Marin County nonprofit Side by Side names Garcia its new CEO

Christine Isana Garcia, Psy.D., has been hired as CEO of San Anselmo-based nonprofit Side by Side, which works with young people impacted by adversity.

Garcia, who starts on Oct. 1, succeeds Mary Denton, who recently retired after serving at Side by Side for over 20 years.

Prior to Side by Side, Garcia served as San Francisco regional director for Edgewood Center for Children and Families, where she managed a staff of nearly 200 and was responsible for an $18 million regional budget.

Before coming to Edgewood, she was clinical director at both the Masonic Center for Youth and Families in San Francisco and UCSF’s Young Adult and Family Center. Before coming to the Bay Area, she worked at Princeton University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, where she provided clinical service, taught post-doctoral fellows, and served on committees focused on services to underserved students, the nonprofit stated.

“Christine’s warmth, collegial style, and passion for leading with empathy will be assets to her new role,” said Side by Side board President Howard Schomer. “A product of a bilingual, multiracial, immigrant family, she brings a unique perspective to her work and the issues facing youth today. As the Bay Area continues to seek ways to come together to address the extreme effects of the pandemic on the mental health of our youth, Side by Side’s role in supporting our clients and their families, as well as building bridges to community partners, has never been more important. We are confident that Side by Side will be well positioned under Christine’s guidance to continue on this path, and to thrive in the years to come.”

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