Jerry Wengerd first worked in a psychiatric hospital as a conscientious objector and found his true calling there.  He earned his master’s degree summa cum laude from California State University Fresno in 1975.  Wengerd served as Director of Mental Health in Mariposa County (1980-88) and in Fresno County (1988-2005), where he was also Director of […]

Lisa Wong originally planned to become a physician but became fascinated by psychology in medical school and instead chose a career in social work.  During twenty-three years at Downtown Mental Health Center, she saw many change in the Skid Row area.  At the time of the interview, she was Clinical Program Head for the Wellness, […]

Stacy Williams is a nurse with a Master’s in Health Administration.  She finished her graduate degree just as the DMH clinics were beginning to transform under MHSA, which she saw as an exciting opportunity.  After serving as head of Crisis Resolution at Downtown Mental Health Center, and later of the Wellness and CalWORKS programs there, […]

Suzane Wilbur received her master’s degree in nursing in 1983 and led mental health crisis units at Metropolitan State Hospital, at the Skid Row Mental Health Center (now Downtown Mental Health Center), and at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.  In 1991, she worked with Dr. J.R. Elpers and the South Bay Chapter of NAMI to set up […]

Dan E. Weisburd is a distinguished writer, producer, director, story editor, publisher, and corporate executive who has worked for over 50 years in the motion picture, television, and educational media industries. In 1980, Dan’s eldest son David was diagnosed with schizophrenia while attending Harvard University. Frustrated by the difficulty of getting quality care for David, […]

Cathy Warner was named Deputy Director of the Adult System of Care for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) in 2008.  Ms. Warner earned her Masters’ in Social Work from San Diego State and undertook diverse responsibilities during her career at DMH, running programs for adults with HIV and serving as the […]

The Rev. Richard Van Horn was Chief Executive Officer of Mental Health America in Los Angeles from 1980 through 2009.  (From 1980 through 2006, the organization name was the Mental Health Association). He graduated from Harvard in 1961 and earned a Master in Divinity from the General Theological Seminary of New York in 1965. Ordained […]