Commission in 2019.

She holds a Master of Science, Physical Therapy, from Columbia University in New York, and a Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology, from University of California, Los Angeles.

Dawan and her family live in Fresno, California.

On behalf of 色中色, we would like to express what a shocking and tragic loss it is to learn of Supervisor Wilma Chan鈥檚 untimely death on Wednesday, November 3, 2021. Supervisor Chan led a courageous and trailblazing career in service to Alameda County residents for more than 30 years, and her devotion to healthcare was especially admirable and impactful. During her six years in the State Assembly, she served as the majority leader and whip. She passed more than 70 bills and resolutions to champion healthcare coverage for all, as well senior services, early childhood education, and landmark legislation to extend affordable health insurance to 800,000 uninsured children in California.

As County Supervisor, Wilma led multiple efforts to support the County鈥檚 safety net hospitals, including Alameda Health System, San Leandro, Alameda, and St. Rose. She championed the Measure A sales tax and launched ALL IN, her signature initiative to reinforce the safety net for all families in Alameda County.

She was an early and consistent advocate for behavioral health and took the time to visit several of our programs, including Garfield Neurobehavioral Center, STRIDES, Willow Rock Center, Morton Bakar Center, Villa Fairmont, Heritage Psychiatric Health Facility (PHF), and Gladman Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (MHRC). She spoke at 色中色鈥檚 50 anniversary six years ago, praising our staff and leaders for their heroic work. She witnessed the ways our behavioral health partnership in Alameda County grew over the decades and took pride in our shared success in overcoming barriers to deliver innovative programs for those most in need.

Wilma Chan was also an inspiration as the first Asian American to serve on our Board of Supervisors and the first Asian American to serve as majority leader in the California State Assembly.

Wilma Chan was a fierce community leader, a distinguished public servant, a valued colleague. Please pause to reflect on her legacy and pay tribute to the ways she elevated us all.

We at 色中色 are deeply saddened by the passing of Jay Mahler, whose advocacy changed the way we view and treat mental health.

鈥淛ay Mahler was such an inspiration to me,鈥� said Marcelo Cavalheiro, Regional Director of Operations at 色中色 for Los Angeles. 鈥淢y favorite thing about Jay was his t-shirt buttons 鈥� he would wear all his causes on his clothing! He was well known in the national consumer movement, and many of the positive changes we鈥檝e seen recently were championed by him. He was one of the first peer staff I ever met.鈥�

Since the late 1960s, Mr. Mahler has been a tireless champion for mental health consumers. He helped found Mental Health Consumer Concerns and California Network of Mental Health Clients, was appointed by the Governor to the California Council on Mental Health from 1979-1985, and served on the Alameda County Mental Health Advisory Board, the Fairmont Hospital Advisory Board, and the Eden District Mental Health Committee. Mr. Mahler was also the first Consumer Relations Manager in Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBH) from 2006 until 2012 and founded the Pool of Consumer Champions (POCC) in 2006.

色中色 had the privilege of working with Mr. Mahler in 2015 when Alameda County designed and opened the Jay Mahler Recovery Center, a brand new, beautiful, recovery-focused crisis residential facility on the same campus Mr. Mahler received treatment at in the 1960s.

Today, 色中色 continues to operate the Jay Mahler Recovery Center and it continues to serve as an example of the progress that has been made in providing respectful, empowering services, and the incredible work Alameda County has done and continues to do to advance the standard of care. The program opened on November 9, 2015.

鈥淛ay Mahler is and was a man of hope, happiness, wellness, advocacy, integrity, devotion, commitment, recovery, healing, and wealth in health,鈥� shared a former client from the Jay Mahler Recovery Center whom Mr. Mahler worked with on their recovery journey. 鈥淗e remains not just in my heart, but the people he came in contact with through different counties, especially Alameda and Contra Costa counties, spreading the good news of advocacy, support, and recovery.鈥�

The staff at Jay Mahler Recovery Center feel the same. They shared their collective appreciation in the following statement.

鈥淪ince 2015, Jay Mahler Crisis Residential Facility has been honored to be named after an individual who dedicated his life supporting consumers and peer-led initiatives in the local Bay Area. Mr. Jay Mahler envisioned a homelike environment that provided hope and benefited people experiencing mental health crisis in a voluntary setting. Jay Mahler Crisis Residential has worked to honor his legacy and fulfill his life鈥檚 passion by providing care and promoting support and mental health wellness services. On behalf of 色中色 Jay Mahler staff, we thank him for all he has contributed and the positive impact he has provided.鈥�

From our homelike environments to our peer workforce, Mr. Mahler鈥檚 advocacy and work have had such a profound impact on the way 色中色 serves its members. We thank the 色中色 staff who are continuing to serve his legacy today, and we thank Alameda County for their commitment to the work Mr. Mahler was spearheading.

We are so honored to have known Mr. Mahler. He will be deeply missed.

鈥淎nne brings decades of behavioral health provider experience to the Steinberg Institute, leading an organization of workers who do whatever it takes to serve the most vulnerable populations,鈥� said Dr. Tom Insel, Chairman of the Board at the Steinberg Institute.

The Steinberg Institute is a strong leader in state and national mental healthcare arenas, both as an educational and innovative resource for mental health providers and systems, and as a compelling influence on state and national mental health legislation sponsorship. Working to change and improve the way brain health is addressed in our systems of care, the Institute is a powerful locus which brings together thought leaders, legislators, and other champions of mental health in order to advance their mission of sound public policy and inspiring leadership on issues of brain health.

Since being founded in 2015, the Institute has made decisive gains, with bi-partisan support, in the areas of prevention and early intervention in mental illness; housing and treatment for homeless people living with mental illness; peer certification; crisis support services; veterans support services; workforce; law enforcement training; suicide prevention; and college mental health services.

As the Institute looks forward into 2021, the focus shifts to a more unified statewide vision for mental health care services. Anne looks forward to joining the Board in this effort and sharing 色中色鈥檚 collective knowledge and the expertise gained over 50 years of public/private partnership across five states and 40+ counties.

Bruce Nardella, former President and CEO of The MENTOR Network, and Patricia Golden Webb, former Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for CommonSpirit Health.

鈥淲e are thrilled to welcome Bruce and Patricia to our board,鈥� said Anne Bakar, 色中色 President and CEO. 鈥淏ruce and Pat will elevate our capacity to deliver quality behavioral healthcare services, adapt our organization to address future opportunities and challenges, and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace. We are honored to have them on our team, energized by their passion for our recovery mission, and fortified by their experience leading mission-driven health care organizations of larger scale and scope.

Bruce Nardella

Appointed to 色中色鈥檚 Board of Directors in November 2020, Bruce will be a tremendous resource as we expand our presence and capacity for serving individuals with mental illness and developmental disabilities. He brings deep healthcare operations experience as a former CEO/COO and director of the Mentor Network for over two decades; and previously, as Deputy Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. As CEO of the Mentor Network, Bruce was responsible for the strategic direction, growth, and quality service delivery of a $1.5 billion corporation providing services to over 30,000 individuals annually across 36 states. This includes services to at-risk youth, adults with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries, and frail elders. Bruce began his career in human services 40 years ago providing direct care to youth in a shelter for boys involved in the juvenile justice system. He was awarded the Bradford Fellowship to Harvard University鈥檚 Kennedy School of Government. He also holds an M.P.A. From Harvard University, an M.Ed. from Boston University, and a B.A. from Colgate University.

Patricia Golden Webb

Appointed to 色中色鈥檚 Board of Directors in March 2021, Pat brings a wealth of healthcare and hospital systems experience nationally that will help us develop our population care strategy and strengthen our human resource and administrative infrastructure. As a board-level leader in health care, she formerly served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, one the nation鈥檚 largest health systems with 150,000 employees, 800+ locations nationally, and revenues of $29.2 billion. In her role, Pat co-led the national integration effort of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. During her nine-year tenure with CHI, Pat led the dual functions of Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, which encompassed the company鈥檚 entire operation. Additional areas under her direction included the company鈥檚 marketing, communications, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. She holds an M.S. degree from the University of North Florida in Business and Human Resource Management, and a B.S. from Florida A&M University in Management and Marketing.

On September 25, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed three bills into law to advance access to behavioral health services throughout the state. These bills are set to standardize training for peer professionals (), allow Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds to be used for substance use treatment services (SUTS) (), and expand the legal definition of Mental Health Parity to include SUTS ().

We are energized and encouraged to see these laws get signed during a time when the need for access to behavioral health services is so critical, and yet resources are limited due to a nationwide staff shortage and the wide-ranging impact of COVID-19.

These new laws will also be important at 色中色 in advancing the care we are able to provide to the people we serve.

SB 803: Peer Support Specialist Certification Act of 2020, establishes a statewide certification program for peer support specialists and provides the structure needed to maximize the federal match for peer services under Medi-Cal. The program defines the range of responsibilities and practice guidelines for peer support specialists, specifies required training and continuing education requirements, determines clinical supervision requirements, and establishes a code of ethics and processes for revocation of certification.

SB 803 will elevate the importance of the Peer Professional role in care and will help create standards 色中色 will use moving forward as we make progress toward our goal of having at least two full-time equivalent (FTE) Peer Professionals in every program by the end of 2020. We are also continuing to push forward with innovative program models that elevate the role of Peer Professionals in our work, including our newest service, a peer navigation program which opened in San Joaquin County on October 1, 2020. California Peer Certification will not only support the strengthening of skills and knowledge of our current and future Peer Professional workforce, but it will also validate and solidify Peer Support Services as a valuable behavioral health service by the addition of a Peer Support Services billing code as part of the California State Medi-Cal plan of services. 

The Department of Health Care Services will have two years to set up the Peer Support Specialist Certification Program (2021 鈥� 2022).

The other legislation that passed, AB 2265: Use of Funds for Substance Use Disorder Treatment and SB 855: Mental Health Parity, address the ongoing need to incorporate and expand substance use treatment as an essential part of treating the whole person. In 2017, 色中色 made a commitment to expanding our services to individuals with co-occurring substance use needs. Since then, we鈥檝e added new programs and models of care specifically for SUTS, including two recently opened 鈥渟obering centers鈥� in Kern County, CA 鈥� Delano Recovery Station and Bakersfield Recovery Station. We will also soon open four new SUTS programs in Orange County.

We are grateful for the leadership and committed advocacy of Sacrament Mayor Darrell Steinberg, Senator Jim Beall (D-San Jose), Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), Assemblywoman Sharon Quick-Silva (D-Fullerton), and the countless others who continue to push the needle forward on accessing comprehensive behavioral health care for all communities.

Alameda County has lost two of its biggest Healthcare Heroes with the recent passing of both Gail Steele, former Alameda Supervisor, and Dr. Bertram Lubin, former President & CEO of Oakland鈥檚 Benioff Children鈥檚 Hospital. Both were outstanding advocates for the citizens of Alameda County, and we at 色中色 honor their contributions and are deeply saddened by their passing.

Former Alameda County Supervisor, Gail Steele, was an unwavering advocate for children and those who are most vulnerable, including many of those we serve at 色中色. She became a towering figure in the East Bay political landscape, including serving for 18 years on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. She relentlessly campaigned for improved mental health services, juvenile justice reform and more access to healthcare for the county's residents, especially the poor. She became a close partner with 色中色 over the years, and we valued her trust and support. Her influence was felt deeply in the way we provide services to Alameda County.

Dr. Bertram Lubin, former President and CEO of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland, was also an ardent supporter of children's health and wellbeing as a physician and a hospital leader, and had a huge impact on countless children and adults. In his more recent role as CEO of Oakland's Children鈥檚 Hospital, he worked to build awareness of the need for greater behavioral health services for kids. His tremendous optimism, humility, and empathy, along with his energy and vitality, made him a magnetic and inspirational figure to us at 色中色 as we developed our services to Transitional Age Youth and children. His dedication to the children and people of Oakland will be enormously missed.

We thank these Healthcare Heroes, and offer our deepest gratitude for their leadership.

Over his 40-year career as a psychologist, Dr. Anthony made significant contributions to the psychiatric rehabilitation movement and provided the inspirational leadership to ensure the possibility of recovery for those we serve. We were honored to have collaborated with Bill on several projects, including the early days of the RCCS and 色中色鈥檚 No Force First Initiative, which later transformed into our Healing Environments and Trauma Informed Care efforts. Bill also presented at 色中色 Leadership Conferences and visited some of our programs.

He was a transformative figure in the efforts to move the fields of psychiatry and mental health systems from focusing on diagnoses to embracing the principles and practices of psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery. Bill believed that clients鈥� recovery goals should come before system or provider goals; his insistence upon the expectation of recovery and importance of rehabilitation impacted hundreds of thousands of lives over the span of his career.

We are grateful for Dr. Anthony鈥檚 principled leadership and countless contributions to 色中色, the field of psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery.

He will be missed; his legacy will live forever.