Founded in 1887, the San Diego Center for Children is the oldest children's 501(c)(3) nonprofit in San Diego. The Center provides evidence-based therapeutic, educational, foster care and transition services to children and families struggling with mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. 

Non Profit

San Diego Center for Children

Lisa Goodman is a Vice President in Wealth Management with Reilly Financial Advisors headquartered in San Diego. Lisa is responsible for managing wealth services for clients. She assists clients with identifying their financial goals and works with the firm’s investment committee and research team to build and manage client portfolios. Lisa is passionate about educating and engaging people on the importance of financial and wealth management so they can feel secure about their financial future.

Prior to joining Reilly Financial Advisors she was with [Brandes Investment Partners](/org/brandes-investment-partners) for almost 19 years, with her most recent position as a client portfolio manager in the Portfolio Management Group. She has extensive experience in client portfolio management, client service, sales and business development.

Lisa received her MBA from United States International University and BA from University of California, San Diego. She serves on the Advisory Council of the Barrio Logan College Institute and is a Partner with San Diego Social Venture Partners. Lisa also is a Big Sister for Big Brothers Big Sisters. She is a California native who enjoys being active in her community and spending time with her family.

Lisa Goodman

Meg Schneider received her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English, minoring in Economics, from [George Mason University](/org/george-mason-university) in Fairfax, Virginia in 1989.

In the Washington DC area, Meg worked as a Technical and Proposal Writer for a large government contractor for many years. After moving to San Diego, she stayed home to raise her 4 children. Throughout these years, Meg assisted at her children’s schools (K – 12th grade) in various areas: coaching girl’s volleyball and basketball at the junior high level for 8 years; supporting the school library for 10 years, helping to update and expand the reading programs and book selections; and successfully running large fundraising efforts.

Additionally during this time, Meg provided her expertise and talents to assist the [Habitat for Humanity](/org/habitat-for-humanity) with their efforts. This included writing personal biography stories featuring individuals and families benefiting from new homeownership opportunities, neighborhood revitalization and home rehabilitation programs, veteran assistance projects as well as many of the amazing volunteers involved with Habitat.

Currently, Meg serves as the Director of Advancement and Development for St. Martin of Tours Academy in La Mesa. Meg is responsible for launching large-scale and ongoing fundraising efforts, and growing the Academy’s enrollment and position within the community. Through her important efforts, Meg contributes to the Academy’s goal in successfully bridging the gap between tuition and the costs it takes to provide a rigorous and high-quality education to students, including advanced technological updates and enrichment curriculum.

Meg is very excited to be a part of the San Diego Center for Children’s Board of Trustees and looks forward to her involvement in the coming years.

Meg Schneider

Ann Garland, PhD. is a Professor at USD where she was Founding Chair of the Department of Counseling & Marital and Family Therapy. She is also an Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD. Her teaching, research, and practice have been devoted to improving mental health care for youth and families. She has trained hundreds of mental health professionals from multiple disciplines.

Throughout her career, Dr. Garland has earned research and training grants totaling over $13 million. She has published more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and is a widely cited scholar. Her research has identified barriers in mental health care, racial and ethnic disparities in care, and how to deliver evidence-based practices in local and global settings. In 2022, Oxford University Press will publish her book, Pursuing a Career in Mental Health: A Comprehensive Guide for Aspiring Professionals.

Dr. Garland earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yale University, as well as an M.A. in Human Development from Columbia University, and a B.A. in Psychology from U.C. Berkeley, where she was a proud member of the women’s swim team. Ann is a native San Diegan.

Ann Garland

Keith Wilson is a Ph.D. physicist and businessperson who moved from Boston to La Jolla in 2002 to join a biotechnology start-up. Keith thought he would be on the West Coast for a few years and then head back East, but he fell in love with San Diego and has been growing roots ever since.

Keith enjoys helping organizations succeed, and he has served as president and chief science officer for Takeda California; Board Chair for San Diego Center for Children; Board Member San Diego Canyonlands; Board Member Mission Hills Town Council; Board Chair Mission Hills United Methodist Church; and as a Manager and Coach for Tecolote Youth Baseball. 

Keith first learned about the Center for Children when he attended a holiday party for residents of the Center in 2002. From there, Keith grew from an interested visitor to become Chair of the Center’s Board of Trustees. In his nine years on the board, Keith helped secure funding to establish a much-needed patient-assessment program for the Family Wellness Center, which provides children and families with psychological evaluations, therapy, support groups, and other services.

Keith Wilson

Ms. Barbara Ybarra comes to the San Diego Center for Children’s Board with 25 year’s experience in non-profit, corporate, and government agencies. She has held a range of titles including Director of Development, Chief Philanthropy Officer, and Executive Director for community-based organizations and colleges. Ms. Ybarra recently joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as their Regional Advancement Director for Southern California – Hawaii. She is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and holds an MBA.

Barbara Ybarra

Ben Gordon is senior vice president, chief information officer, and chief digital officer for San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), Sempra Energy’s regulated California utilities.

As chief information officer, he develops and executes policy and strategic initiatives for all matters related to information and digital technologies – ranging from cybersecurity and customer experience to big data analytics – to mitigate threats and drive business growth. He oversees an information technology team dedicated to optimizing IT infrastructure performance and decreasing enterprise risk across technology networks, data centers, and end-user devices. As a chief digital officer, Gordon is focused on fostering new ideas to drive corporate innovations, enterprise-wide culture change, and the rapid technology adoption necessary to become leaders of digital transformation in the energy sector.

Gordon joined SoCalGas and SDG&E in August 2018 and previously held the title of vice president, technology operations and infrastructure management. Prior to joining the utilities, he was vice president of technology for Molina Healthcare in Long Beach, Calif.

Ben Gordon

Dustin Sutton is a Real Estate and Business Development Manager with Meissner Jacquet Commercial Real Estate Services. Since joining the firm in 2017, he has played a crucial role in managing commercial real estate and increasing the value of his client's real estate portfolios.

Dustin has over 12 years of real estate experience. During his career, Dustin has managed over $5 billion of commercial and residential real estate assets. Prior to joining Meissner Jacquet, Dustin was a Commercial Real Estate Manager for Realty Income Corporation, a publicly-traded REIT currently included in the S&P 500.

Dustin graduated from the University of Delaware where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Communication. He is originally from Philadelphia, PA, and is a licensed real estate broker in California. He is the co-founder of the Black Commercial Real Estate Network (BCREN), a member of NAIOP, and a member of the Promises2Kids Men’s Leadership Network.

Dustin Sutton

Dori is the Vice President of Employee Benefits at HUB International. Dori began her career in the Employee Benefits industry in 2003 and joined HUB in 2015. She has gained extensive experience in the areas of employee benefits that matter most to employers: cost containment, compliance, employee communication, and administrative simplification. Her knowledge is exceeded only by her passion for helping HR leaders and business owners flourish.

Over the years, Dori has devoted time and energy to nonprofits servicing at-risk youth. She earned her B.A. from the University of Washington in Seattle and then spent 12 years in the Los Angeles area.

Dori Wittman

Eliot Peters is a Managing Director with the boutique investment bank RA Capital Advisors. Since joining the firm in 2003, he has played a critical role advising on mergers, acquisitions and financings across a broad range of industries. Eliot helps to lead the firm’s practice of working with privately-held companies and advising their owners through a significant liquidity event. During his career, Eliot has closed over $4 billion in transactions.

Prior to joining RA Capital Advisors, Eliot was a senior auditor specializing in the media, technology and hospitality industries with Ernst & Young, LLP and Arthur Andersen, LLP in Los Angeles. During his time with these two firms, Eliot was in charge of the day-to-day operations of the audits of several medium and large public and private companies.

Eliot graduated with high honors from the University of California at Santa Barbara where he received a bachelor’s degree in business economics with an emphasis in accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) in the State of California and a FINRA-registered securities representative. Eliot also serves on the Advisory Council of the Barrio Logan College Institute and is a Member of the San Diego Leadership Committee for the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Eliot Peters

Pam Hansen brings nearly 30 years of experience in the San Diego non-profit and mental health field. Originally from Los Angeles County, Pam moved to San Diego to earn her Masters in Social Work from SDSU. Pam fell in love with the San Diego climate and lifestyle and decided to make the city her home.

Pam has held many key positions at the San Diego Center for Children since joining in 2001 as a Day Treatment Program Manager. As the Director of Children’s Residential Treatment for eight years, she oversaw one of the Center’s largest programs and also developed an expertise and passion for mentoring new managers. She is able to use this expertise in her current role as the Senior Director of Specialty Clinical Programs supervising two diverse mental health programs: Foster Family Agency Stabilization and Treatment Program (FFAST) and North County Academy. Pam also serves as the Center’s Privacy Officer and representative on various San Diego County HHSA committees.  

Pam still enjoys all San Diego has to offer, and in recent months, beekeeping with her husband.

Pam Hansen

Patricia Riley is General Counsel at McKinney Advisory Group, a full-service real estate advisory company headquartered in San Diego. Her multi-faceted background includes representing commercial real estate developers, investors, and publically-traded companies in the negotiation and documentation of complex real estate transactions, portfolio management, and other diverse legal and business matters. Patti enjoys her in-house role strategizing as a team with company principals and other key professionals to optimize business and legal operations.

Prior to her role with McKinney Advisory Group, Patti served as Senior Legal Counsel with Realty Income Corporation, a publically-traded REIT. She began her legal career with Luce, Forward, Hamilton and Scripps, a large full-service law firm, and also served for many years as general counsel for a major shopping center developer.

Patti has a special interest in the mission and purpose of the San Diego Center for Children as she is also a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an adoptive parent of two beautiful daughters.

Patti received her B.A. from the [University of Notre Dame](/org/university-of-notre-dame) (1985) and her J.D. from the University of Michigan (1988). She also holds an M.A. from the [University of San Diego](/org/university-of-san-diego) (1995), where she served as an adjunct professor teaching courses in legal ethics and mediation. Her past board experience includes the National Conflict Resolution Center. She and her family enjoy volunteering with Cat AdopTion Services (CATS), an organization that cares for and places cats rescued from high-kill shelters.

Patricia Riley

Veronica Rubio is Senior Vice President and Senior Private Wealth Advisor with [Umpqua Bank](/org/umpqua-bank). Based in San Diego, Veronica is responsible for addressing all financial needs of wealthy families, non-profits and professional services firms; including investment management, estate and wealth planning, lending and banking.

Prior to joining [Umpqua Bank](/org/umpqua-bank), Ms. Rubio served as Senior Vice President and Senior Private Banker for [City National Bank](/org/city-national-bank) in San Diego. Previously, she also served as Managing Director and Senior Relationship Manager for [First Republic Bank](/org/first-republic-bank), and Senior Private Client Manager for [U.S. Bank](/org/u-s-bancorp)’s Private Client Reserve and U.S. Trust/Bank of America Wealth Management.

Ms. Rubio is a graduate of the [University of San Diego](/org/university-of-san-diego) with a B.A. in Business Administration, focusing on International Business, Marketing and Management. She also attended the Wharton School of Business and received certificates for the Investment Management and Consultative Selling Programs. She has her Series 7 and 66 licenses, Accidental and Health Insurance, Life Insurance and Property & Casualty insurance licenses.

Ms. Rubio is a member of the San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and is fluent in the Spanish language. Ms. Rubio is proud to be a native San Diegan.

Veronica Rubio

Ervey Salinas is the Senior Director of Residential Programs at [San Diego Center for Children](/org/san-diego-center-for-children).

Ervey Salinas

Joseph Binning is the President and Founder of MEPCor Inc., a full-service Building Information Modeling service company based in San Diego, catering nationally to the design and construction industry. Joseph has been involved in the Building Information Modeling industry for the past 22 years. Since its inception, Joseph saw the future in 3D modeling and project coordination and started MEPCor.

He has worked on notable projects throughout the country and was one of the first recipients in the country to receive an accredited degree in Building Information Modeling. With over forty years in construction, he brings both passion and vision, organization, and experience to any project he is associated with, and is sought out nationally for his expertise.

Joseph has a big heart for giving back and understands the work and sacrifices needed to achieve a goal in order to benefit a cause. As a past participant of the Ironman series Triathlons, and as a participant and mentor with Team in Training, the world’s largest endurance training program, he raises money for patient and family support for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to battle cancers of all types.

Joseph also has an appreciation for the children served by the San Diego Center for Children, as he once experienced the same struggles as a child and can relate to what the experience means to each child as they experience it. It is his belief that no child should suffer, in any way, at any time, and those with the ability to help, should.

Joseph has been a dedicated volunteer at the Center for many years involved in multiple projects, including being Wacky Willy at their annual holiday fundraiser. Due to the joy he personally experiences in giving back and in witnessing the happiness from the children served by the Center, he sees himself continuing to be involved in a variety of ways for years to come.

Joseph Binning

Cheryl Rode, Ph.D., was thrilled to join San Diego Center for Children’s leadership team in 2010. She is passionate about ensuring that children and families have access to high quality, effective behavioral health care, and to improving the quality of life for children with behavioral and emotional challenges. Dr. Rode brings experience and commitment to developing a clinical workforce that provides outstanding care, using evidence based and proven practices.

Dr. Rode completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at [West Virginia University](/org/west-virginia-university), where she specialized in working with children, teens, and families. She completed her clinical internship training at the UCSD Department of Psychiatry – Veterans Administration Medical Center Consortium; and her postdoctoral fellowship at UCSD and (Rady’s) Children’s Hospital of San Diego. Dr. Rode spent the next 12 years as a member of the Psychology Service at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital as staff psychologist for the child and adolescent programs, and as the Assistant Training Director of Sharp’s APA accredited psychology internship and fellowship programs. Her favorite aspect of working at the Center is to see children and families recover and blossom in our healing environments with the help of truly dedicated staff.

Winston Churchill – “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”



Cheryl Rode

Dr. Barón, a psychologist with more than 26 years of clinical and administrative experience, joined the [San Diego Center for Children](/org/san-diego-center-for-children) as President and CEO in 2014.

Prior to joining the Center, he served for 11 years as the first Assistant Vice President (AVP) Student Wellness at the University of San Diego.   Dr. Barón conceptualized and implemented a plan to restructure, expand and integrate health and wellness services, remodel facilities, and established integrated clinical, preventive and educational programs for undergraduate and graduate students. His responsibilities included general oversight of operations, budget and strategic development of the wellness area units, including the Student Health Center (AAAHC Accredited), Counseling Center (APA Accredited Internship Program), Center for Health and Wellness Promotion and Disability Services. He provided ongoing leadership and guidance to university students, faculty and administration on issues related to diversity, inclusion, wellness, health, mental health and crisis response.

Prior to this, Dr. Barón was Director of the Counseling Center from 1997 to 2006 where he managed all of the center’s operations and budget. He has been Adjunct Faculty at the School of Leadership and Education Sciences for over 20 years, and is the Founder of the [COMPASS](/org/compass-llc) Academic Center at USD where he led a team that developed multidisciplinary and innovative programs to help and support families of children with special needs. He also served as Executive Director of the services arm of [COMPASS](/org/compass-llc) in the community until 2012.

In addition to his experience at USD, Dr. Barón also worked in private practice as a clinician and in different supervisory and leadership positions in community mental clinics and inpatient facilities in San Diego including: The Center for Counseling at Catholic Charities, Southwood Hospital and Vista Hill Hospital, where he served as Director of Psychology.

Dr. Barón is honored to be part of a team of skilled professionals who are truly committed to serving the behavioral health and educational needs of at-risk and underserved children and youth in our community.

Moisés Barón

James McElroy, affectionately known as “Mr. Mac”, has served as Principal of the San Diego Center for Children Academy since 2017. Over his 8 years at the Academy, Mr. Mac has held several leadership roles from Special Education Teacher, Program Supervisor to Vice-Principal before assuming his role as Principal.

Originally from New Jersey, Mr. Mac moved to California in pursuit of sunshine and to continue his career in special education. Mr. Mac has a strong passion for education and the mission of the San Diego Center for Children. One of his favorite aspects of working for the Center is the opportunity to build and foster important connections with students, their families and his co-workers.

Mr. Mac graduated from [Monmouth University](/org/monmouth-university) in New Jersey with a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education, and received his Master’s Degree in Special Education from [National University](/org/national-university). Outside of his professional and educational pursuits, Mr. Mac enjoys sports, music, and spending time with family and friends.

James McElroy

Tim Carter is currently an advisor at the [San Diego Center for Children](/org/san-diego-center-for-children). Tim has previously held the position of Senior Vice President, Medical Stop Loss Sales and Account Management at OptumHealth from January 2003 to December 2010. In this role, Tim was responsible for sales and account management for the OptumHealth medical stop loss product. During their time at OptumHealth, Tim increased sales and improved the sales per rep by 267%.

In August 2010, Tim Carter started their own consulting company, Creative Benefits Consulting. In this role, they provided strategic consulting for sales management, compensation programs, pipeline management, and strategic linkage between corporate strategy and sales team goals/compensation/measurement. Tim also served as an extension of the management team and assisted on specific projects.

In December 2011, Tim Carter joined [NextImage Medical](/org/nextimage-medical) as the Chief Sales Officer. In this role, they were responsible for sales talent management, restructuring the sales incentive programs, and served on the executive team to develop and execute on the company strategy. Tim also worked with the CFO, CEO and Board of Directors to build a sales pipeline reporting tool (CRM) and improve the reliability of the tool. During their time with [NextImage Medical](/org/nextimage-medical), the company expanded its product into the health insurance and direct to consumer markets and overall sales increased more than doubled.

Tim Carter studied Business Administration and Management, General at the University of St. Thomas and Financial management, Economics, Presentation Skills at the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management before becoming a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist from The Wharton School.

Tim Carter

Mindy Mattison, M.A., CCC-SLP received her Masters of Arts degree in Communicative Disorders. She worked as a speech-language pathologist at Rady Children’s Hospital in the Speech, Hearing and Neurosensory Center, and subsequently started her private practice. She founded the speech-language therapy program at La Jolla Country Day School and practiced there for over 20 years.

Mindy serves on the Advisory Board of the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences department at [San Diego State University](/org/san-diego-state-university) and is actively involved in various organizations and foundations that support children’s well-being. She continues to mentor new speech-language pathologists and volunteers with children on the autism spectrum through Somali Family Services on a weekly basis.

Mindy collaborates with her husband, Dr. John Mattison, on enhancing the bio-psycho-social status of children and their families. Together they thrive on bringing more skills and joy into the lives of all children, supporting both research and practice.

In addition to her passion for children, Mindy loves spending time with her family, including the furry members.

Mindy Mattison

Born and raised in San Diego, Kristi Worley has a strong relationship to the San Diego community. Kristi’s successful career in fundraising and development spans over 20 years and within several areas. Over the years, she has developed expertise in annual fund, leadership giving, donor relations and event management within the academic, research and health care settings.

Most recently, Kristi was the Manager of Annual Giving for Scripps Health Foundation. She oversaw the annual fund and leadership giving programs, and worked with the development team to implement the grateful patient program throughout the Scripps hospital system. Prior to this, Kristi worked for nearly 13 years at [UC San Diego](/org/uc-san-diego) within the health sciences advancement, and special events and protocol teams.

Kristi is passionate about the mission of the Center and works every day to bring awareness to the community through a multi-channel approach of community outreach, communication and stewardship.

Kristi Worley

Roberta, a San Diego native, is a seasoned financial professional with over 13 years of experience in accounting. Before her current position as the Director of Finance, she was the Controller and Interim Chief Financial Officer for High Tech High charter schools. Roberta started her professional accounting career in the non-profit sector at Community Research Foundation. She also brings valuable experience from roles at St. Madeline Sophie’s Center and Calpine Energy Solutions, LLC.

Roberta leads through encouragement, positivity, accountability, and collaboration. In her current role, she is responsible for the oversight and management of the financial accounting department, including but not limited to accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, budgeting, and financial reporting. Roberta holds a bachelor’s degree in Accountancy and a master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Management Accounting from National University.

Roberta Melgarejo

John Mattison

Lidia S. Martinez

Jim Lauer

Angie Lasagna

Richard Kintz

Linda L. Katz

Phyllis Snyder

Peter Kane

Jodie Brokowski

Stephanie Cone is an MD and Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has a B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and a B.A. in Spanish Literature from the University of Arizona. She earned her MD from the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, AZ, and trained in Pediatrics at the University of California Irvine and Children’s Hospital Orange County (CHOC). She has previously worked as a pediatrician as part of a group of private practice clinics affiliated with Rady Children’s Hospital and provided primary care for children from age 0-18 and newborn hospital care in select Sharp and Scripps hospitals. When not working, Stephanie stays busy by caring for her two young sons, playing in a women’s soccer league, relaxing with crochet or needlepoint projects, or decorating cakes.

Stephanie Cone

Misty Howard has been with the Center since 2004, beginning her career as a Child Development Counselor and Administrative Assistant. She has been in her current role since 2007, providing administrative support to programs to ensure their compliance with all applicable regulations, accreditation standards, contractual obligations, and training requirements. She also chairs the Center’s Quality Council.

Misty is from a small farm town in Missouri and became interested in working for the nonprofit sector while studying Political Science at the University of Missouri. This interest led her to the [Peace Corps](/org/peace-corps) following college, in which she served two years as an English Teacher in Romania. Since that time, she has lived and worked for various nonprofits on both the East and West Coasts. Today, Misty is a new mom and spends her weekends enjoying San Diego with her family. She is honored to be a part of the Center, an organization that continually works to improve the quality of services provided to San Diego’s children and families.

Teams at San Diego Center for Children

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