McKinley Children's Center

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Biographies

AL MASON has enjoyed a varied professional career. His career began in 1967 as a Lieutenant Colonel with the U.S. Air Force, serving as the squadron commander for two nuclear weapons squadrons - both front line units under the direct control of the President and Joint Chiefs of Staff. These were the top-ranked squadrons in the world as evaluated by the Department of Defense. After retiring from the military in 1987, Al embarked on a new challenge - publishing. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Senior Life Publishing and published millions of internationally distributed magazines for senior citizens. Then, in 1990, he embarked on his latest challenge - child welfare. Al served as the Program Director and Coordinator for Trinity Child and Family Services and became a Senior Trainer in the Group Centered Leadership model. Al then moved on to FamiliesFirst in Davis, California where he served as the Executive Director. Under his leadership, he developed and implemented an intense oversight program to ensure program quality, developed a new training department and restructured the Residential program to bring it under regulatory compliance. His efforts lead to successful national accreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA). Al's trail of success continued over to McKinley Children's Center, where he was named the Chief Executive Officer in 2005. Al has used his past experiences to lead McKinley from a locally known child welfare organization to a state and nationally-recognized center for children and families. Under his leadership, McKinley has experiences phenomenal growth in their Foster Care program, and their non-public school has become recognized as a premier provider of educational services. He also brought and increased emphasis on quality and training all while maintaining a sound business plan. Understanding the importance of accreditation, Al made sure that McKinley became a COA organization. A visionary and eternally optimistic, Al will often tell people that he is preparing McKinley for the next 100 years. Al has a Master's degree in Educational Administration and is a Certified Group Home Administrator. His training specialties are in Group Home Administrator Certification, management and corporate leadership.

STACY DURUAKU, MA., LMFT, is the Director of Residential Treatment Services for McKinley Children's Center, and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has over twenty years experience in the field of human and social services. During her twenty years of practice in the field, she has worked with rape survivors, families with chronically ill children, and survivors of domestic abuse (women and children). Stacy has experience with treating substance abuse, and has worked extensively in residential treatment facilities with abused and neglected children. She has also worked in the field of mental health providing individual, group, and family therapy in outpatient, schools, residential, non-profit, and private sectors. Her experience also includes program design, and she has worked collaboratively with various agencies in the development and implementation of programs for adolescent substance abuse programs for teens, domestic violence programs for teens, girls, and women, as well as programs for residential treatment. Her training experience includes, Domestic Violence: Prevention, Assessment, and Treatment, The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children, Treating Addiction: The Role of the Substance Abuse Counselor, Understanding Addiction: The Family Dynamic, The Effects of Abuse and Neglect on Children and Adolescents, Child Abuse and Reporting, Crisis Intervention, The Importance of Boundaries in the Residential Setting, Care, Safety & Supervision in the Milieu, Group Process, The Role of the Child Care Worker in Residential Treatment, Understanding Self-Harm: Children and Adolescents, Training: Theory and Practice, Human Resource Management: The efficacy of Performance Appraisals, and the Influence of Leadership on Emotional Pain During Organizational Change. Stacy is also an adjunct professor, and teaches courses in public administration and organizational behavior.

MATTHEW HICKS, LCSW, is the Director of Clinical Services at McKinley Children's Center. Matthew has been working in the mental health field for 11 years and has worked extensively with children, adolescents, and families advocating for their needs and providing psychotherapy in both the community mental health non-profit and private practice sectors. He has conducted numerous training courses on theory, diagnosis, treatment, and best practice methods in working with children and families. In his current position, he provides clinical oversight to the residential and outpatient programs. In addition, he serves as an adjunctive faculty member at the University of Phoenix and maintains a private practice in the San Gabriel Valley.

FAITH KIM is the Director of Human Resources for McKinley Children's Center and an active member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Faith has a Bachelor's of Arts Degree from Biola University in Christian Education and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Faith's professional career began as a sixth grade teacher for LA Unified School District (LAUSD). After working as a teacher for 3 years, Faith took up employment in the private sector. However, she decided that she wanted to return to working with children and did so in an administrative capacity. Now, as the Director of Human Resources, Faith helps management train and manage their employees so that the children at McKinley can receive the best possible care. Faith's training specialties include Human Resources and management.

WILLIAM MCCOY, JR. is McKinley Children's Center's Program Support Specialist. In his 8 years at McKinley, William has held various positions such as teaching, mental health rehabilitation specialists, campus supervisor and residential counselor. Collectively, William has more than 10 years of hands on experience dealing with disenfranchised children, both male and female, who are sex offenders, developmentally disabled, mentally ill, medically fragile and emotionally disturbed. A graduate of California State University at Los Angeles, William holds a Bachelors degree in Communications. William is a First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor through the American Red Cross, a Licensed Group Home Administrator and a Pro-ACT Instructor. His love for children spills over into his personal life as a Varsity Basketball coach at Fontana High School. Previously, this former All-American triple jumper coached Track and Field at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga. Even still when William is not at McKinley or coaching high school sports, he sits on the board of directors for a non-profit RCL 14 Group Home in Rancho Cucamonga, California.

JUDY MCGEHEE, MA, LMFT, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Glendora, California. Judy has over 30 years of experience in providing services to children and families. Judy has worked in many settings including schools, hospitals, churches, clinics and in private practice. She has also been providing continuing education training for professionals for many years. Judy provides services in areas including relationship building, premarital and marital counseling, adult adoptee support and extended family support, individual, family and couples counseling, addiction assessments, treatment, intervention and referrals, grief and loss issues, and stress management. Her philosophy is to "encourage client's collaboration in the therapeutic process through goal setting, identifying and building upon their strengths, and assist them to develop new coping skills to achieve their goals through therapy." In 1988, Judy formed Partners in Recovery Partners, a non-profit corporation that provides assessment, education, treatment, and referrals for families affected by a loved one's addiction. Partners in Recovery offers nurturing and caring therapeutic services to individuals, couples, families and children for over 18 years. You can learn more about Judy and Partners in Recovery by visiting her web site: www.mcgeheepartners.org.

ANDREA SCHNEIDER, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Glendora, California. Andrea's private practice specialty is treating perinatal (during/after birth) mood disorders. She works with women and their families on a range of issues including depression, adjustment to new parenthood, perinatal loss/grief, infertility, and balancing work and family. Andrea also works with children and teens dealing with depression, anxiety and grief. She has over 15 years of experience working in a broad array of settings including schools, mental health clinics, and hospice. In addition, Andrea supervised pre-licensed therapists at Foothill Family Service, a local mental health agency serving low income children and families. You can learn more about Andrea and her services by visiting her web site: www.embracemotherhood.com.

BRIAN SCHULZ serves as the Training Coordinator for McKinley Children's Center. With six years experience working in local government Brian decided to make the transition to the non-profit arena. After receiving his Bachelors of Arts degree in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton, Brian left local government behind and came to work at McKinley. Brian has worked for McKinley since 2003 and has held a variety of positions, each of which has enhanced his ability to offer training. Brian is certified in First Aid and (Adult, Child, and Infant) CPR for 8 years, and has been an American Red Cross First Aid and CPR Instructor since January 2006 and a cetified instructor in Professional Assault Crisis Training. Brian's training specialties include Documentation, First Aid, and Adult, Child, and Infant CPR.

ANIL VADAPARTY, ESQ. is the Chief of Administration for McKinley Children's Center and is an active member of the California State Bar Association and the Bar's Labor and Employment Law and Family Law Sections. He received his Juris Doctor from Southwestern University School of Law in 1997. Anil began working in the field of child care in 1993 after receiving his Bachelor's degree from UC Riverside. Anil has held several different positions at McKinley including those in residential management, training and Human Resources. Anil current responsibilities include supervising the Training, Quality Systems and Human Resources departments and reporting directly to the Board of Directors as the agency's Compliance Officer. Anil was the lead coordinator for McKinley during their preparation for national accreditation through the Council on Accreditation (COA). Outside of his child welfare experience, Anil has had internship experience with the California State Attorney General's Office and the Juvenile Court. He has also worked in the banking industry for several years prior to becoming involved with child welfare. These experiences have helped mold his belief that child welfare organizations must be consumer-oriented and must adhere to best practice standards in a legal, ethical and moral manner. A dynamic and engaging presenter, Anil's training focus is on legal issues that affect child welfare, management, Human Resource practices and labor issues.