Buckelew names Eckert executive director

SAN RAFAEL -- Buckelew Programs, a nonprofit behavioral health agency serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties, named Steve Eckert, LCSW, as the organization’s new executive director.

[caption id="attachment_67645" align="alignright" width="235"] Steve Eckert[/caption]

He is set to take the helm of one of the North Bay’s largest such nonprofits on Jan. 31. The previous executive director, Steve Ramsland, stepped down soon after the merger of Buckelew and Farm Service Agency of Marin last February.

“The board is thrilled to have selected Steve Eckert,” said Fabia Butler, president of the board of directors. “He is truly a compassionate, collaborative and experienced executive director. We are confident he is the right leader for Buckelew at the right time.”

For the past eight years, Mr. Eckert has been the executive director of East Bay Agency for Children, which provides therapeutic, educational and family support services for more than 20,000 children and families. During his time in charge, the agency won a number of awards for notable nonprofit operation.

“I am honored to lead Buckelew Programs into its next chapter,” Mr. Eckert said in a statement. “I am so impressed with the dedicated and committed staff and look forward to making a difference at such a highly regarded organization.”

Mr. Eckert has been a licensed clinical social worker since 1988 and is noted for his knowledge of trends in behavioral health care. He began his professional career working in a residential treatment program while pursuing his master's degree in social work at San Francisco State University.

Starting as a graduate intern at North Peninsula Family Alternatives, he worked his way up to become executive director after the agency merged with the YMCA of San Francisco. He left the YMCA in 2004 to assume the helm of East Bay Agency for Children.

He also provided psychotherapy in private practice and counseled adults in the criminal justice system.

M. Eckert served on the Alameda County Health and Human Services Coalition Steering Committee. He served on the Alameda County Interagency Children’s Policy Council from 2009 to 2011 and is past president of the Alameda Council of Mental Health Agencies. He is a member of the Oakland Rotary Club and a mentor with Be A Mentor in Alameda.

In his spare time, he plays bass guitar in a blues band and occasionally performs with the rock band 5150.

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